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Cool runnings
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Thanks, B. Could be a day for survival, though. Warm, and very windy.0
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Friday 5th
Short easy run.
3.03 @8.59
HR 115/130
Saturday 6th
Same. Purely so I can hit 60m for the week, with no long run tomorrow.
4.67 @8.55
HR 120/134
Sunday 7th
National Half-Marathon (incorporated into some piece of nonsense known as the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon). The weather was anticipated to be warm and muggy, and the winds to be high. Of the prevailing variety too, which meant a headwind right from the start until we crossed the bridge at Chapelizod, more than 5.5 miles away. My strategy given the conditions was not to chase a sub-90 time, and about a half-dozen Tallaght runners formed a tight group just behind the 90 min pacer as we streamed up the quay.
Miles 1-3
My watchword today is effort. I aim to keep to an effort I feel I can sustain. Last year I tried to stay with the pacer and was goosed after only a few miles.
Av pace 7.07
7.05, 7.10, 7.05
Miles 4-6
Myself and a clubmate become slightly detached from the group. I try not to worry about it too much. We pass Heuston station and climb up towards the RHK. I concentrate on breathing easy going up the drags, and after the long straight avenue brings us out of the RHK and into Kilmainham, we are eventually heading downhill into Chapelizod. We're always running this in the opposite direction at DCM, so it's nice to do it in reverse for a change. When we hang a right onto Chapelizod bridge, it's the first time all morning the wind hasn't been in our faces, and I savour the feeling. A faster last mile cheers me up too.
Av 7.09
7.22, 7.11, 6.55
Miles 7-9
The road is flat, mostly, the wind's at our backs, but the heat is building. Along here I'm feeling a bit sunbaked, and there's even a pic of me rounding the corner onto Conyngham rd at Chapelizod, on the path and seemingly cutting the course. In fact I'm just trying to avail of a bit of much-needed shade. With the absence of any climbs to worry about, I concentrate on trying to maintain a nice rhythm along here, but it's very hot, and I've made use of every water station, despite those damned cups. These Rock 'n' Roll tools. They really have no clue how to make a race work well for the actual runners. But hey, if you want a great selfie/tourist course, loads of (hideous) bling and a few bands desperately trying to inject some pizzazz into proceedings, they're the go-to guys. Rather than attempt to actually drink from a squishy plastic cup while running, which will always result in you choking on it and water sluicing out your sinuses, I reckon you can get a mouthful by squeezing the water up until it's running out, then slurping from it. I mess up on the second station though, and water goes up my nose and has me choking and spluttering. I'm still running with my clubmate, meanwhile, and although he drops back a little at times, he always reappears. He has a little telltale cough that betrays his presence. There's nothing wrong with him, it's just something he does. Then suddenly, we spot a clubmate, sitting against the wall at the side of the road. I ask him if he's alright, but we keep going. I'm slightly worried, and wondering: "should we have stopped?" The guy in question is as brave as a lion, but pushes himself too hard in races, and he's not been quite 100% for a while now. He's collapsed in exhaustion more than once before during races. Afterwards Barry (my racing companion) tells me he wondered if he should stop as well. As it turned out the chap finished safe and well, thankfully.
The pace has held up well enough, but eventually we reach the end of Conyngham Rd and the turn up onto the drag of Chesterfield Ave. And guess what, kids? This is where the race gets hard! Cue the two slowest miles yet, as we attempt to negotiate the hill and the wind simultaneously. Relief is on the way, though. The Americans are coming!
Av 7.25
7.09, 7.30, 7.38
Miles 10-12
Well, their emissary's house anyway, and I'm mighty relieved when we make a left at the Yankee Ambo's gaff and get some hot downhill, tailwind action. Just before the turn I hear someone call out "9 miles!", and I scoff inwardly. I'm not sure exactly how many miles we have done, but I've been ignoring everything on the watch face except the pace, so I have been playing that mental game where you sort of know how many miles have elapsed, but you're "pretending" it's one fewer. So, I say "rubbish" to myself, and continue. Almost immediately I pass a distance marker that reads 15k. "Hmmm," I say to myself, "15k. That's 9 miles!" Incidentally, is it just me, or was that the only distance marker, apart from the one at the 12 mile point? This section is mostly downhill, and it's probably as good as I've felt all morning as we tumble down the hill towards the bottom of Military Rd. I think to myself that I might actually finish this thing after all. It's only a respite, however, because the dread hills/S bends stretch lies in waiting. Graveyard of many a race.
