Confessions of a never has been.....

ThebitterLemon

Duanington wrote: »

Quite similar to that one alright - looks like it would do just fine. Yer man is mean looking dude so it must be good

This one is closer to the one I have though
http://www.amazon.co.uk/EXERCISE-BAR-DOOR-PULL-CHIN/dp/B003TTUGRQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1395445452&sr=1-1

D,

Is it good and stable, for the chunkier amoungst us I'd be afraid it would sway or I'd pull the door frame down.

TbL

Duanington

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

D,

Is it good and stable, for the chunkier amoungst us I'd be afraid it would sway or I'd pull the door frame down.

TbL

They're very strong TbL - they're designed in a way that the weight\pressure is applied against the front of the door frame as well as the top so its not like your swinging from the top of the frame and its gonna come crashing down on you - hard to explain how it works but when you pull on the handles, the weight isn't just on the top of the frame - the pressure actually shifts so that the unit is pushing against the front and not just pulling down from the top.

Clear as mud, I know....:o

the trick is to find a frame in the house that has enough wall either side of it to allow the unit fit in right. I've yet to come across a gaff without at least one door that can be used ( usually a door into the hall for some reason)

I wouldn't worry though, I'm fairly light but my bro is a bigger unit and he's used it fine

Duanington

Ososlo wrote: »

I'll have arms like his by next xmas Boards' beers:D

thanks for the linky:)

enjoy!:D

ThebitterLemon

Duanington wrote: »

They're very strong TbL - they're designed in a way that the weight\pressure is applied against the front of the door frame as well as the top so its not like your swinging from the top of the frame and its gonna come crashing down on you - hard to explain how it works but when you pull on the handles, the weight isn't just on the top of the frame - the pressure actually shifts so that the unit is pushing against the front and not just pulling down from the top.

Clear as mud, I know....:o

the trick is to find a frame in the house that has enough wall either side of it to allow the unit fit in right. I've yet to come across a gaff without at least one door that can be used ( usually a door into the hall for some reason)

I wouldn't worry though, I'm fairly light but my bro is a bigger unit and he's used it fine

Thanks D,

I'm gonna order it tonight, it better work though and not pull the house down as the insurance policy doesn't cover destruction by fat bastids doing chin ups

TbL

SamforMayo

Jes between running, core work , AIS and now chin ups we will have to give up the day jobs:D

Cleanman

SamforMayo wrote: »

Jes between running, core work , AIS and now chin ups we will have to give up the day jobs:D

You have a day job...what a loser!! That must be why you don't do the myrtl routine:P A wee bit of plyometrics is very useful too...

SamforMayo

Cleanman wrote: »

You have a day job...what a loser!! That must be why you don't do the myrtl routine:P A wee bit of plyometrics is very useful too...

I might get more in if I put the kids up for adoption and then I would be able to live more frugally and give up the job. Sound like a plan?

Ososlo

Cleanman wrote: »

You have a day job...what a loser!! That must be why you don't do the myrtl routine:P A wee bit of plyometrics is very useful too...

:D:D
I agree. Work is over-rated anyways... Add in myrtl, drills and doubles and we'll all be training like pros:cool:
You need a nanny SamforMayo!

Ososlo

SamforMayo wrote: »

I might get more in if I put the kids up for adoption and then I would be able to live more frugally and give up the job. Sound like a plan?

no, don't give them away altogether. That'd be just plain wrong:pac: a good full-time nanny will see you right;)

Duanington

22.03.2014

NO AIS
NO chin-ups
NO core-work
Just running today


AM - up bright and early this morning and headed off for a few easy miles before breakfast. The wind was a bit pesky again on the way out but was pleasant to have at my back on the way home. 2 miles out, 2 miles back, ran 7x70 metre strides during mile 3 - as usual I ran these comfortably quick and focused on form, stride etc.

Total - 4 miles @ 8:15 min\mile

PM - another nice easy one this evening, lovely night for it actually ( between showers of course) , dragged out my first born to keep me company - she's actually getting good at this ( despite here protests during the final half mile or so).

Total - 3 miles @ something like 9 min\mile

7 miles for the day - legs feeling good

Duanington

23.03.2014


Tempo night again ( seems to roll around quicker and quicker each week !).

The plan tonight was to run 6 miles@ tempo with the last mile ran hard. I started off with a little core work and made use of the excellent chin up bar I acquired some time ago then set off into the lovely chilled evening.

1.5 miles easy down the coast, speeding up a little towards the end to warm up my legs and then I started off on the tempo section.

I felt very, very good all throughout this section, working on form, stride pattern, foot stike etc....maybe it was the night that was in it with the stars twinkling down from the black sky and the cold, still air rushing across my face as I ran or maybe it was the new runners but I felt like I could run forever tonight.
Kept the effort steady all the way through miles 1, 2 and 3 ( uphill) then upped the effort just a little on mile 4 ( downhill)...got through mile 5 and put the boot down for mile 6.
I worked very hard over the latter stages of the last mile, climbing back into Raheny from the coast road - really digging deep and pushing my legs\lungs to the max. When I stopped, I was gasping for a minute or so but felt fantastic having definitely pushed through a pain threshold.

