Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

Emer911

opus wrote: »

It was almost like running the race again reading through all that! Congrats again on a great performance.

Back in the real world again myself after the break in Germany. Keep Comrades on your radar in the next year or two!

Jeabus, will you stop encouraging him?!!

RedRunner

Great race and report. Congratulations. The black food colouring was a genius idea.

outforarun

I always 'save-up' your log before reading, so I get to read a good few pages at a time. This last read has been brilliant. Sincere congratulations on an outstanding run in Frankfurt. Thanks for another riveting race report. I love reading the unfolding race narrative in your reports.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

To be honest, I feel like I'm so far removed from a shot at sub 2:30, that I find it difficult to conceptualize. If I was ever to attempt something like that, I'd need some strong indicators to suggest I was in that kind of shape. That'd mean something like a 15:20 5k, and I just don't ever see that happening. Doesn't mean I won't keep trying to lower my 5k and marathon PBs though!

Delighted to read that last sentence. As long as that's the motivation then maybe sooner or later you'll be a sub 2:30 runner, finding sub 2:25 difficult to conceptualize.

Krusty_Clown

Monday: No running
Tuesday: No running
Wednesday: No running
Thursday: No running
Friday: No running
Saturday: 5km recovery run
Traveled to Madrid on Friday night for a few days of boozin, so after a night on the town, and beautiful sunshine out the window, figured it was time enough to strap on the shoes. Headed out to the nearby Park De Retiro and trotted out an easy 5kms, until the stomach told me I'd done enough.
Summary: 3.6 miles in 29 mins
Sunday: No running

Netwerk Errer

Man, you're improvement from the start of this log to now is incredible! Gotta read this from the start.

Krusty_Clown

Netwerk Errer wrote: »

Man, you're improvement from the start of this log to now is incredible! Gotta read this from the start.

Nah, it's very credible, but thanks! To be honest, I wouldn't bother reading back. It's 7k+ posts, and a lot of it is noise (my waffle). Speaking of waffle:

Monday 3rd: 10 miles easy
Wanted to head out to Madrid's equivalent of the Phoenix Park (Casa De Campo) so took it easy on the booze and got a relatively early night. Headed out through the Plaza Mayor (which the Liverpool fans hadn't yet occupied) past the Royal Palace, then followed the river for a few miles before hitting a pedestrian bridge over the motorway, into the park. Didn't get to see much of the park, as I felt it was prudent to turn back once I'd gone 5 miles, and most of the area I explored was wedged between the motorway and the train line, but it's certainly not quite as lush or picturesque as the PP. The entire park seems to be riddled with runnable trails, so perfect for runners and MTBers, but I don't know if I'd be heading there for a hike or a picnic. Ran back up via Calle de Sogovia (a useful reminder that despite appearances, Madrid ain't flat!), before getting lost in the narrow streets of the old town (all part of the fun). The GPS is great for simple navigation on great open stretches of road, but in the narrow shaded streets of Madrid, it's like holding a strong magnet to a compass. Quads a little understandable sore afterwards.
Summary: 10 miles @7:46/mile

Tuesday: Easy 10k
Easy early run up around the Bernabéu, just to add it to the list of stadiums I've circumnavigated(?!). Not a great run, due to the stop-start nature of running in a city of 5m people, but was in no hurry, had enjoyable sunshine and some impressive sights to enjoy. Hit the Plaza Mayor (now occupied) for an hour before heading for my flight to watch the Red Army doing what they do best...Get pissed on cheap beer...

Wednesday: 6 miles with strides
Enough of the easy/recovery running, it was time to introduce some faster stuff and no better time than after a frustrating day in work. Great way to deal with accumulated stresses, just by busting out a few strides.
Summary: 6.1 miles @6:47

Thursday: 6 miles easy
Early morning trip to Cork for a series of stressful meetings, followed by a long trip back; prepared dinner, banged it in the oven and managed to steal 6 miles. Didn't enjoy them much and would probably have been better off just sitting on the couch, but the therapeutic benefit of getting some miles ticked off in the lashing wind and rain is immeasurable. The longer the hours in work, the more stressful it is, the greater I find the need to get out for a few miles. Even if they be junk miles, they're my junk miles.
Summary: 6 miles @7:29/mile

Friday: 5 miles easy
Same again... Long work day and only had 30 minutes to spare before meeting some of the club for a few drinks. Toyed with the idea of dropping the run, but stubbornness won over.
Summary: 5.1 miles @7:06/mile

