The main thing is keeping the main thing, the main thing

Lambay island

Was that yourself get a mention on Runnerbeans giving kudos to Runnerbeans?

MY BAD

When you're not used to the track it can be tricky to get into it mentally and to get the pace right, especially when there was a group looking for sub 16:30 in our race. That first 200 was a 15:30 5km pace! As bad as you thought it was it would be one hundred times worse if you DNFed on the track. Onwards and upwards if you get another race in soon you'll be firing on all cylinders

Swashbuckler

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I'm not feeling the love in your first update? Are you struggling a bit with balancing work/life/training?

As for the race, that first mile will take it out of you! You went out hard! Swimming in lactate early.

AuldManKing

Lambay island wrote: »

Was that yourself get a mention on Runnerbeans giving kudos to Runnerbeans?

Indeed - had a good chat with Mark while he was in Leixlip. I reckon they'll do a lot more 'down south' as thats where the majority of their listeners are now.

MY BAD wrote: »

When you're not used to the track it can be tricky to get into it mentally and to get the pace right, especially when there was a group looking for sub 16:30 in our race. That first 200 was a 15:30 5km pace! As bad as you thought it was it would be one hundred times worse if you DNFed on the track. Onwards and upwards if you get another race in soon you'll be firing on all cylinders

True - delighted I didn't DNF - thats a positive.
I was going to do a 10k in Mondello on Thursday, but just might give it a miss (not for fear of going the wrong way ) - I just want to be in a better 'place' with life when I race again.

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I'm not feeling the love in your first update? Are you struggling a bit with balancing work/life/training?

As for the race, that first mile will take it out of you! You went out hard! Swimming in lactate early.

Not reading too much, unfortunately - life is a bit bedlam right now. I need to make some changes. Nothing to do with the 'new' plan - just other stuff that I need to control better.

Maybe saying NO a bit more will help.
Maybe I need a bit more support at home right now.
Maybe running with people will help in other areas.
Maybe morning runs may need to become my friend (- but I'm constantly saying that, but it may need to be a necessity).

This week has been better though.

AuldManKing

Monday 3rd: Just a few KM on the treadmill and some good stretching and S&C - only a 40min window and others came in, meaning I had to stick to it this time.
Beautiful day in Inchydoney - followed by a great dinner in Clonakilty.

3.7m

Tuesday: 3.5 hour drive home, thinking if I should give the session a go or just run easy.
If I was doing my own plan, I'd have just ran easy.

Set out anyway for the session - Drove down to the PP for it.

Warm up: 3.5miles with some good quality Drills & Strides.

Session: 6x800 in 2.39 off 1 min.
It was a very breezy day for this, so I changed from my planned route on the Furze Road - it would have been hopeless going into the wind every 2nd rep.
Went to the North Road as the wind would be side on for most of it and only head on in the last rep.
Also wore the 4% for this as additional security!!

Session went very well.

2.39 / 2.38/ 2.38 / 2.39 / 2.40 / 2.39 (5.20 pace)

The 1 min comes around quickly, but felt in control for the most part.
These move up from 6 reps to 8 reps over time.

2.5m cool down.

9.6m total for the day.

Wednesday: Ran with a Wilsons buddy for this - 90mins down to the PP and back.
HR probably a little too high, but the company makes it speed up!

11.4m at 8 min/miles (134 HR)

Ordered a new HR monitor as the current one is tearing the chest off me. Showers are painful!

Thursday: "light Session" 8x1min off/on

I ran up to Porterstown park and done my drills & strides on the grass track before starting this.
No specified pace for this - so ran then at faster than 5k pace - aiming for 5.20's with the OFF's being kept 'honest' at 8min/miles.

With the heat & humidity, coupled with the grass track, this wasn't as 'Light' as I had hoped it would be.
Soaked afterwards.

Paces were there or there abouts.
Pilates class straight after, which was probably a bad idea as I cramped a lot (1st class in a few weeks) and was probably dehydrated from the run.

7miles total.

AuldManKing

Friday 7th: 4 easy miles in the PP, keeping to the trails. Pure recovery.

4m at 8.40 pace

Saturday: Session - Double Balke

yeh wha' Gay?

A Double Balke - in our testing for Wilsons, we run a 15min effort - called a 'Balke'.
We then have a session every 4 weeks called a Double Balke - we run double the distance in 31.30 (or beat 31.30).

My previous effort was 30.45 - so that was my target, rather than 31.30.

I tried to keep everything the same from the previous effort - except the weather - it was boiling out and very humid.

