Heart Don't fail me now

Wednesday Lunch: An easy 8k run, averaged around 5.20 pace for 134 heart rate.

Thursday Evening: An interval run I was actually looking forward to, a 5 x 2k @ 4.30 pace with 2 minutes recovery followed by one final k at 4.20. It was probably as I knew I would be well able for this that I didnt mind it.

Ran them all at around 4.20-4.25 pace, felt really strong on the 3rd rep for some reason and was going at around 4.15 pace for what seemed like very little effort but it kicked back a little on the 5th.

Worked myself into a lather for the last one kilometre with Sasha on the iphone grinding out the old hits, so off I went, started out at 3.45 pace but died a death and quickly decided that my poor achilles was acting up and cantered home for a 4.13 last k

I finally talked myself into entering the Galway Bay 1/2 Marathon in early October. Its a little near DCM but to hell with it. My mantra for next season is to race more so I might as well start now.

From the entrance search the mere sight of "The Fishmonger" and "The GAA friend" signed up was too much to resist. "The Fishmonger" has been texting me his latest races results as he knows all of them are better than mine. "The GAA Friend" is training for the Dublin marathon as well. Two of the most competitive people I know so I will be gunning for them. A sub 1.40 should be enough to send the Fishmonger packing but "The GAA Friend" may well be quicker than that.

Anyways as you can see I am looking forward to it, I think its this race two years ago when I last raced this distance with a swim and bike before it

Stevie Late Truck wrote: »

CW your obviously not doing the half this weekend which is scheduled in the plan, any possibility of a route you could pick to run a half to see how you go? If not i will mail you a long progression run to do instead.
Good pace on the intervals tonight.

Good man - I am a bit worried endurance wise with only a 12 week programme coming into this so I was going to run 18 miles, I will leave it up to you for the pace of it! Lets leave the 13.1 till October 6th, I am not the best for pushing myself on my own anyways so the 13.1 time may not be accurate

A smidge over 16 was the longest

Friday: 8k recovery run at about 5.56 pace. Legs were tired and was glad it was just trotting mileage today

Saturday: With Mrs C and Pudsy off into town to meet the girls, I was able to pack up and head somewhere new for the run. Haven't done Renville Park in ages so off I went, was mad going past the gym, I should have brought the swim gear for a dip afterwards.

The run today was 50 minutes at 5.20, 45 minutes at 5.00 and then 40 minutes at 4.45 pace. There is a nice little loop around the area which is around 8k but can be stretched out to just under 10k so this would suit perfect for a water stop at the car after each one.

Got through the first 2 ok, 50 minutes @ 5.16 and 45 minutes @ 4.54. Had a decent feeling about the last one too and picked a route that the last k would be uphill. I was close to breaking at 4k but a rousing rendition of an old Sex Kitchen song, aptly titled I'm Stomping followed by bang.......to the beat of the drum......bang.....bang (another old school classic). Got me to 30 minutes and I knew I had the back broken of the run at that stage.

As I hit 35 minutes, I spotted the wifes uncle coming towards me walking the dog, a brief moment of indecision on whether I would stop or not was quickly shelved when I realised I may be putting our yearly holiday in his pad in Portugal in jeopardy if I didn't stop. I was happy I could have finished it out anyways and was not using him as an excuse. So 5 minutes talking about the hurling and patting his dog and I was away to finish the last bit of the run. 40 minutes @ 4.42 pace

Sunday: A late night watching the film "The Raid", I love my action films and by god this is action from the first minute - this was very much probably the best fight scenes I have seen in an action movie.......ever!

Coupled with a very early morning bringing the young lad for his sunday dip in the pool with a Nightmare day mowing the lawn so just ran down to the bridge and back for 5k at 5.40 pace recovery run. Legs felt good - no stiffness at all

amphkingwest wrote: »

Was that you that blitzed past me on the Maree road? I was doing same session going the other way back to Oranmore & Kilcolgan.

I don't think so I assume I would have recognized you, plus I was wearing a white Loughrea Triathlon 2010 t-shirt which you would have pegged, there were a couple of guys in the park all right doing hill repeats but that was about it. There was a burial going on when I was around there

Maree/The Park is a lovely run over with a few testing drags, I don't get a chance often to drive anywhere for the run due to time constraints with the young lad. Have you gone out and around the old castle down by the shore, its a handy extra km or so to add on if needed

Wednesday: An easy recovery run at lunchtime. 8k @ 5.40 pace for 129 heart rate

Showing my age but while lounging on the couch watching Champions League, I jumped up when I got the dinner call. I am not sure but I seemed to pull something on my side. Didn't sleep very well - while not too sore it was a little uncomfortable.

