Sometimes I just need to get out and run

menoscemo

As everyone has said; those reps are savage; pretty much all faster than my mile PB. I think if you put your mind to it you could do a sub 5 minute mile, have you considered looking at middle distance races?

davemcmahon

AuldManKing wrote: »

Savage reps Dave!

statss wrote: »

great session, I did a similar one 2 weeks ago with reps circa 5:40, you are flying.

Gavlor wrote: »

+1 That's fricken fast!

Cheers lads to be honest they took a lot out of me and I'm really feeling it this evening. Was delighted with the times although I have the same doubts over the exact distance as I've had previous weeks. The Garmin is telling me one thing but I'm inclined to trust the coach about the distance.

menoscemo wrote: »

As everyone has said; those reps are savage; pretty much all faster than my mile PB. I think if you put your mind to it you could do a sub 5 minute mile, have you considered looking at middle distance races?

I had though a little bit about middle distance and have thought about giving the mile a shot at some stage. That said as I mentioned above I won't get too excited about times until I'm less paranoid about the distance.

davemcmahon

24/01/2014 Fri: 5.00 miles @8:19 min/mile

No running on Thursday due to the wife and one of the kids being sick. Meant I'd to take the day off and spent it walking around Dublin Zoo with the first born to avoid catching anything. Was probably a good thing as the left ITB had been feeling tight so the rest was needed. Lots of foam rolling and stretching. Friday 5 miles on the treadmill in work to make the sure the ITB and hip were ok. Not 100% but will do, I'll just have to keep up the stretching and foam rolling.

Will probably get out for a couple of very easy miles this afternoon ahead of tomorrow. Legs should be good to go for the race.

WTD|24.73
MTD|157.18
YTD|157.18

AuldManKing

Best of luck Dave. Solid training=solid result.

1st race in club colours??

davemcmahon

AuldManKing wrote: »

Best of luck Dave. Solid training=solid result.

1st race in club colours??

Not it club colours yet as I only handed in the reg form during the week

Tom Joad

Best of luck tomorrow Dave - will probably catch up with you before the race - and then try and keep you in sight for the rest of it .

davemcmahon

DNS. Got to raheny registered and got a call from the wife that she'd locked herself and kids out of the house. So 45 min drive back meant I'd miss the race. On the plus side won a spot prize.

davemcmahon

25/01/2014 Sat: 2.32 miles @9:29 min/mile

A handy little run to loosen the legs up before the race on Sunday.

26/01/2014 Sun: Raheny 5 miler

As mentioned before got to Raheny about 2.30pm parked down on the causeway and jogged up the hill to the registration. Picked up my number and saw that I'd one a spot prize. Checked my phone to see a missed call from the wife, rang her back and she'd locked herself out of the house. So picked up my spot prize and headed back home. Got home let her in and then went back out for a quick couple of miles to burn off some of the nervous energy that had been building up for the race. 4.07 miles for the day.

In retrospect I just wasn't meant to run this race this year, with the legs feeling crap the start of the week then the kids sick and then not making the start on Sunday it just wasn't to be.

WTD: 31.12

27/01/2014 Mon: 6.0 miles @ 8.08 min/mile

Was happy to start a new week, and my mood was instantly improved by my XC spikes arriving by post. This run was done in the gym since the kids have picked up colds and I knew my system was fighting it so I wanted to stay out of the rain.

Training tonight with the club and a chance to wear the spikes. Also went and ordered some more shoes to keep me going for the next 6 months or so.

WTD|6.00
MTD|169.57
YTD|169.57

statss

that's a shame - if my wife did that to me she'd never hear the end of it! I'd demand a weekend away with the lads as compensation :pac:

davemcmahon

statss wrote: »

that's a shame - if my wife did that to me she'd never hear the end of it! I'd demand a weekend away with the lads as compensation :pac:

I found it funny, as I said I just wasn't meant to race last week. It is however an excuse to squeeze another race in to make up for Sunday.

davemcmahon

28/01/2014 Tues: 7.28 miles Club Session

Was looking forward to the session tonight as it was a chance to try the XC spikes. Had the mile jog from the house to the track changed into the spikes and had about another mile warm up to get the feel for them around the grass track. The plan for session was 6 X 800m of 90s recovery, this meant two laps of the track in lane 1. Unfortunately I spent most of my time in lanes 2 or 3 as the number of people on the track was fairly high as a couple of different groups were doing the reps. After the 6th a couple of people were doing a 7th so I said I'd join them as I knew I had at least one more in me.

