Grey skies give way to......

eyrie · 30-07-2019 09:59AM

It sounds like a seriously intimidating course! Probably a lovely one if you were just taking it easy but racing is a different story! Well done

Sunny Dayz · 01-08-2019 10:17AM

Mon 29/07/19 5.3km 36:53
Running session in the park. Wasn't sure about attending this after the race the previous day but my legs felt fine so I went over with the intention of taking it easy.
A session of 4 x 1km with 2mins recovery. I didn't even look at the watch going around, just beeped it at the intervals (delighted I can do intervals on it now!). My 4 kms were 6:02, 6:07, 5:58, 5:50. Delighted with those when I looked on strava after, it didn't feel like I was going that fast! Did 0.75km to cool down, the legs were fairly tired and calves sore by then.

Tues 30/7/19
Had an hour to myself that evening. Instead of putting the feet up or getting more house stuff done, I laced up the runners and got out for a walk instead. 6.5km in 1hr7mins.

Weds 31/07/2019 3.75km
Splits: 7:20, 7:24, 7:37, 6:41 (0.75)
I was taking part in a little personal distance challenge (my own take on the Irish Cancer Society's marathon in a month) and had the last few kms to reach my target. So I dragged the hubbie out at 10:30pm that night for an easy run and chat. Tempted to do the Maher's 100 miles in a month for August but I really should be paying more attention to the half marathon plan... Tullamore won't be long coming 'round...

eyrie · 01-08-2019 01:59PM

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

I dragged the hubbie out at 10:30pm that night for an easy run and chat.

Fair play!! I can't imagine having the motivation to head out at that hour. Lovely to be able to do it together though. I can just imagine the response I'd get if I tried to persuade my other half out for a run at half ten

Sunny Dayz · 06-08-2019 10:55AM

Thurs 01/08/2019
Had the afternoon off due to an appointment. Decided to nip out to Lough Boora after as it was a nice afternoon, it's about half an hour away and a place we should be going to more often. Hired bikes and cycled around for about an hour. Covered 11km in 45 mins moving time, few stops for water and photos.

Fri 02/08/2019
Usual early morning gym session, wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Like the cardio but still find the arms and core work tough.

Sat 03/08/2019 5km parkrun 32mins 43
Splits: 6:16, 6:42, 6:15, 6:47, 6:24
A humid parkrun near my inlaws. Was out for drinks with my bro in law the Fri night so I found I was quite tired after just one lap of this 3 lap course. There was a bunch of us in the last 150m and even though it's not a race, I tried to pass a few of them before the finish!

Sun 04/08/2019 15km Sea to Summit 1hr 56mins
Splits: 6:29, 6:50, 8:04, 7:33, 8:34, 9:04, 8:56, 9:49, 9:41, 6:00, 7:00, 6:52, 7:11, 7:29, 6:14
A run local to my inlaws that we couldn't resist. Included a run along a beach followed by a run up a hill. Figured it would be an experience at least! Got there about half an hour before start, quick registration, and a little warm up. More of a crowd gathered up, including some serious looking runners. nice to see some local people I knew taking part, including another bro in law.
Set off and the first km was along the road and fairly flat. End of that km turned off and headed down towards the beach. 3rd km was all along the beach, never run on a beach before and it was tougher than I expected, Baywatch was misleading - it was very tough on the calves. 4th km was back onto the road and along a bit I know from driving, it's a bit twisty and hilly, legs were tired after the beach.
5th km came off the main road and to our first water station. Quick stop for a mouthful and back again. You could feel the road starting to rise here, it was getting tougher. 6th km it was getting even harder and in some places it was easier to walk than to try and run. We were only heading for the hill, there were still houses about so what on earth was ahead. More of the same in the 7th km. At the 6.5km mark we joined the road up the hill and were starting to meet those coming back down. Plenty of "well dones" exchanged. At this stage our young lad who had been with us slowly push on himself, we were going too slow for him now. Likewise with the 8th km, mix of struggling to walk uphill and trying to jog on a flat or downhill bit. But people were telling us we were near the top.
We could see the turning point 100m ahead when we met our son coming back down, he was in great form, just paused to get some jellies off us as he wanted to catch up to his uncle. I warned him to be careful, he was heading downhill, it was quite warm out and he'd never done anything longer than 10km. Not gonna lie, I was worried about him for the rest of the run, checking my phone a few times incase I'd get an emergency call.
When we made it to the top they had water, jelly babies, orange segments and a loo. This point was up at 208m. Stopped here for about a min chatting the marshals. Headed back down the hill then watching our footing. 10th km was quite speedy, making use of the gravity and downhills. Words of encouragement to the walkers we were meeting. Hit the 10km mark in 1hr 20. There were times when I would have done a standard 10km race in that time, now I've run along a beach and scaled a hill! One or two little climbs along 11km which were tough on tired legs. 12km brought us back onto the main road and we could see the sea and the finish area below. But then we realised we were heading the direction of my bro in law's house and knew there was a climb before that. But surprise at the end of the 12th km we were directed back off the main road and down towards a lake. This was narrow, twisty, interesting and along the lake but God the flies, you just had to keep running or they would swarm you. 14th km we could see we were heading for the road infront of the start finish area but one final water and jelly baby stop here with a little chat. Last km brought up along the shore road and the final 500m was off road onto grass and around the pitches. Tough finish, legs were so tired trying to run on grass!
Straight away went to find son, he was refreshed! Delighted he not only caught up on his uncle but he beat him by 2 mins and finish in 1hr 45! Nice spread of tea, sandwiches and buns after. The first person home was in 1hr 4min!

gypsylee · 06-08-2019 04:11PM

Well done on the Sea to Summit event. It sounds very interesting but very tough! It's nice to do something a bit more challenging at times.

