Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Krusty_Clown

Kurt Godel wrote: »

What's wrong with this tactic? Understandable that it might piss you off or seem unfair, but isn't it the smarter thing to do on their part? It's common enough in hill races (as is the leader suddenly diverting into mucky shyte to throw them off the scent).

Absolutely nothing! I just don't have to be their gimp!

Kurt Godel

You're too polite. Snot rockets were invented for this reason!

Slogger Jogger

I think the 3rd place guy was Colm Mullen who is a very good IMRA runner. He is more a mountain biker these days but he is excellent offroad and on the steeper, particularly uphill stuff. 2nd in the European trial last year. 3rd at Bray last Weds. And thats probably mainly off mountain biking!
So kudos for staying ahead of him.

Krusty_Clown

Kurt Godel wrote: »

You're too polite. Snot rockets were invented for this reason!

At the time, I was working on the assumption (incorrect as it turned out) that one of the two lads (in 3rd or 4th) was a better runner on these trails than either DL or myself and was just biding their time, so not taking a turn in the wind was a bit mean. Having said that, it's exactly what I would have done, and I've been carried up and down hills by stronger runners on many occasions! In fact, it's not too long since I ran a two mile race with DL and let him carry me for 1.95 miles of the race, before out-sprinting him to the finish line. I'm a bit of a d1ck.

Krusty_Clown

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

I think the 3rd place guy was Colm Mullen who is a very good IMRA runner. He is more a mountain biker these days but he is excellent offroad and on the steeper, particularly uphill stuff. 2nd in the European trial last year. 3rd at Bray last Weds. And thats probably mainly off mountain biking!
So kudos for staying ahead of him.

Not sure if you did the course before (I see Ian won it a couple of years back), but it's certainly more '10k' than trail, so probably suits road runners like myself and DL. There was no technical element at all (hence why we were posting 36:xx times), so I don't know how much kudos we deserve!

Krusty_Clown

Today: 1600/400/1200/300/600 @5k/1m/5k/1m/5k with 3 mins rest
Another one of those sessions that takes longer to figure out, than it does to perform. Was really, really unenthusiastic about this one (and a couple of cheeky beers and glasses of wine last night did nothing to fire the enthusiasm), but thankfully, somebody brought in a couple of easter eggs into work, so after topping up the sugar levels, I mustered just enough energy to leave my work-place. I'd considered putting the session off for another day (I'm sure Steve Magness hadn't intended the Saturday race to be a 10k trail run), but looking at yr.no, it had one of those most rare of situations; absolutely zero wind. How could you miss an opportunity like this one to hit the cinder with no wind whatsoever?

Distance / Pace / Planned / Actual
1600 / 5k / 5:03 / 5:06
400 / 1 mile / 1:10 / 1:10
1200 / 5k / 3:47 / 3:49
300* / 1 mile / 0:53 / 0:55
600 / 5k+ / 1:53 / 1:50
<all with 3 mins rest>

Yeah, again I missed the 5k segments by a couple of seconds. Again, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. The way I felt before the session, I was surprised I made it as far as the cinder track, so missing out by 3 seconds over 1600m is not something I'm going to get upset about. Hell, I never dreamed I'd be able to do a 5:09 mile in training, so to do one on cinder with poor underfoot traction is a great feeling. The mile section felt pretty good, and running that fast felt pretty comfortable (for the first 250m anyway!). The second 5k segment was tough (again going out too hard because of the preceding mile-paced section). On the next mile-paced 300m, I had to guess where the 300m mark was on the track, and I think I guessed long, as I passed the 200m mark in 33 seconds (instead of 35), so I think it's safe to say I was going a little quicker than planned. The final 600 wasn't too bad (more because it's pretty short). The plan was 400m at 5k pace, then pick up the pace for the remaining 200m. Managed to shave off a few more seconds, so probably finished at closer to 3k pace.