I haven't really boned up on the route much, so I'm in a take-it-as-it-comes-whatever-it-actually-is sort of humour. Strangely, though, I'm doing ok on the climb. I'm maintaining leg turnover, and I'm passing people quite regularly. My clubmate has dropped back, but I'm convinced he's right there. I'm sure I can hear his distinctive cough. He's got a mean turn of speed when it's needed, and I'm pretty sure he's planning to drop me like a mad girlfriend come the final turn. On we go, into the S bends, and after so many times negotiating them, I'm aware not to make them more than they really are. It's a twisty, up-and-down stretch, but no more. There's the flat section underneath St. Mary's to come, and then a final, long, mean incline. My strategy is often to put my head down so I can't see the climb, but sometimes you're better off lifting your head up, making it easier to get air into the lungs. Just let your eyes glaze over, pretend you don't see anything. Like Nelson: "Hill? I see no hill!"
Av 7.26.5
7.19, 7.28, 7.33
Final 1.1 Mile
The last mile, and we have a fairly flat, twisting section shaded from the sun and protected from the wind by lots of lovely, lovely trees. I'm not sure at this point where the finish is going to be, but suspect, given the distance yet to cover, that it's up on Chesterfield. That being so, I'm not sure how far that last section will be, so I decide to maintain a nice, steady pace for the time being. It's picked up though, and I'm striding past runners who are visibly wilting. No sign of my clubmate, and as we pass Farmleigh and approach the roundabout on Chesterfield, I decide to chance a look over my shoulder, and sure enough: he's back a bit, maybe 30 metres behind, but there's one of our distinctive vests there alright. I don't think it's going to matter, though, because I know I've got something in the tank. We round the turn, and I start to really crank it up, so much so that, as I pour everything into a surge past a final runner, approaching the line, I distinctly hear a namecheck from the race announcer. I cover that last section at 5.17 pace, which is very pleasing. I turn to wait for my clubmate, and lo and behold, it was another clubmate! I must have been hearing phantom coughing for the last few miles, because he had fallen off me ages back. My official time was 1.35.16, which, all things considered, I am quite happy with. Beforehand I had reckoned that 1.35 would be a good run for me given the conditions. In fact, I would almost, almost claim that I ran a race which wasn't a flat-out, death or glory effort, but closer to a measured, controlled MP run. The overall pace, at 7.15, was just that. But that would be stretching it, just a little. The truth is that while I wasn't at the max, I wasn't far off it. I couldn't swear that a harder effort wouldn't have resulted in me making a visit to the Kaboom café. Given where I am in the marathon cycle, I'm not at all unhappy. The 10 miler is in 2 weeks, and I'm looking forward to it already.
7.08, 5.17 (for a few hundred metres)
13.1 miles @7.15 (1:35:16)
Week's mileage 610 -
Monday 8th
Short easy run. A bit creaky.
4.32 @8.57
HR 118/133
Tuesday 9th
Longer run, but still easy. No Tuesday session this week. Felt much better.
7.00 @8.51
HR 119/140
Wednesday 10th
14m MLR. On club lock-up this Sunday morning, which requires me to be at the clubhouse for 9.30am. So rather than seek a swap, or a dig-out, I decided just to do the long run on Saturday morning instead. Luckily there's usually people running on Saturdays and Sundays these days. Consequently I decided that the MLR needed to be done a day early to ensure proper recovery. Went well, felt quite fresh.
14.10 @8.24
HR 125/1450 -
Thursday 11th
8 mile run. Nice and easy.
8.46 @8.38
HR 116/134
Friday 12th
5 mile run.