3.15m of WU/Drills & Strides - a change into the 4%'s and I set off.

Route was up C'Field to the OS road, turn down the OS - onto the Furze, Upto The North Road and then down the North Road passing the Zoo.
1st mile went well, beeping in 5.49, 2nd m was into a stiff enough breeze on the Furze road, thats when I started to hear the demons. not even 2 miles into it!
I was questioning everything - why am I running like this, theres no races why bother, Why is this run so long - its nearly race pace ffs.
As M2 beeped in 5.56 - I crossed C'Field Ave and went upto the North Road - theres a little rise at the start and also a headwind for a short bit - my head went for a few secs and I began to slow to pull over and quit.

Oh No you dont, came the voice on the other side of my brain.

Why are you quitting on a training run? So what if you dont beat the time from last time - just finish the damn thing in 31.30 - thats an extra 45 secs over 3 miles.

I seen that logic in the couple of seconds that this all played out and sped up again.
Part of me hates the North Road, part of me loves it.

I hate the fact thats its long and straight and at times never ending. I like the fact that its slightly downhill and sheltered mostly from any breeze.
Today it felt never ending.

Mile 3 beeped in 5.49.
Mile 4 was a grind - finished it out in 5.51 and the 5th mile was a very tough mile.
The heat was hitting me big time and it was getting really tough.

I felt like I was going 2min slower per mile - but in reality, I knew I wasn't as I felt like this previously.

Mile 5 beeped in 6.02 - 5m in 29:27

I finished out the last 400m at 6.44 pace - knackered, B0ll!xed and as sweaty as I've ever been. But smiling.

8.4km in 30.49.

1m back to the car.

9.35m total.

Sunday: On my ownsome again and after a lot of Guinness on Sat night to accompany my substantial meal, I was a bit 'meh' about this one.
Drove over to visit the mother and wifey&co drove home, I ran home - was good to see some of the old haunts along the way.
After mile 7 I hit the PP and ran around bits of that including the Glen.

Overall legs felt in good shape - 14.57m at 7.49 pace and felt very good at it.

Edit: Finally listened to the Shane Healy documentary - what a story!! Definitely a book in the works.

60m for the week

AuldManKing

Monday 10th: 70mins easy run with company - good to run with people. This WFH lark can get in on you, and then you train on your own.
8.7m at 8.17 pace (HR 122 with the new HR monitor - last one was cutting the chest off me!)

Tuesday: 6x200m off 3mins.

Piece of pi$$...... on paper. But at 400m pace which is 33secs per 200.

I made my way down to the path outside Donore Harriers - this is marked every 100m.
Done my strides and drills, realising I hadn't started the garmin.

I was using manual laps for this workout.

Target for each 200 was 33 secs - I worked that out at about 4.30/mile pace -
I also worked out that working that out was useless as I wouldn't have time to look at the watch - so just run hard!

Reps were: 30.5 / 31.7 / 31.5 / 31.4 / 31.5 / 30.6

All done in the same direction with a slow walk back - a 3 min walk.

The 1st 3 felt fantastic.
I felt a massive slowdown in the 4th rep in the last 80m or so.
The 5th rep was similar - its mad when you need every second of the 3min recovery in order to run 200m.
On the last rep I pushed hard - used the arms more.

Really dont think I'd have managed another rep.

You'd think the legs would have some 'pop' after that - anything but.
A slow 1.7m cool down to the car.

6.6m total


Wednesday After Tuesdays 6x200's - my legs were probably the sorest/tiredest they have been.
I had restless legs on Tues night in bed.
Wednesday was a struggle - I knew I had 90mins easy on Wed and a big session on Thursday.

Ran easy on Wednesday - on my own - trying to run on grass when I could.
10.8m at 8.23 pace (123 HR)

Thursday: Legs still in a bit of a jock. I emailed the coach about the session - he told me in future to expect 'bomb damage' after future 200's.

I done the usual warmup and drills and spent a few mins assessing which way I start the session and what route I'll follow. Ended up making it up as I went along.

Target was 3.29 (5k pace) per km.

After 2 reps, I was tired - up & back the Furze road.
3rd rep was up C'Field to Farmleigh.
Was going to call it quits at 3 - again the heat and humidity was tough.

Done a 4th rep in the opposite direction, feeling a little better.
Done the 5th rep and actually felt comfortable enough but the last min or so I was fading fast.

Didn't do the 6th rep - given the very warm conditions, the state of the legs an the fact I have a 4km TT on Sat.

Reps were:

3.27 / 3.30 / 3.27 / 3.30 / 3.28 - all off 1 min.

