Running Through The Wall

Killerz

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You mean the projectile vomiting, right?

Erm yes, that's it.

Killerz

Week ending 12th May

Mon: 9.45 easy miles on a sunny bank holiday monday. Dont think I've ever seen so many people in St Anne's Park before, and Bull Island was lovely. 1:15:36, for an average pace of 8 mins per mile.
Tue: Weights and core work
Thu: 7 miles easy pace late in the evening after arriving in from a couple of days work in London. Nice to stretch the legs after all the travel etc. over the past couple of days. 55:25 total time.
Sat: 10 miles in 1:20:47 on the trails of St Annes. Mixed weather conditions made it very cold at times, but I pulled through in average pace of 8:04/mi. Weights and core work after the run.
Sun: 6.2 miles in 52:04 - 8:34/mi. Was very hungry during this one and did not enjoy it at all.

Total miles this week: 32.65 miles - feel I'm back into it again after a couple of recuperation weeks. 2 weeks til the next race - Calcutta Run on the 25th of May. I will then turn my attentions towards preparation for the Beer Mile.

Killerz

Week ending 19th May

Mon: 4 miles quick lunchtime run to pick up some orthotics. Wore them for about 3 miles - I can see they will do some good but werent the most comfortable to start with.
Tue: Weights and core work.
Wed: 9 miles with 4 x 1km @ in or around 10k pace. Decided to give my Adidas Adizero/ Adios runners a go, havent really broken them in yet despite purchasing them last November. Had tried them a couple of times but wasnt convinced. Took out the insoles and popped in the orthotics. Too much too soon in hindsight as I blistered the insides of my feet which made the whole session a harrowing experience!

Total time: 1:07:31; avg pace 7:29/mi; HR avg 146, max 175.

3.73 miles warm-up - 29:30; 7:55/mi; 134 HR.

4 x 1km reps with 1 minute recovery in between each.

3:55; HR 160 avg;
3:55; HR 163 avg;
3:54; HR 166 avg;
3:58; HR 166 avg.

2.44 miles cool down - 19:19; avg pace 7:56/mi; 151 HR.

Thu: Weights and core work.
Fri: 6.2 miles easy in the morning before heading off for a wedding. 52:14, avg pace 8:26/mi.
Sun: 12.4 miles in St Annes Park, Bull Island etc. Total time 1:42:33; avg pace 8:16/mi. Was joined for 10 miles by a friend of mine.
Of course the weather turned excellent as soon as I finished my run.

31.6 miles in total this week. Satisfactory return from the week as I head towards the Calcutta Run this coming Saturday. One more fast session this week should get me in the frame of mind for panting my way around the Phoenix Park :eek:

Killerz

Week ending 26th May

Mon: Weights, core work and 3 miles easy.
Tue: 10 miles with 4 x 1km @ in or around 10k pace.

Total time: 1:14:321; avg pace 7:27/mi; HR avg 149, max 179.

3.73 miles warm-up - 29:09; 7:49/mi; 134 HR.

4 x 1km reps with 1 minute recovery in between each.

3:50; HR 166 avg;
3:57; HR 169 avg;
3:57; HR 172 avg;
3:55; HR 169 avg.

3.38 miles cool down - 26:43; avg pace 7:54/mi; 153 HR.

Wed: Lunchtime run down to Irishtown Nature Reserve and back. 6.3 miles; 48:27. Weights in the evening.
Thu: 6.07 miles nice and easy. 49:32; avg pace 8:10/mi.
Sat: Calcutta Run

Big gang of us from work doing this race, a 10.3k starting and finishing in the Law Society. I had relatively low expectations in terms of getting a good time for this one, sub 40 for the full 10.3 would do me just fine.

It was a particularly warm day, and with the race starting at 11am, it would be close to the hottest part of the day. Anyhow, off we went. I was running at a relatively handy pace, and figured I was somewhere in the top 10 by the time we were in the Phoenix Park. Kept on trundling along, taking advantage of the water stations - just a sip. Wouldnt normally bother on a 10k, but I was grateful for it on this occasion due to the heat.

Passed a couple of lads I had been creeping up on for a while around 5k-6k and shook them off as we passed the S-bends. With a km or so to go I could see the two lads in front of me but they were a good way off, and I didnt really believe I could catch them. As we rounded the last bend with about 100-150m to go, I overtook the guy in front and absolutely pegged it for the line. Surprisingly, he responded and caught me, nosing over the line just ahead of me.

Wasnt sure what position I had finished in, but judging by the bodies strewn on the ground, I figured about 5th or 6th. Officially, I finished 6th by the gun, but was two seconds faster than 5th place on chip. Them's the breaks I suppose and I should have started closer to the front of the pack. 39:09 gun time, 39:06 chip time. 4th and 5th place finished in 39:07 and 39:08 respectively. Not a bad morning's work. Had a couple of cans of Bulmers, and some bbq'd treats afterwards. Lovely.

10.3km - 39:06; 6:07/mi avg pace; HR avg 176; max 184.
10km mark was hit in 38:14. Way off my PB (about 2 and a half mins slower), but that's no problem considering I'm not in peak condition at the moment.

6.4 mile run + 1 mile warm-up= 7.4 miles today.

32.77 miles total this week.

Killerz

Its been a busy few weeks for Killerz, and I must scold myself for not keeping up to date with my log. Took on some interesting and new challenges over the last while making this quite long-winded...... if you are interested solely in the Beer Mile, scroll to the end!

Week ending 2nd of June

Lots of good weather in the country this week....

Mon: 9 miles home from work; 1:11:49
Tue: Lunchtime 5 miler around Herbert Park; 38:59
Wed: 9 miles home from work; 1:17:01
Thu: 5.7 miles lunchtime run; 45:39
Sat: Parkrun Malahide, 5k

17:42, 7th Position

Wasn't sure what kind of shape I was in ahead of this one, and I was surprised to come in in 17:42, only 4 seconds slower than my PB, ran on this course back in December. Nice run, relatively cool conditions, paced it well (target was sub 18, but I made up some extra time on the last km).

HR avg 175, max of 185.

4.7 miles total today including warm up and cool down.

