The Windy Road to Nowhere

ThePiedPiper

Thursday 18th: 4.1 miles at 7:10 pace

Friday 19th: 7.6 miles in 6:59 pace

Saturday 20th: 4.1 miles at 6:52 pace

Sunday 21st: 13.1 miles at 6:57 pace

Monday 22nd: 4.1 miles at 7:38 pace

Another good few days work there. Hadn't realised I was running at faster pace for a few days until just now. I enjoyed the longer run yesterday afternoon. Took a lovely route over by Broomfield in Co Meath. Lots of rolling hills. Weather has made running a pleasure lately.

ThebitterLemon

ThePiedPiper wrote: »

Thursday 18th: 4.1 miles at 7:10 pace

Friday 19th: 7.6 miles in 6:59 pace

Saturday 20th: 4.1 miles at 6:52 pace

Sunday 21st: 13.1 miles at 6:57 pace

Monday 22nd: 4.1 miles at 7:38 pace

Another good few days work there. Hadn't realised I was running at faster pace for a few days until just now. I enjoyed the longer run yesterday afternoon. Took a lovely route over by Broomfield in Co Meath. Lots of rolling hills. Weather has made running a pleasure lately.

Have you a plan TPP, or are you just ticking over, you just seem to be bashing out easy runs for maintenance?

TbL

ThePiedPiper

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Have you a plan TPP, or are you just ticking over, you just seem to be bashing out easy runs for maintenance?

TbL

Really just ticking over yeah. However, I tend to use June-July for base building most of the time, so it does sort of fit in with a plan of sorts. I'll up the mileage to 55+ per week in July, with a few longer runs, then start on more focused marathon work in August. I could do with a few races to get an idea of where I am at the moment but have been busy with normal life..

ThePiedPiper

Tues 23rd: 7.5 miles at 7:45 pace
Weds 24th: 4.1 miles at 7:34 pace
Thurs 25th: 7.6 at 7:38 pace

Just a few handy runs in the mornings before school.

Fri 26th: 3 miles at 7:10 pace
Sat 27th: 4 miles at 8:58 pace
Sun 28th: 4 miles at 7:58 pace
Mon 29th: 2 miles at 7:24 pace
Tues 30th: 11 miles at 8:17 pace
Weds 1st July: 4 miles at 7:22 pace

I was on holidays on the Greek island of Skiathos there for a few days. With the late nights, I only got out early in the morning once, all other runs were in heat of 30C or so. The 4 mile run on Saturday was one of the toughest runs I've ever done. In 2 miles, I climbed over 1,000 feet, a lot of it over rough trail. The views were spectacular, and I enjoyed it in a torturous sort of way. The 11 mile run was a lovely one, done at 6:30 am, so it was not as difficult from a heat perspective. However, serious hills to be negotiated. Climbed 1,300 feet in under 3 miles early on, before a more gradual descent. Got chased hard by three mongrel dogs on that one, so it kept things interesting. The rest were standard road stuff. Beautiful island, great few days away to kick off the summer holidays.

Thurs 2nd July: 7.6 miles in 7:09 pace

Back on home turf, and out nice and early. Great to be running in normal temperatures on normal hills again. I think I've ran every day now for the past 30 or thereabouts. Good habit to be in.

belcarra

No issues with the financial crisis then?

ThePiedPiper

belcarra wrote: »

No issues with the financial crisis then?

No, we really had no problems whatsoever. The banks were closed, but I saw a couple of people taking money out of atm machines, and hotels/car hire companies were happy enough to accept credit cards. Fine part of the world over there.

ThePiedPiper

Fri 3rd July: 7.25 miles at 7:29 pace

Ran over by the monastic site and Tinure for this one, but really don't like that side of the parish as much as the roads are much busier.

I headed down to Connemara for a few hours work on the bog. Beautiful weather for it and the turf had dried enough over the last few weeks that I could stack the lot of it. The two older kids had a ball.

Sat 4th July: 4.2 miles at 7:20 pace

Hamstrings way too sore after the previous day's work to do a longer run, so just shaking the legs out. Still a bit sore today but will hopefully do a longer run later on in the afternoon.

