Faster

ThebitterLemon

tailgunner wrote: »

Wednesday, 9th November 2016

5 miles
50:32
10:06/mi

First run since Saturday. I won't even bother inventing any excuses, it was just pure laziness. Really struggling with motivation for the last few weeks. I think knowing that I'm away this weekend and won't get much done, I mentally wrote off the week before it even started.

It was so dark I could barely where I was going (and that was with a head torch), so the half-notion of doing a tempo run went right out the window, and I stuck to some easy plodding.

More of the same this evening, and then I'm off to Vienna for a few days. I'm leaving the runners at home, in the hope that I'll come back raring to go next week. We'll call this one a "recovery" week.

I think the feelings/motivation that you are currently experiencing happen to most people in the aftermath of achieving a significant goal.

Has happened to me a few times and the way I got over it was to really and significantly slow down the pace I was running at and to try and run in different locations.

The motivational will take care of itself just don't put yourself under too much pressure. Run slow and enjoy it, you'll be experiencing the stress of sessions soon enough

TbL

tailgunner

You're spot on I'd say. The same thing happened after my half marathon last year, it's just worse this time. I'll try slowing down and changing the scenery a bit, thanks.

ariana`

tailgunner wrote: »

Wednesday, 9th November 2016

5 miles
50:32
10:06/mi

First run since Saturday. I won't even bother inventing any excuses, it was just pure laziness. Really struggling with motivation for the last few weeks. I think knowing that I'm away this weekend and won't get much done, I mentally wrote off the week before it even started.

It was so dark I could barely where I was going (and that was with a head torch), so the half-notion of doing a tempo run went right out the window, and I stuck to some easy plodding.

More of the same this evening, and then I'm off to Vienna for a few days. I'm leaving the runners at home, in the hope that I'll come back raring to go next week. We'll call this one a "recovery" week.

Enjoy the days away and the mental break. You sound like you need it. I got an email this morning from McMillian about the importance of taking a break between training cycles, not sure i can add a link, i'll try

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/give-it-a-rest/?utm_source=activecampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TuesdayTip110816

tailgunner

Very interesting article, thanks. I remember reading that after running Berlin last year, Lizzie Lee took three or four weeks off completely - no exercise whatsoever. Don't know why I didn't do that myself!

Maximus Alexander

ariana` wrote: »

Enjoy the days away and the mental break. You sound like you need it. I got an email this morning from McMillian about the importance of taking a break between training cycles, not sure i can add a link, i'll try

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/give-it-a-rest/?utm_source=activecampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TuesdayTip110816

That's deadly. Makes me feel better about only having done one 5k job since DCM!

Younganne

ariana` wrote: »

Enjoy the days away and the mental break. You sound like you need it. I got an email this morning from McMillian about the importance of taking a break between training cycles, not sure i can add a link, i'll try

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/give-it-a-rest/?utm_source=activecampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TuesdayTip110816

Its worth signing up to the Mcmillian website to get their newsletter and every week you get Tuesday tips. They are always very useful reading.

Enjoy the break tailgunner and you'll come back refreshed and ready to go again.

tailgunner

Tentatively climbing back on the wagon...

Vienna was lovely. Great spot for running. At least that's what it looked like from inside the various coffee houses that I spent most of my time.

Thursday, 10th November 2016

3 miles
30:31
10:10/mi

A short trot before heading to Heathrow. Ages ago now, and I can't remember any of it.

Wednesday, 16th November 2016

4 miles
39:28
9:51/mi

I got back from Vienna on Monday and decided I wouldn't run again until I definitely, positively wanted to. Only had to wait a couple of days, so that wasn't too bad. Kept it very easy, apart from a few strides that dragged the average pace up. Really enjoyed it.

Friday, 18th November 2016

10 miles
1:40:29
10:03/mi

The plan for this was to run for as long as I felt like, hopefully 6 miles or so, but I'd have been fine with cutting it short too. So I was pretty surprised with this. I wouldn't say it was the most comfortable run physically, but it was just what I needed mentally. Loved it.

