Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

...inov-8s. Wore them on 2 snow days myself and they were superb.

I have to say, they're brilliant. They're actually lighter than my Asics kinsei's, and running with them on the road is very comfortable - they almost feel like they're sticking to the road like slicks. They're also so damn comfortable I'm thinking of getting a second pair to wear about! Or maybe I'll just wait until I retire this pair and give them a wash..

Yesterday: Did the Hal Higdon weights, plus the core strength training routine, and located some muscles that previously did not exist in my body. I always knew my core strength was a weakness, but jaybus, I found it difficult, and have a number of aches today (with a slight groin pull), for a very small number of reps.

Today: decided to go for a slightly longer than scheduled recovery run to try and stretch out some of the sore bits, so did 8 miles at a relaxed pace (no pace information showing on the Garmin, which again, really helped). I should be working for the County Council, as I think I managed to find every non-gritted Icy road in DunL/Rathdown. Still, kept the heart rate low, and I feel a lot better for it.

Summary: 8 Icy Miles in 1:10, @5:11/km with HR=132 (70%).

Woddle wrote: »

Thats a very nice picture. I took mine with a crappy old camera. I have a lovely canon 400d, so I must figure out a way to carry it safely on my runs as its kind of nice showing the kids where daddy ran today. Good running aswell.

I've taken to carrying my mobile phone, as it's handy for the radio, and emergency rescue when I'm up in the hills :eek:. It's a Sony Ericsson K800i that takes a reasonable photo in a pinch. Couldn't imagine bringing a decent camera on a long run with me though! I have a friend who carries a digital compact, and takes a few self-portraits as he runs various races, and the deterioration is hilarious.

Slogger Jogger wrote:

Great running KC and great pictures. Your 2nd picture of a snow packed road was pretty much what I had to totally run on this morning in Wicklow. You covered a fair area in your run too and you were lucky with the weather by the sea.

Very tough run then! How are you finding the Inov-8s (Mudroc's?).Did you wear them for the long run? Yeah, I covered a lot of ground, but the variety helps me with the motivation! Soon, I'm going to have to start hopping on a train, and travelling 20 miles away to run home, just to get some new runs in.

Yesterday: 5 Recovery miles, that felt good. I didn't want to stop running (which is a good sign), but I did stop (which is an even better sign). Legs felt like they just wanted to keep on going on their own.

Summary: 5 Miles in 37 Mins.

Hal's Strength training + Core strength exercises (quite wrecked after these), followed by 5 mile recovery run, in nice sunny weather.

Summary (still no GPS log uploading): 5 miles in 39 mins, @4:52/km, HR=133.

Tomorrow, going to do a few miles just to tick over, then rest up on Friday for the IMRA race on Saturday.

Sunday - Long run: Planning something a little different with a running buddy. Going to leave a car at Killiney Dart station, get the Dart to Howth, and run all the way back along the coast. 20 miles, flat as a pancake, with the exception of the final climb over Killiney Hill/Vico Road. Google Map route. Will let you know how it goes, or if anyone wants to try it, could meet up in Howth on Sunday morning (you could alternatively get the Dart back). Planned pace ~5:10/km (8:20/mile).

Today: Annacurra IMRA Race - 5.5 miles, with 358m ascent.
My first IMRA race of this year (having done two last year), I had forgotten just how painful these races were. I arrived in Annacurra with a friend, at around 10:20am, and got signed up and suited up in no time at all (great organization!). Went for a quick warm-up jog out the forest track, and thought to myself- hmm.. This isn't so bad.. Nice run through a forest trail.

At close to 11am, Slogger Jogger did a fine job of providing a quick course overview, and then before we knew it, the race had started (very unexpected!). Myself and my friend were the last two people over the start line, so, as has become the ritual, started the process of working through the field. It was very difficult (very tiring) passing people on the initial climb, as the path through the forest was narrow and we typically had to take the outside line to overtake. Three quarters of the way up the initial climb, everyone around me (I was probably half way up the field) had slowed to a walk, so ashamedly, I joined them and took a breather for a minute or two (I guess this is what separates the men from the boys). The terrain levelled out a little (still a steep uphill climb!) so I picked up the pace a little. Coming over the top we were rewarded with fantastic views, but I didn't get to enjoy them as we were crunching our way through the snow, and I was in a personal battle with a couple of other runners.

We hit the first downhill (still covered in snow) and I could tell that the runners I was competing with were solid technical downhill runners, but somehow, I held onto my pace, and managed to pass them. An unexpected uphill (I should have remembered the elevation profile!), a bit more snow, and we were rewarded with the big downhill section back to the village. When we started the downhill, I was in 35th position (or thereabouts), and for some reason I was passing other runners who all seemed to be better runners than me, but who just couldn't hold the pace. Into the forest, a guy in front of me fell and managed to get up again, then we were back out into the open. I put in the final burst of speed over the last flat 200 metres and managed to pass 3 or 4 runners, before crossing the finish line and crumpling into a corner.

A tough race for me (I've grown used to (fond of!) my gentle hill climbs), I was very pleased with my 26th place finish, out of 112 finishers. A fantastic result for boards Athletics Club, having taken 1st, 6th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 26th and 32nd place. Still have to await the final results, but I'm sure we won the team result by quite a stretch. I'm also sure that even without Enduro's and Slogger Joggers outstanding results, we would still have won the team event (and I would've been on the score sheet!)*. Overall, a very enjoyable well run race, that I hope is a permanent fixture on the IMRA race calendar.

