One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

tang1

Best of luck with Limerick, run well.

Kennyg71

to save any more ware on your old limbs, I,ll drive down Sunday C.

FBOT01

Kennyg71 wrote: »

to save any more ware on your old limbs, I,ll drive down Sunday C.

You've heard about his driving so, G :eek:

Mrs Mc

Best of luck today C keep an eye on KennyG he has a terrible sense of direction so he'll either drive you to Clare or run to Belfast

tang1

Well done on the sub 90, not sure what the target was but always nice to dip under 90 mins.

Murph_D

tang1 wrote: »

Well done on the sub 90, not sure what the target was but always nice to under 90 mins.

Sounds like he was sandbagging yesterday so.

Mrs Mc

Nice work C a good day at the office

Kennyg71

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Best of luck today C keep an eye on KennyG he has a terrible sense of direction so he'll either drive you to Clare or run to Belfast

He found out all about my sense of direction today:D

annapr

Well done C, those calf niggles seem to work well for you

Ferris B

tang1 wrote: »

Well done on the sub 90, not sure what the target was but always nice to dip under 90 mins.

Thanks B. Target was sub 1:33, my time in Waterford earlier this year. So success.

Murph_D wrote: »

Sounds like he was sandbagging yesterday so.

Don't think so. The 1 min under 90 was a bonus. Mind you, left nothing out there. Check out my Hr on Strava. Apparently I've a new HR max!!!

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Nice work C a good day at the office

Thanks A. Legs are feeling it now.

Kennyg71 wrote: »

He found out all about my sense of direction today:D

You'd get lost in paper bag! You need to wear a dog tag ..'if found, please ring Mrs Kenny G'

Great running today. Few more mins to come off that time considering you were 'comfortable' all the way round. Thanks a mill for the chauffering too.

annapr wrote: »

Well done C, those calf niggles seem to work well for you

Thanks Anna. Still have 'em unfortunately. Pain from mile 3. Left calf will need some tlc over next while. Sensible person may have pulled up but where's the fun in that.

FBOT01

Murph_D wrote: »

Sounds like he was sandbagging yesterday so.

He wasn't sandbagging, D. He just prefers to discuss his B or C goal in public while keeping the A one to himself until after he achieves it

Nice going, C. I hope you gave the Physio team due credit last night for getting you to the start line.

Ferris B

Thurs 28th Apr

No Running

Left calf was still at me a bit so just rested for thurs and fri to give myself some chance of giving it a go in limerick.


Fri 29th Apr

No Running
Half a physio session with a few more needles in the calf.

Sat 30th Apr
4m; 7:30

Tester little run up and back to parkrun to join ‘em for coffee. Leg ok but still bit niggly.

Sun 1st May
2m wu; 9:17 & Limerick Half Marathon

Got a lift to Limerick courtesy of Kenny_G and his awesome sense of direction, picking up a mate in Anacotty en route. Weather was poxy but a clear spell was forecast between 12 and 2 which was our race time. Having parked up we headed to the start area and first port of call was a WC. Portaloos weren’t good enough for our G, so we ended up using the thrones in Savoy Hotel no less! Good call G.

Marathon was well underway as we meandered around and we spotted a few at the pointy end. I wanted a couple of miles warm up so the two boys joined me for a 2m out and back gentle jog before heading to the start area.

I still didn’t have a definite goal at this stage other than 1:30ish. Conscious of my iffy calf I wasn’t sure though whether to start easy at 7min pace and try to pick it up in second half or if all ok , go hard from the start with the 1:30 pacer and hold it for as long as I could. It was only when I saw the relatively small numbers at the start (1000 i guessed) that I thought I might struggle forcing the pace on my own, so reckoned just go with the pacer and see what happens.

The course turned out to be a lot hillier than I had thought from the elevation profile I looked at on sat. We hit a nasty hill in the first half mile which shocked me. The pace was fairly hot at about 6:44 over the first few miles and there was a few mutters from our pacing group of about 20. Although the rain had died off, there wasn’t a huge amount of supporters which was a pity. There was plenty of cones though, in all the wrong places.:eek:

At about mile 3 my calf started to hurt and progressively got worse. It never felt like it was about to tear though ( I’ve worn that tee shirt) so I was content to hang in and hope for the best. I got a surprising name check at mile 4 and turned to see the partner of our Annacotty passenger who had come out to support. By mile 5, I was thinking, I’m still here, still on for 1:30 and not out of the game. After about 6 miles we come back into the city where there was a good crowd, music blaring and I got a shout out from the Cru coach who was down for the 6m race and that gave me a good lift.

I spotted another Cru runner in our group and moved up for an introduction and a quick chat. A young fella, he seemed very comfortable, tight to the pacer while I was generally at the back of the pack.