Total: 8.25m

Swashbuckler

Nice work on the double balke. I remember a time when sub 30 was a target for a 5M race! Well done for fighting the demons

OOnegative

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Nice work on the double balke. I remember a time when sub 30 was a target for a 5M race! Well done for fighting the demons

Thinking exactly the same this afternoon, now he’s uncomfortably comfortably doing it in training, great to see.

AuldManKing

Friday: 4 miles very easy - legs tired. Done some light strides to try to get some pop into the legs.

Saturday: 4k TT
I though I would be doing this on the Dunboyne track with some like minded people, but it didn't happen (I wasn't allowed).
So made my way to the PP, I had an idea of a route in my head - trying to make it a fair run.
However, on my warm up, the wind was noticeable in 1 direction on the Furze, so I changed to plan B route.
Interestingly, during the 1st mile of my warm up I was nearly at 10 min miles - my legs were toast.
I contemplated not doing the session and just going home - it was also 22 degrees, but that wasn't even a factor in my thinking.

Strides and drills and then back to the car - I changed into the Next% - I had brought them in the even I needed an extra boost

I started the TT at the roundabout at the Aras, going about 5.30 pace, feeling ok actually, despite the earlier deliberations about not starting - going upto the tun before the CK Gate (takes about 4 mins and I note here that I should have had autolap on KM's and not miles) and turning down the North Road into the headwind - it slows me a bit as the 1st mile clicks in 5.33.
I'm feeling the wind a bit as I'm heading down the North Road, but as I complete the long turn and am now out of the headwind, the pace picks up again - back to the triangle and I feel my HR strap moving down as I was sweating buckets (its a new strap, obv not tight enough). I'm trying to fix the strap up, but it actually comes off - $hit - the conspiracy theorists may be out on this one. At least I still have elapsed time to fall back on.
I'm moving along, HR strap in my hand at this stage, and I'm really feeling the pace. Feels like I'm hardly moving, but I know I am. Mile 2 clicks 5.35 and I know theres 800m left.

I'm on fumes at this stage and a glance at the watch shows the pace has fallen substantially. Really flailing badly at this stage. I'm back on Chesterfield, down past the Aras, 400 left - I'm feeling the lactate in the legs, but I know I can keep going - these sessions are helping push away all demons.
I had my watch set up for the 4km as a session and I was pushing intently willing down every last meter before it hits the 4km mark - 13.57.

The last 0.49m was at 5.44 pace.

Quite happy with that - I had no idea of goal time prior to the TT - I hadn't worked anything out, so its not like 'Sub 14' was a target, but I'll take it.

2.5m cool down at 9 min miles to finish.

Didn't do the long run Sunday - gave the legs a break.
3 hard sessions this week - happy with how they went.

This week will be a down week - was in Cavan for a couple of days and am heading to Galway to sample the rain and storms with the family for a few days.

AuldManKing

Not too much running last week.
A couple of easy days and then nothing for 3 days in a row.

Back from Galway on Sunday and went out for 11miles or so.

Monday 24th: 70mins easy - 8.1 miles @ 124 HR (8.26/mile)

Tuesday: 12x300 in 54 (800m pace) off 2 mins.
Done this on the Furze Road.
A few early reps into the wind and I realised that it was stupid to even attempt every 2nd one into the wind.
So, out of 12 reps - 4 were into the breeze - 1-2 secs difference in rep time.

Fastest rep was 52.8 secs / slowest 55.3 - Ave was 54.3 secs - pretty happy with that.

Its a tough session, but the 300's are just short enough to be managable at that pace (4.50/mile) - you do need every second of the 2 mins recovery - especially in the later reps.

7.3m total.

Theres a handful of athlethes on the Wilsons program who use the Dunboyne track for these sessions.
So today I became a member of Dunboyne AC.

Be good to have some others to run with.

MY BAD

AuldManKing wrote: »

Theres a handful of athlethes on the Wilsons program who use the Dunboyne track for these sessions.
So today I became a member of Dunboyne AC.

Be good to have some others to run with.

Excellent stuff

OOnegative

AuldManKing wrote: »

Theres a handful of athlethes on the Wilsons program who use the Dunboyne track for these sessions.
So today I became a member of Dunboyne AC.

Be good to have some others to run with.

Sacrilege, worse than Sol Campbell you are.........

Swashbuckler

Another big move! Tis the season for transfers.

As for the 300's they're still one of the tougher sessions for me and I'm probably nowhere near your pace. Shorter recovery though.

