The 'I just ran 5km, is anything (eek!) possible now?' log

mel.b

Week 4, Run 2
9.68km, duration 1:10, avg pace 7:18km
Splits: 7:33, 7:38, 7:30, 7:26, 7:18, 6:58, 7:00, 6:58, 7:03

Tonights plan called for 5k at recovery pace which is around 7:30min/km I think and then 5k at tempo pace which is around 6:50. I had planned to do this run this morning but it will be no great surprise to hear that with the rain pelting down I opted to stay in bed :P As I had pilates tonight at 7pm, I had to squeeze this in after work before pilates. Thankfully the weather was a whole lot better when I finished work. I decided to do the same route from the Eamon Maloney 10k that I had run back in March as it meant I wouldn't have to bother trying to work out another 10k route.

It took a couple of km to get going and to start feeling like i was into the run. You can see the splits pick up a bit then. At the 5k mark I was able to pick it again again, but never enough to nail it close to 6:50 for a split. Looking back at them I'm actually surprised the last 4km splits are as even as they are and that they are at the 7:00min/km mark becuase it seemed like any time I looked at my watch I was closer to 7:20-7:30. My feet were burning from the new shoes so they were just sore and it hurt and I think this affected things as well. I actually ended up just missing the last little part of the route because by this stage I was almost hobbling along. I don't know how long to keep persisting with these shoes, or if I should try some shorter runs with them? I wore them all day at work and they were ok so I don't know. The way they felt tonight though there's no way I could do my long run in them on Sunday.

Pilates was also a lot harder on tired legs and having had a break for 2 weeks and not practicing anything didn't help!

Total for the week: 16.78
Total since starting the plan: 384.81km

laura_ac3

If they're not working out don't be afraid to give the shop a shout, specialist running shops are usually pretty helpful with this stuff, especially if they're a recent purchase. I would usually stick to short runs for new runners first. Could be the laces perhaps? There's different ways to tie the laces if you just Google it, depending on your.fit etc. There might be an adjustment period but you shouldn't be in pain wearing them, that's not a breaking them in. Good luck.

mel.b

Week 4, Run 3 - Fri 1st July
5.6km, duration 41:52, avg pace: 7:24min/km
Splits: 7:27, 7:05, 7:37, 7:20, 7:25, 7:32 (0.6km)

After also asking for some advice on the random running thread about my shoes I picked up some thin socks in Pennys to try. I went for the lotto branded ones (two pack), as they just seemed a little bigger than the Pennys ones and I have a big wide foot.

Headed out early in the morning for this run as if it didn't go well, Fri evening was my only chance to take the shoes back. Within minutes of stepping outside the door it started raining. Thankfully while it was heavy it didn't last long and I got through the rest of my run without it raining again. While I really dislike running in the rain (the water makes me itchy for some reason, plus I just hate getting wet!) I've found if I can cover up as much as possible (long sleeves and hat to keep the rain off my head and face) it's at least managable. The best about this run is that i wasn't paying attention to my feet - yay! No pain The thin socks seem to have done the trick. A slight niggle under one two but I can live with that and I'm sure it will go away.

Week 4, Run 4 - Sat 2nd July
8km, duration: 58:16, avg pace: 7:16min/km
Splits: 7:34, 7:35, 7:30, 7:24, 7:16, 7:01, 6:44, 7:06

Took Cooper with me to the Burren to run one of my favourite loops past Mullaghmore. Wore the thin socks again and got around with no major niggles so I am delighted (and relieved!). I'm going to give them a go on my long run tomorrow. I have another 18k route planned for tomorrow morning and have company for it this time which is fantastic as there's some challenging hills at the start of it that I haven't ran before. There's 6km of new territory but once we get to the 8km mark it's a route that I have run a lot so I'm be feeling happy the worst is over and that I know what is ahead of me.

