Steady As She Goes
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22/05/21
13.04K - 1:04:37 (4:57/km)
A pretty easy early morning run. The pace was pretty consistent and just added on a few extra km from last to build up the weekly distance.
23/05/21
9.84K - 49:53 (5:04/km)
This was 8.5K closer to 5:10/km pace followed by 5 sets of ~100m strides. The main run again felt very comfortable. My average heart rate is starting to come down even further on these types of runs. Now trending towards the mid to low 130's compared to mid to low 140's just a month ago.
24/05/21
16.29K - 1:13:35 (4:31/km)
I had an idea for this in my head during the week and I'm not sure about its designed or effectiveness but I executed what I planned pretty well and it felt like I was getting in a good workout.
There is a 2 mile loop that I use quite often with a bit of undulation on it so the idea was 5 laps, 1 warm up, 1 threshold, 1 easy/steady, 1 threshold, 1 cool down. The goal was an average pace for the threshold of somewhere around 3:50/km and to try to keep them as even as I could.
1st 2 mile threshold - 12:14 (3:49/km)
2nd 2 mile threshold - 12:28 (3:53/km)
The pacing wasn't perfect but pretty good. Most of the time was lost on the last km of the lap which has all the climbing but I was still pretty happy with it. Doing some fast running on the flat is good but it is running over these type of inclines that got me in the last race so I just need to get stronger over them.
26/05/21
7.8K - 33:13 (4:17/km)
This is the perfect session for getting stronger over hills, back out to the woods for another slog. This is somewhere between 150m - 180m of climbing, never sure whether to go with Garmin or Strava for this. Warming up the legs just felt a bit fresher than last week and this was a much better run. Almost 2 mins faster than last week and pretty much back to where I was when I was out here regularly last October. I have an old PB out here from when I was much younger that I'm starting to get close to again so that will be a target in the next few weeks hopefully.
27/05/21
10.2K - 52:28 (5:11/km)
A nice simple recovery run. Had to fight the urge to speed up as a couple of people ran past me while I was doing this but stuck to the plan.
Another positive week of running with a total of 57km and the foot continues to hold up pretty well. A couple of other little niggles and muscle tightness that I just need to be mindful off so a lot of yoga, stretching and foam rolling at the moment too.
As I was looking around for things coming up I noticed that there is an Imra race next weekend in the same woods I'm back running in. I've always wanted to try one of these races and this seems like one of the tamer ones in terms of elevation so a pretty good opportunity to give one a try. The route looks like it will be a bit more off track than what I usually do but a similar distance. It will be something a bit different and hopefully a bit of fun.
Apart from moving the long run to Wednesday I don't plan to change much else in the week and just use the race as a work out.0 -
My planned foray into mountain running has come to an abrupt end. I was eager to see exactly what the course was going to be so download a gpx of it and went out yesterday evening to walk around it. It was a lot more off the track than I expected and a lot of very uneven ground. Of course at the worst possible point half way in and the lowest point I rolled my ankle. It felt pretty dam sore but was able to put weight on it and continue walking thankfully. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't.
I struggled home after the 4K walk uphill back to the car, no swelling or bruising thankfully. This morning it is quite stiff and still some pain but I'm able to walk relatively normally so it looks like just a minor sprain. Definitely not as bad as it could have been but certainly no race this weekend and probably no running for a day or two. I guess ankle strength is now something to add to the list of things to work on.
I'll count myself lucky and stick to what I know for a while longer.0 -
30/06/21
11.1K - 52:22 (4:42/km)
Took a days rest after the ankle sprain but turned out to be pretty mild and thankfully felt comfortable enough to be running on it after just the days rest. Still a bit ropey if turning sharply to the right so just avoided that.
01/07/21
11.3K - 49:24 (4:23/km)
Nice steady running. I had planned on this being the long run for the week and closer to 16K but some personal stuff meant I was a lot later heading out for this than I intended and I had not eaten for a couple of hours. Started to cramp quite badly as a result so cut it short rather put the body under too much stress.
03/07/21
23.2K - 2:02:16 (5:16/km)
After not quite getting in the distance that I would have liked during the week I wanted to do something a bit longer. I have been keeping an eye on a group that I ran with once last year in Dublin and they were doing a long run in the phoenix park at an advertised pace of 5:10/km which was perfect. Up nice and early Saturday morning and when I got there I was told the pace was actually likely to be a bit slower but that suited me. The first 16/17K was closer to 5:20/km but the group split up when some stopped for water and a quick break. I kept going with the break away and they picked up the pace a bit for the last few km. I didn't really want to be the one pushing it myself but just kept with whoever took to the lead.
Very nice to be running with a group for this sort of distance and the most enjoyable run I've had in a while. Other than my foot being a bit sore which I expected the legs felt fresh afterwards.
04/07/2021
11.1K - 56:40 (5:07/km)
Another nice easy run to round out the week. No ill effects from the extra mileage the previous day.
Just under 57km for the week. I'll try do around 60K next week and then hold at that for a while if the body allows it. I think it's time to start trying some interval type soon, maybe a 5 x 1K session or something similar to begin with.0 -
Update time...
06/07/2021
11.16K - 56:19 (5:03/km)
Standard easy run getting the mileage in. Heart rate is staying pretty consistent on these runs.
07/07/2021 -
14.17K - 1:05:01 (4:33/km)
5 x 1K intervals. This is my first interval session in over 8 months which I couldn't believe when I looked back to check. It just shows how poor my training really has been for quite a while now, but not to dwell on that any more, we are back at it!
3.8K warm up
5 x 1K with 2 min jog recovery - 3:33, 3:30, 3:30, 3:31, 3:30
3.57K cool down
A tough first interval session back but very pleased with it. This was one continuous run, no stopping between the warm up and intervals which made it a bit difficult to judge the pace for the first 1K but then settled in nicely. I wasn't exactly sure what pace I would be able to manage so tried to run the first couple by feel and then hang on for the last two. Had to work hard on the last two but managed to hold the pace.
The fact that this is my first session like this for a while and I was able to run those paces gives me confidence that there is plenty more to come if I get a consistent bank of training in.
08/07/2021
16.24K - 1:20:39 (4:58/km)
A nice steady long run after the interval session the previous day. The pace was very comfortable and thankfully didn't really feel the previous days run in the legs. This could have been a tad slower but effort wise it felt about right.
10/07/2021
8.4K - 43:16 (5:09/km)
A shorter easier run to help the legs recover. Probably could have been even slower.
11/07/2021
10K - 39:27 (3:56/km)
I had been wanting to do this for a while and organized earlier in the week with a training partner to attempt to the break the 40 mins for 10K as I'd never actually done this in training or a race before, even when younger and I thought it would be a good measure of where I am at the moment. So this wasn't a TT per say I just wanted to break the 40 mins which I should be able to do relatively comfortably based on recently training. I did however want to choose a route that wasn't just a flat loop like I've done for previous 5Ks but something with a bit of undulating and inclines to make it a fair test.
