Running Through The Wall

Killerz · 28-11-2009 6:23pm #1

So, here we go again. An old training log retired, a new log begins…..

And thus begins my biggest challenge yet – the Connemara Ultra-Marathon. I am aiming to run (or crawl/ walk) this in April 2010. I have 3 marathons under my belt (Dublin 2008 – 3:49; Cork 2009 3:25; Dublin 2009 3:11) and a few halfies (PB Dublin 2009 1:28), so thought it was time to push myself a little more!:D

I have kept up a relatively good level of fitness since Dublin Marathon back at the end of October, so I am aiming to build back up to a 20 mile LSR weekend run prior to new year, and then start looking at back-to-back LSRs starting in New Year. I am loosely following Abhainn’s training plan (in terms of weekend LSRs) from Connemara Ultra 2008, trying to fit in around work and other commitments as best as possible. I don’t think I’ll be coming in sub-5 though! More aiming towards a sub 6-hour target, and I’ll see how that moves as we get closer to d-day.

I see a number of fellow boardsies are doing the Ultra, and I’m sure you’ll be a great source of inspiration and advice as I pursue this goal, indeed best of luck to you all!

I'll start posting updates from tomorrow onwards, all going well.

I picked up this nice quote on the internet to start with, which gives me a hint of what's ahead:

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don’t worry you will get over it."
Gene Thibeault

Bally8 · 29-11-2009 3:19pm

No weddings in 2010 killerz?

Slogger Jogger · 29-11-2009 5:25pm

Good luck Killerz. You'll need it.

Killerz · 29-11-2009 6:54pm

Bally8 wrote: »

No weddings in 2010 killerz?

I'm sure there will be, but hopefully these wouldnt involve anything like the amount of time and effort that my own wedding did in 2009! ... famous last words maybe.

Killerz · 29-11-2009 7:13pm

Week 23rd - 29th Nov: Summary

Mon: 10 miles 1:16:50.
Wed: Run to gym - 3.1 miles, 24:40. 30 mins on gym bike 11.7km. Run home from gym - 3.1 miles, 22:15.
Thu: 6 miles 46:47. Very cold.
Fri: 40 mins on gym bikes - distance: 18.03km (typical bike resistance 7-8; rpm c.85).
Sat: - 13.27 miles, 1:48:43 in Phoenix Park. Very cold and foggy!

Total running miles: 35.; bike km: 29.73km

A good week, but probably need to be getting in another workout.

Not expecting to get a whole lot of training in in the week ahead - busy week with work, concert on weds night, and Jingle Bells 5k on saturday.
Hopefully 10 miles mon, 6 miles easy on thur, 5k on sat and 10-15 miles on sunday.

rigal · 29-11-2009 10:22pm

Best of luck with the new training cycle Killerz. Great to see people pushing the boundaries on here ....:)

35 miles on an easy week is good going. Looking forward to hooking up for a few more lsr's in the new year.

Killerz · 05-12-2009 5:50pm

Jingle Bells 5k

And so the first race for me since DCM 2009, and my second go at the Jingle Bells 5k (19.48 last year).

Good running conditions today after last night's rain threatened to make things a little difficult. Good atmosphere at start. Noticed there were a few markers - sub 30, sub 20 etc up to sub 16 for predicted time. As I was aiming for sub 19 (3.48 min/km), I was going to go for the sub 20 category, but I noticed an awful lot of runners (some in costumes) up even in the sub 16 category, and knew i would have issues achieving the goal if i didnt move up.

Positioned myself just outside the sub16 category. Was feeling good for my target as the gun went off. Up to the first corner (c300-400m) it was very difficuly to work through the traffic ahead - ended up running in the muddy grass and having to do a lot of weaving - there were walkers ahead of me!

Anyhow, enough about that - the field spread out pretty quickly after the first kilometre and I was able to hit my target splits (hoping to go at 3.45min/km to give me an extra 15 seconds for the climb out of the Furry Glen). Was running pretty hard throughout, hitting splits of 3.45, 3.44, 3.45, 3.46 and 3.37. Was surprised with the flying last km, but felt if I had time in the bag and knew sub 19 was on, I'd be able to push it. Came in in 18.37, so was very happy with that - goal achieved, and new 5k PB by c. 48 seconds.