5.14 @9.04
HR 121/135
Saturday 13th
22 mile long run. Run with clubmates on parts of the DCM course. Basically, from Bushy park to Northumberland Rd, then from the canal up Crumlin Rd to the Walkinstown roundabout. Good pace maintained, but a bit of a struggle in the closing sections.
22.01 @8.32
HR 134/1600 -
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Monday 15th
Longish easy run. Met up with club gang so most of this on the grass in Tymon. Easy on the joints and muscles.
9.00 @9.26
HR 125/141
Tuesday 16th
14 mile progression run. 6 miles easy, 5 steady, 3 @MP. Looked forward to this with a bit of trepidation. Was slated for Thursday, but I swapped sessions around, as the DCM crew were doing 14 as well. I was able to run with them for the first 6 miles, before I had to crank it up a bit. We started early, but not as early as planned, so didn't get as many miles in as last week before we looped back to the club for the usual 6.15 start. It all meant the route was a bit fuzzy, and in the end I came back to the club needing another half-mile or so. Straight onto the track then for a couple of breathless laps. Quite happy overall, really. The Steady section went fine, but the thought of 3 miles at 7.15 on tired legs was initially a bit daunting. I kept telling myself that this was what the actual marathon would be like, and forced myself onward. By the end if my tongue wasn't quite hanging out, I was fairly leathered still. My MP splits, paradoxically, were too fast as a result of the tiredness. I was trying too hard, and overcompensating. Still, better than last time, when I couldn't quite manage to hit my straps on this section. Great session, in warm, muggy conditions. The HR did hit 99% though. How much of a concern this should be, I don't know.
14.01 @8.02
6 Easy
5 Steady 7.40-7.45 (7.37, 7.46, 7.29, 7.47, 7.45)
3 MP 7.15 (7.03, 7.16, 7.03)
HR 137/1710 -
Wednesday 17th
Easy recovery run.
7.26 @8.54
HR 120/133
Thursday 18th
3x2m @HMP, 4 mins rec. Biggish group leaving the club, but me doing my own solo thing, as per. Said my goodbyes after 1.5 miles of warmup, and sped off. Pace variable, sometimes too quick, sometimes a bit slow. Overall found it tough enough, and eventually decided to leave the last rep at a mile.
1.5 wu
2x2m, 1m. (7.11, 6.52 - 6.45, 7.12 - 6.52)
HR 142/160
1.3 cd
Friday 19th
Never want to run after work. Luckily this would normally be a rest day, so I just needed to throw in 4 @ easy pace.
4 @8.44
HR 121/1340 -
Saturday 20th
Easy Dodder run. Ran this a bit quick, but felt really good all the way through.
8.32 @8.16
HR 125/140
Sunday 21st
20m run, with 8@MP. Was expecting to run this solo, but lo and behold a couple of teammates joined me at 8am. The club was locked up for some reason, so changing in the car park in the heavy drizzle was an inauspicious start. The rain soon cleared, though, and we quickly established a pace in the 8.00/8.15 range. Again, like yesterday, I felt really comfortable, although I was wary of letting things get out of hand, with 8 miles @7.15 looming at the 10 mile mark. We decided on the Rathcoole/Newcastle/Baldonnell route, which is fairly flat but which has some long, testing drags. The first 10 miles went by as smooth as silk, and I was itching to get to the meat of the session. We timed it perfectly, as the MP section coincided with a right turn out of Newcastle which brought the wind around behind our backs for the first time. Mile 1 came in well under at 7.08, but thereafter I was less comfortable. Battled around alright, but fought a few mental demons along the way, such as settling for 6@MP, or even stopping, but the route again helped, as the 6 mile point was just close enough to the critical left turn onto the Tallaght bypass to keep me running. At this point I had been on my own for a while, as the other two lads had dropped back a bit, and a third guy who had only joined us at Rathcoole was a little bit ahead. The pace had dropped a little in the middle section, the slowest 7.32 on a mile with a long drag. Eventually the somewhat endless Lucan road petered out though, and I turned for home onto the bypass. Clubmate did me a huge solid here by looping back around to join me until I finished the MP miles, and with his help I managed 7.02 for the last mile. Unfortunately I had promised myself a rest and a long drink here, so when I got going again it was a bit of a death march, and I didn't see any point in doing the last mile. As it was I had clocked up 70 for the week already. A tough but rewarding 7 days.