Sun: 7 miles from Blackrock to end of Dun Laoghaire pier and back. Delightful day for a run, sun was shining, the world was looking good. 54:22 - average pace 7:45/mi.

Total miles this week: 40.4 + some weights and core work along the way.

Week ending 9th of June

My bank holiday was taken away from me unfortunately, I had to travel to Italy with work for meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. As a consequence, I didn't get much running in. But here is what I did do:

Tue: 45 mins on the exercise bike together with weights and core work in hotel gym.
Thu: 12 miles home from work nice and easy, 1:41:21
Fri: 5.7 miles into work, easy pace, 47:01
Sat: Parkrun Marlay 5k

As we were staying in the Southside over the weekend, myself and Mrs. Killerz felt this would be a good opportunity to give the Marlay circuit a go. The conditions were tough due to un-Irish like sunshine. I had initially hoped that this might be an opportunity to PB. In hindsight, the heat, a long work week and my lack of knowledge of the course combined to ensure I wasnt going to achieve that.

Lovely course, but I found the going tough. 8th place in 17:59. Nice setup there in Marlay. I think I'd have to give Marlay one or two more goes to compare it more accurately with Malahide in terms of toughness etc.

HR avg 173, max 184. 4.3 miles total including w/u and c/d.

Sun: 9 miles around Blackrock, Booterstown and onto Dun Laoghaire and back. Not sure exactly what my time was for this, but around 1:12 I believe.

Total miles this week: 31

Week ending 16th of June

And what a week this was. Two first time experiences for me!

Mon: 13.1 miles after work: 1:45:44. Decent long-ish run down around Milltown, Dodder Valley, UCD, Sandymount and back along coast to the Northside. Pleasant evening for a run, but no doubt the weather is going to change!
Tue: 6.1 miles - cracking lunchtime run from Baggot St. out to Irishtown Nature Reserve and back. Really enjoyed this one. 46:40.
Wed: BHAA Trinity Track 1 Mile and 2km

I had been meaning to do a BHAA race for some time now. I had planned on making my debut in the RTE 5 miler back in April but I hadnt recovered sufficiently after the Tralee and Connemara endeavours so I sat the 5 miler out.

Headed down for the start and met a couple of people that work in my organisation that I hadnt met before, there were three of us, so enough to make a team. Bit of chat and all that as we waited for our graded races. There was some rain in the hour or two before the races and I was concerned about running on the grass with no spikes. As it transpired, I had nothing to worry about - it was fine.

1 Mile Race

Had no idea how to pace myself for this or the 2km. All I knew was not to get too boxed in at the start and give it a decent lash. Worked out fine, think I probably had too much in the tank by the time I finished - not used to running such short distances. 5:18 by my watch, not sure what position I was in - results not posted yet. HR avg 170, max 182. I should definitely be pushing closer to 5 minutes.

2km Race

About an hour later, I was in the 2km race, which was the one that would count for the team results. 5 laps of the track beckoned. Did it in 6:51 by my watch, which I think is roughly the same pace as I did the mile in. HR avg 173, max 184.

Our team came second in the 'B' standard, our reward coming in the form of Trinity College memorabilia.

Overall, I'm not sure if it was the fact that this just wasnt a goal race or if it was just my inexperience at the distances, but I just didnt push as hard as I could. I'd like to give the mile another shot... I knew I had a special mile event coming up 2 days later, but not exactly the same thing . I did enjoy the BHAA experience, and I plan on doing some more races.

4 miles total including w/u and c/d.

Thu: 6.2 miles lunchtime run out to Irishtown Reserve and back. 49:26
Fri: The Beer Mile

I was super-excited about this event, finding it difficult to sleep all week. The secret nature of it, the danger factor, the unknown elements. It all conspired to build up the anticipation.....

And it did not disappoint.

I had done no training at all. I ran my first standard mile on Wednesday, and I am an accomplished beer consumer, but I have never combined these two. It really would be into the unknown. I did some research, but really, like training for a race - different techniques and different nuances are going to apply to everyone.

Mrs. Killerz (on video duty) and myself arrived to the track about 10 mins before kick-off. Conditions were horrendous, but a decent crowd had gathered ahead of the main event. Some familiar faces, some new ones. A nun, a pirate and a zombie just added to the outlandish nature of this.

I brought corona as my beer of choice.

We got togged out and ready to go, getting progressively wetter as we went. A few ground rules etc as laid out by the RD and about 20 of us were off. I think I was about 6th or 7th out of the blocks after downing my first beer, and off I went. I didnt time each lap unfortunately, but I didnt run full pelt as I was afraid of puking and didnt want to be completely out of breath before trying to down another beer.

Through Lap 2 transition and down with another beer. Still more or less holding position and chugged number two without any serious issues. And off around again.

In for Lap 3 and this time the beers were going in more slowly. Trying to catch your breath and drink a beer quickly is the most difficult multi-tasking operation I have ever undertaken. Not easy by any stretch.

Coming in for my final beer at the start of Lap 4, I could see some strugglers who were yet to go out for Lap 3. I felt for them. Well I kind of did, I was more concerned with not puking. While I didnt feel the need to puke, beer can be a surprising animal, and I needed to take this into consideration. I would say I rather relaxed through the last beer. This allowed Peckham to catch me and make up for his earlier fumbling around with the bottle opener at the start. But anyhow, I was just delighted to finish that beer and head off for the final lap, which went without incident.

Finished 5th in 8:13. A solid result in those conditions and for a first-time effort. Definite room for improvement there.

Great getting to meet some other boardsies both at the track and in the pub afterwards. Indeed the toilet/ changing room scenario was hilarious. Thanks to Dr. Q for organising it and I look forward to a future event somewhere!

Sun: 10 miles on the St Annes Park trails - 1:19:37. Nice round-off to the week.

Total miles this week: 40.3

Killerz

Week ending 23 rd June

A solid week of training, due in part to the clear run of the week with no races or distractions in my way over the course of the 7 days. Nice to get some miles on the board, albeit I was pretty tired come Saturday lunchtime after the 15 miler which concluded my running week. All runs were at an easy pace.

