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BQ or Bust!
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Thu 28 Feb
5.2k @ 5:55
Another meetup with G en route home, slightly extended to make it worthwhile. February total: 224k (139 mi).
Fri 1 Mar
8.1k @ 5:40
Easy commute to town. Glorious morning.
Sat 2 Mar
7.2k @ 5:45
Just an easy jog around the Drumcondra/Glasnevin burbs.
Sun 3 Mar
Lusk 4 Mile
This was a fairly late addition to the racing calendar. No special prep, but I felt if I was in shape I should be able to threaten 26:30, a similar time to last year’s Dunboyne (when of course I’d targeted 26). Maybe less? I’ve been racing in a less watch-dependent manner of late, especially at this kind of distance. So I tried to gauge it by feel, only glancing at the average pace once, about a kilometre in (4:00). By now I had settled in with E, a female clubmate, behind two Clonliffe runners who looked to be fellow M50s (well, maybe one of them anyway). The conditions were as predicted - cold, windy, wet, with some standing water here and there. Not the fastest of courses - two laps, with a sharp right just after the start and some narrow roads in the first km, as well as a 180 turn around a barrier at the bottom of a small hill. But the same conditions for everyone, and why not make the best of it?
I moved ahead of E about 2.5k in, down a slope at the end of the bypass section before turning back into the village, passing the Clonliffe lads at the same time. All three immediately passed me again on the drag back up to the halfway point. I was disappointed to see the clock as I approached, going through in 13:30 - a good bit off the target, even though it had felt like I’d been moving well for most of the circuit. A shout from Pat Hooper, telling me to move up to E, and I settled in with her again, with the Clonliffe lads still just in front, quietly helping each other on. Back through the 180 and the windswept section to the bypass, where I tucked in for a bit and sheltered behind Clonliffe. At about 5k, my clubmate started to struggle and I went past, muttering some encouragement. The right turn back towards the village again, up the hill. I heard the watch beep which meant there should be about 400m to go, trying to up the pace along the stretch before the final drag. The Clonliffe boys were pulling away. I passed a young lad, who passed me again about 200m later. This bit was seeming to go on forever. Someone shouted 150 to go and I gave it a bit more, staying ahead of the people behind but, in truth, by the end feeling there was a bit more in the tank.
While I was OK during the race, I felt quite cold immediately after, and it seemed to take an age to get changed into dryer gear. Was good to see a few faces. Lots from the club and a few from around here. Congrats to Singer on the sub-25 and PB especially. So I can’t make any excuses about the conditions. The mrs came in glowing after a very decent outing, so there were plenty of good performances out there. Plenty of good results from the club, with the Claw winning, team medals and no doubt a few individual ones too. No excuses for my own mediocrity. There was a medal for everyone along with the goodie bag, of course, but I declined mine.
Well done to everyone who braved the elements!
Previous PB: 26:24 (Dunboyne 2018)
Target: <26:30
Actual: 27:04
87th place (of 684)
9th M50+ (of 59)
VDOT: 47.7
AG: 75.5
Verdict: Underperform?
WTD: 55k (34m)
MTD: 24 (15)
YTD: 470 (292)0 -
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Forgot to mention - interesting goodie bag. It felt heavy, but that was mainly because it contained a packed of spuds! North County Dublin and all that. As the mrs got one as well, at least that was the dinner sorted! Nice and tasty too. 0
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This week is 24 weeks from the National Masters. If I repeated last year, the 2x12 cycle would start here, but I’m not ready mentally so I’ll be following a 23 week schedule of sorts, starting next week. Hopefully!
Mon 4 Mar
70 mins recovery @ 5:59/k
Dropped one of the boys to GAA and headed out the coast for a leisurely recovery run. Waved at a bunch of clubmates out for something looking a little more strenuous. Although one of them had been dropped and was on his own, which is not good.
