One step at a time

Sosa · 11-02-2012 9:09pm

Yesterday

A casual 10k inbetween nights that woke me up and served its purpose...finished early ( 5am ) to get a few hours before the anne valley 5m today

Today - Anne-Valley 5m

5hrs kip and i was surprisingly in good shape when i got up...i was amazed really how i felt,it was lashing outside,not very appealing but i got the gear ready and drove the 20 mins out to dunhill....i was amazed by the crowds out there...414 runners,....unreal turnout.
The aim was sub 30 but even though i felt good i didnt really know how the legs would cope though...turned out all went well...the one thing i forgot was the watch but was not bothered as i was not going flat out.

5m - 29:36 ...ran within myself all the way ( except the hills...which were tough ) and was happy with the result...mission accomplished.

Onwards to Kilmac 5 next week not...a fast route...ran sub 28:30 the last 2 years...may be a push next week but will have a lash.

Sosa · 13-02-2012 11:09pm

Med Long

Took yesterday off so missed out on another 40m week but its ok as last week was the best 38.2m i have run in a while...i was content to take a rest yesterday.
Back to the grindstone today with my new 12m route and it was windy out there tonight so a bit more testing.
In the last few months i have been running about 2 hours after my dinner ( not every run ),at the start it was tough,now the stomach behaves,a few reaches going up the first few hills but it settles down and i get through it.

12m @ 7:11p

Things are going well,im starting to feel a bit of strength coming back to my running,another 5m this w/e on a faster course that has served me well in the past...i will be looking for somewhere around 28:45.

tisnotover · 14-02-2012 11:14pm

Sosa wrote: »

Yesterday

A casual 10k inbetween nights that woke me up and served its purpose...finished early ( 5am ) to get a few hours before the anne valley 5m today

Today - Anne-Valley 5m

5hrs kip and i was surprisingly in good shape when i got up...i was amazed really how i felt,it was lashing outside,not very appealing but i got the gear ready and drove the 20 mins out to dunhill....i was amazed by the crowds out there...414 runners,....unreal turnout.
The aim was sub 30 but even though i felt good i didnt really know how the legs would cope though...turned out all went well...the one thing i forgot was the watch but was not bothered as i was not going flat out.

5m - 29:36 ...ran within myself all the way ( except the hills...which were tough ) and was happy with the result...mission accomplished.

Onwards to Kilmac 5 next week not...a fast route...ran sub 28:30 the last 2 years...may be a push next week but will have a lash.

Nice one on the sub-30, they are old hat to ya at this stage i'd say.will you push for closer to 29mins in kilmac?

Sosa · 15-02-2012 11:28pm

tisnotover wrote: »

Nice one on the sub-30, they are old hat to ya at this stage i'd say.will you push for closer to 29mins in kilmac?

The aim is 5:45p on Sunday tno...that would give me 28:45...so we will see how i get on.

Today : Med Long

My fourth 12m run on this route in the last 9 days and i am enjoying them,i had to start ramping up the time on my feet as in 6 weeks i will be heading into 12 weeks prep for the marathon,so kinda need to get going.
Felt ok tonight, a lovely night for it again and 24m for the week already...so its all good.

12m @ 7:14p

Sosa · 17-02-2012 11:43am

Yesterday : Recovery

A nice easy run after work last night,just a leg loosener as i was a bit sore after the 12 wednesday night....

4m @ 7:54p

Today : Physio

Oh it was painful...the left calf and right quad were the worst...he did the glutes and hams also but they were alright he said....thank god thats over for another while.Easy 5m tomorrow and then Kilmac on Sunday morning where hopefully the pain will be worth it.

Sosa · 18-02-2012 4:35pm

Aerobic

A nice trot on a crisp fresh afternoon,to get me ready for tomorrow morning,the legs felt good after yesterday torture and i am looking forward to it now.Roll On.

5m @ 7:18p

tisnotover · 18-02-2012 8:18pm

Best of luck tomorrow, enjoy it, looking forward to report!

