A little bit of everything, just faster

beeduybe

Best of luck with the JD plan. Currently in the middle of following it myself but I'm a few weeks ahead of you.

Took myself over to pigeon house road near the south wall for some 200s and 400s. It’s great location for such a session, as the road is dead flat and straight, very quiet and is about 500 metres long.

Is that the road parallel to the East Link toll bridge? Won't you run into trouble if you meet traffic on the road in the middle of a rep? It's quite narrow with all the cars parked on the side of the road.

nerraw1111

beeduybe wrote: »

Best of luck with the JD plan. Currently in the middle of following it myself but I'm a few weeks ahead of you.


Is that the road parallel to the East Link toll bridge? Won't you run into trouble if you meet traffic on the road in the middle of a rep? It's quite narrow with all the cars parked on the side of the road.

No, it's further down, although it's the same road.

https://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=53.337626,-6.191302&hl=en&sll=53.337196,-6.190045&sspn=0.005067,0.00736&mra=mift&mrsp=1&sz=17&t=m&z=17

You get run there via the small trail to the bottom left of the marker. It's a lovely run out there. Not sure what it's like at night though. Else, you can drive via the main road through the industrial estate.

From there to the is top is just over 400 meters. If you run right around to the start wall, it's over 1km so it's quite good for intervals.

It can be v windy though.

beeduybe

nerraw1111 wrote: »

No, it's further down, although it's the same road.

https://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=53.337626,-6.191302&hl=en&sll=53.337196,-6.190045&sspn=0.005067,0.00736&mra=mift&mrsp=1&sz=17&t=m&z=17

You get run there via the small trail to the bottom left of the marker. It's a lovely run out there. Not sure what it's like at night though. Else, you can drive via the main road through the industrial estate.

From there to the is top is just over 400 meters. If you run right around to the start wall, it's over 1km so it's quite good for intervals.

It can be v windy though.

Cheers, I've ran that trail before but hadn't realised that the road was a continuation of the Pigeon House Road. It's a quiet one alright.

nerraw1111

wednesday 12km recovery

Handy lunch time run. Bit blustery but legs felt pretty good and flighty.

thursday 40 min tempo JD week 2 session

After much deliberation, decided to do this session on a treadmill at a gym. Weather wasn't playing ball and didn't fancy going at tempo speed in the dark.

The treadmill is soul destroying. Time goes so slow and the heat is ridiculous. And who wants to watch Eastenders while working out?

After a bit of faffing with the controls, I figured out how to set 4.04 min per km pace and adjusted the incline. Felt like an age but eventually got the 40 mins done. It was a pretty solid workout, no breaks or interruptions. Great back up plan but won't be making it a regular thing. A pretty good mix on the iPod helped.

About 13km all in.

nerraw1111

Sunday 15km hill run

Headed up to Powerscourt IMRA route with Dogsly. Weather was mixed but not too bad. I really like this route, has over 500 metre climb, long and short climbs, and a great descent that goes on and on.

Weather turned for the worst once on open mountain with poor visibility and strong winds. Ground was sloppy causing a few slips but felt good climbing. Feet were a bit sore though, constantly on toes going uphill, stretching the sole of foot. Decided to opt for some shelter and went around the back of Djouce onto the boardwalks rather straight up. Once off the boardwalk, wind whipped again and conditions were fairly bad. Couldn't see much at all. Eventually topped out and descended main path. the weather suddenly clear offering great views. A very slippery but brilliant run down to the river. A few close calls and slides on the grass.

About 90 mins and 15k in total. Legs a bit sore from the downhill.



Monday 10km recovery

Quads were fairly sore but recovery run did the job and loosened legs up nicely. Plus I found a tenner in a pair of old leggings. Not a bad day!

nerraw1111

Tuesday pyramids
3 * 800, 3 * 400, 3 * 300
The JD plan was fairly similar to this. As mentioned before, will follow JD plan as closely as possible but will do whatever track session everyone else is doing. Last night, it wasn’t a million miles away from JD which called for 200x4, 400x2, 800x1, 400x2, 200x4.
Still getting the hang of track running, pacing and position.
Again, no garmin so was running on feel. The halfway splits of the 800s were on target of around 79 seconds. I think they were a few seconds outside target of 2.39. But the effort was there.
400s were ok, fairly consistent and the 300s were all out affairs. Good session.

Wednesday 11.5km recovery.

