What's next.

So this hasn't gone well start a log, get a knock

Went out of any easy run on Monday, very easy pace, legs a bit stiff but left ok until I hit 5K and had to pull up with a big knot in my calf. Came to a complete halt and had to stretch it out. Tried to run again and it was still locked so stretched again and thankfully got moving enough to turn back for home at a slow trot....... Just shows you how careful you have to be when adding in more effort. Between the intervals and being back on the bike I'd say it should have been a rest day, too late now. Have used voltirol a few times and had a foam roller at home so have tried that it. Seems a little better today but not good enough to run on. Will leave off running now until next week, have a swim and a cycle lined up for Friday and Saturday and hopefully they won't antagonise it.

MisterJinx wrote: »

Going to try the new trainers this evening on a short easy one

Didn't go well, calf went again. Got going and ran home with some pain but wasn't right. Booked the physio and stopped running.

First physio visit and went ok, no real damage and diagnosis was adding too much stimulus in the previous weeks training. Got some exercises and some general great other points and tips on getting some other muscles firing and working better. Another week off but got a bike in, HR stayed stubbornly low even though effort was high

Sunday 13th - Was supposed to wait until seeing the physio on Tuesday but had to get moving at this stage and everything was feeling fine. Warm outside and a misty rain, couldn't have asked for a better way to get back and the mood was infinitely better once home. Also marked out a couple of hills in a local park, a 4% and a 10%... (14K @ 5.40/km)

Monday 14th - Pool swim

Tuesday physio - all you need to hear is that you are fine and that you can get back at it, nothing serious and some more exercises to get co-contractions working better and some better hip movement.

Now that life is moving more since lockdown ended there are a lot more organisation and co-ordinations required in the daily schedule, it was still busy either way though, so now trying to slot the things I enjoy in without it being an issue at home so looking at following the plan below, roughly based on on boards graduate 5/10k plan but to suit my availability and slotting in the appropriate times for the sessions

Monday - Swim
Tuesday - 60 minute easy run @ 5:30->6 min per km
Wed - alternating Hills & Intervals CV @4:10, AP @3:55, Vo2Max @3:50
Thursday - bike
Friday - Tempo @ 4:35 or Threshold @ 4:20 min per km
Saturday - usually too busy for training
Sunday - LSR capped at 2 hours @5:30 per km

I'll progress each of the Wednesday and Friday sessions in line with the Grads 5/10K plan and as things always change I'll aim to just add in 60 minute easy runs should some of the other activities fall out. I'm not sure right now how Friday will work out but we'll see.

Wednesday 29th - club session of 8x400's but slightly short...
This was a good session and delighted to be running with people again. You do tend to put much more effort in when there are others around you and i like the shorter stuff. Based on the paces (cause it was short) went form 3:35min/k down to 3:05min/k.

This is some food for thought and if I was to do the mile TT again would give me a target of 5.20 for the mile if I held a 3:20min/k pace which should be manageable on a good day and if I was able to control the starting pace.


Saturday 1st August - 10km easy - exploring the countryside on holiday.
Friday 7th August - 14Km easy - still exploring the lanes in the countryside
Monday 10th - 10km easy with a faster finish.

In a quandary on what to do tomorrow, should be hills but might try to get to club intervals on Wednesday, will see how the legs feel tomorrow and decide. Back to back intensity isn't good however feel i'm in a stronger position now than a few weeks ago with some good rest from running on holidays although a full belly from lots of take away which is a special treat :-)

Monday 31st 9.5k @5.35 min/k avg HR 142 around the roads. Nothing but a run to clear the head after the day and nice and easy after the tempo session on the Sunday. No ill effects on the legs or with the back.

Tuesday - technical support for my aunt!

Wednesday - was supposed to be intervals but work was very busy and with the exception of 30 minutes lunch didn't move from the home office and at 6pm didn't feel like saying I was heading out for a run to the family so we had dinner instead.

Thursday - 60km bike, nice ride and was with some faster riders so pushed along the pace which was great for a change and felt like a good workout.

Friday - Hills 10 x hill sprints. After missing Wednesday I really wanted to get out so squeezed this in before the taxi runs to various activities.

Used the Hoka's for this as it was a speed session however it started to rain as I left for the hilly park. They are simply no good in the rain, very little grip and going up the hills I was loosing traction on the tarmac. To combat this I had to take to raising the knees higher rather than curling the toes and gripping as I do when going fast which is probably better form and beneficial for technique but overall I won't take these out again in the wet.

Generally good session, 9km's with 10 hills, jog down and 1 minute rest. Quads really felt it on the way home.