Legs were a little wobbly after I finished, but was well happy to get the session ticked off, instead of pushing it out for a day. I pulled a bit of a whitey on the warm-down and almost had to stop for a rest. I guess the easter-egg based turbo boost wore off, somewhere on the hill on the way home. Plan is to tick off a couple of recovery miles this evening, once the kids are fed, to get a head-start on this 80 mile week.
Summary: 9.25 miles

wrstan

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I dunno! The over-riding feeling I have from the weekend is that 2 hard races in a week is plain stupid! It's the kind of foolish hasty decision that gets you in injury trouble (particularly when one of them's a trail-race). I'm great for dishing out the advice, but not great for paying any heed!

The climbing centre is Awesome Walls (in Finglas). Definitely worth a visit. You can sign up for a taster session, where they teach you how to climb and belay (manage the ropes), or drop me a pm some time, and I can show you how it all works. From day 1, you can be top-rope climbing and belaying, and using all of the bouldering facilities. After a month or two, you can go back and do a lead-rope session, and learn how to lead climb and belay. Lead rope climbing is where you carry the rope up with you, and affix it to pre-mounted safety points on the wall as you climb, whereas top-rope climbing is where the rope is already attached to the highest climbing point, so there's no sense of falling, as you're always suspended on the rope. It's great craic altogether, and a serious core workout. In the above photo, I'm doing lead-rope (I'll need to clip the rope into the safety clip a metre above my head), whereas the girl on the wall on the right is doing top rope. Emer's at the bottom holding the other end of my rope and should be paying more attention.

Really appreciate your, and Emer's support on Saturday Gary.

Some great running last week. Especially at the 5k, you looked very impressive. I could see you giving it socks alright, I'd love to say you looked comfortable, but hey, if you score a PB looking comfortable, I'm sure there's some by-law that says it shouldn't count.

And yes you should definitely be on commission from AW, I took myself and the full gang out for 90mins top roping last week, I was surprised at how quickly the routes became challenging. Definitely won't be the last visit there.

Krusty_Clown

Monday evening: 5 miles with core
Pretty tired after the afternoon session, but had to head out to pick up some milk (oh, the glamour!), so tucked into 5 recovery miles with some core stuff in the park (where there was nobody about). Spectacular frickin evening to be out running. Four litres of milk is heavy though.

Tuesday: 9 miles easy + 4 miles easy
Headed up Ticknock Road in the sunshine and found myself up at Three Rock, after following a mountain bike trail. Must spend more time exploring these trails. It's what running was made for. Slow, but slow was what I needed. Four more slow miles after work.

Wednesday: Aerobic refresh (10m @MP / 7m @T / 5m @10k / 3m @5k) w/3 mins easy
Another one from the compendium of 'sessions I've never done before' and it was an interesting one; kind of like an up only pyramid, getting shorter and sharper with each bout. Figured it might be an interesting one to dig out the HR monitor for, so I strapped it on before my run.

10 mins @ marathon pace (5:51/mile) - a little optimistic perhaps, but I took the figures from my latest vdot. Still, felt nice and comfortable. HR=149

7 mins @threshold (5:34/mile) - harder, but still manageable. HR=153

5 mins @10k pace (5:20/mile) - tough! HR=158

3 mins @5k pace (5:05/mile) - kind'a helped that I knew it was so short, but after the first 400m I was two seconds down, so had to work hard to pick-up the pace for the second lap. Still finished a second or so down on my planned splits, but I think that may have been down to a bit of complacency(swapping between easy/fast, easy/fast etc). There's a bit of a pattern emerging on not hitting my 5k splits, but I seem to be able to manage the fast and slower paced segments, so I'm going to remain pessimistically optimistic. Two recovery days should see the legs feeling a bit fresher, after what feels like a hard week.
Summary: ~12.28 miles in 80 mins.

adrian522

Krusty, What would your max HR look like?

