Leader Of The (Mid) Pack

Wubble Wubble

Neady83 wrote: »

Delighted to hear that you're over your exams. It's amazing how having them hang over you makes you feel like everything else has to be paused. You're free to enjoy regular life again and fingers crossed for a successful outcome.

I couldn't recommend Connemara highly enough, it's a very different marathon to Dublin but very pretty and a totally amazing experience.

Yeah I feel like I've had to curtail a lot of other stuff, the last couple of months in particular. It does seem like a release

I ran the Connemara Half in 2016, in conditions which were worse than the one just past. Definitely the toughest I've ever tried, lashing rain, hailstones and gale force winds. I don't think I've been as cold in my life either. Running the full is a long standing ambition of mine. A clubmate finished third on Sunday, but I wouldn't be remotely close to his standard!

I've been to Connemara and Inishbofin many times (the Inishbofin HM is also on the list for 2019), and we got married in Connemara, so it's an area I really like and with which I've gained a fair bit of familiarity.

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

Firstly, Well done on getting the exams out of the way, I know myself there is no better feeling at all!

Secondly, I hope this doesnt come across the wrong way and I also hope you dont mind me asking either. IIRC you followed the Asics 3:30 plan for DCM last year? I know you had a bad run up to the day itself, missed long runs due to sickness etc but I was looking for a bit of feedback on how you felt the training block itself was? And if you didnt have the bad run up do u think it would have left you in good shape for the goal??

Im looking up a couple of plans at the minute and weighing up my options. Again, I hope you dont mind me asking and if so, just kindly tell me to f*ck off

Not at all I liked that Asics plan, as it had a nice mix of speed, long runs and other sessions, like progression runs. That said, I didn't follow it rigidly - for example I didn't do any of the 200s. Even with all my missed LSRs and so forth, I still felt like I was going well on the day until disaster struck. FWIW, I think you'd easily go sub 3:30 with a decent block of training behind you, being an 18 minute 5k man. The next Asics plan is a sub-3; I don't know if you think that would be too much of a jump. Maybe sub 3:15 could be better?

Murph_D

Welcome back, J - getting out the other side of exams confidently is one of the great feelings. Serious congrats. All else is irrelevant for now. (Having said that I won’t be rushing to Bushy) :pac:

Damo 2k9

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Not at all I liked that Asics plan, as it had a nice mix of speed, long runs and other sessions, like progression runs. That said, I didn't follow it rigidly - for example I didn't do any of the 200s. Even with all my missed LSRs and so forth, I still felt like I was going well on the day until disaster struck. FWIW, I think you'd easily go sub 3:30 with a decent block of training behind you, being an 18 minute 5k man. The next Asics plan is a sub-3; I don't know if you think that would be too much of a jump. Maybe sub 3:15 could be better?

Thanks for that J, I think I done some of the same things as u last year RE: not following it rigidly. Id miss a run here, run there etc. Obviously it was different because it wasnt an advanced plan.

I reckon a sub 3 would be way too big of a jump, but ill train for Sub 3:30 for now anyways and see how things go. You have no plans of DCM this year, no?

Bungy Girl

Congratulations, clever clogs! Great to have the exams done and to know they went well.

I actually liked Bushy parkrun a lot. That said I was in no hurry that day and just meandered around. Agree it's not a PB course. But it's so pretty!! Route is a bit convoluted all right and the risk of a dunk in the river on the first stretch is all too real :eek: But I loved running by the pond and in the wooded section.

Wubble Wubble

Murph_D wrote: »

Welcome back, J - getting out the other side of exams confidently is one of the great feelings. Serious congrats. All else is irrelevant for now. (Having said that I won’t be rushing to Bushy) :pac:

Thanks D, yes the relief is still palpable! I've a few more days off before I'm back in work, so I'm going to just enjoy those as best I can

You're going great guns yourself of late. I forgot to mention the Trinity track races earlier - I see from your report on last night's 800 that my old nemesis from two years back (another BG) got a mention.

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

Thanks for that J, I think I done some of the same things as u last year RE: not following it rigidly. Id miss a run here, run there etc. Obviously it was different because it wasnt an advanced plan.