Sunny Dayz · 23-08-2019 01:27PM

Kept meaning to update here but it just felt like such hard work!

The week after Sea to Summit 15km I didn't get any running in. Between getting the house sorted, and having visitors, my time was taken up. But with a day off work and our visitors off out, we decided to head over to Lough Boora for a cycle. Did 17km in 1hr13 - we took it handy enough and got caught out in a few rain showers. My leggings also developed a hole in the crotch area which made for an uncomfortable cycle!

Mon 12/08/2019 4.71km in 28mins and 6km in 49 mins
Session in the park, 4 x 1km and a little cool down. My km splits were 5:22, 5:35, 6:00 and 6:22. The last km was slower because I started back my watch before I started back to run as I was waiting for someone to be ready.
After the session I decided I would go for a run myself to make up for missing the long run at the weekend. I'd planned out a 10-12km route but after 3km I'd enough! I'd already had a few walks and a toilet break at that stage and I just wasn't feeling it so I made a right turn instead of a planned left and headed back for the car, a loop or two of the park to round me up to 6km.

Fri 16/08/2019 19km 2:24
Splits: 6:36, 7:25, 7:11, 6:41, 7:21, 7:26, 8:21, 7:22, 6:58, 8;24, 8:46, 7:34, 8:11, 7:44, 7:50, 7:22, 8:10, 7:24, 7:34
I was starting to panic a bit about the half marathon, it felt like I just wasn't getting my long runs done. I had Fri morning off work and the time to myself so I got up and went for a run. I had a window of 3.5 hours so I didn't have any time pressure or excuses to cut it short. Lined up my podcasts and started out too fast! Overall my run consisted of too many walking breaks, not enough fuel or water and a nettle sting. But got it done and turns out it was 2 minutes quicker than the same route last year.

Mon 19/08/2019 6.1km 42 mins
Session of 6 x 8mm with 200m recovery in between. I didn't think I pressed the lap button properly to break out my splits which is a pity, I like to see the faster splits to see how I'm doing. Don't think they were as good, I felt fairly tired.

Sunny Dayz · 28-08-2019 11:00AM

Sun 25/08/19 16.15km 2:12
Splits: 7:41, 7:47, 7:55, 8:02, 8:05, 8:47, 9:05, 8:34, 8:58, 9:08, 9:33, 9:34, 7:15, 6:25, 7:17, 7:01, 5:43 (0.15)
Hubbie had 30km on his plan, so I said map out a 15km route and I'll dot he 2nd loop with you. So I waited about the house while he did his first loop, it was like when you have a late race start and you don't know what to do with yourself!
Run started off ok, pace was steady enough for the first 5km. That brought himself up to 20km. The next 5km there were a lot more walks, I think once he went over the half marathon distance his body wanted to be done. But we took a few walking breaks, I tried to chat while we jogged along to distract him. At my 10km mark (his 25km point) we stopped at the petrol station for a toilet break. The next 2km were a lot of walking and I was starting to get pizzed off, I wanted to run. We stopped then at my 12km mark (his 27km). I was actually really annoyed. He'd had enough. So he turned for home which was a km away and I continued on the rest of the planned route which was 3km. From then on my pace was probably a good bit quicker than what my lsr should be but I needed to burn off that energy and mood. I looped around by the business park to bring my run up to 16km/10 miles and my last long run before the half marathon.

Went out for a walk that afternoon to the local agri fair - 3km return to stretch out the legs. Didn't stay long as there were wasps everywhere.

Mon 26/018/19
10km cycle. Were up in Dublin for the day so we rented bikes and cycled a loop of the Pheonix Park, really enjoyable but tough in a few spots. Perfect weather. That evening, because we had plenty of time before the train and it was fab weather, we walked from the city centre out to Heuston Station - about 3km in half an hour.

I'm a little undecided about my race strategy for the half marathon on Saturday. I was going to run with my husband and get him sub 2:30 - which I would be happy with myself, it would still be a course pb for me. But after getting peeved off with him on the run on Sunday, I'm not sure. On the other hand, it would be nice to try for sub 2:25 but I don't think I've put in enough work for it.

gypsylee · 29-08-2019 12:39PM

Good luck on Saturday. Is your husband happy to do the Half on his own? If so then run your own race as you might be sorry at the end if you did not push yourself enough to get the time you want.

Sunny Dayz · 29-08-2019 05:20PM

gypsylee wrote: »

Good luck on Saturday. Is your husband happy to do the Half on his own? If so then run your own race as you might be sorry at the end if you did not push yourself enough to get the time you want.

Thanks and yes that's what I'm afraid of - a divorce before the finish line!
He's training for DCM and this is his target half. We are actually registered for another half in early Oct but he'll be doing it as part of a LSR whereas I'll be racing the Oct half. So I know I'll get another crack at a half in 6 weeks time whereas this is his chance to race a half. I know he'll be happy to do the half on his own but I do think he needs someone to prod him along a bit.

gypsylee · 30-08-2019 09:48AM

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Thanks and yes that's what I'm afraid of - a divorce before the finish line!
He's training for DCM and this is his target half. We are actually registered for another half in early Oct but he'll be doing it as part of a LSR whereas I'll be racing the Oct half. So I know I'll get another crack at a half in 6 weeks time whereas this is his chance to race a half. I know he'll be happy to do the half on his own but I do think he needs someone to prod him along a bit.

