Last of the Summer Wine

skyblue46

Glad to hear that you're feeling good again and that the tiredness seems to have abated.

Murph_D

Week 7 cont. 

Fri 11 Aug

Dropped A off in Manorhamilton for an event, then headed towards Donegal. An opportunity to do a few miles on the Sligo/Leitrim border around spectacular Glencar Lough, with a couple of detours up to Sruth in Aghaigh an Aird and and then the more celebrated Glencar Waterfall, 2 kms down the road. The Sruth is sometimes referred to as the Devil’s Chimney apparently because some guy once called it that on a Tripadvisor review. It’s a small stream that flows off the Dartry mountain plateau, forming Ireland’s tallest waterfall. But only when it flows downward, as sometimes the combination of a low water volume and a southerly wind causes the stream to blow upwards from the edge of the cliff in a fine misty spray. Luckily that was the case today and I got to witness this unusual sight in the flesh! No phone with me unfortunately, missed insta-moment. 😉  

Sat 12 Aug

55 mins easy on the local Donegal loop.

Sun 13 Aug

16 miles @ 8:15

A repeat of last Sunday’s schedule. Harder to find a route as runnable as the Phoenix Park though - opted for an 8-mile out and back to Inver, which meant miles 13-15 were up a very long draggy hill. As a result the average pace was eight seconds slower than last week, but I was happy to find out afterwards that average HR was only one beat higher. Enjoyed this run (well the first 12 miles anyway).

So another good week in the bag. Only six weeks to go now, so I’ve started to finalise the travel and accommodation arrangements. Opting for a self-catering ‘apartotel’, which worked out well for me on the previous Berlin adventure. All starting to feel quite close now. There’s a major work project coming to a close also (research I've been doing for over a decade now). Hopefully I can wrap that up before the trip and have a good blowout on all fronts. 🕺

• This week: 86 kms (53 mi) 466 mins
• This month: 169 (105)
• This year: 2,302 (1,431)

Murph_D

Project Berlin - Week 8/13

Continuing to feel the benefit of all the work over the past few months. It’s always a relief when you start to feel it coming together, especially when you’d been struggling for a while. Ultimately for a runner like me there’s no substitute for just going out and getting some work done (and no alternative really). But plenty left to do, let’s not get carried away...

Mon 14 Aug

52 mins easy

… and none of the above is to suggest that the struggles are over. In some ways the easy runs are the hardest of all. This one was a slog - got dropped off at Inver and picked up at Mountcharles, forgetting that the intervening 9 kms is a long drag followed by a short, sharp drop. Sluggish in the extreme. Wore a new pair of Brooks Ghost 15 which I've picked up for easy runs. Very comfortable.

Tue 15 Aug

45 mins easy around Fairview Park, then 8 x 20s strides. Miscounted and ended up doing nine. The idea of course to wake the legs up again before tomorrow’s session.

Wed 16 Aug

WU / 3x5k (1k a/r) / CD

This session always looms large on the schedule - 3 x 5k at 4:33, closer to HM pace than MP. Meaty, to say the least, slap in the middle of everything else. M is a stalwart for keeping me company on these sessions, and we hooked up at the usual spot and just laid into it. Quiet concentration during the fast bits, a few hand signals along the way to make routing decisions, a bit of chat during the recoveries. I’d worried that it would be hot and muggy with the 6pm meet-up but conditions were perfect. First set went very well, second set I had a bit of a wobble halfway with some brief gagging. Third set was downwind and smooth. Couldn’t have gone much better in the end. Mind you I was wearing the new Next% 2 again, definitely helps this kind of session. But they are broken in now and won't come out again til marathon day. I think.

Splits: 

4:34 4:32 4:38 4:32 4:35 5:15

4:31 4:36 4:34 4:30 4:32 5:19.

4:33 4:33 4:34 4:34 4:29 5:28

Just short of 24k / 2 hrs for the evening.

Thu 17 Aug

38 mins recovery around Marino. I’d normally do 45 or so but wasn’t feeling it and took a shortcut home.

Fri 18 Aug

Taking a cue from yesterday, a day off before tomorrow’s Frank Duffy pacing gig.

Sat 19 Aug

Frank Duffy pacing (1:29:45)

I love this race, and while I’ve paced people unofficially once or twice I was looking forward to the official gig. Unfortunately some of the balloons went missing so I didn’t look quite as legit as everyone else. In the second half of the race I dropped back from my ballon-carrying partner to try to sweep up some of the back markers. I think I helped a few people get over the line. But even though I was wearing the official DCM 2023 shirt with ‘Pace Team’ printed on the back, I probably looked like some randomer shouting motivational snippets at strangers. Good to have @Bungy Girl and @TheRef in the group. Really enjoyed this in the end, although I discovered later there was a gold medal going a-begging in the Dublin championships. Bit of cooldown then ran home to bring the day’s mileage up to 18.