The weather had been pretty ok for the week up to this but this was an absolute miserable morning with constant heavy rain. Any thoughts of pulling out though were very quickly put to bed by my partner who insisted we go out and give it a go regardless of the rain.
We set off in the driving rain and got poured on for the first 5K, thankfully it did dry up a bit after that. The running itself was very good. We went through the first 2K's in 3:59 each, perfect pace but did pick up it slightly then. We went through the first 5K in 19:45 but at this stage were in the middle of toughest part of the route with a few long drags. It would be like this for a few km's so I just wanted to stay strong and keep the pace as consistent as possible. Thankfully the legs felt good and we keep it ticking along nicely, send 5K in 19:42 to finish up in 39:27.
Again very happy with this for a couple of reason - it wasn't an all out effort. There was certainly a bit left in the tank and with the weather conditions too I'm sure a sub 39 would be achievable in a race at the moment. Also the fact it was a fair route and I didn't slow up much over any inclines compared to my last race a few weeks ago. I do need to get more comfortable at this sort of pace though so I'll try to do similar efforts to this between 6 to 10K more often.
A solid weeks training of 60K
13/07/2021
15K - 1:15:47 (5:03/km)
Easy run to start this weeks training. I was getting my first dose of the vaccine later this day so made this a bit longer in case I wasn't going to be able to do as much the following few days.
14/07/2021
14.9K - 1:10:40 (4:45/km)
Apart from a bit of a sore arm I wasn't feeling any ill effects from the vaccine so time for another interval session, well it was probably more of a fartlek run really. It is another one I had been thinking about for a while, there is a section of road close be with a nice incline in two directions, one about 800m in length and the other about 400m. The plan was therefore the following, 800m at interval type pace, 400m jog downhill, 400m back uphill at interval type pace, 800m jog downhill, repeat by 4. In total this would 4.8K at an incline at a decent pace. The incline was about 2% on average so nothing drastic but enough to make a difference.
I tried to keep the pace as even as possible but I'll be honest I was definitely struggling towards the end of this and the pace did slip as a result. The 800m intervals were between 3:40 - 3:50/km pace and the 400m between 3:30 - 3:40 pace.
On the cool down my legs were fairly shattered but a good session.
15/07/2021
8.4K - 45:13 (5:23/km)
A well needed recovery run. I ran this one just keeping an eye on my heart rate and not caring about the pace.
All in all things are going pretty well at the moment. The body seems to be handling the 60K a week volume and while I want to be doing even more I will keep at this for a few months if it means I can get some consistent training in. Along with some friends I've signed up for a 5K race in less than a week and half. The Fighting Cocks 5K which I ran last year. This wasn't planned but I'll take whatever racing opportunities I can at the moment. If it is the same as last year then this is a very generous course with a big net downhill to finish so not PB eligible unfortunately but I still want to attempt to break the 18 mins if I can.
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17/07/2021
6K - 25:00 (4:10/km)
The plan for this was a 8K tempo session at about 4:00/km pace. The first 3K was pretty much bang on but the it was feeling a lot tougher than it should have. As I came over a couple of inclines on the 4th K my legs were just empty. I could have tried to push on hard and finish out the session but I wasn't to keen to empty the tank more than it already obviously was so pulled back and just cut the run short. The interval session earlier in the week had obviously taken more out or me than I thought it would.
18/07/2021
13K - 1:06:08 (5:05/km)
Out nice and early for this before it got too warm. Taking it pretty easy and just getting some K's in round of the week. The legs didn't feel as tired thankfully.
Weekly total came to 57km which is a bit lower than planned but that is because of abandoning Saturdays run.
20/07/2021
8.22K - 41:07 (5:00/km)
I had intended this to be a shorter tune up session before the race on Saturday, 4 to 6 x 400m at 5K race pace. I jogged the 4K warm up to the flat loop I use these type of intervals and kicked off the first 400m. All going to plan, probably a couple of secs slower than planned race pace but it was very warm so didn't mind that. Just as I finished the first 400 I could feel a slight pull in my hamstring just above the back of the knee. I stopped and walked for a minute and it seemed ok, set off to start the second interval but could feel to same pull straight away so stopped immediately. Walked for a while but was able to jog home at an easy pace without feeling it.
I've had bad hamstring injuries before and this is definitely just a very minor pull, no significant tear or anything like that. It seems ok jogging but at pace you feel the pull which is obviously not great news for a planned race at the weekend. Chatted with my coach afterwards and she said give it the RICE treatment and we will just have to see how it is for the weekend. If I feel it at all on Saturday I won't run.
Obviously no running then for a few days at least but with the progress I've been able to make after the PF it is certainly a time for caution rather than taking risks. Not being able to do one 5K race is far from the end of the world.
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Been a while since my last post. The migration and new design is a large part of it to be honest, I really don't like it but I do want to keep this log going.
In terms of running I won't give details of individual runs but the highlights:
I ended up doing the 5K mentioned in my last post with the hamstring heavily strapped up finishing it in a disappointing 18:29. The hamstring was definitely in my head and I was a bit weak mentally. I wasn't willing to really suffer for fear of doing damage. The hamstring did feel ok directly after the race but on an easy run the day after I had to pull up again.
Since this I've been easing my way back into things and back up to 50K last week plus a cycle. The hamstring hasn't been quite at 100% but I've had a trip to the physio and he confirmed there is no tear or damage, it is just very tight at the moment. I'm doing various S&C routines to help and the running is pretty comfortable at the moment but all pretty easy pace with just a few tempo K's.
The past two weeks I've also been out for a cycle and I am going to try add 2 to 3 in a month if I can. It's amazing how much my performance on the cycling has reduced since I was doing it for my rehab earlier in the year. I do think it will help but I just need to be careful not to push hard and use it for what it is, so either recovery or easy aerobic training.
Over the past while though my routine in general has just been off between the injury and busier than normal in work so I need to make an effort to get this back. I also want to join a gym to help with the S&C work I plan to do so between running, the odd cycle and this I need to make an actual plan for the rest of the year. It will probably involve running and S&C sessions on the same day so will need to be careful to ramp this up slowly and not overload.
Back to regular updates soon.
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14/08/21
15K - 1:10:04 (4:40/km)
A long session over the hills, keeping a good bit in reserve but still a strenuous enough run. Strava says 360m elevation gain while Garmin says 310m. Pretty big difference but either way some climbing.
17/08/21
11.1K - 54:35 (4:55/km)
18/08/21
16.34K - 1:20:09 (4:54/km)
19/08/21
8.43K - 42:35 (5:03/km)
21/08/21
7.65K - 33:32 (4:23/km)
The usual hill tempo session that I like to do. Felt very good on the first lap but just died going climbing on the second lap. I would still be happy enough, it is close enough to what I was doing before the lockdown late last year which is when I was doing it with a bit more consistency.
