Dream big, work hard, achieve your goals - My DCM '19 Journey

scotindublin

18 more points and S will be having a meltdown! A solid week after Raheny. What's next on the plan? Bohermeen?

Laineyfrecks

scotindublin wrote: »

18 more points and S will be having a meltdown! A solid week after Raheny. What's next on the plan? Bohermeen?

Haha i love winding him up

Yes Bohermeen is my target race!

scotindublin

The league could be over by then. Bohermeen is a great race.

Laineyfrecks wrote: »

Haha i love winding him up

Yes Bohermeen is my target race!

Laineyfrecks

scotindublin wrote: »

The league could be over by then. Bohermeen is a great race.

With a bit of luck:D

Yeah S told me it's a really good race when i was looking for a half to target! Looking forward to it:)

Swashbuckler

Oh god sambuca

Laineyfrecks

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Oh god sambuca

Yep the 1st one was purely to help feel less bloated after our food! 3 more sambucas just for the hell of it & one that was sambuca & tequila in one shot:eek:

You think at my age i'd know better

OOnegative

February is nigh two days old and you’ve ran 195 miles already!! Some Coach you have.

Laineyfrecks

OOnegative wrote: »

February is nigh two days old and you’ve ran 195 miles already!! Some Coach you have.

He's a slave driver alright

Fixed now

OOnegative

Laineyfrecks wrote: »

He's a slave driver alright

Fixed now

Great weeks running all the same!!

Laineyfrecks

If ever there was a week i really had to dig deep, this was it! Physically i felt fine but with a lot going on outside of running, emotionally i felt drained & had to juggle a bit practically too with work commitments so i ran 5 days instead of my usual 6, but very grateful i got them done in spite of all the obstacles!

Tues 4th Feb 1 hr Easy
1:00 - 6.27mi - 9:35min/mi

A tough night with my son which kicked of a ripple effect on the rest of my week. Got out early & the run was fine.

Weds 5th Feb W/U, 3*8MINS@7:30/40, 2MINS@7:15/25, C/D

S had changed my sessions around for me as i was doing polling clerk on Sat which meant i would have absolutely no chance of a run as we are there from 6.15am till at least 10.30pm. Today was originally supposed to be an hour easy but as i was so drained emotionally, for the 1st time in a long time i could not & did not want to get out of my bed early so i decided i would run this at lunch time instead. When i got to work i had been requested to work the count on the Sunday which also meant a long day...how do i break this to S:eek: He changed my plan around yet again so i did my session instead at lunch time! God with everything going on i needed this run so badly. I really enjoyed it & it was great for my head. Paces all felt good so overall was happy with it:D

Thurs 6th Feb 1hr Easy
1:00 - 6.27mi - 9:35min/mi

An early run which if i'm being honest felt very sluggish. At one stage before the 2nd mile i honestly thought about turning back but didn't want to either! I made a deal with myself not to look at my watch at all & just run by how i was feeling & i did. I settled into it & ran the full hour - i think it was just the week catching up on me!!

Fri 7th Feb 1hr 30mins long run
1:30 - 9.57mi - 9:27min/mi

As i was working all weekend this was the best i could do for a long run which i also had to squeeze into my lunch break! I wouldn't be used to doing a long run in work so running so far away from work felt strange It was a nice run, nothing in particular stands out!

Sat 8th of Feb
Rest day:D

Headed off to a local school to do poll clerk. A long day but thankfully it flies by. The turnout was brilliant, really good to see people out voting. Great atmosphere & a good bit of craic in the school - think i went home on a sugar high after eating so much crap :rolleyes: Went to bed & took me forever to fall asleep!

Sun 9th of Feb W/U, 4*1Miles@8:15,8:00,7:45,7:30,C/D
1Miles were 8:17,801,7:49,7:34

Woke at 2.30, 3.30 & again at 4.30!!! Never really went back asleep properly so i decided to just get up & brave the elements to get my run done. By the time i got ready it was about 5.45am when i headed out the door. I was really hoping the noise of the rain was slightly exaggerated but nope it was torrential rain the minute i stepped out the door! Fu*k it, whats a bit of rain & wind:eek: Off i went feet soaked within minutes as the paths were all flooded! Decided to run on the road as much as possible. Ran a slightly different route than my usual to try avoid the blunt of the wind! I ran all the miles at pace up & down a stretch of road, each time ending up running into a very strong headwind for part of each mile. The effort was tougher than usual & the rain at times hurt when hitting my face... really began to question my sanity at this stage I was happy to pass by a runner just as i turned down near my house as this made me feel slightly less insane...
Was never happier to arrive home after a run:p I got sorted & went up to Citywest to do the count. Another long day hence me updating my log trying to wind down:rolleyes: Thankfully we got it all done today as a lot were called back tomorrow!