Tue 5 Mar
Club session: Hills 10x180 (?) w/ jog down recovery
Over to Howth for the monthly Tuesday hill session with Mick C. Terrible traffic at rush hour and I was late picking up FBOT but we got there in time for a warmup loop near the Summit Inn with the coach and another clubmate (who I think turned out to be MisterDrak?) Most of us lined up about 180m below the Summit car park, with some of the more ambitious souls opting for the ~250m version from the very bottom of the hill. The instructions were to get a feel for it on the first rep and then hit the rest of them at a challenging but sustainable pace. It was pissing rain and we were dodging cars for the whole session. But it felt great, probably because I was taking it a bit easy, being reasonably conservative after the Sunday race. Just followed the crowd, mostly. Don’t do enough hill stuff so it was good to get this in - hopefully more of this will do as advertised and help with strength and form.
49 46 46 46 45 45 46 44 44 40
The last one was a bit of a ‘hero rep’ in retrospect, not something I do often, but I felt it was my turn to lead out.
It might have been my imagination, but in my mind the hill seemed to appear a bit flatter as the session wore on. Excellent session in super company, finished off with another 2k cooldown loop. Total 9k for the evening.
Wed 6 Mar
No running. Too much competing stuff.
Thu 7 Mar
45 mins easy @ 5:51
Chatty commute with G. As before, didn’t enjoy the crowded bit but more pleasant one we got over the canal bridge to D3.
WTD: 29k (18m)
MTD: 53 (33)
YTD: 499 (310)0 -
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Fri 8 Mar
8.6k @ 5:40
Another easy commute, long way around via Irishtown.
Sat 9 Mar
6.4k inc. Poolbeg parkrun @ T (22:07)
Joined A for a Sanctuary Runner outing, picking up a group of participants in town and heading out to a windy Poolbeg. None of the group needed any handholding so I pushed on after the opening km into a nice tempo pace, enjoying the wind at our backs heading out towards the hill, then the more challenging bit against the wind. Downwind finish though, which helped, and I enjoyed a ‘racy’ finish with a couple of lads who’d passed earlier. Coffee in Sandymount village to round off an excellent morning.
Sun 10 Mar
10 miles easy
Headed over to the club for the 8am run. Was a bit late and parked short of the clubhouse and joined the back of the group as it passed, eventually settling in for 10 chatty miles with some of the ‘ladies’. Breezy enough morning, but enjoyed the standard loop down to East Wall Road and back out the coast. Pushed on after seven miles for a progressive finish, including a loop of the Road Race circuit near where I’d parked. Or where I’d thought I parked. Found the car eventually.
WTD: 60k (37m)
MTD: 84 (52)
YTD: 530 (330)0 -
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Swashbuckler wrote: »9 weeks is plenty for a 5k block
Good to hear! Last year's 12-week one didn't work anyway.
What's the target race D? Bob Heffernan?
That's the one. Third time lucky, hopefully. You doing it?0 -
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Was wrong in my calculations last week - I should actually be starting my 5k cycle. However I will be trying to build that around Winter League stuff and the start of the Graded Meets also. So it won't be pretty, probably!
Mon 18 Mar
50 mins @ 5:52/k
Another jog around the local loop - reversed direction to live dangerously. Unexpectedly creaky after yesterday’s 10 miles, but it’s been a while since I’ve run that kind of terrain, even at an easy pace.
Tue 19 Mar
8.1k @ 6:10
Avoided the club session as I will be racing tomorrow night. Slow jog home from work. Haven’t really got used to running with backpack - find it very constraining and annoying. Compounded by sore quads from the weekend’s hills.
Wed 20 Mar
Winter League Round 8: 2 miles - 17th place in 12:53
Fancied my chances of a good placing and maybe a PB tonight - didn’t quite deliver, although in the end I was quite happy with the performance, on an unusually balmy evening. A couple of laps of the circuit to warm up, in the company of G and one of the club's many interesting older members. Quite a relaxed few mins then before the off, chatting with a few people.
