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

mel.b

Run Killarney Half Marathon
Distance:21.2km, Duration: 2:20:29, avg pace 6:36min/km

5km splits:
0-5: 31:55
5 - 10: 31:25
10 - 15: 34:09
15 - 20: 34:45

Splits:
5:52, 6:11, 6:37, 6:33, 6:42, 6:02. 6:08, 6:15, 6:15, 6:45, 6:30, 6:58 6:56, 6:57, 6:48, 6:59, 6:43, 6:59, 7:05 6:59, 6:38, 6:31(0.2k)

I don't know how coherent or interesting this race report will be as I don't remember a whole lot other than 'keep running' but I'll try :P

I arrived down in Killarney yesterday afternoon, so had plenty of time to settle in before going and collecting my race pack which was quick and easy. I went and had an easy swim in the hotel's pool and then a short trip to the sauna before dinner and an early night. I slept relatively well, only to be woken at midnight by an illtimed good luck text from a friend. From about 3am onwards I tossed and turned a bit with mental calculations going through my head of what time had I set the alarm for and had I given myself enough time before having to be at the Gleneagle by 7am. Finally woke properly and up at 5.30. Luckily I had packed my breakfast as the hotel wasn't doing breakfast until 8am. I had brought breakfast with me (instant porridge) as I wanted to stick with what i had been having before my long runs in training. Shower, some foam rolling and then it was time to walk down to the Gleneagle. I met up with my friend who had been staying at the Gleneagle a bit before 7am and we were on the second bus I think up to Molls Gap. As we were getting on the bus we heard an organiser saying that a bit over 1000 were registered for the half marathon and just under 1000 for the 10k. Looking at the results it seems just over 870 ended up doing the half and 800 the 10k.

Arriving at a misty Molls Gap we took shelter at the Avoca cafe. The weather was a lot better in Killarney and we consoled ourselves that at least we were running towards the better weather. It wasn't overly cold though. Spent 15min queueing for a toilet (was surprised there were so few toilets, people were resorting to jumping fences rather than wait in the queue) and then dropped my bag off. Maybe 5 minutes later I realised I'd left my running cap in my bag I raced over to the bag drop van but by this stage my bag was buried and there was no way to find it. However a very kind lady manning the bag drop told me to head down her husband at the start line as he had caps in his van. So I took off for a little sprint down past the start line which was fun just as they were moving the inflatible start thingy (I'm sure it has a proper name!) into place. Found the guy and sure enough he had a cap in his van that I could use. It wasn't a proper running one, but it would do to keep the mist/rain out of my face & glasses. Before we knew it then, we were heading down to the starting line and were off.

Before the race, I had no expectations or ideas on what sort of time to expect and therefore pace to aim for. Secretly (we all have a secret time don't we?!!) I was wondering if I could do 2:20, however Jack Daniels was predicting 2:26 based on my 10mile in April and 6minutes seemed like a big difference, even though I knew I had put in a lot of training. As a result, I didn't go out with a plan, other than to run it as best I could.

My running buddy and I had somehow ended up nearish to the front and within the first km the sub 2:00 pacers and large group had passed me. My running buddy was also infront of me already by this stage but I expected that anyway. At some point in the next km or so I think, the 2:10 pacers with their much smaller group also passed me.

The first 5km actually had a lot more uphill than I had expected. It's definitely not all downhill for those first 5km. Reached the 5km mark in 31:55 but still had no idea what sort of time this actually meant. Grabbed my first bottle of water here as well (one with a sports top on it, so I could keep it with me). It was actually rather warm and a bit muggy I remember running just behind this woman who was constantly pouring the water over her head.

Took 1/2 a gel at the 7km mark as I'd practiced on my long runs. I had the gels in my flipbelt and it was much easier to get them in and out of there compared to the pocket in my running pants. The stretch from 5 to 10km is very much downhill but also very windy so I got a big shock when we came to a straight stretch and could actually see the sub 2:10 pace group up ahead. For the first time I started to wonder if a 2:1x time would be possible. I felt comfortable enough, but obviously it had all been downhill to that point and the real challenge was up ahead. Reached the 10k mark in 1:03:xx which is an unofficial 10K PB (but as it was pretty much all downhill I'm sure it doesn't count :pac:) and started the mental maths again wondering about that sub 2:20 time.

