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2012 4 Races for 4 PBs
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Yesterday's 12 miler was my longest run since the marathon.
About 2 minutes after getting up I realised that for the first time in a long while I wasn't feeling any stiffness or twinges from either achilles.
Set out at 8:46am on another overcast and warm morning. When was the last time I ran on a fresh, slightly breezy and sunny morning? The legs felt heavy at the start of this one and while they improved as the miles ticked by I don't think they ever really felt light and loose. 12 miles felt like a long time on the road but I was never in any doubt that I would finish the distance on target and I finished feeling I could have continued for several more miles if needed. Didn't enjoy the run though, due to the combination of heavy legs and heavy weather.
The big positive is that the achilles behaved the whole way round. And there wasn't a tweak out of it for the rest of the day (wish I could say the same for right hip and groin). Could the orthaheel insoles in my regular shoes be having such an immediate impact? A few sharpish twinges today instead have ensured I don't get too carried away, but overall I'm encouraged by the heel's performance yesterday.
Single Dad duty this week so week 3 of this plan has to shift forward and it looks like a 4 day running block from Friday to Monday beckons. Hopefully the break till Friday will allow my legs to lose some of the recent heaviness.
M01 9:05
M02 8:39
M03 8:44
M04 8:49
M05 8:43
M06 8:43
M07 8:57
M08 8:52
M09 8:45
M10 8:41
M11 8:49
M12 8:53
Total 12.34M @ 8:50
Week 02 of 13 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Recovery 5M @ 9:30 to 9:00 | 5.09 | 9:15
Steady 6M @ 8:30 to 8:00 | 6.04 | 8:10
Tempo 6M @ 7:30 to 7:00 | 6.10 | 7:25
LSR 12M @ 9:00 to 8:45 | 12.34 | 8:50
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining |Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
08 / 08 / 00 / 00 / 47 | 31.49 / 31.49 / 799.17
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Fail
By a fraction, but still a fail.
Here are some excuses I prepared earlier.- I was up at 05:30 yesterday, and didn't get to sleep until almost 03:00 last night and was up at 08:00 this morning.
- I originally had planned a 7 mile tempo for today but tagged on an extra mile cause I wanted to run an 8 mile tempo before raceday. I didn't fail over 7 miles.
- I had 8 miles steady in my legs from early yesterday morning.
- It was hazy warm and very humid this morning.
Hmmm, who am I kidding:- heard that one before, go to bed early
- greedy
- hmmm
- fair enough
Felt more confident than I'd expected starting this one. Neat 8 mile route, a lap up Chesterfield with a little deviation by the cross, Ordnance, Upper Glen, S-bends round to Wellington then up Chesterfield to the Phoenix and back down Kyber for a final run up Wellington.
7:1X pace felt ok at the start of mile 1. Told myself to slow down but didn't listen. Honestly I think I don't want to accept the fact that a 7:18 pace 10 miler (like the 1:13:00 I did coming up to Cork) is unlikely in the Frank Duffy, and so I'm kind of reluctant to run at 7:2X pace. Mile 1 today is the fastest of the lot at 7:17.
Mile 2 is nearly all uphill but I feel ok. It's funny, knowing that I'm targeting 8 miles instead of 6, like last weekend, it's as if the first miles weigh heavier in my head, even though really they should feel the same as the first miles from last weekend. Mile 2 is 7:21 and I'm 22 seconds up.
Already on mile 3 I get the first intimations that it's going to be a long morning. I log a 7:20 but really I don't feel as fresh as I should. Mile 4 is mostly downhill so I recover a little. Post a 7:25 to go 37 seconds up at halfway.
Stupidly I speed up going up the hill after the Chapelizod Gate, just because there was group of three runners I set my sights on. I don't really recover around the S-bends and I know I'm going to start eating into those 37 seconds I've banked. Mile 5 is 7:32, 35 seconds up.
At the bottom of Military Road at the junction with the Kyber I tell myself that I just have to get over this next long incline up Wellington and Chesterfield and that then I can cruise down the Kyber. Pace is dropping and I tell myself to try keep it under 7:45. Mile 6 is 7:45 and now I'm only 20 seconds up. I'm delighted to reach the Phoenix but I really feeling it and the descent doesn't really offer too much relief. Mile 7 is 7:41. I have 9 seconds in the bank. It's going to be tight. The last push up Wellington is make or break. I'm wrecked. It now feels like end of race effort. Tell myself that I can hit stop at 8 miles on the Garmin and that I don't need to complete the loop. 8 miles bleep but I don't look at the watch and just dig in to finish the loop afterall. Total distance 8.09 miles at 7:31 pace..