Reps: 2:59, 3:00, 3:00, 3:02, 3:02, 3:00, 3:00.

The first rep I knew was too fast but I was happy with the session overall. The spikes definitely made a difference on the grass track after weeks of rain.


29/01/2014 Wed: 6.22 miles @ 8.11 min/mile

A nice easy run on the treadmill at work. Was very glad I'd brought my headphones with me so i could catch up with Marathon Talk. Was one of those days were some odd people were in the gym, one guy wearing a heavy jumper while doing a workout and another wearing safety boots doing his.

WTD|19.5
MTD|183.07
YTD|183.07

davemcmahon

30/01/2014 Thurs: 6.60 miles Club Session

Club Session tonight. I wasn't sure what the plan was but once I got to the track there was talk of doing reps of 500m. I wasn't sure of how many, at first I thought it was only 6, then I was told 8 (we also did 8 two weeks ago). It was only after the 8th rep that I realised we were doing 10. I'd pushed hard on the 8th rep so the last two were a struggle (there was no way I was going to be the only person sitting out the last 2).

Reps: 94s, 92s, 91s, 91s, 91s, 92s, 94s, 91s, 96s, 96s

Was happy with the reps even if I struggled with the last 2. Only afterwards did I realised I'd done a similar session two weeks ago. The times tonight were better and slightly more consistent ( 101s, 98s, 95s, 96s, 98s, 96s, 94s, 93s). Again the recoveries were 90s standing.

Had a quick chat with the coach to make sure I'm on the mailing list for the plan so I'm not in the same situation of not knowing how many reps were doing.


WTD|26.1
MTD|189.67
YTD|189.67

davemcmahon

31/01/2014 Fri: 5.12 miles 8:57 min/mile Ave HR 136

Had planned to do a little more today but legs were feeling heavy and tired from last nights session so decided to just do a few miles at recovery pace. Manage to get out and back avoiding the bad weather.

Not a bad first month to the year. Would have liked to race more having only done 1 parkrun the first week of January. Third highest monthly total ever so please with that. Feel like I'm getting the sharpness and strength back I had last summer thanks in a large part to the club sessions. Plan for February is to just keep tipping along with ~50 mile weeks and build up towards Bohermeen in March. I may run the Rathcoffey 10k next weekend to get a good impression where I am race fitness wise.

WTD|31.22
MTD|194.79
YTD|194.79

davemcmahon

02/02/2014 Sun: 13.36 miles 8:09 min/mile

Had originally planned to do this run yesterday but decided otherwise as I'm fighting a headcold I've picked up from the kids. Was thankful this morning when I say how much better it was outside. The route was just around Celbridge and the Castletown grounds, pace was at the faster end of my LSR pace but the legs felt grand after the rest day yesterday.

WTD|44.58
MTD|13.36
YTD|13.36

davemcmahon

03/02/2014 Mon: 7.08 miles 8:02 min/mile

A handy enough run just before lunch. The first 5 miles were very handy, then the heavens opened so I upped the pace a little to get back to work.

04/02/2014 Tues AM: 3.02 miles 9:08 min/mile

The legs were feeling a little tired this morning so a few miles at recovery pace. The weather was lovely and calm with some frost and ice which made holding recovery pace all that easier.

04/02/2014 Tues PM: 4.62 miles Club Session

From the time I got home from work waiting to leave I was dreading going out again. Eventually got ready and headed down to the track. A shorter than usual warm up and then I changed into the spikes. The plan was for 8 x 400m with 45 seconds recovery. Before we started the coach pointed out we weren't to go out too hard as the shorter recoveries meant the session wasn't meant to be an all out one. This wouldn't be a problem as the wind would be blowing into out faces on the back straight.