Total for the week: 30.36km
Total since starting the plan: 398.41k

mel.b

Week 4, Run 5
18.2km, 2hrs 18min, avg pace 7:36min/km
Splits: 7:11, 7:15, 7:40, 7:51, 7:27, 8:30, 8:51, 7:15, 7:23, 7:25, 7:34, 7:54, 8:18, 7:16, 7:16, 7:13, 7:06, 7:12

Oh man, delighted with this LSR. I can really feel it getting easier every time. Todays run was a tough route, with 190m of elevation, but the worst of it was was in the first half. Some steep hills, reminded me of the hills I was running when I was at home in Australia earlier in the year. I made it up them all and when we got to the top I said to my running buddy that we could do that part of the route again in 2 weeks as I then have a route that would give us 5k downhill, giving a total of 12k which will be perfect for the week before Killarney. So the hills can't have been that bad :P

The run was really enjoyable - the sun was shining for the first time in what seems like ages and with company the time passed quickly. I took half a gel at 8km and the other half at 13km and drank 750ml of water on my way around. No needing to find a field with an open gate today I had a cinnamon & raisin bagel about an hour before the run and by the 10k mark my tummy was rumbling away so I might need to look at having something else as well. I might look at porridges made with water - there's no way I could do porridge that has milk in it before a run.

Pace on this run was good, splits towards the end are a bit faster but it felt comfortable so I'm happy with that. It's always easier to run that bit faster when you are with someone. My feet were ok today as well in the new shoes so I'm feeling more confident about them. Got home and had a chocolate milk and a scottish raspberry gourmet youghet which was absolutely delicious so hopefully that's plenty of protein for recovery and filling enough that I won't spend the rest of my day eating my body weight

Now to find the energy to go and move several tons of topsoil :eek:

Total for the week: 48.56km
Total since starting the plan: 416.2k

mel.b

Week 3, Run 1 - Tues 5th July
6.37km

Easy, slow run with Cooper after work. I felt generally uncomfortable for most of this run - it was surprisingly humid out and I was also wearing my Shannon airport runway run shirt. This was the first time I had worn it since the night I got it and i really don't like the feel or fit of it, so it will be consigned to the bottom of the wardrobe. Won't bother posting splits as I got stopped for directions which took a couple of minutes and running with Cooper is always stop start at the best of times. Would have like to have done another km or so, but Cooper wasn't having any of it and to be fair it was warm for him.

Week 3, Run 2 - Wed 6th July
7.27km. Hill sprints.

Headed out early yesterday morning with my neighbour to do some hill sprints. The plan for today was 6 x 1min 30sec hill sprint, followed by 30sec downhill sprint and then a full recovery. The only hill nearby that is long enough for a 1:30 sprint is also very steep so it was challenging to say the least. We did a 2.5km warmup, running to the hill and then started the sprints. O.M.G :eek::eek: I think i just about died. Of course I ran the start of the first one waaaay too fast and this just screwed me for the rest of them. With each sprint I was making it less and less up the hill Also I don't think I allowed enough recovery between them. I was with my neighbour and she seemed to be ready to go before me. I'd say give me another 30sec but in reality I probably could have done with a couple of minutes to give a 'full' recovery. In the end we did 4 reps as we were running out of time before work. Another benefit of these however was actually the sprint downhill. Killarney is just a few weeks away now and I've been wondering about the downhills and how fast to run them. I know now not to run them as fast as I was sprinting downhill yesterday anyway It's given me a bit of a guage to work with I hope.

On other notes I had to send my Polar M400 away as it had started fogging up during runs. I sent it Monday as registered post to the Uk and it was received there yesterday and according to their online service tracking is already repaired and on it's way back to me. I don't know what was wrong with it, apparently that is noted on the invoice when I get it back. It would be nice if it arrived tomorrow, however I think early next week is more likely. It's impressive turn-around anyway.

I also went and had my B12 and iron levels restested, 3mths after having my last b12 injection and also starting iron tablets. My iron levels are now in the normal range which is great, however my B12 only increase by 30pg/ml and is still in the low range. It should have increased by a lot more than this, so I'm back on regular 3monthly B12 injections. I think I will continue with the iron tablets a couple of times a week as well just to ensure that they don't drop again.