I reckon a sub 3 would be way too big of a jump, but ill train for Sub 3:30 for now anyways and see how things go. You have no plans of DCM this year, no?

You're right I think, but if you're planning on doing many more marathons, I'd say sub-3 is well within your compass. Now, I still believe you're selling yourself short with a sub 3:30 target, but I suppose you could change that if you're happy with how the training is going.

As for me, no not this year! No way For the rest of this year, I'm happy with the idea of training for shorter races (i.e. HM downwards) with less pressure involved and not so much of a requirement for a million and one things to click on the day.

Bungy Girl wrote: »

Congratulations, clever clogs! Great to have the exams done and to know they went well.

I actually liked Bushy parkrun a lot. That said I was in no hurry that day and just meandered around. Agree it's not a PB course. But it's so pretty!! Route is a bit convoluted all right and the risk of a dunk in the river on the first stretch is all too real :eek: But I loved running by the pond and in the wooded section.

Thanks G, I'm happy enough but even so there's no doubt I'll be nervous about the outcome nearer the time :eek:

Glad you enjoyed Bushy, but I wouldn't be rushing back. Maybe if I get fitter and faster, so I won't have to worry about the traffic so much

On the subject of parkruns, I forgot to mention that another Boards legend (although she rarely, if ever, posts nowadays) Marthastew made her first appearance at Porterstown the Saturday before last, as the VHI Roadshow came to town. Unfortunately, I won't make it over to Cabo to join in Sonia's centenary. I should hopefully make it to 100 parkruns myself (currently on 94) before the summer's out

Wubble Wubble

Fri 27/4 - 3.6 miles@8:07/mi

Back to an old staple, in the form of the Carpenterstown loops. I wasn't really in the humour, so I put the boot down harder than intended, just to get them out of the way.

Sat 28/4 - Rest

I had toyed with the idea of some parkrun tourism in the course of our trip West. Consideration was given to about five different parkruns, from Castletown to Oughterard, depending on when we got away from D15. However, my wife, being a million times more practical than me, pointed out that I would have a very smelly journey of 2-3 hours from whatever parkrun till I got a shower (which of course I never even thought about) so I knocked my ambitious plan on the head :pac:

Sun 29/4 - 4.76 miles@7:58/mi

I love running in Connemara, and this is a run I've done many times over the last 6 years, with hopefully many more in future. However, it being nearly two years since the last one, I'd forgotten how long the first climb away out of the hotel grounds was :eek:

Some tough ups and downs, but nice to sweat out some of the alcohol, and get the HR up a bit, on a beautiful sunny morning, without even any wind to speak of.

Mon 30/4 - 2.95 miles @9:03/mi

Out the service road at the back of the hotel, down to Renvyle beach for some running on the sand. Training for the Clontarf HM is under way Nice steep hill back to the road after my beach running stint.

In other news, as you may or may not be aware, I nominated my successor as DCM Novices Mentor, before I took a little break from Boards to sit my exams. With this in mind, check out the DCM 2018 Mentored Novices Thread

Thanks for reading. J.

scotindublin

And a wise choice indeed.....enjoy the break J.

The Black Oil

Parkrun in Oughterard? Had no idea and was only there last week.

Wubble Wubble

The Black Oil wrote: »

Parkrun in Oughterard? Had no idea and was only there last week.

Since December 2017...

Maybe I'll get to try it eventually.

ariana`

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Fri 27/4 - 3.6 miles@8:07/mi

Back to an old staple, in the form of the Carpenterstown loops. I wasn't really in the humour, so I put the boot down harder than intended, just to get them out of the way.

Sat 28/4 - Rest

I had toyed with the idea of some parkrun tourism in the course of our trip West. Consideration was given to about five different parkruns, from Castletown to Oughterard, depending on when we got away from D15. However, my wife, being a million times more practical than me, pointed out that I would have a very smelly journey of 2-3 hours from whatever parkrun till I got a shower (which of course I never even thought about) so I knocked my ambitious plan on the head :pac:

Sun 29/4 - 4.76 miles@7:58/mi

I love running in Connemara, and this is a run I've done many times over the last 6 years, with hopefully many more in future. However, it being nearly two years since the last one, I'd forgotten how long the first climb away out of the hotel grounds was :eek:

Some tough ups and downs, but nice to sweat out some of the alcohol, and get the HR up a bit, on a beautiful sunny morning, without even any wind to speak of.

