If... the Unforgiving Minute

dna_leri

After a week of easy running, I did a 20K in just over 90 mins on Sunday.
My regular loop is 9.5 km, so I did the first lap in 43:15 and 2nd one in 44:15, then tagged on an extra bit to make up the round 20K.
It has been 5 months since I ran this far and other than feeling tired have no serious after affects.

RandyMann

dna_leri wrote: »

After a week of easy running, I did a 20K in just over 90 mins on Sunday.
My regular loop is 9.5 km, so I did the first lap in 43:15 and 2nd one in 44:15, then tagged on an extra bit to make up the round 20K.
It has been 5 months since I ran this far and other than feeling tired have no serious after affects.

90 mins? thats some run for a sprinter/middle distance athlete! Hope you are not thinking of moving up to those jogger races like marathons and stuff

dna_leri

RandyMann wrote: »

90 mins? thats some run for a sprinter/middle distance athlete! Hope you are not thinking of moving up to those jogger races like marathons and stuff

No danger of me turning into a full-time jogger yet. I do need to build up the endurance level and take a break from the track for a while.

I see you were practically jogging yourself on that 200 session recently - is that base-building for sprinters?

RandyMann

dna_leri wrote: »

No danger of me turning into a full-time jogger yet. I do need to build up the endurance level and take a break from the track for a while.

I see you were practically jogging yourself on that 200 session recently - is that base-building for sprinters?

Getting ready for the winter training and yes base building. If I am to train with the same sprint group again, I need to get some aerobic fitness into me as my recovery between intervals was just never there last winter. These guys are all late teen early 20s and as you know age seems to go hand in hand with aerobic fitness. They would recover so quick to go again whereas I would be on my knees.

Krusty_Clown

dna_leri wrote: »

No danger of me turning into a full-time jogger yet.

Boooo....

Well done on the 800m win. Cracking result. When do we get to see the video?!

dna_leri

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Well done on the 800m win. Cracking result. When do we get to see the video?!

Thanks KC.

I am afraid the video did not make it past the editing room, though he did well for a 10 year old so I have kept the director's cut for posterity.

ManFromAtlantis

jeeze, fair play dna. great run. keep it going.

dna_leri

Starting to ramp back up the training a little this week.
Threw in a series of 8 strides and hill-sprints on Tuesday after my easy run and felt good.
Yesterday I did 3 loops of 3.7K trail with the middle one at 3:33K/5:43M pace and the others at 4:23/7:04 pace.
I felt good about the fast lap but when I worked it out it's only 10K pace so nothing too hectic but ok for starters.

I had hoped to do local 5K this week to see what sort of shape I am in but "back to school life" got in the way. It's probably just as well anyway. I will probably do a local 3 miler in just over a week, and use that to see if I am up to a couple of fast 5Ks in the coming months. I would need to do some 5K pace training before I feel ready for anything serious. Ideally I would do the Rathfarnham 5K but it might come a bit soon and the early morning start might be a stretch.

I have been feeling some pain in the arch of my right foot, on and off over the past 4-6 weeks which I was putting down to the lack of support in my track flats and spikes, which I had been using a lot more than usual. It only really hurts after running but I hoped it would go away if I stayed away from the track for a while and used my best supporting insoles. I had something similar a few years ago and that cured it. So far it's not really any better. I have also increased the amount of lower leg stretching because that seems to help. I have got a series of foot exercise which I will try over the weekend ("Foot yoga" ?!) before I look for professional help.

dna_leri

My Sunday long run felt a lot easier this week. Last week the two laps of 9.5 K were 43 & 44 min, this week 41 & 42 mins to give an average around 7 min miles. It's amazing how quickly the aerobic system improves.

My foot felt a bit stiff during the run but no worse after.

I will keep things comfortable this week also before upping the intensity next week.

dna_leri

Ran a local 3-mile race yesterday in 17:25, second overall. Pretty poor time really. Based on my 5K, I should be hitting 3 miles in around 16:15.

The start of the race was a lap of the block, followed by a sharp downhill which I almost ran past. The usual fast starters had faded by then and I was in about third place. The leader looked like he had just wandered up and entered the race. Wearing a casual t-shirt, I was not sure if he was a serious runner but after about a mile he was still out there and showing no signs of fading. There were no mile markers so I did not get splits.

At this stage I was level with last year's winner who was breathing heavily. If I wanted to win this race, now was the time to push on and challenge the leader, but I didn't push it. I did not want to win it badly enough. At the turn-around point my companion slowed for a cup of water (it was a hot day) so I left him behind. By now the leader was too far ahead, so I settled for 2nd.