I'm shattered. For a second or two I thought I was going to get sick. I lie on the ground flat on my back for 2 minutes or so to catch my breath. Then slow jog home.
I'm not at all confident now about Frank Duffy. While I want to PB, I really want to get a 1:14.XX. A 1:13.XX I think is not going to happen. But tbh I'd be wary to put money on even a PB. Stop start running since Cork has definitely set me back.
I'll ease off on the tempo distance next Saturday, maybe just 5 miles. Plus I really really need to focus on getting more sleep. I might actually start logging the hours sleep I've had before each of my runs as a way of staying disciplined.
Achilles was alright though
Warm-up 1.26M @ 9:25
M01 7:17 (-13")
M02 7:21 (-22")
M03 7:20 (-32")
M04 7:25 (-37")
M05 7:32 (-35")
M06 7:45 (-20")
M07 7:41 (-09")
M08 7:38 (-01")
Total 8.09M @ 7:31
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/209313969
Warm-down 1.18M @ 10:19
Week 03 of 13 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Steady 8M @ 8:30 to 8:00 | 8.04 | 8:20
Tempo 8M @ 7:30 to 7:00 | 8.09 | 7:31
LSR 14M @ 9:00 to 8:45 | |
Recovery 5M @ 9:30 to 9:00 | |
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining |Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
10 / 09 / 00 / 00 / 45 | 18.56 / 50.06 / 817.74
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I finished the weekend's running with a 14 miler round Phoenix. Hips and groin did not want to start this one and creaked and protested for the first half mile or so. Decided to run clockwise round the park for a change and so cover some of the 10 miler route in the race direction. Did one full lap and then ran up Chesterfield and down Furze Road. I never run down Furze Road. It's nice, especially without traffic. The run was done on tired legs and the first 7 miles were tougher than the last 7 miles. I had a gel at the 7 mile mark and at about the same time there were some welcome drops of light rain and a cool breeze.
I've been out 3 weeks with injury and now I've almost completed three weeks training, each week tougher than the previous. After yesterday's fail I reckon I need a step-back week. The Saturday sessions I think are tiring me and so I might run steady pace next Saturday instead of Tempo. Or maybe a 5 mile progression style run with just the middle mile at race pace (i.e. sub 7:30). I'll see.
Couldn't summon the will power to get up this morning and so it's 5 days running from tomorrow to bring me to the end of the weekend and close week 4.
M01 9:10
M02 8:39
M03 8:49
M04 8:56
M05 8:48
M06 8:48
M07 8:54
M08 8:58
M09 8:48
M10 8:49
M11 8:46
M12 8:45
M13 8:56
M14 8:47
Total 14.04M @ 8:51
Week 03 of 13 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Steady 8M @ 8:30 to 8:00 | 8.04 | 8:20
Tempo 8M @ 7:30 to 7:00 | 8.09 | 7:31
LSR 14M @ 9:00 to 8:45 | 14.04 | 8:51
Recovery 5M @ 9:30 to 9:00 | |
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining |Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
11 / 10 / 00 / 00 / 44 | 32.61 / 64.10 / 831.78
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Heard the rain during the night and thought oh-oh. Happy that it had stopped when it was time to get up and out. Continues to get darker in the mornings, the street-lights were turning off as I approached them. Legs could have felt better, could have felt worse. Run felt like a little more effort than it should have. Hip and groin still niggling a bit. Achilles a little unhappy later in the day.
Happy to bring this delayed week 3 to an end.