I originally read that workout as 10 miles @ MP, 7 Miles threshold etc

Beef

adrian522 wrote: »

I originally read that workout as 10 miles @ MP, 7 Miles threshold etc

Same here! I nearly puked all over my keyboard.

Krusty_Clown

adrian522 wrote: »

Krusty, What would your max HR look like?

I originally read that workout as 10 miles @ MP, 7 Miles threshold etc

Yeah, a little confusing. I should have used 'min' notation, but the length of the description was too long for my Garmin Connect summary. Anyway, who runs three miles at 5k pace at the end of a 32 mile training session? Sure you might as well keep going for the additional 171 metres to make it the complete 5k!

Forgot to add that the average HR for the 5k segment was 159. That doesn't show the entire picture though, as my max for that segment was 168. My HR tends to drift quite a bit:



As to my max HR, I don't really know. I don't wear the HRM too often these days, but suspect it is probably around 182. I don't like to wear it in races, as it feels a little restrictive, and usually slides down my torso at the most inopportune of moments!

adrian522

OK, that would make sense. I was interested to see what your Hr as a % of max would be for the Threshold piece. Mine was hovering at around 89% on a recent run so I'm thinking that was probably a little high.

Krusty_Clown

adrian522 wrote: »

OK, that would make sense. I was interested to see what your Hr as a % of max would be for the Threshold piece. Mine was hovering at around 89% on a recent run so I'm thinking that was probably a little high.

Everybody's unique, so there's no rule of thumb. Having said that, Daniels suggests around 89% of HRmax (in which case mine's a bit low). P&D recommends 82%-91% (a little too vague to be useful!).

Krusty_Clown

Thursday: 6 miles + 6 miles recovery
Friday: 5 miles + 5 miles recovery

Saturday: North Kerry Way - 15 miles with 6 x 30 sec surges w/1:30 easy
Was away in Tralee for the weekend staying in a holiday home with family and friends, so took the opportunity to get my long run done in some new surroundings. Had hoped to make it out to the Killarney National Park for the run, but opted instead to just get it done and visit the national park on foot in the afternoon instead. Headed to the Blennerville Windmill and from there joined the North Kerry Way, in the direction of Fenit. Had to slow and walk across a field full of cattle, where one particularly amorous bullock took a shine and followed me across the field. I considered taking it home, but it struggled to keep up, so would've been a burden (plus there wasn't sufficient room in the car). The route got worse as I headed west, running along the tops of sea walls, before emerging onto the road. I turned back after 7.5 miles (just outside of Fenit) and once again exchanged pleasantries with my new buddy of the field, before hitting the Tarmac of Tralee again. Program called for some 30 second surges over the last two miles, so I picked up the pace along the canal (to 5k pace), before following a nice path along the river back to base.
Summary: 14.96 miles in 1:44, @6:58

Sunday: 8 miles recovery
Slight hangover, but up early, so hit the town for an easy recovery run. Schedule called for a track session on Monday (the following day), but with a long bank holiday drive back to Dublin, didn't think I'd be able for a track session afterwards. Before heading for Kerry I'd been nosying around the race sites, and spotted a 10k in Tralee town itself. Didn't seem to have the makings of a big race, but if the route was decent enough, I reckoned it'd make for a decent substitute. So I dug out the mobile phone and did a bit of a recce of the race route. Lots of starting and stopping to check the maps, but it was exactly my kind of route, with some long flats, some testing hills, and a good downhill finish. Legs were feeling great (and my recovery run was a rather spirited 7:12/mile, though I did have to stop many time to get my bearings. I signed up for the race later that evening, and only enjoyed a handful of crafty beers, getting a pretty early night.

