Tie Your Runner Down - A Log

christeb

Firstly the title: as a Queen fan it's a bad reference to their song: Tie Your Mother Down.

My most recent race is a 1:47:00 Half Marathon which I was quite enthused by, considering my relative lack of training for it.

Goals
33min Raheny 5 - Feb 2009
Connemara Half or Full Marathon
Dublin Duathlon Series in the Summer, combined with the Adidas series of races in Phoenix Park. Another marathon Autumn 2009, possibly Dublin.

I train twice every week with my football club (www.rahenyrovers.com) and matches are on a Sunday. So this log will document eveything I can squeeze in between :eek:

christeb

Was away in Germany for a couple of days this week - did 4 miles in ca. (Forerunner couldn't pick up the satellite) 25 min at 6:30 AM yesterday with a colleague. It was only later that I discovered that said colleague is a 2:50 marathon runner, albeit a few years ago. Poor guy moved to China and now has asthma (mental note: never live in China).

christeb

5.5 miles in 44 mins today. Running with a crappy backpack also (good one on order).

Happy with that, first 2 miles were 7:20 and 7:30 respectively, I wanted to push it a bit. After that was pretty tired, but struggled home to post a 7:50 mile average. The difference in having a Forerunner 405 is huge for me, I've only had it for a few weeks so the effect may still wear off. But it gives a new dimension to training, I have gained a great deal of structure which I find is a great motivator - it puts the exact figures on your progress.

christeb

A gloriuos run today from Raheny to Howth village via St Anne's Park and the South hill of Howth (the one past Howth Golf Club and the cemetary).

1:01:58 which included a couple of fastish miles at the start (7:17, 7:27) and hills that took ca. 9-9:30. Average was 8:10 mnins / mile, which I am quite happy with.

Superb weather, would have run further if I didn't have to catch a flight .

Does anyone else here use headphones? Simplest invention ever, its a Nike hat with speakers over the ears and room for an iPod nano. Cuts out dangling wires and I've found it a great addition to my "gear" recently. I hooked it up today with my phone tuned to my fav radio station (94.9 The Rock), as I needed the phone anyway. Really helps with the motivation I find.

christeb

Cycled to / from work yesterday (12 miles total), combined with a football training session (3 miles fast), then indoor circuits and a few matches.
Good allround workout

christeb

8 miles cycle in total today.
Also football training again, a lot easier than Tues. Match, some running and then a few sets of sprints. Nights are getting a lot colder, as someone said it another thread - this is where it counts!

christeb

A 5.5 mile run into work this morning. Average 8.37 per mile, I didn't feel 100% on the run itself, legs a bit stiff. Had the new bag on also (Deuter Trans Alspine 25), which wasn't as great / stable as I had expected...

Also, I feel I have to eat brekkie to start the day, which means before I left the house I inhaled 3 poached eggs, large bowl of porridge with a banana and honey / milk, and half a glass of fresh OJ. Stands to you during the day but can't be good running with all that floating around. Any tips required (apart from getting up earlier!!!).

christeb

Tough training session last night with the Rovers. Forgot my Forerunner 405 so not sure how far the run is, my guess is about 2.7 miles in less than 7 min/mile pace - I'll be sure to bring it next week. After that there were some indoor sprints and a match, I slept well!

christeb

5.5 mile run into work. Legs felt OK when I got up but I struggled in at 8.30 min/mile pace - it was tougher than it should have been. 2 nights drinking on the trot last weekend wasn't what the doctor ordered.

christeb

Football training cancelled, so made a spur of the moment decision to run home, another 5.5 miles.

Huge wind on my back and bag full of college notes and other miscellany, here are the mile splits (min/mile): 6.22 / 7.07 / 8.08 / 8.30 / 8.24

Not sure what I was thinking that first mile, its through the city centre so maybe I subconciously want everyone to think I run at that speed all the way home! Felt OK, although I paid for it later in the run. Least I know I am capable of such times, gives me some optimism for my sub 33 Raheny 5 mile in Feb

christeb

Took the weekend off (bar a mini-gym session) to eat ice cream and chocolate and whatever else you do on a BH weekend. Took in the marathon (both at the OHs house at the KCR and then at the finish line) which was extremely enjoyable, its an inspiration to witness the event. And some of the reports on here only add to that, congrats to all who completed.