Sun 20 Aug

50 mins easy on the seafront. Glorious morning, and it was tempting to do a bit more, but there’s plenty to do next week. Five weeks to go!

• This week: 86 kms (54 mi) 481 mins
• This month: 255 (159)
• This year: 2,388 (1,484)

Laineyfrecks

Great to see you feeling good that it's all coming together for you, I've said it before & I'll say it again you are the perfect example of consistency & hard work, a role model😊

I agree totally with your comment about the easy runs feeling like a slog, it's so weird! Well done on the official pacing gig too.

AuldManKing

good to see you on Saturday.

There was a guy in your pace group, just ahead of the female pacer (maybe Bungy girl??) who was shouting encouraging remarks, but in a drill sergeant kinda way - Johnny & I were laughing and BG looked at us with a face that told a tale that he was doing this from mile 1.

Fair play on the pacing - something I should do more of if I knew where to ask.

Murph_D

The other pacer was Anne Jennings (international ultra runner). I'd dropped back to the back of the group so didn't hear that chap. I'd say she was well able for him!

Murph_D

Project Berlin - Week 9/13

This week, next week and the week after were looking spicy enough as it is, but as DD had a bit of time on his hands I asked him did he think we should tweak any of the sessions based on what we know now that we didn’t know last year. The result was one or two ‘small’ changes, starting with this week’s midweek session. Feeling good, hoping to keep the good vibes moving along.

Mon 21 Aug

42 mins recovery: a few laps of Fairview Park.

Tue 22 Aug

4x (4k/1k)

When I did this session last year all the 4k reps were paced at 4:40/k (7:30/m), close to MP. The 2023 ‘tweak’ saw the middle two 4ks upgraded to 4:37 and 4:33 respectively. Float recoveries at 5:04 (8:10). I wasn’t sure how this would feel. Hooked up again with M and warmed up heading down to the Baths. We had the wind behind us for the first set - no bother at all there, a second or two ahead of the pace due to conditions. The second set started on the Causeway into a fresh breeze, tough start but we then turned out of it so smooth enough for the rest of the set. The float recoveries felt OK - I struggled with these last year as I was more used to very slow recovery periods between sets. Set 3 started at Sutton and felt feckin’ fast, looping through  Offington and its concrete surface. M took a longer route to the exiting corner and I found myself solo for the second half of this, into the wind on the bumpy narrow pavement, then really into the teeth of it on the coastal path for the last bit - very difficult now. Really glad of the ‘recovery’, first half of which was very slow but picked it up. I’d thought the final set would feel OK, back to MP but no, that turned out to be the hardest of all, intothe wind all the way. M got a little ahead and I was too on the edge to try to pull the gap back, just concentrated on the back of his head 10m away for the full 4k. The final float went  surprisingly OK.

Splits:

4:37 4:38 4:40 4:38 4:58

4:39 4:38 4:35 4:38 5:02

4:32 4:32 4:36 4:34 5:13

4:39 4:43 4:39 4:39 5:03

Nothing left at the end of this session - definitely one of the toughest ever. HR up around 180 (91% HRR) by the end of final reps. Still a bit high, methinks.

Wed 23 Aug

35 mins recovery.

• This week: 37 kms (23 mi)
• This month: 292 (181)
• This year: 2,425 (1,507)

Murph_D

Week 9 cont.

Thu 24 Aug

43 mins recovery on the seafront.

Fri 25 Aug

1, 2, 3, 2, 1 mins ‘on’ (1 min off). A mini fartlek session. Did this around the grounds of the DCU All Hallows campus in Drumcondra. Cooled down with a lap of the nearby St. Pat’s campus - lots of work done since I was last in there, nice astroturf pitches and a permanent looking grassy trail. Could be useful for future sessions.

Sat 26 Aug

18 miles ‘with stuff’

Moved this LR forward a day as there would be a few pints taken later. This is one of the sessions that the coach tweaked a little. Quite a tweak - it would finish with nine miles at MP and faster. Set off at 7am from St. Anne’s, joined by M on a loop up to Malahide and back via the coast. Started off with 6 easy, followed by 3 steady at 8:00. So far so good. Had taken a gel (Maurten) after an hour. No water, and it felt like part of it hadn’t quite gone down all the way. The last 9 miles alternated between 7:30, 7:25 and 7:20 miles. First set was fine but on returning to 7:30 pace after the 7:20 mile I felt some digestive discomfort and feared the gel might come back up. Lost a few seconds here and M went into pacer mode, encouraging me to relax and get back on track, not to worry about making the time up. The rest of the run was tough going, had to battle a stitch as well as everything else. But managed to finish it out well, which was encouraging. Definitely benefitted from the company today, and the 18 miles fairly flew in.