If this is his target half then he might appreciate your support for this one. You could use tomorrow as a trial run for your target race in 6 weeks. Good luck to you both whatever way you decide to run it

Sunny Dayz · 02-09-2019 01:08PM

Sat 31/08/19 Tullamore half marathon 2:26:38
Splits: 6:40, 6:49, 6:27, 6:40, 6:56, 6:32, 6:37, 6:41, 6:37, 7:18, 9:23, 6:28, 6:55, 7:00, 6:41, 7:02, 7:14, 7:07, 7:00, 6:54, 6:43, 6:56 (0.16)

Was nervous but excited for this race. Was looking forward to seeing a lot of people I know from running and parkrun at it. I knew I'd get a course pb here, was 2:34 last year but I really wanted a half pb (currently 2:25:35) and my goal was sub 2:25. Had my watch set to 6:50mins/km pacer. Got to the venue just after 10am. Nipped in to collect race number and tshirt and back to the car to get set up. A visit to the toilet, a warm up jog and some stretches and it was off to the start line. Got nestled in quite near the back and we were away.

First km was fine, tried not to get too pulled along with the crowd. 2nd km felt ok-ish but when I looked at my pace after that km and saw it was 6:49 I was a little worried, I thought I would naturally be banking a few seconds in the first few kms. When I look back now much of that km was uphill, you just wouldn't really notice with the crowd. As a result the 3rd km was quicker with the net downhill and me pushing on a bit. At the end of this km I pushed on from the husband as I was going faster than his planned pace. 4th km was grand, passed through a townland with great support out. 5th km starting to feel a little tough with an uphill feeling harder than it probably should, stomach and digestive system starting to feel a bit off.

At the 5th marker there was a guy standing with an empty jellies tub, the joys of being near the pack of the field. Looked at my watch and my little pace band, think I was a minute ahead of pace. 6th km to 9th km I wasn't feeling the most comfortable. I was hoping and praying that there were toilets at the half way mark where the relay changeover was and I think this was why my pace was so good! Wished I had brought a little set of headphones just to distract myself from erm, myself! 10th km was tougher than I expected, the road was climbing sooner than I expected from memory of the route last year. Still a good minute ahead of pace. 11th km - ahhh toilet break. I've never had to use the toilet during a race before. Felt so much better after and felt more comfortable running after that stomach wise for the rest of the race. I just hope I don't ever need to do that again cos I lost probably 2 or 3 minutes here and spoiler alert - cost me my pb and sub 2:25.

12th km I got back going again to make up for lost time. Was hoping I'd see some people ahead that had been running my pace that I could use as target to catch up on but they were all well away. 13th km and who could I see in the distance only my husband - he must have passed me when I was in the loo. I was delighted to see he was doing so well but also I had a target ahead! 14th km and just as I was almost caught up, we got to a water station and himself went for the loo. I took a walking break here and some water from the station. 15th km I think was when the heavens opened. Checked against my pace band at the 15km mark and seen I was a min and a half behind pace. I knew in my heart I wasn't going to be able to make this up. 16km and a bit of a hill but it was fine. 10 mile down, a parkrun to go! 17th km and it was starting to feel a bit harder, legs were getting tired, they seemed to want a little walk at each km, I was getting fed up of water. But in the distance I could see the running club top of a girl I know who must have passed me when I was in the loo. She was my target. 18th km I don't remember!

19th km and I knew by the change of scenery that we were getting closer to town, I was struggling a bit and got great encouragement from marshalls. However at the 19th mark there was a water station and I really hoped they had cola or something but it was just water, I was a little disappointed, I felt I just needed a little something for that last kick. I walked a bit, the legs just felt like they hadn't anything left to give, even a marshal looked concerned and checked was I ok (thank you) I nearly started crying. But I slapped the legs, put the head down and kept going. During the 20th km I was starting to meet those who had finished and were running back the route to extend their long run or to run a friend in. One of the pacers coming back (he had his job done!) joined a woman in front of me, I stuck with them for a bit and then pushed on. I took a very brief walk at 20km but I heard him behind me telling me to move! Thank you, I think I needed that kick! Last full km and I could hear the music from the finish line, come on keep going, you won't have 2:24 or 2:25 on the clock but get 2:26:xx.

The last section is a lap of the outdoor track, 400m. Few people I know at the entrance cheering on. That lap felt like the longest ever, thought I was out of steam but the last 150m I found one last little burst. Greeted with a few hugs as I copped hubbie running onto the track and cheered him in.

Didn't feel the best after. Felt like I was completely expended. Not sure if it was my fueling, perhaps I should carry a little bottle in my flip belt with cola or Lucozade, as I was sick of water by the end of it. Had fruit pastels and jelly beans and little gel blocks on the run. A fab spread laid on in the hall after, I could just manage tea and a sandwich but couldn't stay long as I found it too warm and stuffy and it made me nauseous. Even didn't feel great driving home. But once home, hot tea, a soak in the bath and clean pjs I felt much better.

Recovery - since then my quads have been quite sore, going down the stairs is not fun, calves a bit achy but ok and my right toe is quite sore and blistered. I've resolved to go runner shopping next weekend. My back was sore on Saturday after the race, especially when driving and sitting down which is strange as I've never had that before. I actually feel more sore after this race than after the same race last year! I'm feeling a little subdued - between not getting the finish time I wanted, the toilet break, the soreness after - part of me is now dreading the half I've signed up for in Oct.

