Boards DCM22 Graduates Thread - A Deeper Understanding

Hey all, I did about 53km last week over 6 runs, I wanted to get a Parkrun in as I won't get much chance from next month on.

Monday - 9.4km @ 6:25/km

Tuesday - 8.9km: 5:11/km - This included a WU, 6 x 800 intervals at 4:20/km with 2/3 mins recovery and CD.

Wednesday - 8km @ 5:36/km

Thursday - Rest

Friday - 7.3km @ 5:46/km

Saturday - Parkrun(5k) - 4:18/km - Due to a bit of a party for my daughter who turned 18 we had about 30 of her friends in the house so didn't get to bed until well after 3 so was delighted with myself for even getting out of bed never mind running :) Total time was 21:35 which I was really happy with

Sunday - 14km @ 5:53/km - Really struggled to slow down, went 20 seconds per km faster than I'd planned.

My update and race report from Rahney 5 mile.

Monday was interval sessions. After a long drive to an all day workshop with work it'd been a long long and rocked up a 7 12 hours after setting out in the morning but really needed this in order to clear the head and forget the day. The coach has started running these session to keep warm and it's great as I've got someone to chase. Session was a mixture of 100's 200's and 400's (x5). 100's at ~20seconds, 200's at 41seconds, 400's at 83seconds however I cracked on the second to last one at 86 seconds and then had to dig deep to get 89 seconds for the last one. Very happy with the session as it's really pushing me on with these times. I know that aim here is to not die off at the end however I know this is working towards speed endurance and that's what I need to work on.

Could get out for my Tuesday run with lone parenting, Wednesday 12k easy and Friday 10k easy and was happy that the HR is starting to settle down into the range I would expect for these. Aim is for under 140 at 5.30/40 min/k pace. As the fitness gets better it should be consistently below the 140.

Rahney 5 mile. I was looking forward to this race, my first outing was last year and I found it a great experience, lovely route, great crowd and I love the packed running field and the bit of weaving and dodging. My wife was doing this as well so we got the kids packed off to the grandparents easily however we were running a bit late, a short power cut had knocked out the clock in the bedroom and kitchen and happened to re-set to half an hour earlier than it really was! So it was a bit of a rush but we got there in good enough time, locked the bikes and did the bag drop. Got into the starting area early enough and were more towards the front. We'd agreed to start together so I could get MrsJinx up and moving safely enough and then I'd head off myself. Sure enough a couple of hundred meters in she tapped me and told me to push on and that she was fine to let everybody move around her now.

I head off so and picked up a bit of speed, picking the left footpath to make my way around the crowd and move on through. Pace was feeling fine and was aiming to keep it somewhere just above 4m/k. About 2/3k in I come across @Murph_D and give a little call out however he is in deep concentration. I also see @skyblue46 ahead, taking it handy! I decide to just sit in here and maintain my composure. I think around 4km I see someone come up onto my shoulder and isn't it only @Laineyfrecks. I say hello and mumble about putting the music back on and letting her work away as she was looking very strong and moving at a good lick. She didn't get that far ahead though as we wound up tag teaming for almost the whole rest of the race. We'd each be taking up the pace as the other was backing off and visa versa. I personally love having someone to run like that with whether I know them or not as it's great motivation to keep going through the hard part and boy were there hard parts. I really struggled up and down through Saint Anne's park. the headwind on the way up took the wind out of my sails a bit and I needed a bit of a breather on the way back. I was still working but I'd dropped off the pace a fair bit and Lainey had taken up the lead and was moving away from me. I persevered but it definitely felt very hard. I was only able to muster up the sprint as we came round the final bend, there was only holding on before that.

Finish time 33:34. I just popped it into the running converter for last year time which was a long race and I'm 4 seconds slower than last year. Not surprised, I felt I ran a better race last year and finished stronger. In hindsight I was definitely more focused for last years race and hadn't had the couple of bouts of sickness (and working as long hours) so was running more consistently. I didn't set off too quick but probably had higher expectations based on the marathon block and where my paces had got to. If it hadn't been for the company along the course I probably wouldn't have dug in as deep. Overall not bad but not great either. Onwards and upwards for the next one and getting more miles in the legs over the spring.