Saturday, 19th November 2016

3 miles
30:17
10:05/mi

The legs felt very creaky heading off for this. 10 miles the previous evening might have been a bit much in hindsight. Kept it short anyway, and took a rest day yesterday.

tailgunner

Monday, 21st November 2016

4.5 miles
44:43
9:56/mi

Does it count as a run-commute if you're running home from someone else's place of work? Who knows? That's what I did anyway. Horrible, manky weather for it, but at least it wasn't too cold.

I invested in a new head torch last week, as it's only a matter of time before I end up in the River Thames if I keep using the old one. This one is much brighter, but the beam is at a bit of an awkward angle. Had to point my head at the ground if I wanted to see where I was going...

The run was good anyway. It's a rubbish route for anything other than easy running, but the change of scenery was very nice.

Tuesday, 22nd November 2016

4.5 miles
43:28
9:39/mi

Same again. Embarrassingly, I discovered that the new head torch is adjustable, and I can point the beam wherever I want. This is life-changing stuff.

Great run again. My legs felt a lot more zippy than the previous evening, so I threw in some strides and faster sections where I could.

mbarr

Sounds like the mojo is coming back, good going!

The Muppet

tailgunner wrote: »

Monday, 21st November 2016


I invested in a new head torch last week, as it's only a matter of time before I end up in the River Thames if I keep using the old one. This one is much brighter, but the beam is at a bit of an awkward angle. Had to point my head at the ground if I wanted to see where I was going...


Tuesday, 22nd November 2016

I discovered that the new head torch is adjustable, and I can point the beam wherever I want. This is life-changing stuff.

This gave me a chuckle this morning.



Getting back into it is tough enough ?

tailgunner

mbarr wrote: »

Sounds like the mojo is coming back, good going!

Thanks, feels like it is!

The Muppet wrote: »

Getting back into it is tough enough ?

Yeah definitely. It took me much longer than I expected to recover from the marathon physically, and even longer again mentally!

I'm not putting myself under any pressure for the rest of the year. Just going to enjoy the running and then see how I'm fixed in January.

Hope your own recovery is going well.

The Muppet

tailgunner wrote: »

Thanks, feels like it is!



Yeah definitely. It took me much longer than I expected to recover from the marathon physically, and even longer again mentally!

I'm not putting myself under any pressure for the rest of the year. Just going to enjoy the running and then see how I'm fixed in January.

Hope your own recovery is going well.

Yeah its going quite well thanks, I'm wanting to head out for whatever mileage I feel like rather than any specific plan which is nice for now.

I will do the novice plan when its up and running in a few weeks but until then like yourself my intention to just get out as often as I feel like and enjoy it with the added goal of trying to get some pace into my legs for jingle bells.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 23rd November 2016

4.4 miles
43:45
9:56/mi

Same run again. Much later in the evening, so I mostly had the roads and paths to myself. Feet and lower legs were a bit sore by the end - might be time to retire the old runners I was wearing.

Rest day today, and a final run commute tomorrow before I make a plan for the weekend. I'm signed up for a 10k race on Sunday but I might well bail on it and do a long run instead.

Kennyg71

Why not do 10k as session instead with w/u c/d either side, always good
to have company for session, could do Tempo or 500 race 500 jog, or on
the day you might just go for it.

tailgunner

Friday, 25th November 2016

4.4 miles
43:31
9:45/mi

Last run-commute of the week. Forgot the watch, but the Strava app on my phone came to the rescue. Little to report from this really.

tailgunner

I signed up for this race a week after the marathon, thinking that it was far enough away that I'd be able to recover well, get back into things, and give my PB a good rattle. In the end, it came around too quickly.

Marathon recovery took longer than expected. Physically, maybe 5-6 weeks, and mentally nearly a full two months. My running for November has been extremely patchy at best. A couple of long runs, one session, and a few half-hearted easy runs. To say I was ill-prepared for this race would be an understatement.

Still, I knew that if I turned up at all, I'd give it a go. So I did my best to jeapordise that as best I could by sinking several pints of IPA on Saturday night, in the hopes I'd be too hungover for the race. Sadly, I didn't drink quite enough.