Overall a bizarre week & very happy to see the back of it!

37.6 miles for the week.

Laineyfrecks

Tues 11th of Feb 1hr easy inc 6*30 sec strides
1:00 - 6.40mi - 9:25min/mi

1st early morning run of the week & Jaysus it was horrendous:eek: It was freezing cold with icy winds that could literally cut you in two! My poor face felt so exposed & was so cold...throw in a snow shower & escalating winds & sure you have the perfect run:rolleyes: Threw the strides in half way & they helped me warm up a bit. Was very happy to get home to warm up!

Weds 12th Feb W/U, 5*90secs@7:10/15, 30 secs rec, 5*90secs@6:55/7:00, 45secs rec, 5*90secs@6:40/45, 60secs rec, C/D

7:08, 7:10, 7:16, 7:21, 7:13, 7:01, 7:03, 6:55, 6:54, 7:04, 6:42, 6:50, 6:41, 6:34, 6:40

I really enjoyed this session! It was very cold starting off in the shade & the footpaths were still icy in places but once i got into the sun it was fab! Today my playlist was titled "cheese" many hits from Boyzone, Westlife, TLC, B*Witched, Five & of course Britney biatch:P Took me right back to my Fables & Coco's nights where many a good night was had;)

Thurs 13th Feb 1hr easy
1:00 - 6.45mi - 9.22min/mi

I took my grandson last night & will have him till Monday as mammy & daddy were heading off for a well deserved break. He woke just before my alarm which is unusual for him so i had to postpone my run till lunchtime as he just wanted me!
I really enjoyed this run as it was a change of scenery, in daylight & the weather was actually ok! I didn't focus much on my watch at all & just enjoyed my playlist today which was titled "Oldies" Some great tunes from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Police & finished my run singing along to the Eagles - Hotel California:cool:

Fri 14th Feb 1hr easy
1:00 - 6.44 mi - 9:21min/mi

Off work today so waited till my daughter got up to mind the baby while i went out. Left 2 Valentines cards for my 14year old daughter & 10year old son! She just laughs at us when i ask who it's from, but he is convinced every year that the same little girl gets him the card - very cute:) My daughter piped up about the card being from Harry Styles as she is slightly obsessed with him!
Off i went on my run listening to my playlist titled "Lurve" for the day that was in it:D

Sat 15th Feb 3miles easy with 6*30 sec strides
30:11 - 3.06mi - 9:52min/mi

Today's run was more about keeping it as easy as possible! I didn't run based on my pace, instead i used my heart rate! I hated it last time but enjoyed it more this time. Was mad to see the changes in your heart rate running into a strong wind:eek: Got to the park to do my strides & the wind was so strong so 3 out of the 6 were a lot easier! And of course just to top it all off the heavens opened:(

Sun 16th Feb Enniscorthy 10km

This was a bit of a last min decision, S had mentioned he was doing it so i said i would also be interested. I met S and we went off for a warm up, doing part of the race loop which was on The Old Dublin road. It was tough enough running into the wind so i wasn't too sure how to adjust my plan in my head. S had his own strategy for his race which sounded good to me! Got back to the car & stuck my race number & vapourfly's on & headed to the start with S. Of course the winds picked up & it started raining, frozen i was:eek: I found a space in between a crowd of people to try protect myself from the elements(defo a perk to being 5"1 & a half;) ) The sound went for us to start & off we went only to be stopped & told to head back to the start! Not really what you want at the beginning of a race!!! Ok so this time was for real... i settled into a nice pace quite quickly & was happy to be passing people. 1st mile clocked at 7:02, 2nd mile was ok, again setting my target on a few runners ahead & happy to pass by them without huge effort - mile 2 7:02, 3rd mile was tough as f*ck & i had hoped to have banked a bit of time knowing i was coming into the wind but that hadn't really happened! I managed to pass a few people then caught up to a bunch of 4 people to try protect myself from the wind & they just got faster so that left me exposed again, I could see S ahead & his plan seemed to be working for him so i was happy for him! Mile 4 again was fine managed to run this at 7:06. Mile 5 clocked at 6:57 and again was happy to be passing people. At this stage there was a big enough gap between me & the man ahead so absolutely no chance of shelter coming around into the wind again:eek: The marshals, all very encouraging were shouting well done young lassie, this made me smile! I dug as deep as i could here but sh!t it was tough, the wind had gotten stronger & even with my super amazing Vaporflys i just couldn't compete!! In my head i could do it but the breeze was just too strong, every single time i tried to push on i just couldn't but i knew i hadn't far to go so ran as best as i possibly could! Finished in a time of 44:26 which compared to my 10k last year during my marathon training is pretty good as i finished that in 47:07 - would i have liked a better time? Yes - did I think i could get a better time? Yes... but this is what makes racing so important, it's not always going to be your best day & that's just the way it is;)
S ran his race the way he had planned which was great to hear so off we went for a C/D then back to the hall for a cuppa, sandwiches & a chat!
Very enjoyable day overall:)

Now i move on & get back training as Bohermeen really isn't that far away now:eek:

42.5mi for the week.