Sosa · 19-02-2012 3:48pm

Kilmac 5m

A fantastic morning for running,a nice crowd assembled at one of my favourite races of the year,i always liked going to this,not sure why exactly...just do.
Got there with 40 mis to spare and registered and got a mile in with one of the lads,then togged out as the start was another bit up the road so trotted up there.
We got going soon after 11 and it was a fast first mile 5:24...the second mile has a drag for the whole lot of it and i slowed badly to a 6:02...i thought i was going to blow up at this stage but got to the fast section on the main road and got motoring up there while comfortable,third mile 5:45....fourth mile still on the main road passed 2 people and tried to close the gap on a good group ahead...5:40...last mile then has one hill of about 150m which took the wind out of my sails,just happy to get up it really,then a slight downhill followed by a drag of about 600m which i struggled at but then the real fast finish of 200m or so to get me to the finish line with a 5:45p last mile.

5m - 28:44

Really happy as the aim was 28:45 and i struggled on mile 2 and the first 3/4 of the last mile...onwards form here now.
The course was a tad short last year so they brought the start line back up the street a bit so i knew it wouldnt be short anyway,turned out to be 5.02m but thats better than 4.95 from last year.

tisnotover · 20-02-2012 9:06pm

nice going yesterday!

Sosa · 20-02-2012 11:27pm

Med Long

The plan was just 5/6 recovery tonight,but looking ahead at the week,it may be tight running wise so decided to see if i could manage 12 tonight to get a few miles on the board for this week,worked out ok,i tired the last 2 miles but overall happy to get it done.

12m @ 7:21p

Legs felt good after yesterday,that was a good indicator for me at this stage of the season.Hopefully the next race i do will be the Mallow 10m on March 19,so thats 4 weeks to get some tempos done at 10m pace and a few long runs.

Sosa · 21-02-2012 10:33pm

Recovery

An unplanned run tonight,just sort of went on a whim when an oppurtunity arose...enjoyable and served a purpose.

5m @ 8:19p

Tempo tomorrow !

Sosa · 22-02-2012 5:16pm

Tempo

Oh what a miserbale day for it,wet/windy and not much enthusiasm for it to boot.I tried to talk myself out of this one from the moment i woke this morning and during it also but now as always i am delighted to get it done.I did it down the park,the usual 1km outer paths but it was tough down there today,its flat which is a help but the first 500m was into a strong enough headwind and i knew i had that to look forward to for 6 laps and some....it was not that enjoyable.

2m warm up @ 7:44p
4m @ 5:59,6:03,6:04,5:49 - 23:55
2m warm down @ 8:10p

Oh sweet lord that was tough....reeeeally tough,after one lap i was thinking...just do 3*1.5m and at least i'll get a break but then i had passed through 1.5 so thought i would do 2*2m but then realised that i would hardly get going again if i stopped so i had to battle hard from there...that was probably the hardest tempo i have done,the legs were not co-operating and i was heaving a bit from 2m onwards....sub 24 was slipping after 3m so gave everything the last mile to nip under...it was tougher effort wise than any race i have done this year...Sundays 28:44 was a breeze in comparison so im delighted to have battled through where it would have been easy to take the easy option.

5m next week to look forward to...can't wait !

Krusty_Clown · 22-02-2012 5:49pm

That describes exactly how I felt today. Very difficult to grind out a session in that weather, but delighted to have it ticked off. Days like today make the races feel easier!

Sosa · 22-02-2012 10:31pm

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Days like today make the races feel easier!

I hope so !

Sosa · 23-02-2012 11:04pm

Recovery and Aerobic

2 short runs today,into and home from work.
Up with the birds this morning and a nice trot home aswell to clear the head.

3.5m @ 8:10p
3.5m @ 7:32p

Sosa · 24-02-2012 11:24pm

Med Long

Really didnt want to run this tonight,had 15 planned for the morning but chances are slim so went for it after work,the legs were not really into it so i laboured around.I have 5*12m runs done over the last 3 weeks so i wanted tonights one to be a bit longer than that.Thats all i have to report about it really.

13.1m @ 7:19p

Thats 7 days running in a row....without looking back at my training,i cannot remember the last time that happened.

Sosa · 25-02-2012 7:34pm

Aerobic

8 in a row and first 50m week since going May 2010 ! 3 weeks before Cork that year...cannot believe its been that long...It was just a good week for me,had thought i would get 4 runs in,ended up 6 and had to the 5 today to make 50...not a sign of things to come though unfortunately but obviously will be hitting that mark during the 12 weeks for the marathon....feels good though.