The finish came a few hundred meters after a sharp uphill which would have been fun to have a sprint finish on, but not today. I was fairly disgusted with my time, about 20s behind the winner with 3rd around the same behind me. I know I did not give it everything from the way I feel since - no aches, pains or even much tiredness. I did learn that I am probably not ready for a fast 5K yet, so I won't run the Rathfarnham one. No point in turning up there if I am not ready to give it my all. Hopefully I will find another 5K in October and be ready to do it justice by then. In the meantime a few long intervals and tempos would not go astray.

dna_leri

On Tuesday I returned to a 4K hilly trail that I did a few times last year. Plan was two laps without break at steady/long-tempo pace. First lap was 13:46 (3:27 pace), I kept the same effort for the second loop in 14:03 (3:31 pace).

The faster than expected paces have me doubting the distance and I can't find where I measured it previously. I should measure it again but I was happy enough with it last year.

I finished with 4 hill strides which were all consistently at 39.x secs, distance unknown. Focus was on maintaining form with a walk back recovery.

Knee and foot giving a bit of gip now, probably due to the downhills which I have not done much of recently.

Krusty_Clown

dna_leri wrote: »

On Tuesday I returned to a 4K hilly trail that I did a few times last year. Plan was two laps without break at steady/long-tempo pace. First lap was 13:46 (3:27 pace), I kept the same effort for the second loop in 14:03 (3:31 pace).

You ran 8k on an undulating hilly trail loop faster than my 10k pace? :eek:
and this was supposed to be you steady/long-tempo pace? :eek::eek:

I guess Garmins have some use after all.

dna_leri

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You ran 8k on an undulating hilly trail loop faster than my 10k pace? :eek:
and this was supposed to be you steady/long-tempo pace? :eek::eek:

I guess Garmins have some use after all.

The problem must be your 10K time is too slow!
It could not be that I took the wrong route, I might be getting old but I'm not senile yet, I think.

Hmm, maybe them Garmins are useful, that new FR10 is looking attractive at the price AKW is quoting but it would spoil the fun of thinking I'm able to do a 35 min 10K without training.

Krusty_Clown

dna_leri wrote: »

The problem must be your 10K time is too slow!
It could not be that I took the wrong route, I might be getting old but I'm not senile yet, I think.

Hmm, maybe them Garmins are useful, that new FR10 is looking attractive at the price AKW is quoting but it would spoil the fun of thinking I'm able to do a 35 min 10K without training.

Well, if you can manage that route in training, a 32 minute 10k shouldn't be too far beyond reach.
If you have a smart phone or car-based GPS, you could always measure the route on an easy run.

dna_leri

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

If you have a smart phone or car-based GPS, you could always measure the route on an easy run.

Did that last year, but then you need to save the route and remember which app/GPS I used. Probably will check it again this weekend - will let you know if it's more than the 8K.

As someone said to me when I finished one of my first races a few years ago, you will just have to train harder. :rolleyes:

dna_leri

Plan for Thursday was 2x1M @5K pace. I had a good, straight, flat mile measured out on mapmyrun along the riverside, especially accurate for those picky Garmin super-users who doubt my times (no need to on this session)!

There was a nice breeze, more on my back for the first mile. I had an approximate 1k to go marker which I hit a few seconds late so I had to work hard for the whole way but finished on target at 5:25. I walked/jogged for the 5 min recovery time. I did not feel I was pushing it as hard on the way back but hit the 1K marker in about 3:25 before fading over the next 600m, finishing in 5:38. I could blame the wind but it was not really a factor. I would have done better to try and hit both in 5:30.

Next week, I will drop the pace and increase the volume on this session, hopefully with company, before picking it up at this pace again.

I jogged back to the IT and to finish I strided 4 lengths of the gaelic pitch with full recovery.

Krusty_Clown

dna_leri wrote: »

Plan for Thursday was 2x1M @5K pace. I had a good, straight, flat mile measured out on mapmyrun along the riverside, especially accurate for those picky Garmin super-users who doubt my times (no need to on this session)!

Doubt your times? I think you should clearly be running 32 minutes for 10k! Now go out and do it!

dna_leri

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Doubt your times? I think you should clearly be running 32 minutes for 10k! Now go out and do it!

Unfortunately I only get 30 mins for lunch so I won't manage it today. I'll see what I can do at the weekend on my magic trail.

Actually McMillan says I should be exactly 34:00 - which confirms his point that you have to train for the specirfic event and while I have already gained back some aerobic fitness, I have a long way to go.

dna_leri

Long run today was my longest of the year with 1:40 on my feet, covering around 21.5 km. I started around 4:30 pace but faded to nearly 4:50 by the end. There were plenty of hills along the way too.

Need to get new trail shoes soon as the sharp stones are now pushing through the soft soles on my Lunarglides which have over 1000 km racked up now. Looking for something good on loose gravel and sharp stones so don't need big lugs on the soles just good grips, probably something light but strong & durable with around 6mm heel-toe drop. Oh and did I say cheap as well - answers on a postcard.