Lambay island

Well done. You are playing that 10km result down a bit. Its shows you how far you have come. Thats a great result considering you were racing in a storm.

Laineyfrecks

Lambay island wrote: »

Well done. You are playing that 10km result down a bit. Its shows you how far you have come. Thats a great result considering you were racing in a storm.

Thanks a mill D, I think we are our own worst critics at times but true it does show that i have come on! Cheers

Treviso

Yep agree with D, a 2 and a half min PB is not to sniffed at, especially in that wind. The fact that you know you could've run a faster time shows the massive improvements you've been making. As you said yourself, this was a last min decision - a free race if you will - so there should be nothing but positives taken from it.

Laineyfrecks

Treviso wrote: »

Yep agree with D, a 2 and a half min PB is not to sniffed at, especially in that wind. The fact that you know you could've run a faster time shows the massive improvements you've been making. As you said yourself, this was a last min decision - a free race if you will - so there should be nothing but positives taken from it.

Cheers Trev, appreciate the kind words! Positives will be taken

Laineyfrecks

Edit - Having had a good nights sleep & reflecting on yesterday's race I am happy with my time! No excuses no nothing it is over a 3min PB from my last 10k less than a year ago!

I did explain to S yesterday that I felt i had worked hard in my training since taking on my current plan, like most runners on here! I think there were probably other factors to me feeling how i felt yesterday but as a woman it is my prerogative to change my mind, it's what we do best

My main reason for writing this is that i don't want to come across as an ungrateful b!tch about getting that time, i am 100% not, i am very grateful for the fact that i can fit my training in, for the fact that i am making improvements! Our race/training times are all relative to each & every one of us and when it comes to the crunch it's only ourselves we are really trying to impress the whole time

Cheers

Wubble Wubble

Belated congrats on the massive PB - especially in those conditions!

Laineyfrecks

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Belated congrats on the massive PB - especially in those conditions!

Thanks a mill

py

Mid plan PB for a not planned race in sh!tty conditions, I'd call that a win. Not every race is going to be perfect. Well done E. :cool:

shotgunmcos

Not many Grannies out there bagging pbs I'd imagine! You rock! Well done on knocking a sizeable chunk off your PB in non PB conditions!

Laineyfrecks

py wrote: »

Mid plan PB for a not planned race in sh!tty conditions, I'd call that a win. Not every race is going to be perfect. Well done E. :cool:

Yes i agree, definitely won't always be perfect! Thanks a mill

Laineyfrecks

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Not many Grannies out there bagging pbs I'd imagine! You rock! Well done on knocking a sizeable chunk off your PB in non PB conditions!

Hahaha you had to use the G word When you put it like that I am chuffed with it!! Thank you

Sunny Dayz

Well done on taking a chunk out of your 10km pb. But I can see where you were coming from - you may have felt that the run wasn't reflective of where you really are at. But well done from racing in what was far from ideal weather conditions.

Laineyfrecks

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Well done on taking a chunk out of your 10km pb. But I can see where you were coming from - you may have felt that the run wasn't reflective of where you really are at. But well done from racing in what was far from ideal weather conditions.

Thanks a mill, yes that was my thinking exactly but on reflection I am much happier with it now

Murph_D

Nice 10k. Congrats, looks like a result to me!

Laineyfrecks

Murph_D wrote: »

Nice 10k. Congrats, looks like a result to me!

Cheers:D

Laineyfrecks

Monday 17th Feb Recovery run
33:01 - 3.30mi - 10:01min/mi

I ran this to loosen out the legs from the 10k race. Decided to run this only based on my heart rate which made more sense as it kept it very easy.