Around miles 7-8 I started to tire, leg was sore I thought, just get to 10m and you can surely manage 3m home. At 9m things improved momentarily, and I even remember thinking, get to 10m and maybe you could push on. However by the time I got to 10, I was promptly put back in my place. I was shattered. Instead, nasty thoughts about dropping back entered my head. I was working hard to maintain the pace and the breathing was heavier. At mile 11, a few guys pushed on from our group but I couldn’t summon up the energy to join them or maybe I didn’t trust my calf. Around mile 12 guy appeared before me handing out jellies and I gratefully bagged myself a couple of jelly babies hoping a sugar hit might give me a boost. They must have worked as around here, our group started to break up with some falling off the pace and some picking it up, including me. I was convinced the pacer ran a fast mile 12 (6:37?) , maybe afraid of coming home late even though I was sure, he had plenty of time in reserve. I hung on, but was straining to stay there. Mile 13 and adrenalin and a smell of the finish kept me going. There were two ‘false’ finish gantries to mess with our wasted heads before the ‘real’ finish line appeared. I think I gave it an extra push over the last 200m. Discovered later it was just enough to squeeze me into sub 1:29.

Crossed in 1:28:59. 72nd overall and 8th in M45.

Wrecked but really pleased not just with my time, but my effort levels. Even Strava I discovered later labelled it an 'Epic' performance. Not sure it was at that level but that gave me a smile.

I felt I didn’t leave anything out there. While it was 2min 20s slower than my PB from 2014, it was 4min 10s quicker than the half in Waterford last January. Considering my current training and fitness, I’ll graciously take it. While it bodes well for Cork, I’ve a sneaky suspicion my lack of more endurance stuff might catch me out over the longer distance so I need to knuckle down over the next few weeks.

Splits for the race:
6:39 6:48 6:41 6:40 6:55 6:43 6:54 6:34 6:47 6:44 6:43 6:37 6:37 (6:30)

Mrs Mc

Well done C a good day out mind that calf

Murph_D

Looks epic to me! You're a tough oul bird, need some of that to rub off on me. Really impressive run, C. See you in Cork.

tang1

Well done C, fair play for holding on and gritting it out. The time was 20mins 20sec slower than your half PB? Your half PB is 68mins, that's some feckin running!!

laura_ac3

Well done! Great to tough it out like that and not let the mental wobbling takeover. Hope the calf is ok, mind it over the next while, you don't want to undo your recent good work!

FBOT01

Nice one but what I really want to see is the report on the 68min half you did

Kennyg71

Great running C, very well done take care of calves don't be afraid to wear compression socks.:)

annapr

FBOT01 wrote: »

Nice one but what I really want to see is the report on the 68min half you did

Was wondering about that too... A podium finish maybe?

Ferris B

FBOT01 wrote: »

Nice one but what I really want to see is the report on the 68min half you did

annapr wrote: »

Was wondering about that too... A podium finish maybe?

Oh you picky pedantic people. It was senior moment, now corrected.

Ferris B

Tues 3rd May
7.4m General Aerobic, 8:16

There was VO2 max session in the program but with the calf a bit tight, and the legs quite DOMSy, I opted for a few easier miles with FBOT for company

Wed 4th May
5m (cut short) General Aerobic, 8:00

This was supposed to be a 12m MLR but calf was worse than yesterday so rather than risk more damage I cut the run short.

Thurs 5th May
No Running

Physio session in the morning. Good news in that there appears to be no injury per se but maybe a neural issue. Got needles in L glute, L hamstring and L calf. Felt like a piece of Swiss cheese. Got permission to run through the pain.

Was chasing the dog in the garden later on that eve and leg felt remarkably good. Planned a run for the morning as a result.

Fri 6th May
12m MLR, 7:39

Early morning run to Sutton and back. Calf still a little tight but better than Tuesday. Ran at default pace which ended up a little speedy

Sat 7th May
5.6m recovery, 8:50 pace

Nice gentle run through trails of St Annes. Got a job helping set up for Parkrun enroute. L Leg better again.

Sun 8th May
17m LR, Last 3 @ mp, 7:50

Drove to the p park for this for some variety. During the run I decided to include some MP miles as there was no fast stuff ran this week. Left calf even better again although rest of the body felt tired.

Huge gathering of Eastern Europeans at the Papal cross complete with Garda Escorts. Seemed to be a big family occasion for them. Maybe it was their ‘1916’ celebrations?

Kennyg71

Good to hear calf in the mend:)

FBOT01

Ferris B wrote: »

Tues 3rd May
7.4m General Aerobic, 8:16

There was VO2 max session in the program but with the calf a bit tight, and the legs quite DOMSy, I opted for a few easier miles with FBOT for company

Wed 4th May
5m (cut short) General Aerobic, 8:00

This was supposed to be a 12m MLR but calf was worse than yesterday so rather than risk more damage I cut the run short.

Thurs 5th May
No Running

Physio session in the morning. Good news in that there appears to be no injury per se but maybe a neural issue. Got needles in L glute, L hamstring and L calf. Felt like a piece of Swiss cheese. Got permission to run through the pain.

Was chasing the dog in the garden later on that eve and leg felt remarkably good. Planned a run for the morning as a result.

