Is it Now?

nerraw1111 · 08-03-2012 12:37pm

Will give the baby steps a go in training.

Interesting perspective Krusty re the mental aspect. I don't see it as given in but rather a more efficient way to get up the hill while saving the legs without losing ground. In some races, I will have decided in advance to walk certain points, as long as I'm not losing ground. Most of the time, I can keep up while walking.

That said, seeing an opponent walking ahead of you, does give you a mental boost. I'll always try to run the last part of a climb to put off chasers and get a bit of a gap on the downhill.

Krusty_Clown · 08-03-2012 1:25pm

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Will give the baby steps a go in training.

Interesting perspective Krusty re the mental aspect. I don't see it as given in but rather a more efficient way to get up the hill while saving the legs without losing ground. In some races, I will have decided in advance to walk certain points, as long as I'm not losing ground. Most of the time, I can keep up while walking.

That said, seeing an opponent walking ahead of you, does give you a mental boost. I'll always try to run the last part of a climb to put off chasers and get a bit of a gap on the downhill.

That's an important distinction. If you decide beforehand that you will need to walk some part of the steeper climbs, then you're not giving in, but aligning with the plan. But in my case, if you stupidly believe you can run the whole thing....

donothoponpop · 08-03-2012 4:45pm

Thurs 1.3k swim

I was really pushed for time at lunch, so just grabbed a mad dash in and out of the pool. Pity really, coz it was empty, and had reflected sunlight lighting up the bottom. Anyway, a quick kilometer in 16:xx, before upping the ante with jackyback, a fast 50m in 37 secs, my fastest yet. Felt the calf tighten during this, so kept it to one (was shattered after anyways). Tried one fast 25m, 16 or 17 secs, which shows me I'm losing time on these turns. Need to learn to tumble.

donothoponpop · 08-03-2012 7:29pm

Thurs pm 22k bike

Today was very busy with work, by 5pm I was wound up tighter than a camel's sphincter, grabbed the opportunity at 5:30 to catch the end of the evening light on the roads. Decent spin, went hard on all the uphills, and kept the cadence up right the way round. It certainly helped ease the stress, as will the bottle of wine I'm going to murder tonight.

donothoponpop · 10-03-2012 10:44am

Sat 51k bike

Tired yesterday, took a rest day. Woke up early and hit the road for 1:58, Tinahely-Knockanannagh-Aughavannagh-Aughrim-home. Waved at PN coming back, in his car, no doubt dreaming about getting that road bike over from France and joining me for early spins.

donothoponpop · 12-03-2012 1:09pm

Mon 12th March 3050m swim

I was standing by a cold and damp rugby pitch for three hours yesterday, and never managed to warm up for the rest of the day, so didn't do any training. Today I got 3050m in the pool, 62 mins total. First k 18 mins, then mainly concentrating on upper body for the rest of the stuff.

Dory Dory · 13-03-2012 3:04am

I hope you've enjoyed me on top of you in the swimming....because by the looks of your numbers, that's about to change.

donothoponpop · 13-03-2012 3:56pm

Tue 2k wu, 8x400m, 2k wd

Right, its time to bring a bit of structure to base training. I'm following a Furman Institute 10k plan, which has 3 key sessions a week, which I can supplement with swims, bikes, and trail funruns. Today was 8x400m, which I did at the Arklow track. I last did 400's five weeks back, averaging about 83 secs each, so I was interested to see what sort of shape I'd be in, having done little running and introduced swims and bikes. More than interested in fact, as this would be the first test of how multisport will feed into my running times.

First one, felt nice and strong all the way round, came in 78 secs... holy crap! That didn't even feel too hard! I was really surprized at that. Jogged 100m, did another, repeat 8 times. Started to feel the hurt after 3, but thats the way they should be. Number 6 I "paced" more evenly, which just meant the foot was off the gas too much, and the time suffered. 7&8, I imagined an opponent on my shoulder for the last 150m, that worked. I'd say 95% effort, but there was another gear there had the opponent been real (there's always another gear!). Splits:

78, 81, 81, 82, 81, 85, 80, 79.

ocnoc · 13-03-2012 4:58pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

Very good point. Sucks mental juice from you, gives a mental boost to your opponents.

I heard a story of these two awesome hill runners that were racing in Wicklow once. Neither wanted to lose. It was a real grudge match - they were sh!t talking for months about it.
What one of them did (a complete scumbag move) was to walk to recover on the final hill and kept the other guy in touching distance. Once it vaguely levelled off, he sprinted away as he was saving his legs while the other guy was keeping constant pressure on his.