Monday: Rotary Club 10k
Really awful weather saw Emer changing her mind about joining me for the race, but I figured I needed to plough on, as it'd be late hitting Dublin, and I'd already signed up for the race anyway. Was pretty well soaked by the time we lined up at the start. Studying the other runner's shoes suggested a couple of potential competitors (though I only had my heavy training shoes), but the sodden group of runners looked like they numbered around 115, so no big competitive field. I hadn't warmed up a huge amount before the race, so when the gun went, I eased into the race, slotting in somewhere in the top 15, waiting to see how the front shaped up. I figured if there wasn't a lot of competition, I could always try and do the session (4 x 600 @5k) mid-race, but figured that might be a bit cheeky. Well that never materialized, as one runner had almost immediately opened up a gap, on the rest of the field and was pushing on. I was caught napping and within 400m, he'd opened a gap of around 10m. I had a quick think about it, and resolved to chase him down, a decision made a little trickier by the fact that he was moving pretty quickly, and we were running uphill and into a headwind. But... gradually I reeled him in, and by the time my watch beeped to signal the first mile (5:32), we'd greeted each other and were running shoulder to shoulder behind the lead car. Before catching him, I'd taken a few moments to size him up. Despite the height, he had good running form and a slight build and seemed comfortable at 5:30/mile into a pretty strong headwind up a gentle drag, so was well up for the challenge, and immediately my thoughts shifted to whether or not I was up for the challenge.

As we approached Blennerville windmill the wind was blowing pretty strong, and he surged forward by a couple of feet. I considered leaving him go in the hope of catching him later, but it didn't seem the right choice, so I closed the gap and we were once again side by side. He got a few shouts as we ran through Blennerville, so I figured I'd run into one of the local runners so was potentially in a bit of trouble. Still we battled into the wind side by side, and still neither of us made any progress on each other (mile 2 a windy 5:41). As we rounded the tight bend I took the inside line and managed to gap him by about a metre. I considered trying a surge to see if I could widen the gap before we hit the hills in the later part of the course, but within seconds, he was right on my shoulder again. On turning, the wind was no longer directly in our faces and we exchanged a few sentences. He mentioned that he'd done the loop a couple of times, but wasn't terribly familiar with it. Mile 3 had a decent drag in it, and we continued to work our way side by side, not really testing each other, but making steady progress. There were no other runners within touching distance, so it was just going to be the two of us.

A quick left turn, right turn and the road leveled out. There was a car pulled in to the verge, and a lean looking man stood beside the car shouting encouragement. He clearly knew the other runner, but he seemed to be shouting after me as well, as we went past. I could still here him shouting when we'd moved 100m past the car, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Mile 4: 5:38.

After 4.5 miles we hit the first of the proper hills. I took a moment to take stock and found that I was feeling pretty comfortable. Breathing was good. Legs were a little tired, but I was enjoying the race experience, glad that it hadn't proved to be an easy race. We worked our way up the hill and when we were almost 3/4 of the way up, I noticed that he'd fallen off the pace and dropped back by a meter or so. With another hill to go, I knew this wasn't the right time to push, so I just maintained the pace and hoped he'd struggle to close the gap. I turned the corner onto the nice fast descent and within a few seconds, he was right beside me again having closed on me in seconds. I was glad that I hadn't pushed on the hill, as I reckoned it would have been wasted effort. Mile 5: 5:31. We spoke briefly again, before we hit the next hill, and this time, he seemed to fall off the pace half way up the climb. I decided to work a little harder this time, and think I opened a slightly larger gap (didn't look back). I hadn't run this part of the course, but once I saw the 9k marker, had a good idea that it was downhill and flat to the finish. Once again I heard the footfall of the other runner closing the distance, as again I'd failed to drop him, though his breathing sounded a good bit heavier on this occasion. We ran largely side by side on the flat straight road, but just as we could see the town ahead, he started to fall off the pace again. Given his speed on the downhills, I'd actually expected him to push on at this point, and I'd have had a hard job closing the gap on him, but instead I was pushing ahead and the noise of his footsteps was falling behind. Mile 6: 5:32.