22/08/21
Cycle - 61.35K - 2:32:55 - 558m Elevation Gain
I know I said I didn't want to go crazy on the cycling but someone had asked me to do this with them and I couldn't really turn down the opportunity. First time doing a route with a proper incline. It was actually very enjoyable.
24/08/21
11.1K - 55:45 (5:01/km)
25/08/21
16.24 - 1:09:05 (4:15/km)
In the absence of any speed work I decided to get in a decent effort over a longer distance. The first 1km was just warming up really and went through in 4:40 and gradually picked up the pace. After 3km settled into a nice steady effort at 4:10 to 4:20 per km. Second 8K was over 1 min quicker than the first. For the last km I picked the pace up a bit just to see if I could and put in a 3:55 km. The legs were a bit tired finishing up but it was a comfortable enough effort overall. The average pace is around 1:30 pace for a half marathon and I'm pretty confident based this that I can do that. Providing the body holds up I wouldn't mind trying that before the end of the year but wouldn't put myself under any pressure to commit to it. If it happens it would be nice.
The body is holding up reasonably ok. My hamstring is still a bit tight on some runs so I'm still not comfortable really pushing the pace. It is improving just need to continue with the S&C work. Plan is to join the gym next week to help with this. On a negative note I've had a small reoccurrence of pain in the plantar fascia. It is nothing like it was but something I am going to be very careful about. I will try to get another 3 runs in this week all easy effort and then take a rest week. So just 3 easy pace runs for the week with maybe 2 cycles. The physio did suggest doing this a bit more often, around every 4 weeks, so I'm going to listen and hopefully it will help with the injury side of things.
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26/08/21
8.42K - 41:36 (4:57/km)
28/08/21
11.67 - 53:43 (4:36/km)
This was mostly an easy to steady effort but through in approx 3K of tempo pace (4:00/km) work just to test out the hamstring. I could feel it a small bit towards the end but was running on a bit of a gravelly surface which also wouldn't have been ideal.
29/08/21
10.33K - 50:22 (4:52/km)
31/08/21
11.1K - 56:56 (5:08/km)
Start of the lower mileage week. Slowest run I have had for quite a while and really need to do more of these.
02/09/21
16.2K - 1:20:02 (4:56/km)
Put on the endorphin speeds for this and just set into a nice relaxed pace for this. I had the watch recording but changed the face to just show the actual time rather than pace etc and just run by feel. Hamstring felt good up until about 15K then a small bit of tightness. This is still much better than it had been.
05/06/21
8.38K - 40:12 (4:48/km)
Pace was a bit quicker than the other days but it was a short enough run and very comfortable.
Just over 35K running last week which was exactly what I had in mind. I had intended on getting out for a cycle or two also but work and life got in the way a bit. The legs are feeling quite fresh and this week I will try to kick off 4 weeks of some higher intensity work before another down week. Doing this every 4 weeks is resting more than I would like and quite conservative but if it keeps the injuries at bay for a while I won't mind. In a few months I can see about getting more adventurous but I would just like to make it to the end of the year without any more major injuries. Hopefully try for a couple of time trials for a few distances or races. My plan for this 4 weeks interval is roughly:
Week 1 - Mileage @ 55 - 60K, 5K tempo during a run, 6 x strides after an easy run, 1 long run - 16K easy pace, remaining mileage easy/recovery.
Week 2 - Mileage @ 60K, 6K tempo during a run, a second session on the hills, 6 x strides after two easy runs, 1 long run 17K easy pace, remaining mileage easy/recovery.
Week 3 - Mileage @ 60K, 6K tempo during a run, attempt an interval session (4-5 x 1K), 6 x strides after two easy runs, 1 long run 18K easy pace, remaining mileage easy/recovery
Week 4 - Mileage @60K, 16K long run HM pace, remaining mileage easy/recovery.
All depending on the body holding up obviously. Thankfully the hamstring has come on. I was thinking back on this and my hamstring trouble coincided not too long after I started using New Balance 1080v11s for my easy mileage. For the past few runs I have switched back to the Endorphin Shifts and while they are not as comfortable on the feet there is a difference on the hamstring. After a couple in the Shifts I went back to the New Balance for one run and could definitely feel the difference and the hamstring pull in them. It is very strange because they are such a comfortable shoe around the feet. But regrettably I will avoid them for now.
In good news the reoccurrence of plantar pain has also eased. Still not 100% but very manageable and improving considerably this last week in particular.
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It's been a while since giving any update. Continuing to struggle with some niggles which has been hurting the motivation a bit and haven't been enjoying it all as much lately which is probably the biggest reason for the lack of updates.
The plantar fasciitis has been making a more prominent reoccurrence which is very frustrating and the hamstring is still not quite 100%. My 4 week plan therefore didn't quite work out as I had intended. For 3 weeks I ran off 4 days rather 5 days and the kept the mileage to 50K. Last week I did managed 5 days and 57K.
07/09/21 - 11K - 55:47 (5:02/km)
08/09/21 - 14.3K - 1:03:19 (4:26/km) - with 6K tempo @ 3:55/km
09/09/21 - 8.4K - 43:44 (5:12/km)
12/09/21 - 16.4K - 1:20:12 (4:53/km)
14/09/21 - 8.4K - 42:37 (5:04/km)
15/09/21 - 12.4K - 54:40 (4:25/km) - with 7K tempo @ 4:05/km
16/09/21 - 14.55K - 1:11:06 (4:53/km)
18/09/21 - 8.4K - 35:16 (4:12/km) - with 5K tempo @ 3:58/km
21/09/21 - 9.5K - 47:05 (4:57/km)
22/09/21 - 13K - 56:17 (4:19/km) - with 5K HP @ 4:16/km & 5K tempo @ 4:04/km
25/09/21 - 11.1K - 55:34 (5:00/km)
26/09/21 - 16.5K - 1:18:20 (4:45/km)
28/09/21 - 8.4K - 43:12 (5:08/km)
29/09/21 - 12.4K - 53.01 (4:17/km) with 8K tempo @ 3:59/km
30/09/21 - 8.4K - 43:19 (5:09/km)
02/10/21 - 21.6K - 1:39:54 (4:38/km) with last 5.5K HP @ 4:16/km
03/10/21 - 6.8K - 35:21 (5:11/km)
The above is a quick summary of what I have managed over the past few weeks. I didn't do any interval sessions or real hill work as based on last time both can really aggravate the pf. I have managed some reasonable mileage at tempo to half marathon effort and feeling increasingly comfortable around these paces. I would like to increase the distance at these paces but conscious of not doing too much hard off too little mileage.
Unfortunately I have now missed two county championship races over the past few weeks including the novice cross country which I would really liked to have done. I just really didn't feel like the hamstring would have held up to a true 5K pace effort over the past few weeks. In saying that our intermediate cross country is on this weekend and I am considering that. The body is feeling a bit better with some extra S&C I've been doing. During the week I might try something like 4 x 400m/600m at something close to what race pace should be. If that goes well I will consider it otherwise I will continue to hold off.
