Here we go again...!

belcarra

Having (almost) officially announced the end of my marathon running days after Dublin this year time has managed to twist my arm. I found myself signing up for Connemara again next year so here I am again, back in training..."and I was only 1 week from retirement!"

belcarra

I recently spent 5 days in Lisbon on holiay where plenty of booze and good food was enjoyed but as each day passed I could feel myelf getting more and more out of shape! So I made a promise to myself (Early New Year's resolution, if you like!) that I was going to have to get back into the swing of training, etc!
So with that, I've taken up playing squash, which I'm hoping will mean two evenings a week. In a normal week I'd have two games of five a side (on Fri & Sat) as well. So this will potentially leave three days for doing runs. My aim will be that speed work and some short runs will be substituted for the squash and football. Therefore, I intend one or two 7-8 mile runs a week with an extra LSR thrown in for good measure.
So lets see how this approach works out! Connemarathon is on Mar 22nd and I did it in 4hrs 35mins last year. At this stage I'm down for the half but hopefully I'll be confident enough with my training by end of January to transfer into the full.
Watch this space!!

belcarra

4 mile run. Easy. Untimed

belcarra

Five a side for 1 hr. Irishtown.

belcarra

Five a side for 1 hr. Sportsco.

belcarra

Five a side for 1 hr. Sportsco.

belcarra

Rest Day.

belcarra

1 hr squash.

belcarra

40 mins treadmill.

belcarra

4 mile run. Untimed.

belcarra

1hr squash.

belcarra

30 mins treadmill - 6km.

belcarra

Rest Day.

belcarra

Afternoon = 1hr squash.
Evening = 8.5 mile run in 1hr 20mins.

I was at a friends party last night so I thought I did well to manage a game of squash in the afternoon. By 7pm I was still feeling ok though so I managed to do a loop of 8.5 miles in approx 1hr 20mins. Time is a very rough estimate though as I had no watch with me. I feel that was the first real run now that I'm back doing a reasonable amount of training.

This brings me upto date for the training log so as I progress I hope to have some extra feedback on how the session went, even if it's something as trivial as my squash partner smashing his racquet into my forehead on a follow through!!:mad:

I plan either another squash game tomorrow or else a 5-6 mile run. I'll also be wearing a stopwatch from now on so I can accurately gauge my performace.

belcarra

Well the planned run for this evening went out the window early doors!:( I'd a slightly sore back last night going to bed but after having a difficult nights sleep with it it was much worse this morning. I struggled into work with it but didn't get much better though the day. I've done some stretched for it this evening and applied deep heat to the area and this seems to have helped it somewhat but it's still not perfect. Hopefully it'll be much better in the morning in order to let me go for my run seeing as I'm off now for Xmas.
We'll see...!

belcarra

My back is still at me so I've decided to rest it one extra day and travel back home to Mayo for Xmas.

Plan to go for a few runs over the next couple of days when the roads are quiet!

belcarra

Back out today. Went for what I expected to be just 3 or 4 miles but ended up being 9.3 miles. Back seemed a lot better. Happy Days!

belcarra

Happy Christmas!

My back is still better but not yet 100%...more like 75% I'd say.
Myself and my Brother went for our annual Christmas Day run and we stayed out for 10.25 miles. The run seemed to pass very quickly even though we were out for 1hr 32mins. We made a dash for the last 200yards and boy did I feel it! Pipped at the line so I'll need to get him next time!!

belcarra

Had the first of our annual 5 a side matches today (We usually have 2 or 3 around Xmas). It was 5 v 6 on a pitch that is suited to 7 v 7 so there was plenty of running involved. Especially loads of 20m-30m sprints which I'm hoping will cover the need for me going out and doing specific speedwork in running sessions (...much easier to motivate to get on the end of a cross than to race to the next lampost!!).
We played for 90mins without a break so by then end we were pretty knackered. On again tomorrow, so we'll see just how fit we are!
...Oh and I'm meant to be climbing Croagh Patrick in the morning as well...! I might take Sunday as a rest day I reckon!!
This could well be the first XMas I lose weight as opposed to put on 6 or 7 pounds!!:D

belcarra

Arrived at Croagh Patrick a little late but still had to wait for one straggler(!). About 30mins later we began our ascent but two of us had to turn back having climbed less than half way due to our five a side later.
And a good job we did too as we just made it i time for kick-off. Similar game to yesterday but this time we had 7v7. Played for 90mins again and by the end of the game I knew all about it!
A few relaxing pints later in he evening were enjoyed!!

belcarra

The remainder of the XMas was a bit of a disaster!!:(

Pretty much did no sport and socialised a bit heavily.
Ths pretty much negated everything I'd done before XMas, but sure I suppose it's the season for it! Roll on the new year and now that I'm back at work I'll find the daily routine will help guide me no end!

belcarra

Back into the squash this evening.
Played for an hour but had a couple of niggles with my back and my left knee. Didn't enjoy the games so much. At least I'm back being active though...first step and all that!

belcarra

Was meant to go to my first 11 a side training sessions tonight in DCU but my back is still sore so I declined at the lat minute. My knee seems to be much better though so at least that's positive.

belcarra

No Training tonight.

belcarra

Came home from work wrecked and feeling the onset of a cold so hit the bed at 8:30. If you knew me that would say a lot about just how wrecked I felt!!

belcarra

I finish work on Fridays in the early afternoon so it's a great chance to go out and get some miles into the legs.