Hitting the town, I wasn't entirely sure where the finish line was, but rounding a bend I was very happy to see the lead car pull in to one side, and Emer standing on the side of the road. The lead car was forced to slow, with the finish line up ahead, and was now blocking my progress. I was a little worried about a last minute surge, so I picked up the pace, shouting at the car to get out the way way, but there was no last minute charge and I crossed the finish line with a couple of seconds to spare. I shook hands with the other runner, and once we caught our breaths, he asked me that inevitable chestnut: 'Are you on Boards'? Well feck me, if I hadn't just gone and run shoulder to shoulder with Paddy the Kenyan for the last 6 miles. Though I'd never met him (and he's not a poster on Boards, I'd built a mental picture of him, and he didn't look a bit like I expected!). After a minute or two of chatting, I asked him if Stazza was around. He looked at me puzzled, and told me that I'd just shaken Stazza's hand a minute ago. I never made the connection. Thankfully Stazza returned a few minutes later, with family in tow, and we chatted for a while as the other runners streamed by the finish line.

I have to thank PtK for making it a great race experience. Without him, it wouldn't have gotten a fraction of the race buzz I managed to get today. I wouldn't have had the same training stimulus and I'd have left feeling a little guilty for turning up at an under-strength race and using it as a training session. Instead, we ran solid times on a tough course on a tough day (I clocked in at 34:49, and PtK was a couple of seconds after me). I was quite lucky to catch him on the early part of his upward trajectory, as six months from now it would be a very different result. As for Stazza, not the crazy nutter that we assume from his sometime slightly manic ramblings, and I look forward to meeting again, hopefully on the field of battle (though I fear next time, it'll be PtK that will be his main worry!). I also look forward to hearing future tales of young miss Stazza's running conquests and hopefully her dreams are as bright as her father's.
Summary: 19k in 34:49

pconn062

Nicely done G.

cianc

Epic report as always.

ThebitterLemon

Well done KC, great report and race.

Was Stazza "driving" the lead car at the finish

TbL

Krusty_Clown

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Well done KC, great report and race.

Was Stazza "driving" the lead car at the finish

TbL

That would've been interesting! But no, he appeared out of the mist at various locations around the course. In fact, I think he may have been the only race spectator!

Stazza

I'll have to make this quick: the men in the white coats are everywhere this morning: if they realise that I escaped yesterday and that I was out and about the town pretending to be a runner/coach, they'd have me on the shock therapy.

Great to meet you and Emer yesterday. You were exactly what I imagined: svelte, charming, and a tough runner. There was a beautiful moment just before you went up for your prize: Emer put her arm around you and gave you a cheeky little kiss - I love this sort of stuff: reminds me of when I was young:)

Excellent report and in those conditions on that course both you and PtK put up a first class scrap. I know that PtK was delighted with his race- 1 min 20 pb! If you hadn't have been there he probably would have run a good 30 secs slower. The race, and more importantly to duke it out with you, will have given him rucks of belief and confidence.

I too look forward to meeting both you and Emer again. Hopefully, I'll have a bit more time and can get you a pint - had to rush off with the kids to get them a hot chocolate etc.

Better shoot, the men in the white coats are watching me.

"Hey Chief, fancy a game of marbles?"

p.s Tbl, if you mock me about not being able to drive, I'll hitch a lift on a tractor up to your yard and show you what's what:P

smmoore79

So you can confirm that Stazza actually exists?!?!

Krusty_Clown

smmoore79 wrote: »

So you can confirm that Stazza actually exists?!?!

I can only confirm that someone claiming to be Stazza exists (as witnessed by an independent third party). I have no direct proof that links the individual I met with the posts on Boards. That is all I am willing to say on the matter at this point, and any further queries should be directed to my legal representation.

I also have photographic evidence, but shall not be sharing it on Boards, as I look a bit scruffy.

wrstan

Great race report Gary!

But you know none of us are interested in that, right?