To help get to the root cause of the persistent injuries I've been getting a bit more physio/treatment but also had a bio metric assessment done to help identify any specific imbalances of which there are a few. It has shown pretty clearly that my right side is around 10-15% functionally weaker than my left at present which is quite odd seeing as though I am right footed. So I will be getting a S&C program on Friday to address this which is great and I will try to be as strict as I can in doing it.
It is difficult to set plans or targets at the moment so I'm just going to continue to try and maintain the fitness I have and get stuck into the S&C program. Hopefully in a couple of more weeks I'll be in a better position to finally push on.
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Been a while again since giving an update. To be honest there isn't much to report, it's hard at the moment to keep motivated. Since my last update I have scaled back further on the mileage as the plantar fasciitis just wasn't improving again and I've had a nice head cold/chest infection the past week which was 7 days of no running. The only silver lining here is that the plantar fasciitis has calmed right down as a result.
Prior to the last week my running has been mostly just steady type of efforts with a couple of 8K tempo runs between 4:00-4:05/km pace. Unfortunately I'm just in maintenance mode with running at the moment until I can get a better grip on the injuries. I have been working on the S&C program and seeing progress but I think it is going to be a while longer before I see the real benefit in my running.
I did sign up for the Jingle Bells 5K in December as I was hoping in the back of my mind I would be able to get a bit of quality training in between now and then and give sub 18 a proper go but this just isn't going to happen. I'll still do it of course and just enjoy the atmosphere. I'm going to keep the mileage relatively low for the short term and add in some easy cycling on the turbo trainer to keep the aerobic base. Obviously in parallel continue and try to step up the S&C work and hopefully that will pay off over the next couple of weeks and I'll be in a position in the new year to get back into some higher mileage training.
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Time for what is now becoming monthly updates at this stage but I will try to do better here. Following on from the illness I had last month I have kept the mileage pretty low as planned, getting out 3 times a week for between 25km - 35km. This has kept the plantar fasciitis from flaring up but I can still feel it after the harder runs so it is still an issue. I'm going to try get it looked at again in the new year but happy to be doing what I can right now.
Despite the low mileage I have had a few nice highlights this month to finish out the year.
The week after getting back from illness I was feeling fresh and did a 10 mile effort @ 4:10/km pace in 67 mins. It was pretty ideally paced and the fastest I've managed a 10 mile effort. Still a bit in the tank too but would give me confidence about a sub 1:30 half marathon attempt later next year.
Two weeks ago I dusted off the parkrun barcode and ran The Father Collins parkrun which up until I moved back home is where I had been doing all my training during lockdown. It was nice to run there again and I somehow managed a parkrun victory in 18:37. It obviously wasn't the strongest field that day but it was nice to win something, albeit a parkrun 😅.
Saturday - 04/12 I took on the Jingle Bells 5K as planned. After the park run two weeks earlier I wasn't sure how much faster I could run but it seemed like a nice course to try a fast effort with the downhill finish so pushed as hard as I could. I was probably 10 rows or so of people deep starting which was a bit further back than I would have liked but it did keep me from going out too hard. Clocked the first 1K in 3:36 making my way through a bit of the traffic and feeling pretty nice. Turned then heading down Chesterfield Ave into the wind for the 2nd K in 3:44. I definitely slowed a bit here with the wind but kept the head down and continued to pass a few more people who were struggling a bit more than I was. As I went through the 3rd and 4th kms I wasn't really paying attention to the watch for time just working hard to keep the effort up as I knew the last km was more or less all down hill. I wasn't necessarily going to be easier but mentally I had made it a target. 3rd K came in at 3:39 and 4th at 3:36. Starting the 5th km I was beside a runner who I had been battling with the whole way and I tried to open the legs as much as I could going downhill. I eventually managed to shake him off and was starting to catch a women a couple of meters ahead until the downhill flattened out. There was maybe 150 - 200m left at this stage and I emptied the legs as best I could arms pumping hard. I couldn't quite catch her and someone else managed to pip me coming to the line but I had stopped the watch at 17:59 with a 3:21 last K and couldn't quite believe it. I just had to wait for the official chip time but thankfully confirmed it. Sub 18 albeit by the smallest of margins.
Absolutely delighted with the effort and I really didn't have any more to give. With how this year has panned out I'm very happy to be where I am and if I can get the body in a good spot next year I know there are still big gains to make.
This month in another spur of the moment decision I signed up for the Grange Fermoy AC 10K on New Years Eve. I did want to race a 10K this year to get a time in and this looked like an attractive race. Timewise I would be delighted to go sub 38min here but not sure I have the speed endurance for that, regardless I'll give it a go.
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06/12/2021 - 16.5K - 1:16:04 (4:37/km) - General aerobic 10 Mile
08/12/2021 - 8.4K - 42:26 (5:03/km) - Easy run
09/12/2021 - 12.2K - 59:22 (4:51/km) - 11K easy + 4 x 30 sec strides
11/12/2021 - 3.9K - 16:52 (4:17/km) - Short hill tempo
14/12/2021 - 11.1K - 52:54 (4:46/km) - General Aerobic
16/12/2021 - 5.1K - 23:59 (4:40/km) - General Aerobic
19/12/2021 - 9.7K - 39:51 (4:06/km) - County Senior Cross Country Championship
An decent week of running after the Jingle Bells 5K. The hill tempo session didn't quite go to plan. Should have been twice this distance but the legs were a bit tired so decided to not push it too much. Then shortly after the message was put out that numbers were short for the club team for our senior cross country championships. This definitely wasn't in plan before the end of the year and I reluctantly signed up so we would at least have a team (6 to score) but had zero expectations over this distance on cross country.
It really was a killer and while I've been able to run well over flatter ground my lack of strength really showed here. I set out a reasonable pace which I know I could sustain on road surface but over the grass and the frequent inclines my legs just couldn't do it and the pace just dropped as it went on. I am a bit disappointed with my individual performance and was the 5th finisher for the team but some great performances by the rest meant we managed to get second team by the smallest of margins. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams all had the same points at the end and we got it on best 6th place finisher.
But I'm actually happy to have raced this because it has really highlighted a key weakness. Our road championships won't actually be long coming around (depending on Covid of course) so I'm going to do my best to work on building strength as best I can while working within the limitations of the injuries. Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to be able to increase the mileage too significantly without risking injury which means focusing on the quality of the runs I can do and significantly more cross training in cycling and S&C work.
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Nice run at Jingle Bells - Keep on loggiong!
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Thanks AMK, I appreciate it!