I kept running as best I could. I swapped my bottle for another one at the next water station and at some point between 10 - 15k three guys passed me, one who was carrying a small backpack with speakers in it blaring out music which was a nice distraction, however they sadly continued on faster than me. I remember at the 8mile marker thinking that there was just 5mile (or 8km) to go and that was a lap of 'Rath', a local loop that I do. I was at about 1hr 22min by this stage and more attempts at some maths still possibly had me going under 2:20 but that it would be close.

Hitting 16km, it was getting tough but I kept going. I'd hit a 10mile PB of 1:45 as well, 5min faster than my 10mile at the Sonny Murphy in April. A lot of people around me had been doing a run/walk combo for quite a while but I was determined to keep running. I was now telling myself it was only a parkrun until the finish. Between 16 & 17km the leaders of the 10k also passed me. They were (obviously :P) flying along. You could also see why people shouldn't wear headphones in races as the lead cyclists were coming up telling everyone to move left and of course this girl couldn't hear a thing. At that stage there were two guys who were basically neck and neck but the winner ended up winning by 20sec. Around the front of Muckross House, at around 17km the top of my quads started to hurt really for the first time. As we went passed the jaunting cars I yelled out for a lift to the finish...and I'm sure I wasn't the only one to do that! It had also started to rain by this stage. It had started off with a misty rain which was welcome as it still warm, but it got quite a bit heavier for a little while. I'd taken the hat off back somewhere around mile 7 as it was itching my forehead but I didn't put it back on. Coming up through kms 18 and 19 I was really tired but just tried to keep going. I tried to smile and wave for the guys taking photos and that gave me a little boost each time. Hopefully there's a good one there - normally I have crazy eyes in running photos that makes me look slightly demented. I don't remember seeing the 12mile marker, but I did see the 9km marker for the 10k race and I just tried to pick up the pace again. Turning back onto the footpath next to the main road it wasn't long before the finish line was in sight. I kept trying to push on and eventually crossed the line in 2:20:29 My last km was 6:38 which had been the fastest since km 11.

I was delighted with this time, but completely and utterly wrecked. Got my shiny medal and top and made my way to the bag drop. I managed to reunite the hat with the lady's husband (so glad I did that, more than once I had thought of just leaving it at a drinks station, but I ended up carrying it all the way) and then snapped a photo of my time and medal to send to my parents in Australia. By this stage, probably only 5min or less after finishing, I started to feel not so great. I made my way to the bathrooms and while waiting for a toilet had to grab onto a wall. I really wasn't feeling great at this point and there was certainly no sense of celebration or acheivement. I remember texting my neighbour my finishing photo not with words of excitment or acheivement but rather with the words 'I feel ill' . It really felt like I was going to either throw up or faint (or both). I stayed in the toilet for a while and I'm sure people were wondering what was taking me so long but I didn't care. I started to feel a bit better, so I made me way over to the INEC theatre where I could sit down for a bit. I'd been looking for my friend, but hadn't seen her, so I sent her a message to let her know where I was. Feeling better again, but in desperate need of some sugar I went and got a 7up from the shop in the Gleneagle and then headed outside where the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. There was a great atmosphere around and I briefly hopped into one of the hot tubs, although climbing in and hot was a bit of a challenge! I would have liked a massage but the queue was long and I didn't want to stand around waiting. I found another place to sit down and eventually met up with my friend who had finished it in 2hr 6min so she was also delighted with her first 1/2 marathon effort. I was still feeling completely wrecked, so I walked back to the hotel and stood under the best hot shower for what seemed to be forever. Collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep for the next hour and a half only to be woken by a hungry tummy. Got some food into me and started to feel human enough to wander into town for a short walk around.

When I got back to the hotel I went for another easy swim and sauna so I hope that will help with the recovery. Because in a fit of complete madness, months ago I signed up do another half marathon which is only 70 days away :eek: Actually I think I signed up for that one (Lisbon Rock'n'Roll) before I actually signed up for Killarney. So now to take it easy for the next two weeks and then to get back into it. There's an obvious goal there now (sub 2:20) but the weather could be an issue in Lisbon, especially considering the race doesn't start until 10am.

Thanks so much to everyone for all your words of encouragement over the past 14weeks (and even before that). It's great knowing there are people cheering you on

Total for the week: 26.87k
Total since starting the plan: 527.04k

chickey2

Fantastic! 6 minutes off your predicted time is amazing.
What's the long term plan, once Lisbon is over?

mel.b

chickey2 wrote: »

Fantastic! 6 minutes off your predicted time is amazing.
What's the long term plan, once Lisbon is over?