Lined up and was taken a bit by surprise by the sudden start - fewer announcements than usual! I'd lined up a little closer to the front, and as a result it seemed like a quite pacy first couple of 100m. No harm in that, and I was up with the usual suspects sooner than usual. S had steamed by, working on his traditional slow start. I tucked in behind for a while, then did a bit of the work through the second half of the first lap, as we overtook C in the process. C usually finishes fairly close behind me, so I felt I was in the right place by now, and tried to focus on being relaxed, keeping the pace nice and steady and comfortable through to the end of the lap (and hopefully beyond).
Approaching the split (6:25) I began to overheat somewhat, emitting a few dry heaves, and had to step off the pedal a little. S seemed to take advantage, moving strongly away at the top of lap 2 (don't blame him, I always try to put distance between me and any unpleasant noises too). I began to feel better and settled in where I was, listening to the footsteps behind, hoping C hadn’t noticed the distress. Tried to up the pace when the watch beeped 2k, then a little more again at the penultimate turn with 800 to go, making sure to consolidate my position and not give C any encouragement. It is a league after all, and it’s all about placings! (Not that you’d necessarily know, as no league table has yet been published.)
I was gaining on the runner in front, and pushed again at the final turn, not quite catching him. It’s a pity I didn’t start reeling him in earlier, as in the end the time was only one second slower than my 12:52 PB from Round 4. Quite spent after, so no complaints. 17th place is about right - don’t think I managed any scalps though. Cooled down with another lap with S and C, before the usual tea and cake in the clubhouse.
Splits: 6:25 6:28
WTD: 28k (17m)
MTD: 167 (104)
YTD: 613 (381)0 -
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It always does. But I could have put half of them there myself! 0 -
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W2 of 9 cont.
Thu 28 Mar
Hill reps: 13x30 secs (90 sec rec)
This was down for Fri but switched around as I already have a lunch date tomorrow, and to swap does not break the “hard/easy principle” (avoid consecutive hard days). But where to find a suitable hill in town? A quick WhatsApp to the trusted consiglieri threw up a few suggestions: Parkgate St., Christchurch area, and the long railway bridge into East Wall from Sheriff St., behind the Convention Centre. I chose the latter, which was just about long enough, and as it’s a bridge offered the opportunity to vary things by using both sides. A little short actually, as most of the reps to the crest came in slightly under - but close enough! The right knee was a big niggly on the way out and on the way back, but fine during the workout itself - testament, perhaps, to the idea that running up hills is easier on the auld joints. Total for the outing: 7.3k
Fri 29 Mar
50 mins easy / 20 mins recovery
A runch date with Singer. I was late because a meeting went over but managed to hook up for a couple of laps of Stephen’s Green, a spot I am starting to like more. B went off to his own meeting and I did a couple more laps around the outside, before heading back to the office. Realised then that I’d locked myself out. No one around to let me in, and I was starving, so I got an impromptu second run in, a gentle jog home for lunch. 9.6k for the day.
Sat 30 Mar
45 mins recovery in St Anne’s with FBOT and Ferris. Chatty. A few ears might be burning. :pac:
Sun 31 Mar
LR: 15.9km @ 5:30 avg
First LR of the plan. The idea is 1 mile WU/CD in zone 1 (recovery pace), the rest in Zone 2 (easy). I moved the watch to the inside of my wrist to get better HR read (a tip from Ferris) and it seemed to work. The idea was to keep the main part of the run under 90 percent of LT HR. For me, that translates to a max of 156 - drifted slightly over in a couple of spots, but generally in the right range. When compared with average pace, however, it seems I was working a little harder than I should be on this kind of run, so it will be interesting to see if I can improve that as the plan progresses.
WTD: 66k (41m)
MTD: 268 (167)
YTD: 714 (444)0 -
Fitzgerald 80/20 5k: Week 3 of 9
This week is a stepback. Have read more of the book and hopefully know better what I’m doing now. But will be adjusting the schedule to accommodate Round 9 of the Raheny Winter League on Weds.