19m @7.52
inc 8m @7.17 (7.08, 7.13, 7.17, 7.15, 7.25, 7.32, 7.24, 7.02)
HR 143/165
Week's mileage 700 -
Monday 22nd
Easy recovery run. Went to club for this, but usual partners had gone off early, so ran with the regular crew leaving at 6.15pm. This meant a nine and a half minute mile run done mostly on grass, and it was exactly what I needed. Enquired later, and sure enough the others had done 8 miles at 8.25 pace. I wouldn't have been able for it.
7.38 @9.36
HR 122/134
Tuesday 23rd
The plan had 10@MP slated for tonight, but wasn't up for it, so swapped sessions and did the MLR instead. One of my Suburban Crew pathfinder specials. Edgy? Disruptive? It was all those things, but it was more than that. It's a family, and even though it's just me, no way was I leaving myself behind. Not in those mean leafy southside streets.
15 @9.23
HR 116/1360 -
Wednesday 24th
Was working, so brought the gear, and ended up in the PP, where I hoped to complete a lap of the park on the trails, but a work call after 2 miles brought me back to the car to re-send some stuff, and I ended up going home and doing a couple more miles locally.
6.67 @8.37
Thursday 25th
no running.
Friday 26th
No running.
Saturday 27th
20m w 10@MP. Just me and a faster clubmate for this, but he was happy to row in with my planned 10@8.15/10@7.15, as it would give him a 7.45min/mile average. For the first 90 minutes the weather was perfect, cool and calm, but it began to get hotter and hotter as the morning wore on. As with last week, I felt really good, ridiculously good really, for the first 10 miles. The pace was quicker than planned, but we were chatting every so often, and I really didn't feel that I was pushing myself too hard, or compromising the MP section. Then we hit the turn in Newcastle, and at first I thought that I was doing better than the previous week's effort. I let Billy lead, and he was bang on 7.15 pace for the first three miles. The first of them felt easier than last week (which was 7.07) but as with last week I flagged over the next of couple of miles, before recovering again. At mile 5 we were past Baldonnell and back on the 'new' Lucan road, and I was bracing myself for the long climb awaiting. Sometimes, when you're tired, you need to attack a hill a little bit, keep the cadence up and tough it out. Or you can begin to slow, and it becomes a death-march. I tried it, but halfway up I just died suddenly. I waved Billy on and stopped as soon as I hit the top of the drag. I was at the bridge over the Naas Rd., and I stood in the shade of a large road sign and drained my bottle. I needed about 5 minutes to recover, and felt slightly dizzy, breathing not quite right, as though I was hyper-ventilating. Eventually I got going again, and gradually was able to ramp up the pace again, putting in a couple almost at 7.15 pace, but in the end I stopped at 19 miles, with only 9 @MP. I hadn't planned the route carefully enough, and the last mile would have involved an 'ad hoc' section added on, and the peculiar psychology of distance running made this a bridge too far for me. If I had had the route planned properly, I think I would have been able to tough out another MP mile. Interestingly, although I didn't nail the MP, the pace overall was 7.45, thanks to the quick earlier miles. Maybe that's a lesson. Both this and last week, I have run with quicker colleagues, and ran too fast in the initial stages. I should do this session again solo, if I can, and do it right.
19 @7.45
10 @8.04
9 @7.23
HR 144/165
Important real life stuff got in the way this week. My streak ended, and I only ran 4 days. No matter.
Week's mileage 480 -
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Monday 29th
Easy run.
8.12 @9.09
HR 123/137
Tuesday 30th
5m @HMP. After a mile and a half of warmup, I ran this with two much faster colleagues, who were doing a 10 mile Steady run. I knew they'd run quicker than they were supposed to, and got me to a 6.54 average for the 5 miles.