20/12/21 - 6.4K - 31:21 (4:54/km)
22/12/21 - 8.4K - 38:00 (4:31/km)
23/12/21 - 7.8K - 35:53 (4:33/km)
26/12/21 - 6.1K - 37:54 (6:08/km) - Charity Run
27/12/21 - 13K - 59:46 (4:36/km)
28/12/21 - 7.4K - 37:36 (5:04/km)
31/12/21 - 10K - 39:17 (3:55/km) - Grange Fermoy AC 10K
A couple of mostly steady type runs in the run up to the 10K today. First of all just to say the race today was excellently organized and a great one to do. A challenging course but enjoyable, plenty of snacks at the end and just a good atmosphere. Well done Grange Fermoy AC.
I won't lie I went into today with a target that I thought should have been achievable (sub 38). But the course was a lot tougher than I expected and it was really a race of two halves. The first 5K was mostly downhill and downwind and the second 5K obviously the opposite. I was pretty much on target after the first 5K in 18:47 but I just didn't have the strength in the second 5K to keep the pace up.
But I'm not disappointed, today is still a PB as it's my first 10K race since getting back running (discounting the cross country). I am simply lacking the speed endurance to be able to translate my 5K time into a decent 10K time and beyond which is not surprising with averaging in and around 30-35K a week for the past 10 weeks and my last proper interval session was in July. This was always the plan tough, the main goal of this period was to get my injuries under control while keeping a decent level of fitness and I've been able to do that. The races have been a nice bonus. Thankfully the plantar fasciitis is as good as it has been in the last year. It is not 100% cleared up but day to day I've no pain and after a run it is rare that I feel much at all.
A nice way to end the year and I'll have a think about the goals for next year and how to achieve them. The biggest challenge will be to find the balance that will allow me to push while keeping the injuries to a minimum.
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Second page of the training logs, great to see so many back logging!
01/01/2022 - 10.3K - 50:57 (4:57/km) - General Aerobic
05/01/2022 - 7.8K - 34:37 (4:26/km) - Steady Hill Run
My old training partner is getting back after a few months out so did this with him. This is the 2 laps of local woods I've done in the past and is great for hills. We did the same run two weeks before over a minute slower which a big positive split. This time we had a nice negative split, lap 1 - 17:20, lap 2 - 17:17.
06/01/2022 - 13K - 1:01:39 (4:44/km) - General Aerobic
08/01/2022 - 6.56K - 26:10 (3:59/km) - 4 mile Tempo
I had planned to get out the previous day for an easy long run but we had quite a bit of snow and conditions weren't great under foot. I was going away for the weekend so didn't I would get out but woke early from a poor nights sleep so snuck this in early in the morning.
10/01/2022 - 16.5K - 1:22:25 (4:59/km) - Long Run
12/01/2022 - 6.2K - 22:51 (3:41/km) - 5 x 1K with 90 sec jog recovery, 3:21, 3:22, 3:22, 3:22, 3:22
My first session like this in quite a while. I wasn't really sure what type of pace to aim for, I was expecting something around 3:30 - 3:35 but I just pushed out the first one without looking at the watch and was pretty shocked seeing a 3:21. I didn't really think I would hold this for all 5 but thought why not dig in a see what I can do. It was certainly hard work but very happy to keep it so consistent off a 90 sec recovery. This is sub 17 pace if I could do it for an actual 5K but I know how different doing a session like this is from a race. Still it is nice to know that the pace for this type of time is in the legs somewhere.
The past two weeks while unstructured have been good and I haven't feel this comfortable running from an injury perspective in quite a while. I'm mostly away again for the rest of this week so it won't have much structure again. However next week I should be back into a normal schedule.
I've been thinking a lot about targets etc for this year but I'm not going to look to far ahead. I've signed up for the Streets of Portlaoise 5K, 17th March, as this is my local race and I would like to put in a decent performance. I am thinking a sub 17:30 here might be possible but will need to see how the next few weeks goes before being confident about this. Even though this is 5K I am going to try to build up towards 10K specific training. The two biggest areas I would like to work on right now is general speed endurance and strength over hills and I think 10K training can help towards both.
So the plan is as follows, two "sessions" per week, a tempo type effort on the hills and an interval session building up towards 10K type sessions, i.e. 8 x 1K, 4/5 x 1 mile, 3 x 2 mile etc. But I will take my time working up towards these. Apart from this, one long run each week and some easy/recovery efforts. I need to work equally as much on these sessions and reduce the pace further, closer to 5:10/km is where I need to be for these.
As I said above my old training partner is also on his way back and it won't be long before he is where I am and faster so this is a bit of added motivation. But I am feeling positive about my running again for the first time in a long time.
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As expected not a lot running since the last updated but I should have a pretty clear run now to get a bit of structure to my running.
17/01/2022 - 16.5K - 1:20:05 (4:51/km)
19/01/2022 -
2.2K - Warm Up
7.6K - 28:44 (3:46/km) - 4 x 1 mile with 2 min recovery (5:32, 5:35, 5:44, 5:48)
2.2K - Cool Down
This was a tough session and the pacing was pretty poor compared to last week. I naively thought a couple of secs slower per km than last week would work for this but after the first 2 miles I really struggled. I was very close to leaving at just 3 but I'm glad I did the last one even if it was the slowest, good for the mental strength which I need to work on too. With the km repeats it is not that I find them easy but holding a decent pace for that distance is relatively comfortable but the extra distance on the mile makes things a lot less comfortable. Even with the positive splits I'm not disappointed with the session, it was a good workout and good learning too about how to approach the longer interval workouts going forward.
I'll get out for an easy/recovery pace run tomorrow and then the hill tempo session on Saturday most likely. I feel like I could add in another run on Sunday but conscious about not adding too much distance too quickly. My plan is to hopefully continue with this type of week of 4 runs of the same variety for another 2 weeks, followed by an easy/recovery week and then move up to 5 runs. Another 4 weeks of hard work after this should then bring me up nicely to the race on the 17th March.
I do have one small issue, I forgot I also signed up for the Simon Home Run 5 mile on the 12th March. While 5 days might be enough to recovery I will just run it but not race it. My main goal is the 5K and I'm not going to put that as risk.
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20/01/2022 - 10K - 51:16 (5:07/km)
A nice easy run on grass. I find it easier to run slower on grass and it is nicer on the legs too. I'll admit they were a bit tight after the previous days session and it took a few miles before I was feeling comfortable. Gave them a good roll and a going over with the massage gun later in the evening.
22/01/2022 - 7.89K - 32:37 (4:08/km)
A hilly tempo run as planned, somewhere between 150m - 180m of elevation. When I last did this two weeks ago I was holding back with the company I had but this was a solo effort so I pushed the pace closer to the edge. I was unsure exactly what time I could do but would have been happy with a low 33 min run so I'm really pleased with how this went. This is 10 seconds away from a 17 year old PB I have here which mentally would be a big milestone for me to break. I'm confident it will come soon.