Lovely run today. Sun is shining, birds busy doing bird things and the going was easy. Hamstrings were a bit sore.

nerraw1111

Thursday tempo

3 * 12 minutes with 2 min breaks at tempo pace.

Getting soft and opted for treadmill again. Quick warm up and put the speed at 3.53 km pace / 6.19 mile pace. First rep was grand, 2nd rep was ok, calfs were a bit sore and last rep wasn't too bad at all. Nice session. Treadmill is handy in that you just jump on and away you go with no interruptions. Still gyms are odd. I discovered a little shelf by the controls. I thought it was a small blind to hide the times. Turns out its for magazines and kindles.

nerraw1111

9km recovery run

A real slog of a run. Crap night sleep didn’t help matters nor did it help to see rain. Headed out for the run before breakfast. Calves/Achilles felt really tight for most of the run and didn’t really loosen till the last 1km.

Pretty much shuffled around. I don’t think pints immediately after Thursday’s session helped and my runners may need to be binned.

I actually picked up a pair of the new DS trainers. They’re really light compared to previous editions. So will break them in at some stage over the weekend.

nerraw1111

Week 9 JD session 3

5 * 3 mins at interval pace with 3 min recoveries.

Bit tricky to squeeze this run in so ended up doing it in the middle of 10 mile run. Took out new ds trainers for first time. Felt light compared to previous edition. Really comfortable right out of the box.

Reps were ok but felt very out of breath after the third which was unusual. Hit the pace targets but left gasping. Legs felt great afterwards though.

nerraw1111

8 * 600 reps.

Woke up yesterday with a bizarre feeling in my calf and Achilles. It was like bubbles popping. Completely painless but each time I crouched, I got a sensation of tiny bubbles popping. It wore off after an hour or two.

The reps went well. Still getting used to pacing and not going out too fast. They all more or less came in around 3.30 with a last 3.15 km pace rep. According to J&D, I should be running all 8 at the pace of the last rep. So will push a bit harder next time.

nerraw1111

Wednesday and Thursday just did some recovery runs. Legs were fairly sore and tight so decided to substitute the 40 tempo run with race on Sunday.

IMRA Trooperstown.

Really like this course but easy to misjudge pace, effort and erm, route!

The start of this race can be a bit stressful. It's an immediate climb up a fire road with a bit jostling for position which makes for a fast start. Field spread out very quickly and found myself in about 7th without too much of an effort. After about 2km, 2 guys who I never get close to went by. I'm thinking crap, going too hard. However the second of the two wasn't pulling away so I though fvck it, I'll see how long I can hold on.

Eventually hit the muddy trails and I'm feeling ok and the gap isn't growing. Very muddy in places which made traction difficult. Still climbing and the legs are ok, no burning sensation. On a short climb the gap begins to open up and on the next flat section it continues to grow before he disappears into the distance.

Route is a bit relentless in that its all runnable so no walking breaks etc. The flat sections are tough underfoot and sap the energy. At this stage, I'm alone just plugging away when I hear the sound of number flapping in the wind. He seemed to be catching on the flat and the climbs although I'm pushing hard. Almost missed the turn for the final climb to the summit and he's breathing down my neck. I'm thinking if I just fall up this section, I might be able to hold him off.

Downhill comes and push hard, choosing to run through pools rather than around. Pick a few nice lines and get a bit of a gap. Reach the ridiculously steep drop section but manage to put the breaks on time and avoid face planting. On to a nice section where I do eventually slip and hit the floor. No sign of the chaser so a last manic dash onto the road and through a technical section in the woods and I'm done! Think I nabbed 7th (was 9th but top 2 went astray). Results aren't up yet. Delighted with the race. Legs felt strong and was close to some of the top lads for a lot of the race. Unusual race in the my position didn't change after the first 2km or so.

Monday 10 mile recovery.

The sun. Only planned around 8 miles but feeling the sun on my face, I stayed out for a bit longer and soaked up the rays.

nerraw1111

Tuesday 12 * 400s

As per JD. Was almost going to bail but couldn't find a decent excuse.

Turned out to be a great session. Probably paced it correctly for the first time on the track. The target was 1.19 per 400. First couple were bang on 1.20. Love the track, you feel like Rudisha taking the bends! Good group and we were nailing consistent times. The last 6 reps, times hit 1.18s, 1.17s and a eyes out last rep of 1.12. Super session, times and pace were solid for while session.

Wednesday 9km recovery

Handy run, outside of left foot is a bit sore. Oddly, the pain goes when running. Had it before and ball rolling seemed to solve it.