Fri 6th May
12m MLR, 7:39

Early morning run to Sutton and back. Calf still a little tight but better than Tuesday. Ran at default pace which ended up a little speedy

Sat 7th May
5.6m recovery, 8:50 pace

Nice gentle run through trails of St Annes. Got a job helping set up for Parkrun enroute. L Leg better again.

Sun 8th May
17m LR, Last 3 @ mp, 7:50

Drove to the p park for this for some variety. During the run I decided to include some MP miles as there was no fast stuff ran this week. Left calf even better again although rest of the body felt tired.

Huge gathering of Eastern Europeans at the Papal cross complete with Garda Escorts. Seemed to be a big family occasion for them. Maybe it was their ‘1916’ celebrations?

Remind us what MP is again?

Ferris B

FBOT01 wrote: »

Remind us what MP is again?

Fast enough to keep me interested and slow enough to keep me running.

FBOT01

Ferris B wrote: »

Fast enough to keep me interested and slow enough to keep me running.

I suppose I should be thanking you for keeping my seat on the fence warm!!

Ferris B

Tues 10th May
8m Recovery 8:21
Easy run on seafront, howth rd, castle ave. Calf seems ok


Wed 11th May
10m w/ 2x1200, 1x1600, 1x1200 (5k pace)

Early morning session on the track for this one. Wasn’t feeling the love but got it done. My mind obviously wasn’t with it as I ran a 1600 instead a 1200.:rolleyes:

Splits: 4:54, 4:54, 6:30, 4:53

Thurs 12th May
Rest day
I was late home and wrecked from work so swapped rest day with Friday. Walked the dog instead and spotted Mrs Mc tearing up and down the seafront which made be feel suitably guilty.

Fri 13th May
12m MLR 7:54

Ran this in the morning to give as much rest time as possible before LR on sat. This was a real slog that I didn’t enjoy one bit. Body felt jaded. Must have been the extra 400 on tues!

Headed to my new local Thai friend after work for some rehab. It was like being in an MMR fight where I was a just a target... knees, elbows, fists. Left battered but re juvenated.

Domestic stuff put pay to my planned early night and I only got to eat my dinner at 11:30!


Sat 14th May
22m LR 8:08

Relatively early, so took a route from St Annes to town before it got busy and along the quays for some variety. A few coffee shops were opening up as I ran by and I sorely tempted to stop for coffee and pastry as I’d no breakfast. Ploughed on though to P Park where I zigzagged my way to Ashtown gate and returned via canal, ballyboggan rd, Griffith ave and back to St Annes. Got there just in time for the last slice of KennyG’s 50th birthday cake.

The second half of the run was tough, not helped probably by my 12m on Friday. Reminded me of the back to back runs when training for Conn Ultra. Took a couple of gels as rehearsal for Cork. Haven’t had them in two years and they still taste rank.

Sun 15th May
4m Recovery 8:33

Played golf in the morning and the legs felt surprisingly good, less so the quality of my golf.

A few recovery miles in the late afternoon on a lovely sunny day.

Kennyg71

Good week C, nearly there:)

annapr

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Good week C, nearly there:)

Happy 50th G... didn't realise you were so old...

Mrs Mc

It's was G's 50th park run ! If he was a woman he would take offence let's hope he's not !! Want to know more about this Thai friend do I need to be telling Mrs b

Ferris B

Mon 16th May
Rest

Tues 17th May
8.4m w/ 4x800

Joined in with the club session as hadn’t been there in a while. The program had 5x600 but they were running 800s so just did four of them. Just about hung to the back of the group. Warm up miles and cool down miles (with Murph) were also at the track.

Splits for 800s 2:59, 2:57, 2:57, 3:02

Wed 18th May
Recovery 6m 8:45

Nice recovery run thru St Annes on grass

Thurs 19th May
Rest

Fri 20th May
4m Recovery w/6 strides

More easy running in St Annes with strides along the Ave using the benches as markers

Sat 21st May
16m LR; 13m (8:02) plus Parkrun at mp’ish (7:19)

Wasn’t sure if I’d fit in the LR on Sunday per program, so swapped runs with Sat. FBOT joined me for the first 13 miles. With him banned from hills, we kept it at sea level and headed from St Annes to Howth Harbour where we checked out both piers. Finished the run off with the Parkrun where I attempted and failed to run at mp. Coffee and cake with Murph after, celebrating a 50th for the second time.

Sun 22nd May
10m w/6m tempo

The program had called for a 10k tune up race on the Sat. As I had swapped days, I toyed with the idea of doing a 10k race possibly the night run in town. Got warned off this though by the 3 wise men and just headed out late afternoon on my own heading south side to Sandymount strand. Threw in 10k at tempo effort (c80% HR max). Pace wasn’t particularly fast (7:00ish) which was possibly due to a few shandies last night. The 3 wise men will say, in fact, did say, I shouldn’t be doing a session after a LR. Oh well. I didn’t listen. Mind you as my punishment I got caught out in a couple of those nasty rain showers floating around this weekend. Felt like a giant ice bucket challenge.:eek:

First week of taper done. Systems are all functioning ok for a change.