The reps themselves were very tough, the track was a mess of puddles and mud so i was glad of the spikes. On a number of the reps it felt like I wasn't moving when running into the wind. It didn't really help that there were only 3 of us doing this session, thankfully we're all of similar standard so we had company. Managed a sprint finish on the last rep which was good.

Reps: 95, 90, 92, 93, 95, 95, 93, 90.

Not the fastest reps but I was happy enough considering the conditions. A shorter than usual cool down and then home for a hot shower.

05/02/2014 Wed AM: 3.97 miles 8:10 min/mile

Had no car this morning so had to run into work. While the weather wasn't great it was still a pleasure to run in compared to last night.


WTD|18.69
MTD|32.05
YTD|32.05

davemcmahon

06/02/2014 Thurs: 5.05 miles 7:43 min/mile

The plan had been to run home on Wednesday but the legs felt shot as the day when on. Luckily the wife was driving past close to finish time so I bottled the evening run (reading Larry Brent's post in ecoli's log helped make my mind up).

Got out for a lunchtime run on Thursday since I was skipping the club session due to racing at the weekend. A nice handy run in relatively nice weather. Kept it short as wanted the legs to be fresh for Saturday.

07/02/2014 Fri: 3.10 miles 8:42 min/mile

A short very easy run to keep the legs ticking over ahead of tomorrow. Got home from work to see my club vest had arrived so happy days.

08/02/2014 Sat: Rathcoffey 10k

Woke up this morning and was dreading this. The weather looked awful and I'd no idea what kind of shape I'm in. Weather improved as the start time got closer and I made the short 10-15 min drive to Rathcoffey. Picked up my registration pack and bumped into a couple of lads from the club. Had a nice gentle warm up with the lads over some of the course.

Back to the start area and the sun began to peak through the clouds, although the wind persisted. Off we went in what looked like a fairly small field. The first couple of km's passed by fairly quickly and I was just checking them off hoping to keep the pace at close to 40 min pace. The wind was playing havoc a little as it always seemed to be blowing in our faces and on the few sections it was behind us it was of no assistance. Went through half way at about 19:30 and was begining to loose concentration as I found myself dropping off the people in front and had no one behind me. By 7km I was still on track to hit creep under 40 minutes but over the next km I dropped vital seconds as we hit a 'hill'. While it was more of an incline the wind was in our faces so it took a lot more out of me than I would have liked. By the time I hit the 8km mark I knew I was loosing sight of the 40 minute mark but I tried to push on a little over the final section. Unfortunately the people infront of me were out of sight as the course was winding at this section so I had no one to focus on catching. The last km was tough again as it was mostly into the wind. I tried to push on the last few hundred metres but as we approached the the final section on the football pitch the ground was very soft and I had no traction to push on. With about 50m to go the clock read 39:45 so I pushed hard, with 10m to go it still read 39:45. This meant I was a little unsure of my time for a few seconds until I remembered I actually worn my watch.

Watch time 40:13, chip time 40:09.

Was a little disappointed at first and then I remembered the conversation I'd had with one of the lads before the start. I'd said I'd be happy with a PB, and close to 40 minutes considering the conditions. So a PB by close to 50s and some of the demons from the last few 10ks dealt with.

Considering I don't feel I'm race fit and I'd done no specific training, I'm very happy that a sub 40 is very close.

Total for the day 8.6 miles


WTD|35.44
MTD|48.8
YTD|48.8

career_move

That's a brilliant time Dave especially in the weather conditions today. The wind was brutal at times. Congrats

Tom Joad

Well done Dave especially in them conditions - that sub 40 is yours next day.

RedRunner

Great time Dave. Well done!

davemcmahon

10/02/2014 Mon: 5.04 miles 7:38 min/mile

Didn't get out on Sunday so the legs were feeling good this morning. Went out at what felt like an easy pace and was surprised to see the pace after the first few miles.