Sunday 6th 13km very easy run @6min/k avg HR 141. Just a really nice run, weather was beautiful, didn't have time to go round the PP so just enjoyed this. Legs felt great and was thinking that perhaps I'm an every second day runner rather than every day based on how I felt on each run this week. The hard sessions are fine with me but running every day does seem to take the bounce out of my legs. I got a copy of the Science of running as an ebook after I say someone else's log mention it in relation to fast twitch/slow twitch and had a quick scan but must go back and read it and see if there is anything interesting or applicable in it.

By this stage 1 of the kids has had a cold and passed it to the other one who has gotten it worse and now passed it on to me! Looking at the class whatsapps it looks like nearly a third of the kids have had or are coming down with something already, to be expected but amazing how quickly things spread even with all the precautions etc...

It's been a little while! Well I got my long cycle in which was really good and delighted with the achievement +120Km for the first time, felt good the whole time and sorted out some nutrition on the bike which made a world of difference.

Decided to pick up where i left off then and get back running.

Decided then that I might go for the 1mile TT in the next week or so was thinking the Wednesday would be good so went out to see how the legs were on the Tuesday

22/09 8.5Km @ 5.40km/m there was nothing in the legs at all. Dead. Had the long bike ride coming up so there was no point in trying to flog a dead horse.

29/09 same as above after the long bike ride, felt fine but not bouncy which was understandable considering the long bike ride.

01/10 Decided on a tempo 5K to see where I was not at, 5Km @ 4.25k/min. First time I had run at this pace in quite a while to it hurt but wasn't maxed out.

02/10 7.5K @ 5.30k/min pace just to stretch out the legs nothing special.

03/10 - walking the dogs. As I'm looking one way they decided to pull in the completely opposite direction while I'm not prepared....... 3 weeks of back pain, lovely.

24/11 Evening run this time, 6k easy with 10 x fast strides at the end. Dark, wet and cold out but really enjoyed it.

25/11 Interval run, easy 3k warm up then 2,5K @ roughly 10K pace which worked out at 4.20m/km pace. After done some strides in the 3rd km to warm up I could feel the lactate from yesterdays run so I wasn't expecting much and I did find this very tough even on such a short run at only a 10k pace but I definitely felt the benefit of having to push on "tired" legs and working through it.

Focus now over the next few weeks needs to be on the longer intervals at 10k and 5k pace in order to be in good shape for the TT, although my wife wants to do a 10k TT one on the same day and asked me to run with her so I'll pace her on the day and do my own a few days later.

The rest of the week and the weekend was a write off with life and stuff so back on it this week....

And the last one of the year and what a year it's been!!!!

09/12 - 6k lunchtime run, from what I remember it was slow and leggy....

11/12 - 10k after work and another stress buster. Cold so kept it tempo @5.10m/k pace.

13/12 Sunday LSR, decided again to keep mixing up the pace on this run 6k @5.30m/k pace warm up, 5K @ 4.30m/k pace and 2k home up the hill. I'm liking this instead of steady easy running all the time. After doing so much LSR pace i'm finding I need to get used to the comfortably uncomfortable and the bodies reaction to it, once you are a few minutes in you settle and get on with it and it's not as hard as you think, does the confidence good to know you can do it.

14/12 & 16/12 2 very easy trots around the block at lunchtime

19/12 10K pace setter for her glorious self at the bull wall. The wind and weather was terrible so she put getting a PR out of her mind. The first 1K was horrific but the wind behind us head down towards howth felt great. The path then ended and she barrelled up a grass embankment to run on the grass, big mistake, she lost all her rhythm, turned into cross winds and the wheels fell off for 3k. With 3k to go she got her rhythm back and we push home against the wind for a strong finish in 53 minutes. It was a struggle and I think she was disappointed however the conditions weren't with us and it was a triumph to finish. I'll see if she would like to do a 5k TT in the new year.

20/12 13K with the same 5K in the middle at higher pace. Feet were sore I think from the socks I was wearing and same trainers as the previous day's 10kTT which while was comfortable pace wise was a fair effort with the wind. Beautiful sun shine out and I suspect the hangovers were in full flow as it was quiet considering I only headed out at 12. Nice to see however that the 5K interval at what I perceived to be 10K pace again was this time at 4:20 m/k pace which is an improvement on the last couple of runs on the route which were 4:30 pace.

That's probably me for the year, if i get out great, if I don't I won't worry about it, think I've done a fair bit this year. Got a new watch and it's telling me that I'm as fit as a 20 year old and that I need to take a break and rest, can't complain about that

Year to date 114 runs, 1,164 km's, 1 mile & 5k PB's and a tone of endurance built up. I think as well that I've found the right cadence for me at the moment at least with 4 runs a week, it seems to balance fitness and freshness. Looking forward to next year and seeing what it brings, the only way is up (and to beat those 2 PB's from this year...)