(Sorry this post is so long!)

gypsylee · 02-09-2019 02:14PM

I was delighted when I saw your run on Strava, I thought the pacing and time was just great! Sorry you feel disappointed with it, I know only too well that feeling when a run doesn't pan out as you hoped. 2.26 is a great time to do it in, your day for a PB will come, maybe in October. A run like this is a learning curve, you know for the next one to bring earphones, maybe a Lucozade. The toilet stop might have caused you the PB this time but that is one thing we have no control over!

For what its worth I think you did great. Well done.

Sunny Dayz · 02-09-2019 02:29PM

gypsylee wrote: »

I was delighted when I saw your run on Strava, I thought the pacing and time was just great! Sorry you feel disappointed with it, I know only too well that feeling when a run doesn't pan out as you hoped. 2.26 is a great time to do it in, your day for a PB will come, maybe in October. A run like this is a learning curve, you know for the next one to bring earphones, maybe a Lucozade. The toilet stop might have caused you the PB this time but that is one thing we have no control over!

For what its worth I think you did great. Well done.

Thanks a million. And well done on your 5 miler at the weekend.

Sunny Dayz · 09-09-2019 12:44PM

I was so sore for at least 2 days after the half. I don't recall ever suffering that bad after a run and for so long. My quads especially! The stairs were great fun!

I wasn't going to go to the Mon eve park session but as I had to drop himself to training anyway it was either go for a walk on my own or some company in the park.

Mon 02/09/19 5.6km 41 mins
The session was 5x1km with 200m recovery. Think I misjudged some of the laps and the buttons on my watch but it won't worry me this time. Just took it handy enough with another girl who also did the half, we just chatted going around and I have to say a stretch of the legs did the job. Legs felt tired but the soreness was lessened. Went for a 2km walk loops of the running track while waiting for himself to finish.

Weds 04/09/19
Back at juvenile athletics. Got about 1.5km covered while herding kids along the xc course. God love them, they were sluggish after the summer break.

Throughout the week I was getting out for a 20-25 min walk on my lunch break. I'm enjoying getting a bit of fresh air on my lunch hour.

Sat 07/09/2019 5km parkrun 30:13
Splits: 6:07, 6:20, 6:03, 6:24, 5:44
Forgive me Father for I have sinned, it's been a month since my last parkrun! In fact, it's been 2 months since I ran my local parkrun. I've either been busy or volunteering. Didn't set out to do a particular time. I started at the back as usual but I couldn't get over the amount of people I passed on my first km. 2nd km struggled up the hill but ran up rather than walked. 3rd km was lovely but trying to keep in mind I was only half way through. 4th km I grabbed my water bottle and took a few sips while walking, then back to running again. There was one woman in front of me, I had passed her earlier but I think she passed me back when I took on some water and I kept her in my sights for the 4th km. I passed her just at the start of the 5th km but she passed me again at 4.5km. Glanced at my time here and saw it was 27:xx, I surely couldn't squeeze in under 30, but certainly 30:xx. I was determined to keep up with her and caught back up with 200m to go. I could sense she was struggling so I encouraged her along as best I could and we crossed the line a few seconds over 30mins. Turns out it was a new pb for her, delighted! Myself, I was equally happy with my run. My 3rd fastest time for my local course and I felt fairly strong throughout the run. And to think I only did a half marathon the week before!

Sun 08/09/19 15km 2hr
Splits: 7:29, 7:45, 7:57, 7:37, 8:33, 8:49, 8:27, 7:53, 8:06, 8:41, 8:00, 7:44, 8:15, 7:51, 7:37
A week after my second fastest half marathon and I'm back doing long slow runs again! I had planned on taking it easy the week after the half, it didn't really work out that way but I'm quite enjoying it! A lot of people I know are training for Dublin so I'm kinda getting swept along with the training buzz! But I'm doing Rosemount half marathon the 2nd weekend in Oct and the weekend before it I've something on so I haven't many weekends between now and then to get my long runs done so I figured I might as well do them when I can.
Himself was doing 30km so we picked a 15km loop and I did the first loop of it with him. I found it to be an enjoyable run and lovely easy pace. Got lost in conversation a few times and the pace crept up. Nice to see a few runners and cyclists about early in the morning, given that we live in a smallish town.

Sunny Dayz · 25-09-2019 11:08AM

Mon 09/09/2019 8.1km 53:31
Evening session in the park - 6x400m with 1 minute recovery. Bit of a warm up and paced run beforehand. Felt like the longest 400m of my life! End of the session I had 4.5km on the watch and a bit of time to kill before the child needed collecting so I did a few laps of the outer route of the park to bring up to 8km. From 8pm it was getting dark so thankfully there were other people about but I don't think I'll be staying on in the park after session on my own in future.

Sun 15/09/2019
Didn't get out for a run all week. Little bit of running on Weds with the kids athletics. I'm getting out for a half hour walk most lunchtimes from work. Missed parkrun on Sat due to a funeral. Sun morn I couldn't schedule a long run as I had an anniversary mass to attend. I had planned on getting a run in the afternoon when my son was going bowling with friends but it was that heavy cold mist that wouldn't entice you to run. So I wrapped up and actually went for a walk instead. Got 9km covered in 1hr45 and it was nice to explore some roadways I've never really been down.

Fri 20/09/2019 10km 1:48hr
Missed running session on Mon eve. Still getting out for my half hour walks most lunch times. I put my name down for a charity treadmill run and was all happy I could use my watch for it. A warm day with no air conditioning made it tough. I thought I covered more distance than 10km, my set pace on the treadmill for much of it was 7:05min/km. I know I had some walking breaks but not much. Ah look a bit of a run done, and money raised for charity - I'm not converted to treadmills, I think I'd rather run in the rain!