Thanks Chickey2 i wonder how much of that 6minutes is due to the downhill...i guess i'll know after Lisbon!

After that, over the winter I'd like to focus back on my 5 & 10k times. The RunClare series is being held agin between Jan & April which consists of a 5k, 5mile, 10k & 10mile. Then a couple of half marathons again next yr, no plans (yet!) to go the full distance.

chickey2

mel.b wrote: »

Thanks Chickey2 i wonder how much of that 6minutes is due to the downhill...i guess i'll know after Lisbon!

After that, over the winter I'd like to focus back on my 5 & 10k times. The RunClare series is being held agin between Jan & April which consists of a 5k, 5mile, 10k & 10mile. Then a couple of half marathons again next yr, no plans (yet!) to go the full distance.

Sounds like a sensible plan. I stupidly kept going from C25k to marathon when I really should have concentrated on getting faster over the shorter distances. The parkruns are great to mark your progress. Best of luck with it.

gypsylee

Well done mel.b. Great to read your race report.

mel.b

69 days until Lisbon
4km, duration: 30:47, avg pace: 7:41min/km
Splits: 8:10, 7:37, 7:23, 7:29

First recovery run this morning after Killarney. Oi it felt awkard to run at first, however I got better as the run progressed. I had Cooper with me and thankfully he decided that this morning wasn't the morning to chase anything as I wouldn't have been able for sprints :P

My quads are still feeling tender, although getting better. Moving constantly at work, up and down from small chairs and the floor while making my wince has actually been good for them. I did some foam rolling last night and again this morning and I also went for a short swim and then hopped into the spa after work, so hopefully they'll be back to normal soon.

I'll have another rest day tomorrow and then an easy run on Wed before pilates.

Total for the week: 4km

mel.b

67 days until Lisbon
5.6km, duration:42:25, 7:30min/km
Splits: 7:33, 7:16, 7:48, 7:11, 7:41, 7:30 (0.6km)

Another easy recovery run with Cooper again, this time after work. I had planned to do this in town and then head to pilates, but I had such a heavy day at work that I didn't feel like hanging around (even with the run I'd still have an hour to kill before pilates), so I decided to skip pilates and just head home instead and took Cooper out on a run. I know he appreciated it anyway

The quads are feeling probably 85-90% better now which is great. They felt good while running, just got a little bit tired on the last half k or so. There is a spot on my right calf that is going to be fun when I hit it with the foam roller tonight :eek: Everything other than that is fine so I'm happy about that.

Tonights run felt easy and comfortable even though the splits are a bit up and down. Planning again for short run Fri, parkrun on Saturday (I have a rare Saturday off due to the long weekend so I'm going to a Parkrun - I think it'll only be my third this year ) but I'll be taking it easy, no racing it as tempting as that may be :P and then I'll get in a 'longer' run on Sunday, something around 8k should take me about an hour.

Total for the week: 9.6km

mel.b

65 days until Lisbon
5.6km, duration: 41:17, avg pace: 7:17min/km
Splits: 7:29, 7:26, 7:15, 6:55, 7:08, 7:36 (0.6)

Another early morning run with Cooper and my neighbour. I had given the calf a good going over with the foam roller after the last run. Today it started to ache at around 3km, which is better than Wednesdays run when it was pretty much right from the start. I'll keep foam rolling but will also keep an eye on it.

I've ended up volunteering at the parkrun tomorrow so I'll go for a run after that instead. Probably helps remove the temptation of running it too fast!

Total distance for the week: 15.2km

mel.b

64 days until Lisbon
6km, duration: 45:29 avg pace: 7:34min/km
Splits: 7:28, 7:35, 8:10, 7:35, 7:12, 7:25

Started off this morning with volunteer duties at Lee's Rd Parkrun. Cooper wasn't going to let me get out of the house without him, so he came along as well He behaved himself and got lots of attention so he loved it. We went for a walk through the woods afterwards. I really must try & do a parkrun with him sometime, although there are frequently dogs off the lead in the woods and he doesn't always get on with other dogs so I'm a bit wary.

I then took Cooper out at about 5pm for an easy run. My legs felt heavy at times, however the calf was feeling a lot better so that is good. I had to drag Cooper along at one point - there's this house with a dog and he really likes this dog so he didn't want to keep going. Trying to pull a 40kg+ Malamute up a hill doesn't do a lot for your splits or overall time :pac:

Long run tomorrow, but I'll still keep it short overall and that will be the first week done after my first half.