1.5 @8.30
5@HMP (6.57, 6.52, 7.03, 6.49, 6.47)
2 @9.10
HR 144/1670 -
Wednesday 31st
Recovery run. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
8 @9.05
HR 117/129
Thursday 1st September
14m progression run. Got out of the house around 5.30pm with no definite route in mind, and it became a pressing issue when I ran up towards the Old Mill and realised just how windy it was. The thought of an east-west route definitely didn't appeal, given that the last 10 miles would consist of 5 @7.45, and then 5 @7.15, so eventually I wound up in Tymon, which has a north-south alignment. This meant that I would be mostly dealing with crosswinds, and an anti-clockwise route was ideal as it gave me a bit of tailwind in sections, while the southbound leg would be in the lane on the esker which gives plenty of tree shelter. I was under a bit of time pressure, so decided that the easy section would be the shortest at 4 miles. The subsequent 10 miles amounted to 3 laps of the park before heading up home. I was pleased at how well the Steady section went, as I had actually felt a bit tired on the first 4 miles. Averaged 7.45 for the 5 miles, before cranking it up again for the last 5. I had such a good rhythm going, that I decided to just up the leg cadence, keep the breathing controlled, and ignore the watch. On my last 2 MP runs, I had been a bit ragged, and I wanted a controlled effort, because that's how the marathon effort needs to be. On the whole I managed pretty well, I thought. Even the last mile, which was inevitably into that wind, and slightly uphill to boot, was reasonably controlled. Unfortunately though, it turned out that I hadn't quite nailed it. A bit of climbing, and wind, can be factored in, but it has to be said that I did slacken off to a degree. If I had been watching the clock, I would have attempted to redress matters, but then I might not have had the same control over the last couple of miles. Ah well, still a good session.
4 @8.42
5 @7.45
5 @7.27
HR 138/1640 -
Friday 2nd
Rest.
Saturday 3rd
Easy run. Staying in Abbeyleix for the weekend, and I had researched a running route on t'internet beforehand. Turned out there was a trail, a 'bog loop' quite close by, so I got out early on Saturday to check it out. Few pints and a late night didn't bode well, but I just wanted to get the miles in any old how. The trail featured a boardwalk in places, similar to what you'd find in the Dublin hills or Wickla. Slow enough, but got nearly 6 in before it was time to shower and avail of the hotel fry-up before the kitchen closed.
5.75 @9.37
HR 120/136
Sunday 4th
'Long run'. 22 miles was on the dance-card today, but it was never going to happen, in retrospect. A combination of an all-day work schedule (I must have walked tens of miles around Stradbally over the weekend), late nights and the odd drink here or there, plus the tricky terrain on the bog trail and the concentration needed on the boardwalk/technical sections, meant that after only 10 miles or so I was completely wasted. Called it a day, and wearily repaired to the shower/breakfast table.
10.23 @9.16
HR 118/138.
I knew the heavy weekend work sked would compromise things. No point in worrying about it.
Week's mileage 55
Monday 5th
Wife just off a week of nights. Me just back from weekend away. I had a sneaking suspicion a run wouldn't materialise today.
Tuesday 6th
MP intervals. I had surely read the training programme wrong. There couldn't be 4x3@MP scheduled for tonight, surely. Could there? It must be 3x3. Ehhhh, no it wasn't. Don't think I could have managed it anyway.
3x3m @MP. 3 mins recovery. Did the first set a bit quick, as the DCM crew were doing 5@HMP, so stayed with them. Before the last set I needed a longer recovery, and used it to walk to a point where I could do a lap of Tymon, then head for the club until the 3 had elapsed, rather than being stuck out in the park somewhere. Tough, but just about coped. Very, very warm.
6.58, 7.08, 7.11
7.08, 7.21, 7.10
7.18, 7.38, 7.23
HR 145/1650 -
Wednesday 7th
Recovery run. Done quite slowly (out of necessity) with much of it on grass.