5m @ 7:22p

Sosa · 28-02-2012 3:24pm

Tempo

Didnt get out yesterday as planned so was rearing to go for the tempo this morning.nice morning for it,i knew it would be windy along one stretch but was looking forward to it.
It went much better than last week,a mile less last week felt 10 times harder,i had raced Sunday and did 12 on Monday before the tempo on Wednesday so it was all a bit bunched up but it was seriously hard going last week.
With two rest days behind me i figured it would me more managable today...and it was...thankfully.

2m @ 7:35p
5m @ 5:52,5:56,5:53,5:55,5:51 - 29:28.
2m @ 7:51p

Really happy with it,had a nice headwind to go into for 2m ( 1.5-3.5 ) but knew i had a good last 2m if i could just get to the turn...felt really good up to 0.5 to go,i think its just a mental thing,getting near the end,you start thinking your going to collapse but in actual fact if you had another mile to go it wouldnt happen until a mile later....funny really.

I may go out and do a recovery tonight as i dont see myself getting out tomorrow at all.

Recovery
Went out afterall for the run tonight,legs felt great,could have run faster at any moment and wanted to do more...forced myself home.

6m @ 7:27p

Sosa · 01-03-2012 4:39pm

Med Long

First 15m run since August and before that i have no idea without looking back.Original plan was just plod around in 7:30p as it was my first of this distance in a while and after 3m i was labouring but got going then and had to make a conscious effort to slow down during the second half of it.
Miles 6-11 were under 7:00p and the last 4m were all around 6:35 so very steady and could have kept going...a good confidence booster for my first of many long runs over the next 4 months.
I dont expect and would not be anyway running my long runs at that pace,i will be adopting my easy pace with pmp philosophy that served me so well for Cork 2010...so when i get to 20 it will be 15 around 7:15/20 and the last 5 at 6:40ish....couple that long run with either a tempo/race one week and a second shorter long run the other with more pmp...and that should serve me well come June 30th.
The aim is sub 3 as theres no point in any higher number than that and anything else is a bonus....its not the most favourable route and i dont want the recovery to take to long as i have races in august that i want a cut off and hopefully the club will be hosting the national half again this year and i will want to have a right go at that also.
All going well....

15m @ 7:00p ( 1:45:09)

Sosa · 03-03-2012 10:02pm

Aerobic

A nice run on a lovely mild night,the legs feel great after the good week i have had...good tempo on Tuesday and then my fist 15 in a long time on Thursday morning.
Tonights run was to be easy,whatever pace easy was.

10m @ 7:14p

Sosa · 04-03-2012 10:26am

Recovery

Had a great sleep last night so decoded to go for a recovery run to finish off the week,it was damn cold out there this morning,hands were fuppin freezin for the first couple of miles but i was only doing 5 so i managed.

5m @ 7:56p

45m week...best weeks running of the year with the 2 quality sessions in there.I am starting to feel much stronger the last couple of weeks,onwards and upwards....

Sosa · 05-03-2012 7:09pm

Aerobic

Inbetween nights so just a wake up trot.
Another fantastic day for it and i would have kept going only i have to get through the night.

6.2m @ 7:11p

Sosa · 06-03-2012 7:19pm

Tempo

Miserable wet and windy afternoon for this,was not planned until tomorrow but sometimes when i come of nights i have a delayed reaction to the tiredness so i could be cream crackered tomorrow so went for it today.
My easy warm up was into a serious headwind so nearly bailed after that tbh but knew once i turned down the tramore road that would dissapear.
The first 3m of the tempo went so well i almost contemplated doing 10k for a mad moment but the last 2m wa a grind,got back to the park for 3 laps to finish and the winds in there were brutal,a real grind to hold pace.
Really happy to get this done today so i can realx tomorrow and run easy with my 15m not until Friday the week is off to a great start.