Mon: 8.9 miles, 1:12:04. Easy pace.
Tue: 12 miles, 1:36:21; 8:02/mi. Nice medium-long run home from work, but taking the scenic route along the Dodder path from Rathfarnham down to Ballsbridge. Really enjoyed the stretch as far as Clonskeagh –this was a path I hadn’t run before and will definitely be adding it to my future routes.
Wed: Weights/ core
Thu: 6.5 easy miles home from work 53:33. Gentle run. Got home and was asking myself ‘Is that it?’ ‘No more miles – we’re stopping at 6.5?’
Fri: 5.56 easy miles into work in 44:32. Nice to get back into the overnight doubles – home on thurs, in on fri.
Sat: 15 miles around St. Anne’s Park and seafront: 2:06:42; 8:27/mi. Joined for about 8 miles by a friend of mine. Was home just before 11am and sat myself down to watch the Lions game and then some of the European team events on BBC – laughed heartily at Mo Farah’s 400m dash. Was pretty wrecked after the 15 miler – at least by the time my next run comes around (Monday evening), that will have been at least 48 hours since my last run – a nice rest.
Sun: Weights/ core

Total miles this week: 47.96

The week ahead brings a step-back week with 2 races – BHAA 5km Phoenix Park trail on Tuesday evening and the Race Series 5 Miler on Saturday. Tuesday’s race will act more as a sharpener session rather than anything else. As for Saturday, I will give it a fair bash, though I am not sure if I am in the same shape as I was in Raheny back in January – this race may perhaps have come that bit too early in my training cycle to really cash in on my training in the same way as Raheny did.

18 weeks to DCM 2013 from today!

Killerz

Week ending 30th June

Cracking week this past week. I knew it was going to be good when a new kitten arrived in our lives. Columbus Cat is settling in well a week on.

Mon: 8.1 miles home from work with 8 x 100m strides. 1:03:36
Tue: BHAA 5km Trail, Phoenix Park

I said I'd enter this as a nice sharpener ahead of the 5 Miler in the Phoenix Park on Saturday. I really enjoyed the Trinity track event a couple of weeks back, so why not! Got to the venue a little ahead of time and joined some of my colleagues for a recon of the course. A pleasant warm-up, though to be honest, I felt a little pooped after it!

Off we went soon after 8pm and I accelerated fast to get position going into the narrower trail segments - trying to pass people on those paths could be tough.. And I found my ideal spot going into the first corner - I dont think I was passed after that. Was feeling strong over the first couple of km on lap 1, but still held something in reserve, reminding myself it was a training run. Enjoyed the trails, although the going was quite firm, not much give in the ground which made it feel almost like road running, albeit on a rough road!

Going into the second of the two laps, I slowed a bit as I was tiring. But still I felt physically very strong - I think this is partially down to a lot of core and upper body work I have been focusing on lately.

Passed a few lads over the last 500m and held off any challenges for a satisfactory 18:09 and 22nd place overall. The nice thing was that together with two of my colleagues, we were the highest scorers for our team, and won the 'A' team category. Lovely! I've never had a first place before. Its part of a team effort, but I'll take that!

Race: 5km. 18:09; HR avg 173, max 185.

Another lap of the course as a warm-down. 6.2 miles total (5km race, 2.5km either side).

Wed: Core work
Thu: 7 miles easy. Total 56:43
Sat: Irish Runner 5 Mile, Phoenix Park

5 years on from my first cut at this event, I was wondering if I might just be in PB shape for this one. Confidence was high after the 5km race on Tuesday, but I wasnt sure if I was in the same frame as I was back in January. Back then, I was 7 weeks out from Tralee, whereas now I am 17 weeks from DCM, with no real training regime behind me. But why not give it a go.

First 3 miles of this were glorious - wind at my back, some downhills, going great guns, Miles as follows: 5:47; 5:39; 5:32. Happy days! 28:xx is a shoe in! Well, no. Mile 4 was tough. Uphill, some wind in the face, and 6:19 - slowing right down, beginning to tire, and dreaming of some lucozade sport at this time. Pulled it together for the last mile, in 5:50, holding off a Raheny lad over the last 400m for a 29:06 chip time finish. Wrecked after that. 7 second PB vs. Raheny in January. Yeh, didnt go sub 29, but I gave it everything and that is what it is all about.

54th place. When I did this race first in 2008, I did it in 37:28 and finished in 816th place. Over 8 minutes and 5 years later, I never would have dreamed I could make such progress.

Race: HR avg 172, max 185, 5:47/mi. 7 miles total including warm up and warm down.
Core work later on in the evening.

Sun: 10 miles bonus run in St Annes/ Dollymount with a friend, who also ran yesterday (31 mins). Nice easy recovery run, 1:28:23, avg pace 8:49 - about 3 mins/mile slower than yesterday....lovely! Hadnt planned on going out today, but glad I did.

Total miles this week: 38.3

Killerz

Review of the first half of the year

Total miles done: 995.5

Its nice to reflect on what has gone before, and I have been fortunate enough to have a great 6 months of running. Ran some great races, met some cool people and perhaps most importantly, made some improvements.

There have been some great contenders for the title of my standout moment of the first 6 months of the year – The Conn Ultra, the Beer Mile, and in many ways the BHAA Trail 5km in the Phoenix Park last week. However, it has to be achieving the elusive sub-3 hour marathon time in Tralee in March. It was a great feeling to cash in on the disciplined training that I put in over the winter and into spring.

Training has been good – I’ve worn out the paths and trails in St. Anne’s Park, and enjoyed my 3-4 runmutes home/ to work each week. Parkrun has been great for getting into the routine of speedwork and race preparations on a regular basis.

Races:

• Raheny 5 Miler (January): 29:13 (PB); 94th place
• Mt. Juliet HM (February): 1:23:07 (PB); 7th place
• Tralee Marathon (March): 2:58:15 (PB); 11th place
• Connemara Ultra (April): 5:31:48; 28th place
• Calcutta Run 10.3km (May): 39:09; 6th place
• Trinity Track 1 mile, 2km (June): 5:18 (1 mile); 6:47 (2km); ‘B’ Category – 2nd place, team
• Beer Mile (June): 8:13; 5th place
• BHAA 5km Trail (June): 18:09; 22nd place; ‘A’ Category – 1st place, team
• Irish Runner 5 Mile (June): 29:06 (PB); 54th place

What's next? Up til recently, I was planning on going for a fast DCM 2013, but I'm not sure I have the focus necessary to do that, and possibly need a mental and physical rest in terms of speed training etc. I will still do DCM, but will just do it at a relaxed pace. Might also do an Ulster marathon to make it 4 marathons in 4 provinces for 2013. Why not - I'm halfway there already!