Sat 21/09/2019 5km 30:35
Splits: 5:44, 6:19, 6:08, 6:41, 5:56
parkrun no 99 for me! Enjoyed this run although I felt parched for much of it and had to take a mouthful of water every time I passed my bottle (3 times). All thoughts of my long run the following day went out of my head on my run, I really should have taken it easier! But I enjoyed it and it's nice to see 30:xx coming up more often on my 5kms.

Sun 22/09/19 18.5km 2:34hr
Splits: 8:00, 8:09, 8:42, 8:39, 8:36, 7:56, 8:35, 7:44, 7:54, 7:46, 8:09, 8:37, 8:37, 9:00, 8:37, 8:10, 7:25, 9:04, 7:47 (0.50)
And this is why I should have taken it easier at parkrun! I drove out to where I'm doing the half in a few weeks time to do a little trial of the course while I have the advantage! Plotted an out path of just over 9km and back along the half marathon route, admittedly the tougher half of it. Parked up and didn't bother stretching - mistake - I could feel the legs tighten and had to stop at 2km to stretch out the calves. On the 4th km the legs just felt very tired, especially the quads and I was thinking I'd done too much in the preceeding 2 days. By 5km the rain had stopped and I left my jacket and hat on a fence to collect later and felt a bit more freer without them. Few nice kms then towards the turning point of a bridge over the cycleway. Turning back the way and we were now running the last 9km of the half marathon. It was tough in spots and it felt harder than last year! Probably not one of my better LSR's but hopefully it will stand to me on the day and that I've now learned that you do need to be properly rested before a long run.

Mon 23/09/19 3.8km 26.20
In 2 minds about going to the park session, I'd been up to my eyes in work and literally had 15 mins at home before bringing kiddo to training. A session of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 mins running with 2 mins recovery inbetween. Was late and missed the 6 mins bit. Enjoyed the lap button on my watch and looking back on my splits each section my pace was getting quicker as the time was getting shorter which was what was supposed to happen! 5mins: 5:58/km, 4mins: 5:55/km, 3mins: 5:46/km, 2mins: 5:22/km, 1min: 4:43/km. 4!! Don't think I've ever seen that on my watch before! And after plenty of running the past few days I was mighty happy with that!

Looking forward to my 100 parkrun this weekend and trying to squeeze in a long run and possibly a local charity run. Hmmm...

AuldManKing · 25-09-2019 11:16AM

Congrats on the 100 Parkruns - some achievement.

ariana` · 26-09-2019 01:01PM

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Mon 23/09/19 3.8km 26.20
In 2 minds about going to the park session, I'd been up to my eyes in work and literally had 15 mins at home before bringing kiddo to training. A session of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 mins running with 2 mins recovery inbetween. Was late and missed the 6 mins bit. Enjoyed the lap button on my watch and looking back on my splits each section my pace was getting quicker as the time was getting shorter which was what was supposed to happen! 5mins: 5:58/km, 4mins: 5:55/km, 3mins: 5:46/km, 2mins: 5:22/km, 1min: 4:43/km. 4!! Don't think I've ever seen that on my watch before! And after plenty of running the past few days I was mighty happy with that!

Looking forward to my 100 parkrun this weekend and trying to squeeze in a long run and possibly a local charity run. Hmmm...

Love that buzz

And you know if you can run that pace for 1min then with some training you can run it for 2mins and if you can run it for 2mins well then..... you know where i'm going with this, right

Enjoy your 100th, brilliant achievement!

Younganne · 27-09-2019 10:58AM

Enjoy your 100th parkrun tomorrow, a fantastic achievement

Sunny Dayz · 30-09-2019 11:17AM

Sat 28/09/19 21.38km 2:31:24
Splits: 7:00, 7:14, 7:30, 7:13, 7:16, 7:54, 7:06, 7:10, 6:58, 6:42, 7:13, 6:51, 7:31, 6:47, 6:38, 7:36, 7:00, 6:31, 6:45, 7:10, 6:53, 6:14 (0.3)
Yeah I kinda ended up running a half marathon distance....
It was a weekend with a lot on and trying to do everything - kid's birthday, a local 5k run on sunday, my 100 parkrun, long run for half marathon training - how to fit everything in.
So I decided to get up really early Sat morn, run 15km before parkun, do parkrun, then I would be freed up to run the 5km the next day.
I was a little late getting parked up for my long run. It was just starting to get bright at 7:15 am when I started out. I had a 7km route planned out and to come back along and then approx. 1km to the parkrun start. I've never done a run before parkrun so I was worried I'd misjudge the time and be too late. Usually my watch shows distance and pace but I switched it to actual time as I was so conscious I was going to mess it up. I just ran along so not paying any attention to my pace and enjoying it. The only walks I took were not cos I needed a breather or my legs were tired but because I was trying to change the music on my phone. It was such a lovely run as the morning was breaking, town was quiet, few spits of rain, few people about heading to watch the rugby, the smell of rashers and sausages cooking.
Made it to parkrun around 9:10 and just over 15km. Rather than stand around waiting and getting cold, I did a couple of slow laps around with my son to keep warm, next thing I knew I'd just over 16km done and realized if I added on the parkrun I'd have a half marathon - sure why not!
Started off parkrun at much the same pace I had been running at. Definitely noticed the legs were a bit more tired than they usually are when starting parkrun, I just went with it. It was amazing how the previous 16km went to the back of my mind and I just concentrated on parkrun! Someone I know was running their first parkrun so I ran with them for a bit for company and encouragement. It was only when I glanced at my watch with 1.5km to go in parkrun that I seen I was near 20km and nearly over the worst of it in a half marathon - I've found from 17km to 20km in a half tough physically and mentally and parkrun distracted me from it! So head down and keep up with the person in front of me and keep another in behind me! It really helped that I knew the course and could concentrate on it. Crossing the line for my 100 parkrun I stopped my watch to see I had a moving time of 2:31 (elapsed time of 2:50) - sure that around what my first half marathon time was! I felt really happy with how that went, I felt largely comfortable and it feels like I'm ready now for the half. I'm just hoping that my digestive system plays ball on the day!

