Running Through The Wall

Killerz

Cleanman wrote: »

Well done Killerz, you kept the pace very consistent and got a well deserved result. Great race and great report. It must have been a brilliant feeling speeding down the last couple of miles rather than speeding your way to the hospital! Now that you've broken the 3 hour barrier, much more to come no doubt....

Thank you and ----watch this space---- !

Killerz

Week ending 24th March

Not much running after Tralee. I very much feel that less is more in the 3 weeks before Connemara Ultra. That said, I was getting itchy not going out running, so got in a few miles as follows:

Fri (22nd March): 5.62 miles in 47:19, before work. Calves were very tight for this - kind of expected there to be some tightness alright, so no big concerns.
Sun: 8.3 miles with a friend of mins in St Annes Park, also hitting Dollymount. 1:15:38 for the 8.3 or average pace of 9:08/mi. Just fine by me!

Week ending 31st March

Mon: 7.54 miles home from work, 1:05:58; 8:45/mi
Wed: 6.89 miles home from work; 55:25
Fri: 10.86 miles around Clontarf, Raheny, Dollymount etc. 1:32:53; avg pace 8:33/mi, 10 miles accompanied by a friend of mine who is ramping up his miles again for a couple of 10k races in late Spring.

Somehow managed to avoid the snow altogether this week. Wouldnt have minded running in it to be honest - quite enjoy that kind of thing!

So 2 weeks since the Tralee marathon, I think most of the residual tiredness has lifted. I am under no illusion that I have fully recovered, I know I am still tired and that the second half of the ultra is going to be very challenging next Sunday. However, I am looking forward to stepping up to this challenge, soaking up the scenery and the race atmosphere, and getting back out on the roads again.

horanc

Quite emotional reading that! Huge congratulations again! And I am glad for both you and Mrs. Killerz that Chicago is 'gone but not forgotten'! Your all the better for it now. Looking forward to reading about how Connemara Ultra went for you.

Killerz

And so, to the Connemarathon Ultra. The first post on this log identified that this was a target race for me for early 2010. Life, and Canada got in the way... in a good way. Tralee Marathon in March 2013 was my target race for the early part of 2013, however I did not want to let this year go by without doing the Conn Ultra. There was only 3 weeks recovery time between the Tralee race and the Ultra, so I really would just be 'enjoying' the latter, if that makes any sense! The twisted mind of an ultra-runner!

While I was reasonably confident I could cover the distance (having done 50 miles a few years ago), the testing aspects here would be tiredness in the legs after Tralee, a lack of specific training and crucially, eliminating a mindset that was spinning through my head to the effect of 'ah it will be grand'. As an experienced marathoner and ultra-runner, I should know never to treat any race of that distance without giving it the utmost respect.

The day before:

Myself and the wife (doing her first half-marathon) headed down to Galway on Saturday morning, picking up our race numbers, before checking in at our hotel for the two nights (Western Hotel, Prospect Hill). It was a lovely sunny day in Galway and believe me, it took a lot of strength to keep Mrs. Killerz out of the many fine establishments on Shop Street, where throngs of people were drinking some tasty-looking, ice-cold beer in the designated outdoor beer areas.

After dinner that evening, I got my drop bags ready as follows:

Bag 1: 13 miles: Lucozade sport, pretzels, some bagel and jaffa cakes
Bag 2: 26 miles: Flat coke, pretzels, half mars bar and a gel
Bag 3: 32 miles: Same as above, + jelly babies

I knew I wouldn't need all of the above items, but I wanted to have some choice in case I felt like something different to the 8 gels I was carrying.

Morning of Race:

I was up around 5:30am for a shower, to get my gear ready, have a cup of tea and be a general nuisance to my wife who was trying to sleep a little longer as her bus wasn't until 9am (half-marathon). The breakfast area was open, I had some of my own stuff, but also took some toast, banana and tea, joining a chap named Gerry at the breakfast table who was also doing the ultra. The night porter completed the unlikely 6:15am party of three.