Other than that, the major project for the second half of the year is setting up a new parkrun in St. Anne's, Raheny. Preparations are advancing well at present, looking at an end of September/ early October start date. I'll kick off a boards thread with more info in the near future.

Killerz

Week ending 7th July

Mon: Easy 12 miler home, along the Dodder path, UCD and on through Sandymount etc. 1:41:16.
Tue: Raheny Summer 2 Mile Series

On my doorstep, lets give it a go! Tired after the 5 miler on Saturday, 10 miles on Sunday and 12 miles on Monday, but why not....

Ran down to Raheny as a 2.25 mile warmup, before doing another mile around the circuit.

2 mile race 11:06 total; HR avg 169, max 187

Mile 1: 5:38; 161 HR;
Mile 2: 5:28; 179 HR.

Quite enjoyed this experience, went off just behind the lead group - let them off as I felt the pace was way too hot. Last thing I wanted to do was strain a muscle in a non-target race. First .4 mile or so was into the wind, so was a relief turning left, caught a few places and went through Mile 1 in a comfortable 5:38.

Kept pushing the pace, not allowing anyone to pass me through the second lap, while slowly bridging the gap to the two guys in front of me. Turning the last corner with less than .2 mile or so to go, I soon passed the chap in front, before catching the other guy literally on the line, and snatching 5th place.

Think the winner did it in early 10's or so. I definitely held back on the first lap, conscious of the effect of the 5 miler last Saturday, and feel I can go a good bit under 11. Later on in the summer, I'll give another one of the weekly races a shot when I have a free Tuesday.

Nice handy 3.1 mile run home to finish off a pleasant evening. 8.25 miles total.

Thu: 9.75 miles home from work. 1:16:56
Fri: 4.4 gentle miles into work. 36:30
Sat: 17 miles - 2:20:04; 8:14/mi. Long, slow, hot run. The view coming back along North Bull Wall towards Dollymount Strand was breathtaking. Fabulous.

Total miles this week: 51.4

Killerz

Week ending 14th July

Mon: 9.4 miles home with 2 x 2 miles at HM pace.

2.35 miles w/u in 19:10
Mile 1: 6:27
Mile 2: 6:21
1 minute recovery jog
Mile 3: 6:16
Mile 4: 6:20
2.9 mile gently does it to get home - 23:03

Forgot the HRM for this one, which is disappointing as I would like to have compared the HRs for the first 2 miles (which I found tough) vs. the second set (which I found much easier). Hot weather made this a tough, but rewarding workout overall.

Tue: 6 miles. Garmin ran out of battery early, so I'm not sure how long this took, but probably in or around 8:15/mi.
Wed: 13.2 miles home from work in 1:50:02, taking in the Dodder Valley and Sandymount. Once again, I found the going tough with the heat, but got there in the end.
Thu: Gentle 5.5 miler home from work in 45:20. Nice and slow, lovely run.
Sat: Griffeen Valley parkrun

Decided to run this, and volunteer afterwards. Very hot morning, was sweating before I even started my warm-up (1 mile).

Lined up towards the front of the group and we were off for the 2 lap course, my first time doing this particular parkrun. Off we went, and I was into a groove in third place inside the first 500m or so, with 2 lads tucked in behind me.

The guy in first began pulling away early, looked like he was very comfortable. Myself and the two lads just behind me (who now moved in front of me) caught and passed the guy in second about midway through the first lap and on we went, not making any ground on first place. Through the end of the first lap in 8:44 (Avg HR 170), I was tucked in behind the two lads, so we had 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in our group. No sign of a challenge from behind.

I remained in that group, staying with the two lads through the lap as we neared about a km to go. I did move ahead at one stage but was reeled in, likewise, they did and I caught up. I was fading though, I think I had that bagel too close to the run start, and the heat was a big factor.

With about 400m to go, the frontrunner was well ahead, and none of us were going to push the pace to try and reel him in. I thought I was going to be dropped by the two lads as they pressed on towards the end. But I clung on in there, and with about 50m to go I upped the pace and passed them and moved from fourth to second place. Second lap: 9:15, Avg HR 178.

5k: 17:57 official time (first finisher was 17:32). Avg HR 174, max 187

I was wrecked after that, but picked up the scanner and assumed my role! Was pumping sweat through that process too! Nonetheless, an enjoyable event, nice course, and very well organised. Volunteers got cookies from the RD too, I like that!

4.1 miles total today.

Sun: 15 miles long run through St. Anne's, out to Sutton along waterfront and back. Think I benefitted from the first cool morning in a long time. Enjoyed the run. 2 hours, avg 8 min miles. Great start to the day ahead of Mumford and Sons later on!

53.2 miles this week. I'll be reducing the total a little this coming week as I prepare for the Fingal 10k on Sunday. Looking forward to it.

Killerz

Week ending 21st July

Tues: Easy enough run home from work - 6.75 miles in 55:25
Weds: BHAA DCC 5k, Irishtown

Was looking forward to running this one, heard it was a fast, flat course, with a bit of track action, so who knows - PB could be on the cards. Bumped into Claralara and Digger down trackside before the race and had a bit of a chat, reminisced a bit over the Beer Mile and before I knew it, it was time to race.

It was a warm evening, dry heat getting to the back of the throat. Started well, jostling for position as we went round the track a couple of times before we headed out into the adjacent Irishtown Park for 3 laps. The course was flat, which was great, but there were a lot of tight turns which forced you to slow down. I was feeling strong as I maintained a 3:30/km pace more or less throughout.

Picked off a couple of lads ahead of me and pushed on, beginning to lap people as I moved on through the laps. The exit out of the park came around eventually, then it was into the stadium again for 3/4 of a lap which seemed to take me forever as I chased the PB. Pushed and pushed but I reckon I was slowing a bit over the last 100m, crossing the line for 13th place and a time of 17:36, a PB by 1 second. Happy with that, thought I might have been in sub 17:30 shape, but maybe the heat was a factor.