Total for the week: 21.2k

LOL - just realised my total for the week is the same distance as the half marathon:pac:

mel.b

63 days until Lisbon
9km, durationa 1:07:03, avg pace: 7:26min/km
Splits: 7:13, 7:29, 7:32, 7:42, 7:20, 7:19, 7:22, 7:32 7:29

With no pressure to have to do a 'long' long run this morning I decided to stay in bed for a bit before heading out. As it's the long weekend I didn't work yesterday and it feels completely foreign to have two days off in a row, let alone 3 - don't know what I will do with myself tomorrow! I've been doing overtime pretty much every Saturday since December last year and starting next week have another seven weeks booked in (although have one Sat off in the middle due to the Fleadh in Ennis), and will probably be going through to Xmas. So even though I was awake at 6.30, it was lovely to stay in bed until 9am

It also felt very strange heading out on this run - no company, no water, no belt, no hats, no gels, no Cooper - felt all very minimal!! And strangly for the first km or 2, having to do just 8km felt like a long way However I soon got into the swing of it and decided at around the 5k mark to do an extra km as I was feeling good. No niggle in the calf either which is good.

Total for the week: 30.3km

mel.b

61 days until Lisbon
6.5km, duration: 47:32, avg pace 7:18min/km
Splits: 7:19, 7:11, 7:18, 7:12, 7:23, 7:24, 7:19 (0.5k)

I had the alarm set for an early morning run, but the allure of a nice warm bed was too much and I stayed put. So it was an afterwork run with Cooper instead. Nice easy flat route, however it some annoying misty rain did start just as I was leaving. Within 2km this had stopped but it got quite muggy and my glasses were fogging up :mad:

Total for the week: 6.5km

mel.b

60 days until Lisbon
7.5km, duration: 53:26 avg pace: 7:06min/km
Splits: 7:08, 7:01, 7:09, 7:31, 7:17, 6:44, 6:57, 7:04 (0.5km)

I don't know how, but I managed to avoid the rain and getting wet on this run. Even the wind wasn't too bad and I didn't seem to have it directly into me for much of the run at all. I was happy with the pace slowed down a bit on the one hill, but was able to pick up the pace for the downhill and then maintain it when I got back onto the flat.

I also got my race number for Lisbon via email today - I thought that was pretty efficient with still 2months to go. I actually had to double check the date just to make sure it wasn't sooner than I thought I'm also doing the streets of galway 8k on Sat but will be running it as a Tempo, rather than a full on race.

Total for the week: 14km

mel.b

59 days until Lisbon
5.1km (really 5.6K), avg pace 7:12min/km
Splits: 7:26, 7:04, 6:58, 7:07, 7:29

Early morning run again with Cooper and my neighbour. This was our usual 5.6k loop, however I forgot to start my GPS so I only have 5.1 recorded. Got caught in a brief shower but it was otherwise ok out.

I stopped in at Lidl before work this morning to get a stick roller and some of the High 5 electrolyte drink tablets. Unforunately my Lidl didn't get in any of the marathon packs or drink tablets - I wasn't the only unhappy customer there this morning. I'll call in again tomorrow to see if they have arrived. If not I plan to stop into Gort on the way to Galway for the Streets of Galway 8k and hope that they got some in and (more importantly!) have some left.

I also booked my last two nights accomodation in Lisbon today. I'm doing it on the cheap for the week that I am there, but decided to book a nice hotel for the night before and after the half marathon. If Killarney's anything to go by I'll be wrecked so I decided to go with the recommended hotel on the website which is just 850m from the finish and also has a pool. However the 'discounted' rate offered on the Rock'n'Roll website is exactly the same price I got through booking direct with the hotel.

Total for the week: 19.6k

mel.b

57 days until Lisbon

Streets of Galway 8k
8km, duration: 50:57 avg pace 6:18min/km
Splits: 6:25, 6:20, 6:15, 6:16 6:30, 6:22, 6:14, 6:07

What a fab race this is I'm still buzzing. The plan was to run this as a Tempo run rather than an all out race and looking at some online calculators, based on my half marathon time (LOL, I can say that now :P) my suggested tempo pace was around 6:20min/km so that is what I was going to aim for. However I had doubts - I haven't done a lot of running at that pace, especially sustained and I didn't know if I'd be able to manage it. All I could do though was give it a go and see how I went. Then this morning there was a final email from the organisers that said there would be pacers from 35min to 55min. A quick play with some calculators indicated that 50min would be equivelent to 6:10 and 55min to around 6:50. So I decided to position myself behind the 50min pacers and to try and keep them in view for as long as I could. That was good in theory, not so much in practice!