I made my way to the bus, where a chap by the name of Brian sat next to me. Brian had done the Race Director's Invitational the day before and had been 'talked into' the ultra today. Whoever did that talking should be working for the UN, as they must have significant influencing skills to talk someone into doing an ultra the day after a marathon. As we traversed the Connemara wilderness on the bus, Brian and myself exchanged some running thoughts, race reports and general banter. Brian also notified me that he would be undertaking the ultra in a Forrest Gump ensemble, beard, Bubba Gump shrimp hat - the works. Why not, I suppose!

We were soon at Peacocks Hotel in Maam Cross where we dropped our drop bags and attended the pre-race briefing. This felt like what I would imagine an Olympic Village to be like. We were told there were 194 hardy souls undertaking the challenge today, and indeed the RD got quite emotional when remembering some absent friends of the race. He asked us to pause for a moment to think who we were running the race today for. I didn't really have a person as such, but it was nice to pause and remember absent friends and people who don't perhaps have the means to put one foot in front of another and run or walk.

After a few hellos with familiar faces and striking up chats with others, it was off to the buses for the short trip to the start line, about a mile up the road. We were dispatched from the buses about 8:40 am for a 9:00 am start. It was cold. I was in a singlet, with a bin liner. I must have looked ridiculous though, I had put holes through for my arms, but ended up with a catwalk-like off-the-shoulder number. Indeed a few lads had no problems pointing this out to me either. Meh, I wore it with pride.

I planned to run by feel, but was kinda aiming to go through the marathon mark in 3:30 and see where I went from there.

The Race:

First 13.1 miles

And off we went at 9am. Dude with flip-flops passed me by within the first mile. I hope he found the beach. I settled into a rhythm by the end of mile 1 as we turned on to the Clifden road. It was soon after this that I struck up a conversation with another chap as I caught up to him. It didn't take long before we twigged that we knew each other through boards.ie. We chatted on and off until just before Leenane, discussing our approach to training for this race, other races we have done, general chit-chat and regularly reminding ourselves that we were going too fast. Reminders that we continually ignored. We passed a few people here and there, but had no real idea where we were in grand scheme of things, and to be honest, didn't really care. We had a tail-wind for the first 10 miles or so on the road to Clifden. There were no serious hills at this stage as we maintained a nice pace, before turning onto the road towards Lough Inagh. Over the next couple of miles we got a taster of the strength of the wind. The taste was not good. I was cold enough in the singlet, too.

Second 13.1 miles

We passed through the 13 mile mark inside around 1:45 (10:45 am) and our first drop bag. I took some lucozade on here and a pretzel or two (I had a gel at around 7 miles and wasn't that hungry).

We knew we might well come across some of the marathon runners in the next few miles (they started at 10:30am), and I think it was probably around Mile 16-17 or so for us when we did just that. I had another gel and we pushed on through the back of the marathonn field, getting generous shouts of encouragement at all times from marathon runners - so nice (ultra runners also wear a bib on their back to identify them). I think around now I was conscious of the pace and was wondering how long it might last. I was generally quite heavy-legged from around mile 6 or 7 - the Tralee marathon was not out of the legs just yet! But I kept on going, my chats with Mr. Swipe now becoming more sporadic as we settled into our own personal grooves a little more.

We came upon a switchback soon after 19 miles which involved a nasty slow hill as we headed towards Leenane. Still we pushed on, and we were joined by another chap who I recognised from running around Dollymount and Clontarf. He chatted with us for a while before bounding off into the distance - fair play to him, some energy. Next couple of miles were relatively uneventful, before a nice descent into Leenane at Mile 23 alongside beautiful Killary Harbour. The beautiful descent gave way to a flat couple of miles into the village, but the wind was really whipping up at this stage and I was slowly losing the will to live. I mean, I was fine really, but was just mentally flagging a little.

Just before Leenane, I told Sideswipe I was going to slow it down a bit, conserve some energy. He pushed forward a bit in advance of his next drop bag at Mile 26. I didn't see him again until after the race. Mentally, I was happy to see my next drop bag, as it was something different. I took on some flat coke and some pretzels and walked on a bit, munching away, and through the marathon timing mat. No split yet posted, but I think it was around 3:33. If the drop bag table had been after the marathon timing mat, I may have been sub 3:30 for the marathon, but the time collecting my supplies slowed me down.