Saturday: 7 miles
Nasty hangover (the reward for some enjoyable but strong beers!), so did the right thing and headed out for some punishment miles. Best way to clean 11 month old mud from a pair of spikes? Head to the nearest field and apply some fresh mud. Shanganagh was very wet and windy but exactly what I needed for a bit of XC simulation (albeit without the speed). Time to start thinking about the speed.
Summary: 7 miles @7:23/mile

Sunday: 10.5 miles easy
Emer was heading into the Remembrance run in the PP, so jumped out of bed and grabbed some brekkie and headed along to take advantage of the change of scenery. Plan was to just trot around until the race was wrapped up. Thought I might manage a few more miles, but the legs were a little stiff after Saturday's run in the spikes, so took it handy.
Summary: ~10.5 miles (accidentally stopped watch for 1-1.5 miles) @7:38

Just over 50 miles for the week, and was probably the right way to re-introduce the legs to a bit of running. This week I hope to reintroduce a little speed, in preparation for some upcoming XC races, so might take a look at ecolii's sessions.

AuldManKing

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Even if they be junk miles, they're my junk miles.

Yep - sometimes the purpose of the run is for the mind, not the body.

Krusty_Clown

Monday: 4 miles recovery + 6 miles easy
Haven't done this kind of split double before, but have to say it worked out nicely. 4 miles at lunch-time just to take a break from work, without a significant impact on my work-day, followed by an easy run after work.

Tuesday: 24 x 30/30
Taken from ecolii's book of sessions, I planned to get a bit of XC simulation, by doing the training in the spikes, on XC-like terrain. I had come across a short wooded trail loop at the top of Cabinteely Park, and always reckoned it would be perfect for XC training, as it was twisty, included a hill, was muddy in spots, but otherwise had a nice supportive blanket of wood-chips underfoot. Session was 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy recovery and the first couple of iterations were fun. Unfortunately the loop was only .2 of a mile, and I soon got bored. Added a bit of chaos to the mix (!) by changing the direction, but soon got bored of that too, so headed out to the flatter field. Weather conditions were absolutely shocking (good xc simulation!), and at one point while turning a corner running downhill, I slipped and slid 15 feet down the hill on my ass. Stuck to the flatter part of the field after that. Interesting session and no doubt very good xc training, but arriving back to work covered head to toe in mud is not a good look.
Summary: 7.4 miles @7:04/mile

Wednesday: 10 miles easy
Much needed break from work, so headed out for an easy/recovery 10 miles at lunch-time, @7:12/mile

Thursday:5.5 mile + 5.5 mile easy commute
Considered running at lunch-time, but when I saw the reports of a 19m/s tail-wind, I had to take advantage of it, and ran to work abetted by the strong winds. Thankfully it died down during the day, so the run home wasn't particularly challenging, just tiring after a tough day in work.

Friday: 9.6 miles with 20 mins@Tempo
Another from the holy book of ecolii, this time a straightforward 20 mins at tempo. Not too many unrestricted 3-4 mile loops in the area (due to traffic), and I'm not quite emotionally ready to return to the cinder track yet, so my 2 mile warm-up took me to higher ground (Lamb's cross), where I started the tempo on a forgiving downhill. After just over a mile, I hit the hill and the head-wind, and paid for my easy downhill start. Over the tempo section went well, (though I was diverted by the traffic a few time). After finishing the tempo, I was three miles from work with a dicky stomach, so had an unpleasant jog/walk back to the office. Still, happy to get the first tempo done on target.
Summary: 9.64 miles @6:38 (with 20 mins @5:38).

Saturday: 8 miles easy/recovery
Enjoyed a few beers while watching the match, and while not hungover, I wasn't very enthusiastic about the run. Dropped the youngster off to gymnastics and headed on to Marlay for a change of scenery. Couldn't face the park for 8 miles, so headed out to do a loop around the park, and recognized parts of the route from a previous run with theboyblunder. did a little bit of climbing up Cruagh Road, before turning tail and heading back to the park. Didn't quite managed recovery pace, but wasn't clock-watching, so happy enough that it was comfortable.
Summary: 8 miles @7:07/mile

Sunday: Run the line 'recce
Despite PaulieC's determined effort to shake us off by changing the meeting time several times before the run, met up with PaulieC, Statss and DaveDanon at Lamb's Cross at 9am. Thankfully I opted for the long unused Inov8 Mudclaws for this run, as parts of the trail were extremely slippy and tough-going. I had only joined the lads for a change of scenery (and some company in the hills) but as the run went on, my mind was turning more and more to the idea of doing the 'Run the line' race, so pestered the lads with questions about the route and the race. Towards the end of the 11 mile run, my lower legs were really feeling the pounding of the hard stretches of terrain (on the rather unforgiving shoes), so was glad to arrive back on solid ground. Ran another three mile warm-down in the running shoes, just so I could feel whole again! Two hours of lead rope climbing in the afternoon with the young lad, left me pretty well shattered. Undecided about the race at this point, as the calf/achilles were very sore last night, but may give the route a 'recce next weekend and decide afterwards.
Summary: 11 mountainous miles + 3 mile warm-down