Sun 27 Aug

58 mins recovery around Albert College Park and environs. Four weeks to go.

• This week: 93 kms (58 mi) 498 mins
• This month: 348 (216)
• This year: 2,481 (1,542)

Laineyfrecks

Seriously well done on the Tues session then the long run with stuff, brilliant as always D!

Annie get your Run

Company makes all the difference on tougher runs, especially someone like M. Why no water with the gel D?

Murph_D

Well Maurten claims it is not necessary to take water with their gels. I normally would have a sip just to help it down and get the taste out of my mouth. I'd meant to bring a small soft flask with me but forgot! That said, I've taken those gels before without water so I wasn't worried about it. I don't think it will be an issue - just have to practice taking them a bit more as I only ever use gels in marathons or longer.

Totally right about company (and M).

Murph_D

Project Berlin - Week 10/13

Into the final four weeks of the programme. Part of the challenge now will be to maintain a healthy weight, as I have a tendency to lose a few pounds more than necessary in the final build-up. There'll be a few more high-calorie shakes and post-run pancakes in my immediate future. Everything else is holding up quite well for now. 

Mon 28 Aug

41 mins easy with strides (10 x 20 secs). I’ve been better about not forgetting the strides this year, although technically I suppose I should have done these yesterday as last week’s LR was a day early.

Tue 29 Aug

12 miles progressive (3x4M @ 8:10, 7:40, 7:20).

Yikes - four miles feels like a long set, and there’s no respite before the next one. I left the supershoes at home as I believe it’s important not to rely on them for all the tough runs. Brooks Ghost clodhoppers instead. I have to say the first four felt harder than they should have, especially with M for company again, which usually means the miles tick by almost unnoticed. I was working quite hard during the middle four, even though not quite at marathon pace. The final four were into the wind, with the last two absolutely head on and the breeze was definitely a factor today.

Approx splits per 4-mile (target)

32:38 (32:40)

30:37 (30:40)

30:28 (29:20)

As the numbers suggest, I really struggled, physically and psychologically, during those final two miles into the gale, but effort levels were high and done is better than perfect, as someone once said wisely.

A bit disorganised today - watch not fully charged, pressing too many buttons and messing up the workout. M was a huge help - I would probably have jogged in the last mile or two if he wasn’t there to keep me honest.

• This week: 31 kms (19 mi)
• This month: 379 (235)
• This year: 2,512 (1,561)

Murph_D

Week 10 cont.

Wed 30 Aug

Rest. 

2 nights of good sleep under the belt. But took the day off after DD checked in and told me to be kind to myself. Didn't need a second invitation.

Thu 31 Aug

61 mins easy/recovery. Checked out the greenway developments in Dublin Port. Progress is being definitely made, but I was asked to leave the ‘active building site’ by a polite and friendly foreman, who mentioned that they will have to dig up a good bit of the tarmac that’s already been laid. Wouldn’t say why!

August total: 389 kms (242 miles). A quick scan suggests that's the third highest mileage month ever - body holding up well under the circumstances.

Fri 1 Sep

36 muggy mins around Marino. Very short run by the standards of late but there will be no shortage of time on feet this week, and dinner was calling.

Sat 2 Sep

60 mins easy with 10x20 sec strides

Out to St. Anne’s to run the seafront before coffee date with DD and C. A stunning autumnal morning. Through the park, out the causeway and along the coastal path, where I did the strides. These felt nice and smooth. Bumped into C finishing his own run, so company for the last few kms. Enjoyed the coffee before the parkrun crowd. I’ve been avoiding parkrun for a while, but plenty of time to get back to the 250 quest!

Sun 3 Sep

20 miles easy. Reached out for some company for this longest run of the schedule. C and E were happy to join at the Phoenix Park for 10 miles, so we set off from the visitor centre at a clip that had to be pared back after a glance at the watch. Nice tour of the Liffey side of the Park then a detour through Memorial Park and the Liffey path to Chapelizod before heading through the Glen and across to the Visitor Centre again where we parted ways. I headed down Chesterfield and back up the North Road before looping around through Castleknock and Knockmaroon and Chapelizod and back into the Park for the last 5 kms. Finished up the 20 in just under three hours. Happy with how I felt - it had started to get tiring on the drag up through Castleknock in mile 14 but there was no trouble keeping the perceived effort levels fairly even throughout, with a little pickup in the final couple of kilometres. Stomach played ball (mostly) with the three gels I stuffed in. Had the soft flask this time and took a sip of water each time. Very brief bit of queasiness right after I stopped running - the last gel was cafeinnated and I’ve always struggled with those. Anyway, queasiness after the race is something I can live with. Will continue practicing with the gels over the coming weeks - might have to buy another box. Excellent run today and really enjoyed the company.