Mon 1 Apr
Rest day. Took it.
Tue 2 Apr
Speedplay session scheduled (6x2mins @ VO2). Ditched this due to tomorrow’s night’s race, swapping in 45 mins easy (8k).
Wed 3 Apr
Winter League Round 9: 1 mile
Was I looking forward to this? I kinda was, anticipating it all day, as you tend to do with evening races. Got to Raheny in time for a couple of laps of the circuit. More used to racing the mile on the track, so had set up the watch for 400m laps so I’d hear the beep. Used the warmup to find exactly where these 400m splits would be on the course, because it would help to have the visual markers and tap into whatever little I’ve learned about the mile and its unique challenges.
The race began after the usual announcements and lack of fuss. I’d lined up to the left which meant a bit of a dash to get into a good position to dodge around a parked car about 25 in. Managed that quite well. A lot of runners tore off, and I was happy to let them at it and just try to hit 90 seconds for the first 400. This put me at the head of a little group behind the hares, joined by C who usually finishes close behind me, and we were soon joined also by skyblue. (I’d been chatting to S beforehand - to be honest, before this chat I'd thought I might have a chance of his scalp tonight, but I quickly found out he’d done his homework and wouldn’t be making himself an easy target by underthinking the need to pace, the mile being an endurance event after all.)
I stole a glance at the watch at the beep just to confirm the pace was good - 89 seconds, bang on. This first section was into a headwind so I was happy to have gotten into the right kind of groove, and looked forward to the long stretch down All Saints Road where there would be the comfort of an initial downhill and a tailwind for most of the way. C was starting to blow a bit by the turn, 600m in, although he held on as we went past the first few slowing runners. At the 800m mark (speed bump 1, for future reference), I girded myself for the equivalent of lap 3 - where you need to really dig in as your brain starts to tell you, slow down, you’re tiring and there’s still a long way to go. There was a car ahead, slowing to take a left turn. This is one of the charms of the Raheny road circuit - negotiating the inevitable traffic and the odd bus. :eek: I had take the long way around it, but at least that distracted from the growing discomfort. We passed Helenanne and powered past A, a perennial F50 medalist. S made his move around here, and I tried to respond, dropping C in the process. I felt quite good still for this stage of the race, trying to relax and let it happen. At the 1200m mark (speed bump 2), I spotted a runner, K, whom I’d battled in one of the early two milers. I hadn’t come close in any subsequent races but he looked vulnerable tonight. Went past strongly just before the final turn, with about 300m remaining. I’ve never been passed on this stretch and had told myself during the warmup I'd maintain that record. I could hear someone drawing up to my shoulder - glanced around expecting to see K, but it was someone else. I hit the accelerator again and concentrated on S, maybe 10-15m and two places ahead by now. I’d visualised myself finishing this stretch strongly, and was definitely battling the lactate now. The gap started closing. Someone shouted the elapsed time (5:31?) at the little bend about 90-100m short of the finish, and I could tell I was close to a sub-5:50 time, although I was more interested in seeing was there enough road left to reel S in, but alas, it was not going to happen.
Official result: 18th in 5:51
Splits (approx)
1:29 1:31 1:26 1:25
A good race though - much different to the paced miles and Graded Miles/1500s I’ve done over the past 18 months. Very happy with the strategy and the execution, and the 18th place finish is quite good, with a couple of scalps taken. Couple more cooldown laps with S, taking today’s total to 8.8k
WTD: 17k (10m)
MTD: 17(10)
YTD: 731 (454)0 -
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Congrats D. The race report suggests that you were genuinely in a race from the start this time. It may just be how I am interpreting your reports of course. Being directly involved with other runners certainly works very well for you and the "no car to skirt around" in the opening 400m was no harm. Congrats on the continuing PB's. 0
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