2.5m easy ( 7:22p )
5m @ 5:53,5:55,5:56,5:58,6:00 - 29:42
2.5 slow ( 8:15p )

With only 3 weeks of the 12 weeks remaining i gave myself to get ready to ramp up for 12 weeks specific for WVM,i would say i am ahead of schedule.
Its a nice place to be.
I have 3 races at the end of this month that will give me a better idea though...and a nice range...10m,4m and 5k.

tisnotover · 06-03-2012 10:59pm

Good stuff Sosa, see you in Mallow.

Sosa · 07-03-2012 2:42pm

Aerobic

A tough enough run today in very blustery and wet conditions early doors,then it got sunny and warm,then back to the high winds again...that airport road is a wind tunnel !
Rest day tomorrow followed by 15 Friday morning.

10.3m @ 7:17p

Sosa · 09-03-2012 7:14pm

Med Long

A mixed run this morning,all the way through i thought it was going to lash but it didnt thankfully and i tired near the end but it was very windy for the first 10m and thats a 3 quality weeks behind me,training i have not done since Cork10...so im allowed to get tired.
Started off with a few easy miles into a headwind,then picked it up a notch into a headwind,levelled out a bit then before cranking it up for the last 4.
All in all very happy to get it done.

15.2m @ 6:58p

Sosa · 10-03-2012 10:36pm

Recovery

Two recovery runs in and out of work today to get me over the 50m mark for the second time in 3 weeks...all going well,enjoying my running and getting stronger....good timing to with Mallow next week.

3.5m @ 7:42p
5m @ 7:35p

Sosa · 12-03-2012 2:45pm

Tempo

Mini taper week as i enter into the last 3 weeks of my 12 week " getting in shape to tackle a 12 week marathon " program.
I will have 3 races in 13 days starting next Monday in Mallow that will give me a realistic picture of where i am.
Today i reduced the tempo to 4m...and got through it ok,tougher route this week as there was a few miles to encounter but nothing everest like but a test all the same.

1.5m easy
4m - 23:42 - 5:55,5:56,5:5:56 and 5:55
2m easy

7.5 Total

Sosa · 13-03-2012 4:33pm

Recovery

A nice run in warm sunny weather ! absolutely lovely out there today,hope its like that next Monday in Mallow.

5m @ 7:49p

Hope to get 15 done tomorrow or Thursday at the latest,any later than that it will hinder Mondays race...

Sosa · 14-03-2012 8:00pm

Aerobic

Lovely run today partly on trail not far from the house,it was somwhere i always knew was there but just not quite sure where so i went investigating today and found it straight away...lovely 2m stretch along the river behind Kings channel and out at Maypark near the side enterance to the hospital...will be going back again soon !

7.5m @ 7:28p

Hope to get 15 done tomorrow.

theboyblunder · 14-03-2012 9:44pm

Sosa wrote: »

Tempo

Mini taper week as i enter into the last 3 weeks of my 12 week " getting in shape to tackle a 12 week marathon " program.
I will have 3 races in 13 days starting next Monday in Mallow that will give me a realistic picture of where i am.
Today i reduced the tempo to 4m...and got through it ok,tougher route this week as there was a few miles to encounter but nothing everest like but a test all the same.

1.5m easy
4m - 23:42 - 5:55,5:56,5:5:56 and 5:55
2m easy

7.5 Total

Just catching up with your log. Youre in great shape early in the year. Going to try a marathon this year?

Sosa · 14-03-2012 10:13pm

theboyblunder wrote: »

Just catching up with your log. Youre in great shape early in the year. Going to try a marathon this year?

Yeah,im doing the Waterford Marathon on June 30th,looking forward to it,i miss training for one and feel its the only distance that i dedicate training to,i try do it for the shorter stuff but after a while start doing my own thing again...with the marathon its different somehow !

theboyblunder · 15-03-2012 10:27am

Sosa wrote: »

Yeah,im doing the Waterford Marathon on June 30th,looking forward to it,i miss training for one and feel its the only distance that i dedicate training to,i try do it for the shorter stuff but after a while start doing my own thing again...with the marathon its different somehow !

indeed it is! Good luck - will follow with interest

Sosa · 15-03-2012 4:23pm

Med Long

Time was of the essence today so literally ran when i could to when i had to stop...wanted to do 15 but just didnt have the time but not too bothered as things are going well and i have Mallow on Monday so probably better off.
The plan was do the first 10 sub 70 and then ease off for the remainder.
did 10 in 69:20 then coasted home to still average under 7:00 for the run

13.1m @ 6:59p

Might do a 5m recovery later tonight as then all i will do before monday will be 5/6m on Sat morning.