M01 9:31
M02 9:07
M03 9:15
M04 9:04
M05 9:03
Total 5.13M @ 9:12
Week 03 of 13 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Steady 8M @ 8:30 to 8:00 | 8.04 | 8:20
Tempo 8M @ 7:30 to 7:00 | 8.09 | 7:31
LSR 14M @ 9:00 to 8:45 | 14.04 | 8:51
Recovery 5M @ 9:30 to 9:00 | 5.13 | 9:12
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining |Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
12 / 11 / 00 / 00 / 43 | 37.74 / 69.23 / 836.91
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:):) New Official 10M PB of 1:13:11 :):)
Just as I was about to go to bed last night I stumbled across "The Devil's Rejects" on the horror channel. Most definitely not for the squeamish. I found I couldn't hit the off button and ended up cursing myself as I headed to bed at 2:00am. Plus this is a film that does not set you up for a good night's sleep.
Get the guts of 6 hours sleep, should be enough but I'm conscious that it could have been 8. Ah well. Bowl of cereal, glass of orange juice, pin my number to my top and head out at 9:10. Usual pre-race routine has me walk through Heuston to Park Gate then slow jog up to the starting line. Straight into the sub 80 minute pen. Looking about everybody seems to be in the right place. That PA guy is brilliant, voice of the Race Series, it wouldn't be the same without him. I'm not looking forward to this and I'm mentally bracing myself for a fail, I keep thinking of how tough it was to run 8M @ 7:31 pace just two weeks ago. Garmin on. Without any great ceremony the race commences. Target 1:14:59, keeping splits against 7:30 pace.
Miles 1-5 in 36:36
I never feel at ease on downhill miles at the start of a race. One part of me is saying 'Don't go out to fast', another part is saying, 'Bank Bank Bank". Pretty much the whole way down Chesterfield the Garmin is showing 7:0X pace. Is this too fast? Is the effort right? I don't know, I think the effort is about right. Fingers-crossed. Mile 1 is a worryingly fast 7:05. It's in the bank now whether I like it or not.
Turn up behind the zoo and I'm almost happy that the slight rise brings the pace down. I'm also happy that 7:1X pace doesn't feel too difficult. I tell myself to drop to 7:2X pace but only make a half-hearted effort to do so. Mile 2 logs at 7:17 and suddenly I'm 38" up on target pace. Too much too soon?
Mile 3 the pace drops a bit. I'm tipping along ok, comfortable enough. I have to stop constantly thinking about how I'm going to feel on the final 2 or 3 miles of the race. I just stress myself too much and don't enjoy the early miles when I'm still fresh. Mile 3 is 7:29. Is that because I've paced well or is the start of a decline? 39" up.
Tuck in behind a guy going up the footpath toward the Castleknock Gate, partly because there's not a lot of room to overtake, partly because he's keeping me steady at 7:21. I'm happy when we turn and start the long descent down Chesterfield. I expect the pace to naturally pick-up and it does but not as much as I'd expected. And I don't feel like I'm recovering from the North Road. Mile 4 is 7:21. 48" up.
I'm not paying attention to where we are and I mistakenly register the Mountjoy Roundabout for the Phoenix Roundabout. I'm thinking I should feel much more recovered than I do. I'm delighted when I see the Phoenix monument in the distance and realise my mistake. Down the paths. I continue to assess how I feel. Not as fresh as I'd like but not too bad. I'm just so worried about the last 2 or 3 miles. Mile 5 is 7:23 to put me 55" up.
Miles 6-10 in 36:33
Onto mile 6 and I start telling myself only 4 point something miles to go. One spectator shouting very encouraging support; "Great running lads, you're well up the field." Enjoy this downhill, the real test is approaching. Mile 6 is 7:16, I'm happy to bank another 14 seconds. 69" up.
Down Wellington. Stewards (or were they spectators?) were telling us "You're making it look easy. Nearly there now". They weren't convincing, least not the 'nearly there' bit. Onto Military Hill. I immediately start to pass people. I remember reading on someone's log recently about taking smaller steps while going uphill. I give it a go. Head up and focus on keeping neat form. Ascent is ok. Can't say for sure if the smaller steps made a difference. Pace doesn't drop significantly and mile 7 logs at 7:19. 80" up.
Starting to feel positive. I'm dividing those 80" across the three remaining miles and I start to believe that a 1:14:XX is looking good. This in turn makes me more anxious because now I've got something to lose if things go pear-shaped. Stop thinking, just focus on the next corner and keep the legs tipping away. Onto the Glen Road and the second serious hill of the course. But just like Military Hill I find myself overtaking people and find the pace isn't really dropping. Mile 8 is 7:18 and I'm 92" up.