Thursday: It felt a little better this morning, with an all day work event in Dublin on saturday, I said I would take today off and do the interval run on friday and the lsr on sunday.

Friday: Stomach not bothering me today although I felt very lethargic all day. I finally said I would give the intervals a shot at lunchtime. As soon as i started to swing the arms the muscles were at me so I walked back to the house. Just after getting word that I don't have to go to Dublin tomorrow but I had cancelled a long days stone picking in a friends new garden over it. Now have the choice to do that tomorrow and hope it wont feck up the run on sunday (if the stomach improves)

On a side note having read all the TK Maxx Sugoi deals on the cycling board I rushed in at lunch time, alas some pricy jackets were all that were there, very close to buying a long sleeved jersey but backed off when i realized there were no back pockets

Wikipedia = Stone picking is the process of removing stones and rocks from a garden or farmer's field. It can be done by hand, by passing the soil through a sieve, or by machine.
I think a bigger culchie trait is the pride in the lawn syndrome, even along my road you can spot the townies moved out by their push lawnmowersand often unkempt grass. All the culchies have ride-ons and snooker table lawns.

If a single blade of grass on my lawn goes beyond an inch in length the brother in law starts bitching to the mother in law who takes the wife aside calling the garden a disgrace :mad: (I couldn't give a sh1te about the lawn personally as long as it isn't overgrown)

Needless to say another lawn incident happened this weekend, I am still having trouble with my stomach and wanted to put off the grass until after a long run attempt on the sunday. This didn't go down well with the brother in law who loans me his trailer to get rid of the grass so I usually need to fit in with his timelines which this week was a saturday and he wouldn't drop it over on the sunday even though he lives next door.

So two hours of mowing later I could feel the tightness as I was lugging the grass over the sides so once again giving up the slow run I was planning on Saturday. I have been complaining about not having my own trailer all summer and was positively fuming and I finally think the hassle got through to Mrs C - so some good came out of it and in the end of it all I have been finally given the all clear to get my own trailer and to hell with what her family think of snubbing the bro in laws one.

Started to feel very cold saturday night which has been a little symptomatic of the last few days, either a feeling of being a bit run down or a cold or something is coming so went to bed early.

A brief discussion that night with Mrs C who said I was a fool to be thinking of stuffing myself with painkillers to run 30k, and I eventually agreed. I will be given the pass to go tomorrow if I feel up to it. So a fairly innocuous injury has kept me out from running since wednesday.

I have to get back swimming - none of these tweaks and twinges things ever happened when I was swimming regularly

Dory Dory wrote: »

I don't know what a culchie is, but I can google.....and I assume the trailer is a lawn mower? One question, and I don't mean to stir up trouble or appear negative in any way, but do Irish women not mow the grass??

In the city yes I would expect her to chip in but out here I would be a pariah if she was spotted doing it. In fairness I have a push lawnmower and with the lawn being circa 1/2 acre it would be a fairly big effort for her to push that around for a few hours let alone pull the cord fast enough to start it up in the first place.

No a trailer is a large box with a hitch that can attach itself to the back of a car that has a towbar. You are probably thinking of a ride on Dory which is the Ferrari of Lawn mowers (one that you can sit on)

This is the bad boy I am eying up for example purposes

Seems to be a lot of frustrated gardeners in the tri logs. Suffice to say all was peace and quiet till a new farmer started renting the field adjoining us and called into us and asked us not to be putting the grass over the walls from now on Compost heap is a big no no for mother and daughter so thats not up for discussion.

I am not going to even get into the family politics over the strimmers.

littlebug wrote: »

I started with the masters last night. Loved it.

Well done, its something I would love to do but the time its held at just kills me as regards going and even if we had the sunday roast a bit earlier I doubt I could even float after it let alone swim.

No long run yesterday Gibbo, I popped a painkiller before lunch and managed to run the local loop for just under 8k at 5.30 pace. Its not a bit comfortable though, even though as soon as I stopped running I couldn't feel it. Going to write off last week as a recovery week and a poor one at that and see can I get through the tempo run tomorrow, if not I will have to get someone to take a look at it