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Festina lente
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For a long time I would go to bed early. Through the heavy weeks of training I was regularly in bed by 10 (up for 6.30ish), except after meetings. Through the taper I was very lazy, lots of early nights and generally putting my feet up. I wasn't totally satisfied with my training, not enough long runs really, but from July/August the general shape of the training had been right. Good club sessions, a decent progression of long runs, all the times going in the right direction - I felt fit. So I was comfortable with the thought of losing a bit of edge in the last couple of weeks if it meant I turned up at the start line rested and ready.
It helped that I didn't have a hard time goal. I wasn't worried if this session indicated I was really on pace, or if I needed to do another run at x to firm things up. Instead of a goal, I had a plan, that got more solid the closer the race came - easy through the park, back on track (4.08 to 4.10 pace) by Donore, easy to the roundabout, then pick it up on Cromwellsfort Road (4.05 pace?) and again at the flyover. I reckoned that would be about 1.28 for the first half, and on a good day I could be 3 minutes faster over the second, but in any case a negative split suited the course, and planning for a big negative split would help me from pushing too much in the first half.
There was the usual taper madness in the last week - my hip/groin still bugged me now and then, the top of my left foot was sore one day and I had to stop and walk, OH came down with a bad cold on the weekend and on Sunday I was starting to think I'd caught the edge of it, then my daughter spent Sunday evening vomiting... - but it all came to nothing. Sure i'm a seasoned pro at this stage, it was just as I predicted
Normal routine for race morning - regular breakfast, LUAS into town, bottle of lucozade powerade and a banana on the way in. Headphones on, blanking out the world on the way, which was great until I reached the square, took off my headphones, and had about five minutes of "JESUS **** ITS TODAY AAAAAAARRRRRGH" :pac: So I couldn't hang around chatting to clubmates, I had to get moving, drop the bag, start walking towards the wave start... once I was going again the nerves died down. Just as well I started moving anyway, I hadn't realised how far away the start line was (moved this year?), it was a fair walk and the pen was filling up. I just had time to shout some last-minute instructions at the 3.40 pacers (DFIU) as I passed, I'm not sure if they heard me
Found some space up front a couple of rows back from the thin blue line (makes a change from the usual thick red line;)) and was joined by a couple of clubmates. Go team! and we were off...
First k was the usual blur, stay upright, don't go crazy, what's the pace? 3.59 ****, slow it down - barely off Stephen's Green and it felt like I was at walking pace, waves of runners streaming by on either side of me. 4.11, 4.11 and 4.15 brought me past the early crowds and twists and turns, down to the quays and a nice bit of straight open road to find a rhythm, and wow there's a water station already! Got our first taste of the wind here as well, not a bother now but estimates of the pain to come in Crumlin went up another notch.
5k was just at the entrance to the park? Didn't see it in the crowds - numbers spectating seemed to be way up on last time I ran Dublin. Already it wasn't feeling quite so easy, but 20.47 was right on target. I slowed right down on the run up Chesterfield, let the pace drop completely to keep the effort level constant, and it felt like the rest of the runners were gradually receding into the distance and I was running - well, not on my own, but in a much less dense part of the race. I didn't consider the implications of that until a few minutes later (6,7,8 were 4.21, 4.20, 4.14) when I realised that the sound of running had been growing louder for the last few minutes, and when I looked around there was some ****er with a flag there! :eek: It was a bizarre feeling, like being slowly swallowed :pac: and I had visions of being trapped in the 3 hour group, surrounded by runners and unable to break free:eek: :pac: I worked my way loose over the next couple of k, though I did spend far too much of the race hearing people say "oh look, there's the 3 hour pace group" and pointing not-very-far behind me :pac:
10k mat at 42:35, 568th place and I think barely sub-3 pace
Lots more crowds in Castleknock, started my first gel, and then finally the turn downhill. I'd been getting a bit worried in the park, the reality of dropping back always more stressful than the idea, but this next section was relaxing. I didn't push at all, just rolled down the hills, and it was great
Just under 20 minutes for the 5k downhill through Chapelizod, and I was ready for the next section of the race.
Sarsfield road hill was horrible as always, but I just jogged up it, and the next few miles had good crowds, a good atmosphere, and the running was fairly easy. I was starting to feel warm though, using every water station and pouring more of each bottle over me each time. And then, bloody hell, the turn over the canal and towards Crumlin :eek: it seemed like suddenly all the other runners disappeared, the nearest group was 100m up the road (and I just knew that if I ran up after them they would dissolve by the time I got there) and there were just ones and twos around me. No-one to shelter behind or work with, time to take another gel and tough ease it out.