An ideal week of running, just over 47K in total. This is the most I've done in a good few weeks so not going to increase a huge amount more for a few more weeks. Next week is more of the same, I just need to decide what I want to do for the Wednesday session. I have a couple of ideas in my head, I could try 5 x 1 mile and slow the pace a small bit, 6 x 1.2K at a slightly quicker pace, or maybe 2 x 2 mile + 1 mile. The main goal is to build up the overall volume of running I'm doing at my goal 5/10K pace until I get up to the larger 10K sessions. I think any of these would do.
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24/01/2022 - 18.15K - 1:30:31 (4:59/km)
I know I said no changes from last week but did increase the distance here slightly. Maybe a bit of a mistake after reflecting on today's session.
26/01/2022 - 2 x 2 mile with 5 min recovery + 1 x 1 mile
2.1K Warm Up
9.96K - 40:42 (4:06/km) - 2 x 2 mile - 12:02 (3:44/km), 12:26 (3:52/km), 1 x 1 mile - 6:10 (3:50/km)
2.1K Cool Down
Another tough session. I moved away from the flat loop I had been using to a loop with a nice bit of undulation. Pace wise I was targeting 3:45/km for the 2 mile and hit this for the first rep but struggled on the second rep. My legs did feel a bit tired going into this and the few climbs that were on the loop impacted me more than I thought they would but this is what I wanted to test and find out. A bit disappointed to struggle as much as I did with paces that I think should have been a bit easier to sustain. But it is all good learning and working on the weaknesses that I know are there (hills & speed endurance). That 5 x 1K session a few weeks ago had given a bit of false confidence in where I actually am so it's important to not get ahead of myself. There are still a few weeks left until race day so just keep pushing sensibly and hopefully the rewards will come.
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27/01/2022 - 10K - 51:51 (5:11/km)
Same as last week, easy recovery on the grass. A bit more muck and the legs a bit more tired too but a good pace for this of run.
29/01/2022 - 7. 69K - 32:47 (4:16/km)
Also the same two laps as last week but the trees do play havoc with the GPS so the distance measured varies between runs. I didn't feel nearly as good on this compared to last week so didn't push quite as hard, even still only 10 secs slower so I'm pretty happy with that.
Overall another good weeks training in at just shy of 50K. To be honest the legs are feeling tired and I'm tempted to bring forward the easy week but going to stick to the plan. This was really only my 3rd week of getting back to this intensity of training so the legs are naturally going to feel like this and will adapt over time. If I can get a few months training consistently like this, even at the 50K - 60k range I know I can make some big improvements.
In a bit of unexpected news the race I had signed up for on the 12th March, The Simon Home Run, has been moved back to the 1st October for what appears to be Covid related reasons. It seems a bit odd but it obviously suits my schedule better so I'm not going to complain.
Also in other news I'm going to be moving location in a few weeks, back to Dublin, north side. I might try to see if there are any groups or clubs at a similar level that I could get out with for a few runs. I'm not sure how realistic that is but it would be nice if possible.
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31/01/2020 - 18.17K - 1:32:02 (5:04/km) - Easy Run
Standard easy run. I kept the distance the same as last but tried to slow the pace a bit more. Could do with slowing it even further.
02/01/2020 - 16.4K - 1:10:52 (4:19/km) - Fartlek Session
2K W/U
20 min Tempo @ 3:58/km
5 min Recovery
10 x 1 min on/1 min off @ 3:20/km avg for 1 min on
3K+ C/D
Took a bit of inspiration for this one from some logs here and from a clubmate of mine. I didn't push the tempo very hard but it was still tough to keep the pace up for all 10 of these and the legs really felt like jelly towards the end of this. I enjoyed it though, I can see this type of session becoming a bit more of a regular occurrence.
That's over 180K of running for the month of January, the most since October and the body is holding up pretty well. By and large the plantar fasciitis is no longer an issue. The only small issue at the moment is a bit of tenderness in my right Achilles tendon, the same side as the plantar fasciitis. It is nothing major right now but something I am monitoring to make sure it doesn't become an issue.
I had been planning on the usual hilly tempo session this weekend but I think I am going to change this up and do a parkrun as a mid block tester. I'm expecting the legs will be tired but I'll see what I can manage and it should give me a decent idea of where I am at. Undecided on which parkrun to do but I wouldn't mind trying a new location.
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03/02/2022 - 9.25K - 48:21 (5:14/km)
A slow plod after the Wednesday session and the legs were pretty wrecked. It took about 8K before they stopped feeling like lead.
05/02/2022 - 5K - 18:48 (3:45/km)
Vicarstown Parkrun which is essentially my local parkun. This is a simple flat out and back run on a gravelly surface along the canal. It was a very windy day with it blowing across both ways, not ideal for fast running. I wasn't planning on going all out here but a decent effort and sub 19 for sure. Lining up I noticed an athlete from our rival club who I knew was a good runner so expected him to take it out but he decided to sit on my shoulder for the first 2K. I wasn't exactly pushing hard but knew he had a lot more in the tank and he started to up the pace and push on. I probably could have tried to stick with him or at least be closer but I was starting to suffer a bit more than I had expected so decided to just keep my pace and focus on the sub 19 goal. A second place finish and a useful run to understand a bit more about where I am at.
After not getting the chance to speak with her for a while I had a good catch up with my aunt this evening about the training I've been doing the past few weeks and I'm glad I did. She highlighted that while the mid week sessions I am doing are the right type of sessions for 5K/10K training I'm simple doing them off too low an aerobic base. It's been good to be doing what I have and the injuries stay away but she feels I would be much better served building up my aerobic base/overall mileage as a priority rather than focusing on these sessions. In hindsight I probably have rushed back into these a bit and she knows what she is talking about so I will certainly listen.
With this in mind I'm going to change approach for the short to medium term and focus on sensible base building. This is not to say I'm going to abandon sessions completely but I will reduce the frequency and volume until the base has increased to a reasonable level with a target of 80K a week. For the past month I've averaged 50K a week and I'm going to aim to increase this by 10K throughout a month for the next 3 months and hopefully in 12 or 13 weeks be at my target and then maintain this. I will still be doing the race on March 17th and would still like to race well but I won't be obsessed about times etc.
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07/02/2022 - 19.34K - 1:36:06 (4:58/km)
Gradually building up the distance on this long run. I probably won't increase it much more until after the race next month and will need to reduce it a bit in the week or two before to taper a bit.
09/02/2022 - 15K - 1:08:14 (4:33/km)
A simply enough session 5K general aerobic, 5K tempo (3:57/km), 5K general aerobic. General aerobic pace was between 4:50 - 4:55/km. The main purpose of this run was to actual test the route for next months race. The 5K tempo was done on the exact loop the race will use and while I know it in my head from living in the area I've not run it all together. The first km will be a quick one with a good bit of it downhill and the next two relatively straightforward, a couple of small drags but pretty flat overall. The fourth kilometer is a bit of a killer with a nice long hill during one part of it but the last km will be fast finishing downhill along the main street. A very useful run to get a good idea of the course and where I need to be strong mentally. Might as well make use of home advantage when it's available.