Just over 70 miles for the week, of enjoyable, varied training. Hoping to hit another 70 miles for this week.

brownian

Hey KC,
which climbing wall do you go to? When last I did any of that sort of thing, UCD was about all there was...
Cheers

brownian

Hey KC,
which climbing wall do you go to? When last I did any of that sort of thing, UCD was about all there was...
Cheers

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

Hey KC,
which climbing wall do you go to? When last I did any of that sort of thing, UCD was about all there was...
Cheers

Then you'll be delighted to hear that there are now a variety of indoor options, that far surpass the facilities available in UCD.
Awesome Walls (Finglas) - A very large facility that includes Top rope, lead rope and bouldering facilities.
Gravity (Inchicore) - Very large bouldering facility. A great spot for indoor bouldering.
The Wall (sandyford) - A new bouldering centre opening up in Sandyford in mid-December

We generally make the trip over to Awesome Walls in Finglas as it suits the entire family (kids generally prefer bouldering and Emer and I enjoy the lead/top rope climbing). Looking forward to tying out the new bouldering facility in Sandyford though. Great to have somewhere a little more close.

brownian

That's a comprehensive reply - thanks, KC.

Krusty_Clown

Monday: 5 miles + 5 miles easy/recovery
14 hour workday, so was fortunate to get a couple of 5 mile runs done, the first at lunch-time, and the second, a rather late 10pm after work. Another one of those situations where I just didn't want to run, but giving in felt like surrendering to work, and allowing it to rule my life. A strange argument, I know, but it was just enough to get me out the door for an easy trip along the promenade in Bray, which I had entirely to myself.

Tuesday: Ecolii's 2-1-3-1-2 session
Didn't relish the prospect of returning to the cinder, but seemed like the best solution for this kind of session. Still a little stiff from Sunday's hill run, so decided to run as fast and comfortably as I could. Ideally it would be around 5k pace, but not too pushed, particularly with the blustery wind. Given the circular nature of the track, it's hard to tell exactly what the pace was, but I'd guess around 5:20/mile (so closer to 10k pace), and for the recovery, I shifted down to around marathon pace. Not the best of sessions, not the worst, but fastest bit of running for a few months.
Summary: 10 miles @6:56

Wednesday: 11 miles including run the line short course 'recce'
Every day has been 11+ hours in work, so took the opportunity of a gap between meetings to head up to Lamb Doyles. Switched into my trail shoes and stashed my runners in a nearby hedge and set off, following the Garmin course which PaulieC has sent on. A mile later, after entering the forest, I was completely lost and the GPS signal was so poor in amongst the trees, I'd have been better off with a glass of water, a cork and a pin. Trudged my way through the trees trying to remember the route from Sunday, before dropping back down to the rutted road and it's 12 inches of squishy mud. Eventually I hit the fire road and picked up some speed, only to take completely the wrong turn in what I thought was the trail to Fairy Castle. Got to Fairy Castle eventually (having approached from the wrong side) and the next few miles were very familiar territory. To make the most of the outing, I followed the proper return to the finish (which we'd skipped on our recce last Sunday). Eventually I arrived back where I'd stashed my running shoes, realizing I had a little over 18 minutes to tackle the 2.5 miles back to work for a 3pm meeting. Sitting on a conference call in my wet, muddy gear, talking about linguistic quality, it's struck me as very unusual, that just 30 minutes earlier, I'd been up in the mountains, lost in the forest, knee deep in squishy mud. Running takes us in strange directions sometimes.
Summary: 11 miles in the hills, @~9:20/mile

PaulieC

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

To make the most of the outing, I followed the proper return to the finish (which we'd skipped on our recce last Sunday).

It's a much better finish than the way we went on Sunday (except for the climb at the end )

Krusty_Clown

PaulieC wrote: »

It's a much better finish than the way we went on Sunday (except for the climb at the end )

It is far more pleasant running down the stream, but that hill..... That's got to be a killer after 15 miles... And then the boneshaker again... Really like that section on the way up, but hate it on the way down. Not a marathon-runner's playground!