I knew it would be painful and that I wouldn't get a time I was going to be overly happy with but I figure it is better to know where I am and see the time and put that impetus into the plan and improving.

Deciding on a location was difficult but picked a local park without many people in it due to the fact it's wind, a bit hilly and exposed which was going to make it a challenge in any case!

Picked the loops and set up the watch - new watch so lots of fiddling!!!
Headed off into the wind and as per usual, despite all my mental reminders and talking to myself to run conservatively for the first 2k I was out the door running at 3.30m/k pace for the first 500m but did slow it down quickly enough and got a rhythm at just under 4m/k pace.

First loop and up the hill was managed but difficult, second loop and I'm coming around to the hill again and I look at the distance, 3.76k and I'm gassed going up the hill, it's totally took the wind out of my sails and I'm despondent! I was slowing down to 4.30 pace getting up the hill and really no looking forward to the last 1.24k

My course planning wasn't that great when I realised my short final look had to go up the hill again to finish close to where I had left my gear.....

The watch tells me I've finished the workout set for 5K, do I hit the stop button or does it do it itself, the little frustrations of technology.

Strava tells me 5k in 20:58. I've a minute improvement to make up over the next 6 weeks to reach goal number 1 for 2021

So I was following another log, can't remember which and there was a discussion around HRV and using this instead of % of Max HR for Zone calculation.

This got me doing a little bit of research on the Garmin connect app and looking at various different methods for HR Zone calculation. Now I'm not a slave to these but do try and run my easy runs in Z2 and it keeps me in check.

Why i'm interested in this is I though I might use the resting HR (51) - Max HR as a way of calculating zones so I could probably up the pace some more on the LSR's and get a better placement for tempo runs.

So I was interested to see with the new garmin watch would it have different readings from my old TomTom. As the Tom Tom had recoded several high heart rates for me, 199, 200 & 201 all in races when it was hot i.e. anything above 25 degrees! These seemed high so I was always sceptical considering my max by the standard 220 - age should be 176. I had recorded 187 on the bike for similar conditions.

Also to note, I'm fair, not very hairy and keep the watch tight so based on research I think that I'm probably a fairly good subject in terms of getting a good optical HR reading.

So on the bike first during the week, it was a really hard session and I was totally spent by the end and it was max effort covering 45 minutes. Max HR on the watch was 179.

On the 5K TT which was just 20 minutes my max HR got to 192. There was probably a bit more there on this one if I had to keep running for another 10 minutes and it was warmer.

On Sunday's long run I took a cliff shot jelly. Full of sugar and only took it just as I thought I might be tired, normally I don't feed on these runs under 20K. So the HR climbed massively without changing pace or effort, it was an un-natural climb and totally related to the sweet and the HR hit 195 which I actually trust as I was still running very steady easy cadence.

So I have some questions on this
Is a running MAX HR always going to be higher than on the bike (I expect it would be due to the load bearing impact) and would ~15bpm be unreasonable?

I was looking at the Kovanan calculation - it looks to be very similar to the calculation Garmin connect made for Max - Resting HR - is it using this formula?

Does 195 seem completely strange? It might be wrong but if it's consistently wrong then I can use it to set the Zones for running and use the bike max HR separately as Garmin connect gives this option.

It does make a difference on the App as say +178 is Anaerobic top effort which it isn't so will tell me I'm working too hard when I'm not at that effort level.
Also it will raise my Zone 2 Cap to 149bpm from 142bpm which would give me more room to pace up the LSR's

shotgunmcos wrote: »

First Max: 192 on the 5kTT but 195 on your steady LR. Something obviously up there. Are you using wrist based HR or HR strap?

It was all wrist based HR. So the Cliff shot kick in after 10/15 minutes and the HR shot up for no discernible additional fatigue or effort. I had seen this before after taking a shot of basically pure sugar when training for a half marathon.

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Next: 192 on 5k TT: your 20:58? You say you could have hit max with another 10 mins of running?! Either you were seriously under gassing the TT or you have a bit to learn about HR. Even if you hit your TT at 95% and finished on your knees thinking you could have got a little harder? If you straight away ran an all out 400m I bet you would see a new max. Its also possible you maxed on that hill and finished slowing down thinking you could give more...?

Yes 192 on this one. I was referring to something I had read where to get a true max HR you should be running flat out for 30 minutes where as my run was only 20. You are quite correct in saying that I had come up the hill and slowed down on the last 500m so there was more to give. I would have though another 5% was there, I wasn't on my knees panting.

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Next: Running HR zones are different to Bike HR zones. I used to get VO2 Max session from my triathlon coach that would near make me puke. I still wouldn't get within 5% of my max run HR.

This makes sense and is now what I have set up so the running max is set to 192 and the bike to 179

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Lastly:
It does make a difference on the App as say +178 is Anaerobic top effort which it isn't so will tell me I'm working too hard when I'm not at that effort level.