I have a wedding this weekend so not sure I will be able to get out for the usual Saturday run but I will try to fit it in beforehand if I can. Next week then I will try to build back to 5 days of running a week in an effort to work towards 60K target for this month. Just looking back and it was September since I last did 5 days a week of running so I'll be cautious but thankfully the body is still holding up quite well.
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10/02/2022 - 10K - 52:17 (5:13/km) - Easy Run
A nice easy plod on the grass. It was a bit softer underfoot with the recent rain but had brought the spikes with me so wore them. They do leave the calves feeling a bit more tight so made sure to do some extract rolling and a bit of work with the massage gun too.
11/02/2022 - 7.83K - 32:23 (4:08/km) - Hilly Tempo
I didn't think I would get a chance to fit this in the Saturday morning before the wedding so brought this forward a day. The legs weren't feeling fantastic in the warm up but just got stuck in and I'm glad I did as this broke a 17 year old PB I had on this loop. I knew I had been close the previous two times doing this but there was a hill half way around on the second lap where I was loosing 20+ secs but was just mentally stronger and was able to push on. I know these are only training runs but for me it is a pretty big personal achievement to get back to where I was all those years ago and even better knowing I can push further.
12/02/2022 - 4K - 22:38 (5:39/km) - Short Recovery
Morning of the wedding and one of the other members of the wedding party messaged to see if I wanted to go for a very early morning run and I obliged. Had planned on it being a bit longer but they weren't quite feeling it. It was still a nice quick jog to get the legs loosened up from the previous few days efforts.
14/02/2022 - 18.16K - 1:31:23 (5:02/km) - Long Run
The now usual Monday long run. I might have to change this day around in the coming weeks but for the moment this suits. I was a bit sleep deprived doing this after the weekend but nothing too eventful here apart from the windy conditions. Kept it pretty easy but the legs were still a bit tired.
16/02/2022 - 14.52 - 1:04:56 (4:28/km) - Progression Run
Since the start of the year I've actually been getting out late mornings for my runs but some changes in work mean back to the earlier mornings so out at the lovely hour of 7am for this. Not the best nights sleep and didn't feel particular good but had a plan in my head for a progression run which is not as intense as interval work but still a good workout I feel. The intention was to start at 5:00/km and every 3km reduce by 15s which would mean the last few km would be at 4:00/km. It all went pretty much to plan, I was about 5s/km quicker on each of the 3km than intended but held the pace fine apart from the last 1.5km which was uphill into the wind and the legs just struggled a bit. Still a good session overall, I forgot how much I enjoy progression types of runs, I will have to do a few more.
The focus remains on building the mileage and I think this week I should get to the 60K mark with adding in an extra easy day. I will keep that consistent then for two more weeks and then reduce back down a bit approaching the race. The ramping up of the mileage does feel like it is going to be a very slow process but patience is key.
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17/02/2022 - 11.05K - 56:05 (5:04/km)
Pretty standard easy type of run. I'm just running these by feel now mostly. Only checking the watch every so often to make sure the pace isn't too quick but getting better at it.
19/02/2022 - 10.6K - 44:01 (4:09/km)
Back up in Dublin for the next while so looking for something to replace my usual hilly tempo in the woods. I had always been interested in running the lap around Howth, basically starting in Sutton and running into Howth and around. There is a nice bit of climbing here but not quite as intense as I feel the woods is. I felt like I was going along at a decent pace without pushing into the red. It was a bit demoralizing climb along and getting towards the top and seeing 3 guys bounce along past at a very strong pace. They were being followed in a car so serious enough athletes I'm presuming. Despite the miserable conditions a nice loop overall and I will probably do it every so often when I'm up this way.
20/02/2022 - 7.43K - 38:58 (5:15/km)
Headed to the Phoenix Park for this. Really just awful conditions for enjoying anything outside. A nice relatively short shuffle, I was tempted to run for a bit longer but it has been a good week and this put me over the 60K so job done.
Another solid week in the legs, rounding up for a total of 62K for the week. Rinse and repeat for the next two weeks in terms of mileage. I'm undecided on what type of sessions I will do though. I might throw in a 1km repeat session just to see how the legs are feeling from a speed point of view but apart from that probably just keep with the less intense tempo type efforts.
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21/02/2022 - 18.75K - 1:35:12 (5:05/km)
Back in the surroundings of north Dublin and was looking forward to trying out some new routes. Unfortunately this was easily the most miserable weather I've been out in, in quite some time. There was a serious wind on large parts, when it was head on it felt like you were coming to stop, coming across it was blowing me off the paths and tripping my legs up, even with it behind it was uncomfortable. The most mentally draining "easy" pace run I've been on for quite some time.
23/02/2022 - 12.7K - 54:28 (4:17/km)
The legs had felt a bit drained after the long run so I wasn't quite sure what to expect here. I had thought about the interval session but decided to go with a longer tempo type session. So this was 2K warm up, 8K tempo and 2K+ cool down. The 8K was done in a park where I was pretty sheltered from the wind thankfully, an average pace of around 3:55/km. Very happy with this as the pace was very consistent and while I had to push it a bit towards the end to keep the pace up I felt pretty strong.
24/02/2022 - 13.24K - 1:07:46 (5:07/km)
Easy run after the previous day's session. Nothing too eventful, a small snow shower into the face for part of it wasn't the most pleasant but getting through these without any problem.
26/02/2022 - 10.68K - 43:43 (4:06/km)
I had planned on getting back home to do the woods but the timing didn't work out so decided to repeat the loop of Howth from the previous week. I was more into a headwind going for the first half of this which included most of the uphill. I was definitely a few seconds per K slower than last week over this part but again I wasn't going into the red and trying to pace myself to make sure I was going to die over the last few km. I pushed a bit harder on the downhill and made most of the time back I had lost going into the wind. Kept the pace nice and strong then for the last few km (in and around 4:00/km) and finished feeling good.
27/02/2022 - 8.16K - 43:53 (5:23/km)
As close to a recovery run as I do these days. All on grass and I was just guided by how the legs felt for pace making sure it was a properly easy run.
Another good week with a total of 63.5K. I think I'm finally getting the hang of running the easy miles easy and hard miles hard. I could probably still do a bit better but all my easy miles are 5:00+ pace which is probably about right. I still worry this is too slow but I'm trusting the process and to be fair it is working from an injury point of view. I'm still quite unsure of what my target 5K pace should be for the race and at this stage I'm feeling another sub 18 rather than sub 17:30 is probably closer to where I am. But I will be sure to do some sort of interval session this week to try to get an idea before starting to taper the week after this.
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28/02/2022 - 18.73K - 1:34:34 (5:04/km)
Almost perfect weather conditions for this made it so much more enjoyable. Nice running up along the coast seeing the waves crash in. One or two mad lads out for an early morning swim. I'm may not be a swimmer but I could just imagine how cold it must have been. I was much happier to be plodding along with my body heating up instead. All in all a very pleasant run.