Krusty_Clown

Thursday: 4 + 10 miles easy

The 4 mile run is fast becoming my favourite run, as it's something you can easily slot into your working day without having a significant impact on work productivity or energy levels; it leaves you feeling revitalized and complements an evening run (6-10 miles) very nicely, as it loosens up the muscles, and gives you that much-needed time-out from work to regroup. Hadn't run with Neil for a while as he was off injured/travelling, so it was good to catch up over some easy miles amidst the thick soupy fog and lines of traffic. Meeting up for a run also meant that I was forced to leave work at a reasonable hour, which was necessary, as I was feeling pretty worn out.
Summary: 14 miles

Friday: 4 x 10 mins @MP with 90 seconds easy
Shocking weather for this one, with really sh1tty southerly wind. Headed down to Kilbogget, but avoided the cinder, and stuck to the loops I'd previously used for my final marathon-paced session. After having recently run 26.2 miles at marathon pace, you'd imagine that 4 x 10 minutes wouldn't create too much trouble, and I reckon, if the weather had been a bit calmer, it would have been pretty manageable. Instead, each rep was bookended with some nasty head-winds, so effort levels jumped about a bit. Overall, it was pretty achievable, but I'm feeling a little wrecked now (which may have more to do with a fairly miserable 3-4 hours sleep last night, caused by a particularly toxic late night ear-worm). That's the sessions ticked off for the week anyway, and I reckon I may take it easy on the running front this weekend, and rattle off a few miles to hit 75 miles for the week.
Summary: 13.4 miles in 1:28 (MP segements were @5:53/mile

Krusty_Clown

Saturday: 5k recovery
Positively the shortest run I've done this year, but wedged between getting out of bed, needing some coffee and having to deliver younger child to gymnastics and some shopping, it was all I had time for.

Sunday: 10 miles easy with spikes and strides
With the senior XC fast approaching it was time to don the spikes again, this time with Neil for company. We threw in a few strides, just to shake it up a little, but it was heavy going with the partially waterlogged course.

Monday: 6 miles easy + 4 miles easy
Just trying to break up the work day, with 6 miles at lunch and a few late night miles to cool-down after work.

Tuesday: ecolii Progression Run
40 mins easy (@7:05/mile)
30 minutes steady (@6:30/mile)
20 minutes MP (@5:53/mile)
2 mile cool-down.
I would have thought that this session would feel easier, but the 20 minutes at marathon pace was reasonably tough. I was pretty tired for the rest of the evening, so I reckon the session just happened to coincide with a short-lived bug or something. I suppose a 16 mile hard run/session at lunch-time is always going to be pretty tough.
Summary: 15.8 miles @6:40/mile

Wednesday: 5.5 mile recovery @7:34/mile

Thursday: 10 miles easy/steady
The type of run that sets the heart free. Within 3/4 mile I was in the countryside on a cool, dry day, and soon had just the grey squirrels for company as they scurried into the hedges and trees when I approached. Ran a nice big loop around Carrigologan, down past Puck's Castle and on to the historic megaliths in Tullyvale. Fantastic running.
Summary: 10 miles @7:17/mile

Friday: 4 mile recovery run
Dirty hangover (Thanksgiving is fast becoming my favourite holiday!), but with the Run The Line race the following day, wanted to take it nice and easy, so a four mile jog to go pick up the car (from whence it was left by the boss) suited the mood perfectly.

Saturday: Run the Line race

Sunday: Very sore, painful 5 mile run, just to accelerate recovery and bring the weekly mileage up to 70 miles.

Monday: 5 miles + 10 miles easy
Again, just going through the motions and aiding recovery, while trying to build up the weekly mileage and get ready for the next ecolii session. First 5 mile run was at lunch-time, and took a brief job down to the new climbing centre in Sandyford (opening on December 15th.. Yay!). Met up with Neil in the evening for another 10 miles, which was probably over-doing things a little as the legs and joints began to complain loudly.
Summary: ~15.4 miles @~7:23/mile

pistol_75

A race report there to challenge Ultraman1

Krusty_Clown

pistol_75 wrote: »

A race report there to challenge Ultraman1

Haha! I'm still lost in the hills!