Also it will raise my Zone 2 Cap to 149bpm from 142bpm which would give me more room to pace up the LSR's

This would concern me. Even if you suddenly learned that your anaerobic threshold was higher than you originally thought, it would not suddenly mean you can boost your LSR pace!! :eek: Thats a recipe for disaster, even if, and I suspect its not, accurate HR readings. Add pace in segments and gradually to your LSR or better yet, enjoy running your LSR at lower effort knowing you are fitter.

On the anaerobic point my point was more in relation to when the watch had set itself as default with 176 as my MAX HR it will telling me that all my efforts were harder than they actually were. e.g. a Zone 3 tempo effort was coming in as an anaerobic effort etc. The new setting now is more reflective of the effort based on a higher HR MAX

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Also it will raise my Zone 2 Cap to 149bpm from 142bpm which would give me more room to pace up the LSR's[/I]

This would concern me. Even if you suddenly learned that your anaerobic threshold was higher than you originally thought, it would not suddenly mean you can boost your LSR pace!! :eek: Thats a recipe for disaster, even if, and I suspect its not, accurate HR readings. Add pace in segments and gradually to your LSR or better yet, enjoy running your LSR at lower effort knowing you are fitter.

Thanks for the concern :-) . So what I was really interested in was seeing whether there was a possibility of raising the Z2 cap that I try to keep to. If it is the case then I would see whether I could start to slowly up the pace of the LSR's. Currently all run at 5.30 m/k pace which is very comfortable. I have started putting more interval work into the routine now as last year was all LSR pretty much to improve endurance but I'll definitely keep mind that the improvement in LSR pace should come from the intervals rather than by increasing LSR pace by itself. The 5.30m/k is probably the bottom end of the pace bracket based on 5K pace so seeing if there was room to move there!

Thanks for the input, appreciate it. I have found using the Zones help me keep the easy easy and having a cap, although I don't follow it religiously does keep me in check and means I've built up the mileage and frequency in a controlled way.

My issue is probably more around the high intensity efforts when going past RPE 7.5 onwards. I don't have a good sense of RPE 8,9 & 10 and can easily hit a 10 when aiming for an 8 and then it's game over for me. I don't use HR for those types of set, more pace, but still it take a lot of effort to make sure I don't blow up on those harder shorter efforts.

Monday 1st - 7K with 5x strides at the end. Evening run and it was dark and cold but happy to get out.

Tuesday - Bike - hard effort, 45 mins

Wednesday rest - my watch beeped me saying it saw a pattern on my Wednesdays with very little activity - so less than 2,000 steps for the day.... This is what lockdown does, in normal times I'd be at 8,000 plus a bike commute every day..

Thursday - bike hard effort again, 1hr

Friday 5x800 - This was very tough. The aim was to run under 5K pace for these and thinking afterwards on why it was so hard there is definitely something there with doing 2 hard bikes during the week where I only had 1 the week before. 3:13 3:09 3:11 3:10 3:16 all under 5K pace but tough and I didn't have the right prescribed rest included and probably needed the extra 40 seconds. Except for the last one I was happy to have paced it fairly evenly and got it done.

Sunday 7th: Out a little later with the plan to put the tempo back into my long run. Wind was a big factor and had it in my face for the full 5K tempo section, bad planning! 13K with the tempo @~4:30 pace. Tired on the way home

This week I will keep the 2 bike sessions but have them as recovery spins only and take it easy but keep moving.

MisterJinx wrote: »

I think a quiet week did me good and looking forward to some more sessions over the next couple of weeks before the 5k TT

Famous last words! After that last session on the 15th I was again doing millions of sitting during the week and on the Wednesday my lower back tweaked again, disheartening.... It actually put me in quite a funk. I had to skip the planned session on Friday and I had a session planned for Sunday but instead got out for an easy 8K which felt fine but still wasn't great.

The following week my motivation was poor TBH and went out on Wednesday for an easy run and it felt terrible, HR all over the place, poor pace, sore back and was having a real moan in my head all the way round. By the next day I was wondering why I was bothering at all....My wife offered that I could get out on Thursday unexpectedly and I declined......

Friday the 26th, it was now either get back on the saddle or let another week slide. Decided not to let it slide. Out for a planned session which I knew was going to be really hard, 5x1K. The long intervals are just hard, no matter how you are feeling going into it. Out to the usual spot and got going, not expecting much considering the lay offs and hoping I could hold close to target pace for the full 5 reps. K's were 4:00 3:51 3:51 3:59 4:03 off 2:30 rest. I was delighted

The final 2 look off but on the final one I felt strong and was actually able to up the pace for a stronger finish, for some reason however the watch didn't stop the interval at the same place it had done for the previous 4. don't know why but had to run another 20 meters after stopping. Cost me a few seconds on the rep but I know how I was feeling and where it would have landed so was very happy all round with this and came home in a great mood. Confidence built....