Our clubs 4 mile race is on next Sunday. Don't really feel like I'm in good shape at the moment but will most likely race anyway.

ThePiedPiper

Sun 5th July: 4.2 miles at 6:56 pace

Didn't feel up to a longer run yesterday so did this after kids bedtime.

Mon 6th July: 15.6 miles at 6:57 pace

Decent long run, possibly the longest since the Limerick race I think. Very windy day for it, but for the most part, I generally had the wind into my face for downhill or flat sections so didn't find it too bad. Did quite a few miles in the 6:3x-6:4x range.

ThePiedPiper

Tues 7th July: 4 miles in 29 mins

I was on the treadmill for that run.

Weds 8th July: 3 miles at 7:1x pace

I spent about 4 or 5 hours working in the garden yesterday, and by the time I got kids in bed, was pretty spent, so decided to keep it just nice and easy. Nice little loop down by The Popes Cross.

Thurs 9th July: 10.75 miles in 7:15 pace

We were up in Tayto Park for the day. I took a go on Cúchulann. Holy $^&%, it is some buzz. We waited for about 30 minutes in the queue, where I spent most of the time convincing a 12 year old relative that it was structurally sound. The spin lasts for about two minutes, so when you're watching it from the ground, you sort of think, alright, looks like fun, but a bit short. But, its a serious adrenaline-pumping 120 seconds. Worth the wait and some.

Oh, I also ran from the bridge in Slane to home. That was nice.

ThePiedPiper

Fri 10th July: 2 miles in 15:15

Sat 11th July: 5 miles in 36:30

Treadmill for both of these runs. Drove from Drogheda to Mayo to Galway and back yesterday so just the bare minimum to keep the legs ticking over. Did the 5 miles as a progressive run, finishing at 4 mile pace.

ThePiedPiper

I was a bit unsure what sort of shape I was in for today but hoped a time around 23:15 might see me with a shout of a team prize. We'd 3 very strong runners so knew I'd need to be on my game to be our fourth scorer. I've been guilty of going out too fast a couple of times in this race so wanted to save energy for a good last mile.

Weather was good, not crazy hot like the two previous years so I was feeling good setting off. Kept it easy the first half mile, falling a good 50 metres behind some of my rivals, but picked up nicely. Mile 1 passed in 5:43.

Due to my relative conservativeness at the start, I was not really in any group, but a runner was alongside me that was moving ahead just as I wanted, so we worked together, pushing on to catch up on the people in front. My second mile was 5:47, but I wasn't checking splits, just going on feel. Upped the work rate a bit after passing a couple of people to put a bit of distance between us. Mile 3 was 5:45, and passing 5k in 17:4x, was feeling relatively fresh enough to start hammering on a bit for the downhill section. The guy I'd been running with pulled away and I just couldn't keep up but it was a good target for me. Mile 4 in 5:31, for a finish time of 22:50 in 15th place. My teammate was 10 seconds behind me in 16th, needed every bit of reserves to get the last scoring spot on the team. Mrs TPP delighted with the crystal vase. Happy with where I am. Might chance a 10 mile race next week , see can I get near that elusive 59:xx

belcarra

ThePiedPiper wrote: »

Might chance a 10 mile race next week , see can I get near that elusive 59:xx

See you in Mullingar!

ThePiedPiper

belcarra wrote: »

See you in Mullingar!

Was thinking Castleblayney, but I'll likely have to shelf it, as I've something else on Saturday.. Will line something up soon again though, nothing like racing for sharpening focus.

belcarra

ThePiedPiper wrote: »

Was thinking Castleblayney, but I'll likely have to shelf it, as I've something else on Saturday.. Will line something up soon again though, nothing like racing for sharpening focus.

Mullingar is on Sunday!;)

ThePiedPiper

Ulster final on Sunday too.. Decisions, decisions

belcarra

ThePiedPiper wrote: »

Ulster final on Sunday too.. Decisions, decisions

Connaught Final too!
I'm hoping to drive on to Hyde Park after the run for 4pm throw-in...you'll have more issues getting to Clones for 2pm though.

• 11pm start
• 12pm finish
• 90 min journey to Clones

It'd be tight but possible!!