Total for the week: 13.64km
Total since starting the plan: 429.84

mel.b

Week 3 Run 3
9km, duration: 59:57, avg pace: 6:39min/km
Splits: 6:50, 6:49, 6:45, 6:52, 6:29, 6:13, 6:22, 6:53, 6:39

Had to drag myself out of bed for this run this morning but I'm glad i did. I managed a really good pace throughout and felt good throughout too. After not quite hitting the target paces on my run last week (although my sore feet from new shoes and the warm afternoon didn't help) you start to wonder and think is it all working and am I actually getting faster. Then there is a run like this morning where it all just starts to come together. I didn't set out intending to do this pace I just sort of fell into it and was able to keep it going. This run is a big confidence boost for me with just 2 weeks until the Killarney half. Last long run on Sunday and then start to taper.

Total for the week: 22.65km
Total since starting the plan: 438.85km

mel.b

Week 3, Run 4
8.22km, duration 1hr, avg pace 7:21min/km
Splits: 7:34, 7:18, 7:28, 7:26, 7:01, 7:22, 7:12, 7:22

Maybe I'm cheating a little here but I've listed my splits according to strava rather than mapmyrun. It was a run with Cooper so a lot of stop/starting and strava gives a moving time and elapsed time...my elapased time has another 7min on it, bringing my avg pace up to just over 8min/km for the run...can't believe Cooper stopped that much on the run today!

I headed out after work and is was rather windy and warm but dry at least. My feet were giving me a little bit of grief at the end of the run. I still have my old sneakers and I think I will take them down to Killarney with me and I'll decide them which ones I will wear.

Long run tomorrow and I'm considering doing it 'naked'. I didn't get my polar back on Friday and I've been going 'old school' :pac: with my phone but I've decided I really don't like to carry it. I'm on my third arm band - the first was for the iphone 5 and while comfy, constantly came loose. The second was a cheapie from Lidl for the iphone 6 and that has a narrow band that twists and the third stays done up and doesn't twist but is uncomfortable to wear. I ended up taking it off my arm today and tried it around my leg for a little while but that just made my leg feel like it was going to cramp. Eventually I strapped it to Cooper's harness and that was the problem solved :P, however that's no good to me tomorrow because he's not coming on the run. I don't think it will fit in the pocket of my pants so it's either no phone or trying to find the arm band for the old iphone and putting up with it coming undone all the time. I'm wondering if anyone has tried these...https://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Buddy-pouch-Attachable-resistant/dp/B00EYID7JK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468087289&sr=8-1&keywords=running+magnetic+pouch I probably really should carry my phone with me, especially when doing a long run just from a safety point of view.

total for the week: 30.87km
Total since starting the plan: 447.07km

Neady83

Hi Mel, well done on a great training block, you won't feel Killarney now I'm a bit worried about your shoes, I don't think you should be having this much bother breaking in the new ones. You should give Sean or Edel in Gottarun a call and explain the issues that you're having with the new shoes. They should have some good advice for you

mel.b

Thanks Neady83. I wore them again today for the long run and they were ok. I think maybe yesterday's run was in the afternoon so maybe my feet were a little bigger/swollen or something .They aren't rubbing or anything it's more of an ache underneath and on the sides of the bottom of my feet. We went with a shoe that had less cushioning but maybe I need one with a bit more. I've done 100k in them already, so I'm just telling myself, another 300k and I can get a new pair and resign these ones to walking.

Week 3 Run 5
20.2km, duration: 2:34:19, avg pace 7:37
Splits: 7:20, 7:40, 7:21, 8:26, 7:32, 8:14, 7:38, 7:44, 7:59, 7:28, 7:35, 7:32, 7:38, 7:40, 7:40, 7:19, 7:32, 7:28, 7:06

5k Splits avg pace
5k: 7:39
10k: 7:49
15k: 7:37
20k: 7:26

Felt like I didn't have a great nights sleep despite heading to bed earlier, however I literally bounced out of bed at 6am for this run (ok, that may have had something to do with the alarm blaring on the windowsill as well :P). Made breakfast of my usual cinnamon & raisin bagle but added porridge made with water as well. On last weeks run the tummy was rumbling like crazy at about the 9k mark so I wanted to try something more. Climbed back into bed to browse facebook, boards & the news websites until it was time to get out, get changed and leave.