Sunday 28th - 12K really easy. Did some loops around the park where I did the first 5K TT to see if there was a loop that didn't go up the hill 3 times. Found a better direction and start point so will use that. So many people out, it was great to see all the families on bikes and walking etc.

Tuesday 2nd March: Back for a session, stepped back a couple of weeks in the plan to repeat one of the sessions 400x5 (x2). I was expecting great things and the first set went well. Pared back the pace on the first one, second one was a little off but got the rhythm going 1:20 1:22 1:20 1:20 1:20 off 1:20 rest.

Was confident the next set would be just as good although running it in a different direction and like last time this direction is a little slower. On the 3rd rep I missed the start of the rep!! Was watching some kids on electric scooters eek - tried to catch myself back up which was a mistake and paid for it on the next rep too, I was shagged on the final rep. 1:22 1:24 1:27 1:30 1:24. A tale of two half's... Was disappointed with that second set, I though I would have been much more consistent.

But I did see something good when I came home and looked at the data. I had mentioned previously about trying to work on standing up straighter a keep the centre of gravity more aligned and not stretching into the pace but using the cadence to keep the pace up. Pic attached showing how the cadence has picked up from the same session with very similar times.

So I was happy with the consistency from March to the middle of May. Topping off with a 60K week (largest weekly volume for me ever) in the second week of May with a planned then 2/3 weeks where I was not going to get much running in with a Communion and trip away and some work commitments which all kept me very busy. Back to it now and it's amazing how it can be a bit of a struggle to get going again and the legs moving.

So, in keeping with the plan I'm doing a mostly base few weeks to work into the marathon plan which I'm really looking forward to. The couple of weeks off actually probably did me good in terms of a little re-set and not getting too jaded with logging in the miles.

Week 6 -12 June - 27K: 3 runs, all easy @5.3X - HR a bit high and legs a bit stiff but that seems normal after a break

This week I'll aim for 4 runs and up it again the following week. I also got a free entry for the docklands 5K which I've done a few times and in 2016 was my first ever 5K. It's very flat and set up for a pb but I'm not sure I'll be in that condition next Thursday so it should be at least a good benchmark to see where I am at just before starting the marathon block.

Also just bought another pair of Endorphin Speeds (the 2's this time) for €118. Couldn't resist a deal and it's a great price for a great trainer. I find myself reaching for my current pair all the time now even for easy runs, not that there is anything wrong with the NB 880's which is a very solid shoe but the Speeds just are easier on the legs and a softer ride that I like.

Also I had forgotten how hot I get running in summer, I find it quite sweltering and HR goes through the roof which is something I hadn't really thought about when planning this marathon block. Just noting it for myself as actually I think I prefer to run in the winter (rain and cold are fine, wind not so much!) so maybe for next time I should consider a spring marathon.....I'll also be doing most of the first 3 weeks of the plan in France, which while not roasting will certainly be hotter than here, must make sure I drink lots of water and keep it very slow, although there are not too many session in there so that should be fine.

Monday 20/06 - Club interval session. Numbers were very light this week with Holidays, races and the like so I wound up running the set on my own. Usual warm up and then 6x800 at just below 5K pace. Nice warm evening and I set off on the first two 800 at just below 5K pace as this was the first bit of speed work I had done in a month. I was feeling good here and felt I was probably holding myself back a bit so I decided on the third interval that I would stop looking at the watch and just go with effort. The next 4 formed a bit of a pyramid as I wound up the pace a little bit on each one. Finished off the last at 20secs/km below 5k pace but really in control of the form and the breathing. This gave me a great bit of confidence, I was happy not to look at the watch and go off feel and with the last 2 intervals being strong I started to think that the few weeks off hadn't done me any harm and I was now in the good place after a fairly gradual build over the last couple of weeks.

Tuesday 21/06 1hr easy during kids training with company. Chatted along and HR stayed nicely low. All good.

Thursday 23/05 - Docklands 5K. After Monday I'm feeling like actually this could be one to go for. The course is flat and fast, plenty of runners to work off, pacers and some good history for me so all in all I'm thinking maybe I should go for it but god it's very warm.... Not as warm as 2018/2019 when it was roasting and we were kept on the line for 15 minutes but it's still very warm.

Race report - Docklands 5K

God it's warm, it's really very warm. Bike is locked up, bag away and i'm trotting around the back streets, it's really not necessary to warm up in this heat, why am I bothering. Around the block and the HR is high for this, maybe I should pair it back a little, I don't like the heat, maybe just getting close to 20 mins would be ok, considering. Saying hello to a couple of colleagues in a back lane as I'm doing a few strides and some activations, getting my excuses in early, god it's very warm isn't it...I'm sweating buckets already...very warm nods all round...