Mon 30/4 - 2.95 miles @9:03/mi

Out the service road at the back of the hotel, down to Renvyle beach for some running on the sand. Training for the Clontarf HM is under way Nice steep hill back to the road after my beach running stint.

In other news, as you may or may not be aware, I nominated my successor as DCM Novices Mentor, before I took a little break from Boards to sit my exams. With this in mind, check out the DCM 2018 Mentored Novices Thread

Thanks for reading. J.

The Black Oil wrote: »

Parkrun in Oughterard? Had no idea and was only there last week.

Well you'll have to go back so :P April next year perhaps

There's a new one in Portumna as well, if one needed many more reasons to visit the West

The Black Oil

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

I ran the Connemara Half in 2016

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

I've been to Connemara and Inishbofin many times (the Inishbofin HM is also on the list for 2019), and we got married in Connemara, so it's an area I really like and with which I've gained a fair bit of familiarity.

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

At the moment, I don't have many races lined up. I'm still resisting the temptation to sign up for DCM 2018, or any other marathon this year, with Connemarathon 2019 being one of my long term goals.

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

I love running in Connemara, and this is a run I've done many times over the last 6 years, with hopefully many more in future. However, it being nearly two years since the last one, I'd forgotten how long the first climb away out of the hotel grounds was :eek:

Sensing a pattern here. :pac:

Murph_D

Renvyle House? Lovely spot. Remind me to tell you my Connemara puncture story.

Wubble Wubble

Murph_D wrote: »

Renvyle House? Lovely spot. Remind me to tell you my Connemara puncture story.

Yes and yes. We got married in RH Last week was also some of the best weather we've had out there, with sun through the Inagh valley both out and back, with the reflections from the mountains hitting Lough Inagh and Kylemore lake. Cracking. I highly recommend if any of you are planning a few days out West this summer

Anyhow. Time to update the running

Tue 1/5 - Rest

Wed 2/5 - Rest

I was back on the sideline for my statistician gig with the hurlers, so between that, work and dinner, there was no time for a run. With Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League final on the evening of the 26th, it should make for an even more fun Windmill Run 10k, out in Garristown at 9:30 the following morning

Thu 3/5 - 6.04 miles@8:07/mi

Clockwise Carpenterstown loop, then two laps of Porterstown, with another Carpenterstown loop to finish off. Pleased with this one, as I wasn't sure I'd have the motivation to do another loop after Porterstown.

Fri 4/5 - Rest

Sat 5/5 - Poppintree parkrun

A workmate was running his 100th parkrun, so I made the short trip across to take in this parkrun for the first time in going on three years. On my warmup lap, I was passing one of the gates, when who should appear but skyblue46?! Fresh from his first sub-20 during the week, we had a nice chat warming up together, but that was as close as I'd get to him once the gun went off. He was aiming for 4:10/km threshold, which was a lot faster than anything I had in mind.

S pulled away as I got stuck dodging around kids and benches, until we reached the "new" part of the course. At the end of one of the straights, there's a 15 km/h speed limit sign, with "SLOW" painted on the ground. Yep, that's me all right. For the moment, says he I kept my pace fairly steady, as I remember it, while S got smaller and smaller in the distance, finishing over a minute ahead of me. I passed one or two in the last lap, and a lad passed me near the end, but this time I wasn't bothered.

11th place in a time of 21:31 in the end, which was a course PB, beating my 22:00 from March 2015. I won't turn it down

Sun 6/5 - Club run, Phoenix Park

Up bright and early to join the 7AM gang at Castleknock Gate. Nine of us were there, and the atmosphere was very relaxed, particularly in the first mile of 8:45 up through Castleknock. The pace picked up gradually, with miles 3, 5, 6 and 7 being sub-8, for an 8:07 average (7.1 miles covered) with the temperature already on the rise.

I had considered staying behind for the 8 AM stint, where AMK had joined us, but I (sensibly?) decided to go home instead.

