"If I'm not out there training, someone else is."

After two rest days

21st Feb

4.62 miles in 31 min easy

Week now till the half so taking it very relaxed its great to have the body finally at a stage where i not constantly slightly tired from training and hoping that the next week easy will have me raring to go. Since my run is on at 10 am i am going to try and get out on my runs at that time all week to prepare the body

cfitz wrote: »

You can grab some glow sticks and run a few more laps around Pacha if you've got any energy left after the race.

HAHA well it my 21st on sunday as well as the race so that may be an option:D Though mind you having been there before and not really impressed i think Carling Cup final and few celebratory drinks in quiet pub might be a better option

23rd Feb

6.85 miles @ 7.26 pace + 4 x 100m strides (5k pace)

cfitz wrote: »

Really? I thought it was deadly, but that was back in 2005. Anyway, have a good race and happy birthday.

Well i just found that the place was extremely expensive (dearer that ireland prices:eek:) i also found that being a club moreso for the locals there were very few willing to just have a conversation (granted my spanish is quite weak) Maybe it was just my impression still i sure it will be a laugh to be honest i not a huge birthday person and the race is far more important to me so i almost completely putting it down as a post race party if anything lol. The plan however is to be back in training (albeit light stuff) come wed so i will have to keep that in consideration:rolleyes:

25th Feb

AM pre race massage

PM 4.12 miles @ 7.38 pace

Hammies were tight according to the physio so i gonna really work on that between now and sunday other than that everything is perfect dying to run at this stage this week has just dragged in

With the race being an early one to avoid the midday heat meant an early start. 6.30 am was up but to be honest it wouldnt have made much difference what time i could have slept till as nerves had kept me up half the night (thankfully i had managaed to get a siesta during the day:D Breakfast comprised of bowl of porridge, two small brown bread slices and a banana then on with the mp3 and tried to get my head focused.

8.30 am taxi picked us up from the apartment and brough us in to the race start. Temperatures were ideal for running bout 15 degrees and overcast so was perfect for running. There was a very good party atmosphere around the place and with 15 of us from the club it was kinda relaxing. 10 min jog and a bit of light strecthing and we were ready to go for the race but people hadnt started to file in to the start till it dawned i had mixed up the translations and was at the finish so 100m around the corner we were in dismay to see 100s of people already lined up so a few fancy manouevers and we managed to get pretty near to the start just behind the elite field which was perfect.

Bang and we were finally off 6 months training came down to the next hour and a half. My training partner shot out a bit ahead of me but i kept very easy the first mile the plan was roughly 3.40 for the 1st k (had found out no mile markers only ks in the race so had to make a few calculations on the sat) as i hit the mark clock ticked 3.40, 3.41. Perfect. rather than go crazy counting k splits i decided to go with my gut and only check after each 5k. The plan was to hit 5 k in about 18.16 roughly which would put me on target just to dip under the 77 mark. 18.20 but was very happy with how i was feeling this was easy. I then noticed a Spaniard on my shoulder and realised he had been there for a while so said to myself took in behind and let him do a bit of the work. As the next few k went on we worked off each other swapping the lead every 1200m roughly without saying a word to eah other for the whole thing (i guess running is its own language) and it seemed to be working as we passed runner after runner eating up the ground.

Hit 10k in 36.28 (13 secs off my 10k PB). I knew i was running well but didnt realise that i had picked it up that much with a 18.08 5k split thinking to myself maybe i would suffer because of this but kept going. I then saw that i was on the shoulder of my training partner which was kind of alarming as i knew there must have been something up as i knew he was in 75-76 shape and i shouldnt be with him. I beckoned him to latch on to me and hopefully work together through the second half of the race but this was not to be as he let me go on and was forced to pull up with stomach cramps.

15k and i was starting to lose ground on the spanish friend which i had picked up so was slightly worried i was slowing. 18.07 once again negative spliting so i was delighted with how it was going. At this point i was in no mans land with no one around me and with a long straight stretch out and back along the promenade. Here i began to suffer but kept pushing on.