I collected my race pack around 5.45pm so I had plenty of time to kill before the start at 7pm. The only thing I could have done with was some water before the start as I hadn't had anything to drink for a few hours. I positioned myself behind the 50min pacers and waited for the start. I hadn't realised actually how far back we were as it seemed to take forever to pass over the timing mat. I even heard a girl next to me ask where it was, so I wasn't the only one wondering. The pace was good and the support was amazing. I could see the 50min pacers ahead of me, however with the twisting and turning course they soon dissappeared and I didn't see them again. 1st km done and 6:24 so pretty much on target. 2nd km still feeling good, up past Eyre square and 6:20 still bang on target. Kms 3 and 4 pass in 6:15 and 6:16. I remember around here that I was starting to pick out people ahead of me to aim for and sometimes i'd catch them. One thing I really noticed as well was the number of people still around me and I think that really helped maintain the pace. I think the Wings for Life in Melbourne is the only other race that I've done with similiar numbers (around 3000) but maybe because the streets are smaller in Galway it felt like there were a lot more people around you. Maybe also because I was running a bit faster than I usually do there were more people at that pace too. Whatever it was, it really helped. While it was windy, it wasn't noticeable until between kms 4 & 5 where the only slight hill on the course in. At this stage I also discovered a problem with the singlet top I was wearing - it blows up in the wind :eek: I really don't want to be bearing my pale non six pack tummy to an unsuspecting public So I had to run a bit here with one hand holding my top down! Km 5 in 6:30 but I wasn't too worried about that. The water at the 5km point was also very welcome and I kept the bottle with me until the end of the run. Turning onto the Prom at Salthill was amazing - talk about wind assistance! We were just being blown along. Running past one part where there is a little beach the wind was blowing so strongly it was blowing the sand off the beach and straight onto us as we were running past. Kms 6 & 7 6:22 & 6:14. And even though the wind was at our backs it was so strong I ended up tucking my top into the top of my pants so I could have both hands free again. I managed to pick up the pace again a little bit on the last km, but a good few people went sprinting past me at the finish. 6:07 for the last km. The finishing time shown I think was around 53min which I was ok with although probably a little surprised that the 55min pacers were so close. Mental maths not being my strong point I also did a double take when I looked at my watch and saw the time of 50:57! Absolutely delighted with that, but even more so that I was able to maintain my pace and that I felt like I had more to give and could have gone longer / faster if I'd had too.

Overall, it was an awesome run with great support all the way around. I'll definitely be back to do it again next yr.

I also managed to pick up some high 5 tabs in Lidl in Gort on the way to galway. They had plenty of marathon and gel packs left as well.

Long run planned for tomorrow.

Total for the week: 27.6km

gypsylee

Well done Mel. Great race.

mel.b

56 days until Lisbon
16km, duration 2:01:35, avg pace: 7:35min/km
Splits: 7:24, 7:07, 7:18, 7:27, 7:13, 7:25, 7:21, 7:37, 7:37, 7:47, 7:43, 8:12, 7:36, 7:35, 7:52, 8:14

Tough long run this morning, both mentally and physically. Tired legs from the run yesterday and the wind, omg, the wind I set out to do two laps of a local 8k loop. Cooper and my neighbour joined me for the first lap. When I look back at the splits I can see now that they were a bit too fast for the first lap, however with all the stopping and starting that happens when I run with Cooper I didn't realise. That probably helps explain partly why the second lap felt so tough. After dropping Cooper home I grabbed some water and headed out for the second lap, somewhat reluctantly! I kept trying to pick up the pace after starting again but it was just too hard directly into the wind. Felt like I was trudging up the one small hill, but got a bit of a lift at the 12k mark when I looked at my watch as I only thought I had done 10k at that point. From about km 13 though I was thinking about walking but I just kept myself moving. A friend later said that she passed me somewhere around km 14-15 and that I was looking strong but I certainly didnt feel it and I can see my splits really dropped off for the last 2kms. However looking at my overall pace it was pretty much exactly where i wanted it so it can't have been too bad :cool:

Total for the week: 42.6km

mel.b

55 days until Lisbon
3km, duration: 25:00, avg pace 8:18min/km
Splits: 8:15, 7:54, 8:54

After asking for some advice on the Random Running thread and taking Ososlo's advice I headed out this evening for a very slow short recovery run with Cooper. 3km in total, with a lot of coaxing, cajouling and a bit of dragging Cooper through the 2nd km. He's a malamute and is meant to want to run I knew if we turned back he'd run all the way, but that would give 4km and I wanted instead to run 3km and then walk back the 3km in order to at least give him a bit of a decent walk. We got there in the end, but to give you an idea, our elapsed time was 34min...that's nearly 10min where he spent either sniffing, peeing, getting pats and a new one tonight - sitting down and admiring two minature ponies in a field. They weren't much bigger than him and he was fascinated with them. Sadly for Cooper the ponies wouldn't come up to the gate to say hello.