Krusty_Clown

Saturday: Run the Line race

After thousands of miles of training on the roads and paths already this year, I felt that I needed a bit of a cleansing; a colonic irrigation for the soul. No better way to do that than to immerse myself once more in the hills (my bi-annual outing), where pace per mile matters little, where LT and VO2max are less important than where you place your feet, and instead of looking for the water stops, you're looking for the low hanging trees. When I arrive at these races, I always feel a little like a pretender. I'm sure at this stage that I probably look the part (complete with muddy trail shoes, three days of beard growth and a pocket-full of mandatory rain jacket), but I feel like a road runner masquerading as something else. Not too many familiar faces among the 200 strong group assembled outside the pub. Too used to road races, I completely forgot the requirement and importance of listening to the race briefing, and arrived from my warm-up run, half way through the various directions and requirements. Met up with Mithril and then DogSlySmile and chatted with both for a few brief moments before the race started bang on time.

Was tempted to hit the flat road stretch hard, but in the trail shoes and with all of the race to go, I figured an easy start would be the wise course. Almost made a horrible error right at the start and nearly took a wrong turn, but was shouted into line, and started the climb on the rather ugly alternative concrete path. By the time we'd hit the top of the path, three runners (including Gary Crossan) had opened a sizable gap and were fast disappearing into the distance. I had settled into a group of 4/5 runners a couple of hundred metres behind as we enjoyed our first taste of the twisty trails followed by the deep mud. DogSlySmile pushed past the group, and I was reminded of his recent alpine trail races. A couple of runners went in chase and I found myself at the tail-end of the group. After 1.5 miles we hit a relatively flat stretch and it was my turn to shine, pushing past the few runners and tagging onto the back of DSS. Into trees and we found ourselves in tractor trails of mud, sinking to the knee if you chose the wrong foot placement.

Back onto a hill climb, and surprisingly, I found the going pretty comfortable chasing in DogSlySmile's wake. We hit some flat fire-road and it was my turn again, as the legs were let off the leash on a very runnable stretch. A quick chat with one of the other runners, and we hit the climb up to Fairy Castle. I have nasty memories of reccy'ing this stretch from a couple of years back, when I ran the Dublin Mountain Way in icy conditions. Today it was mostly dry and I found myself opening up a gap on the steady climb. With small strides, I was a able to keep ascending at a steady pace. I'm more accustomed to seeing the other runners file past and disappear into the distance as soon as we approach any significant climb, so all of the marathon training must have significantly improved my climbing efficiency/cardio. Eventually one runner went past me like a steam-train, and I assumed normal service had resumed, but he came almost to a complete stop 20m later, and slowed to a hands-on-knees walk. Within a minute I was passed him again, with my slow but steady progress. Continued like this all the way to Fairy Castle, but as soon as we hit the downhill technical stretch, two runners pushed past and opened a gap on me. I did my best to close the distance, but couldn't. I'm not sure if its because I'm a poor downhill runner or a poor technical descender (more than likely a bit of both), but on any downhills, the two lads would open up a sizable gap, but as soon as we hit a climb, I'd close the distance and forge ahead.

We departed from my much-favoured sandy trail to Tibradden and dropped down instead to an MTB trail that ran parallel to the Ballybrack Road. It wasn't my quickest stretch, but hell was it fun. At times twisty, jumpy, dark-forested, and rocky, each turn brought a new and different challenge. One of the runners closed in behind me, and we heard some shouts from the left, as another runner re-emerged from a minor trail, having missed the marking tape, while jumping over a gorge. Sadly, the fun came to an end all too soon, as we arrived at the Tibradden car-park. A brief stop for a welcome cup of PowerAid and we were gone again, this time in the direction of Cruagh. We started to run into the runners who had opted for the early start (beginning their race an hour earlier), as once again, I found myself pushing on ahead up the climb ahead of the other two runners. No red tape for a while, one of the other guys suspected we had missed a turn, but eventually we came across another runner (who should have been descending by a different route(quite a few runners managed to follow the Cruagh loop incorrectly)) who comfirmed that we were still headed in the right direction. Finally we crested the top of Cruagh, and that's where my lead came to an end, as first one runner and then the other left me for dead on the technical descent. Back out on the fire-road, I found my feet again, and took a place back off one of the guys, before we hit the car-park and again, I fell marginally behind. By the time we hit the Tibradden car-park once more, the three of us were pretty close together, but one runner managed to climb well and opened a gap that was just too great to close.

We hit the Wicklow Way once more, and the path that eventually leads to the Fairy Castle. I narrowly avoided taking a nasty fall and backed-off the pace just a smidgen. Earlier in the race this kind of gentle climb would have been my opportunity to make up some ground, but now the legs were tired and the eyes were streaming from the gentle breeze, so I had to focus on making sure that every step was the right one. We turned left towards Kilmashogue, and the jarring downhills were enough to slow my pace, while the other runner took the opportunity to push past, and disappear along the trail. I can't quite put my finger on why I was so disappointingly slow on the downhills, but I think it's more of a physical limitation rather than a mental one (though age does carry a certain increasing reluctance to put oneself in harm's way).