Three weeks to go.

• This week: 90 kms (56 mi) 498 mins
• This month: 49 (30)
• This year: 2,571 (1,598)

py

Your prep for Berlin is going really well. it is going to be another great race day (and report) for you out there. With regards to the gels, I would get the caffeine gel in earlier on your long runs. It'll take the caffeine a little while to hit and thus probably didn kick in until you were finished.

Laineyfrecks

Great run & chats yesterday D, always very welcomed on a long run. You are training very well & I have no doubt Berlin will be a great experience for you! Embrace the next few weeks, almost there😉

Murph_D

Project Berlin - Week 11/13

With only a few weeks left, the main thing now is to just avoid any disasters in the run-in. The week began with me confined to the couch and the bed all day Monday feeling pukey. One of the boys had a similar thing a few days previously so I’m assuming it’s a typical back-to-school bug, and maybe best to get it out of the way now. It did have an impact this week though.

Mon 4 Sep

No running (see above). Had woken in middle of the night feeling very queasy. Duvet day. At least this was an opportunity to catch up on some sleep. 

Tue 5 Sep

48 mins easy with 6 x 20s strides.

Feeling much better today but appetite (and gut) still a bit off. Headed across to Howth Road and ducked into Mount Temple for a few laps. Strides around the pitches. I can’t say I felt great in the muggy late afternoon heat. 

Wed 6 Sep

Plan: 4 x 5k @ 4:35/4:40 alternating (1k rec)

Actual: 2x5k @ 4:35/4:40 (1 km rec) 

I had to be over in Sandycove for an afternoon appointment and decided to run home. Before I left I’d told myself it’s probably a good idea to postpone the session to early morning tomorrow when it might be a little cooler. But as I warmed up, heading up ‘The Metals’ towards Dalkey Quarry, I thought I might take a stab at the it, as I’d programmed the watch anyway. 🙄 Not wise. Enjoyed tipping around the quarry, a place I’ve never been to before, watching the rock climbers. It was certainly toasty, 25 degrees according to the Garmin data I’m reviewing while writing this. First 5k set back down The Metals through Dun Laoghaire to Seapoint, targeting 4:35/k pace. Shaded at first, and felt OK, but soon exposed on the coast where it was very warm. On target but working too hard. Happy to hit the recovery period, envious of the late afternoon swimmers that were thronging the Seapoint bathing area (and every other nook and cranny around the coast, actually). The second set, at around MP, should have felt a bit easier but by now I was overheating and feeling drained - delighted actually that the gates were down across the DART line at Merrion Gates and taking an 'enforced' breather. Finished out the second set near Sean Moore Park. All kinds of permutations going through my head about how I might adjust the last section to get some more out of it. Recovery, then found myself unable to get past steady pace for the third set, so canned it after about a mile. Jogged rest of way home through East Wall feeling a bit deflated. But the part I did get done was done fairly well so I won’t sweat it, and I noticed plenty of other people struggled mightily with their midweek sessions this week. 

Found myself in the middle of a gathering of Little Irelanders around the East Wall Road refugee centre and couldn’t help getting into a ‘discussion’ with some pretty strange people. At least that briefly took my mind off the session disaster. 20 kms total.  

Thu 7 Sep

46 mins recovery on the seafront. 

Fri 8 Sep

46 mins easy around Drumcondra. Is the weather starting to break? It felt a bit fresher this evening. Enjoyed this. The north city suburbs looked magnificent. You come across a lot of stuff on social media (and Boards) about Dublin being a sh1thole, which is so obviously not the case that it’s hardly worth mentioning, but sometimes it hits you in face how great a place it is to live. Feck the detractors. 💙

Sat 9 Sep

60 mins easy at St. Anne’s and the coast. Lovely morning, plenty of lads and lasses out. Lots of hydration vests, this year’s thing. A wave from the Claw for the first time in a while. Coffee and pancakes and chats.

Sun 10 Sep

15 miles LR (progressive)

Got out at 7:30am but could have been earlier - it was cool but warming rapidly. 5 easy out the coast. 5 steady looping back around through Sutton. Took a gel at start of this, and it was trying to come back up within 15 mins. Slightly worrying as this is not the first time, or the second time. More practice needed, and no more gels on empty stomach. Coach had given option to reduce the target pace for the third 5 mile set so I kept it at marathon pace, which was tasty enough this morning. Glad to be done with this one.