It all depends on the type of climb, but more importantly, the time of race.

donothoponpop · 13-03-2012 5:08pm

ocnoc wrote: »

I heard a story of these two awesome hill runners that were racing in Wicklow once. Neither wanted to lose. It was a real grudge match - they were sh!t talking for months about it.
What one of them did (a complete scumbag move) was to walk to recover on the final hill and kept the other guy in touching distance. Once it vaguely levelled off, he sprinted away as he was saving his legs while the other guy was keeping constant pressure on his.

It all depends on the type of climb, but more importantly, the time of race.

That's a sneaky move all right! There's another lad who slaps you on the back for "encouragement" when you pass him, urging you "go on, keep going, catch the next lad"; nine times out of ten he'll pass you again before race end:D

Whatever about tactics and terrain, the "walk/run" versus "baby steps" debate is more about whats generally best for most hills, but I'd lean towards the baby steps. I'm not a good climber, and tend to "break" if I start walking once.

donothoponpop · 14-03-2012 1:23pm

Wed 4k swim, 1:18

The water temperature at the pool was cooler than of late, lovely. I got into the fast lane, which only had a whale holding the sides and moving slowly, but once I made my intentions known, she moved to the general fun area, so I could take full advantage of a solo lane. I figured I'd do 1k, then decided to keep going for another 500m, then round it up to 2k- by that stage I was feeling good and in the DoryZenZone, so kept on going. Three k was hit under the hour, and by then I thought I'd see if I could get to ironman distance- 3.8k in 1:14. Cramps were starting to occur in the legs, so I hit 4k and called it a day.

Dory Dory · 14-03-2012 1:28pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

Wed 4k swim, 1:18

The water temperature at the pool was cooler than of late, lovely. I got into the fast lane, which only had a whale holding the sides and moving slowly, but once I made my intentions known, she moved to the general fun area, so I could take full advantage of a solo lane. I figured I'd do 1k, then decided to keep going for another 500m, then round it up to 2k- by that stage I was feeling good and in the DoryZenZone, so kept on going. Three k was hit under the hour, and by then I thought I'd see if I could get to ironman distance- 3.8k in 1:14. Cramps were starting to occur in the legs, so I hit 4k and called it a day.

Brilliant. All of it. Congrats....you are now on top. Enjoy the view....for now.

donothoponpop · 14-03-2012 8:33pm

Wed pm 22k bike

Lit by Lidl's finest lights, I fought the twilight (and the twilight won) on my Shillelagh-Tinahely loop. The intention was to pop into a local farm shop and pick up a nice bottle of red, but alas it had closed early, so its a crystal meth night instead.

griffin100 · 14-03-2012 8:58pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

Wed pm 22k bike

Lit by Lidl's finest lights, I fought the twilight (and the twilight won) on my Shillelagh-Tinahely loop. The intention was to pop into a local farm shop and pick up a nice bottle of red, but alas it had closed early, so its a crystal meth night instead.

You dont need any lights, the orange bike was clearly visible in the dark

The lidl lights did look good though.

Can I ask where you swim, I might be changing pools soon and your one sounds better than my current one i.e. it has a fast lane.

donothoponpop · 14-03-2012 9:05pm

griffin100 wrote: »

You dont need any lights, the orange bike was clearly visible in the dark The lidl lights did look good though.

Can I ask where you swim, I might be changing pools soon and your one sounds better than my current one i.e. it has a fast lane.

Coral Arklow, 25m pool, its a bit rough and ready, and you wouldn't want to be obsessive compulsive about cleanliness, but they do have one or two lanes most times. "Fast lane" today was me making a big splash jumping in, then zooming by a very rotund lady who was treading water in the deep end. She obliging got the message and left for the open area (there was lots of space). I imagine this is pool etiquette the world over, ie slow makes way for fast? It can be busy enough at times, but usually lanes seem to regulate themselves, I've had no complaints about sharing just yet.

Where do you swim? I was going to join Mount Wolseley, but figured the hotel crowd would slow things down.

griffin100 · 14-03-2012 9:32pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

Coral Arklow, 25m pool, its a bit rough and ready, and you wouldn't want to be obsessive compulsive about cleanliness, but they do have one or two lanes most times. "Fast lane" today was me making a big splash jumping in, then zooming by a very rotund lady who was treading water in the deep end. She obliging got the message and left for the open area (there was lots of space). I imagine this is pool etiquette the world over, ie slow makes way for fast? It can be busy enough at times, but usually lanes seem to regulate themselves, I've had no complaints about sharing just yet.

