Joining The Party (I hope)

Haha well that was a little double joke for my own amusement! I had no confidence that it would save in the training logs and then obviously there’s a fair bit of uncertainty with the bits of niggles so there it is

Right update time I think one a week would likely do for the time being but I might go again in a day or two. So here’s how this week has gone so far.

I’ve been advised to do 5 days this week rather than the 6 last week so I’m aiming to hit the same or slightly more miles over the 5 days (40 miles)

Monday - rest. Dealt with the demons of not running ok. Stayed late in work to kill the time. Done a bit round the yard at home. Core and upper body 20mins soft kinda workout.

Tuesday - 8 miles easy 7:31 average bang on what I wanted and bang on what I wanted to feel. Bit further than I’m used to so I’m pleased. Just building miles atm. Breaking in a new pair of orthotics as well so plenty of caution this week. With the rest day yesterday I thought I could give it a slight wee bit more in the middle miles so I ran 15 secs quicker than easy pace. One mile 7:13s - silly it wasn’t part of the plan.

Wednesday - 6.6 miles easy. 7:47 average. Bang on.

Thursday - rest day - 20 mins core/upper body and away to watch Spider-Man - see it if you can!

Friday - Morning run. Plan - 3 out at 8:00, 3 back at 7:15

Reality - 7:55, 7:53, 7:56 then 7:14, 7:13 7:10 and 0.7 @ 7:51 pace. So hit it pretty close. Happy to be back working towards some kinda ‘session’ (stop laughing) kinda stuff. I was nervous heading out for this - how would the groin hold up and how would I be on hills - passed both tests. Found it difficult keeping it to 7:15s but I didn’t stray too far. HR peaked at 143 average 134 so bang on for that, even if I don;t often monitor it.

Plan for Saturday is 12 miles easy so I’m feeling decent about that. Completing this week will give me a fair amount of confidence and then should next week work as well I’ll be able to start thinking about programmes. The 1st February is a key date. I have a feeling I’ll read back over these early days as a good motivator and a measure of how far I’ve come.

Alert! Alert! I did a tempo!!!

Monday - Nice, easy paced 7 miles on a cold, crisp but dry evening. This turned out to be a lovely run I REALLY enjoyed it. The whole town was out. I bumped into one of my partners and stood for a while having a craic after all the covid business that was a relief for us both. So we’re gonna meet up again this weekend for the long stuff and maybe another time beforehand if it can be worked. This man is an anecdote king so I’m looking forward to a few stories!

In addition to that the GAA club have the perimeter of the 2 fields tarmaced and concreted and the walk into the light and healthy club walks are on so the lights were all on and I did a couple of laps. Heaps of walkers, kids out kickin ball, committee member taking down names and the groundsmen fussing about for morning waiting to turn off the lights. They both came out of their wee hut to shout to me as I frequent the pitch, especially in winter.

Then on the footpaths everywhere I went I met someone my da’s mates gowlin well young Quinn, lads round my run that;s the boy Stevie. The B players were out doing a jog and they were joking that they might be too quick for me. All in all it was massively uplifting and people love to see people just at it so I was lovin all that.

Tuesday - Here it is, buckle up!

Session - 4 miles @ 6:35

Right so I did some activation exercises then 1 mile warm up then took off vowing I wouldn’t go mad on the first mile. It felt like a race and (quit laughing) I said a wee prayer as I got going. I got about 200 yards and sensed a yoke behind me and realised it was the oul boy’s van… window down “well are you just finishing” inside am thinkin will ya f*ck off da but I said no startin I’ll be half an hour or so and I’ll ring ya. “No, be in the yard and I’ll be back” “Right” so on I went cursing the inevitable stitch that would come from talking and running.

Anyhow I got them done - 6:28, 6:33, 6:31 & 6:36 - made a balls of the last one trying not to go too fast and then day dreaming for the last 20 yards when I knew the session was done. No big problem. 2 mile cool down and done! Couple of hours to get cattle sorted and back home to get marking essays and prepping for orals - love it!

Thoughts - a tempo is a tempo. I’m delighted. Felt much easier than I expected. My breathing was a little of early on and I’m shiiiiite at pacing after so long doing vanilla but I’m getting back to something like myself. Groin a little stiff 3/4 way through and an hour after but if it continues to improve and I get a bit of strength back into the glute and hip then I think I’m good to go!

This has got me checking out PB years and the training I’d be doing. In mileage I’m not gonna be very far off what January was in 2019 I’d have done a bit more quick stuff but no hurry there. I did Belfast that year so based on that I could look at it. My thinking now though is to bank the base miles and start the programme properly and give Cork a rattle. To that end me and herself booked a couple of nights in Cobh for midterm and I’m gonna try to get a look at the route for myself, even drive it.

Friday - Got out after school for an easy run again 7:45 average. Groin in better shape and feeling much more encouraged. Out then for beers for a leaving do which was really just 4 pigs shovelling Guinness into us. I was on a 9.45 curfew so I did the only thing you do and got 2 rounds in at 9.15 - last 2 at tempo pace 😁

So that meant that on Saturday I was gooey enough despite my protests the night before that I was sober. Talkin Shiite and dishin out apologies but more paranoia than reality… always the better way around! I went down to the yard and shovelled another kinda black stuff for a couple of hours and consoled myself that I was getting some core work in. New orthotics in the wellies all the time now instead of bein a lazy bollox and I’m a new man.