ThePiedPiper

Mon 13th July: 3.1 miles at 7:58 pace

Nice easy one, felt the previous day's race in the legs.

Tues 14th July: 4.1 miles at 6:54 pace
Weds 15th July: 7.6 miles at 7:14 pace
Thur 16th July: 10 miles at 7:11 pace

Can't remember Tuesday's or Wednesday's run, but did the run on Thursday in and out of Drogheda. Pushed the pace down to MP for a couple of miles. Weather was very wild, but I just about avoided the heavier rain.

Fri 17th July: 4.25 miles at 6:51 pace
Sat 18th July: 6.1 miles at 7:04 pace

Again, decided to push the pace down for a mile or two. Was out on the town Friday night, so left the car in town, collected it Sat morn.

Sun 19th July: 10 miles at 6:59 avg pace

Did a longer progressive run on the treadmill. Started at 12km/h, worked it up to 16.5 eventually. Nice session.

Mon 20th July: 2 miles at 7:50 avg pace

Was late enough by the time we left Tayto Park, and ate a big dinner, so this was the best I could manage. Hopefully a longer run today. Possibly running the 3,000m at the Louth T&Fs on Thursday I think.

belcarra

No mention at all about the Ulster final?
Very Disappointing A!

menoscemo

belcarra wrote: »

No mention at all about the Ulster final?
Very Disappointing A!

Sure they were only warming up for the real Ulster final

belcarra

menoscemo wrote: »

Sure they were only warming up for the real Ulster final

Well, we've done the hard work for Tyrone last Sunday so I'm pretty sure all you guys have to do is turn up to get your QF place.
What could possibly go wrong??;)

ThePiedPiper

Looking like the best Mayo team in a couple of years but seriously untested so far in the Championship. Can't see any possible way that Sligo can pick themselves up to rival Tyrone who are battle hardened at this stage. I'd have been terrified of Monaghan facing Tyrone a couple of years ago but the current bunch have no hang ups about any team in the country. Goes to show the value of playing Division 1 football. Lots of teams with realistic chances of success this year.

ThePiedPiper

Tuesday 21st July: 17.5 miles at 7:11 avg pace

We were up at Imaginosity today. Nice day for the kids. Got out of the car at The Naul junction and ran home through Balbriggan, Julianstown and Drogheda. Moderate wind was blowing into my face for the entire two hours, but I was pleased to keep the effort levels up for the whole two hours. Decent workout

ThePiedPiper

Wednesday 22nd July: 4.1 miles at 7:26 pace

Late one on the road. Feeling lethargic after the previous day's long run

ThePiedPiper

I've a bad habit of not preparing properly for shorter distance races, something PConn maintains is deliberate subconscious sabotage. Anyway, yesterday was no different. Got the long run in two days before the race, so that wasn't too bad. However, I decided that yesterday was the day that I just had to spend 5 hours working to improve the sight lines at the top of our lane, strumming the boundaries of our own house and driveway, mowing the lawn and then uncovering old stone walls in the garden. By the time 6 o clock came around, I was wrecked, creaking. Mrs TPP was sure I'd skip the race. Dragged myself up to head in at 7.

The 3,000 was due to be starting at 8, ladies first then men. However, at 7:55, just as I was embarking on the second lap of a warmup, it was announced there was a change of plans and the race was starting at 8. So, no warmup and barely time to even stretch. Perfect.

After being reprimanded by the starter for not standing in a straight line, we set off. I set off at what felt like a sustainable pace, but when I was through 400 in 75 seconds, I realised this might be a little faster than the required pace for 9:5x. Anyway, felt reasonably ok, slowed slightly for second lap, but still too fast.

I passed a handful of people that had started much too fast and eased back to 80 second laps. Through 1,500 I thought in 4:42, was thinking I could definitely hang on for sub10. I only realised after the race that I was only at 1,400 at that point. Was starting to feel my legs very heavy and with two laps to go, knew I was slowing. Two people, including my teammate passed me. With 600 to go, I was told I was 5 seconds behind time. Total lack of speed work since March left me with no kick whatsoever, so the best I could manage was a last lap of 80 to finish in 10:05.