Right so 10 minutes to go, better line up, out on the quays and it looks like I'm a little early, O points me in the direction of the 20 minute balloons, your supposed to be up there he says, I meekly agree and shuffle my way forward. I'm a medium bit back from the pacers, suits me grand, I'll see how I'm feeling...maybe today, maybe not..

Announcer is waiting on the ok from the Gardaí that we're good to go, not sure if I'm good to go but I can't get out of here now. Right and we're off, ok it's really f**king warm, don't go tearing off, kept it steady and you'll be fine, you'll get around and what will be will be. Look at the watch, 4.20 pace, ok not that easy, little injection, 3.30, not that much, might have been the gps, cool the jets and get it steady...

Loads of people here and trying to pick myself through the crowd without tripping anyone up, need to keep my rangy legs to myself. Get the shouts from the lads outside the dockers pub, those pints look great, can't wait.

Over the Matt Talbot and it's still very warm but it's ok, still trying to get around those that have shot off too quickly, hopefully that isn't me in a couple of km's.

I've managed to attach myself now to the 20 minute pacers and I'm settling, do a check, breathing is ok, that's positive, legs are ok, that's also positive. Ok now can you manage to relax and just keep it steady, there is nothing like trying to relax to make you tense up...

Go around the turn and it's getting very tight on the street. I'm right behind the balloons now, first real check on the watch, 3.2k, I'm ok, this is great, I'm not dying and I've got to this point, maybe this is actually on. Just focus now on the pacers and not tripping anyone up, trying to find space to run but it's really tight and the couple of people in front and to the side have a different cadence and I've to concentrate really hard to not get in a tangle.

That second pacer looks in trouble, he has the look of a lad who's really warm, I feel his pain. We've slowed here and are over 4min pace, you can't get around and are totally boxed in. I am annoying people now, I know I am, as I'm moving across trying to get around but every time I try someone takes the space or I could be really difficult and stick out the elbows. I keep them to myself.

I'm feeling confident since latching onto the pacers, this is a new feeling, it might be my day.

Back over the Matt Talbot and past the pub, I'm not looking at the pints now, just that balloon. Click over the 4k now, I'm watching the watch, intently. We've picked up the pace and the average is fine, it's the distance, it's not ticking down fast enough, this is starting to feel really tough and I'm officially hot, actually no, roasting.

4.12k, I remember this number because I remember numbers, especially when they are lower than you expect.

Do you know I'm probably, maybe, up on my official pb, if I stopped now or slowed right down I'd probably still get an official pb. It would be fine to do that considering the heat. In fact it would be grand as I don't really think I can go sub 20 anyway. Loads of people stop at this stage, sure you've seen them already, it happens, it's not that big a deal if you do. sure listen to your breathing, you're definately on the edge now, feels horrible, you can't keep that up, you'll start to hyperventilate soon enough and then your f*cked. You should really ease up here a bit.

Stop panting, if you can stop panting then maybe you'll be alright.

I've stopped panting, that was a good idea, you were getting ragged there. Ok the lad with the balloon has turned bright red and you're still behind him, if he can keep going then you can too. Just keep the breathing under control and legs will take care of the rest, do you remember the 800's you did on Monday, you felt fine there and you were running much quicker then, this is the same as that last 800, that's all that you need to do, just breath like you did then, you don't need to do anything more than that.

Jeasus that gantry is miles away, you know this already, in fact you told people about it. It doesn't change the fact that it's miles away and this hurts like hell. 500 meters to go, nothing, I presume I was still looking at the balloon. I just kept moving, there was no sprint finish.

I look up and see a 19 on the clock, I can't read the seconds, doesn't matter, that's all I needed to see. I cross the line and I'm bent over with my hands on my knees, so are the 2 pacers, it was very hot you see. I look at my watch, give it a second look, and I'm happy.

Silly things, it was 5.02, perfect, you've a few that ran a little short so this actually totally counts, doesn't have any doubt around it. It's a PB and it's under 20, you didn't think you could do that 2 minutes ago, in fact you were convinced you couldn't do it 2 minutes ago, you were so convinced that you were going to stop running, only 2 minutes ago. Maybe you've taught yourself a lesson about not listening to yourself sometimes. We'll keep that and use it again, hopefully.

Finishing time 19:36, PB, weather conditions, very warm.