Murph_D

Sounds like this move has been gestating for a while, given the pace of the transfer process (I would know). Good luck in the new place. A great club, for sure, one of the biggest in the country.

AuldManKing

Swashbuckler wrote: »

As for the 300's they're still one of the tougher sessions for me and I'm probably nowhere near your pace. Shorter recovery though.

We have a range of workouts 200m to 800m that have faster pace/longer recovery and a 'slower' pace/shorter recovery.

Next week is 12-16x400 at mile pace with 45sec recovery.
Following week is 5x500 at 800m pace with 2.30 recovery!!

Murph_D wrote: »

Sounds like this move has been gestating for a while, given the pace of the transfer process (I would know). Good luck in the new place. A great club, for sure, one of the biggest in the country.

I cant represent Dunboyne until the XF goes through, my motivation to join was to run with the others in WIP on the Dunboyne track.
Taking part in future Meath championships as a Dub :P

AuldManKing

OOnegative wrote: »

Sacrilege, worse than Sol Campbell you are.........

They offered me a 12 pack of Tayto to sweeten the deal..............not even King.

KSU

So how does it work, do I have to return the pigs head to sender or do I just send it on directly

Best of luck with the move man be good to get in with other runners doing similar to yourself, The Meath Road Racing Championship scene will keep you busy next year anyway

healy1835

If running with WIP athletes was your main reason then you should have joined Newbridge

Annie get your Run

AuldManKing wrote: »

We have a range of workouts 200m to 800m that have faster pace/longer recovery and a 'slower' pace/shorter recovery.

Next week is 12-16x400 at mile pace with 45sec recovery.
Following week is 5x500 at 800m pace with 2.30 recovery!!




I cant represent Dunboyne until the XF goes through, my motivation to join was to run with the others in WIP on the Dunboyne track.
Taking part in future Meath championships as a Dub :P

You'll get over it, especially if the team is in the medals which they quite often are (although women's team is better in XC). Best of luck with it, enjoy the lovely new track, the singlet will certainly suit your skin tone!

Murph_D

AuldManKing wrote: »

I cant represent Dunboyne until the XF goes through, my motivation to join was to run with the others in WIP on the Dunboyne track.
Taking part in future Meath championships as a Dub :P

The country lads in Dublin clubs always feel a bit dirty when they win medals as 'Dubs'. Suppose it works both ways.

AuldManKing

Wednesday: A very tiring run on stiff legs - I kept the pace down due to another session on Thursday.

10.65m @ 8.26 pace (129 HR)


Thursday: Session: 3x Half Balke (i.e. 3x2100 off 1 min)

As previously explained - we run a 15min run during testing for Wilsons - this 15 min is called a 'Balke' - My Balke was 4200m - we then do 2 other sessions based on this.

(1) A double balke in 31:30 (8400 in under 31:30)
(2) 3x Half Balke in 7.30 (3x2100 in under 7.30 - 1 min rec)

So - after the usual warm up & drills in the lashing rain - I set off around the Furze/OS roads.

Rep 1: 7.22 (5.39 pace) - and was knackered after it. Legs had nothing in them, breathing was laboured. I considered canning the session there and then.
The 1 min recovery is nothing on these longer reps and doesn't give you time to consider quitting.

Rep 2: 7.28 running - not including about 30 seconds spent keeled over half way through deciding to quit running and Wilsons and go buy a set of golf clubs. - so about 8mins in total for the rep inc the stop.

I vowed to complete the 3rd rep - at whatever pace I could - be it 9 mins or whatever.

Rep 3: 7.41 (5.54 pace) - was quite happy with that - removing the target of 7.30 does wonderous things to you - you run more relaxed, your brain is wired different, you think more positively.

So a ****e session ('cos I stopped) - that I actually came away from in a positive frame of mind as I finished it.

8.9 miles in total


Friday: Planned Day off


Saturday: Session: 60mins at HM HR

I met a guy who is a bit faster than me for this - but we both had similar targets in terms of pace - so the HR should work out for us both.
Met at the National Aquatic Center and done 2miles of a warm up before starting on the faster parts.

I was to keep the HR at 163 - which was a HR of about 6.25'ish +/-

Initially, found it tough but found a nice rhythm and we took turns leading.
The conversation was just short sentences - 'hows your Heart rate?' - 'yeah, grand, yours?' - was the extent of it.

The route had a few inclines in it and also some long stretches where you noticed the wind.
It was nice to get a long run like this in, it gives yu confidence that you are running within yourself and maintaining a decent HR that didn't waiver with the pace too much.

Finished up on 9.35miles for the hour - done 1 mile warm down.