(If I were to over-analyse this, I would say that I always had every intention of doing the race but knew I would struggle to PB, so I was really just trying to line up as many excuses as I could!).

The village of Eynsham is less than 10 minutes drive from my place, so I arrived in plenty of time. Went for the usual 20 minute warm-up with a few strides, and lined up somewhere in the middle of the 600-strong field. This race doubles as the Oxfordshire County 10k Championship race, and there were a considerable number of club runners who looked a lot fitter and less hungover than I was.

My 10k PB is 48:20, so the plan was to head off at that pace (7:47/mi) and see I how felt after a mile or two. I was hoping the marathon training would carry me to a modest PB - maybe a sub-48 if things went very well.

Mile 1
There was a bit of congestion at the start, but the field soon spread out and I found myself trucking along slightly ahead of the planned pace. It felt okay - far from comfortable, but not too bad. The first mile had a couple of sharp corners, but was mainly downhill, and I was happy enough to see 7:44 flash up on the watch.

Mile 2
The second mile was flatter, with a couple more twists and turns. I kept the effort roughly the same. I was at the front of a group at this stage, and trying to decide whether I should push on and catch the group in front. Eventually decided to play it safe and stay where I was for the time being. The second mile came in at 7:50.

Mile 3
I was still on PB pace here, but working hard. Harder than I should have had to really, but I wasn't quite prepared to admit that to myself yet. Then we hit a long drag next to a dual-carriageway, and while I wouldn't say the wheels came off, this is certainly where things started to go awry. The group in front was pulling away, I was struggling, and we weren't even halfway through the race. We eventually turned back into the village and the watch buzzed with 7:54.

Mile 4
This marked the start of the second lap of the course. I tried to take advantage of the downhill section again, but "pushing on" at this point meant barely getting back on pace. My breathing was laboured, and I was having a pretty rough time when the watch beeped again (7:50).

Mile 5
I was feeling very ropey now, and just wanted it to be over. All I could think about was the fecking drag that was coming up again in the next mile. The effort was rising considerably, and I was slowing. The fifth mile came in at 8:00. The PB was long gone now, but I figured a sub-49 would be respectable enough.

Mile 6
Back on the dual-carriageway. I decided the best way to handle the drag was to get it over with, and I hurled myself up it as best as I could manage, doing my best to ignore my own gasping and dry-heaving. It went on forever. Finally - finally - I was back into the village, and was amused to see I'd managed 7:49 for the mile - the second fastest of the day. Covered the bit in 1:35 and crossed the line in 48:42.

Bumped into a friend when I was in the middle of my post-race empty-retching routine. He ran 35:46 in his first ever 10k, having stepped up from middle-distance running recently. Interestingly, he had stuck to drinking water the night before. Maybe he's onto something...

All things considered, I'm happy enough with that. The time isn't quite what I wanted, but the performance was solid, so it's a fair reflection of where I am right now. With a few weeks of consistent running (and maybe cutting back on the beer!) that time will come way down.

I'll definitely be back for this race next year. £15 entry is excellent value for a well-run, club-organised race, with chip timing and even a decent t-shirt for good measure.

tailgunner

Monday, 28th November 2016

4 miles
40:08
10:01/mi

I strained something in my left leg on Sunday. Had no problems during the race or immediately after, but I felt a sharp twinge in the IT band area as soon as I started into the cool-down jog and it was sore for the day. It was still quite tender last night, but the recovery run seemed to help. Hopefully no major harm done.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 30th November 2016

6 miles
58:08
9:41/mi

My creaky legs felt like they were back to normal, so I went for an intervals session last night. The plan was for 400 reps at mile pace (6:45/mi, or 1:41 per rep), off jog recoveries of the same distance. Though I felt good, I knew I couldn't be fully recovered from Sunday's race, so the plan was to leave it at six reps.

Went for the usual two-mile warm-up (it was below freezing, and I could have ran 10 miles and wouldn't have been warm enough), and then launched into it. The race must have brought back a bit of sharpness, because straight away this felt much better than my last attempt at this session - over a month ago. My legs turned over nicely and I had no trouble hitting the pace and holding it.