Met up with the teammates after and giving of congrats to C-Lara on her first place. Myself and two of the other lads combined to win the overall team competition for our company again which was great!

Stats:
5km race; 17:37; HR avg 171, max 183
5.1 miles total including warmup and cool down.

Fri: 5.5 miles into work; 45:37
Sun: Fingal 10k

Third race in 8 days, looking forward to it as it would be my debut at this event. Was hoping without any good reason really that I could challenge my 10k PB of 35:41 in this race. Conditions werent as warm as they had been in the preceeding week, but still there was some humidity there to contend with.

I have to say, I thought the set-up in Swords town, the route, the finish etc were great.

Anyhow, I took my place in the corral, probably about 5 or 6 rows back as I felt top 60-70 was reasonable. I knew a few elites would come in late and ad to the front, but the incredibly frustrating thing was, once again, a number of people who really had no chance of going sub-40, let alone near 35 appeared out of nowhere. I know its not fair to judge by appearance, but call it experience at this stage. It was too late to try move closer to the front, so I spent the first few hundred metres weaving around these people.

I had a strong first couple of km, hitting 7:11 for the 2km marker, at which stage I had already had a brief chat with Kiely Unusual, who picked up the pace and moved on, looking very comfortable, bouncing along like he was heading towards a barbeque or something.

A good 3rd km in 3:29, before slowing down on the 4th to 3:43. And that is more or less the pace I kept for the forthcoming kms as we traversed the country roads around Swords:

5th km: 3:43
6th km: 3:44
7th km: 3:40

I lost interest mentally. Perhaps too many races lately, I didnt want to push any faster. And that trend continued through the final miles:

8th km: 3:53
9th km: 3:59
10th km: 3:41

That monster hill at the end didnt help morale, but once I turned the corner and saw the downhill to the finish, that perked me up, and as usual I whipped the crowd into a frenzy as I pushed for the line.

36:40 official time, 59th place. HR avg 172, max 181. 8.22 miles including warm ups and cool down.

Great race, well organised, reasonable performance. Nice to meet a few boardsies and beer milers before and after the race!

Later on as I reflected on the race, I was disappointed with my performance, but I didnt put enough in, and therefore didnt get it out. I think max I could have got low 36's based on current fitness.

Total miles this week: 25.57

Killerz

Week ending 28th July

Not a whole lot of running this week as I sought to take a little bit of a break.

Fri: 4.1 miles easy with Mrs. Killerz before we headed off to a wedding for the day. 41:10.
Sun: 10.6 miles easy prior to seeing a wonderful performance by Ennio Morricone in the evening.

14.7 miles total this week.

Week ending 4th August

First week of two weeks off work - holidays.

Mon: Out measuring the parkrun course in the morning, 6.75 miles easy in the afternoon - 55:05; 8:10/mi.
Weds: 6.65 miles easy in the morning; 53:37; 8:04/mi.
Fri: 6.04 miles nice and easy with Mrs. Killerz up around the Gap of Dunloe near Killarney.
Sat: 8 miles in Knocknagree, Co. Cork, some of it with Mrs. Killerz. 1:04:19 or 8:02/mi.

Total miles this week: 27.44 - a pleasing total considering I'm on holidays!

KielyUnusual

Killerz wrote: »

Total miles this week: 27.44 - a pleasing total considering I'm on holidays!

Tut, tut, tut.

No work means you should be running more;)

Enjoy the holidays.

Killerz

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Tut, tut, tut.

No work means you should be running more;)

Enjoy the holidays.

Yeh, I know. Bad Killerz. But I'll be back stronger than ever!! I just need to work off all those beers, chips, more beers and biscuits!

Killerz

Week ending 11th August

Mon: 6.24 miles nice and handy with Mrs. K on the Killarney and Fossa Way trails.
Weds: 10.15 miles total on back roads of Cork. Total 1:23:01/ avg 8:11/mi including 2.57 miles at 7:58/mi and 5.25 miles at 7:38/mi.
Thu: 6 miles easy, 48:51, avg pace 8:08/mi
Sat: More miles than expected as I joined a friend for a few loops of St Annes. 14.75 miles, 2:10:36 or 8:51/mi.
Sun: 5.8 hungover miles, 47:15 or 8:09/mi.

Total miles this past week: 42.94

Week ending 18th August

Back to work this week - delightful!

Mon: 7.6 miles easy, home from work
Weds: BHAA Mile, Irishtown

I said I'd give this a lash, try and improve on my Trinners Track time from June, get as close to 5 mins as possible. I was a little concerned with this event as I'm now apparently a '6' standard, and would be racing in the 1-6 category, meaning a severe chance of finishing last. Thankfully there were 10 second staggers between grades, but this meant that there was a danger of getting a headstart and STILL finishing last!

Anyway, out I went with I think 5 others.

Lap 1 (9 metres or so to start of 1 of 4 laps): 2:36
Lap 2: 1:13:88 - 4:48/mi; HR 159
Lap 3: 1:17:65 - 5:03/mi; HR 174
Lap 4: 1:17:35 - 4:54/mi; HR 178
Lap 5: 1:14:00 - 4:47/mi; HR 183

For a 5:05 finish. HR avg 173, max 185. Mid-table respectability achieved. Middle two laps were the issues here, and pretty much took me over the 5 min mark.

And straight after the mile, there was the 4*400m relay. I had the third leg. Took the baton with us in second place. Flew off around the bend and almost died about 100m in. Knew a fast lady was breathing down my neck and being encouraged from the sidelines. I was slowing, the world was not a nice place and I wanted to keel over! At the risk of being chicked though, I kept up the pace, and handed the baton over at the final changeover still in second place, a position we maintained til the end. No idea on my or our time.

4 miles total including w/u and cool down.

Met KielyUnusual and Meno down there, nice event overall.

Thu: 12 miles home from work, 1:39:32; 8:18/mi
Fri: 5.65 miles nice and handy into work, 47:20; 8:23/mi
Sun: 16.06 miles to Howth Summit and back. Glorious morning, tough run. 2:17:23; avg pace 8:33/mi

45.31 miles this week.