Summary: 5.45 miles in 42:35, @4:51/km, with Average Hr=170 :eek:
Looking forward to seeing the tracklog for this race uploaded, but haven't received my new USB ANT stick yet.

*Edit*: Correction: team result is first three finishers only, rather than four, so we needed at least Slogger Jogger's result, and I couldn't have scored. I'm still happy.

donothoponpop wrote: »

Great account, and great race for you Krusty, well done! There's not a better feeling than going home from these races with the memory of taking a few places on the final downhills.

Did I see you there today (and apologies if you introduced yourself), I was taking the money at the registration desk, may have been a bit muddled?

Thanks Donothoponpop. I didn't realize you were taking the money, so didn't introduce myself! I did see you doing some dodgy addition for a couple of guys who were in front of me in the queue.

I now know what SJ looks like, so will definitely come up and introduce myself for the next race.

sean_d wrote: »

KC - nice account of the race.
I think I was one of the guys you overtook on the way down (Black/green kit, ended up 35th ) and I suspect we were running together for a bit before that?
Well done on the result - the easy terrain today really killed me, and I couldn't hold the pace of the descent of several guys with more road miles in their legs on. Much prefer running on hard, technical terrain. More tempo runs and long intervals for me

re walking up that steep section - I did also and did not lose any ground to a couple in front who "ran" it, but felt better for it as it gave the legs a small break and was able to go past them at the top

Slogger Jogger - thanks for organising a great race, very well run.

Hey Sean, that's me on the left, in this picture. Can't believe how fast the guys have got the results and photos (tagged) up on the website. Were you part of a trio of guys wearing something like 'Hiking association of Ireland'? I had some really good tussles with other runners, from the top of the hill all the way back down. Before that I was ploughing through the field on the way up (having started at the back), but there's wasn't anyone giving up a place easy on the downhill section!

I think I remember meeting you before the forest at the end, but don't think I had been anywhere near you before that.

No wasn't me, as I was competing with two guys on the snowy downhill and managed to pass them both through reckless self-endangerment . I can't have been too far behind you though, as I was counted in around mid 30s, but don't think I got passed on the downhill section. But maybe I was in pursuit on the uphill. My head was down.. Very down...

Apologies for misreading your logo. I just saw you guys briefly at the start. When the race started we were around 10 feet behind the last people and were waiting for the whole - line-up, 'ready-steady-go'!

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Ran it again this morning as part of a longer hill run and didn't walk!

Fair dues to you! Don't know how you could do that climb again after doing it in a race yesterday. I did my long run today, and jaysus, it felt very bloody long. Even at a much slower pace than my normal long run, and on a route mostly flat as a pool table.

Woddle wrote: »

Great run Krusty especially after the race, I did it a few weeks back after a xc race but only managed 15/16, no way I could have done the 20 well done.

Thanks Woddle. My running buddy is aiming for 3:40 in Connemara, so thankfully his long run pace is a good bit slower than I would normally run a long run, which helped greatly (a good bit slower than my recovery runs). All the aches and pains dissolved after the first 8 miles. It's good to get 3 hours on my feet, as that's close to what I'll be doing in Connemara (pacing him). Think I even managed a suntan during the run!

Today: 8 Miles with 10 x 100m strides. Anyone have any suggestions how you can approximate 100 metres without having to look at the watch (and change it to metric?). I'm not great at gauging distances, so have been doing approximately 60-80 strides, but could be way off.

Anyway, today's beautiful spring day was off-set by tiredness from the weekend, so didn't really enjoy the run. More a case of getting it done, and ticking the boxes. But I did tick the box. Looking forward to tomorrow's recovery run, if the fine weather keeps up. Will definitely wear lighter clothes which may have contributed to the difficulty.

Summary: 8.5 miles with 10 strides, in 1 hour, @7:09/Mile, HR=155 (81%)

Thanks. I'll give your first suggestion a go, as I don't live anywhere near Ballyboden.

Yep, it's one of the two big goals this year: Edinburgh - 3:07:30, and Berlin - 3:xx:xx. Looking forward to the period after Connemara, when the real training begins. I'm only messin' at the moment.

Today: 5 miles on the grass in the park at aerobic/easy pace, @7:32/mile, in 40 mins. HR=Still screwed up (around 142=72%).

..and sometimes it gives it all back.. But rarely both in the same workout.

Headed out this afternoon on an 8 mile aerobic run, with the idea of possibly completing my weekend's medium long run, if I felt up to it (step-back week). Decided on an old favourite route with a steady climb for a couple of miles, then a nice down-hill, followed by a flat return to home. At the top of the hill-climb, I was wrecked, but had put in some pretty good times on the climb. Recovered very quickly and enjoyed the subsequent down-hill, so at mile 7 decided I would stretch the run to the 13 miles. It was great to see some miles on the flat/uphill at planned race pace, with my heart rate staying comfortably below 155.

So, finished the 13.1 miles in 1:34, which is a decent chunk off my PB for the distance (official - 1:44, but have done 1:38 during a marathon). So very pleased. Overall the 13 miles was at planned marathon pace (for Edinburgh), so a great confidence booster. I feel just fine afterwards, and now have a couple of easy days of recovery runs ahead of me, before one last high mileage week for Connemara.

Summary: 13.1 Ninja-shaped miles in 1:34, @7:11/mile, HR=152 (80%).

Thanks Donothoponpop. It was after reading your log, that the idea popped into my mind of getting the medium-long run out of the way and having a nice easy couple of days. Not much difference between running 8 and 13 miles anyway (in terms of getting ready etc).