Stepped outside at 7 and it was raining I'd looked at the radar and could see that there was rain on the way but it still looked like it was a good way away. Headed back in & found my jacket and then headed off, feeling guilty about leaving Cooper behind as he was looking all excited at the thought of a walk. I had found my old iphone holder so was using that which meant I couldn't easily check my pace and instead had to rely on how I was feeling and the pace & splits given every km. First km was a bit too fast, so I slowed down and then felt like I settled into a nice pace and rhythm. The route I had planned was the Sonny Murphy 10mile + a 4km loop. The loop was between kms 2.5 & 6.5 and had some of the hills on it, so it was nice to get this out of the way first. Looking at the breakdown on mapmyrun, kms 3 to 9.5 pretty much had all the hills in it and you can see from the breakdown of the 5k splits that the 5 - 10k split was my slowest.

I took half a gel at 7km and the other half at 13k. That worked fine and I'll use that on the day or may go to 7k & 14k although I'm sure 1k really won't make a difference! After the initial shower of rain that lasted all of about 2minutes it was dry until the 10k marker and then I had showers on and off for the last 10k so I was glad I decided to wear my jacket. As I was running the sonny murphy route all the mile markers were still visable on the road from the race in April, so it was nice to count them down. Just outside the entrance to my estate is the 8mile marker so it was easy to work out what I had left, even without the voice from mapmyrun telling me. I counted down a lot more today than I have on my previous long runs, but it wasn't in a negative way of 'oh god I've still got 10k to do' but more like '10k to go, that's easy I can do that'. I find I don't tend to think about much while I'm running other than running. I don't know if others are like that or if they think of all sorts of things I was reading this article/blog post from runners world or similar from someone who listed what they think about in the last mile of a run to help get them through. Maybe it was a bit tongue in cheek but she was thinking of some pretty bizzare things...inventing back stories for the people in front of her, planning out meals for the week, crafting witty comebacks for the last argument they had been in etc. Me, all I am thinking about is how I am feeling, how far I have to go and how fast I can get there!

For those who know the Sonny Murphy route I'd been on the lookout for Ballyportry castle from about km 10 and wondering why I couldn't see it. It wasn't until I got a lot closer to it that I realised it is on another route that you can see it from a long way away. With the Sonny Murphy route you don't see it until you are nearly on top of it. Just before Ballyportry was the 6mile marker so I knew I only had 2miles to go. I was feeling good and knew I was going to make it. Km 18 to 19 has a false flat and I can see that my pace dropped here a little bit but as I made it back into the village I felt myself give a massive smile and sense of satisfaction that I just had a km (and a bit) to go and that was enough for my pace to pick up and for that to be fastest km of the whole run.

Having done 2 x 18km runs I probably didn't need to do 20 today, but it really has given me a confidence boost, especially with how good i felt. I'm sure I won't be feeling that good or comfortable on the day though come the 20k mark :eek: (or I shouldn't be anyway :P).

So now the tapering begins

Total for the week: 51.07km....wooohooo, first week over 50k!
Total since starting the plan: 467.27km

mel.b

No run for me today. I was up at 5 yesterday to go to Dublin for the day for work and wasn't home until late so it was pretty much straight to bed. I had organised tentatively to go for a run this morning with my neighbour before work, but when the alarm went off at 6 there was no way I was getting out of bed :pac: I'd also missed my usual Monday recovery swim, so decided to take the swimming stuff with me to work and was able to get out for a short swim during lunch. I was hoping to do a run then after work but the legs just weren't feeling it, so just went for an easy walk with Cooper. It's taper time anyway so I figure missing this run will be ok.