Edited to say that MrsJinx had a great race. First time out and she came in just over 40 minutes. We had done a park run together a couple of weeks ago and she came in at 24:30 so I said that in this race she would be totally able to keep to 5m/k pace and she came in a 4:58 m/k pace. She was absolutely chuffed and held her own the whole way through. Starting with her helped a good bit as in a couple of races she hasn't had the confidence to start where she should and then wound up being held up a lot and not running to her own pace.

Thanks Lainey :-) I just think in my head that I should have been able to take it up a step compared to last year and the training I've put in over the course of last year. But as you say not every race can be a PB and I can accept that and look forward to the days when they come, hopefully :-) Unfortunately I always set myself a high bar so when it doesn't materialise it can be a little disappointing but I've a positive attitude so that helps in getting back on the horse again!

My wife was delighted - she placed ~ top 15% in her AG - this has given her a real confidence boost and I'm delighted for her

A great run, P, and give yourself a break and don't compare to last year - that converter was a bit of fun but I wouldn't trust it much more than that. A strong performance, and an excellent run too from the OH. Nice to have those few words with you afterwards.

Just one comment (and don't take this the wrong way, because at one stage of my running 'career' it was pointed out to me as well) - if you are running on the footpath you are (usually) not running on the course. Real runners stick to the road! 😉

Thanks and yes it's great to be able to share a hobbie and understand what's involved and get to run together sometimes

That's a cracking result @Dublinlad1989. Fair play to you.

I also ran the same race, and while I also hit a PB (1.23, about 4 mins faster than 2022), I was about 90 seconds out from what I was targeting. Just struggled with lack of energy throughout. My breathing was fine for the first half and much of the second and HR averaged just 145, whereas a 10k with same pace from December averaged 167.

Maybe it was an absence of any speed training over the last couple of months due to an ongoing calf injury, which caused me to wear compression socks yesterday. Maybe it was some overheating as for the first time in along time felt the salt on my face afterwards.

Whatever it was, I'm taking the positives out of it as the 5.07 pace was my 10th quickest pace over any distance more than 5km and the quickest pace over anything more than 10km.

Over a month since my last update, times flies doesn't it. Well done to PR, Dublin Lad and the The Ref on great races and PB's, the training is paying off for you all, smashing results.

Training has been a little lower than expected but still getting it in. Feb was 165K with an interval session most week, although getting this in weekly is going to be difficult from now on however will aim to try and do it on my own when I can't be at the club session. Also fitted in a nice holiday with the OH and ran 6 out of the 7 days which was lovely in the warm weather. Times and distances wern't very long but it was still getting out and getting them in. Couple of days missed with travel etc but kept it going and enjoyable.

Went back to the track session yesterday and thought I'd be in fine enough shape but boy did I feel it, couldn't keep up the paces at all, I expect it'll take me a couple of weeks to get back there :-(

Still a bit aimless on the race front, didn't sign up to Bohermeen in the end as with the holidays planned etc I knew that it wouldn't work. I need to put a couple of targets in place to get some focus. Again I still have a lot of life going on, like everyone else, and it's a little hard to commit just at the moment but I'll keep with getting out and getting the easy base running done. I think it's also time that I can add in some tempo or threshold work into the week to complement the 1 interval session. So 1xinterval session and 1xtempo/threshold (probably 1k repeats) and then the rest easy running.

Going to check out a gym over near where I work that might be an option for me to use weekly instead of my wednesday run. Sacrificing a run but I think it'll benefit me overall if it's good. There seems to be a weighting in the sessions to cardio (looks like a kind of HITT with run, bike & some weights) and I'd prefer more Core and strength but I'll go check it out tomorrow and see if it's worth it.