Mile 9 is the toughest. I'm amazed at how I feel today after 8 miles compared to how I felt after 8 miles just two weeks ago. Still though I'm feeling it now. Breathing is a bit more laboured. There's a slight incline here and while I was braced for the two hills and negotiated them without problems it's as if this incline is denying me a chance to recover. Pace drops to 7:4X and I have to push a bit. But I know I have the luxury of 92" in the bank. I withdraw 6" and post mile 9 at 7:36. 86" up.
On Ordnance I try to inject a little extra pace, I don't want to get lazy now. Really happy to turn onto Chesterfield for the third time today. Keep the effort steady and the pace naturally increases. Legs are aching now. There's someone shouting encouragement to I think a club runner, "I know you're hurting. Turn that pain back in". I give it a try, doesn't work. Turn onto Furze Road and try to enjoy the home straight knowing that a PB awaits me. Nice feeling. I push to around 80% sprint on my own and overtake three or four runners before crossing the line. Mile 10 the fastest of the day at 7:04.
1:13:29 on the clock
1:13:12 on my Garmin.
Official PB by over 2mins.
Negative Split
10.01 miles at 7:19 pace.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214888178
I genuinely didn't think I had a 1:13:XX in me. I wasn't 100% confident of a PB let alone a 1:14:XX. I definitely let my recent 8M fail dampen my expectations for this one. I wasn't super shattered at the end so to be honest a 1:12:XX was probably on today if only I had known it.
I'm very pleased that I eased up last week replacing my tempo and steady runs with easier runs. Wise move. I'm really happy to be back to where I was in May, at least in terms of speed. I just have to focus on the LSRs now and i can approach DCM with some confidence of PBing. Next target though is the HM in three weeks time. I think I'll ease up a little on the tempos coming into that one. I'll probably try run it at the same effort as today and hope I can keep that effort going for 3.1 more miles.
Chip-time came through as 1:13:11, Position 608th of 4540 finishers, so if there were a 100 people racing I would have finished 14th. Happy with the morning's work.
3 races, 3 PBs.
Week 05 of 13 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Steady 6M @ 8:30 to 8:00 | 6.07 | 8:05
Recovery 5M @ 9:30 to 9:00 | 5.04 | 9:06
Frank Duffy 10 Miler @ < 7:30 | 10.01| 7:19
LSR 12M @ 9:00 to 8:45 | |
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining |Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
19 / 18 / 00 / 00 / 36 | 21.12 / 124.27 / 891.95
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Gorgeous morning yesterday for 12 miles round the Park.
Was curious to see how the legs felt after Saturday's efforts and was pleased to receive zero negative feedback. Enjoyed these 12 miles in the sun. It felt warm but not humid. Enjoyed running alongside the Dublin City Triathlon, it's a great way to spectate one of these. I also heard my favourite piece of spectator support ever: "C'mon Eimear! C'mon! There's loads to go!"
Felt really relaxed near the end of this, too relaxed and I started to drift into recovery pace. Picked it up a little over the last mile. A good end to a good week's running. Brought up 900 for the year. And my running week is back in sync with the calendar week.
M01 8:56
M02 8:36
M03 8:43
M04 8:43
M05 8:47
M06 8:46
M07 8:54
M08 9:08 (900 miles for the year)
M09 8:59
M10 8:45
M11 9:02
M12 8:39
Total 12.17 @ 8:50
Week 05 of 13 Session Targets|Actual Distance|Actual Pace
Steady 6M @ 8:30 to 8:00 | 6.07 | 8:05
Recovery 5M @ 9:30 to 9:00 | 5.04 | 9:06
Frank Duffy 10 Miler @ < 7:30 | 10.01| 7:19
LSR 12M @ 9:00 to 8:45 | 12.17 | 8:50
Sessions Completed / On Target / DNS / DNF / Remaining |Miles WTD / MTD / YTD
20 / 19 / 00 / 00 / 35 | 33.29 / 136.44 / 904.12
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Was sick Saturday night (had to abandon Leonard Cohen half way through) and not up to much yesterday, so didn't post any updates.
Ran the half on Saturday. 7' second PB finishing in 1:37:52. Don't feel I deserved a PB after poor recent training.
Will try post race report this evening.0 -
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