Killerz

Week ending 25th August

Mon: easy 6.1 miler - tired after yesterday's 16 miler, 49:11; 8:04/mi
Tue: Speed session on way home - medium length run incorporating what I thought was 6 x 600m, but actually was a bit more, as was still in miles on the Garmin etc etc. Anyhow, target pace was 6 min miles for each segment, which was achieved on the majority of the reps. General idea was just to get some short sharpening speedwork in ahead of the 10 miler on Saturday. Forgot HM strap.

5.39 miles w/u in 44:03 - 8:11/mi
Rep 1: 2:43 - 6:01/mi (0.45 miles)
Rep 2: 2:23 - 5:58/mi
Rep 3: 2:32
Rep 4: 2:23
Rep 5: 2:25
Rep 6: 2:25
3.02 miles nice and easy home - 25:19, avg pace 8:23/mi.

Total miles 11.85 in 1:32:07; avg pace 7:46/mi

Wed: 5.7 miles into work in 46:15 (avg pace 8:07/mi)
Thu: 9.4 miles home from work - 1:15:55, avg pace 8:05/mi

Was starting to feel at the end of this that I had done too much ahead of Saturday's race. Time would tell.....

Sat: Frank Duffy 10 Mile

I havent done many 10 mile races - 3 in total (this race in 2008 - 1:17; then a summer 10 miler in Toronto in 2010 and 2011 - 1:06 and 1:05 odd for each).

Target really was just to beat the 1:05, and have a comfortable enough race, not going all out.

After a 1.3 mile w/u, and seeing all the usual faces out and about in the park, we were off.

Mile 1: 6:17; HR 152
Mile 2: 6:20; HR 166
Mile 3: 6:21; HR 171
Mile 4: 6:34; HR 172
Mile 5: 6:22; HR 172
Mile 6: 6:11; HR 173
Mile 7: 6:11; HR 174
Mile 8: 6:29; HR 177
Mile 9: 6:30; HR 178
Mile 10: 6:15; HR 182

So, pretty uneven pacing really, with the hills on Miles 8 & 9 reflected in the significant slowdown. Felt fairly okay throughout, didnt really push things at all, and therefore was delighted with my result. A nice PB by a couple of minutes.

Official time 1:03:28; 175th place. Avg pace 6:19/mi; HR avg 171, max 186
1.25 mile cool down, where I got to cheer on Mrs. Killerz taking it home, with a huge PB.

Total miles this week: 45.6

Killerz

Week ending 1st September

Mon: Nice easy 7.32 miler home from work - 59:37; avg pace 8:09/mi
Wed: 13.3 miler home from work, taking in Sandymount, Irishtown Reserve, South Bull Wall etc. 1:52:26, avg pace 8:27/mi. Really tired after this one - dry air had me gasping with thirst afterwards. Nice pleasant evening though.
Sun: Had missed a couple of days of training due to various commitments etc, but got back into it today.

20.4 mile run, 2:45:20; avg pace 8:06/mi. Went out the Royal Canal Towpath to Phoenix Park, did a nice big lap there and back again. Saw a couple of boardsies out and about along the way, but stuck to my slow enough plod and enjoyed it for the most part.

Keeping myself busy otherwise with prepping for the St Annes parkrun and studying for a couple of exams in the next couple of weeks :eek:

Total miles this week: 41.02

Only 3 runs this week, but the Wednesday and Sunday runs were the key ones, and they went well enough.

Killerz

Week ending 8th September

Tue: Morning run into work - 6 miles; 46:44; avg 7:47/mi
Wed: 10.45 miles home from work and through St Annes Park - 1:22:05; avg pace 7:51/mi
Thu: 6 miles into work - 46:54 - ten seconds slower than Tues avg 7:49/mi
Sat: Earlier in the week, I was in two minds whether to do the BHAA Firhouse 10k and push my long run to the next day or to do it today. Chose the latter, and decided to incorporate Malahide parkrun into the mix to mix up my routes for a change! My run was split into 3 segments: 1: Trip to Malahide; 2: 5km parkrun; 3: Trip home.

7.75 miles from home up to Malahide Castle and in and around the Demesne grounds waiting for the start of the parkrun. 1:01:35; avg pace 7:57/mi, avg HR 143
3.1 miles/ 5km parkrun, 19:16 (22nd place), avg HR 150, avg pace c.6:13/mi. Got really badly caught up in early human traffic in this one, but got myself out of that snafu in the first km or so, having found my appropriate position to suit my pace as we hit the forest trails for the first time. The biggest challenge for me was remembering that I still had to run home, therefore its not in my interest to push harder. Finished the run, then got myself set up for the trip home. Quite enjoyed the new course they have there (temporary due to the cricket stands in place) - made an interesting change.
6.15 miles home, 47:15; 7:40/mile; HR avg 146. Reasonably comfortable run home - surprisingly wasnt feeling too wrecked after the 5k effort.

17 miles total in 2:08:08; avg pace of 7:32/mi; HR avg 144, max 178.

Sun: 6.6 miles nice and easy. Total 52:16; avg pace 7:57/mi. Nice round up to the week, some summery showers here and there. Pleasant run.

Total miles this week: 46.05

Killerz

Week ending 15th September

Mon: 8.15 miles nice and easy home from work - 1:05:56/ 8:05/mi
Tue: 9 miles home from work. Garmin ran out of battery, so no concept of time taken on this one.
Thu: 11.4 miles home from work, taking in Milltown, Dodder Path, Sandymount etc; 1:31:39/ 8:02/mi
Fri: 5.73 miles into work, nice and early - 46:14
Sun: 22 miles long run, including double lap of Howth - up the Tramline trail, down the road from the Summit Inn on the Dublin Bay side... and around again! 3:09:07; 8:36/mi; HR avg 138, max 165. That wind coming back along the coast from Sutton to Raheny was ridiculous.

Great week of running, and I'm not overly fatigued by it - probably due to the low average pace and only running 4 out of 7 days.

Wish I was doing the half-marathon next weekend.... alas life gets in the way.