Prepared badly, paced badly so not a particularly good result. Given that, I'm relatively happy with the time. I'm racing 10 miles tomorrow morning, will be interesting to see how close to 59:xx I can manage.

ThePiedPiper

Fri 24th July: 3.1 miles at 7:34 pace

Easy run to loosen the legs out

ThePiedPiper

This was only my second time ever racing 10 miles, with the previous being a disaster of 64:xx from a few years ago. I hoped that I could get close to sub60, but was going to be touch and go.

Got up to Castleblayney in decent time, met a good few people I knew doing the race. Weather was good, not overly hot and gentle enough breeze. Some very good runners up front, including Martin Quinn, a club mate who is just returned from a lengthy injury absence, and defending champion, Conor Duffy.

Race started down by Lough Muckno, so the first half mile was uphill out of the park. A bunch of people went out pretty fast, and I settled into my own pace, running 6:04 for the first mile. A small group of around 5 of us were together now, as we headed out the Keady road. The pace felt slightly slow and when I reached the second mile in 6:08 decided I'd have to move on and start working a bit. Nobody came with me and the group of four ahead were around 45 seconds up the road. I'd have to do it the hard way by myself.

For the next 4.5 miles, I worked on closing down the group in front. One or two stragglers were caught and passed, and I kept the pace fairly steady; 5:55, 6:01, 5:56, 5:58. Caught up with the group and took a bit of a breather for a few minutes.

Passed 7 miles at 6:02, I was about 20 seconds off sub60, decided I'd have to go hard or go home to break the hour, so moved on again. Thought someone would join me but no takers unfortunately. Felt like I was working hard on the 8th mile, but it was just 5:59. Out onto the Dundalk road, I started really struggling, felt like the tank was near empty. Mile 9: 6:08, sub 60 was gone. Two of the guys I'd passed caught up with me, when I congratulated them on the good running, I was encouraged to hang onto them. Pushed as much as I could up towards the football field with them, the lap of the pitch was painful. Mile 10 in 6:10 to finish 12th in a time of 60:42.

I was wrecked after that. I didn't get the sub60, but gave it a damn good try. Running on my own for most of the race made it challenging, but I think a faster pace at the start wouldn't have helped either. Hopefully I won't wait another five years to run a 10 mile race again. It's a good distance of a race. I'm close enough to where I want to be at the moment.

ThePiedPiper

Sun 25th July: 4.5 miles at 7:39 pace

Recovery run in the evening time. Legs were feeling very heavy after the race on Sunday so just a handy one to shake them out. A spiteful little dog has taken to terrorising me on my usual 4 mile loop so I ended up turning back on myself halfway as he was chasing me pretty hard. The owner is an odd individual so I don't think I'll bother even speaking to her about the dog, will just take a different route in future.

Monday 27th 10 miles in 71:50

Treadmill for this one. Sort of a pyramid run. Started at 12kmh, worked up to 14.5 and back to 13. Effort levels felt comfortable and legs grand again after last weeks racing.

Considering a 15 mile race next Monday, and a 5 mile the following Friday.

ThePiedPiper

Tues 28th July: 4.2 miles at 7:01 pace

On an alternative 4 mile route now. There's a different sort of profile to it, more or less downhill for nearly 3 miles, before a mile of constant climbing. It's a grand route, and the steady climb is good for building strength.

Weds 29th July: 4 miles in 27:30

Was in the swimming pool with the kids during the day for a while. The young one wasn't the best, a wee bug, or teeth, so didn't get out on the roads. Did a quick 4 miles on the treadmill later in the evening, with Mrs TPP on the exercise bike beside me, nice to have a bit of company. We're probably going to get a cross-trainer soon too, should be good for developing a bit more core strength, I've become a bit one-dimensional in my training lately.

ThePiedPiper

Thursday 30th July: 10 miles in 67 minutes

Progressive run on the treadmill. Started at 12.5kmh, increasing every 400m to finish at 16.5. Decent workout

ThePiedPiper

Fri 31st July: 10 miles in 72 minutes

Treadmill for this one again. Comfortable pace, 12.0-14.5-13.0kmh. Nothing interesting to report