Sun 29/09/2019 4.85km 29:47
Splits: 5:53, 6:11, 6:22, 6:03, 6:08 (0.85)
There was a local 5km run on that I'd missed the last few years and I really wanted to run because it's for a good local cause. So that's one of the reason I moved my long run to Sat morning, I hadn't a stab at a 5km in ages and as this was along the cycleway I thought it would be a good punt for sub 30 mins. However I left home late and was panicked about where to park as I wasn't sure where was free parking on a Sunday and I'd forgotten to bring change. So I rushed to the start, didn't bother bringing water and was gasping. Got a drink at the registration area thankfully. Started off and it was a little crowded but went with it. Once we got onto the cycleway it stretched out a bit. After 1km it was started to feel a little hard, the sun was out, it was warm and I wished I brought a water bottle with me. Just after the 2km mark there was a water station and I got a little held up here as it was crowded. I grabbed a cup of water rather than a bottle, took a few mouthfuls and squeezed the top of it shut which was a bit awkward to run with! Got to the turning point for the 5km, you could carry on for the 10km but I hadn't even one interest in it, I was very thankful to be turning. There was a bit more shade along the other side of the cycletrack. Few more walking breaks to take on water, I couldn't jog and drink from the cup. I resigned myself to not breaking 30 mins, I had just run 21km the previous day. Caved in and walked at 4km. I seen the time and figured I should at least try and get under 31 mins or get as near to 30 mins and sure we only had 1km to go. Crossed the finish line only for the watch to read 4.85km and I really couldn't have been bothered running on to round up to 5km. At the end of the day it was run for charity and was a fairly ok run considering the mileage the previous day - so I'll take it as a good run.

Sunny Dayz · 08-10-2019 03:07PM

A quieter week running wise than it should have been. I think with the pressure of long runs off my back I stepped off the gas a bit.
It took me ages to figure out why I didn't run on Monday - it was lashing rain, the session was cancelled and when I drop the kid at training I was in no humour to go walking in the rain, so I went to a nearby hotel and had tea and a read of my book in the lobby.
Busy weekend in Center Parcs with cross training - cycling, kayaking, water park, eating!

Sun 06/10/2019 5.5km 39 mins
Splits: 7:10, 7:30, 7:00, 7:06, 7:03, 6:36 (0.5)
Had some spare time in Centre Parcs and wasn't in the humour for the water park so I laced up my runners and got out for a run. Went around the outer housing sections of the park, turned in for a loop around the lake and back out around the road to the lodge. It was only to be an easy run anyway but it didn't feel that easy.
Only found out after there was another route I could have went further out and by the forest.

Mon 07/10/2019 4.6km 26:38
Different location for running tonight. A block or loop to run around 6 times with 1 min rest inbetween. The loop was 750m and my loop splits were as follows: 5:40, 5:29, 5:16, 5:36, 5:32, 5:22.
Delighted with those splits - ran with another girl and I really made the effort to keep up with her. Would love to be able to run that speed the whole time for a race!

Half marathon is on Saturday. I'm nervous about it. I did surprisingly well at it last year that I'm worried I'm not going to surpass myself this year. This time last week I was raring to go, now I'm not so sure. My throat is sore, I'm tired. On the plus side my 100 parkrun tshirt arrive today!

Sunny Dayz · 14-10-2019 04:00PM

Race: Rosemount half marathon 2:21:04 - official time
Splits: 6:34, 6:34, 6:22, 6:08, 6:25, 6:13, 6:25, 6:35, 6:38, 6:56, 6:18, 6:45, 6:43, 6:44, 6:49, 7:16, 6:44, 6:50, 7:11, 6:56, 6:44, 5:08 (0.1)

The week leading up to the race I was nervous. I had been raring to go after my last long run. But after a supposed easy run the weekend before, I was feeling anxious. I really wanted to know that my time the previous year (and pb) wasn't a fluke and that I wouldn't have the same upset tummy as Tullamore.

Woke early and watched the 1:59 marathon attempt while getting ready, going between the tv and the phone to watch it! Had a good breakfast but a little later than I had planned, hoping it wasn't going to affect me. But I managed to visit the loo and hoped all was good! As soon as Kipchoge crossed the line I was out the front door. Parked up, got myself sorted and walked down the road to the start. Few chats with people I knew, toilet break and a little warm up jog and it was start time.

First km of course was fast. Towards the end of this km I tried to pull the pace back a bit and fell in step with 2 people from the running club. Stayed with them for about 1km but I knew I wouldn't be able to stick at their pace and chat so I let them off gradually. I kept trying to slow down but it was just the pace my feet wanted to run at. I was worried I was going to pay for it later and if I was screwing up my race? I kept M & N in my sights though. I don't know why km4 was so fast, there must have been a bit of a downhill. km5 have a bit of an uphill and then down onto the greenway. The next few kms ticked along nicely, passed by a couple of people. Water station around the 8km mark and M&N were getting further away so I accepted that I was not longer going to try and use them for pace.