8.01 @9.16
HR 108/126
Thursday 8th
Medium long run. I've written approvingly before about the straight out and back approach when it's a matter of getting more miles in than usual, but this time the suburban explorer method appealed a bit more. Something about getting say 5 miles in while only being a couple, as the crow flies, from the startpoint. Worked my way through knocklyon and over toward whitechurch and environs, then hit the dodder at Rathfarnham and ran towards town until I hit 10 miles just before the nasty hill at milltown and then turned back and followed the river home.
15.01 @8.40
HR 126/1470 -
How much or far is the Dodder runnable D, the missus works in Rathfarnham and running along the river appeals to her but she's unsure how far it's runnable?0
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How much or far is the Dodder runnable D, the missus works in Rathfarnham and running along the river appeals to her but she's unsure how far it's runnable?
From Rathfarnham bridge, she can run pretty much uninterrupted all the way to Clonskeagh, bar crossing the occasional road. Might be only one road, in fact. In the other direction she can follow the river as far as the Old Bawn road, apart from a half-mile (at most) section at Templeogue village. The whole runnable stretch from Tallaght to Clonskeagh is just about 6.5 miles.
There is more between Clonskeagh and town, but you have to run down Beaver Row on the path, and then cross the road at Ballsbridge. But you can run right into Grand Canal Basin on river paths.0 -
It's a great run. I'm livid with the f*cking NTA for having the Dodder greenway parked while they concentrate on their precious frigging LUAS.
Imagine being able to run from the Dublin hills all the way to the Liffey in Dublin city.0 -
It's a great run. I'm livid with the f*cking NTA for having the Dodder greenway parked while they concentrate on their precious frigging LUAS.
Imagine being able to run from the Dublin hills all the way to the Liffey in Dublin city.
That's why I'm forever thankful for having the Royal Canal at my back door more or less.0 -
Friday 9th
Rest
Saturday 10th
Easy run. Got out early doors with the DCM crew who were doing 20+. Did 8 and bade them on their merry way.
8.16 @8.25
HR 124/141
Sunday 11th
To quote myself from a couple of weeks back, after not quite getting the submission against the 20/10@MP, "I should do this session again solo, if I can, and do it right." I must wind things back a bit: Myles had given me a plan 9 weeks out from Berlin, and it had envisaged MP runs building from 4 up to 10 (ie, today's run), but a couple of races along the way had thrown the plan out of whack, and I had ended up ditching the shortest MP run. I had also planned to go 22m twice (which wasn't on the plan) but now it looks like once will have to do. In a nutshell, I've ended up having 2 cracks at the 20/10MP. Also it's now 2 weeks to D-Day, and I've been working off 3 week tapers for a while now. So, let's say, I was a little conflicted about today's 2nd attempt.
However, I was determined to 'do it right', so once work had decided that I wasn't available for the 8am start, I began checking the weather, and agonising over the route. I wanted something flat, and as sheltered from the elements as possible. In the end, I had a brainwave, and decided to run 8 miles over the usual routes before repairing to what Strava refers to as Dodder Big Loop. It's the bit of park between Aherne's and the whistling bridge. A little over 1 mile, flat, and, if not quite sheltered, it's east/west oriented, and the wind was a southerly, so it meant crosswinds in both directions - better than tailwind/headwind.
I was careful not to get carried away with the easy miles, like before, and fixed on the bridge as the best place to leave my bottle. I wouldn't have to bend down to the ground to pick it up, which was important because I've done something to my back, and bending down and/or straightening back up again can be murder at the moment. Once I'm upright I'm fine though, so running isn't affected. So anyway, off I went, and the first couple of miles were a few seconds off, but I wasn't worrying because I had determined to treat it like an actual race: start off a bit easy, make the time up later on. It wasn't as hot as heretofore, but it was still quite warm. The first few laps confirmed the wisdom of my route choice, though. There's something about being really close to home, rather than 11-12 miles away at the furthest point, as on most long runs, that comforts. It works for me, anyway.