I got my Polar M400 back today as well (well it arrived yesterday but i wasn't there to collect it). They sent me a brand new one to replace the other which was fantastic. It appears that while you can use the M400 in water, you're not meant to press any buttons while you are in the water and I'd been using mine to count laps Pretty good of them to replace it when it was my own mistake that appears to have a caused the problem.

mel.b

Week 2 run 1
7.5km, duration 57:53, avg pace 7:41min/km
Splits: 7:37, 7:43, 7:36, 7:45, 7:48, 7:28, 7:37

Finally got out for a run last night after work before pilates. Took it easy and the run felt easier as i went along. I'm back on the train this morning to Dublin again...ot's probably 12mths since i was last in Dublin and now twice in a week. I'm just glad it's this week and not next week. I should have time this evening to call into RunLogic in Temple Bar to see if i can get a flipbelt as suggested by the Muppet on the random running questions thread and i might ask them for a second opinion about my shoes too.

It's close enough to Killarney now for it to appear on the longterm forecasr so the obessive weather watching begins .
Obessive weather watch forecast #1: Cloudy and 17...i'll take that please

Total for the week: 7.5k
Total since starting the plan: 474.77km

mel.b

Week 2, Run 2
6km, duration 43:05, avg pace: 7:10min/km
Splits: 7:14, 7:07, 7:29, 7:09, 7:05, 6:56

Urgh, what a horrible muggy evening for a run. I really hope it's not like this Sat morning next week. Still, good to get out with Cooper and my neighbour for a short easy one. Not sure what happened in that 3rd km to make the split so slow in comparision to the others.

I picked up a flipbelt yesterday in RunLogic in Dublin and tried it out tonight. I must say I am impressed. I just carried my phone in it, but I barely even noticed it was there. I found it more comfortable to wear with the phone in the small of my back, rather than at the front. While I was in RunLogic I also asked for some advice / second opinion on my shoes. I went in there fully prepared to fork out for another pair of shoes, however the guy who served me said that they looked ok and didn't think they were too small for me. He did suggest not tieing my laces as tight as a lot of the symptoms I described can be caused by overtight laces. So tonight I had then just done up very loosely. I had a little bit of an ache for a short while in the arch on my right foot but that went away. No tingly toes which was a good thing. Still getting the strange pain ontop of my big toe on my left foot - it's like something is cutting into it, however there's nothing there and when I look at my toes afterward there isn't a mark to be seen so I have no idea what that is. It's not the sock either as it happens with all socks and also when I'm just walking around in them. However it doesn't interfere or stop me running so I'll just put up with it until it's time to get new shoes. I'll keep doing the laces a bit looser and see how that goes over the next couple of runs.

Obsessive weather watch forecast #2: Cloudy and 12 degrees at 7am, light breeze, highest temp 20C, 2.4mm of rain expected in the afternoon....still looking good

Total for the week: 13.5k
Total since starting the plan: 480.77km

mel.b

Week 2, Run 3
6.1km, duration 44:01, avg pace 7:07
Splits: 7:18, 7:01, 7:33, 6:55, 7:23, 6:55

Easy run after work with Cooper. Thankfully the humidity was a lot better than yesterday although it was still warm out. Tried my slightly thicker socks with the shoes and laces done loosely and seemed ok. 13k planned tomorrow so that will be real test. Did strides x 4 at the end of the run (after dropping Cooper home :P) which went well I think.

Obsessive weather watch forecast #3: 13 degrees @ 7am, high of 18, cloudy and no rain. Seems pretty good to me.