Eventually I hit the downhill stream that marked the latter part of the race. I was sick and tired of the painful jarring downhills and was yearning for more climbs, but as soon as I got what I asked for, joy turned to misery. As soon as I hit the next climb, my right hamstring went into complete spasm. I don't really get cramps, and when I do, it's typically during hilly/mountainous races (Wicklow Way Ultra, Two Oceans, Alpine Marathon), but this moment, just 1 mile from the finish line and 100 metres from an avid race photographer was a cruel one! I pulled up for two minutes and tried to massage and co-erce the muscle back into life again. Without much joy, eventually I thought 'screw it' and started running again and started once more on the climb. Gradually the painful spasm eased away and I was soon over-taking the early-starters more. Eventually, the stretch I had been dreading... The boneshaker... So named, for it's ability to shake your limbs off, as you leap from granite step to granite step. I reckon more hill-runners have shed blood on this short stretch of descent, than any other hill in Ireland. I had little choice but to take a more cautious approach to this descent, sure that at any moment, the chasing runners would catch and pass me with ease. But instead, I continued to pass the early starters (evident by their water-packs and easier pace). Finally back out onto the road and a painful shuffle to the finish line, occasionally glancing backwards. I chatted with the two runners I'd shared much of the route with, and they confirmed that they'd finished in 4th and 5th. In the final results, there are a couple of early starters in the top 10. Not sure if they took the early start and still managed to finish with a time that would put them in the top handful of runners, but I don't think we'll ever find out. So I finished somewhere between 6th and 8th. Not entirely satisfied with my run - not entirely dissatisfied either. Surprised I was able to climb so well, but equally as surprised that I descended so poorly. For the time being, it's out of my system. I'll be back into the hills as soon as I can, but more for the therapeutic need, rather than the a need to compete. I love running in the hills, but the hills don't necessarily love me back.
Summary: 16.6 hilly miles @8:2x

Krusty_Clown

Yesterday: 6-5-4-3-2-1 minutes @HM/10K/5K

I had planned my day well, eaten a solid porridge breakfast and drank plenty of water, so was well geared up for this lunch-time session. A bit of procrastination though, and then I was cutting it too fine with just 90 minutes to go until a meeting I had to attend, so no choice but to delay the run. In the interim, lots of other things came up, so it was 5pm and dark, by the time hit the road and running a session this late without having had any lunch could have been problematic. Took a three mile loop to the stretch of road alongside the M50 (kind of forgot about the whole rush-hour grid-lock traffic thing, so lots of spectators ).

Target paces (derived from MacMillan) were probably a little over-aggressive for where I am right now, with HM = 5:37/mile, 10K = 5:19/mile, 5K = 5:09.
Actual:
6m @HM = 5:35 (easy enough)
5m @HM = 5:36 (tough - more uphill)
4m @10k = 5:20 (bloody hard!)
3m @10k = 5:19 (even bloody harder)
2m @5k = 5:15 (ok, but try as I might, couldn't get the pace down)
1m @5k = 5:02 (short enough to be handy).

I made life a little tough for myself, forgetting that the first recovery was 3 minutes (instead of my imagined 5 minutes!), so had to start the second rep with a healthy drag. Found the 10k reps toughest, with the combination of rep time and pace. The 5k segments were short enough not to be too painful, tohugh on the first one I really struggled to get the pace down to the right region (which may have more to do with the watch than the running). Still, a good session, and good to feel the cardio challenge of 5k pace again.
Summary: 11 miles @7:01/mile

Itziger

Every time I see 6m, 5m, 4m I think miles!! So, yeah, not a bad session. Just the 21 miles at HM pace and faster.

Krusty_Clown

Itziger wrote: »

Every time I see 6m, 5m, 4m I think miles!! So, yeah, not a bad session. Just the 21 miles at HM pace and faster.

Like in Father Ted, the big 'M's are really near. The small 'm's are very far away.
Sorry, I should clarify, I use 'M' for Miles and 'm' for metres/minutes. I'm weird like that!