BeepBeep67

I'm planning on getting these in the next few weeks, AK stock them - but I am a growing Inov-8 fan.
There's a mini-review from another boardie here

Speedy44

dna_leri wrote: »

Long run today was my longest of the year with 1:40 on my feet, covering around 21.5 km. I started around 4:30 pace but faded to nearly 4:50 by the end. There were plenty of hills along the way too.

Need to get new trail shoes soon as the sharp stones are now pushing through the soft soles on my Lunarglides which have over 1000 km racked up now. Looking for something good on loose gravel and sharp stones so don't need big lugs on the soles just good grips, probably something light but strong & durable with around 6mm heel-toe drop. Oh and did I say cheap as well - answers on a postcard.

I would have thought a lad your age would have been 'old school' like myself, I till get confused with k splits ! Good session though (I think!).

dna_leri

Speedy44 wrote: »

I would have thought a lad your age would have been 'old school' like myself, I till get confused with k splits ! Good session though (I think!).

Using kms makes me think I'm going faster than I am ;-) or at least further.

dna_leri

I have had a head cold (aka man-flu) since the weekend so did not do a session on Tuesday. Did 3 hilly laps of 3.5K as a progression run instead in 15:39 (4:28/k), 14:45 (4:13 /k), 13:44 (3:44 /k). Pushed it a bit on the last one, letting go on the downhills but felt good after. Did another lap as cool down to make a decent run.

Felt good coming into Thursday's session which was planned with another guy who has a few 10K races coming up. Plan was 6x 1 mile in 5:48 off 2 min recovery. I expected the volume and short recovery would stretch me and I would have been happy with 5 reps but it was not so bad.

The track was wet and it continued to rain during the session. We actually did 1600s, ignoring the extra 9m for the mile. The first one was a leisurely 5:54 before we picked it up with 5:44, 5:45 & 5:41. The fifth one was "just get around and see what's left for the last one" - so 5:50 & 5:46 gave an average of 5:47. If I was planning a 10K race, another few weeks of that kind of session would see me well, but I'm not (planning a 10K).

Thursday is marked in my calendar as my running anniversary. Five years ago on 20 Sept 2007, I was forty, fat and unfit. I did my first run in a long time when I ran to the nearby church in about 8 mins, caught my breath and ran home. Since then I have taken an occasional week off for injury or holiday but otherwise have ran consistently. It's good to remind myself of that once a year. I also started this log two years ago today. I'm still trying to fill the unforgiving minute.

dna_leri

Struggled a bit on my long run Sunday, legs felt tired. Did 3 hilly laps, each just under 7K in 32:30, 32:50 & 32:10 - average about 4:45 /km, which is still ok for a long run. Sun was out, stopped for a quick drink after each lap, probably was not well hydrated when starting.

Tuesday's progression run was similar to last week but each of the three trail laps was slower in 16:26, 15:18, 14:13. I was trying to keep it controlled particularly for the first two but they were not deliberately slower - I was running by feel and obviously I just felt slower.

On the last lap I twisted on my left knee twice, not enough to make me stop but enough to shout out. The left knee is the dodgy one I injured a few years ago but although I still have some pain, it did not swell up. I will take a bit of care for the next few days, which I hope will do the trick. I have ordered a pair of New Balance trail runners, which might have saved me if I had them a week ago.

dna_leri

After twisting my knee on Tuesday, I rested Wednesday and skipped my session on Thursday. AFAIK that is the first time this year that I dropped a session, which is pretty good going. Instead I did an easy run on a flat, even dirt track. For the first while, I stopped about every mile to check out how I felt. Once I got a bit of confidence, after 3 miles, I kept going for another 3 without stopping. I finished up with a brisk 1K to round it up to 10K and all was good.

After the first warm-up mile I did most of the run in my racing flats, which might seem counter-intuitive when I am trying to get over a knock to the knee. However I had a feeling that they would keep me off my heels and actually reduce the impact force through my joints as I landed. It seemed to work. It probably looks like I am making a big deal about a minor knock but it reminded me too much of a bad injury I had in 2010 that had me out for six months. One of the mistakes I made then was not resting when I felt something ping and did more damage in the next session. This time I went overboard with rest, ice, compression, etc and so far so good.

I will continue to take it easy for the next two days, then get back to normal on Sunday. My New Balance MTE101s arrived in the post yesterday so I'm itching to take them out on the trails. They are a bit more shiny than I expected but we will soon sort that out.

dna_leri

Tried out my new NB MTE101s on the Sligo Way on Sunday as I ran up to Loch Lummen from Union Wood. This would give me the chance to test them out on a variety of surfaces and besides my 10-yr old son had wanted to walk up to the "hidden lake" later that day so I had to check if the route was passable.