More like:
- what's he look like?
- does he have a long white beard and John Lennon spectacles? dreadlocks?
- was he wearing some kinda robe?
- was he in sandals or Nike Frees?
- what did you say to him?
- did you ask about Linford Christie?
- the murder in Mombassa?
- who is the mysterious phoney journo?
- where's it all going to end?
This is killing me, Please tell all ...
:pac::pac::pac:

Krusty_Clown

wrstan wrote: »

- what's he look like?

Redacted

- does he have a long white beard and John Lennon spectacles? dreadlocks?

Redacted

- was he wearing some kinda robe?

Redacted

- was he in sandals or Nike Frees?

Redacted

- what did you say to him?

Redacted

- did you ask about Linford Christie?

Redacted

- the murder in Mombassa?

Redacted

- who is the mysterious phoney journo?

Redacted

- where's it all going to end?

Redacted

Everything you ever wanted to know, but were too afaid to ask.

pgmcpq

Congrats KC.

Yeah ... I gotta say doing a "track session" during a race really would be taking the proverbial ! But I'm amazed that you can have a chat at the pointy end of a race.

PaulieC

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

After a minute or two of chatting, I asked him if Stazza was around. He looked at me puzzled, and told me that I'd just shaken Stazza's hand a minute ago. I never made the connection. Thankfully Stazza returned a few minutes later, with family in tow, and we chatted for a while as the other runners streamed by the finish line.

This has been bothering me since I read it as it reminded me of something else. It hit me today while running at lunchtime (I think I saw you btw, did you have a red jacket/blue bag ?). Here's the gospel from Sunday's mass

13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles/SIZE][URL="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2024:13-35;&version=NKJV#fen-NKJV-26005a"][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0066cc]a[/COLOR][/SIZE][/URL][SIZE=2 from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
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Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
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.30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

Krusty_Clown

PaulieC wrote: »

This has been bothering me since I read it as it reminded me of something else. It hit me today while running at lunchtime (I think I saw you btw, did you have a red jacket/blue bag ?). Here's the gospel from Sunday's mass

Hmm... Hell of an observation (pardon the pun). Stazza did seem to be wearing a sack-cloth, but I've seen photos of Jesus, and there definitely wasn't a significant resemblance. Maybe my eyes were restrained?

Yep, that was me in the red jacket with blue bag (lugging my racing flats down to the cinder track). Which runner were you?

PaulieC

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Yep, that was me in the red jacket with blue bag (lugging my racing flats down to the cinder track). Which runner were you?

The story just resonated. Mysterious man appears and disappears like no one's business. Do people really believe he exists etc.

I was across the road. Obviously I had restrained eyes also as there was no one on the road except me and then there were about 3 runners. I musta been in a daze. I was going to try and catch up and say hello, but I was trying manfully to stick to recovery pace :pac:.

Krusty_Clown

PaulieC wrote: »

The story just resonated. Mysterious man appears and disappears like no one's business. Do people really believe he exists etc.

I was across the road. Obviously I had restrained eyes also as there was no one on the road except me and then there were about 3 runners. I musta been in a daze. I was going to try and catch up and say hello, but I was trying manfully to stick to recovery pace :pac:.

Well, if I was wearing my red jacket, then I was on my way to the track and travelling East. I crossed the road (form RHS to LHS) approximately half way between my work premises and the roundabout, over-taking a runner who had been running on the left hand side of the road, who was somewhat follicly challenged, if I remember correctly. Was that you?

PaulieC

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

somewhat follicly challenged, if I remember correctly. Was that you?

deedin' it was. Somewhat is a bit of an understatement though. The night you took us on a magical mystery tour up to the Scalp I was probably wearing a hat so you would've missed out on the chrome :P

Stazza

PaulieC wrote: »

This has been bothering me since I read it as it reminded me of something else. It hit me today while running at lunchtime (I think I saw you btw, did you have a red jacket/blue bag ?). Here's the gospel from Sunday's mass

"I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him."

"Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser SözeStazza."