Krusty_Clown

Thursday 4th: 4 miles + 6 miles recovery
Friday 5th: 5 mins @HM + 10 mins @MP + 5 mins @HM = 11.4 @6:52miles
Saturday 6th: 10 traily hilly miles @8:24/mile
Sunday 7th: 5k + 5k easy
Monday: 10 miles easy @7:24
Tuesday: 14 x 1 min @5K very windy (average interval pace 5:15/mile)
Wednesday: 4 miles + 6 miles easy
Thursday: 5.5 mile run-mute + 9 miles w/25 mins @MP

blockic

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Thursday 4th: 4 miles + 6 miles recovery
Friday 5th: 5 mins @HM + 10 mins @MP + 5 mins @HM = 11.4 @6:52miles
Saturday 6th: 10 traily hilly miles @8:24/mile
Sunday 7th: 5k + 5k easy
Monday: 10 miles easy @7:24
Tuesday: 14 x 1 min @5K very windy (average interval pace 5:15/mile)
Wednesday: 4 miles + 6 miles easy
Thursday: 5.5 mile run-mute + 9 miles w/25 mins @MP

Just because you didn't win log of the year this time doesn't mean you can shorten your posts from now on as the pressure us off!

Krusty_Clown

blockic wrote: »

Just because you didn't win log of the year this time doesn't mean you can shorten your posts from now on as the pressure us off!

Lol. Figured that might get picked up like that! Started writing up my training many times over the last week and have just been so busy in work that it was abandoned on several occasions and there's only so many times I'm willing to re-write the same sentences. Generally speaking, training has been going well, and have been hitting 70 miles per week, with two of ecolii's sessions to provide some stimulus and inject some pace. I have the Wicklow Senior XC to look forward to this weekend, and for the first time ever, it looks like I'll be running without a chest infection, so looking forward to giving it a good lash. Cross country has never been my forte (I think I'm designed to run in straight lines (I get confused at corners!)), but at least this year I won't feel like I'm squeezing oxygen through a straw.

BOSWOLLOX

Good luck, I'll be in Shanganagh on Sunday so should see it. Hope you have a great race. Senior XC races are suited to strong marathon runners so you will be well up.

Krusty_Clown

Friday 12th: Easy 10k @7:33/mile
Saturday: 4.5 easy miles @8:05/mile

Sunday: Wicklow Senior XC
We've managed to hold on to the team title the last few years in a row, but we were a couple of runners down for this one, so it looked like regaining the title would be a struggle (particularly with two of the lads from one of the rival clubs recently returned from masters international duty, where they they had achieved some great results). I'd love to say I was running this one for the team, but my goals were a little more selfish, and I just wanted a good personal result. Having finished around 6th-8th over the last few years, my goal was a spot on the podium. Last year's winner was back to strengthen our side, but at the same time, that meant that if I had any shot at a podium spot, I'd have to challenge one of the other lads, and their focus has been entirely on XC for the last number of months. Last year's winner is a very strong 1500m guy, and I knew he'd be out of sight within the first kilometer, so the plan was to try to hang on to the two lads for as long as I could. If I found myself still in the mix with 800m to go, well it was down to who wanted it most.

As predicted, within the first 400m, our club speedster had opened a gap, and falling short of a disaster, he should win comfortably. I slotted in between the two Irish internationals and resolved to stick with them, no matter how difficult this might appear to be. The first 2 laps were ok, but as we hit the gentle climb for the third time, I'm not sure what happened, but the work-rate just seemed to increase rapidly and I started to suffer in a way that only seems to affect me when running cross country. I was still in 3rd place at this point, with DL slightly in front ad MB just behind me. We had opened a sizable gap on any other chasers, but I was hurting pretty bad. I reckon MB must have noticed the sudden loss of form, as all of a sudden he was on my shoulder and then pushing past to draw level with DL. A quick exchange of words and the two lads put in a spurt, opening a gap on me and from that point onwards, the battle was over. The lads widened the gap and being honest, I never tried to close it. I'm not sure how much of it was my imagination and how much of it was down to spotting and exploiting a weakness, but the lads had beaten me off the field, and all I could do was hang my head in disappointment and finish out the race in the same position. Being honest, the lads are very strong XC runners and I haven't run any XC in 11 months), so there was no reason to believe that I could challenge them. I've beaten them on the road on a number of occasions, but the grass is their dominion. Some strong finishes from Abhainn, Neil (injured) and Beepbeep saw us regain the club title, but it was little consolation for what was in my mind a very poor personal performance.
Summary: 10k in 36:41, @5:54/mile

Monday: 5 miles + 6 miles easy/recovery

Tuesday: 10 miles easy
Called down to Adrian to pick-up my Boards xmas coffee collective beans (lovin it, thanks Adrian!), and really enjoyed the five mile downhill easy run (even had time for a bit of celebrity spotting, as I spied our new moderator overlord hurtling past me on the other side of the road, at breakneck speed). The return journey wasn't quite as much fun, being all uphill, with the added weight of a kg of coffee, but it was worth every bean.