The effort was very high though - I always seem to struggle with my breathing when it's very cold - and I was happy to call it a day after the six reps. All good other than that.

Splits:

1:41
1:40
1:42
1:41
1:40
1:42

I'm a bit disgusted with November's mileage (even lower than last year!) but I've emerged from whatever running slump I was in for most of the month, which is the main thing.

The plan for December is just to be consistent for the month, but I'm really enjoying running again so that shouldn't be too difficult. If I could finish out the year with a 5k PB (currently 22:25), that would be the icing on the cake. The target race is the Togher AC 5k on the 27th.

Month|2015|2016
Jan|7.86|103.61
Feb|14.7|116.6
Mar|23.53|127.35
Apr|32.91|73.11
May|45.88|119.75
Jun|42.65|135.17
Jul|23.26|177.09
Aug|84.29|176.47
Sep|106.61|141.79
Oct|56.17|86.18
Nov|81.45|79.33
Dec|55.33
Total|574.64|1,336.45

tailgunner

Thursday, 1st December 2016

4 miles
41:01
10:14/mi

Very easy recovery run on the usual route.

Friday, 2nd December 2016

10 miles
1:38:59
9:54/mi

Fairly easy long run on the usual route. I should probably start doing these at steady pace, but didn't have the energy for it last week.

Loving my new head-torch. The normal setting is brighter than my old one, and the high setting makes me feel like I'm Cyclops from the X-Men.

Sunday, 4th December 2016

6 miles
53:14
8:52/mi

A rare tempo run. I need to start doing these more regularly, as I feel like I benefit from sustained faster runner more than I do from intervals. Think I enjoy these sessions more too.

The plan was for three miles close to 10k pace. That's 7:50/mi based on last week's race, so I figured just under an 8 minute mile would do for target pace given that I didn't have to deal with a hangover this week. Still found it tough going at times, but I was happy enough with it. Splits were 7:56, 7:53 and 7:52.

30 miles on the nose for the week, with some of what the big kids call "quality" thrown in there. Very happy with that.

tailgunner

Tuesday, 6th December 2016

6 miles
1:01:38
10:16/mi

The average pace for this one includes six strides, so this was very easy in general. That was sort of the plan anyway, but I thought I'd have more trouble keeping the pace down. I'm a bit sniffly today as well - hope I'm not coming down with something.

Anyway, grand run. The hour flew by. The strides felt much stronger and more controlled than the last time I did them. Looking at the data after, they were a good bit faster too.

tailgunner

Wednesday, 7th December 2016

6.75 miles
1:05:18
9:40/mi

The sniffles disappeared as quickly as they arrived, so I went for the same intervals session as last week (400s at mile pace) with an extra rep. It was fairly blustery out there, and every second rep was into the wind so it was a bit more inconsistent than last week.

Happy enough overall though. Feels like I'm finally getting back into a decent running routine, and the speedier stuff is good fun.

Splits:

1:40
1:42
1:42
1:43
1:41
1:43
1:41

tailgunner

Thursday, 8th December 2016

4.15 miles
43:32
10:30/mi

Had a go at running this one at the "Very Easy" pace prescribed by the calculator on the Graduates' thread. Legs were very tired, so I figured this would be no trouble.

Despite slowing it right down though, it ended up faster than the calculator's "Easy" pace. That's if I base the calculation on the 10k race a couple of weeks back.

This felt very, very slow, and was 45-60 seconds slower than my long run pace during marathon training, so I think something is amiss here. I doubt the calculator is too far wrong, so maybe the 10k wasn't a true reflection of where I am right now. Maybe I need to take myself to a parkrun...

tailgunner

Saturday, 10th December 2016

7 miles
1:03:33
9:05/mi

Was home in Cork for the weekend to meet my new nephew. Cool little dude. I was hoping to get a bit of running in over the weekend, and brought the Brooks ST-5s so I could have a crack at the Ballincollig parkrun. Laziness got the better of me on Saturday morning though, so that never happened.

Instead, I took myself out for a tempo run in the afternoon. The usual route I use in Glanmire is out and back a quiet, country road, but it was very foggy, so I thought it'd be a safer bet to stick to looping around Riverstown.