Final 13.1 miles

I went through Leenane, turning right and onto the 13.1 mile road for home. That hill going out of Leenane, something that didn't seem to bad when I did the HM 4 years ago, was Everest this time. I chatted away to a lad who did the Marathon des Sables a year ago, then walked for a bit and took on a gel. I pretty much adopted a Run 10 mins/ Walk 1 min approach from there until the HoTW. Did I need to do this? Probably not. But I just did not have the gumption to really put in more of an effort. I had loose time goals, but the fact that they were loose meant I really wasn't pushed to meet them. I had done all my hard work for Tralee, and wasn't going to be putting in a really hard effort here.

As a result of my run-walk approach, I was playing leap-frog with a few marathon runners, but would eventually move ahead of them. I passed a few ultras too, and pressed on for home, having a few chats as I went. Breaking up the miles, I was now looking forward to my drop bag at 32 miles. Once again, there wasnt anything in there I was particularly looking forward to, but it was another milestone. My cousin was (wo)manning one of the water stations - Mile 29 - she gave me a big shout-out, which was cool. By now, the vocal support from marathon runners as I passed them was low - they were going through their own tough patches and probably weren't too concerned about me! Picked up my last drop bag and drank about a quarter bottle (125ml) of flat coke and had a gel before moving onwards. Some cramp was setting in at the top of my quads, but it was still controllable at this point, less so on the uphills. I wondered would I catch wifey before the end. I hoped I did and I hoped I didn't - the former for my selfish reasons, the latter knowing that if I did, chances are she would be outside her goal. I was still quite cold from the oncoming headwind and contemplated putting on one of the discarded clothes items on the side of the road, but none of them really suited my colour scheme.

Was chatting to Pat from the 100 Marathon Club with about 6 miles to go, before I moved on and began looking forward to the Hell of the West. My maths skills had really deserted me at this point that I couldn't really fathom what time I might finish at. Best to just HTFU and get there I suppose. Turn right at Maam Cross, and one more gel there with 4 miles to go and onwards up the hill. I could see the runners snaking the hell of west up ahead of me like a pilgrimage, and I kept pressing on, walking some parts as I was really cramping up at this stage. But I passed a few ultra runners here and made some good progress through the HM and FM field too. Finally hit the top of the hill and was feeling good, before I swerved to avoid a giant amount of jelly babies on the ground and got a severe cramp in my calf. Thankfully I was able to stretch it out and keep moving, albeit I was running with an odd-type gait from here on in to avoid the cramp. Still not 100% sure why I swerved around those jellied delights, but some things don't make sense after over 5 hours on your feet.

Got up some rhythm as I went down the hill, but had to check my pace to avoid some awful cramps hitting me. Passed one or two more ultra runners in the final 2 mile straight and got a lot of support from other runners as I moved towards the holy grail that was Peacocks Hotel. I could hear the finish line, I'm pretty sure I could smell the finish line.... and then.... I could see the finish line. Sped up and whipped the crowd into a frenzy as is customary, and over the finish line in 5hours 31 mins. Delighted with that performance. Good for 28th place - far exceeding my expectations for this one.

Afterwards:

Quick handshake with the RD, and then I get my medal presented by Mick Rice. I read a lot of Mick Rice's reports on his blog, and he really captures the event he participates (and does very well in) and has a wonderful way of transferring it into words. On to the baggage section.... Ultra runners had their own area with seats, recovery drinks, baggage, medals and t-shirts. To say we were treated like running royalty throughout this event would be an understatement.

I chatted with Sideswipe who had run an excellent race, finishing about two minutes ahead of me. I then found Mrs. Killerz who had a superb HM debut and was delighted with herself. Had some soup and sambos in Peacocks before getting the bus home to Galway.

I wore the ultra finishers top out that evening ( I know, I know....., but if you cant wear it that day, when can you!). It was a great conversation starter with other people who had done the race (there were many others wearing their tops too). I even got a spontaneous round of applause from a group of around 15 Italians in the Kings Head pub (some of whom had done the marathon) - that was a brand new experience for me! I could see that people who had done the half and the full (which deserves total respect in itself) really looked up us ultra runners.... the same way as I did those years ago when I did the half. I hope I have inspired them to continue running, to achieve their goals and to realise that anyone can do this...... Anyone can do this.... but you get out what you put in.