Total for the week: 3km

mel.b

54 days until Lisbon
7.6km, duration:1:03:19, avg pace 8:14min/km

I decided to head up to Dromore Woods for a trail run with Cooper after work this evening. The whole route is pretty much covered in trees so I don't think the distance or avg pace is very accurate - I know at one point (where the tree coverage was lighter) I looked at my watch and it had me at 15:00min/km when I was doing closer to 7:30. Parts of the trail were also very narrow and tricky to run on, especially with Cooper which also slowed me down a bit at the start. It was otherwise an enjoyable run and in contrast to last night Cooper ran beautifully for me.

Total for the week:10.6km

mel.b

53 days until Lisbon
8km, duration: 52:00, avg pace 6:29min/km
Splits: 6:04, 6:09, 6:17, 6:39, 6:26, 6:32, 6:47, 7:01

Another early morning run with my neighbour. It's already noticeable how much shorter the days are getting I left Cooper at home this morning as I wanted to do a tempo run and that's just not possible when running with him.

We set off too fast. I think I'd find it difficult to do a tempo run by myself so it's good to have company but not when it's too fast. The hill between km 3 & 4 slowed us down though! I ended doing 7.5k at tempo pace and slowed down the last 500 to have a bit of a cool down. The avg pace was slower than the streets of galway but felt tougher, mostly due to the hills and rolling nature of the route.

Total for the week: 18.6k

mel.b

51 days until Lisbon
5.1km, duration 38:59, avg pace: 7:32min/km
Spilts: 7:25, 7:18, 7:53, 7:34, 7:30,

I finished work tonight and it was horrible and misty. I really didn't want to go out for a run, however Cooper didn't get a walk last night so I couldn't let him go two nights in a row. So out we headed for an easy 5k. Looking at my runs, except for the long run on Sundays they are all generally between 5 - 8km, so one thing I need to start doing is to increase the distance of one of these runs as well, just up to 10 - 12km I think. I think the Fri run will the one I try to do that on from next week onwards.

Lurking on the novices thread I think I have found my running tourism for next yr - the San Sebastian half :cool: although I also want to the Midnight sun half in Iceland...will have to see how far I can make the budget stretch :eek:

Total for the week: 23.7k

Ososlo

No harm in extending one of the shorter runs Mel, but just be careful, as you're adding on an extra day too. Just listen very closely to the body and don't be afraid to back off if you feel any niggles or fatigue etc. Increase the distance very slowly.

mel.b

50 days until Lisbon
6.4km, duration: 48:05 avg pace: 7:26min/km
Splits: 8:03, 7:04, 7:31, 7:31, 7:11, 7:15, 7:27 (0.4)

I decided to head somewhere different this afternoon and took Cooper up to Coole Park in Gort. It's not that far away from me, but it's only the second time I have been there - the first time when Cooper was a puppy a few years ago. I really should take advantage of it more often as it was a lovely run (except for the flies...so many flies ) and Cooper got to have a swim in the lake as a cool down. There were a lot of cars in the car park but I think we only saw 3 or 4 groups of people on our run. There was a lot of tree coverage so I'm not certain how accurate the splits or distance are.

Long run tomorrow and I have company from kms 3 to 14 so that should help the time pass (as long as we don't go too fast!)

Total for the week: 30.1k

mel.b

49 days until Lisbon
20k, duration 2:28:07, avg pace: 7:24min/km
Splits: 7:15, 7:09, 7:13, 7:24 7:13, 7:17, 7:07, 7:28, 7:23, 7:25, 7:23, 7:40, 7:19, 6:59, 8:01, 7:12, 7:30, 7:32, 7:48, 7:24

Head off at 7 for my long end. I ended up company for the first 14km which was great. My friend who did Killarney with me met me at my place and we headed off and then were joined by two others at around 3km who were doing an 11km loop. As suspected, the pace was a little faster than I what i should be doing (7:35ish) and I think I felt that at the end. We ended up splitting into two groups and I ran with one of the girls who was doing the 11km loop. She's a lot faster than me so I was thankful that she hang back and kept me company and she appreciated the pace as it the longest run she's done since May.