Splits looked like this
6.43
6.43
6.38
6.34
6.41
6.08

Ran the 1 mile home nice and easy and got stuck into a bit of recovery food :-)

50+ miles this week for the first time in ages, very happy with that. I'll be adding another double this week though so it may take a little while for the body to adjust.

career_move

Nice work

outforarun

Duanington wrote: »

Splits looked like this
6.43
6.43
6.38
6.34
6.41
6.08

Great session, I like that last mile. What's your 10K PB again? That tempo pace would have you completing a neat 10K in 40:43. Race environment and race pace off a week of easier running you'd be a decent chunk under 40:00.

Duanington

career_move wrote: »

Nice work

Thanks CM - happy enough with the effort alright

Duanington

outforarun wrote: »

Great session, I like that last mile. What's your 10K PB again? That tempo pace would have you completing a neat 10K in 40:43. Race environment and race pace off a week of easier running you'd be a decent chunk under 40:00.

Thank outforarun - My 10k PB is 41:33 but I would have to point out that mile 4 on my tempo route is very quick ( second half of that mile is on a substantial downhill slope) so I wouldn't be reading into it too much. Happy with the how the session felt\went though and how I was able to increase the effort over the last mile. I'm not too concerned with split times ...just yet

Tom Joad

Cleanman wrote: »

You have a day job...what a loser!! That must be why you don't do the myrtl routine:P A wee bit of plyometrics is very useful too...

So all this core stuff , Merthyl and AIS is the real reason you only do about 11 miles a week

Tom Joad

career_move wrote: »

Nice work

+ 1 great session

Duanington

24.03.2014

AM - 4 miles recovery before work. A basic loop around Citywest, the gravel paths and cycling track providing some welcome relief from the concrete jungle. Lovely morning for it actually, I got out just before the skies darkened
4 miles @ 8:45 min\miles

PM - 5 miles easy
Got home reasonably early for a Monday ( for a change) so I had the chance to do some core\pressup work before heading out into the wind and rain.
Straightforward loop down the coast, up into Raheny and back into Clontarf..
5 miles@ 8:15 min\miles
Legs felt a little tired today but feel a lot better now


Total miles for the day: 9

Duanington

25.03.2014


LSR night tonight and back up to Howth to give the legs a decent workout. I made it home at a reasonable hour yet again tonight ( 2 nights in a row!) so stuck to the original plan, took in a couple of easy miles on the coast before heading off up towards Howth.

The plan was to run 15 miles, work reasonably hard up the hills , up the pace at Mile 10 for 4 miles and keep the rest all nice and easy....simples

My legs were either still feeling Sunday nights session a little or else the were feeling yesterday's double - nothing that concerned me mind you, more of an awareness that they had seen a bit of hard work recently. Anyway, as planned, I kept the pace around 8:40 on the way up to Howth, on the way up the hills to the summit, I worked to keep the pace from slipping too much , not hard enough to maintain the pace, just hard enough that made a change in effort noticeable.

Felt great once I got to the summit and I took a few seconds to turn around and take in the view of Dublin bay - it looked as great as ever.
Made my way back down into Howth handily enough and once I got to Mile 10 I upped the pace to a steady effort ( somewhere around 7:45 pace).

Held this pace until the end of mile 14 ( with a little discomfort towards the end it has to be said) then eased back into LSR mode for the last 1.3 miles

A tough run but another one I'm glad to have done, I plan to keep throwing in some pace into my LSRs every couple of weeks.

Total miles 15.4 @ 8:27 min/miles

Duanington

27.03.2014

Wednesday - rest

Thursday

AM - Nice and easy trot around Citywest in the strangely refreshing cold rain - over to the office nice and early, no wind to speak of, just the cool drizzly rain and a chance to wear my new running jacket that Mammy D bought for me recently
Total: 3.8 miles @ 8:37

PM - Back to getting home late again but still squeezed in a small weight\core session before heading out for tonight's planned session:
2 miles warmup and then into 2x(6x30 second hill sprints - jog back recovery )
Made my way to my chosen hill and got stuck in from the off, splits worked out like this ( although I'm not sure how accurate the pace is after Stazza's revelations today ):

Rep - avg pace
1 5:11
2 4:55
3 4:51
4 4:43
5 4:57
6 4:52
3 minute recovery then
7 4:58
8 5:08
9 4:53
10 4:53
11 5:05
12 4:49


Ran the 1.4 miles home very easily and ate myself stupid. Happy with this, the 3 minute recovery between sets allowed me to recover just enough to hit the pace again on the second set. I'll try these again in 3 weeks as I'm rotating 400s\1k\Hill repeats weekly at the moment.
Total: 5.9 miles

Total for the day: 9.7

Stazza

I like how you are rotating the 400s/1k/Hill - you're hitting different systems each time and they are all supporting each other. I wouldn't worry too much about the watch - I'm sure the pace thingy is correct.