The aim was for just inside an 8 minute mile again, but it ended up a touch slower. My breathing was all over the place - I put it down to the humidity, and I struggled on the long drag on each lap. Still, I managed to hold the pace for 4 miles and didn't feel too bad by the end, so happy enough with it really. Splits were 7:59, 8:03, 8:01 and 7:57.

Sunday, 11th December 2016

10.25 miles
1:36:58
9:27/mi

A foggy day again, so the out-and-back route was out. I couldn't face more loops though, so decided to run in the direction of Glanmire village and up the dual-carriageway towards the city. Surprised myself a bit here - in my head, Cork City is about a million miles from Glanmire, so when I found myself on MacCurtain Street only halfway through the run, I thought I'd accidentally stepped through the fabric of spacetime or something. Turned around and headed for home.

I was planning on taking this nice and handy after the session the previous day, but after a slow first mile, the pace gradually picked up. Was feeling good, so I went with it. Probably overdid it in hindsight, as the legs were definitely feeling it the next day. My breathing wasn't the best either - put it down to the weather conditions again. Definitely the most enjoyable run of the week though, and I was very pleased to hit 34 miles for the week. That's the most since the marathon, with a couple of good sessions in there.

Unfortunately the momentum ran out when I got back to England. I was knackered after work yesterday, and opted for a rest day instead of a recovery run. I should have known something was up when I spent the evening shivering on the couch despite having the heating on, and I woke up this morning feeling very rough. Took a rare sick day from work, which probably means I shouldn't run either.

Pretty annoying, as I was just getting back to a bit of consistency, but hopefully I'll get over it before the end of the week. I suppose the fact that my target race is on a Tuesday means I can afford to push my runs back a couple of days. Two weeks to go, and I'm still clinging on to the hope of a PB!

hot buttered scones

The weather is isn't doing my breathing any good either. It's surprisingly humid once you get going. Silversprings to Glanmire/Riverstown and back around by the train station/Horgans quay is one of my regular routes - but that bit from the roundabout towards Glanmire isn't my favourite bit to run in the dark.
I'm only getting my head together after DCM over the last week as well. Crap time of year for colds and sniffles - makes it harder to get the momentum going again.

tailgunner

It's a nice route if you don't mind the traffic on the dual-carriageway. I'll definitely use it again over Christmas.

I really struggled with motivation around October/November. Pity I couldn't have got the cold out of the way then when I wasn't arsed with running anyway!

tailgunner

Time for an update.

Monday, 26th December 2016

3.11 miles
29:46
9:34/mi

Between illness, a weekend away, Christmas stuff and generally not giving two fecks about running because sure what was the point of it anyway, I ended up taking a two-week break. Only for the fact that I had roped my brother into doing the Togher AC 5k on the 27th, I'd probably still not be running.

Since the first run after a break is always a bit crap, I thought it might be an idea to get that out of the way before the race. So off for a little leg loosener I went. This was an absolute train wreck of a run. I couldn't remember how to run, and whatever it was I was doing instead was sore on the legs. I was coughing, spluttering and wheezing like an old man, and I gave serious thought to stopping after a mile. Really awful stuff. Spent the rest of the day in a heap.

By the evening when I still felt terrible, I realised it was more than just a lack of running that was troubling me...

Tuesday, 27th December 2016

3.11 miles
23:43
7:36/mi

I woke up with a my throat in agony, my nose running like a tap, and a splitting headache. Yep. It was acute onset manflu.

Lining up for the race, I was worried whether I'd be able to walk 5k, never mind run. I offered to jog around with my brother, but he wanted to do his own thing, so I settled in behind the 30 minute pacer. At least if I keeled over, there'd be a few around to send for help.

If the race report lacks detail, it's because I was in a snotty, sneezy daze for most of it.

The first bit was downhill and I ended up going off a little quicker than planned. Despite my plan to take it very easy, my stupid brain had other ideas, and the first mile came in at 7:34. At this stage I made a deal with my brain that I'd try and hold that pace as long as we didn't go any faster. The second mile was 7:45, due to a lapse in concentration more than anything else, and the third mile was 7:34 again, with 0:50 for the bit.