I have to say, the race was well organised (the business at the start was runners' fault rather than race organisers I think - usual issues with starting pens), represented good value for money, and had a good atmosphere.

Aware 10k next saturday, but will need to get in a c.15 miler tomorrow as part of the Ultra plan.

Killerz · 06-12-2009 5:29pm

Week 30th Nov - 6th Dec 2009

Mon: 10 miles 1:16:44
Wed: Lunchtime speed work: 6.8k loop - 5k in 20:02, slowing a bit for full loop in 28:06
Thu: 6 miles home - 46:44
Sat: Jingle Bells 5k (see above for report) - 18:37
Sun: 15 miles long run 2:02:30 (avg pace 8 min 10 sec). Heavy legs from 5k yesterday - quite stiff. Nasty headwind coming back from Sutton along the coast.

38.3 miles total this week

Overall, decent week's work, but still not getting in enough mileage, no time for gym work either, a fact which is not likely to change over the next week or two.

On the other hand, am happy that i havent lost pace recently - still keeping it up despite late nights at work etc.

"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming."
Frank Shorter

RacoonQueen · 06-12-2009 7:58pm

Good luck with the new log, I'll be following this one, I'm aiming for a sub-6 in Connemara this year too depending on how I recover from Barcelona so we might be in and around the same place on the route.

rigal · 07-12-2009 10:33pm

Well done on Saturday killerz - nice pb there..

village runner · 07-12-2009 11:32pm

Killerz wrote: »

Jingle Bells 5k

Was running pretty hard throughout, hitting splits of 3.45, 3.44, 3.45, 3.46 and 3.37. Was surprised with the flying last km, but felt if I had time in the bag and knew sub 19 was on, I'd be able to push it. Came in in 18.37, so was very happy with that - goal achieved, and new 5k PB

Now thats how you run a race. Great splits with an increase in pace the last km.
Stick with the same plan sat and you will achieve your goal.

Well done again

belcarra · 08-12-2009 12:11am

Hey Killerz,

I've just seen this log now so as a fellow entrant to the Ultra I hope to be keeping a close eye on this! You're much faster than me but at least the distances should be comparable for the training. I'll just be hoping to get around in one piece!
Anyways, best of luck with this!

Killerz · 08-12-2009 9:19pm

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Good luck with the new log, I'll be following this one, I'm aiming for a sub-6 in Connemara this year too depending on how I recover from Barcelona so we might be in and around the same place on the route.

Thanks RQ - hopefully i'll be able to achieve my goal, but i am going into this pretty blind, not having done an ultra before. hopefully indeed we will be in and around the same time - i may need to draw on your experience!:D

Killerz · 08-12-2009 9:22pm

belcarra wrote: »

Hey Killerz,

I've just seen this log now so as a fellow entrant to the Ultra I hope to be keeping a close eye on this! You're much faster than me but at least the distances should be comparable for the training. I'll just be hoping to get around in one piece!
Anyways, best of luck with this!

Thanks Belcarra, i'm kind of going into the unknown, but boards really is a great resource and i have no doubt that the support and training logs will be an inspiration to both of us. Best of luck with your training too.

Killerz · 13-12-2009 3:25pm

Aware Christmas Run, 12th Dec

Apart from the well documented issues with this race, including the fact that it moved from 10k to 9k, this run went quite well for me. My ongoing target for 10km is to get under 40 minutes (PB 40:24 from recollection in GI Run in April), however, going into the race, and knowing the course, I wasnt too sure if a sub 40 would've been on the cards today, had the course been 10km.

Okay, so it was 9k. My target came down to 36 minutes (4 minute kms, in line with a sub 40 10k). Conditions were good, so I was hoping for the best.

After another messy start, hit my first km in 3:45, which was probably a little bit faster than planned, but i was feeling good. Worked up through the kms, hitting 5km in 19 minutes flat, coming out of the Furry Glen. Continued on at roughly the same pace, arriving at 8km in just under 30 minutes. The plan was to try and get to the 8km mark allowing myself 5 minutes for the last km. So I had 6 minutes to spare for the arduous climb up the khyber pass. I readjusted my goal to sub 35 mins. Found the hill really tough and was delighted to get to the top of it, then a couple of hundred metres on the flat and crossed finish line in watch time of 34:29.