02/03/2022 - 2K w/u 5 x 1K off 90 sec jog recovery, 3L c/d
2K w/u - 10:12 (5:06/km)
5 x 1K splits - 3:30, 3:31, 3:32, 3:31, 3:30
3K c/d - 15:00 (5:00/km)
Finally got out for a VO2 max session and went with the old reliable of 5 x 1K, was tempted to do 6 but no point in pushing too hard before the race. The paces were a bit disappointing compared to the last time I did this session when I was hitting 3:20's. In saying that the last time was a completely flat loop and there is a small bit of a drag on this one, so probably a fairer test but not worth 10 secs of a difference. The legs were a bit tired and I didn't feel like I could turn them over as quick as I would like to. In hindsight some strides over the last few weeks might have helped this. Regardless still a decent run and all intervals were consistent but definitely has me convinced that sub 18 is the more realistic goal for the race.
I was looking back over some of the reports on Garmin and I was surprised to see that last month was actually my highest mileage month of all time, albeit by a small margin. I was sure I had some higher months but looking back now there was always a week or two where I was reducing the mileage in between higher mileage ones because of injuries and niggles. So a bit more evidence that the current approach is having some positives even if I'm not actually feeling much faster right now. But as I keep saying consistency is key and the rewards will come.
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When you did the 5x1k session at 3:20's, was that before Jingle Bells? sub 18 right? My tuppence worth on that is that 17.30 is in your sights as you know you can run sub 18 now. If your training pace is 17.30 for 5k which it is going by those reps and you repeated that 5 times consistently off 90 seconds, IMO you can go 17.30 or possibly sub 17.30 in a race if the weather plays ball. You could go off at like 3.35's and see how your fixed after a couple of KM's. Whats the course profile like?
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Thanks for the input, it's greatly appreciated.
I did that 5x1K session a few weeks after Jingle Bells which was just under sub 18. To be fair though Jingle Bells has a very generous course profile with a big downhill finish.
I would like to hope you are right and I can get close to 17:30. The course profile for the upcoming race isn't the fastest in my opinion. 1st and 5th km have a net downhill but the 4th km has a nice long drag which will be tough to keep the speed over. With the course profile the way it is I will need to take advantage of the downhill on the 1st km so would aim for 3:30 for this if I can anyway. Then try keep that up for the next 2 where there is a bit of a hill to start with but then flattens out. If I don't loose too much time on the 4th km I'm hoping between the downhill finish, the crowd, the adrenaline etc, I would be able to kick on and get close. I'm certainly going to give it a go, I was just hoping today's session would have felt a bit easier than it did.
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03/03/2022 - 13.3K - 1:05:12 (4:54/km) HR - 138
05/03/2022 - 7.84K - 32:27 (4:08/km) HR - 155
Back to the woods after a few weeks missing it to get the rolling hills in again. The first lap was good, a bit up on the last time I went out but effort wise it felt good. Heading up the hill the second time I thought I was moving well and while definitely not comfortable I felt stronger. But I was actually going a lot slower than I thought and lost way more time than I realized. Tried to make it back up on the rest of the lap but that's difficult to do. Mentally I just need to push a bit harder on the start of the second lap, still very consistent with a couple of weeks ago.
06/03/2022 - 10.3K - 52:12 (5:04/km) HR - 129
07/03/2022 - 13.26K - 1:06:16 (5:00/km) HR - 134
09/03/2022 - 10.2K - 44:05 (4:19/km) HR - 146
This was a 2K warm up, 5K tempo and 3K warm down. This was probably going to be my last hard run before the race. I maybe pushed the 5K a bit more than I should but nothing crazy, avg pace was around 3:50 so closer to threshold than tempo in reality.
10/03/2022 - 11.05K - 54:47 (4:57/km) HR - 136
Easy run averaging about 5:05 pace with 6 x 30 secs. The strides really didn't feel great, yesterdays run was still in the legs and I just struggled to get them moving. I should certainly have been doing a lot more of these over the last few weeks but I can't change that now.
12/03/2022 - 8.4K - 41:52 (4:59/km) HR - 135
I was tempted to throw in a 6-8 x 400m session at race pace or something over the weekend as this seems to be a common enough one in a taper week but after how the legs felt on the strides I decided against it. I thoughts I would benefit more from trying to keep the legs fresh and do one or two more runs with some strides.
13/03/2022 - 9.94K - 48:01 (4:50/km) HR - 137
Another easy run averaging around 5:00 pace with 6 x ~30 sec strides at the end. These felt much better, nice and steady for the first 4 and pushed the pace a bit on the last 2. Every time I do strides I think to myself here I am doing maybe 2:50/km for just over 150m and people are doing this and quicker for 5 and 10Ks or a marathon if you are Kipchoge. It is pretty insane really and makes you appreciate just how fast even good club runners are going. Unfortunately never going to be within my reach but all we can do is try.
14/03/2022 - 11.4K - 57:08 (5:01/km) HR - 133
Just a few days out from race day and one big dilemma left, what runners to wear. I have managed to get myself a pair of Nike Streakflys and they are arriving today. I plan to get out for one more run before the race and will wear them on it but even still I feel I should probably put a few more miles in them before using them in a race. I have a new pair of Endorphin Speed 2s also and I absolutely love these so will probably stick with them. If the Streakflys do feel amazing it will be tempting though.
Also in other news I have signed up for 2 more races. The Fighting Cocks 5K on the 16th of April and the Bob Heffernan 5K on the 17th of May. The Fighting Cocks one I have done the last two times it was on. It had taken place later in the summer but I like it as a race so want to add it in to the schedule. The Bob Heffernan 5K just seems like it will be another good race to do. It is a midweek one later at night which I've not done before so will hopefully be fun. After this week I intended to continue building my mileage and adding a few other elements to my training so won't be looking to peak for these, they are just something fun that I would like to do.
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16/03/2022 - 6.2K - 30:10 (4:52/km)
A shake out type run to keep the legs ticking over before the race tomorrow. Mostly an easy pace with 4 short strides around race pace thrown in at the end. I tried the new Nike Streakflys on this and I think they could be very good but as I've heard people say, nothing new on race day. So as tempted as I am I will stick with the Endorphin Speeds which I feel just as confident in. But I will definitely get a session or two in the Streakyflys soon and maybe use them in the next race in April.
Overall the legs are feeling pretty good, I think the reduced mileage and few strides over the past 10 days or so has done it's job. All I have to do now is turn up tomorrow and try to do mine. I know am putting myself under a lot more pressure for just a 5K than I should and it is only me doing it. It is mostly because it is a local race and I haven't really performed well at any local race since being back so I would really like to put in a good showing when it counts. But whatever ends up happening I will try to enjoy it and the atmosphere which will hopefully be great.
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