12.35miles total (6.25 pace - 162 HR)


Sunday: A group of 5 of us for this run - taking in parts of the Meath country roads in Kilbride, taking in part of the Ratoath HM route as well.
Nice company, good chats and had a coffee afterwards - this phenomenon of 'meeting with people' could catch on you know.

13.34miles at 8.30 pace

61m for the week.
200 for August

Despite going home, walking the dog etc - I was in the car on Sunday afternoon and right away felt a strange dull ache in my shin while pressing on the pedals. I had to ask my wife to drive home as it was so bad.

I have a pain in my shin since - its like someone kicked me in the shin as its sore to touch.
I'm on a diet of icing, neurofen and no running. I've an appointment booked with physio - hopefully nothing too serious!!

Murph_D

Wasn't Balke a character in Mork and Mindy?

Fair play, A, a great session and a good way to look at it too. Hope the shin is OK.

Duanington

Mind the shin A - having spent a little time on the WIP, I can sympathise with the demons calling mid-session, sometimes done is better than perfect.

AuldManKing

Week 31st Aug to 6th Sept: NADA / nothing / nil

Shin/Lower leg is sore most of the week - I didn't mind as much as I was away for part of it and busy the rest of it.
As I dont have a specific target, I'm not feeling the usual dread or anxiety on missing sessions - its just missing running that's the thing.

I checked back in my excel file I keep and the last time I missed 7 days was Jan 2019 but that was for skiing.
The last time I was injured was June 2016 - I missed 2 weeks - so I've been 4 years injury free.

For this week:

Monday 7th: Gentle 5km - I could feel the lower leg swell up a bit, but no pain.

Tuesday: Leg still visibly swollen, so went out on a cycle to get the HR up. Done close to 13 miles and got the endorphins moving (the chemicals, not the running shoes)

Its noticeably better today, but I'll not run today - I was walking the dog at lunch time and could feel it - not a pain - just a specific point of pressure - so may cycle again later on.


I've plenty of time to think, which is a bad thing for me................. more thinking about my thinking needed.

KSU

Sorry to hear about the injury, don't let the brain take over, you have good people around you (coaches and fellow runners) talk to them, even if its only as a sounding board it helps more.

Sincerely yours,

A chronic overthinker

AuldManKing

OOnegative wrote: »

Your a bit like Daniel Levy, you change plan as quickly as he sacks managers.

AuldManKing wrote: »

And Barry - I've started & stopped far more plans this year than Levy has sacked managers in 20 years :P

..........about that......... :P

KSU

AuldManKing wrote: »

..........about that......... :P

https://images.app.goo.gl/VJxiJVEKYaM2Scus7

AuldManKing

So last week consisted of 1 5k run and 2 decent cycles - really pushed the pace on the cycles attacking whatever hills I came up against.

Decided on Wednesday to stop cycling and just rest the injury for a few days - done a Pilates class on Thursday (on advice of ST who also is the class teacher ). Kept the rehab stretches going too.

Noticeable difference over the weekend with it improving.

Chanced a short run yesterday and that went well on the injury front - but had me feeling like a hippo blowing out of his backside.
Amazing what 2 weeks of non running does.
I was doing recovery pace - but it felt like 'steady' pace! - about 3 miles.

Training:

As of Sunday, I am back to being Self Trained.

The plan I was on is fantastic and I will certainly bring many elements to my next plan.
The focus (apart from Marathons) is not to peak for any race, but to always be in race shape - this really opened my eyes as it means you are constantly training at a range of paces and dont have a specific plan that has you peaking.

This has multiple benefits as you don't mind a missed session & you don't have that anxiety that builds for a goal race.
Running at mile pace / 800m pace has with long recoveries has also opened my eyes regarding lactate buffering.

So many positives to it.

The reason for me moving on was 2 fold.

(1) There is a constant quest to improve session over session (they repeat every 4-8 weeks depending).
This is great for a lot of people - but for me it impacted me a lot (mentally as opposed to physically) - going into a session with a goal to beat is great - but if you aren't 'on it' and have a bad session then it gnaws at me.

(2) I really like owning my own training - I am super accountable to myself, but also flexible enough to change the session on the go.

So - no bad fall outs - all amicable parting and a lot of knowledge gained. If anyone wants any information on the programme, feel free to contact me (I wont share any plans or specific info out of respect to the coach - I've also requested that any info that I have shared on here be edited).

I'll probably become less productive at work now.............

So - onwards.

MY BAD

That seems a bit mad redoing sessions like that. All the best with your training.