Thank you to everyone who was part of this, from the volunteers to the other runners I chatted with (especially Sideswipe who was subjected to over 3 hours of my ramblings and musings) and to the organisers. This race, across any of the three distances which each have their own challenges, is essential running as far as the Irish calendar goes.

The Stats:

39.52 miles per Garmin; 5:31; 8:24/mi; HR avg 153; max 184
6 gels, probably 13 x small bottles water, some pretzels, bagel.

Mile Splits:

Mile time HR
1. 8:20 136
2. 7:47 141
3. 8:03 141
4. 8:08 145
5. 8:16 141
6. 8:06 141
7. 7:56 142
8. 7:50 147
9. 7:43 148
10. 7:45 145
11. 7:55 147
12. 7:46 152
13. 7:58 154
14. 7:50 157
15. 7:45 155
16. 7:35 153
17. 7:49 149
18. 8:06 151
19. 7:50 153
20. 8:20 157
21. 8:40 158
22. 8:06 159
23. 8:08 160
24. 7:39 155
25. 8:10 160
26. 8:32 159
27. 10:28 153
28. 10:21 159
29. 8:52 157
30. 8:18 157
31. 8:58 155
32. 10:46 152
33. 8:42 157
34. 9:01 155
35. 9:18 155
36. 8:52 160
37. 10:05 166
38. 8:38 164
39. 7:49 164
39.53 3:45 (7:04/mi) 176

Killerz

horanc wrote: »

Quite emotional reading that! Huge congratulations again! And I am glad for both you and Mrs. Killerz that Chicago is 'gone but not forgotten'! Your all the better for it now. Looking forward to reading about how Connemara Ultra went for you.

Thank you HoranC, kind words there. The Conn Ultra report is fresh off the press for your enjoyment. Hope the preps are going well for London next weekend!

menoscemo

Great report Killerz, really captures the essence of that race. It is definitely a special one.
It's funny I recognise almost everyone in your report from your descriptions. We must move in small circles :P

Marthastew

I was lucky enough to run Conn Ultra last year and reading your report has given me a strong urge to go and run it again next year.
You really captured the day so well, I particularly loved the pilgrimage up the HOTW, that's exactly how I remember it. Congratulations on a fantastic result and I'm glad Mrs Killerz had a great run also, maybe she'll be back to run the Ultra in a few years?
Enjoy the well deserved rest now:)

Killerz

menoscemo wrote: »

Great report Killerz, really captures the essence of that race. It is definitely a special one.
It's funny I recognise almost everyone in your report from your descriptions. We must move in small circles :P

Cheers Meno, glad you liked it. I agree, these circles just keep getting smaller!

Killerz

Marthastew wrote: »

I was lucky enough to run Conn Ultra last year and reading your report has given me a strong urge to go and run it again next year.
You really captured the day so well, I particularly loved the pilgrimage up the HOTW, that's exactly how I remember it. Congratulations on a fantastic result and I'm glad Mrs Killerz had a great run also, maybe she'll be back to run the Ultra in a few years?
Enjoy the well deserved rest now:)

Thanks Marthastew. Indeed your advice with regard to the drop bags was most helpful too. Like you, I have a strong urge to go back next year, maybe do it as a goal race, who knows.... I have a habit of changing my mind quite frequently! We'll take the gentle step of suggesting DCM 2013 to Mrs. K first before any notions of ultras can be dangled in front of her! :cool:

DogSlySmile

39.52 miles per Garmin; 5:31; 8:24/mi;

Great result, congratulations pal. That's some pace to keep up for the guts of 40 miles, well done.

sideswipe

Brilliant report as usual Killerz, you're giving Mick Rice a run for him money report wise!! T'was a pleasure to run with you. I hope your recovering well and hope to catch up again at some stage.
I have your blog earmarked to read through as I try to plot a course to a sub 3 in the not too distant future!

Killerz

sideswipe wrote: »

Brilliant report as usual Killerz, you're giving Mick Rice a run for him money report wise!! T'was a pleasure to run with you. I hope your recovering well and hope to catch up again at some stage.
I have your blog earmarked to read through as I try to plot a course to a sub 3 in the not too distant future!