Delighted with that run, and I am fairly confident that I would have nailed my sub-40 target, as I had 5 and a half mins to spare.

Killerz · 13-12-2009 3:33pm

Week 7th-13th December summary:

Mon: 6 miles 51:23 - slow run home after a good bit of running over the weekend.
Wed: 8 miles 63:44 - 7:58 min miles
Sat: Aware - 9k (5.6 miles) 34:29

Total miles: 19.6

Very poor week mileage-wise, but thats it for the races for the year, and will be able to ramp things up now. Work not helping either - in quite late these days.

"We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."
Will Rogers

Killerz · 20-12-2009 11:04pm

Week 14th-20th December Summary:

Mon: 10 miles 1:16:44 - enjoyable run.
Tue: 3.1 miles to gym 24:20; 30 mins on bike 11k; 3.1 miles home 22:30.
Thu: 6 miles 47:48
Sat: 20.4 miles 2:52:57 - roughly 8:40 min miles. Very tough going, with a good few walking breaks. Ran further than had planned - got a bit lost:eek:. Very cold.

Total mileage this week: 42.6 miles + 11k bike.:)

Solid week's training in spite of christmas alcohol and food intake.

Hope to get a few runs in over the next week now and maintain mileage levels into new year.

Quote this week reflects how I felt during yesterday's long run:

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse."
Ann Trason

Killerz · 23-12-2009 11:59pm

21st-23rd December

Mon: 10 miles 1:20:44. Very, very cold tonight on my traditional Monday 10 miler.
Wed: 7.7 miles 57:19. Once again, very cold and icy slowing me right down. almost snotted myself a few times tonight on black ice.

End of mini-week coming up to Christmas: 17.7 miles.
I imagine that there will be minimal running done over the next week - will just try to keep it ticking over.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Killerz · 28-12-2009 3:20pm

24th-28th December

Sat 26th: 5.7 miles in Murroe, Limerick (in-laws' neck of the woods) 46:51. COLD.
Mon 28th: 8.3 miles in Blackrock/ Dun Laoghaire. 1:04:37. Fairly icy out there, but an enjoyable run, and nice to keep to a decent pace of just under 8 minute miles.

Generally happy with Christmas mileage. Will have to kick on a bit distance-wise this weekend, as have only been getting in 6-9 milers in last week or so. All said, i think my body is thanking me for the rest!

Killerz · 03-01-2010 7:56pm

29th Dec-3rd Jan

Weds 30th Dec: 6.2 miles home in 49:48. Absolutely treacherous conditions - I would say that these were the worst weather conditions I have ever run in - gail force wind, ice cold rain... yikes. Nice to get the workout in tho.
Sat 2nd Jan: 2010 starts with an 18.5 miler in the snow. Time: 2:38:05. Slower than usual, and not as many hills, but no point in pushing my luck in wintry conditions! Beautiful day for a run, not too slippy, as was running in fresh snow for most of it.
Sun 3rd Jan: As the paths/ roads were frozen over, decided that it was too dangerous to run, so went up to the gym. Did 5.2k/3.2 mi on dreadmill (25 mins), 10.3k on bikes (25 mins), 15 minutes on a crazy stairs machine, and some core work.

Fairly decent workout, but skidded the car into another car on the way home. No major damage (I hope nothing major to the other car) as I was going really slow, but knocked the stuffing out of me nonetheless.

Total mileage this week (including Monday): 36.2 miles + 10.3k bike.
Total mileage this year: (excludes Monday & Wednesday): 21.7 miles

"The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat."
- Bill Squires

Blueskye · 03-01-2010 10:55pm

It's not easy to get out in these conditions but the feeling's great once the session is done! I like that Ann Trason quote.

Macanri · 03-01-2010 10:59pm

I think I met you running from city direction on Wed 30th in that rain and strong wind, it was just around the wooden bridge on the coast at Clontarf. Sorry to hear about the tip in the car. I skidded into the kerb yesterday, luckily no one around.