56.28 miles in total.

drquirky

Killerz wrote: »

Week ending 15th September

Mon: 8.15 miles nice and easy home from work - 1:05:56/ 8:05/mi
Tue: 9 miles home from work. Garmin ran out of battery, so no concept of time taken on this one.
Thu: 11.4 miles home from work, taking in Milltown, Dodder Path, Sandymount etc; 1:31:39/ 8:02/mi
Fri: 5.73 miles into work, nice and early - 46:14
Sun: 22 miles long run, including double lap of Howth - up the Tramline trail, down the road from the Summit Inn on the Dublin Bay side... and around again! 3:09:07; 8:36/mi; HR avg 138, max 165. That wind coming back along the coast from Sutton to Raheny was ridiculous.

Great week of running, and I'm not overly fatigued by it - probably due to the low average pace and only running 4 out of 7 days.

Wish I was doing the half-marathon next weekend.... alas life gets in the way.

56.28 miles in total.

Thats a really sweet LR. Re: the lower pace stuff- have been building up towards the marathon w/ lots of lower paced stuff myself- something to be said for base building and putting in really good miles (like yer 22miler there) without killing yourself in the process.

Killerz

drquirky wrote: »

Thats a really sweet LR. Re: the lower pace stuff- have been building up towards the marathon w/ lots of lower paced stuff myself- something to be said for base building and putting in really good miles (like yer 22miler there) without killing yourself in the process.

Very true, cant beat those 'building block miles'. I'm taking a relaxed approach to DCM - wont be going all out (and may well be pacing), so I am enjoying those easy miles even more! Well, most of them - the miles from Sutton to Raheny werent enjoyable!

Killerz

Week ending 22nd September

Mon: 6.8 miles in 54:06
Wed: 12.22 miles after work; 1:38:50; avg pace: 8:05/mi
Fri: 5.65 miles easy in 45:34 - break from study ahead of exam the next day.
Sun: 16.35 miles long-ish run in the afternoon, taking in the coast and St Annes park. Warm day. 2:10:46. HR avg 139 max 173 (did some fast stuff in there).

41.02 miles total.

Week ending 29th September

Mon: 7.2 miles home from work; 59:03
Wed: 6.7 miles easy, home from work; 52:09
Sun: 18.6 miles long run, along royal canal path to Phoenix Park and back, incorporating a loop within the park. Total 2:27:50; avg 7:57/mi; HR avg 147, max 163.

32.5 miles this week.

A poor couple of weeks of running, distance wise, but each run worked out very well, and I feel I am running freely and in good shape. I dont think I'm running at sub-3 marathon pace, but nor do I really want to be at this point in time.

Got my acceptance confirmation for Boston Marathon yesterday - happy days. Looking forward to returning to Boston to hit up 26.2 of the finest marathon miles there is!

Killerz

Quite a bit of catching up to do here.....

Week ending 6th October

Travelling all over Europe with work this week, so training was out of the question for the most part.

Fri: 5.85 miles lunchtime run out to Irishtown Nature Reserve and back - 38:19
Sun: 20.06 long run - 2:44:24; avg pace 8:12; HR Avg 137, Max 165

Week ending 13th October

Tue: 10.3 miles; 1:21:34
Wed: 6.2 miles lunchtime run; 48:47
Sun: 16.7 miles; 2:11:32; avg pace 7:53

Week ending 20th October

Mon: 7.5 miles; 59:34
Wed: 6.75 miles; 53:18
Fri: 6.1 miles into work; 49:33
Sun: 11.3 miles in 1:34:50; avg pace 8:24/mi

Week ending 27th October

Tue: 5.6 miles; 43:41
Wed: 6.9 miles; 54:17
Fri: 6.1 miles into work; 50:01
Sun: Easy couple of miles with the DCM backpack

Dublin City Marathon - Pacing 3:30

Initially, my plan was to race Dublin Marathon and try and improve on my time in Tralee (2:58), which I felt was achieved on a difficult course, and that I could do <2:55 on similar enough training.

Early on in the summer, I came to the realisation that actually, I didnt have the mental interest on embarking on another serious training regime this year. This, coupled with the fact that I had exams and was busy setting up St Annes parkrun meant that my free time would be limited in the run up to the race. So with that, I offered my services as a pacer. I was put on the subs list as all of the positions were already filled. Inevitably, a couple of injuries cropped up, and I ultimately ended up in the 3:30 slot, which suited me fine. It was a speed that was fast enough to keep me interested, but not too fast that there would be a danger that I couldnt deliver.

After meeting up on race morning at the Mespil, I lined up with blockic and raylanigan as the 3:30 pace team. We had a large group, 3:30 being one of the obvious benchmark targets (like 3, 4, 4:30 etc) and it was going to be a challenge to manage it.

And off we went soon after 9am. There was the inevitable congestion at the start, but we managed to settle into a pace, and the 3 pacers leapfrogged each other here and there as we moved through the Phoenix Park. There were some issues encountered at water stations which made life difficult, as I was trying to grab 3 or 4 bottles to pass round the group. The main issue was that at some water stations, there was water on either side, whereas at others, it was juts one side - and we may not see them til late.

Somewhere in the Phoenix Park, my garmin stopped and it was a good five minutes before I realised it. Luckily I had a backup watch and pacebands to keep us on track. And the current pace function on the garmin meant I could keep us in check.

Through 10k in 49:23. I had my first gel as we were going down the hill in the Phoenix Park before turning right to Chapelizod.

It was soon after that the delightful smell of a BBQ came wafting across the road..... what was this glorious smell? Mmmmm so good. With such a large group, we were spread out across a large area both in terms of width and length, and when the road was divided with cones, gates or traffic islands, we were often close to tripping up etc. Thankfully, I dont think anyone actually did, but this was an issue for the large group.

The crowd support was great throughout and possibly the best I've ever witnessed at this my 4th DCM. As a pacer at this stage, I wasnt doing too much shouting or talking, more just concentrating on keeping the pace and handing out water, and shouting out our milestone times as we hit them, our times and how much we had in the bank. Quite windy going along the Crumlin stretch, and I'd say I was close to taking off into the air thanks to the giant flag sticking out of my back. I gelled again at around 12 and a half miles. Through halfway in 1:44:52.