Tuesday 18th Feb 1hr Easy
1:02 - 6.43mi - 9:40min/mi

Out the door just before 6am for this run. Pitch dark still, icy rain made worse by the fact it was so windy. Running into a headwind for most of the way back had me feeling enough is enough with this weather just f*@k off at this stage:mad:

Wednesday 19th Feb W/U, 1m@8:15, 1m@8:00, 1m@7:45, 1m@7:30, 3min rec, 4*30sec hard with 60sec rec, C/D
8:13, 8:00, 7:40, 7:25

Went out at lunchtime for this session. Again the winds were very strong which of course impacted my overall effort. I hit the 1st mile without too much effort but the 2nd one just seemed so much harder to hit. The winds just kept picking up along with my effort. I did feel quite frustrated at this stage & thought right i've 2 options here - stop the session & quit or suck it up & keep going - So i went with option 2! The next 2 miles then didn't seem as bad at all. Was glad to have this session over especially as the icing on the cake was my Liverpool cap blowing off my head & straight into a puddle:rolleyes:

Thursday 20th Feb 1hr Easy
1:00 - 6.55mi - 9:15min/mi

I have been fighting a bit of a head cold & scratchy throat the last few days so kinda explains my grumpiness & lack of enthusiasm :eek: So basically i have just been dosing myself with lemsips etc. I woke earlier than my alarm & went into the bathroom feeling very groggy, the rain was lashing down & the winds howling so i decided to listen to my body & got back into bed for another hours sleep. Luckily i had worked late a good bit recently so i could take another longish lunch. Off i went out for my run & just as i was heading a chap from work tapped me on the shoulder & asked if he could join me. He's quite a faster runner than me so i explained that i was doing an hour easy at my pace which he agreed to! Off we went & chatted 1st couple of miles were grand then i seen the 3rd clock in at 8:39:eek: I thought S is going to kill me haha so i slowed back down which was fine till we got chatting again & gradually he upped the pace again! Overall it was an enjoyable run & great having some company:)

Friday 21st Feb 1hr easy
1:02 - 6.13mi - 10:12min/mi

Again i just couldn't face an early morning run & couldn't fit this in at lunchtime so i left work a little early & got home while it was still bright. It started to rain, stingy rain in my face which is horrible! The winds were also very strong so i decided to run this purely based on my heart rate, making sure i did this easy as i was doing a session the next morning.

Saturday 22nd Feb W/U, 1M@7:50, 3M@7:30/40, 1M@7:20/30, C/D
1:08 - 8.00mi - 8:32min/mi
7:50, 7:36, 7:40, 7:41, 7:25

Really happy with this session. Enjoyed hitting the relevant paces & felt very controlled.

Finally got my hair done & ended up going for food afterwards & 1 or 2 drinks:rolleyes: Stayed for 1 or 2 more to watch Dublin narrowly win:eek:
Not an extremely late night but not what i had planned the night before my LSR...

Sunday 23rd Feb 2hr LSR
2:00 - 12.82mi - 9:25min/mi

My plan was to head into the Phoenix park for this run, see if i could find my way around without a babysitter:o But because of the unexpected one too many drinks i couldn't face it so stayed local! The sun was out & oh my god there was very little wind:eek: I really enjoyed this run & have only started listening to Scullian's pod cast - I am hooked! I love his accent, his passion for what he does & i love the fact that he curses in it(i would be known to curse the odd time) The 2 hours flew by listening to him talk about his training, his flaws, working hard... i loved it & the fact he uses quotes is even better! I found myself smiling a lot more on this run in reaction to things he was saying. Recently a lot of posters on here (myself included) have been talking about losing their mojo, finding training tough at the moment, the constant bad weather etc. Scullion said something that really hit home & i think it's very true, "if you run because you love running then you are invincible" I absolutely love this because it's true, even when things are tough & it's hard to train remember why you run, forget the PB's, the races, take it back to the very start - why did you start running? Before becoming a bit more serious about it what did it mean for you to run? Clear the head? Feel good after? A way to socialize with others? I love running, always have & i hope i always will! Even on the bad days i find the things around me annoying, the weather, the sh!tty mood i'm in but not the running, in fact it's the running that always helps in the end!
A bit of waffle there but just my meandering thoughts:D

Edit - Obviously my thoughts were a direct result of listening to Scullion who had very similar thoughts & talked about them...all credit goes to him for making me think a bit more about my own running & situations

52.1 Miles for the week

Lambay island

Great Week E. Scullions podcasts are very addictive. I find myself getting withdrawal symptoms when he doesnt update sometimes for a week

Laineyfrecks

Lambay island wrote: »

Great Week E. Scullions podcasts are very addictive. I find myself getting withdrawal symptoms when he doesnt update sometimes for a week

Cheers D, yes i think they will be a new favourite of mine! Have a lot of catching up to do but really enjoying them so far

Itziger

I'm very interested and impressed by your dedication to training. Over the last year or so, having started in about 2007/8, I've gone up to 7-day-a-week training. Not religiously, sometimes it drops back to 5 or 6 days. You're newer to running though and I'm guessing you were only doing 3 or 4 days a week back in 2018. Correct me if I'm wrong.

If you can keep this up and avoid injury you'll see big improvements even without the fancier sessions. I know you've got advisers and running mentors - that's good - so just keep her steady and you'll see the benefits in the coming years.