At the 14km mark I turned off and then kept going back to the car. The first km after they turned off I can see that my pace really dropped so it shows the benefit of having someone with you to keep you going. I managed to pick it up again after that, however from about midway through the 17th Km I found it tough going and it was a mental push to keep going - 500m to the end of this road and then it's another km and you're back into the village etc. This was the first run over 16km that I've done without a gel. I had been having one (half at the 7km mark and the other half around 14k) so that may have contributed to the fatigue, plus going out a bit too fast. After today's run, I can see why you need to let the body learn to use its own fuel rather than having it rely on the likes of gels. I also tried out today a High5 Zero electrolyte tablet in my water. I figure it could still be warm in Lisbon and the race doesn't start until 10.30 so it's going to be even hotter when it finishes so water might not cut it and i don't like powerade and other sports drinks. I tried a tablet last night in water and wasn't sure how I'd go with the slight effervescent nature of it, however it was fine and I had no trouble drinking it on my run.

I hit 20km about 600m from home. I knew the route was slightly longer than the 20k run I had planned. Normally i'd do the last little bit ('cos 'every little bit helps' :P) but not today. I hit the stop button and that was it and i walked that last little bit. Sad not to have a complete loop on my strava map but I'm sure I'll get over it!

Now to just decide if I have the energy to head into Ennis later this afternoon to watch the parade and opening of the Fleadh.

Total for the week: 50.1k

mel.b

47 days until Lisbon

Monday 15th
3km recovery run, 26:10 avg pace 8:23
Splits: 8:08, 8:16, 8:48
Slow easy recovery run with Cooper in the glorious sunshine last night. No danger of running too fast on this one. Finished off with dip in the river for Cooper and a 2km walk home.

Tues 16th
7km, 56:59, avg pace 8:12
Splits: 8:00, 8:46, 8:20, 8:49, 8:36, 7:29, 7:18

The weather wasn't quite as nice as last night but it was still very warm so I headed up to the woods with Cooper. The splits and distance is way off due to the tree coverage but I'm not worried about that as I've still done the distance, regardless of what the gps says. Generally a good run and Cooper ran nicely for me. He was also delighted to get not one or two, but three swims as we made our way around the trails.

The plan is for a tempo run tomorrow morning but i've already put my neighbour on notice that if it's raining I'm staying in bed :pac:

Total for the week: 10km

mel.b

46 days until Lisbon
8km, 52:15, avg pace: 6:30
Splits: 6:27, 6;06, 6:19, 6:31, 6:22, 6:35, 6:55, 6:43

It rained all night here last night so I really wasn't sure if we'd get this run in. I woke at 5.15 and the rain had stopped, however looking at the radar, I could see another band of rain coming. I must admit that a part of me was hoping that it would arrive just before 6.30 so I wouldn't have to go Alas, when I checked the radar I could see that the big band of rain was moving steadily north rather than west so it was I headed to meet my neighbour.

The plan for today was a tempo run. I chose a route that was easier than last weeks tempo run - flatter rather than rolling. However it actually made no difference in avg pace and I actually had my slowest km from the two runs on this route (on a horrible false flat that i hate every time i do it). I found the last few kms tough going and though it may have been due to the fast km that we did at the start, but again comparing the splits, on the other run, the first two kms were 6:04 & 6:09 so that's not it. Maybe because it was flatter I had to work harder throughout, not being able to take advantage of smalll rests on downhills.

I've also started wearing the heart rate mointor that came with my gps. Comparing last weeks run to this weeks my avg heartrate was almost identical, however last week I spent more time in what the watch calls 'zone 5' compared to this morning. Also I can see that my heart rate for the 2nd 4km this morning (out and back route) was higher. I was definitely finding it harder than the first 4km but the pace was slower

Total for the week: 18km

mel.b

44 days until Lisbon
6km, 43:44, avg pace: 7:23
Splits: 7:22, 7:14, 7:35, 7:33, 7:06, 7:29

Another early morning run with Cooper and my neighbour. Cooper really wasn't feeling the love this morning and needed some encouragement to get going as he kept lagging behind at the start. However at the end my neighbour shouted out 'sprint to the finish' so I got Cooper really going to the point he was galloping along and it was all I could do to hold onto the lead. Afterwards I could see that we reached a fastest pace of 4:48 during that sprint and all I could think was that there are people who run half and full marathons at that pace (and faster!) :eek:

Plan for the weekend is to head down to the Kilrush parkrun with Cooper tomorrow morning (hopefully we don't get drowned in the rain) and then long run on Sunday. Hoping I'll have company for some of the run on Sunday.