The official time was 23:53, even though I'm certain it was 23:4x on the clock when I went under the gantry, and my watch had me at 23:43. There might have been an organisational issue - we had timing chips, but I didn't see any timing mats at the start or the finish. Not too bothered anyway. Great race apart from that, and hopefully I'll have a better go at it next year.

Happy enough with the performance, all things considered. It was a long, long way off my PB, but it certainly wasn't an all-out effort either.

Thursday, 29th December 2016

5.01 miles
48:49
9:45/mi

Wednesday was a write-off. The headcold and a hangover were conspiring to kill me off altogether, so a recovery run never materialised. So the legs were very, very creaky heading off for this on Thursday. I knew I was getting over the cold because my breathing was atrocious for this - for me, this is always a sign that I'm actually on the mend, despite appearing to be deteriorating even further.

Friday, 30th December 2016

8.01 miles
1:17:33
9:41/mi

The breathing was a bit better, so I figured I'd go for something a bit longer. Still a little uncomfortable, but a definite improvement anyway.

Saturday, 31st December 2016

5 miles
51:41
10:20/mi

I was going to take a rest day, but was at a bit of a loose end in the early evening, so I said I'd go out for a few very easy miles. It ended up being the best run of the week. Breathing was okay, and it was the first time in a while that running felt "normal".

Monday, 2nd January 2017

6 miles
59:35
9:55/mi

Back in England today, so this was along the usual route for the first time in weeks.

Next up is one of those reflective posts that are all the rage on the training logs this week. Really enjoying them.

tailgunner

Here's the 2016 round-up.

Mileage:

Month|2015|2016
Jan|7.86|103.61
Feb|14.7|116.6
Mar|23.53|127.35
Apr|32.91|73.11
May|45.88|119.75
Jun|42.65|135.17
Jul|23.26|177.09
Aug|84.29|176.47
Sep|106.61|141.79
Oct|56.17|86.18
Nov|81.45|79.33
Dec|55.33|78.39
Total|574.64|1,414.84

PBs:

|2015|2016
5k|24:38|22:25
10k|-|48:20
HM|1:58:45|1:49:36
M|-|3:58:49


Thoughts:

The first nine months of 2016 were great, and it's a shame that the one-step-forward, two-steps-back nature of the last three months have clouded my opinion of how things went for the year.

But I have to consider it a good year overall. I set big PBs over 5k and half marathon distances, and made my debut at 10k and the marathon with performances I was very happy with. The marathon in particular was by far the highlight of my year.

On top of that, there was a huge increase in mileage, and though I'm not as fit as I'd like to be right now, I think I'm a stronger runner.

Goals for 2017:

I've definitely lost fitness over the last three months - probably quite a lot if I'm honest. So before I think too far ahead, the first thing I need to do is get back in shape. The next few weeks will be about base-building, tidying up the diet and dropping the bit of weight I've put on over the last few months.

I was going to train for a half marathon in the Spring, but I think I'm going to focus on shorter stuff instead - once I string a few weeks of consistent running together anyway. I'll look at targeting an Autumn half instead, and will leave the full marathon till 2018.

And looking at the PBs table above (robbed from Singer's log), I definitely need to look at doing some other distances as well. There are a couple of good 5 mile and 10 mile races local to me over the summer, so I've no excuses!

I don't really want to set time goals, as I'm not in the shape to break any of the PBs above right now. I'll just take the races as they come.

Maximus Alexander

You better get back on the horse there TG, I've already beaten two of your PBs and I'm coming for the others. :pac:

#ToughLoveMotivation

hillsiderunner

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

You better get back on the horse there TG, I've already beaten two of your PBs and I'm coming for the others. :pac:

#ToughLoveMotivation

Yep.

And I noticed (even) I have higher mileage than TG for the final three months of the year!

(twas a good year for you for sure , TG, but time to get yourself onto a plan)

tailgunner

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

You better get back on the horse there TG, I've already beaten two of your PBs and I'm coming for the others. :pac:

#ToughLoveMotivation

It hasn't gone unnoticed!