After those opening miles, I settled in bang on 7.15 pace. The next three miles were right on the money. Then a couple faster still. It grew hotter, and I was starting to feel the effort. I kept the legs turning over, though, and the breathing stayed fairly controlled. The last three were tough, and at times I worried that I was slowing down, but I knew that was just the tiredness distorting my perception. I finished neatly almost at the bridge, took a break, drained my bottle, and finished off the 20 with a couple of quality ultra miles.
Session thoroughly nailed, and I'm so glad I didn't swap it for an easy 22. It's taper time now.
8 @8.29
10@7.14.5 (7.23, 7.21, 7.15, 7.15, 7.16, 7.09, 7.06, 7.13, 7.14, 7.14)
2 @10.34
HR 137/166 (for entire session)
Week's mileage 630 -
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Wednesday 14th: day 3
3,2,1m @MP, HMP, 10k. 400m jog recovery. After all the heavy mileage, a session obviously designed to put a bit of zip back in the legs. I wasn't sure I was able for it, though, after a laboured warm-up mile that took nearly 10 minutes to complete. Once again it was extremely warm, so once again I chose my new favourite spot for intervals and speed work: the flat mile and a bit loop at the back of my estate. I was surprised to feel relatively ok once I picked it up to MP. Tried to stick to the plan and jog the 400 recovery, but did need to walk a bit after the HMP section. Very pleased overall with the numbers afterwards.
1 @9.44
3 @7.15 (7:05, 7:23, 7:18)
2 @6.48 (6:50, 6:46)
1 @6.30
1 @10.10
HR 134/165
Thursday 15th: day 4
Easy run. From consulting their training plan, I knew that the DCM crew were also doing an 'easy' hour tonight, but despite that I determined to run on my own. I needed a proper recovery run, and they never run that slowly. I knew they'd be no slower than 8.30 pace. Fine for genuine Easy, but a good bit faster than Recovery. It turned out that I was able to intercept them in Tymon, and sure enough it was 8.30 pace for the 2 miles I ran with them. Sometimes sticking with the crowd for the craic and the company is the wrong thing to do.
7 @8.55
HR 112/132
Friday 16th: day 5
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Saturday 17th: day 6
Tymon parkrun. I have been on the receiving end of coach-ly reproach in the past for throwing one too many parkruns into the training mix, so I was slightly surprised to see Tymon in my training schedule barely a week before Berlin. Not that I'm over-raced. Far from it: my last outing was the National Half. I wasn't complaining, though.
The official explanation was that I wouldn't run a parkrun flat-out, unlike a proper race. Fair enough, I thought, while making a mental note to bring the kitchen sink with me to Tymon on Saturday morning. Although I spent the first 6 months of the year doing 5k-specific training, I've had the feeling for a while that I wouldn't run my fastest 5k until I'd done the marathon training as well. This was the first chance to put that theory to the test.
It was a beautiful morning, and I jogged down to the park. I'm usually good for a top 10 finish at Tymon, but depending on who turns up, it can get interesting. Straight away, though, I saw that the podium would be out of reach, with our own Laura McD in attendance, as well as Joe Casey and Tommy Bishop, two Rathfarnham stalwarts. Off we went, and I settled in behind two guys in about 9th place. After the first corner I overtook the two dudes and was also overhauled by Laura who steadily pulled away. I was determined to run hard, but controlled, with hopefully plenty kept back for a fast finish. As things settled down I was able to survey the field in front of me. There was Laura making her way through the field towards a leading group that had Tommy B in or near it. Then there was a little guy of slightly more advanced years than I, a regular fixture in the park, and then there was Joe C. Normally he and Tommy would run side by side. Hmmm, maybe Joe wasn't on top of his game today. As we completed the short lap, I was suddenly overtaken at the crest of the hill by a chap in a brown/grey top. He was really moving, and in no time at all he was overhauling Joe, some 25/30m in front of me, and then the older guy. I always wonder whether the people you see running like this know what they're doing, or if it's all a bit clueless.