Haha, if only I could match his pace! Recovery is going well, had a couple of days on the Aran Islands pretty much eating all around me - there may well be food shortages on da island - I think I heard them breathe a sigh of relief as we departed. Hope you're going well too - sub 3 will be no bother to you after Sunday!

sideswipe

Killerz wrote: »

Haha, if only I could match his pace! Recovery is going well, had a couple of days on the Aran Islands pretty much eating all around me - there may well be food shortages on da island - I think I heard them breathe a sigh of relief as we departed. Hope you're going well too - sub 3 will be no bother to you after Sunday!

I know what you mean about the food, seem to have given myself carte blanche since Sunday; between that, tapering and carb loading pre race I'm now heavier than when I started training for Conn which is just plain wrong:o

sub 3 will be no bother to you after Sunday!

A long way to go in terms of building any sort of speed, the thought of 26.2 x 6:50ish min/miles is still very daunting. After Sunday I think I might be more of a longer distance donkey than a 'shorter' distance hare! Have even found myself googling things like 'WS100 Qualifying'.......I'm going to get served divorce papers;)

Killerz

sideswipe wrote: »

I know what you mean about the food, seem to have given myself carte blanche since Sunday; between that, tapering and carb loading pre race I'm now heavier than when I started training for Conn which is just plain wrong:o

......

A long way to go in terms of building any sort of speed, the thought of 26.2 x 6:50ish min/miles is still very daunting. After Sunday I think I might be more of a longer distance donkey than a 'shorter' distance hare! Have even found myself googling things like 'WS100 Qualifying'.......I'm going to get served divorce papers;)

Ah, gotta enjoy the aftermath of the run... we cant be hermits all the time!
WS100 - that would be living the dream (as we discussed on Sunday) - Enjoy making some fresh plans, plans that are best made while pigging out....plenty of time to decide whether to go for speed or distance.

Quack2000

Killerz,a great run,well done. Brilliant to cash in on all the training.

Killerz

Quack2000 wrote: »

Killerz,a great run,well done. Brilliant to cash in on all the training.

Thanks a mil, Quack2000. I enjoyed the Conn Ultra so much I am considering it as a goal race for 2014 in lieu of a standard Spring marathon - maybe focus on getting the time down in the Ultra, rather than having it as the wind-down race.

irishroute66er

Hi Killerz, Gerry from the hotel here. Glad to see you got through it okay, and in a great time too in what was a tough day at the office for all. Like yourself (and most other mortals), I found the last 13 into the wind a little testing, but never boring. Then again what are ultras for if not to push the boundaries for us? Great buzz all along the course with all the runners giving each other support those last few miles when the body is begging for mercy. I passed some half marathoners who were suffering just as much on the hell of the west. All relative isn't it?
I came home myself in 6hrs 23mins and 73rd place, which I was delighted with seeing as I won't see 50 again (or 54 either). I ran with Forest Gump Brian and Ger from Cork for a few miles. Great guys. Great race. Great day.
Hopefully will bump into you again.

Killerz

irishroute66er wrote: »

Hi Killerz, Gerry from the hotel here. Glad to see you got through it okay, and in a great time too in what was a tough day at the office for all. Like yourself (and most other mortals), I found the last 13 into the wind a little testing, but never boring. Then again what are ultras for if not to push the boundaries for us? Great buzz all along the course with all the runners giving each other support those last few miles when the body is begging for mercy. I passed some half marathoners who were suffering just as much on the hell of the west. All relative isn't it?
I came home myself in 6hrs 23mins and 73rd place, which I was delighted with seeing as I won't see 50 again (or 54 either). I ran with Forest Gump Brian and Ger from Cork for a few miles. Great guys. Great race. Great day.
Hopefully will bump into you again.

Hi Gerry, thanks for your post. Congratulations on a super race - great performance. You are quite right, it was testing for us mere mortals....that wind was very challenging, on a course that already is a severe tester!