Wednesday: 3 x (3 x 300m @1M pace/60secs)/3 mins
Another of ecolii's welcome sessions, this time something a little more tasty, with some reps at mile pace. Back to the track, which I'd hoped I'd seen the last of for the year, but which made sense for this kind of session. Markings on the track as always, are pretty poor, so the 300m distance I'd marked out was surely an approximation of reality. I'd planned to hit the 200m mark in around 35 seconds and just carry the speed to what looked like it might be 300m. Good consistency in the rep times anyway (56-58 seconds), and an enjoyable change of pace.
Summary: 8.55 miles

Thursday: 2 miles + squash + 2 miles + 6 miles
We had manage to secure some guest passes to Westwood, so we planed our annual work outing to the squash court (in other words, the second game of squash in my adult life). Last time I'd been crippled for almos a week afterwards, so I resolved to at least get a couple of warm-up miles done first (just in case they were the last miles I'd ever run again). The squash was good fun (12-1 loss to my ageing sneaky boss, and a more respectable 13-11 to chicken-balls), and a couple of miles warm-down afterwards and I was shagged. Headed out for another 6 mile recovery run that evening, but as the day progressed, the body fell apart. I'm just not capable of playing sports that don't involve running in a straight line at a consistent pace!

Friday: 4 x 7 mins @HM
Another ecolii session, this time squeezed into the only time I had available between meetings and pints. Headed back to Westwood and planned to run this on the treadmill (under duress), but at least I picked a treadmill that had a grand view over the entire racecourse, so plenty to keep the mind occupied. I'd done the maths, and 5:37/mile should equate to around 17km/hour at 1.5' gradient. Trouble was, I'm not sure how well calibrated the treadmill was. At 15km/hour, the pace felt easy. At 16.5kms/hour, the pace felt sufficiently hard. As soon as I moved the dial up to 17km/hour, it was like hitting a boost button, and the treadmill went into over-drive. I'm not great at judging pace (likely a product of a Garmin-dominated world), but I could tell that my cadence was significantly greater than my 1mile reps earlier in the week. Half marathon pace, it was not. So I resolved to make the most of it (and the short time I had available between meetings) and ran at 16.5 km/hour for the 4 x 7 mins. It felt good... It felt hard. It may not have been the full workout (I'm not certain - how can you ever be certain?), but after the previous days exertions,it was suitably challenging.
Summary: 8 miles in 51 mins

Saturday: 8 miles easy
Another day, another hangover. This time, I headed to the hills, to undo any remaining tendrils of yesterday's treadmill experience, and worked my way around a really enjoyable loop, with a 5.5 mile gentle climb, taking in the Scalp and Carrigologan, before a sharp'ish descent back to earth.

Sunday: 14.5 mile easy run
Back out into the hills again, to tick off the remainder of this week's 70 miles. Another fab loop, with a good chunk of climb, this time taking in Enniskerry, the wonderful Cookstown/Kilbride road to the N11 and then home via Bray (and a couple of miles with Boswollox in Shanganagh). Must find a route that avoids Bray so I can stay in the peaceful scenic country-side, instead of crossing the N11 by that green pedestrian bridge. I figure there must be a way to get to Fassaroe, so will have to find it, to make it a thoroughly enjoyable loop.
Summary: 14.6 miles @7:45/mile

Monday: 10mins E/5mins MP/5mins HMP + 1M strides + 2x200m @1M + 2x100m
Despite a tail-wind and a downhill (inevitable, if I want to run onthe track) really found it tough to get down to MP and HMP. I think this is largely down to GPS accuracy amid the leafy suburbs of Foxrock, but get there I did, and managed to complete the two initial sections at the required pace (though I feel I may have been travelling distinctly faster. Then onto the track for a mile of strides (easy jogs on the bends), followed by a couple of 200s with full recovery (closer to 400m pace than 800/mile pace) and then finally a couple of 100m sprints. Truth be told, the faster stuff was easier than the slower stuff, though I did on occasion (subconsciously) take advantage of the wind.
Summary: 8.55 miles @7:26/mile

Kurt Godel

Nice going Krusty. All this running will stand to you when you make the inevitable important move to Tri

Krusty_Clown

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Nice going Krusty. All this running will stand to you when you make the inevitable important move to Tri

Inevitable! How will I know I'm going through 'the change'? A general sense of dissatisfaction...of feeling only 33% complete? A compulsion to surround myself with rubber? Lock laces?