Mon 7/5 - ARC Cancer Support 5k, Phoenix Park

This is a long time preferred event of mine, as I've run the 10k in the five previous years. This time, I decided that I wasn't in good enough shape, and certainly hadn't enough miles covered, to give the 10k a proper go, so the shorter event it would have to be.

I got there about 9 AM, plenty of time to take care of all the essentials, including collecting my number, stretches, and a warmup lap of the Chesterfield/OS/Furze triangle. Following speeches, briefings and a group warmup, the 5k runners were starting just below the Furze Road junction, with the 10k starting about 150-200m ahead.

Looking around, there didn't appear to be too many "athletic" looking people in the 5k, so I took the liberty of starting practically at the line. Off we all went, and I decided to keep it nice and relaxed while working my way through the 10k backmarkers. A young lad went off ahead of a Polish guy (both of them rapidly gone over the horizon) and then I thought there were two more ahead of me, before a Liffey Valley guy, and a girl, went past me before we turned onto OS Road.

With so little mileage, I was mindful of not going out too hard and leaving myself in a heap for the uphill fourth km, out of the Furry Glen followed by a sharp left onto Upper Glen Road. I could see the last two aforementioned runners ahead for the duration, although I wasn't really catching them. I briefly fell into the trap of "just" running with people who were in the 10k, so much so that one of them passed me back. THEY'VE ANOTHER LAP TO GO AFTER THIS! MOVE!! Having lost the handle in the 3rd km in particular, I was making ground again as we turned for home, helped by a shout from a clubmate and past winner of the ARC 10k.

LV was tying up badly, so much so that the girl caught and passed him about halfway down the straight. I thought I would get him as well, but by the time I passed the picnic tables, he'd regained his composure and managed to keep me at bay. 6th overall for me, with a time of 20:54. Not earthshattering, but still my fastest 5k this year, and my first sub-21 since Jingle Bells. An added bonus was that I wasn't in a heap at the end, unlike the 10k last year. dublin runner was there in an organisational capacity, so I introduced myself at the finish and congratulated him on his engagement before heading for home.

A good morning's work, which hopefully bodes well for the coming weeks and months. Thanks for reading. J.

Baby75

A great weekend of running two PB's as well well done

Wubble Wubble

Baby75 wrote: »

A great weekend of running two PB's as well well done

I suppose I'll claim a third, if you're giving them out :cool: I've run that course before, as it's used for a lot of events, e.g. Remembrance Run, Operation Transformation. I did the OT run as part of the original Lord Mayor's 5 Alive Challenge in 2013, as well as the Remembrance Run in 2013 & 2014. My time today beat all of those The fella that finished second today won the PolskaEire 5k on the same course last Saturday.

Anyway, I'm obviously still a long way off being able to shoot for actual PBs, irrespective of distance, but this weekend went better than expected, so hopefully that will continue.

Next

I'm planning to tack on parkrun #96 this Saturday, with the BHAA ESB Beach Race 5k to follow next Tuesday.

skyblue46

I'm going to do the beach run too. Have you done it before? How much slower does running on hard sand make it compared to road times?

Baby75

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

I suppose I'll claim a third, if you're giving them out :cool: I've run that course before, as it's used for a lot of events, e.g. Remembrance Run, Operation Transformation. I did the OT run as part of the original Lord Mayor's 5 Alive Challenge in 2013, as well as the Remembrance Run in 2013 & 2014. My time today beat all of those The fella that finished second today won the PolskaEire 5k on the same course last Saturday.

Anyway, I'm obviously still a long way off being able to shoot for actual PBs, irrespective of distance, but this weekend went better than expected, so hopefully that will continue.

Next

I'm planning to tack on parkrun #96 this Saturday, with the BHAA ESB Beach Race 5k to follow next Tuesday.