Halfway in 1:28:35, a little behind target 388th place (the following k was my slowest in the race, 4.33, and I dropped some more places there too)
That road was insanely long, 10 minutes to walkinstown, and more to the roundabout but finally we turned out of the wind and onto Cromwellsfort. Home turf for me, family out on the road, lots of people I knew around, time to start working. From this point on I honestly think only one person passed me in the rest of the race**. 24k mark was just past the roundabout, next 6k were 4.07, 4.03, 4.15 (beside Terenure college), 4.02, 4.10, 4.04. I was making good time - maybe not as much as I'd hoped for that section - but I was not happy. I was feeling hot, working just a bit too hard, the gels were annoying me - everything was annoying me. Shouted at a cyclist to stay off the ****ing course on Fortfield road (he deserved it, he was being a ****ing idiot, but why was I wasting energy caring?) and at a motorist in Dartry (another idiot, waited until 30 minutes after the marathon started passing his house to decide he wanted to take his car out, but again, not my problem) Ditched my arm wallet on the way into Terenure, taking the gels in my hand (stupid again, I'd just passed a load of club mates, could have thrown it to them) Brain no work good no more. Forced one gel down around 18-20 miles, some of the last one around 21-22
30k split 2:05:58 311th
Down into Milltown, wall of noise. Don't think I slowed down at all on the hill back out. Down towards Clonskeagh and jesus I am too hot. See a clubmate ahead and pass him out by the entrance to UCD (he hung on for sub 3), I just want this over with. Up and over and down Fosters Avenue, still moving okay, but I'm supposed to speed up at the flyover, amn't I? Hmmm.
Get to the bottom of Fosters Avenue and the first bad cramp hits my calf, half hopping for the next few steps and force it to settle down, but had visions of having to stop now with 5 ****ing k to go. aaargh, no not happening. Running up to the flyover, convinced that if I look down I'll see my muscles crawling around under my skin like a bad special effect:pac: On the other hand there's a guy in front with Norway on his vest and he seems to be moving well but getting closer, should probably figure out how I'm going to get past.
Over the flyover. past Norway. there will be no sub-20 last 5k, the only two speeds are this and stop, this will have to do. I'd forgotten how much I hate that straight leading up by the RDS, seems to go on forever. hey there's Joe! where is the next mile marker? where is the 40k sign? who is this guy passing me out, what singlet is that? (Sligo AC I think from the photos) Turn onto Shelbourne Road, lots of clubmates stewarding here but I can barely see, just this road is bloody long. Round the corner. More clubmates. Uphill! one more corner. There's the pace car. more clubmates. loud. blue mat. finish
2:56:42 chip (:50 gun) 208th (207th) (on the tracker, 203rd? 35th M40, 189th male
garmin
theboyblunder was waiting at the finish line, go team!, second runner was just 20 seconds in front of me. (Should have been a lot further ahead, but life interrupted his training the last few months)so we got to pose for photos :pac: before heading off for bags and physio. As usual, I was ****ed :pac: Slow shuffle around the corner, cursing whoever had the bright idea of putting the low numbers and the physio tent at the wrong end of the square. Clubmate 2 had wandered on ahead and was sitting on some steps in front of an office, he called me over and when I went to step up on the kerb my leg spasmed and I couldn't straighten it out again :pac: someone had to come over and pull it out for me. good times. Nothing that a massage, a shower, and a few pints couldn't fix anyway....
** just saw in finishing photos, I passed him back out before the line. In your face, M O'Connell of Sligo AC!!!
* okay, yes, that first line is just so as not to be outdone in literary opening references!0 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Well Ray... Congrats on the PB and the negative split. Should give you a real positive confidence boost that you're in the kind of shape to run a PB in worst of conditions (my personal hell) and still manage a negative split. But Jesus, you really need to work on your paragraphing!
Don't be complaining KC, at least we got a paragraph out of him, I was expecting a report along the lines of:
Monday: warm & windy. 1m wu with 26.2 DCM @ PB pace. 14 miles cd.
Anyone else's Garmin measure the course long (well maybe not that bit)
TbL0 -
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AuldManKing wrote: »Yep, it was me, don't worry, I'm well used to you passing me out
ah, revenge was had as you blanked me this morning. I guess you were with your clubmates and you knew they'd be a little in awe of me, it could have been awkward...0 -
ah, revenge was had as you blanked me this morning. I guess you were with your clubmates and you knew they'd be a little in awe of me, it could have been awkward...