11/02/2014 Tues: 7.63 miles Club Session

Club Session tonight. As I watched the snow begin to fall I considered giving it a miss but then realised the weather was nothing compared to last week. A quick change of gear and threw on the running tights and off I went. The usual mile warm up to the track, changed into spikes and another mile around the track before we started. The plan was for 6 x 1k with 90s recovery.

Reps: 3:29,3:26, 3:23, 3:23, 3:26, 3:26

The plan had been to go out easy enough since I'd raced on Saturday but by the end of the 4th rep I had to pull the pace back as I knew they were just too fast and getting faster.

Happy with the reps as they were fairly consistent. A couple of miles warm down and back home to get some heat back into the body.

12/02/2014 Wed: 5.00 miles @ 8:55

Was very glad of having access to the gym today. A very easy 45 mins on the treadmill.


WTD|17.67
MTD|66.47
YTD|261.26

Stazza

You've got to be looking at taking minutes off your 10k time. With those km's off 90 secs you should be running around and about 37 mins, if not faster. You'll be seeing some big improvements this year...

davemcmahon

Stazza wrote: »

You've got to be looking at taking minutes off your 10k time. With those km's off 90 secs you should be running around and about 37 mins, if not faster. You'll be seeing some big improvements this year...

Cheers Stazza. I think this really highlights the tail off I have as the distances get longer. One of the lads I've no problem keeping up with in training ran 38:1x on Saturday. Thats where I feel I should be in and around. This is one of my man focuses for this year, getting a better relationship between my times across the board.

Stazza

davemcmahon wrote: »

Cheers Stazza. I think this really highlights the tail off I have as the distances get longer. One of the lads I've no problem keeping up with in training ran 38:1x on Saturday. Thats where I feel I should be in and around. This is one of my man focuses for this year, getting a better relationship between my times across the board.

The answer, imho, is a weekly threshold run... just my opinion etc.

davemcmahon

Stazza wrote: »

The answer, imho, is a weekly threshold run... just my opinion etc.

I agree as its something I'm aware has been missing lately from my training. At the moment we seem to be only doing threshold runs once a fortnight in training which from what I've gathered is actual not that typical of the training the coach normally gives. Usually the thursday session is a threshold one but has been more speed work recently.

Stazza

davemcmahon wrote: »

I agree as its something I'm aware has been missing lately from my training. At the moment we seem to be only doing threshold runs once a fortnight in training which from what I've gathered is actual not that typical of the training the coach normally gives. Usually the thursday session is a threshold one but has been more speed work recently.

You could drop it in during your weekly long run. It sounds as though you would benefit from extending pace. Maybe something like this:

week1 - 12 mins on 3 mins off 8 mins on
week 2 - 15 mins on 3 mins off 8 mins on
week 3 - 20 mins on
week 4 - 15 mins on 3 mins off 10 mins on
week 5 - 15 mins on 3 mins off 15 mins on
week 6 - 20 mins on 3 mins off 15 mins on
week 7 - 20 mins on 3 mins off 20 mins on

You should fully recover in the off section. If you haven't recovered you've gone too quickly. 2-3 mins after you finish, you should feel like you could go again. The idea is not to run hard, it's to get into a good rhythm etc.

Something like the above would bring you on, especially on top of the sessions you are doing. These aren't taxing sessions - they are more like medium sessions.

Again, just an option to consider/dismiss etc.

davemcmahon

Stazza wrote: »

You could drop it in during your weekly long run. It sounds as though you would benefit from extending pace. Maybe something like this:

week1 - 12 mins on 3 mins off 8 mins on
week 2 - 15 mins on 3 mins off 8 mins on
week 3 - 20 mins on
week 4 - 15 mins on 3 mins off 10 mins on
week 5 - 15 mins on 3 mins off 15 mins on
week 6 - 20 mins on 3 mins off 15 mins on
week 7 - 20 mins on 3 mins off 20 mins on

You should fully recover in the off section. If you haven't recovered you've gone too quickly. 2-3 mins after you finish, you should feel like you could go again. The idea is not to run hard, it's to get into a good rhythm etc.