Where do you swim? I was going to join Mount Wolseley, but figured the hotel crowd would slow things down.

Arklow is just that bit far for me. I swim in Mt Wolsley actually. It's a bit hit and miss - they only have one swim lane and pool etiquette is non existent. Monday and Wednesday nights are given over to swim lessons and aqua aerobics so are a write off as far as I'm concerned. It's also mental in the summer. Some evenings are mad busy,, some quite, but overall it's not too bad, I've done 90% of my swimming there over the last 4 years. My membership is up at the end of the month and the UCD pool won't be open then so I might need a stop gap.

donothoponpop · 14-03-2012 9:49pm

griffin100 wrote: »

Arklow is just that bit far for me. I swim in Mt Wolsley actually. It's a bit hit and miss - they only have one swim lane and pool etiquette is non existent. Monday and Wednesday nights are given over to swim lessons and aqua aerobics so are a write off as far as I'm concerned. It's also mental in the summer. Some evenings are mad busy,, some quite, but overall it's not too bad, I've done 90% of my swimming there over the last 4 years. My membership is up at the end of the month and the UCD pool won't be open then so I might need a stop gap.

Arklow have a €55 pool&gym two month deal on now, if you wanted to try it and stop the gap.

donothoponpop · 15-03-2012 9:40pm

Thurs 3k easy:)

I was real busy today, so the fast 5k I have scheduled for Thurs/Fri got put off till tomorrow. That's just fine, as the swim yesterday was a bit of a doozy. Anyway, I'm only logging the 3k run as a backdrop to some interesting stuff that happened today:

1) Knee feels better. I was talking to a local GAA lad two days back, the war wounds were trotted out for comparison, "Oh", says he, "I used have a very bad knee too. Build up of calcium deposits around the cartilage; took two spoonfuls of Apple Cider Vinegar every morning, and it was gone in two weeks". So this is day three of me spooning that bitter liquid down me gob, and I think there is some progress. Apparently the potassium in the vinegar breaks down the calcium: I've done a bit of goggling, and there are indeed claims for miracle cures for this stuff. We'll see what transpires.

2) Found my Garmin 305. I've been without this for over a month, no real hassle, but now that I'm getting more structured, I'll need a pace indicator. So I almost bout a new 310 from the States (going there in a fortnight), was holding off for two more days, and tonight something struck a light deep in my memory, and I found it in one of our cars. Fired it up there and then, good to go. Thats €200 saved, and takes care of my dilemma of whether I should shell out for the more expensive, but pool-worthy, 910.

3) Talking to a lad tonight after kids athletic training, did I pass him at mile 17 of the Dublin Marathon? Didn't run it this year mate; how'd you do? 4 hours something, he says, and I'm mentally gearing up for well done, thats a great time, what can I do, almost sub 3 mate, almost sub 3 <<basks in heavenly glow and adoration>>, until he mentions he ran the first half in 1:19. I incredulously asked was he was sure (he reckoned he was running 6:30 pace, so fair enough), it was his first ever marathon, he was going for 3:30, so just took off like the clappers, no idea of pacing at all. A friend of his brother in laws does Tri's, and told him not to run in the 10 days before the race! So I reckon this guy is very talented, but as he said himself, he's no idea what training is, or pacing, or whatever. A 1:19 half for a novice runner is just mad!:eek: He doesn't have internet, so I'm bringing him a few books to read next Tuesday.

So, only 3k ran, but what an interesting 3k!

*Edit, just checked the DM results using his first name (thats all I know), might be a tall tale

BeepBeep67 · 15-03-2012 10:25pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

1) Knee feels better. I was talking to a local GAA lad two days back, the war wounds were trotted out for comparison, "Oh", says he, "I used have a very bad knee too. Build up of calcium deposits around the cartilage; took two spoonfuls of Apple Cider Vinegar every morning, and it was gone in two weeks". So this is day three of me spooning that bitter liquid down me gob, and I think there is some progress. Apparently the potassium in the vinegar breaks down the calcium: I've done a bit of goggling, and there are indeed claims for miracle cures for this stuff. We'll see what transpires.

The OH swears by it and pure coconut oil - just stick it in a small glass of juice though

RayCun · 15-03-2012 10:44pm

Could you not just drink cider?

donothoponpop · 15-03-2012 11:00pm

RayCun wrote: »

Could you not just drink cider?