Sunday 26/06

After Thursday's evening success, Friday and Saturday were a bit of a wipe out as I had 2 evening planned out. Got out on Sunday for the usual loop out to Ashtown and back. ~13K. Put the watch just on HR and kept it nice and easy. My left calf was a little tight as I got a cramp in it on Friday night and had to do a little foam rolling on Saturday night. It felt fine and trotted along nicely looking at the reeds by the canal. The weather was a little overcast and a light breeze and it felt great compared to the heat of Thursday. 13K, Avg pace 5.34/k, avg hr 131. Feeling good now, stats are looking like they were in early May and easy pace and HR have started to line up better since the few weeks off, ready for the marathon block.

Travelling on Friday so might need to switch around the runs this week just to get the time in.

Thanks, I was really happy with it. I've been so close so many times, a bit like yourself, and it was really nice to do it, just felt like a nice reward for what I think has been some good consistency over the last few months. I would have been so disappointed if the wheels had fallen off at the end.

I'm sure it's coming very soon :-)

Christmas was quiet, the vomiting bug will do that to you! But I did have a nice break and didn't go overboard as a result of said sickness so came into the new year feeling ok.

30k the week before Christmas, all easy + my new weekly S&C class which I'm thoroughly enjoying :-) It's circuits and while there has been some DOMS I can actually really feel the benefit of a total body workout.

First week of Jan was 40K, second week was 47K with a 4x1k at 5k effort thrown on. The same again the third week (47K) except I added in a block of 200's at 40 seconds with 40 seconds rest. It was too much, too soon, too fast. The legs had been feeling great and I really wanted to open them up, it was a mistake as I had to pull on the penultimate one with a tight calf. Took a day off and foam rolled the beejeasus out of the legs.

I was grand again for the rest of the week and then on an easy Monday of the last week in Jan it locked again half way through the run. Took 2 days rest and again went at it with the foam roller and the massage gun, easy on Thursday and it was "fine" but booked a physio just in case!

Raheny 5 mile Race Report;

My general running consistency was low but the S&C and commuting by bike I'm sure was adding a little to the fitness as I certainly wasn't feeling a sluggish (i.e. fat as a fool) post Christmas but my expectations were low especially with the calf. Really like the race, we brought the kids and MrsJinx was racing too so it had a nice feel to it although a little busier with having to organise where the kids were to stand and making sure they were warm and had money for hot chocolate!

We lined up good and early, quite near the front. I'd again decided to start with MrsJinx as it can be a bit hectic and I wanted to just make sure she got off alright and who do we see right in front of us only @MiniMonstera . Lovely chat at the beginning and then we were off. It was manic and stayed with MrsJinx for about 500 meters and then made my own way from there.

The pressure was really off so I just went by feel and HR, not particularly keeping an eye on the pace. By about 3k there was a nice bunch of us running together at a very similar pace so I just sat in and worked away. The first time I looked at the distance I was pleasantly surprised to see 4.5K and the average pace was around 4.06/07/08 - happy out. Kept working away and coming into Saint Anne's I was feeling much better than last year when I do remember really starting to struggle. I tried to keep it relaxed and moving going up the long stretch watching the runners come down. I was looking for my brother who I though was miles ahead, it was only as I was just approaching the turning point that I saw him coming back at me but he didn't see me. I get around and start to try and reel him in but in reality everyone was speeding up at this point and while I could just see him up ahead, getting there might have bunched me so I just did the best I could.

Coming around the final straight I knew where the kids would be so I kept my muster until I caught their eyes and then I was able to put the foot down for a fast finish which was a great feeling as I normally too gassed at that stage to put in any kind of a sprint.

I thought I was on the exact same time and pace as last year however I mustn't have remembered it correctly as it was a 31 second pb on last year, 33.03! If I'd have known I was that close I probably would have pushed a bit harder of the last km but sure a pb is a pb and particularly nice when unexpected like that. I think what helped was that I was very relaxed as I wasn't pushing on for a time. Saw @Lazare and @Laineyfrecks at the end and had a quick hello as we all headed off to see others finish.

Overall a good day, I did however see a video posted on youtube of the race at the 7k mark, a quick view of myself on it and I didn't realise how poor my form was. I kind of knew I had this habit but it was very obvious in the video. It seems to happen when I'm getting tired and I tuck my arms in and up high (chicken wings!!!) I was actually great to see as it's something I need to work on as I was obviously not as relaxed in the final couple of k. Trying now on all my easy runs to be conscious of the arm swing and to get the arms lower and swinging. Also trying to get the glutes more engaged as I know that the calf issue is because I'm letting them do all the work and the glutes are being lazy. Physio on Monday and just a little dry needling as it was actually fine but I know this is the root cause, I have very very strong calves apparently!! I have a James Dunne video on a glute activation warm up before a run so I am really going to try and do that now before my runs.

Just under 2 weeks to go until Bohermeen, the last 3 weeks have averaged 63km and I've had sessions each week.