Duanington

Stazza wrote: »

I like how you are rotating the 400s/1k/Hill - you're hitting different systems each time and they are all supporting each other. I wouldn't worry too much about the watch - I'm sure the pace thingy is correct.

To be honest, I had guessed that they would work different systems but didn't know for sure - good to know, thanks . I'm actually not too bothered with the pace on these reps at the moment because I just run them hard and try to push myself to match the effort on each one but it might be interesting to compare numbers every couple of months as I ( hopefully) progress

Duanington

28.03.2014

AM - The now usual run before work around Citywest, taking in the handy 4 mile loop I've discovered. Nice morning for it too - fresh and crisp and just a drizzle of rain too. Took it very handy on this one, my legs were tight enough from last night's session. At my desk with the second half of my breakfast ( peanut butter sambo and a cup of tea) by 8:30
Total: 4 miles @8:45 min\miles

PM - back to back movies with the kids then off out for another 4 miles, down along the coast with the breeze at my back for the first half then into the breeze on the way home. Legs were still a little tender but felt much better towards the end.
Total : 4 miles @ 8:28 min\miles

Starting to get into a decent routine with the double days, getting the morning run in takes a little bit of pressure of in the evenings

Total for the day: 8

ThebitterLemon

Well D,

What did you see at the movies Muppets or Lego movie, or the pirate fairy!

I've slept through all 3

TbL

Duanington

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Well D,

What did you see at the movies Muppets or Lego movie, or the pirate fairy!

I've slept through all 3

TbL

Ha - neither, I downloaded Frozen ( not great) and the Croods ( much better). You slept through the lego movie? It looks deadly though!

AuldManKing

He was probably Sleeping whil watching them en route to meeting Ms MoneyPenny or something.

Duanington

29.03.2014

AM - up nice and early for the usual pre-breakfast run on a Saturday. 4 miles easy on the grass at the coast road...body and mind were a little tired at first but I settled after the first mile. Threw in 8x strides on mile 3, as always...not really pushing the pace, just getting form and footstrike right.
4 moles @ 8:22 min\mile

PM - 30 minute core\pressup work ( all to the blessed beats of Metronomy), a quality game of chasing in St Anne's park followed by a failed squirrel hunt then another 3 easy miles on the coast tonight. No company tonight for the first time in a while which was a little odd. Legs felt great and I could have done a good bit more but it was late and I'm already on target mileage wise this week so no point in doing anything silly at this stage.

Total miles : 3 @ 8:17 min\miles

Total miles for the day: 7

outforarun

Duanington wrote: »

followed by a failed squirrel hunt

I'd say the moles tipped them off, didn't know they could go that fast.

SamforMayo

outforarun wrote: »

I'd say the moles tipped them off, didn't know they could go that fast.

If they did Alan Shatter probably has it on tape some place;)

Duanington

30.03.2014

Tempo night - 2x2 miles @ race pace
Ah, the long evenings are upon us...what a lovely feeling to still see daylight in the late evening, given the winter of $hite we've had - surely we're due a few nice evenings to run in over the next few months.
Late enough getting the running gear on this evening but I still managed to get in a half decent session on the chin up bar before heading out. The plan for tonight was a bit of a shake up to the normal tempo sessions that I do.
I figured that I could do with tiring out my legs a bit and running hard to simulate that middle\end of race feeling and try to improve some speed stamina.

The idea was to run 2 miles hard - recover for 5 minutes then do the same thing all over again...but with legs that should be "nice" and tired.

I started off with a 1.5 mile warmup on the grass then took off for the first tempo section, splits looked like this:

6:06
6:13

I wasn't actually watching the watch during this section but knew I had gone a little quick over the first part because I was blowing hard towards the end and had to dig deep to keep kicking well. I could also feel a little fatigue in the legs towards the end which I guess is a good thing.

Walked for 5 minutes as soon as I stopped and I noticed after almost exactly 60 seconds the "recovery" heavy breathing stopped - i.e. I caught my breath properly. I'm not sure of the significance of this but its one fo the things that I'll keep an eye on.

Took off for the second part after the 5 minutes and despite everything feeling good to go, I could feel the effort from the first 2 miles in my legs as soon as I got going. It took me a good .5 mile to settle into a rhythm and after that I don't think it was comfortable at all....it was hard work all the way through to the end of the 2 mile section. Legs tired a lot towards the end and my lungs were far from happy with the effort required but I was able to keep the pace going which I was very happy with, running at pace on tired legs was what I wanted from tonight's session

Splits looked like this:

6:21
6:11


While the 1st mile of the 2nd section looks like a wobble, I'm happy with this session, for me, a lot of the battle of racing is getting used to the hurt...learning to push on through it and trust the training I've done to allow me to do just that. This one was a bit more intense that my normal tempo sessions and another one I'll revisit every few weeks - glad to have discovered it.
2 miles easy to finish

Total miles 7.5