Total for the week: 19.6km
Total since starting the plan:486.87km

mel.b

Bit late here :P

Week 2, Run 4
13.3km duration: 1:44, avg pace: 7:51min/km
Splits: 7:09, 7:18, 8:08, 8:04, 7:36, 8:50, 9:29, 7:16, 7:16, 7:34, 7:28, 7:52, 8:06

Early morning Sunday run with my neighbour and another running buddy who is also doing the Killarney half. The pace for this started off way too fast, however I tried to be disciplined and slow down, falling behind the other two. I have done a few runs with the lady who is doing the killarney half as well and she is a good 10min faster than me over 10k. On the other long runs she stuck with me which I really appreciated, however today she headed off and kept going, which I didn't mind at all as i was still running with my neighbour and it was good for the other lady to get in a run more at her pace. This was a hilly route for the first 7km which can be seen in the splits - it didn't take long for us to slow down! Once we reached the top of the hill though it was pretty much all downhill all the way home. I did feel myself tiring on the last 2km though and I see that reflected in the splits.

Total for the week: 32.9k
Total since starting the plan: 500.17 :eek:

If you had asked me before the plan started how many kms i would run training for this I wouldn't have had a clue. I certainly wouldn't have expected to run 500k and I'm delighted with myself that i have managed it

Week 1, Run 1 The week is here!
5.67km, Duration: 42.03, avg pace: 7:25min/km
Splits: 7:45, 7:10, 7:31, 7:20, 7:32, 7:04 (0.6k)

Cooper, my neighbour and I headed out at 6am for this run. It was the best idea as the conditions were beautiful and we bet the heat of the day.

Total for the week: 5.67
Total since starting the plan: 505.84

I went and had a sports massage for the first time tonight, so hopefully that will have me feeling all loose and ready to go on Sat morning. I'll do one more very easy run, probably tomorrow evening before pilates and that will be it until Saturday :eek: :

Firedance

The very best of luck on Saturday mel.b! I hope you have a great race and looking forward to the race report

Maximus Alexander

You've put in a whopper block of training and I hope it all pays off for you on Saturday. Enjoy!

FIFA2004

Good luck!!!

hillsiderunner

Good luck Mel B, should go well after all that training. Head out slightly slower if it's a hot day.

Ososlo

Great advice there about the weather above from hillsiderunner.

All the best mel. You've put in a really solid block of training and your dedication and consistency are bound to pay off!
Have a great race :-)

mel.b

Thanks so much everyone I'm getting really excited now and it's amazing how invested and paranoid you become. I got some new summer shoes and only wore them for a half a day yesterday as I was worried about getting blisters! Same with staying out of the sun yesterday so I didn't get burnt (although that wasn't hard because I was in work all day and by the time I got home the cool change had arrived ) Completely paranoid!! If you'd told me I'd react like that I would have laughed at you! So fingers crossed that everything goes to plan on Saturday. I don't know what time to expect - based on my 10mile race in April, Jack Daniels predicts 2:26 so we'll see. The main thing is to just enjoy it and be proud of my achievement.

I was meant to go for a short run tonight between work and pilates, however I discovered I left my shoes at home. I won't have time later this evening. Is it worth it trying to get out early tomorrow morning or don't worry about it now at this stage?

Firedance

you could do a couple of miles tomorrow but having said that you don't need to, just rest up and get plenty of water and sleep. Regardless of the weather make sure your first few miles are slow (even a few seconds slow than your goal pace) it will stand to you come the halfway point when you start heading for home

mel.b

Had to laugh at myself tonight. Walking down to the gleneagle to collect my number and there's a sign that says Molls Gap 22km. I think to myself 'thats where i'm running from tomorrow' and then i think, 22km, that's wrong, it's not that far to Molls Gap!! Then i realised that it actually is and thats what i'm running in the morning...:eek:

I've got my number #1625 so i'm all pysched now

mel.b

OMG, unoffical finish time 2:20:32. Feel like i'm going to die but amazing at the same time

tailgunner

Well done! Way ahead of Jack Daniel's prediction too.

Maximus Alexander

Fantastic effort, well done! Now get that report up.

Ososlo

Brilliant work mel! Delighted for you:D

FIFA2004

Wow that's brilliant!!!!! Congratulations!!!!

That's amazing Mel!

Firedance

Brilliant!!! and well deserved enjoy the celebrations, look forward to the race report!!

The Muppet

Brilliant . Well done .