So a course PB as well

Good luck at the park run and 5km beach race that will be a hard one if the sand is soft

Wubble Wubble

I ran it last year in 22:19. Not the easiest course, as it's basically out and back twice, and the turnaround points are sharp enough. As well as that, the hard ridges in the sand were tough to navigate. Overall, maybe 30s slower. That night was sunny; I imagine if it's raining you can add more time on to that. Well worth a go however.

ariana`

Brilliant weekend, well done, i'd run with all those PBs if i was you, why not I'm looking forward to seeing what's to come, things are looking good for you

Wubble Wubble

Tue 8/5 - Rest

Wed 9/5 - Club session, Porterstown Park

I had an interview at 9 AM on Wednesday, which meant there was no recovery run on Tuesday. I'd a number of other bits and pieces to take care of during the day as well, so by the time the session came around in the evening I was dreading it. The fact that it was my first one of these since before DCM 2017 didn't help.

On the grass track in Porterstown, the first part of the session was (4 mins at sub-5k pace) x 3, with 2 mins jog recoveries. I was miles off the pace, as Paddy P was about 200 metres ahead of me by the end of this stint. After a short break, we went around the hedges four times, downhill recovery with a good push on the uphill. I felt very heavy at the end of it all, but having said that, I had to start getting back into the speedwork again at some stage. Next time should be easier

Thu 10/5 - 6.38 miles @ 8:26/mi

This felt like a slog in the evening warmth, although the time overall wasn't that bad. There was a long stoppage at the Castleknock College crossroads, but I didn't bother stopping the clock. From there to White's Gate - Castleknock - Laurel Lodge, and back around to home.

Fri 11/5 - Rest

Sat 12/5 - Porterstown parkrun

I was in two minds about how to approach this, and only decided after we started that it wouldn't be an all out effort. That would have involved trying to stay with Sarah, as she led the chasing pack for her course PB, while three fast lads tore off into the distance. Instead, a group of four formed ahead of me with Tom F, another fella I know from BHAA races, and two other lads. I tried to keep it fairly hard but steady, and although I lost it a bit through the second lap, I managed to get going again in lap 3. Tom and PC were gone, but I thought I might catch the other two, who both seemed to be fading somewhat. Sure enough, I found that I had a nice finish in me as I worked my way around the car park extension, catching the two lads in the process.

21:00, 9th overall, first age cat. This was my fastest parkrun anywhere since July 2016, so another better than expected outcome. I felt like I had plenty more to give after this one. Slowly but surely, it feels like the running mojo is on the way back

Sun 13/5 - 10.59 miles@9:55/mi

I was not looking forward to this one at all. Between a late Saturday night playing poker, drinking, and eating lots of rubbish, I was feeling fairly drained, even before I travelled over to the Dublin hurlers' sickening loss to Kilkenny. Between that and deciding to watch the rest of the GAA when I get back, it was late enough when I set off.

I'd originally planned to run from the house to the Phoenix Park, but my wife suggested I drive down, which turned out to be an excellent decision. The first part was a lap of the Park. I actually was running around 9:30 miles until I got around the far side of the zoo. From there on, I was averaging 10 min plus. If you think you're running slow, run slower

For the second lap, I turned up the Acres Road and back up Chesterfield Avenue when I got back up to the Phoenix monument. I'm not in any pain, but just feeling wiped out at the moment. Has to be done though Thanks for reading. J.

Wubble Wubble

Mon 14/5 - Rest

Tue 15/5 - BHAA ESB Beach Race, Sandymount - Break Like The Wind

I chose this one over Terenure, as with my lack of fitness there was no way I could have had a decent race there. Knowing my own mind, I would have ended up trying to "race" the people I would normally expect to be around, and as a result get washed away in the tide. It probably would have ended up being a similar scenario to the K Club....out too fast - left behind - DNF? - No? - Ok, switch off and jog it in :rolleyes:

With rain falling throughout the afternoon and early evening, it was a less pleasant walk out to D4 than I'd expected. Registration was quick and easy. Warming up with Paddy P and John Todd, we'd a strong wind against us on the way in, and wet sand further limited the scope for any fast times.

All of this 5k race takes place on Sandymount strand, out and back twice. On the way out for the first time, even with the wind at our backs I was working hard, while trying to find the harder sand closer to the wall where feasible. I could see Paddy pulling away already, as I had a good battle with AJAYC for the first km before leaving him and one or two others.