So, feeling guilty about not having done anything serious for quite some time I decided to just run and see how far I could go. 13.5 miles later I returned to my apt. I took a steady, easy pace although in the final mile or two I could feel it in my legs. It took 2hrs 11mins to complete but this included waiting at traffic crossings, etc. which would easily have accounted for upto 5 mins. I would normally expect a training run of this distance to be 1hr 58mins or so (Excluding the stoppages) so I'm fairly happy about todays efforts. Especially given that it was particularly cold out there.

One comment about my current weight.
Before heading out I weighed-in at approx 13st 11lbs, which is about 11lbs heavier than normal circumstances. This was probably down to a good Xmas. As a result I'll be tracking my weight on this from now on also to record the amount I lose over the next few months.

After the run I weighed myself again. This time I was 13st 6lbs! That's a loss of 5lbs on the run today. Most of this is water loss through sweating. However it still makes me feel appreciate the merit in exercising! As I continue to train this weight will hover for a week or two before reducing further as I'll initially be rebuilding muscle causing weight gain and reducing fat leading to weight loss. These two factors generally balance each other out for the first week or two, as I say.

belcarra

I was up early for a game of 5 a side at 10am. An average game with the usual amount of running. I was feeling the strain of yesterdays run for the first 10-15mins but after that it got easier until again at the end when I was feeling knackered!
Weight: 13st 5lbs.:)

Hopefully, I'll be going for a 5 or 6 mile run tomorrow.

belcarra

Planned on going for a run in the afternoon but got a request for a game of squash instead so had an hour of that. Was contemplating going for a 40min runafterwards but had to get dinner out of the way before the ManU Chelsea match!
I'll make up for it tomorrow though!

belcarra

First of all...I just fixed the sequence of dates on this...I was a day ahead of myself!

Went for a run this evening. Two laps of my local 2 mile loop. For the first lap I pushed it reasonably hard although I could still feel the 13.5 mile run in my legs. Managed to complete the first loop in 16m 21 secs or 8:10min/mile. When I get into the flow of things I'd be expecting to keep this pace for 7 or 8 miles before dropping off but for today two miles would have to do!

I basically recovered and jogged around for the second loop which took 18:08 or 9:04m/m.

Overall, 4.15 miles in 34:31 which averaged out to 8:31mm.

Weight:13st 7.5lbs.

belcarra

No running for me tonight.
Instead it was my first day of training for 11 a side football that I've done in about 7 or 8 years!

Training involved an hour of work in total with the first half being taken up with drills and warm-ups and then the second half was a game of 5 a side.
I felt I gave a good effort and it was enjoyable.
It helps to take the boredom out of pounding the streets on your own all the time by mixing it up with a bit of variety!
My first match is due to be on Saturday at midday. Hopefully I'll get to see a bit of action at some stage...

So my typical week is beginning to turn into the following:
Mon: Squash - 1 hour.
Tue: Football training - 1 hour
Wed/Thurs: Medium Run - Approx 8 miles/80 mins. Alt day = restday.
Fri: Run - Long run if no match on Sat, otherwise maybe a 6-7 miler/1 hr.
Sat: Either a football match or else an hour of 5 a side.
Sun: Possibly another 4-5 miler/45mins.

There's a reasonable amount of effort and variety thrown in there so hopefully this should work:)

belcarra

Did 3 laps of local loop for a total of 6.2 miles. Thats almost a perfect 10km. Well in distance at least...my time was far from perfect:rolleyes:
Lap 1 = 18:48
Lap 2 = 19:27
Lap 3 = 17:41
Total = 55:57

Weight (After run) 13st 6.5lbs

My legs were really heavy for most of the run tonight and it was a real struggle. After about 4 miles it began to get a bit easier and that can be seen by the last lap being the quickest. Having said that I was in no way pushing myself today but I should have been able to do the 6 miles much more effortlessly.