Sorry Ray - your awesomeness was so much that I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge you.............(had I of seen you)0 -
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still just ticking over
last Saturday - brought the kid up to Marlay for XC training session and jumped in myself, hard runs up to the back car park (from level with playground) and recover on the downhills. Lovely mud
Sunday - no running. Blackrock AC ran a mini-competition down in Athlone on the indoor track and invited a few clubs, so most of the day down there. Hats off to them, it was a great day for the kids. Back home to a head-melting meeting :eek:
Monday/Tuesday runmute
Tuesday evening 8x400s (really about 415m :mad: :pac:)
79
79
79
oops didn't start Garmin
80
82
81
74 :pac:
stuck behind theboyblunder and his group for the first 3, but on 4 they opened an early gap. And of course when you are in touch you stay in touch, when you drop back you drop back even more. Everyone pegged it on the last one :pac:
Wednesday/Thursday runmutes
friday double runmute
Time to start racing again. Inters next week, Jingle Bells the week after maybe, and thinking of the Tom Brennan on new years day, I've never run it...0 -
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paddybarry wrote: »Thanks. Hopefully go sub 17 at Jingle Bells. Great to see the numbers getting bigger at Tymon. I have great time for the two older lads who finished top five. Hope I'm going as good at that age.
Nice of paddybarry to give ya a mention 0 -
Month|2010|2011|2012|2013|2014
January|38.8|105.61|187.46|257.13|202.59
February|35.5|106.68|191.79|212.8|217.1
March|53.2|121.83|214|45.93|249.45
April|72|106.33|201.18|51|150.36
May|75.9|107.13|175.21|41.9|123.51
June|90.2|64.85|150.09|89.72|150?
July|118.1|126.92|242.21|147.92|200?
August|124.4|168|240.27|173.96|227.51
September|154|171.75|203.69|178.55|202.86
October|108.7|191.2|229|196.88|201.55
November|58.4|128.9|283.87|208.34|177.62
December|83|166.58|285|233.23|
Total|1012.2|1578.1|2604|1837.3|
Monday 24th, runmute home with some strides at the end
25th - back to work in morning, tempo session in the evening. This was four minutes each interval, 2 minutes recovery. On a new route which must be full of sneaky drags, because
3:53
3:35
3:52
3:39
and the fast ones felt much easier
26th - usual loop around UCD and home
27th - back into work
28th - in and out of work. Sore glute for most of the day, wore off over Saturday
29th - up to Tymon, parkrun warmup and home again
30th - Dublin intermediates. I was more concerned over the last few weeks with getting a team in at all, so it only really dawned on me yesterday that it meant I'd be running the ****er myself :pac: Last time I ran this was three years ago, first run in a club singlet, and I finished in the bottom 3? 5? :pac: Was bound to be some improvement this time, but not a lot! It's such a small race, people are less likely to give it a go than the novices... but that means the singlets stand out even more
Anyway, plan was simple - don't go out hard at the start, let everyone come back to you in the later laps. Didn't quite work out like that, still found myself running at 5k pace 500m in :pac: but calmed down soon enough. Had a clubmate working with me for most of the race and after the first lap we were steadily making up places (from bottom 10 to bottom 20:pac:) There was one guy from Raheny we were racing most of the way, swapping places constantly, but apart from that we were (slowly) passing people. Last lap my clubmate moved a few metres ahead, I followed and opened a similar gap on Raheny, there was a Sportsworld runner in front I thought was my brother so as trying to close the gap on him, but we finished in that order. (And I got given out to afterwards for not trying hard enough to beat my clubmate :pac:)
Calves very tight over the last couple of laps, and still today, so I think I'll have to skip any racing for a few weeks. Too many warning signals at the moment
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nothing exciting to report...
Dec 1st - runmute home, finishing with diagonals in the park
Dec 2nd - runmute in in the morning
Evening was a hill session, up to Stocking Lane and a run between two roundabouts. About a minute 50 (?) hard up from the lower roundabout to the top, then slow jog down for recovery
3rd - around UCD and home, more direct than usual because I had to be back early
4th - runmute back in
5th - runmute in and home
6th - instead of PB central, I ran up to Tymon, spent 30 minutes on the hill there, parkrun warmup and home again
7th - very hungover 10k + diagonals0 -
nothing exciting to report...
Dec 1st - runmute home, finishing with diagonals in the park
Dec 2nd - runmute in in the morning
Evening was a hill session, up to Stocking Lane and a run between two roundabouts. About a minute 50 (?) hard up from the lower roundabout to the top, then slow jog down for recovery
3rd - around UCD and home, more direct than usual because I had to be back early
4th - runmute back in
5th - runmute in and home
6th - instead of PB central, I ran up to Tymon, spent 30 minutes on the hill there, parkrun warmup and home again
7th - very hungover 10k + diagonals
Nothing exciting to report? I beg to differ :-)
Ahem, BP male athlete of the year!0 -
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