Thursday

15 mins at threshold pace 3 min recovery, 10 mins t pace 2 min recovery, 5 mins t pace.

Headed for the treadmill for this. Ear phones in, speed up and lash the session out without spending a second longer than I need to. T pace was 3.53 km per min. Physically it wasn't too bad but I actually looked at my watch after 90 seconds to see how long I was running. I figure it's good mental training. Anyhoo, JD session called for recovery pace runs in between but I opted to walk as I was roasting. 10 min rep was a bit rough but 5 min rep was fine.

Good week and fortnight. Bit of consistency and hopefully foot pain disappears.

Only realised Ballycotton clashes with last winter league IMRA race which is on the sat. Leaning towards IMRA

thirstywork2

Very impressed with your recovery rate after the race(maybe im just soft)
My calfs been in ribbons all week and just jogging and you get in two sessions :eek:

nerraw1111

thirstywork2 wrote: »

Very impressed with your recovery rate after the race(maybe im just soft)
My calfs been in ribbons all week and just jogging and you get in two sessions :eek:

Ha. Maybe I'm not going out hard enough in the race. I tend to do sessions early in week as sometimes don't get a chance later in the week, such was the case last week.

Monday 21km

Combination of gigs, leaving dos etc meant no running for three days. But, and a big but, outside of my left foot was sore all weekend so wasn't too pushed about missing days. Suspects are running bends, new runners, bruised at last week's race, and driving. Not sore to run on but when walking it is.

Anyhooo, glorious day in Phoenix park with 21km of easy trail running. Slow easy pace seems to be getting faster with 4.30kms feeling easy. Foot was slightly sore but seemed to get better as kms went on. Missed session tonight so will do something tomorrow.

nerraw1111

JD session (ish) 5 reps of 3 minutes at interval pace (3.30) with 90 seconds rest.

Headed out the door, undecided on whether to do last week’s JD 3 minute hard, 1 easy etc session or do this week’s planned 40 min tempo. Both of which, I discovered once home, weren’t in the schedule!

Anyway, did 5 reps of 3 minutes at interval pace (3.30) with 90 seconds rest. Bit of an effort to get up to speed on the first, 2nd and third were around 3.29, 3.31 for the 4th and 3.28 for the final rep which was a lung buster. 5km warm down and felt great cruising at 4.20km pace.

nerraw1111

Maulin IMRA

Up and atom for last race of the Winter league. Glorious morning. Balmy even Got there early, checked out the route and confirmed that it started off steep, then got really steep, before getting really really steep. I think there is 400 metres elevation in the first 2.5km. Nuts.

The recce left me undecided on how to approach the race. Go out near the front and hold on, or start off steady. Gun went off, as did my brain, and went off hard, partly to avoid getting stuck on the narrow trail.

Managed the steep part ok, legs were turning off but breathing a bit hard. Couple of people went past so decided to hang on to them. We eventually leave the trail and head straight up the side of the mountain. Proper hands on knees affair. Calfs were getting a bit sore now and legs starting to tire. Speaking afterwards, I was about 30 seconds ahead of Dogsly, but I was sure he was on my shoulder.

Eventually get to a runnable section and my legs were seizing up, couldn’t get them going at all. Painfully slow. Still, I was moving and hold my position. We then make the turn for the final assault on Maulin. It’s entirely runnable but my legs were ****ed and tiny step ups had me walking.

Got passed by a couple before Dogsly came by, floating on air, skipping up the trail. The b’stard. I tried to follow, well mentally I did, but nothing there. Eventually get to summit and on to the descent. Time to make up some time I think. Seconds later, I slip on my arse and slide about 10 meters down the hill. This race really isn’t going well. Eventually the legs begin to work and making some ground and eventually pass two perhaps three runners. But as soon as the trail goes flat or uphill, the legs surrender.

I know there are two more uphills to go, so slightly hold back (not that anyone would notice) when I bump into 3 runners coming towards me. Just ahead is a wall and I think I see the leader barrels past. ‘Balls, we missed the turn haven’t we?’ I say. We start to run back the way we came when bump into more runners. A Monty Python sketch happens as we all frantically shout WHAT DO WE DO! WHICH WAY!

Eventually another runner comes along and shouts the turn wasn’t marked so KEEP GOING!