Something like the above would bring you on, especially on top of the sessions you are doing. These aren't taxing sessions - they are more like medium sessions.

Again, just an option to consider/dismiss etc.

Thanks for this. Its definitely food for thought. Would the plan be to run these sections @ LT pace, HM pace or just on feel?

Stazza

davemcmahon wrote: »

Thanks for this. Its definitely food for thought. Would the plan be to run these sections @ LT pace, HM pace or just on feel?

Just run them by feel -don't get caught up in the whole pace thing with these. I wouldn't make them into a session etc, just drop them in and try to run them in a relaxed and rhythmical manner. Key is, not too fast. So, in terms of effort, I'd say in and around the sort of HM feel. When you finish them you should think to yourself, I enjoyed that - that's a cheeky little workout.

davemcmahon

13/02/2014 Thurs: 5.22 miles Club Session

Was running late today so drove straight from work to the track. This meant a slightly shorter warm up then i would have liked. The legs weren't feeling great so I would have preferred a longer warm up. The plan was for 8 x 500m with 90s recovery.

Reps: 96, 92, 92, 93, 93, 94, 93, 94

The first rep was a little slower as I ended up getting boxed in for most the first 250m or so. The 2nd and 3rd were faster as I pushed hard at the start to avoid getting boxed in again. Overall I'm happy with the consistency in the reps. Just under 2 mile warm down with the lads and then back to the car.

14/02/2014 Fri: 5.00 miles @ 8:55

Legs were feeling pretty stiff this morning. So was happy to get some miles in to loosen them up. Used the treadmill in work again as the weather was horrid as I was getting ready.

Right ankle feeling a little tender today. I've noticed that the days after running in the spikes my ankle is sore. Am chalking it up to not being used to the lack of support and the pretty poor conditions underfoot. I may have to book in with the physio during the week and get to have a look.


WTD|27.89
MTD|76.69
YTD|271.48

davemcmahon

16/02/2014 Sun: 14.01 miles @ 8:04 min/mile

Took Saturday as an impromptu rest day as the ankle was still sore and had fairly restricted movement in it. Spent a lot of the day stretching and resting it and by the evening time I'd pretty much restored the movement and the pain had gone.

Was awake early this morning as I knew i had limited options to get a run in. Ankle was feeling good and was out the door by 8:15. First few miles were fairly uninteresting bar the odd moment of trepidation as I crossed some icy roads. The plan was to throw in the mini session as suggested by Stazza earlier in the week. At the 5.5 mile I started into the first 12 min threshold section. The ave pace for this section was 7:20, nothing too fast but I was happy with the effort, 3 min very easy and then into an 8 min section, ave pace for this was 7:07. The second threshold section felt much easier than the first and I hardly noticed the time go by. Legs were feeling pretty good at the end of the threshold stuff.

The final 5 and a bit miles ended up being a good bit faster than the first as I was definitely finding the faster pace easier. Finished off at 14 miles. Was happy with the run considering I wasn't able to run at all yesterday. Ankle is feeling grand albeit a little bit tender. I would've liked higher mileage week but I happy enough with the quality of the miles I did run.

WTD|41.9
MTD|90.07
YTD|285.49

davemcmahon

17/02/2014 Mon: 6.92 miles @ 8:29 min/mile

Legs were feeling grand but kept the pace fairly easy after Sundays run.

18/02/2014 Tues: 7.47 miles Club Session

Club Session. As usual jogged down to the track and did a couple of laps with the lads and then changed in to the spikes for the session. Was a nice night for running, considering the last few weeks sessions have been either in the wind, rain or snow. Planned session was 6 x 800m with 90 seconds recovery.

Reps: 2:57, 2:56, 2:58, 3:00, 3:01, 3:00

Was happy with the reps, although I could feel my ankle get a little stiff after the first 3 reps. Did a couple of miles warm down on the track and then jogged home.

19/02/2014 Wed: 5.33 miles @ 8:10 min/mile

An easy run today as the legs were a little tired, was keeping it easy but the pace slowly crept up as the run went on.

WTD|19.72
MTD|110.42
YTD|305.21