So a ropey enough week by my standards. Not counting any chickens, but not beating myself up either. Coach has been taking plenty of interest and checked in after the LR with some thoughts, positive and pragmatic as ever.

• This week: 79 kms (49 mi) 432 mins
• This month: 128 (79)
• This year: 2,649 (1,647)

Two weeks to go.

Annie get your Run

A stomach bug and unseasonal heat and humidity do not a good training week make - for anyone! Glad you took your own advice and peared back. I'd say those hydration vests came in handy for their users this week. Sonia even mentioned their proliferation on the pod this week, even worrying the trend might eventually get to her 😀.

Laineyfrecks

I would take absolutely nothing negative from this week! You had a bug & the weather has been so hot & muggy, to which you would have advised anyone else to pair back sessions if needed so please be kind to yourself too🤗

You've got this💪😉

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092616#Comment_121092616

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092801#Comment_121092801

Thanks both. I was more worried about the gel rejection than any paring back of sessions. While I kind of sailed through these sessions last year, the gels were a slight problem then also, but definitely worse this year. Need to keep working on this for sure.

Murph_D

Project Berlin - Week 12/13

Nearly there. Of course everyone in the house is coming down with stomach bugs etc. Hopefully my bout last week will be the last. Fingers starting to twitch around long range weather sites. In other news, I will be moving jobs in a couple of weeks, and moving house shortly after that. Just to add to all the drama. It's all happening!

Mon 11 Sep

45 mins easy on the seafront with 10 x 20 secs strides. All the Berlin credentials have arrived - things are certainly shaping up.

Tue 12 Sep

Rest.

Wed 13 Sep

3 mi @ 8, 2 @ 7:40, 2 @ 7:25 + W/C

Yes I know, but the schedule is in miles. At this stage I don’t even need to look up the km equivalents (4:58, 4:46, 4:37). Did this in the wind and rain on the seafront, hitting the paces handily enough. Slightly clunky in that taper-typical way, but all good. More gel practice. No problems. This run felt good despite, or maybe because of, the conditions. 18 kms total. 

• This week: 26 kms (16 mi)
• This month: 153 (95)
• This year: 2,675 (1,662)

Annie get your Run

Best of luck with the new job and the house move ☘️.

Murph_D

Week 12 cont.

Thu 14 Sep

33 mins recovery, Fairview Park. 

Fri 15 Sep

45 mins easy, 6 x 20s strides. ‘Steady’ strides, not fast ones. Felt good. 

Sat 16 Sep

Up early and considering which parkrun to head to then checked the schedule and realised it was another rest day. Stuck to the plan.

Sun 17 Sep

11 miles with 2 x 3m tempo.

Joined @Laineyfrecks at the beginning of her long run in the Phoenix Park for an all too brief warmup. First of the 3-mile tempo legs through the Glen and down past the S Bends. Took a caffeinated Maurten gel at the beginning, with a swig from the soft flask. No negative reaction this time, apart from really disliking the taste at this stage. I am definitely finding them more sickly sweet this year, despite using them now for several marathon blocks. Lots of runners out in the cool drizzle, plenty of smiles and waves. A mile recovery then the second tempo 3 up the North Road, getting a passing low five from @scotindublin, out with his crew. Tempo today was 7:25 pace. I enjoyed this, although I had to concentrate not to fall off the pace at times, even though it felt easily manageable. Took a second gel (regular) during the cooldown, just to keep trying to get my stomach accustomed as much as possible. Finished at the Visitor Centre then realised I was a mile short of the schedule so out for another quick loop around the adjacent roads. 

And that’s the last session of the plan, combined with the last (M)LR. Bring it on.

• This week: 56 kms (35 mi) 303 mins
• This month: 184 (114)
• This year: 2,706 (1,682)

ariana`

Great block D. Best of luck for the rest of the week. Hope the madness doesn't get you! When do you travel?

Murph_D

Thanks E, I'm enjoying a quite relaxing week so far. Travel Fri morning.

healy1835

Very best of luck at the weekend Denis. You're locked and loaded into my tracker. Enjoy it all pal.

diego_b

Best of luck for the race there D!

mister paul

Best of luck Denis

Laineyfrecks

Very best of luck Denis, enjoy😊

Annie get your Run

Best of luck and safe travels!

Comic Book Guy

Best of luck at the weekend D, savage block of training will have ya in great shape going into the last 10k. Enjoy