Good training session with the football guys tonight. Finally got the Forerunner out to measure the "warm-up" run.

2.7 miles in 18:10, average of 6.46 min / mile. Decent pace, the actual cold was my stumbling block thiss evening, I had enough gear on but I just couldn't get enough air in through my nose, and any air coming in through my mouth was freezing which is no good at those speeds. After that done some circuits in the hall and a few mini matches, allround excellent workout.

christeb

Football training:
Tonight was one of those nights where I'd prefer to be on the sofa! Weather was atrocious and of course I picked the football boots that let all the ground water in after 10 mins, so my feet felt like they were stuck to the ground. Some circuits and a match, looking back its nights like these that make you appreciate being on a team, as 99% of people would take a rest night instead of doing anything. Hail stones and lightning - a bad combination!

christeb

5.5 mile run to work
Felt pretty good after last nights training, relatively painless run in to work. Very consistent on the times too, average was 8:07 min/mile and no mile was faster than 8:00 - maybe I am getting a hang of this Forerunner! May take a jog home this evening too, otherwise I intend to do a decent long run in the morning (weather permitting).

Happy Hallowe'en runners

christeb

7 miles. Had planned to go around howth Hill, but when I got out there I wasn't feeling 100%, so decided to cut the run short. Average 8:00 min/mile, there was a bit of a kick in the last mile which is farily encouraging. Also didn't want to be recovering tomorrow on the football field - we should have match.

Currently monitoring my collegue who is doing the Florida IM, very encouraging stuff altogether! He is bib no. 29, was in 52nd coming out of the water, currently on the bike which is his strongest discipline...

christeb

No match today so had training instead. Legs not 100% fresh after the last few days and this turned out to be one killer of a session. Almost 2 hrs, lots of sprints and jogging. 30min training match at the end. Today is most certainly a rest day!

Woddle

Seem to be ticking along nicely, keep up the good work.

christeb

Thanks Woddle - keeping an eye on the other blogs (including yours) is a big help.

Rovers training tonight - the same 2.7 mile run follwed by circuits indoor and match. The run was completed in an average of 6.53 / mile, slightly slower than last week but my stomach wasn't feeling the best for some reason. It's nice to take off form the lads at the start and not worry about them catching up! Circuits and match were enjoyable, nice to get in out of the cold, although was a lot more pleasant outside this week than last.

Might run into work tomorrow, see how the legs are...

christeb

Football training tonight. Decent conditions although I made the mistake of going for a sneaky snooze between finishing work and training. To say I was rusty starting off would be an understatement! Decent session overall, plenty of running and sprints. Hope to do something today or tomorrow a bit longer, I might pop down to the 6k Beach Run depending on weather also...

christeb

BOI BHAA 6k Beach Race.

Nice local race with the other Boardsies, ended up in 27:04. I had though of ca. 2 mins quicker than that going down, but the wind in the second half had a big effect. I also didn't really factor in the sand! Enjoyable.

christeb

8.5 mile point-to-point run today. Weather forecast in the morning was grim for the next 2 days, so when the sun broke at about 11 I dropped everything and hit the streets! Beautiful run from Raheny along the coast to Sutton X, then through Baldoyle and out to Portmarnock, finishing in Malahide. Hugging the coast all the way. Wind was out but at my back for most of it - which skewed the times imo. Still, I am very very happy with them, especially after yesterday.
All miles were arounnd 7:45, with nothing over 8:00. Even mile8 was 7:42!!!!


Thinking of how I feel so good after the race, although I did get a good leg massage from herself last night - trick is to turn that into a regular occurance

christeb

Good Rovers trinaing session tonight. Did the 2.7 mile loop at 6:40 pace - very happy with that. Plenty of jogging, curcuits and football inside, good workout.
Hopefully get a run or two in tomorrow if the legs are up to it...

christeb

5.5 miles run to work. Cold, tired legs, big bag, sleepy...it was TOUGH! The mile lap timer was sneaking up towards the 9 min mark at one stage - say its not true! Managed to finish on 8:24 average. A struggle.