20k with one to go i was hurting and had slowed to a 18.34 which i was slightly disappointed about but i was still delighted with how i was going and was still pretty much on pace for a very solid time so i battled on. Came to the final straight and i saw the clock ticking into the high 76s so i said i would give it everything hopefully try and break the 77 mark so i began to sprint. While the mental strength was still there the body didnt want any part of it and made me remember that i had abused it for the last 20.5. the legs completely shut up shop and cramped up something fierce stumbled over the line in 77.09 (my watch had me 77.06 which was confirmed with my chip time later)

Finding my Spanish friend who had pushed me on to such a good time i congratulated him (between my pidgeon spanish and his pidgeon english). I was shocked to see that results were printed out within ten min of my finishing. All my focus on my time i had completely forgotten there was an u23section in the race and i wa shocked to see i had managed second.

All in all I have to say the race was amazing very well organised great goodie bags including loads and for the price of 15e for the race it was nothing and live bands and music throughout the course. The people around the course were really supportive (this could have been the fact that my club colours are the spanish colours so i say alot of people assumed were were spanish )

Splits

5k 18.20

10k 36.28 (18.08)

15k 54.35 (18.07)

20k 1.13.09 (18.34)

21k 1.17.06 (3.57)

Finishing time: 1.17.06

Total distance:13.26 miles

Average pace : 5.48 min miles (3.39 min kms)

Thanks for the support guys it really means alot. Now that that is out of the way however its back to the grind body still recovering but plans are already in line for the summer. The plan is to now tackle my shorter PBs which will be everything from 800m to 10k but the ultimate goal will possibly to hit National Seniors in the steeple chase depending on how the next few months go.
So let the log continue . . . . . . . . . .

4th March

AM Massage

PM 5.06 miles @ 7.58 pace

Legs are feeling better now only thing that is still tight is my calves but got the okay from the physio so body in tact and i can start back into hard training as planned come monday

shels4ever wrote: »

See your planning on racing 800m-10k over the summer do you think you'd be better to focus on one area , 800m-10k is a huge range really, or will you be training for the long stuf fand jsut use 800m races to shapen up?

My training is going to be designed specifically for steeplechase i am going to do one or two shorter races as sharpeners and while i wont be training specifically for these races i will still be looking to take chunks off my PBs just as a result of the strength i have aquired over the last six months i feel i am in the best shape of my life but my speed is the one thing lacking which will be an aspect i intend to address without compromising my strength so my mileage will remain roughly the same. The difference will be with my sessions which i hope to include 1 strength, 1 speed and 1 steeple session most weeks. Another aspect which is going to be incorporated is plyometric and hurdle drill work which is going to be key

shels4ever wrote: »

Sounds good best of luck with the steeple , ran one years ago and its a hard event.

Yeah i love it though i did it as a juvenille and have a pretty good hurdling technique so it seems to suit me better as a cant really compete when it comes to the flat in terms of foot speed on the track

8th March

AM
4.98 miles @7.24 pace
30 min core workout

PM
2 mile warm up
1x ( 1 mile w/90 sec recovery 1km)
2x ( 1 mile w/90 sec recovery 800m)
3 min recovery between sets
2 mile cool down

Splits
5.27, 3.28
5.29, 2.46
5.31, 2.45

Back with a bang today. The session was supposed to be 6x1 mile but it was a bit ambitious considering only a week after the half and with the times being so fast and my lack of speed endurance training i decided to modify. Happy with how it went and should get a bit easier in a couple of weeks as i develop the speed endurance

Total Mileage: 13

10th March

AM

Workout @ 1500m pace:
2 mile warm up,

800m (2.22)
3 min recovery
4x400m w/ 1 min recovery (68,68,70,71)
3 min recovery
4x300m w/ 100m jog recovery (50,52,53,52)

2 mile cool down

This was my first major anaerobic workout of the year. It was certainly a shock to the system but it will get easier in time. Happy with the times though the only thing that bothered me was my form was very poor one the lactic kicked in and i really suffered through it

smmoore79 wrote: »

Very good times over 400m. i did 9 x 400 with 300m recovery last week and my fastest was 74 seconds!

Thanks now that i am back focusing on track i have to get the speed back up to scratch and more importantly speed endurance which is still lacking. From the last 6 months i know i have the aerobic base but now have to work on the weaker aspects which is why my Wed sessions are to become my most important session of the week.