Cider as in alcohol? No, they're very different substances. Squeeze apples to make apple juice; ferment this to produce cider; fermenting this further produces vinegar (acetic acid). Its worth a google trip to check out what ail's it cures.

Has to be some magic in it if Mrs BB (fox) stays with Mr BB (bald sweaty scrawny runner).

BeepBeep67 · 15-03-2012 11:37pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

Has to be some magic in it if Mrs BB (fox) stays with Mr BB (bald sweaty scrawny runner).

Obviously pickled her senses!

donothoponpop · 16-03-2012 3:26pm

Fri 1 mile w/u, 3 miles Short Tempo, 2 miles w/d

Second day of the FIRST program, this one tells me just how far I have to go. All the paces and distances are in min/mile, so I'm giving up on Kilometers for the moment, at least while I follow this program. There's a chart that needs filling in to give an indication of how fast tempos' intervals, long runs; should be ran, and its based on a recent 5k race time, of which I have none. So I decided on a 19:30 race time, ambitious for my current fitness, but what the hell:).

The formula spat out a Short Tempo pace of 6:37 per mile, so after a mile warm up, off I went, running much faster than I have done in ages. Pace was too quick starting off (6:20 pace), but I soon got tired of that! By a mile in I was hurting (6:34). Halfway into mile two and I started the lies, finish this one and take a break (6:39). The third mile was a slog, I promised myself I could absolutely definately stop at half way, but of course I kept going. Breathing was hard, and everything hurt, into a headwind, but the end finally came (6:52). 2 mile warm down.

So overall I'm happy enough, the first timed tempo session in ages. The effort was as much as I could give, so thats the state of play at the moment. A small part of me is wistful for the days when running tempo's at 6 min/mile felt as hard as this, but that the goal, to get back towards that sort of level (and surpass it). Hard work will get me there, and today felt like hard work.

(The knee felt good running on the roads today. A test will be tomorrow, if it hurts less than it did a day after my track work, I'll know this cider vinegar is more than snake oil).

Slogger Jogger · 16-03-2012 7:44pm

Nice work. Good to see you back running

I'm tentatively planning a run to Glenmalure tomorrow if the weather isn't too bad.

donothoponpop · 16-03-2012 8:21pm

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Nice work. Good to see you back running I'm tentatively planning a run to Glenmalure tomorrow if the weather isn't too bad.

Have to see. Parades must be attended and commented on first. What time were you thinking of leaving?

Slogger Jogger · 16-03-2012 8:24pm

donothoponpop wrote: »

Have to see. Parades must be attended and commented on first. What time were you thinking of leaving?

Early enough. Mid afternoon ish. Getting collected from there early evening ish.

donothoponpop · 16-03-2012 8:27pm

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Early enough. Mid afternoon ish. Getting collected from there early evening ish.

Sure I'll play it by ear. Fancy a long hilly jog, but I'll see how the cards fall tomorrow.

donothoponpop · 18-03-2012 4:04pm

Sat 5k easy

Jog in the forest, I hit a tree stump and suffered that slowing of time while falling, had time to deliberate where to position my arm to avoid a faceplant.
Went to Glenmalure that evening and climbed into the rocks of Baravore, where PN trussed me in rope and "saved" me. My hero

. Followed by pints after pints in the lodge, for Kiwirunners birthday. Great fun!

Sun 9k run, 22k bike

Washout of a session. A man of my age (early 50's) should know better than to try and match the kids drink for drink. A little woozy, and with a gut full of porter, I had lined up 10k @ 4:24 min/k pace, but my stomach was in bits after a couple of k, and just got worse. I gave up after 5k, when I was almost puking, and am annoyed for doing so. I was debating drinks or not yesterday, knowing I've a program to follow, but the missus told me to go out and blow off some steam, I don't go out pubbing that often. So it's her fault.
Jogged another 4k, and picked up my bike from PN's, and continued round on my bike loop. Not to much usefulness garnered from today, except that I can't drink for Ireland and then expect to do a decent run the next day. Duh.

donothoponpop · 18-03-2012 4:18pm

donothoponpop · 19-03-2012 7:38pm

Mon 19th March 32k bike in 1:08, 232m climb, 28.2 kph av speed

Now that I have my garmin back I can start understanding effort a bit more. I think 30kph will be my target speed for spins. This one today was fairly hard effort wise. There's a few minor hill drags, but I kept a decent cadence all the way around. Suitable penance for yesterday.

Is it Now?

Comments