Sosa · 15-03-2012 11:25pm

Recovery

Went out for this tonight afterall...felt ok and purposely ran over 8:00p,nice drizzly rain for company and the "off the ball" lads.

5m @ 8:06p

18.1m for the day !

Sosa · 17-03-2012 9:07pm

Aerobic

Missed my morning run today,took a lie in and headed into town for the parade and the festivities...enjoyable day and 2 nice pints of the black stuff,said to myself i'll run before work in the morning instead,got home then and decided to run today to rest tomorrow with Monday in mind.
Legs a bit wobbly for the first mile but came around,it was my first time ever running with drink in me,didnt really enjoy it but was not as bad as expected.I won't be making a habit of it,no harm done though and i can rest up now until Monday.

5m @ 7:29p

Sosa · 19-03-2012 7:04pm

Mallow 10 - 59:27 PB

I was really optomistic about this one,i had had a very good training block since the Dungarvan 10 and felt i was in good nick going up to this.
Got up there with an hour to spare and it was fairly blustery..but not that bad.
Registered and did a half mile warm up before going back to the car and get togged out as the start was over a mile away...ended up being nearly 1.5m from where i had parked but i was super slow heading down.
I find that i do faster warm ups for 10k/5m races and slowere ones for 10m/half distance...trying to keep the energy levels high i suppose.
I met TNO before the start and we had a quick chat before we toed the line.

Off we went bang on time and the first 1.5m was into a fairly tough headwind,just aswell it was the start i suppose...the rest is a kind of blur as i tend to switch off when i am running comfortably and let the miles tick off while keeping an eye on the pace,some sections were slow and some fast so i was compensating on those to maintain a pace just under 6:00...mile 5 was all into a headwind also but got to halfway in 29:45 and thought this is ideal another half the same and a nice 59:30 would be mine...tipped away very controlled up to 8m and then i felt a stitch coming on me,it was only mild so kept going,i had upped the pace here and by 9m it was bad,but i thought it would be ok as i had only a mile to go...by 9.5m i was doubled over,real bad pain and slowed badly ( it felt,but not as bad as i thought it would impact my time ) i honestly may have had to drop out if i had another mile to go it was that bad...i was hunched over the last stretch which was dissapointing as the legs were screaming at me to put the foot down and up the pace...ended up doing 5:55 for the last mile...but i was 5:41 through half of it...lost about 10-15s on that...so all in all really happy to post a PB,dissapointed with the finish and with no stitch and no wind...sub 59 was certainly there for me today...
Well organised race by the rebels,pity about the roadworks in places but they had all areas well stewarded.

Roll on the Masters Road Race next week ( the oul fellas race )

tisnotover · 20-03-2012 12:35pm

well done again on the PB! great position to start into the next couple months of marathon training.

Krusty_Clown · 20-03-2012 1:58pm

Well done Sosa! Great running and congrats on the PB.

theboyblunder · 20-03-2012 2:23pm

great stuff sosa, you'll be under 59 in no time

tunguska · 20-03-2012 9:51pm

Sosa wrote: »

then i felt a stitch coming on me,it was only mild so kept going,i had upped the pace here and by 9m it was bad,but i thought it would be ok as i had only a mile to go...by 9.5m i was doubled over,real bad pain and slowed badly ( it felt,but not as bad as i thought it would impact my time ) i honestly may have had to drop out if i had another mile to go it was that bad...i was hunched over the last stretch which was dissapointing as the legs were screaming at me to put the foot down and up the pace...ended up doing 5:55 for the last mile...but i was 5:41 through half of it...lost about 10-15s on that...so all in all really happy to post a PB,dissapointed with the finish and with no stitch and no wind...sub 59 was certainly there for me today...
Well organised race by the rebels,pity about the roadworks in places but they had all areas well stewarded.

