Micilín's Mucky Miles

Friday
Cycling: 56.46km commuting.

Had too much stuff to do so gave the recovery run a miss.

Saturday
Cycling: 130.5km spin to the Maam Valley and back on a typical soft Connemara day. Left Spiddal at 7 with a few of the club members. I must have missed TbL winning his marathon, and others running part of the Western Way.

My first time cycling in a group so had a few things to learn in terms of being so close to other cyclists' wheels etc. One great benefit of cycling in a group is drafting - despite 4hrs30mins of cycling, I still felt relatively fresh coming home.

Strava Link

I've definitely done enough crosstraining this week Will be putting my running shoes back on tomorrow.

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|360.49|46.74
MTD|335.02|19.34
YTD|2547.71|378.16


EDIT: Met the leprachaun who cycles his yellow rickshaw round some of the marathons collecting money. He said he raised over €20,000 last year alone ...

Sunday

Rest day: Woke up with a twinge in my inner thigh/groin area. Although it doesn't hurt when I walk or run, I thought it best not to push things. My running mileage for the week wasn't too bad, despite only running 3 days (46.74km), so I'm happy leaving it at just that for the week.

Total hours of running and cycling this week was 17 hours 14 minutes.

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|360.49|46.74
MTD|335.02|19.34
YTD|2547.71|378.16

Tuesday
Running: 8.64km run commute to town @ recovery pace. Not a lot to say about this run. Scared a female runner when I ran past her, that was the height of it! Pace was decent, 5:19min/km (8:33min/mile).

Cycling: 25.4km commute.

Fun Run for Friday is postponed until June. I think I'll just do my own time trial on Friday instead. I'm curious to see what my 5km time is. Will give me a benchmark to work against.

Also, looks like I won't be doing the Terenure 5-mile, but the Wicklow Way Relay the following weekend instead. I'm still not going to go mad doing mountain training though!

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|82.00|16.11
MTD|417.02|35.45
YTD|2629.71|394.28

belcarra wrote: »

It's looking like I will be in Galway on the weekend of the 17th of May and will probably aim to do the Knocknacarra Parkrun. Might see you there?
Note: All bets are off if i get rat arsed in the pub the night before!!

See you there. Didn't realise there was such a parkrun, sounds great. I'll be just back from a scheduled two-week break from running (aka honeymoon) and will probably be jet-lagged, so you'll have no excuse

Wednesday

Running: 18.44km Medium-Long Run commute to Galway. I can never seem to finish the 19km to the bus stop on these runs, I always get distracted by Butler's hot chocolate café

Cycling: 7.44km commute to town for a lift home

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|89.44|34.55
MTD|424.46|53.89
YTD|2637.15|412.71


Currently on course for 936 miles in 2014. I'm sure I'll be on track for the 1000 soon!

Friday

Running: 11.07km including 5km Time Trial.

My VO2 Max session intervals have all been around the 4:00min/km pace mark,
which would indicate 20 minutes+ for 5km. That would be nice, but very hard to
hit outside of race conditions.

I nearly couldn't have been more accurate in my prediction - 5km in 20:03

Rather than take the bike to work, I had a lie-in and took a nice big mug of coffee on the bus with me. Had lunch around 12noon and finished work around 3.15.

On my warmup down to the racecourse I got a stitch. My pace wasn't too fast, just one of those mysterious stitches. Did a few yoga stretches and then a few strides.

I started the time trial at the highest point of the circuit (just at the main stand) so that it would be easy to hit race pace early on. Naturally, the first 1km was too fast, 3:52 on my watch. There was a strong enough westerly on the stretch furthest from the stand which was tough but net downhill on this split helped with the pace. The 2nd km was also mostly into the wind and finished on an uphill with a crosswind, didn't have much of a problem keeping the pace despite this.

3rd km was supposed to be easy as I had a tailwind. This is when the pain started kicking in. The usual thoughts hit me here too - 'ah you're not able for this, turn it into a 3km time trial'. Pushed on regardless and kept the pace on target. 4th km was into the wind again. Pace was slow at the start so I found it hard to bring the pace back down to target again.

The 5th km was uphill and then downhill with the wind at my back. With 500m to go I realised that I wasn't going to be far off my prediction. With about 200m to go I realised I could push myself harder. Finishing pace in the last few hundred metres was about 3:35min/km.

A great result for me. Only 8 seconds off a PB on a windy and 'hilly' course.

Splits:

• 3:53
• 4:01
• 4:03
• 4:04
• 4:01

Garmin Link

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|146.04|45.62
MTD|481.06|64.96
YTD|2693.75|423.79

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Looks like a horrible course with lots of twists and turns!

Surely they could have found something better

TbL

I can't think of anywhere better than the racecourse. Good parking facilities, less of a need for stewards. I won't complain about the location in Cappagh Park though, handy enough for me :-) Have you any plans for taking part after your impromptu 5k this week?

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

MM,

I was talking about the 5k that's been held in Cappagh Park (apologies that's what I thought you were talking about). Cappagh Park looks very tight.

It was your post that pointed me in the direction of the 5k! Looking at doing a 10k in Colemans town which is just on the outskirts of Galway. What's up next for you?

TbL

Haha I was agreeing and saying that the parkrun would be better off at the racecourse instead :-)

I have a few races pencilled in on a spreadsheet at work, Wicklow Way Relay in May, Milltown 5 or 10k is likely too in June.

Longterm I would love to go sub-40 for 10k this year in the 10k Chonamara and possibly a 3:0x marathon in DCM in October. Would also like to do the Streets and the Galway Bay Half. Will probably join GCH in June.

You must be looking at 38 or 39 mins in Colemanstown, right? You hardly tapered for the Claregalway 5k!

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

I think that Chonamara 10k might be hilly, the Galway Bay half has PB potential if the wind behaves.

I know this wouldn't be a popular opinion but I hate the DCM, have done it 4 or 5 times and never enjoyed it! I've entered Amsterdam the weekend before and I'm on the waiting list for the Abingdon marathon in the UK on the same day (it's flat and fast apparently). You've set a nice target for the marathon and if you keep going like you have been recently you should nail it.

I haven't a notion of hitting 39 for a 10k, I'm too fat and old , anywhere sub 40.30, which is my PB from 5/6 years ago would do nicely. It's on Easter Saturday so still need planning permission to do it!

We must hook up for a run over Seanadh Peistin now that the evenings are getting longer.

TbL

10k Chonamara is indeed hilly, but only about 90 seconds slower at my pace I think. Did it 18 months ago.

Sure sounds good. Any evening next week suits actually, just let me know!

Monday
Running: 6.53km @ recovery pace. Legs felt very heavy for a change. Most likely from the long run last night and the 54km on the bike today.

Cycling: 54.22km commuting. Had to come home via the main coast road to run some errands. It was only 10 minutes but I got beeped at once (for existing I guess) and got buzzed a few times, one at 35km/h with traffic coming the opposite way and close enough for me to slap the side of the van).

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|54.22|6.53
MTD|535.27|95.18
YTD|2747.96|454

Wednesday
Running: Rest day.

Cycling: 63.17km commuting. Headwind all the way home. Passed a two-mile line of stationary traffic on my usual route - there was a diversion from a collision on the main N59 road to Moycullen. Glad I didn't take that road this evening (took it this morning).

Plan for tomorrow is an 8km recovery run and then a longer run on Friday.

KMs|Cycling|Running
WTD|173.73|10.89
MTD|654.79|99.54
YTD|2867.48|458.37