MCOS

christeb wrote: »

5.5 miles run to work. Cold, tired legs, big bag, sleepy...it was TOUGH! The mile lap timer was sneaking up towards the 9 min mark at one stage - say its not true! Managed to finish on 8:24 average. A struggle.

How often do you run to work? I have to do something like that to increase my training volume as I'm limited to short sessions mostly

christeb

MCOS wrote: »

How often do you run to work? I have to do something like that to increase my training volume as I'm limited to short sessions mostly

Hi MCOS,
Run in 1-2 times every week. Logistics are working against me, I have football training x2 per week (so don't want to run in on those days) and have college at night which I sporadically attend! A little organisation (leave towel / shoes in work), a good running bag (I have a Deuter Trans Alpine 25 - it's only OK) and you're away!

MCOS

Thanks for that! I wouldn't have thought of the 'leaving shoes in work' part. If I don't pick up a MTB soon I'll definitely give the run in a go. 22km round trip so that will be plenty of running on that day!

christeb

3 miles @ 9:10 pace with herself this morning.
Easy, although she managed to stuff so much gear into the backpack I was nearly falling backwards! And what was with the heat today, I was positively roasting out there, you could really feel the difference with the cloud cover and extra humidity.
Nice to loosen out the legs before Rovers training later...

christeb

Rovers training session. Veeery muddy, plenty of running, sprints and circuits. We actually did no ball work whatsoever. It's hilarious to think of, we training for 100 mins and hardly touch a ball. No match. No passing! But it works, we tend to beat teams in the last 20 mins when they are tired.

Anyway, deceided not to run in - legs a bit heavy. It's must have been all thosse squats/pushups/situps in the mud....

christeb

10 miles point to point. 8:09 average, nothing over 10 secs faster / slower than this so consistency was good again. Annoying as thought it would be 10 miles to my door, was less so had to do a meandering run through St Annes Park for a couple miles. Beautiful morning for a run.

Edit: with a heavy-ish backpack!

christeb

No match today meant Rovers trianing instead. 2 hrs - enjoyable, lots more ball work and a great match at the end. Plenty of kicks and could certainly feel yesterday's 10 miles in the legs, but I was fresh enough throughout.

christeb

Easy 3 mile jog in to work this morning.

christeb

Another easy 3 miles in this morning. A good way to wake up, I'd only be walking otherwise. And don't we runners know that walking is just a plain and simple waste of time?!

christeb

Rovers training. The 2.7 miles were done in an average of 6:38. Tonight I felt what I can imagine having asthma is like. Simply couldn't get enough air in through my nose in the last mile+, felt like airways were closing in. Decent time though - on of the lads pushed me which was a help too. Indoor was fun, lots of football instead of circuits which is unusual!

gerard65

Rovers! Shamrock Rovers?

christeb

No we're way better than those wasters! Raheny Rovers: www.rahenyrovers.com

The long term goal is Champions League 2020!

christeb

Another easy 3 miler in this morning. Football training later. I had a very vivid dream I scored all 4 goals in a Rovers victory last night - that can't be healthy!

christeb

Rovers training. Easy enough, 1st time in a long time I'm saying those 2 words. Or at least relatively so. I should really run into work tomorrow...

christeb

5 + miles into work, average 8:18. Didn't have my usual runners on, bag
too heavy, jacket too warm: was never really in my comfort zone. Tomorrow off, I'll try put a nice long one in on Sunday.

I'll now officially be missing the Raheny 5 too. Have 3 weeks off in Jan in-between jobs, so have booked a trip on the Trans Mongolian Express. Doubt I'll get much running done on the trains or in -20 weather :eek:

christeb

Played the first half of Rovers match on Sunday. It's been a while since we played, good to see our training paid off. We won easily 4-1, and I'm aching today...

Training will be taking a backseat for a while, end of this month and Dec going to be very busy. Early Jan I have exams and then there's a 3 week trip on the Trans Mongolian Express booked for Jan (in-between jobs), so any running I get to squeeze in the meantime will be a bonus....