Sunday So following on from the **** shovelling I made an afternoon decision that I’d go down to Croker to cheer on the orangemen. What a performance!!! There were 6 empty seats to my left in the middle of the Hogan and it was just as well I had a little runway cos when Rian walloped that goal home I went absolutely buck mental! He’s actually a second cousin so you can all see sporting excellence is familial in this situation 😉 In all seriousness I dont think there’s a better forward in Ireland. Now I know it was only Dublin but a very encouraging start to the year!!

Anyhow back to me. Set out this morning and banged out 14 miles. Kinda out and back route and I took on hills on the harder way round if you get me. On the way back I decided I’d open the legs out a bit and gave it some for 5k between miles 8-11 I hit them at 7:14, 6:54 and 6:52 and then was on 6:28 pace for the 0.1. I finished that segment going round the field at the Rangers - I rarely do a long run without a lap or two, kinda like a Rite of Passage. So I’m absolutely jacked with adrenaline, back straight, lungs full and landing on the sweet spot of my foot - Cian McConville (another 2nd cousin) is on his own with a dozen balls practicing his shooting - there’s just something I absolutely adore about running round the track/path there when some of the boys are training. I felt like I could easily do 6 miles at this pace but I go against my nature and try to hold back again for the hills home. Got it tight to slow to 7:25s again as I was just pumped.

So that’s 5hrs 23 for the week and 42.3 miles with a reintroduction of some pace. A midweek wobble but a strong, solid finish to the week. I don’t think I’m in marathon training yet I’m not calling it that, but it’s very solid preparatory material. I like to compare myself to myself (in order to find true greatness 😂) and I’m now 12 miles short of January for the PB year and that’s in a month where I’ve had niggles and covid and still have a day to go (I’m not doing another 12!) so I’m drawing a lot of positivity from all of that. I’m hoping at some time next month I can take on a race but no rush for that either.

Thursday - 8.5 miles easy with 10 x 30sec on/off

Friday - 7 miles easy pace

Two horrendous evenings got absolutely drenched. Text one of the lads to meet me and he was on for it. 3 miles went round doing laps into light rain but strong wind and eventually 2 of them arrive. They’d done a 3 mile loop. Got 2 miles in with them then ran one home, the other was for doing another mile and I had 3 left when it came on in a full pelt so he ran for cover while I pushed on. Got back up to the field and did the strides. Operation Transformation were up with cameras but mercifully they weren’t interested in me… I must have looked as wretched as I felt!

Friday I said to myself I’d get out during a lull in the rain. Set off and the sun was shining I’m thinking what made me wear the extra layer AND gloves… Anythow I was thinking If the weather would hold like this for half an hour then it can do what it likes. At 28 mins the sky darkened and I thought here we ****ing go. At 32 the hailstones came down like golf balls and seemed to hit me from every side. That subsided after about 10 mins into heavy rain and then sleety snow. 4 seasons in one hour. Got the run in anyhow but it’s another solo long run tomorrow morning cos I can’t align with anyone else’s free time. Dunno how I’m gonna get through it. I checked the HR of the last two nights and I’m averaging above 170 which is a bit annoying. I’m telling myself it’s the weather and on Sunday I’ve planned a rest day… from running.

Cleaned out the calving pens when I got home and sweettalked the girls not to be having any ideas about pushing wee feet out over the weekend. Went to meet a buddy then who is taking the club minors this year and he’s asked me to take them for some running/fitness work. There’s a lot on the plate but it is nice to be asked too. Something to mull over during this long (ish) run in the morning.

Any motivation would be welcome

Thanks lads just the few wee nudges I needed!

Saturday - 15 miles

7:49 average and HR 151 - back to what I wanted to be at. The run didn’t feel great and the pile of coffee last night didn’t help things too much but the numbers are back.

I did a bit of an out and back (mainly and of course the obligatory couple of laps of the Rangers) the 7 miles out was downhill mainly but against the wind for once as it very rarely blows that direction. So I found it hard on a full enough stomach. At the turn I found it easier to hold some kinda pace but kept it around the same just nothing was sneaking over the 8:00. If I needed to allow it I would have there was no issue there the purpose of the run was to hit the miles so I wanted to just do that. Up the hills back up to cross with predictions of what time I’d be at XYZ - got them almost all wrong but that’s not the point.

Hi @Swashbuckler I wonder would wearing the watch on the outside of the long sleeves or gloves give you a bollox of a reading? Maybe that. Hydration should have been decent all week.

And Babs… I love your style!!!

So there’s another week closed out and I’m at 45.95 miles If I’d known I would have gone on for another 20 secs 😂

Gonna have a wee think about what mileage I should cover next week I’ll stick to the one run with pace and flick a coin on strides. My initial thought is to keep it at 45 and play this one at a draw then increase again the week after next. If I were doing Belfast then I’m bang on target for where I’d have expected myself to be. If Cork is a month later then I feel good about things. I will need to move onto that second day’s pace in the week but I don’t care about that until the bottom end of February.