Tomorrow I'm in England on business but should be home at the usual time so will try and get out for a run and go for as long as my legs will take me...

belcarra

I hour of 5 a side in Sportsco.
It was 5 v 4 and I was on the side with 4.
We won handy enough. Tried not to push myself too much as first 11 a side match is on tomorrow (Sat).
Weight = 13st 7lbs. (After football)

belcarra

11 a side match today in monsoon conditions and to make matters worse, seeing as it was my first game I was the third sub.
This meant I had to endure 85mins of hellish weaher on the sidelines and then play 5 mins at left back:eek:

Not a chance of going back out in that weather for the rest of the day..except for a few beers, that is;)!

belcarra

Nada today!:(

belcarra

Game of squash which lasted an hour.

belcarra

Went for a long run this evening. I hadn't gone for one since a 13 miler on Fri week. Ended up going for 17.1 miles in 2hrs 53.5mins which equated to 10:15min/mile. This is probably the correct pace I should be doing the long runs at if I want to break 4hrs. Happy enough with it seeing as it was a bitterly cold mid-week evening:).
Weight = 13t 4lbs (after the run).

belcarra

Kind of hectic end to the week so didn't manage to get back out for a run at all unfortunately. I suppose there was a bit of smugness as well after the 17 mile run on tuesday mixed in!

belcarra

Our 11 a side team were playing today in raheny but unfortunately I only got about 5 mins on the pitch at the end.

When I got home I went for a 7.1 mile run which took 56:55. This worked out as an 8min/mile pace which I was well happy with seeing as it was windy and all.

I hope to do a longish run tomorrow, but we'll see!

Weight is down to 13st 1.5lbs:) (After the run!)

belcarra

Did 10.5 miles today at a more relaxed pace than yesterday. I could feel the effort from yesterday still in my legs though so it was a bit of a struggle.
Averaged just under a 9min/mile pace so reasonably happy.
Weight was 13st 1.5lbs again.

belcarra

Meant to be playing squash tonight but it was fully booked up:(
Instead I declared it a Rest day - Nada!

belcarra

Football training tonight which resulted in an hour of 5 a side, or rather a game of 4 v 5!
Weight = 13st 5 lbs.

belcarra

I had been planning on taking it easy for Wed but I noticed the weayther was pretty good so I rejigged things and decided to do my long run this evening instead. I finished work a bit early so it worked out perfectly for me. My route was: Santry - Coolock - Malahide Road - Griffith Ave / Collins Ave loop - Clontarf - Coast Road - Kilbarrack Road - Coolock - Santry. It was 18.5 miles in total so I was pleased with that. It took about 3:07 to complete but the final 3 miles or so were really tough. I could really feel the effort from football training the previous night.
All in all, I feel I'm a little ahead of where I need to be which is just as well as I'm heaing off skiing for a week on Sat. From last year I know the skiing won't really be much of a help and the Apres ski definitely won't...but I can't be unsociable now!
Weight = 13st 0lbs...almost broke into the 12st range!

belcarra

Rest Day today to recover from LSR yesterday.

Woddle

Thats some weight loss in 2 days, I bet you got in from the long run and was straight on the scales Thats a great lsr

belcarra

I've got all the tricks down...delay the weighing until I've almost got one foot in the shower! I've actually noticed that upto a half pound can be lost during the shower! I think it must be the salts and sweat being washed away.

Hope that didn't get too graphic!

belcarra

Two weeks ago I was skiing in Tignes in France and so there was no running done. The skiing doesn't really compensate alot as different muscles are being used. Then last week I was busy with a few things and idle for a couple of evenings so I didn't manage to get out then either:mad:

So tonight I got my ass in gear and went for 10 miles. The run wouldn't have been too bad only for I ran in an old pair of runners simply because my current pair were in the boot of my car and I couldn't be arsed getting them! Wrong decision! Blisters on both feet but not too bad. Also, muscles - mainly quads - sore from the lack of cusioning!! Anyways at least I'm back!!

belcarra

The run last night took 1hr 35min which was a very slow time. Wasn't too bothered though as main thing was to get a decent run in. Tnight I was due to have football training but it was called off without me knowing. I'd decided to run to training which is 2 miles away in DCU so it was only when I arrived to find noone there that I discovered it was cancelled! Ran home again.
4 miles...19m9secs out and 9m11secs return...pretty consistent without aiming to be!!

Next up will be (hopefully) a longish run Thursday...

belcarra

Met up with my Brother and we went for a 10 miler in the Phoenix park. Conditions were good for it with a breeze in our faces when heading North West.
In total the run took 1hr 34mins which was pretty slow but not too bothered about the time today as I had done nothing since Tuesday last apart from 30mins of 11-a-side soccer on Sat.
Need to get a couple of lsr's in over the next 12 days or so...
Wt = 12st 13.5lbs.

belcarra

A quick 5 miler after work. Well the pace wsn't awful quick but it was a shorter run than normal. Took approx 42mins which works out at approx 8:25 per mile. Off to portugal tomorrow with work for a few days and will try and get a long run in but not sure how likely that is to happen!!
Wt: 13st 1lb

belcarra

In Portugal but managed to get a 5 mile run in on a treadmill. The city is not great for running in between traffic and hills so have to make do with this!

belcarra

Played 60 mins of 11 a side today. No running training though:(