Coming up on 10km and I gave in to walk for about 1min. My legs were starting to feel tired, I was getting a bit worried that I'd gone out too fast. But I got going again. Looked at my 10km time and saw it was quite good at 1:05 but still worried it was gonna bite me later! Off the greenway at 10.5km and enjoyed being back on the country roads. But oh fcuk I forgot there was a really tough climb at the 11km point. I tried as much as I could but it got the better of me. After that I knew I was on the roads I had trained but some of the climbs still reduced me to walking pace, it was just easier. I was also struggling to put my flipbelt bottle back in place.

There was a water station at 15km with ice cold water in cups, it was just perfect to refill my bottle. Looked at my time at 15km and 16km and realised that was still ahead of where I projected to be timewise, I'd forgotten to do up a pace band but I was nearly sure I was at a 10mile pb (which it turns out it was!). Started doing maths as to how much distance was left and time to go and what I might finish in. Part of me wanted to ease up a little cos I figured I was well comfortable for sub 2:25 but the other half of me was saying push on as much as you can, maybe get nearer to 2:20 which I hadn't considered...

Kms 16 to 18 felt very long and little climbs now felt like a lot more. Still passed a couple of people along the way. I think I was down to a walk at each km point just to keep me going. I was starting to get quite tired now, as were those around me. Passed a woman around 19.5km and I gave her some words of encouragement and assured her (and myself) that we were nearly there.

I knew once I turned onto the main road it was 750m to the finish line and downhill so I was going to just push it on. But 400m to go and my legs ran out of steam and the road started climbing again and I just couldn't. So like an eejit I walked, but I got going again - I had to. My Monday night coach was just by the entrance with 150m to go and his shout and the crowd waiting at the finish spurred with on with a last boost, I don't know where it came from! Really tried to get 2:20:xx but in the end was just over 2:21.

Delighted - had only hoped that I would do better than last year and dip under 2:25 - I really hadn't expected to be nearer to 2:20! I had a virtual pacer set on my watch but I found it hard to slow down and my legs dictated the pace for much of the race. Cannot believe I knocked 4 mins off my pb from this time last year and 10mins from my first half 2 years ago.

I know I've probably said it before but I'm not in a hurry to sign up to another half marathon (yet I've 5 completed!). I've done Tullamore twice, I've done Rosemount twice - I kinda feel like they're done. That said, I'll probably get an itch in a few months time to go sub 2:20... But for the moment my plans are trying to maintain my running over the winter with running group and parkrun and I'm hoping to join the local gym for a s&c class. Really hoping that next year I can focus more on bringing down my 5km and 10km times.

gypsylee · 14-10-2019 04:26PM

What a brilliant result and a great post. Congratulations on your PB, delighted for you.

Laineyfrecks · 14-10-2019 06:10PM

Well done on the PB

ariana` · 15-10-2019 09:45AM

Congratulations on the PB! It's a lovely boost to get especially when you didn't expect such a big one! Focusing on 5/10k sounds like a great idea as a change from the HM distance.

Huzzah! · 15-10-2019 01:48PM

Lovely stuff. Well done!

ReeReeG · 15-10-2019 03:17PM

Congrats on the PB! Enjoyed that race report

Sunny Dayz · 25-11-2019 11:48AM

It's been forever and a day since I updated my log.

Was buzzing after my half marathon pb! But I was coming into my busy season at work, hubbie was gearing up for his first marathon, I had no races lined and the weather was getting colder and darker - so my running went a bit by the wayside.

Thurs 17/10/19 - 8.6km 1hr 13
Child was at foroige so self and hubbie tried to find a 5 mile route around the town as it was night time. But it was quite soon after dinner so I kept getting a stitch.

Mon 21/10/19 - 6.75km 58mins
Hubbie was tapering for DCM. Had tried to be clever and do 1km easy, 1km MP and 1km walk but I didn't hear the watch beep to at the km marker and also I just found that it was difficult to lock onto a pace, the watch keep beeping - too fast, too slow.

Sun 3/11/19 5.1km 30:34
Splits: 6:13, 5:51, 6:06, 6:06, 5:41, 4:55(0.1)
It was New York marathon weekend and I signed up to a free virtual 5km on Strava. I went down to the cycleway for a fairly flat straight out and back route. Tried to keep it steady but speedy at the same time. Started off quite cold but before the 1km mark I had to stop briefly to remove a layer! Kept it steady to the turning point and took a little breather for some water. Flt myself starting to struggle at 3.5km and wondered was this my limit, did I push a bit too much. But I looked at my watch and seen I was doing quite well for time and pushed on, I had just over 1km to go, could I get under 5km? My strava tells me I did 5km in 29:55. Happy with that but still doesn't feel like a victory or that I'm a sub-30 5km runner. A virtual race is hard to do on your own.

09/11/19 5km parkrun 33:26
Felt like such a difficult run. Legs and feet felt heavy. This was hubbie's first run after DCM and I felt nearly more tired than he did. I was working quite long days and a lot of overtime. But a bit of fresh air and stretch of the legs set me up for another day in work.

18/11/19 5.16km 34 mins
Work deadline met - time to try and get back to normal again and back running a bit more. Back to the park with 3 x 5 mins running with 3 mins walk/jog in between. I didn't think to beep the watch in between sections. I was busying chatting and catching up with people and just trying to keep one foot in front of the other.
2.1km 14mins
Had a few mins spare before the child needed collecting so I did a few laps of the outdoor track. Wished I had brought earphones as laps can be boring but at least it was only about 15 mins. I will say though it was getting quite cold and it took me ages to warm up when we got home.