• Long run, 19k, with 35 mins at marathon effort
• 3x10mins tempo with 2 mins recovery
• Long run, 20k, with 3x2.5k at progressive effort
• 5x1k at 5k effort with 2.30 rest
• 20k and 23k easy long runs
• Everything else easy

The stats are looking quite good, this is when you get nervous. My easy effort HR has dropped by about 10bpm from 140 down to 130 while my pace on those easy runs has also dropped by about 20sec/km down to around 5.15/20. I run easy by effort/HR so I'm not pushing on, that just seems to be what's happening.

For the sessions, the tempo was fairly manageable and working out at about 4.30 pace, beside the first rep of the 5x1k (I mustn't have been warmed up enough) I was going well under 4m/km and finished on a 3.44m/km. For the long run with the progressive effort I was looking to see the pace output for the raise in HR, churning up through zone 3 and finishing with HR between 160 and 165 and I was going at 4.10 (the route was rough when I left the PP, NCR is a disaster to run on as the paths are a mess so I couldn't hold the pace - lesson learnt to loop around the park). It all kind of points in a good direction even though I had some favourable conditions with gradient.

It's not all perfect though, cycled home last Thursday during lunch as I had to get back for a parent teacher meeting. Was stressed and under pressure, got off the bike and felt that familiar tweak in my lower back. Couldn't run Thursday in any case and I had to keep Friday quite short so a drop off in weekly mileage. Managed the long run but kept it easy. Still a bit sore at the mo but hopefully it will have cleared up by the end of the week.

So why the change and improvement? Couple of things, the cross training being the main one, I've kept the Circuits Class weekly since December and I'm also getting at least 3 hours a week with the bike commute. The circuits is really helping with working on the muscles I don't normally use, building that all round body strength. The bike is just adding general aerobic capacity and keeping me ticking over even when the running was a little lighter over Christmas but it also helps a lot with running form imo and this I think has been the biggest change, that high knee circular motion.

Which leads into the running form work, I've really been concentrating on using the glutes when running, loosening the hips out and really trying to feel the hips working. I know I've basically been running from the knees down. Really trying to address this and keeping the arms relaxed and swinging. Since starting this I've seen a big improvement for the pace vs effort. I think the bike has had the biggest impact here as when I was doing Tri I was probably only 30/40 seconds off my current 5k time but I was only running twice per week. I think I need the additional work to have the legs able to recruit the additional muscles needs for this running form improvement.

I've noticed that when up at a higher effort level and more tired that I still need to focus on the form, it starts to go back to the bad ways and I tense up a lot, it's like I'm hugging myself to get through it 😂. It's a work in progress but let's see if I can keep improving and as I'm working in more tempo and threshold into the weeks then I'll get more practice.

Looking forward to the HM now, I'm going with the recent tactic which seems to have worked well for me, going by the HR/effort and seeing where that lands me rather than chasing a particular pace goal. If I land somewhere between the last 2 HM's 1.30 and 1.33 I'd be happy considering it's quite early in the year and I seem to perform better in the later half of the year when the volume is up quite a bit with the marathon training.

Back from holidays and it looks like all I missed was rain :-)

Took it easy over the holidays, 3 runs was all over the 10 days, the downtime was nice. Good to relax and spend time with the family and enjoy some sunshine. I've a bit of a head cold on the return and it's slightly in the chest so hoping it clears up fairly soon.

Came back with a plan for the next few months. Based on the types of minor injuries I've pick up over the last couple of years and the type of running I've enjoyed most I've decided to keep with the Half for the next block. In my head I think I'm a little concerned with doing a lot of the shorter harder stuff, in particular, intervals on my own when I tend to push a bit too hard and pick up the niggles. Club running just isn't fitting into the routine at the moment so I think this suits best.

Signed up for the Joe Duffy HM on 6th July, hopefully it won't be too hot for it! I think this is a new route which avoids running along the beach and it's very flat so hopefully a good outing. There are also a couple of 5k's in and around the same time like saint Coca's and the Grant Thornton in town which I might throw myself into depending on how I'm feeling.

I went a purchased a Ben Parkes HM plan. I've watches his Video's for a couple of years now so decided to support by getting a plan. It looks fairly good, HM L4. Paces are set out for the various HM targets. Weekly mileage is in and around what I would be expecting to do. It's not dissimilar to the grads plan in that it's 2xsessions per week with an alternating long run of Easy vs with goal paced work. I've really got it to take the sessions out of it and use them within my usual weekly routine. It's a 12 week plan so I've this week for the cold to clear up and get moving again and then start into it.

Also signed up for the Final 10K and HM race series as they are really accessible for MrsJinx and I and a good lead up to DCM. Skipped the 10 mile as last year was a disaster as we were just back from holidays, same thing was going to happen again so decided not to be a glutton for punishment!