As we hit the sharp left near the monument, I waited for the mile 1 beep, not sure how fast I was travelling, and was fairly pleased with the 6.19 that flashed up. I felt ok, not running absolutely flat-out, but moving well all the same. Joe wasn't getting away, I noticed, and concentrated on keeping the tempo up for the faster 2nd mile. If I could get on Joe's shoulder, anything might happen: the most likely being that he would drop me but quick, I thought. As to my own back, I wasn't sure. At times I thought I heard footsteps, but I resisted the temptation to have a quick glance.
As we reached the little stone bridge and veered left along by Limekiln, I realised that Joe was definitely coming back to me. He wasn't his usual self, no doubt, but hey, a scalp is a scalp, and I had never been within an asses' roar of either him or Tommy before. I pondered whether it would be wise to just tuck in behind him: a tactic he has been known to employ himself. But, I realised I would be slowing down to do so, so said damn the torpedoes and powered on past him. I waited for the counter-attack, but none came. Joe wasn't at the races today. Now we're into the last mile and the long, long drag up towards the finish. Since Joe wasn't willing/able to go mano y mano, I fixed my attention on the older guy, another 30m or so up ahead. If I got close enough to open up a can of fast finish on him, who knows? We came out of the trees, and I decided to wait for the 2nd hedge, gradually upping the tempo to close the distance a little more. Here it was now. I put the hammer down, and within 50m I knew I would catch him. The question was how would he respond. Usually the reaction comes when you get within about 10 metres, but as I drew close, he didn't seem to be taking action. I blasted past, and hit the finish line unopposed, to be handed a token with the number 6 on it. What was the time, though? A while back I finished in 19.28/9, only to be given an official time of 19.30 - equalling my pb!
It was 19.22, and that was later confirmed as my official time. An 8 second pb, and I know that given a fast course and in a real race situation, there's another 30/40 seconds to come off that. I am very happy.
2.05 @8.52
3.1 @6.14 (19.22)
HR 160/176
1.81 @9.30
Sunday 18th: day 7
13 mile run. A select group assembled at the club this morning, including a rare guest appearance by Myles himself. After the usual slow first mile or two, by no.3 we were at sub-8 pace. Not good. Gradually I let them go, as I had no intention of running quicker than 8.15 overall. Ran through Rathcoole and down towards the roundabout at the Naas road before turning back. Grand run.
13.1 @8.19
HR 126/136
End of taper week 1. Mileage 46.50 -
How much or far is the Dodder runnable D, the missus works in Rathfarnham and running along the river appeals to her but she's unsure how far it's runnable?
From Rathfarnham bridge, she can run pretty much uninterrupted all the way to Clonskeagh, bar crossing the occasional road. Might be only one road, in fact. In the other direction she can follow the river as far as the Old Bawn road, apart from a half-mile (at most) section at Templeogue village. The whole runnable stretch from Tallaght to Clonskeagh is just about 6.5 miles.
There is more between Clonskeagh and town, but you have to run down Beaver Row on the path, and then cross the road at Ballsbridge. But you can run right into Grand Canal Basin on river paths.
There is a path between Clonskeagh and Dannybrook. When you come off the path across from Beaver Row, turn left and cross the road and up to Ashtons pub. There are steps on the left of Ashtons that lead down to a path that brings you out at the pedestrian Bridge. I'll link one of my strava runs here, from rathfarnham to the lifted.0 -
There is a path between Clonskeagh and Dannybrook. When you come off the path across from Beaver Row, turn left and cross the road and up to Ashtons pub. There are steps on the left of Ashtons that lead down to a path that brings you out at the pedestrian Bridge. I'll link one of my strava runs here, from rathfarnham to the lifted.
cool!0 -
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Cheers, Paulie. I ran that 'new' section on Monday!0 -
Monday 19th: day 8
Easy run. A physio visit for a pre-marathon oil change/sparkplug clean, followed by 6 sluggish miles from Rathfarnham to Donnybrook along the Dodder.
6.02 @9.19
HR 110/123
Tuesday 20th: day 9
Easy run from club. Just me and another chap, who's recovering from injury.
5.4 @8.48
HR 114/1250 -
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