So that's what I've been up to the past month or so. Hubbie did DCM - he got goal A which was to complete it but not the time he wanted as his calf was giving him bother from over halfway. He was a little disappointed as he was happy enough with his long runs in training. But he's signed up again for next year! I loved the spectating, I really did! Would I ever do a marathon - maybe. DCM looked like such a great race to do - it's the training that would put me off, so many weeks training, so much time.

Laineyfrecks · 25-11-2019 03:36PM

Can i just say that if you are thinking of doing DCM then i would highly recommend it! Coming from someone who in a million years never thought they'd ever be even remotely interested in running one! In fact i thought marathon runners were crazy & now i am one of those crazies

Yes the training took commitment & yes at times it felt like some of the runs looked impossible but the more i got into it the more i enjoyed it & made it as much of my normal routine at home - well as much as i could!

If you are strongly thinking about it i would say do it now if you can, no point putting off till tomorrow what you can do today

It was honestly up there with one of the greatest achievements i have done for myself in my life

Sunny Dayz · 11-12-2019 12:40PM

No exciting running to report but a little bit being done to tick over all the same.

Mon 25/11/19 4.86km 34:50
A session in the park with 3 x 4 mins with 3 mins recovery in between. My 4 mins were paced at 5:52/km, 6:00/km and 6:01/km which I was happy with. Then about a mile jog afterwards for recovery at about 7:00/km pace which is probably too fast pace for my recovery but the others run at that pace so it's nice to be able to run with them.

Sat 30/11/19
I was run director at parkrun so I didn't get out for a run. I had a bit of free time that afternoon and was in the humour for a big long walk. However it was cut short after 1km as the child rang to say there was something wrong with his bike and could I come collect him.

Sun 01/12/19 11.5km hike 2hr 30
We had a child free day and wanted to do something. Had thought about going to Dublin or Galway but I wasn't in the humour for pawing around the shops, I wanted to be out in the fresh air. As the weather was promised cold but bright, we decided to hit the road and travel to the Cuilcagh Mountain, also known as the Stairway to Heaven. Perfect weather for it, dry crisp and bright. Really enjoyable trek up and back, great to get out in the fresh air and many other people had the same idea as ourselves, there was a steady flow of people up and down. I did find it trying in spots. I said to himself I thought I was kinda fit but some parts I didn't feel like it at all. It's 5.5km from the car park to the top, and the boardwalk is only for the last 1.5km up. We timed it perfectly and the views from the viewing point at the top were fab. I would definitely recommend it for a day out and we'll be back again with the child.

Mon 02/12/19 5.64km 41mins
5 x 6 mins with 2 mins recovery. I probably should have been a bit more clever and tried to cover 1km in those 6 mins but the legs were tired after the hike the previous day plus I feel into step with someone and we chatted and just did our laps around without looking at the watch. I did the 6 mins at the following paces: 6:45, 6:33, 6:34, 6:33 and 6:38. Not bad, bearing in mind I was chatting while running these so I'm going to say I was improving my aerobic fitness!!

Tues 03/12/19
Was out of work early so went for a 3km walk down the town and back. 30 mins.

Sat 07/12/2019 5km parkrun 31:06
Splits: 6:00, 6:29, 6:16, 6:30, 6:22
Feels like the first parkrun in so long! Had no target for a time, just wanted to get out for a run. At the 2km mark, a girl I know was stopped and I checked was she ok - she was, she said she wasn't in the humour for running and was waiting for me for a bit of company. That suited me fine, when she's on form she's usually at least 2-3 mins quicker than me so away we went. However after the 3km mark, she said I'm not feeling it, I'm just going to get my keys and go home. But myself and another runner convinced her to stay going, sure only one more [long] lap to do, you're more than half way there. But then I found myself starting to struggle a bit and there really was a pair of us in it! Trying to distract ourselves with chat and then with 200m to go we just booted it to the finish line! It's strange, I'm not normally the "motiviating, helping people to keep running" person for someone who's a better runner than me.

Sun 08/12/19
The local running group do a Sunday morning run and since hubbie has finished up marathon training (for the moment) I said I must try and get out for a couple of those runs, depending on who else is going out (ie a few slower runners like myself). But Sun morn wasn't great, very squally showers so I think most of the group made the decision to give it a miss. There's always next Sunday.

Mon 09/12/2019 4.6km 32:59
I'm not sure what this session was supposed to be as I was late. But I just kept going and sped up or slowed down when the whistle blew. The first half of it I was running on my own at my own pace but for the second half I fell in with a few of the girls and ran with them for the rest so my pace wasn't bad considering we were chatting.
I have to say I'm glad took the plunge during the summer and met up with this local running group. It's not a club so there's no pressure, just run yourself - if you want to improve or a few pointers, there's someone there to give advice and encouragement.

Sunny Dayz · 12-12-2019 01:18PM

I'm back again!

Weds 11/12/19 6.16km 40mins
I got out for a rare Weds night session - it usually doesn't suit as I'm helping with the kids athletics.
The session was 5 x 1km with 250m recovery. My kms were the following paces (mins/km): 5:49, 5:52, 5:59, 6:02, 5:52 (0.45km), 5:57
I wasn't looking at my watch, it was too cold, but I must have miscounted a lap for 4km and actually ran further. Really happy with those km splits. Those are the kind of times I want to be hitting in my 5kms, and I was chatting as I was doing them!

Grey skies give way to......

Comments