Balls anyway. At this point, I’m thinking the race is a DNF and start to jog it in. But a brief discussion suggests that if we’ve all gone wrong, then the race is probably still on. Eventually start running hard on the descent before reaching the last climb. I see Dogsly just at the stop and put the head down and power hike up it. I pass about 4 people on the climb. Legs are dead at the top and take about 2 mins to get going on the flat. There’s 3 of us together and the race is certainly back on between us. One drops off and the two of us chase down another runner who manages to hold us off with me coming in 3rd of the trio.

I think I got 10th. Bit of a mad race as no idea who ran the full course, which is an extra half mile of hard running, besides the winner. He was streets ahead and he said the turn was marked. It’s always a pain in the arse to go wrong in a race after busting your lungs. But no blame on the organisers. I’ve gone wrong on perfectly straight forwarded and well-marked routes!

I probably went off too quick and paid for it. Then again, it’s a tough race and the first 2.5km are going to be tough on your legs anyway.

Dogsly had a great race. He said he was about 30 seconds behind me on the first climb but that lead disappeared in about 800 metres. Great pacing by him.

Slogger Jogger

When I read the results I was wondering if wrong turns had been taken by some and not by others and they are a bit random. Where a route is quite public like Maulin its a case of having marshalls at the major turns or ironing out the turns. Half sorry I didn't make it. I know it would have probably broken me

DogSlySmile

Colum finished in 1:28:42 today! That's some result, fair play to him, there's no way I would been able to do that after Maulin yesterday!!:eek:

nerraw1111

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

When I read the results I was wondering if wrong turns had been taken by some and not by others and they are a bit random. Where a route is quite public like Maulin its a case of having marshalls at the major turns or ironing out the turns. Half sorry I didn't make it. I know it would have probably broken me

Definitely broke me! In bits all day yesterday with head cold and shredded legs! Yeah I gained a few places due to missing the 2nd last climb.

DogSlySmile wrote: »

Colum finished in 1:28:42 today! That's some result, fair play to him, there's no way I would been able to do that after Maulin yesterday!!:eek:

Wow, that's some going! He's definitely on for a sub 3 so. It's not like he took it handy on Saturday!

nerraw1111

Tuesday 13km 4.30 min/km pace.

Struck down with manflu. Touch and go for a while. No running since Maulin. It's true, that race does break you.

Could not seem to shake it. Still not totally clear of it but decided that by sitting in every night for the past 9 days, wasn't helping and had me stuck in some sort of feedback loop.

So stuck on the tights, layered up and hit the usual route and felt fantastic. Was hitting 4.30 pace without any effort and was gliding along. Really seeing the results of the previous weeks of intervals. A few more snot rockets than usual but that can only be a good thing.

The last 6.5km felt as easy as the first and felt fine afterwards. I suspect I might've brought on the manflu myself. I was training reasonably hard but missing meals all over the place.

Easy run later and then maybe try a threshold session tomorrow night. I'll repeat whatever week of JD I was on. Next big race is the Wicklow Trail. I've missed this twice in as many years due to injury/illness.

nerraw1111

Wednesday 10km easy, Saturday 10km easy.

Back on the wagon this week. Thursday’s tempo session was to be on a treadmill but gym was closed due a small fire. Too late then to go outside.

Sunday IMRA Hellfire.

Part of the trail series and supposedly a bit easier than other races. I like the route, regularly run some of the trails so was feeling reasonably confident of a decent result. Last year I went out too hard and paid for it.

Only a small field and found myself in 4th from the start. Within a couple hundred metres, the route goes straight up. I felt reasonably comfortably moving into third and then into 2nd at the top of the hill and didn’t feel I was pushing too hard.

Route goes downhill for a bit and I seem to open a decent gap on third. Was running reasonably well, wasn’t breathing too hard and was making good time on the technical bits. Route was extremely muddy, really churned up.

The trail then turns straight back up the hill. I see first place struggling up and think sweet, he’s not that far ahead. Then the legs stopped working. It was liking running up a sand dune. For every step, I slid a bit down. Then I heard the familiar sounds of someone breathing down your neck and soon enough, I was passed by mothman, who was flying up the slop. Then I was passed by the chap who was previously in second and then came the leading lady. All in that one section.