Total for the week: 24km

chickey2

mel.b wrote: »

Afterwards I could see that we reached a fastest pace of 4:48 during that sprint and all I could think was that there are people who run half and full marathons at that pace (and faster!) :eek:

The scary thing is the lads doing the 50km walk in the Olympics today walked faster than that! :eek:

mel.b

chickey2 wrote: »

The scary thing is the lads doing the 50km walk in the Olympics today walked faster than that! :0

oh god :eek::eek::eek:

If I wasn't already feeling inferior...:pac:

chickey2

mel.b wrote: »

oh god :eek::eek::eek:

If I wasn't already feeling inferior...:pac:

Sorry!
I was just amazed by their pace. I didn't know it was possible to walk that fast. If you can really call it walking! It's a bit freaky really.

mel.b

43 days until Lisbon
5.75km, duration 43:25, avg pace: 7:24

I woke at 7 this morning and checked the rain radar. I could see a very small line through central Co.Clare of rain, but there was nothing showing below that in the direction of Kilrush so I decided to stick with my plan of heading down to to Kilrush for the parkrun. Driving down to Kilrush though I don't know if I was optimistic or deluded as it poured rain the whole way! That rain wasn't on the radar when I had checked at 7, but obviously I had forgetten to take into account the speed the clouds were moving at with the wind! Somehow though the rain basically stopped as I was coming into Kilrush and it pretty much then stayed away for the next few hours.

Kilrush Parkrun is held in the grounds of Vandeleur walled gardens and it was the first time I'd been there as well. I knew from looking at the parkrun website that it is a single 5km loop and that the numbers are generally pretty small. I'd say today there was probably only about 15 of us. Race briefing was over in about 30 seconds. Normally they have a lead bike, however there wasn't one today so we were told to follow some young kid (who must do it all the time). It's fine to follow the young kid if you're fast and can keep up with him, not so good if you aren't I had also brought Cooper along with me for the run.

The first 700m or so is on the road leading you back towards the entrance and it then turns left into the forest. This was fine as there were people ahead of me and I could see where they were going. However they soon pulled ahead. I continue running until I reach a t-intersection and there's no marshall and no arrow telling you which way to go (well there once was an arrow, but it had fallen off the sign post). There was another girl behind me, however she was also a parkrun tourist so didn't know any more than me. We took a punt and turned right. Continue on until around the 2km mark and we come to another junction with again no signs or arrows so again we guess. Continue running and you guessed it, more junctions, no signs. Neither of us had any idea where we were, if we were still even on the right track or anything. The girl had pulled ahead of me a bit as Cooper was on the go slow and part way down after another turn she decided it was the wrong way, so we turned back to the junction and then went the other way. At this point Cooper really didn't want to turn back and I should have listened to him. I thought he didn't want to turn back as he'd already run that way and he can be a bit funny about that, but now I wonder if he just somehow knew we were going to go the wrong way This eventually lead us out to a road (although I didn't realise it was a road road, as opposed to a road through the forest) until I saw a sign for a graveyard. The other girl wanted to run down there, but i kept on saying 'no, this is a road, we're out of the park' so we turned back and went the way we had turned back from.

Continued running and eventually saw an arrow pointing forward so at least I knew we were on the right path there. However we then passed another two junctions (one a t-insection, one a cross road) and again, neither of them were marked with which way to go so it was pot luck :mad: Eventually we could see the walls of the garden so knew were almost back and then there was one arrow that was pretty much pointing straight ahead, however the finish was around the corner to our left. Because we'd already done well over 5km by this stage, we didn't know that we were actually meant to run straight ahead and then turn back before turning the corner to the finish. That's certainly something that could have been mentioned in the briefing (i only realised this when comparing strava maps of the route). When I crossed the line and said that they could do with some arrows they told us we weren't the only ones to have gotten lost:eek:

Finished off with another couple of kms walk through some of the others trails with Cooper.

It's a nice, basically flat run through the forest, trail is mostly large gravel/stones but it seriously needs arrows telling people which way to go. I don't know how much help a lead bike would have even been, unless it waits at every junction until the last person is through and then speeds up to try & get to the next one before the first runner reaches it.

Total for the week: 29.75km