BOO-URNS!

christeb

Rovers training tonight.

Covered the 2.7 miles in 6:46 / mile. Took it slightly easier, I had to cycle 15 mins right beforehand so the legs were a bit jellyish. I just imagined it was good duathlon training! Sprints and match in the hall, good workout overall.

christeb

I'll let my log slip onto pg 2 for the first time, that's not good...

Rovers training last night. Covered the 2.7 miles in 6:38 pace. Happy enough considering the cold. Then indoors for some sprints and a match. As I'm extremely busy between here and the end of Jan, I can't see myself progressing too much, I'll just try to stay at a similar level for now.

christeb

3 very easy miles in with plenty of gear onboard. Had the chicks gear also in a seperate bag, actually felt ever ever so slightly like Odysseus!

christeb

Another good Rovers session this evening. Chilly and plenty of sprints in the mud, it can only be good!

christeb

Last class in college cancelled last night so got home at a decent time with a run in mind.
Did the Raheny 5 route in reverse, as my house is right beside the start line. 5 miles @ 7:18 for a 36:20 finish, which is actually my PB on the route. In context, I've run the race 4/5 times!!!!

christeb

Easy enough session tonight with the Rovers. 2.7 mile run was in 7:20 average, I stayed with the lads for no particular reason. Bad turnout so just played an easy match indoors. Christmas party season will be taking it's toll for the rest of this week / next week...

christeb

Wow - nothing for almost a week now :eek: - and nothing new to report!

Booked in for Dublin in Oct, unsure as whether to do a late Spring Marathon too...
Off to Denmark for a week on Fri, in between eveything else I've to do a fair bit of study for exams in Jan. After the exams I'm going on the Trans Sinerian Express (Beijing -> St. Petersburg, NOT in one go!) so anything I do between now and February will be a bonus :mad:

After that it's all go though - I promise!

christeb

Managed a sneaky 5 miles in 38:42 - 7:44 average. Nice morning, I never run without food but did here, felt fine.
Over in Denmark for the next week visiting the family for Christmas, so plan a few longer runs in between the excesses of gluttony and drinking...

christeb

5 miles fartlek

As mentioned above, I arrived in Denmark yesterday to spend a week here with the family. There's a lovely little 2.4 km forest loop right beside my Dad's house, where I found my love for running all those years ago. Went out with my Dad, he ducked home after the first loop, I took a couple more. Blowing a gale, my pace was all over the place, but I came home tired. Plenty of hills, so I'm fililng this under 'fartlek'. My Dad ain't the fastest these days, so the first loop was very slow. Average ca. 8:30 min/mile over 5 miles.

christeb

7 miles @ 8:16 today against a very hard headwind. Most of the run was on dirt tracks / grass, so happy enough with the time.

christeb

Same 5 miles as Sat 20th - 3 laps of the hilly forest trail. Superb morning, cold, crisp, sunny, still and glorious! Noone around, only thing I could hear was nature.
Managed the 5 in 38:32, 7:43 average.

Haven't enjoyed a run as much in a long time

christeb

OK, I know I'm posting on Christmas Day - but we had our Christmas yesterday in Denmark so I have an excuse.

7 miles yesterday out to my Grandparents house for Christmas lunch. Another glorious day, perfect running conditions.
Everything kinda kicked into place, runners, weather, wind etc. so ended up running the 7.1 miles @ 7.25 pace. Ran more on the roads this time (as opposed to the 22nd) and the wind wasn't a factor at all. 7.20-ish pace is starting to feel more and more 'normal', which is pretty encouraging. And finished with a kick, was a good bit under 7:00 for the last .5 mile.

Happy Christmas to one and all

christeb

Last run before I'm heading home to Dublin.

Same 3 laps arond the forest, 5 miles, 1st one a warm up with my Dad and 2nd too faster solo. No watch on (Garmin almost dead after this weeks activities), but I felt prety good.

Another gorgeous morning, colder but totally still and the scenery was covered white by Jack Frost.

Back to the noise and pollution today, hope you're all getting over your Christmas feasts!