Rest of the race was a suffer fest. I kept 3rd and 4th in sight but couldn’t reel them back in on any of the flat sections. The route was diverted back down the fire roads rather than the main ramp. For a brief few hundred metres, I was catching 3rd and 4th who were having great battle. The leading lady eventually came on third’s place shoulder about 300 metres from the finish before he put the foot down and they raced to the line. I was wrecked at this stage and they pulled away. Finished with a stitch which summed up the day.
Not sure if I went out too hard or just not as strong as the first 4 on the uphill. Some races suit some better than others. Checking previous results, I’ve finished ahead of 3rd place twice this year by 4 mins. But those courses were more runnable and not as steep. Again, horses for courses.

So time to start doing a bit more hill work and restart JD after a 3 week break.

DogSlySmile

5th place man, nice result. Sounds like your in good form for the trail on Saturday. Are looking to finish in a certain time?

nerraw1111

DogSlySmile wrote: »

5th place man, nice result. Sounds like your in good form for the trail on Saturday. Are looking to finish in a certain time?

Form isn't too bad, didn't have a good race for whatever reason.

No idea re Saturday. Looking at previous results, 120 mins might be a target. Hard to say. You?

DogSlySmile

I'm really not sure. I have a very general target of getting around under 5 hrs, but if that doesnt happen I wont be disappointed at all. Its my first ultra so just gonna try and enjoy it and keep ticking along. Sure if I dont see ya on Saturday have a good one.

nerraw1111

12 * 400 metres

Back on the track after gap of 3 weeks.

All came in around 78/79 and 80s. First 6 were comfortable, if not a bit cautious during reps 5, 6 and 7. Legs felt great, no niggles etc. Few kms warm up and down. Read a great link in myflipflops log. Interesting stuff re running slow. Real eye opener.

Hadd's Approach to Distance Training https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/200570/245519.pdf

nerraw1111

Wednesday 16km easy

Thursday core and rolling

Saturday IMRA Wicklow trail 26km.

Sure might as well do IMRA race report.
Arrived just in time to see the ultra race start. Interesting to note the huge variety in what people were wearing. Some wore shed loads of layers, while others went for the minimal approach. Gear wise, I went with running tights, merino wool baselayer, tech t shirt, and a North Face goretax rain jacket (which has been crap in the past, too sweaty)

Weather was manky at this point. Raining and visibility was crap.
Got the bus to the start of the trail race (turnaround of ultra) to see some of the ultras come in. Some of them looked like they had been through the wars. A few had already decided enough was enough and dropped out.

The race begins and I settle into a nice pace. I recognised one of the runners to be a fairly experienced mountain runner so decided to drop in behind him and keep his pace. Pretty surprised to start hitting decent amounts of snow early on, probably from about 1.5km in.

It made the climb slightly tougher but I was in a good group. We stayed together until we hit the boardwalk and a complete winter wonderland. It was mad. Snow as far as you could see, which wasn’t far.

Boardwalk was covered in snow and ice but didn’t seem to affect traction. The main problem was that at certain times, you couldn’t see the boardwalk, so your leg would end up disappearing down a hole off the side of it. Really enjoyed this part as the landscape was just stunning.

Every so often, I’d feel we were going too slow but it was just good pacing. Towards the end of the boardwalk, the wind whipped up and the boardwalk got really icy. We hit the turn off and almost immediately, there was bodies going everywhere as it was impossible to see where you were placing your foot. What looked like solid ground was an icy pool. Parts of the path resembled a river. I took a spill here and ended up sitting down in a freezing puddle. Knocked the crap out of me for a bit. This terrain went out for a few kms, all the time people falling left, right and centre. Normally, it’s a lovely fast downhill trail that you skip down but it was a real slog today.

Finally make it on to the open mountain and there was still snow. Again, a normally fast section was made difficult as you couldn’t see the ground. I was taken here by a Gohardorgohome. I didn’t really want to pass the strong runner, but took a chance and chased after Gohard and let fly down the hill. Eventually we reach the snowline and the running is much better, gaining ground on the blast to the river.

Legs felt good on the climb back out of the valley and onto Powerscourt. With no snow, I was able to put the foot down a bit more and make the most of the descent. Towards the end of the downhill, I was caught by 3 or 4 runners who were flying. Took a gel here.

Quick drink of water at the aid table and onto the next uphill section. Again there was a decent group of us starting the climb. I felt good here and seemed to putting a bit of a gap in and catching the lads in front as we reached the top of Curtlestown.

I gained a position here on the small downhill but seemed to losing time on the two lads in front when we hit a short road section. By the time we started the Prince William climb, I had gained a lot of ground and was able to gain a place or two. Some were walking here but the gradient suited me and was climbing well. One runner ran with me for a while after I caught him but his leg was at him and fell behind. I walked the final stone slab section which was covered in ice just to be careful.