Indeed it is all relative, everyone had their own struggles, all at different paces, each one pushing their own boundaries, and thats what i love about it. I hope your recovery goes well, best of luck with the next target, and i have no doubt we'll bump into each other again....maybe same time, same place, next year?

irishroute66er

Thanks Killerz. I,ll most likely be back next year if the body is able. Been there 4 times now (2 full and 2 ultras) and never get tired of it. Probably same hotel too. It was comfortable, clean, convenient and staff were friendly.They did a decent chicken tagliatelle the day before the race as well. Hopefully the night security guy will give up the smokes and get back to running marathons. A bit of a character, but not too sure if he was on the same planet.
I might give the Dingle ultra another go this year, the weather was lousy last year with a brutal headwind going up the Conor pass. Visibility was almost non existent, mores the pity as the scenery is spectacular on a good day. If anything its probably a tougher ultra than Connemara. Either that or the Longford Ultra which I've never done.
Anyway I,ll pick something soon to get me focused again. The body is starting to recover and looking to hit the trails again.
The love of running doesn't change with age, we just get slower.
As far as wearing the ultra shirt, I have to admit I wore it in the hotel bar afterwards too.......and why not? Well earned.

Killerz

Sounds like you have some good plans there! Not sure if I'll go for another ultra this year, tempting and all that portumna and dingle are. But I'm strongly thinking of conn ultra next year. All the best with the training!

Killerz

Pulling together a few bits and pieces over the last few weeks here:

Week ending 7th April (lead up to Conn Ultra)

Mon (1st April): 6.29 miles nice and easy - 55:11
Tue: 5.47 miles home from work - 46:17
Sun: Conn Ultra as described in previous post 39.3 miles.

Total miles this week: 51.06

/////// END OF TRALEE/ CONNEMARA TRAINING CYCLE ///////

Week ending 14th April

I insisted on giving myself 2 weeks off running after Conn Ultra....

Myself and the missus headed off to the Aran Islands for a few days. Took bikes out for the day on the Tuesday and did a bit of a hike on the Wednesday. Nothing too strenuous, but definitely helped the recovery.

Week ending 21st April

Mon: Weights and foam rolling
Weds: Weights and foam rolling
Sat: Volunteered at Parkrun Malahide - lovely morning.
Weights and foam rolling in the afternoon
Sun: 1 hour cycle with Mrs. Killerz

After watching the London Marathon today (and following many boardsies on the tracker - well done all - I am now itching to get running again!).

Killerz

With the boxes ticked for the first part of 2013, and a bit of downtime behind me, I am now starting to look at the second part of the year. I think I would like to give DCM 2013 a shot, so with that in mind, I am looking at the Race Series as the step-up. Haven't decided on a goal as yet - will set that out in the next month or two as I build up a base, ahead of launching into a program in June.

In the meantime, I will look at trying to get rid of the PF (physio appt this Thursday is a good start), and I am thinking about making my BHAA debut at RTE 5 Miler this Saturday. As I have been eating all around me and pretty much sitting on my a$$ for the last 2 weeks, I don't think that will be PB territory for me, but it will be nice to get my sweat on again!

Also plan to do a few parkruns to work on my 5k times. I havent raced it since January, and was up there on token-sorting duty yesterday...made me sorry I didn't have my runners with me - fabulous day, fabulous event, reflected in the record attendance. The guys there are doing everything right.

belcarra

Killerz wrote: »

Also plan to do a few parkruns to work on my 5k times. I havent raced it since January, and was up there on token-sorting duty yesterday...made me sorry I didn't have my runners with me - fabulous day, fabulous event, reflected in the record attendance. The guys there are doing everything right.

I was out there myself for the run and agree, it was a beautiful morning for running!

Killerz

belcarra wrote: »

I was out there myself for the run and agree, it was a beautiful morning for running!

I'm terrible for recognising boardsies at races.....

----makes note to self to do more research----

Killerz

After two and a half weeks off following the Conn Ultra, I was wondering how I would feel doing a gentle 5 miler home on Wednesday. I was excited about getting back out there again after my self-enforced exile from plodding. I hadn't been completely inactive, going for a couple of cycles and doing some weights, but nothing significant.

I wasnt expecting my rogue left foot to be completely pain free, the PF still bothering me while walking. But I could deal with that, I was used to that. I set off, and about half a mile in, I felt this twinge in my right foot. wtf? Shook it off, dismissing it as a minor issue. But it hit again less than a mile later. I was committed to running home now so hadnt much choice but to proceed. It got me again a couple of more times and I was running slowly to preserve myself. It got worse, any time I went to accelerate or hit an uneven groove in the ground, it felt like something was going to pull. There was one incident in particular that really left me fearful. Got home anyhow and stretched out. Had a physio appointment booked for the following night, so the timing was good (!).