Roll on the Masters Road Race next week ( the oul fellas race )

I saw you coming in, you looked in a jock alright. I've been there, its horrible to run a solid race and then to feel a stitch coming on. Theres a video on the cork running blog, so you can relive your finish ad nausem

Sosa · 21-03-2012 6:47pm

tunguska wrote: »

I saw you coming in, you looked in a jock alright. I've been there, its horrible to run a solid race and then to feel a stitch coming on. Theres a video on the cork running blog, so you can relive your finish ad nausem

Thanks Tunguska,just watched the clip and didnt look at bad as i felt,but as the line neared i got worse,you know the usual...just relieved to be that close to the end.Im just thankful it was not a mile earlier.

Sosa · 21-03-2012 8:17pm

Aerobic

A day's rest yesterday that i enjoyed but would have liked a run of some sort,today i got up at 1 as off nights and headed out the door for 1:30,still with sleep in my eyes,i find that if i sit around for a while after nights i find it near impossible to get going...so always head straight out the door when up and enjoyed a "makey uppy" run....turned out to be 9m and just didnt bother doing some sort of loop to make it 10 as a 9m run would usually insist that i make up the shortfall...not today...

9m @ 7:21p

Sosa · 22-03-2012 11:35pm

Med Long

Just back in from the wind and rain and now sitting here after a nice hot shower in the warmth of my tv room just about to watch the continuation of the ncaa basketball tournament on espn america....looking forward to this all day....
Oh yeah the run....wind,rain,wind,rain,more wind...more rain and the off the ball lads on newstalk to get me htrough it.
With 3 races in 13 dyas that started monday the idea was to see how the body was after monday and that woul decide what i do this week leading up to the munster masters on Sunday...Thankfully i am feeling good and managed 9 yesterday also so i will take a rest day tomorrow and 5/6 slow Saturday morning and then have a go Sunday at the masters,this will be a good test for me again as there will be a small field but we will all be bunched...a few will forge ahead early but i know of about 8 others that will be roughly trying to run the same time as me so it will be interesting.

12m @ 7:17p

jimbo21 · 23-03-2012 12:26am

dont count me as one of the 8

iam gone backwards since ballycotton ,groin is playing up so i am doing less running now. i will take a dip waist high in anntown on saturday and see how it goes:(

Sosa · 23-03-2012 12:47am

jimbo21 wrote: »

dont count me as one of the 8 iam gone backwards since ballycotton ,groin is playing up so i am doing less running now. i will take a dip waist high in anntown on saturday and see how it goes:(

Yep,your one of the 8 alright...hopefully you will be ok to have ago Sunday.That hill twice will be the difference,i have to remember to take it easy first time round because last year the at the Butlerstown 10k i bombed up it the first,died the second and crawled the third so thankfully its only twice on Sunday !

Gringo78 · 23-03-2012 9:04am

Well done in Mallow, great running.

Are you just making up the numbers at the masters....I thought the 'youngest' category was M40 for men

Sosa · 23-03-2012 10:01am

Gringo78 wrote: »

Well done in Mallow, great running.

Are you just making up the numbers at the masters....I thought the 'youngest' category was M40 for men

No,there is an o/35 section but we are racing as individuals...0/40 and up for the team which is a pity as we have 6 o/35 entries and we are all the same bar a few seconds.

Gringo78 · 23-03-2012 1:18pm

Sosa wrote: »

No,there is an o/35 section but we are racing as individuals...0/40 and up for the team which is a pity as we have 6 o/35 entries and we are all the same bar a few seconds.

Ah ok, that explains why there are only O40's travelling from our club then.

Best of luck.

Ended up not going to Mallow in the end as I had very little sleep the night before plus I had done a tough hills session on the Sunday so I decided a 10 mile race would have done me no good. I'd say my next 10 mile attempt will have to be Dublin in the summer.

Sosa · 23-03-2012 5:44pm

Gringo78 wrote: »

Ah ok, that explains why there are only O40's travelling from our club then.

Best of luck.

Ended up not going to Mallow in the end as I had very little sleep the night before plus I had done a tough hills session on the Sunday so I decided a 10 mile race would have done me no good. I'd say my next 10 mile attempt will have to be Dublin in the summer.

I have that pencilled in as a maybe,hopefully the national half will be on down here again,that would be the following week,in that case i may gve it a miss and concentrate on the half.

One step at a time

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