And finally the last 6km of downhill! Except it was full of snow/frozen slush and it was a real effort to push down it. There was no-one around me so was running alone in no man’s land. I thought I was going the wrong way a couple of times but there’s nothing like a phantom runner behind you to keep pushing on. I knew the experienced mountain runner would be right behind me and more than likely would have probably made time on me on the last climb. Still feeling good though, wasn't on my last legs or anything.

The last fire road went on for ages before I arrived at the last road section. There was a fantastic spectator here, who was roaring at me to push up the last hill. Similar to the guys you see at the Tour de France on the mountain stages. I dug deep and tore up the hill, until I got out of sight, and realised ‘****, I might have overdone it there.’ 1.5 mile of road, hugging the bends to stay out of sight of any chaser, and hit the finish line.

Brilliant race. Really happy with my performance. Paced it well and took a few scalps. Turns out I wasn’t far ahead at all, with a 5/6 finishing very close together.

The route is brilliant and given today’s weather, made for a really unique experience. Also got a great mug made by a potter.

Hard to imagine that the ultras did the route twice!

nerraw1111

5 mile recovery Monday.

Foam rolling and recovery run in attempt to get legs feeling normal. Calfs are very sore and tight. Slowest run in ages, trotted on grass at around 6 min pace. Did manage to loosen up by the end of the run but still a soreness there.

nerraw1111

Tuesday 10km easy
Wednesday 10km easy
Thursday tempo treadmill.

Legs still a bit shredded. Easy running before tempo. Plan was 15 mins at 3.53km/min pace, 3 min rest, 10 mins - 2 min rest then 5 mins.

Within 8 mins I was struggling. Legs v heavy. Barely made it to 15. Did this session before but not tonight. Quick reassessment and decided to cut next set to 7 mins. Again a struggle but felt a bit stronger. Last rep was 6 mins. Wrecked afterwards.

Weekend spent hill walking and eating, no runs.

Tuesday 3km time trial.
Felt sluggish. Paced it well as was able to finish strong. Went off safe enough and tucked in for a bit. 4 laps to
go and felt strong so decided to move to front of pack I was in and into a bit of a no man's land. 2 laps to go, legs getting
heavy but bridging the gap to two runners.

Last lap and pushed on last 150 to pass 2 runners. Initially happy but think I left a bit of time out there. Perhaps a bit too cautious early on. Time was 10.38. Think 10 seconds quicker than last time. Then again, it was an unplanned session and was after a weekend of eating and beer.

nerraw1111

11km hilly recovery run

Bit of a rave run. Headed to Ticknock where the conditions are currently fantastic. Blue skies and nice snowy trails on top.
Headed up the boneshaker from the carpark which is surprisingly dry and not muddy at all. Glorious views of Dublin bay. Taking it handy and just enjoyin the run.

Continued past the aerials and straight up to Fairy Castle. Near the top, there was snow on the trail which was fairly blinding with the sun.
From there, took a left and headed south east direction. This was completely covered in snow, with a delicious underfoot crunch. Couldn’t see any of the path due to the snow but plenty of grip. Really could’ve done with sunglasses here, the sun was blinding reflecting off the snow.

Down a descent which was clear of snow but had lots of water flowing down it. A bit wet but after a couple of hundred metres, it dried up with fairly dry trail, making for a lovely dry technical descent. Rejoined the fireroad and looped back around to the Three Rock aerials and headed back up to Fairy Castle.

Descended down the Tibradden side but took a right at the end to bring back to the fire road linking Kilmashogue and Ticknock. Small bit of fireroad climb, rejoined Ticknock Road and headed back to the carpack via the forest.
Fantastic run. Blue skies, the heat on your back and easy 60mins of trail running. Summer is on its way.

nerraw1111

JD session 45 min threshold 16k

Bright evenings in the Phoenix park again. Huzzah. 3km warm up and off I went. Plan was to run 4.04 min/km. First 2km felt comfortable and bang on pace. Up Chesterfield and onto North road and greeted with a stiff wind and bit of a drag. Over compensated in effort and was now averaging 4min kms. Down n road and around back of the zoo. Avg was now 3.57 min/km. Another lap brought me up to 45 mins for 11.3x km with avg of 3.57 min/km. Last 2km legs were feeling it, tightening up a bit. Happy with that. Warm down was a bit of an effort. 16km ish in total.