Killerz · 04-01-2010 8:09pm

Macanri wrote: »

I think I met you running from city direction on Wed 30th in that rain and strong wind, it was just around the wooden bridge on the coast at Clontarf. Sorry to hear about the tip in the car. I skidded into the kerb yesterday, luckily no one around.

Its reassuring to know that there was someone else as mad as me on the 30th, running in that rain (and skidding in the ice!). Not sure if it was me you met tho - i didnt go the way of the wooden bridge - could well have encountered me elsewhere on the route!

Killerz · 10-01-2010 7:10pm

Week 4th - 10th January

What a frustrating week running-wise. Too dangerous to go out a lot of the days. Finally was able to get out on Thursday.

Thurs: 7.1 miles in 1:05:59. (c. 9 min 20 sec miles). Much, much slower than typical pace for this, but tbh was delighted just to get out. No slipping either - did lots of running in around housing estates. It was quite cold tho.
Sat: 8.2 miles in 1:08:37 (c. 8 min 30 sec miles) - A bit faster than Thursday's run. Maybe the confidence levels were up a bit.
Sun: 12.6 miles in 1:59:40 (just under 10 minute miles). very slushy today, definitely the hardest of my 3 sessions this week. Severe headwind along the coast added to the difficulty, as did cold, wet feet.

Overall, would like to be getting more miles in, but managed over 4 hours on my feet this week in the snow, so i'll take that.

In other news, I am heading to Canada for 18 months from next month, so i may need to get used to the snow! This does mean that I wont be doing the Connemara Ultra (this year anyhow), but I think there are a few alternatives near Toronto, where i am heading.

Will keep the training log going in any event.

Total mileage this week: 27.9
Total mileage year to date: 49.6

Speedy44 · 10-01-2010 10:56pm

Best of luck in Canada, a neighbour or mine headed over to Toronto in September. He's working outside and has wisely invested in long longs johns ! And you thought this weather was bad

Macanri · 10-01-2010 11:13pm

All the best in Canada, May the road rise before you, and the wind be always on your back (Thus ensuring easier PBs).:D

Killerz · 11-01-2010 10:30pm

Thanks Speedy44 and Macanri. I've no doubt it will be cold. I dont mind that so much, its the ice i really cant handle. I hear they handle the snow and ice a lot better in Canada tho - rock on! Long johns it is!

Killerz · 17-01-2010 9:50pm

Week 11th - 17th January

Another poor week distance wise, but i'm finished up work now and all things going well, i will be able to get in a decent week next week.

Wed: 10 miles 1:17:35
Thu: Gym - 17.3k on the bike and some extensive core work.
Sun: 8 miles 59:27

Total mileage this week : 18 miles
Total mileage this year: 67.6 miles

Killerz · 20-01-2010 8:42pm

18th-20th January

Good start to the week. Off work in advance of my Canadian departure (29th Jan), have a lot of things to do prior to leaving - tidy up apartment, pack clothes and bits and pieces, but also getting some running in.

Mon: 19 miles. 2:38:32 - c.8min 20 sec miles. Heavy enough going after the 8 miles the day before. A good run tho, with hills etc. Took in some of the locations in the film "The Van", such as the residential area, the boozer, and the beach. On another note, tried to run in around the Botanic Gardens - but they don't allow runners - I was told to leave! Why! It was empty!
Tue: Gym (Gym has working shower, I do not). 13.4k on the bike, + 20 mins strength and core work.
Wed: 7 miles. 50:23. Fast enough for a wednesday - c.7min 12sec pace.

Power on H2 to this week!

rigal · 20-01-2010 11:33pm

Nice running on Monday Killerz. You must be happy with that. When will your next race be?

Killerz · 24-01-2010 11:44pm

rigal wrote: »

Nice running on Monday Killerz. You must be happy with that. When will your next race be?

Thanks rigal - a long week! Next race is a 30k road race in a city between Toronto and Niagara Falls at the end of March:

http://www.aroundthebayroadrace.com/

Apparently its the road race to do in Canada, and is the oldest road race in North America. So, might aswell give it a go. Nice distance aswell, between a half and a full marathon.

Running Through The Wall

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