Kept on rolling from there, taking in the sights of Dublin and the challenges of each water station! We still had a large group as we pressed on, and all seemed good with the world. I gelled again around 17 miles. We passed through the difficult hills at Milltown and turned right towards Clonskeagh and a slow drag. Through 30km in 2:39:30. I found my voice as we approached Roebuck and up the hill there. Great atmosphere, and up we went. The runners really dug in here before enjoying the roll down Fosters Avenue.

We turned towards town and were on the home leg, with the UCD flyover to be negotiated along the way. Had my fourth and last gel here. After passing Merrion Centre and turning left again, it truly was the final stretch.

I've always found the bit between Merrion Centre and Ballsbridge to be tough when I've been running DCM previously, possibly as its not very well supported, coupled with where it comes in the race. This year was different, there was a good sprinkling of groups along here, and it was rare to find a spot where there were no supporters.

By now our group was digging in and working hard, and we plodded on through Ballsbridge, on past Lansdowne Road and over the hump-backed-bridge that seems like Everest at Grand Canal. By now, there is about a mile and a half to go and us pacers are whipping the crowd up and shouting encouragement at our team. The crowds are quite large as we approach Westland Row and do our lap around Trinity. I can see some runners are tired and weary, but they keep moving....its a great feeling to be shepherding this crew home. They respond well to the crowds and many push on.

As we round the front of Trinity and onto Nassau Street, we whip the crowd up and push our runners on, shouting encouragement at them. With a few metres to the finish line, us pacers slow right down to a walk, and push the last few home. We walk over the line, and I record a time of 3:29:28, two seconds faster than our target time of 3:29:30 :cool:

Over the line and happy to be finished - quite tired in the end. It gave me a great sense of satisfaction and well-being to be thanked profusely by so many of the runners who achieved their goals. It was my pleasure to be part of this and help them out where I could along the way. Well done to all of our group. This was my second time pacing, first time at Dublin, and I am torn as to whether I prefer pacing or racing.

Pleasure to pace with ray and blockic - we had a good thing going there and kept things as consistent as possible.

Overall, I thought conditions were good for running. I found the backpack made me that little bit hotter and I sweated a lot as a result, especially in the early miles.

After all that, and once my legs had calmed down a bit, I made my way to Westland Row to watch Wifey Killerz and cheer her home in her very first marathon. She was looking strong as she finished well within her target time - I was very proud of her!

We hit up McGrattans afterwards and met a good few of the boardsies - some for the first time. Great afternoon/ evening of beers and food.... delighted I took today off work!

What's next? Might do some shorter stuff coming up to Christmas and then kick off the training for Boston 2014.

Killerz

A quiet week ensued after the aforementioned Dublin City Marathon. Some time spent basking in splendid satisfaction :pac: :cool: of what I hope was considered to be a job well done on Monday. Certainly I think it went smoothly and all the feedback seemed to be positive.

The feedback from my body on Tuesday of significant pints was not as welcome. Luckily I had the day off and could relax my way back to a few quiet beers on Tuesday evening, easing my way back to the working week on Wednesday.

Its around this time of the year that I start to think about my plans for the winter season and into spring and beyond. So, Boston is in the calendar, which *probably* means Connemara wont be happening. Never one to shirk a challenge, a marathon and ultra within a few weeks of each other wouldnt be something that would put me off completely....

Anyhow, towards the end of this week, I've now settled on the Donadea 50k in mid-February as my early spring race of choice, with Boston then being the bookend on my spring running. Other than that, the Raheny 5 is always one for the calendar, especially given its proximity to my home. Looking forward to my assault on 2014!

Week ending 3rd November

Mon: DCM 26.2 miles as discussed above.
Fri: First run after DCM, 5.8 miles into work - 47 mins. Started off nice and springy but was leaden-legged as I rounded out the miles.
Sun: 9.8 miles on a lovely Sunday morning, around St Annes (I'll soon be sick of this place I'm sure) and on to Dollymount Strand. 1:18:45 total, avg pace 8:02/mi.

41.8 miles this week including DCM. Loving the cool crisp weather at the moment, delightful for prancing around Dublin in my shorts :P

Looking forward to the Run in the Dark (5k) next Wednesday.

Ferris B

Killerz wrote: »

Anyhow, towards the end of this week, I've now settled on the Donadea 50k in mid-February as my early spring race of choice,

I was on the tokens with you in the park run last sat. I've similar plans for Donadea as a build up to Conn in April. Must catch up after another park run to suss out your plans for how you approach donadea.
C.

Killerz

Ferris B wrote: »

I was on the tokens with you in the park run last sat. I've similar plans for Donadea as a build up to Conn in April. Must catch up after another park run to suss out your plans for how you approach donadea.
C.

Excellent stuff, sounds good C, I'd be happy to chat about plans etc., I'm still formulating my own strategy. I take it you're doing the ultra in Conn so? The 50k will be a great buildup to it I reckon.

Ferris B

Killerz wrote: »

Excellent stuff, sounds good C, I'd be happy to chat about plans etc., I'm still formulating my own strategy. I take it you're doing the ultra in Conn so? The 50k will be a great buildup to it I reckon.

Ultra is correct. Paid for it before DCM in case things went pear shaped in dublin and I had one of those 'never running again' moments. Escaped unscathed though so looking forward to some nice winter long runs.

Not sure yet if i'm about for sat but will confirm with the RD later in the week.

Killerz

Ferris B wrote: »

Ultra is correct. Paid for it before DCM in case things went pear shaped in dublin and I had one of those 'never running again' moments. Escaped unscathed though so looking forward to some nice winter long runs.

Not sure yet if i'm about for sat but will confirm with the RD later in the week.

Haha, good strategy. Not sure if you've done it before but conn ultra is a super race, really enjoyed it this year.

No worries either way re sat, I'm participating this week and scanning too, but will be back as RD on the 16th.

Ferris B

Need help in the morning ? C

Killerz

Ferris B wrote: »

Need help in the morning ? C

I believe We're sorted for the morning C, thanks. I'm running myself, gonna give this st annes parkrun thing a whirl and see what all the fuss is about