The fit was right, always a risk with an internet buy. At first the toe box seemed tight but loosened out as I went along, or maybe I just got used to it. The laces had a feature I had not seen before where they got thicker and thinner, like a wave, which probably is designed to stop them loosening as you run. I think it worked because I needed to stop to loosen them myself after the first mile.

I did not weigh or measure them, but I'm told they are about 8oz and have an 8mm heel-toe drop. I could handle a slightly lower drop but what's a few mm. (I know I mix my imperial and metric measures here but 8oz is much more intuitive than 226g.) I had worried a bit about the lack of arch support but I am trying to strengthen my feet these days and so far so good.

On the first gravelly stretch, although I felt close to the ground, I still got good protection against the sharp stones. As the trail turned to wet rocky surface, I could feel some slip. Did I read something on the internet about them not being great in the wet? Maybe that was a diferent shoe. In any case, I found that the grip seemed to improve as the sole wore in a bit.

Overall they moved well with my foot rather than against it, allowing it to twist and turn naturally on the trail. Before this my road shoes seemed to try to force me to keep in a certain (anti-pronation?) direction and actually made me more unstable.

As I moved into the wetter sloppy muck, the shoes let in water easily enough but it quickly went back out the same way. In those conditions, it did not take long to wipe the green luminous smirk off the shiny new shoes. In the end I did about 19km in 1:35. I did not push it on the downhills, though I did pick up the pace a little on the home stretch to loosen out the legs.



Later that afternoon I went back up along the same trail, with Mrs D_L and two D_L jnrs in tow. The pace was a lot slower but the total time on our feet a lot longer and my legs were complaining the next day about my first "double" in a long time.

Oregano_State

I'm a big fan of New Balance, bought a pair of 690s last year, and while pretty low spec, they were lightweight and comfy. Subsequently bought a pair of 890V2s a couple of weeks ago off the internet. Toe box was very snug initially, but they fit like a glove now, and are very comfortable.

Trail shoes seem to very popular on these logs, I don't do cross country, but I do get mucky in the park at least once a week, do you think that would warrant them?

Too many items on the want list at the moment!

dna_leri

Oregano_State wrote: »

Trail shoes seem to very popular on these logs, I don't do cross country, but I do get mucky in the park at least once a week, do you think that would warrant them?

Too many items on the want list at the moment!

I got the trail shoes because I am doing 2-3 runs a week on rocky, gravelly, mucky trails at the moment and my Nike Lunarglides were getting a bit worn and sharp stones were poking through. Hopefully this will prolong the Nikes for a few easy road runs until I replace them. For one day a week in the park, I would not justify them.

dna_leri

On Tuesday, I ran another steady hill trail followed by hill sprints. This time the 3.5K lap times were 14:06 & 14:17.
Effort was just on the comfortable side of hard (ie. below tempo effort). I did not push the downhills but stretched out a bit on the flatish 1K finish section.

The last time I did hill strides they were all around 39s. I used the same hill but this time I think I stopped at a nearer tree cutting about 7m off but I pushed it harder in 30.7, 31.7, 32.7, 32.7, 31.8, 33.2 all off 2 mins walk back. I paced it out at approx 145m on the final walk back.

Thursday's plan was to repeat the 2x 1 mile interval at 5K pace that I tried a few weeks ago. Last time out I did one at 5:25 pace and struggled back in 5:38. This time I did 5:38 first followed by 5:26, so no better. I did finish stronger but found it hard to get the pace right again on my own.

I jogged back to the track and finished with 4x200m in average 37.3s with a continuous jog recovery of 200m in about 60s. I had hoped to be in better shape before I took on a 5K race but maybe I should just leave it to the race gods.

dna_leri

I have increased my long run to around 20K in 1:40, since I finished track season. I think there are diminishing returns from going any longer, so for the next while I will keep the same time on my feet but mix it up a bit in other ways. This week I included a few hill sprints. On the two laps, I pushed it hard up two steep hills, like a fartlek session, trying to keep good form, then eased back for the downhill and flat sections. I finished off with four more hills as a continuous effort. The total distance was a bit under 20K but the effort level was up on previous weeks.

On Tuesday, I got back on track with 12x 400m at 5K pace (80s). Temptation is to do these too fast, so I kept checking the 200m split (which I was hitting in anything from 35 to 38s) and reining it in. First one was under 76s, I eased back out to 81s by the third, then kept it around 78s and finished with a 73.5s without pushing it. Average was 78.1s with recoveries comfortable at 75.7s - if I do these again, I should reduce the recovery time.

I am planning to try a couple of 5K races over the next two weeks - the first one to get myself in gear and then I hope to push it out in the second one.