Physio reckons it was just a strain. After going through a few motions, in the physio room, everything seemed just fine. Physio worked on my left foot, strapped me up on both feet and told me to take it easy. No BHAA RTE 5 miler for me on Saturday

Went out for an easy 25 mins on Friday night and thankfully all felt okay. The strapping on both feet definitely helped. So I hope its alright. I might have to focus on cycling and other sports for a while. Tough, as running is my passion. We shall see. I want to fix myself, but I also want to run. Maybe one or two short runs a week.

Just finished reading Gerry Duffy's new book about his deca-ironman. Enjoyed it immensely. Makes me think of how to run through mental pain in a whole new light.

Killerz

Week ending 28th April

Mon: Weights, core work and foam rolling
Wed: 4.5 miles (see above) in 40:04; avg 8:54/mi; weights after
Fri: Gentle 25 minute run around football pitches; weights and core work
Sat: 16.5 miles cycling: 1:17:41. HR avg: 134, max 164
Sun: 13 miles cycling: 1:07:25. HR avg: 132, max 167; weights after.

Trying to mix things up to give my legs a break from pounding the pavement, but still get the HR up. Cycling has been fun the past couple of days but I dont know how much passion I have for it.....

Gonna chance an easy 5-6 miles home from work tomorrow evening.

Killerz

Week ending 5th May

Mon: 6 miles easy home from work, 48:24. Felt good.
Tue: Weights and core work
Thu: Went out for a few miles after work to see how the legs were and also inject a couple of short bursts of pace.

Did 6.1 miles in total, average pace of 7:53/mi, with 2 x 400m bursts at 5:53/mi and 5:44/mi pace. Worked out well and felt good. Should be okay for a decent push at parkrun on Saturday.

Fri: Weights and core before work
Sat: Parkrun Malahide.

This would be my 4th parkrun, and I knew it would likely be my slowest. No problem, I am taking some downtime at the moment and just looking for a good run out.

As myself and Mrs. Killerz were strolling down towards the start, I was pretty sure that I saw Krusty Clown coming towards me, but having never met him before, couldnt be sure. It later transpired that it was him and I introduced myself, once again apologising for leaving him hanging after Chicago 2011. Also met another Boardsie by the name of Brian (real name, not sure of boards name). Krusty soon moved away up the front when he realised I was planning on going at a slower pace than him. Anyhow, nice to put a face to the name after having to get by merely on photographs to date.

The run was tough for me as I am a little out of shape. Didn't bother me in that I just wanted to get a decent work out. HR was high enough throughout (avg 180, max 192). Comparing that to my PB of 17:37 on the same course in December (avg 176, max 186), it was clear I was pushing things. I slowed a few times to bring the HR down, but performed ahead of my sub 20 target to finish in 18:38, 17th spot. Grand. The run wasnt spectacular, I didnt really have any competitive struggles during it, no jostling for places, just a good sweat.

3.11 miles parkrun + 1.5 miles total w/u; c/d.

Later on: 8.05 mile cycle; 39:12; HR avg 149, max 167

Sun: 10.53 mile cycle, 53:59; HR avg 126, max 149.

Nice week, plenty of exercise of different types - cycling, running and weights. Feel good overall.

16.71 miles running; 18.58 miles cycling this week.

Krusty_Clown

Nice to finally meet you too! That was ChristieB (former runner, mostly found on the yoga forums these days ). Still sure we met at some stage previously. I knew the face, but recognized the voice too.. Enjoy the down-time. I wish I had taken a leaf from your book.

Killerz

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Nice to finally meet you too! That was ChristieB (former runner, mostly found on the yoga forums these days ). Still sure we met at some stage previously. I knew the face, but recognized the voice too.. Enjoy the down-time. I wish I had taken a leaf from your book.

Ah yes, I am familiar with ChristieB's work (on the running forums!).

And perhaps we have met before....mysterious, isn't it?

I normally would be slow to take some down time, but I think I pushed myself enough over the last few months that it would be dangerous not to! Congrats on your excellent performance on Saturday, by the way.

Krusty_Clown

Killerz wrote: »

Congrats on your excellent performance on Saturday, by the way.

You mean the projectile vomiting, right?