The out and back nature of the course means you can see others coming towards you on the other side. For the most part, however, I tried to focus on what was in front of me. I found it really hard on the way back in, as Tom F and a few others passed me after about a mile. I did manage to get two or three myself - impetuous young lads who'd gone out at a pace that even I knew they had no hope of sustaining in these conditions. The wet sand underfoot added considerably to the difficulty level. It was quite a relief to reach half way, although I was passed by Vanessa (3rd F) just before the turn.

I don't remember too many positional changes in my second outbound stint, apart from Terry C catching me just before the last turn - he'd been tracking me for most of this section. Keeping the breathing going was tough, but I got around the last corner, and from there I reckoned it was 5 1/2 minutes of hard work to the finish. Terry had caught a young lad a few yards ahead, but I wasn't able to latch on. Hence I was working on my own, and it seemed like the finish was miles away. Marthastew (on her way to another category prize) gave me a shout along here - I was too tired to respond in kind I did notice a lad getting tired up ahead, and also he somewhat bizarrely moved out of the way to let Terry and the other fella through. Hmmm, maybe I'll try that. Sure enough, as I picked up the pace in the last 200 or so, I went by him with little or no resistance. From there to the finish, I didn't pass anyone else, nor was I passed, although two BOI lads were quite close. I was relieved to reach the van, and out of breath after a slog through the sand, but I needed something to start raising the HTFU levels again.

Time: 22:09
Position: 57/160 (5th M45)

Quicker than my 22:19 in more favourable conditions last year, and also I was second scorer as we picked up a team prize. A pretty good evening's work overall.

Next
I'll be heading out to Garristown for the Windmill Run 10k, on the morning of the 27th. I'd love to think I could make an attempt at the BHAA Dunboyne 5 Mile work two days later, but that would be very foolish of me, especially with the mileage as it is. Indeed, with so many races coming up throughout the summer, it's going to be hard to resist the temptation of "racing to train", as opposed to sitting down and examining the options properly. But this is something I'll have to do, if I'm to get anywhere near the level of improvement that I'd like to see this year. Either way I should enjoy working my way through it To Be Continued!

Murph_D

Sounds like a decent race, J - it's a race I avoid like the plague, as I don't fancy the sand. Looks like a good time to me with those conditions. Congrats on the team prize.

OOnegative

Murph_D wrote: »

Sounds like a decent race, J - it's a race I avoid like the plague, as I don't fancy the sand. Looks like a good time to me with those conditions. Congrats on the team prize.

+1, decent time no doubt running on sand. Well done WW.

eyrie

I can't imagine racing on sand - the thought of it gives me the terrors! Fair play to you for doing it, and well done for beating last year's time!

Wubble Wubble

Murph_D wrote: »

Sounds like a decent race, J - it's a race I avoid like the plague, as I don't fancy the sand. Looks like a good time to me with those conditions. Congrats on the team prize.

Absolutely. Even the fast lads got slowed down quite a bit. The fella who finished second in 17:15 ran Porterstown parkrun in 16:37 on Saturday. Always nice to pick up a team prize

OOnegative wrote: »

+1, decent time no doubt running on sand. Well done WW.

Yes indeed, it certainly seemed like a lot further than 1.25km or so coming back in!

eyrie wrote: »

I can't imagine racing on sand - the thought of it gives me the terrors! Fair play to you for doing it, and well done for beating last year's time!

So there's no way you could be tempted to try the Clontarf Half Marathon? There will be another one on November 17 Beating last year's time was very pleasing to say the least.

Early running signs this summer are positive, once I play my cards right in relation to training and race selection/strategy. Just to give ye an idea, here's a list of some races I found, as well as those I have coming up in the next few months. These are primarily the longer races; I also plan to reach 100 parkruns, and get all the Dublin ones visited again.

Sun 27/5 - Windmill Run 10k, Garristown
Wed 13/6 - BHAA Trinity Track (800m/2000m last year), Trinity College
Sat 16/6 - Castleknock 5k
Sun 24/6 - Irish Runner 5 Mile, Phoenix Park
Sat 7/7 - Clontarf Half Marathon
Sat 14/7 - Irish Runner 10 Mile, Phoenix Park
Sun 22/7 - South Dublin 10k, Clondalkin
Sat 28/7 - Mullingar 10 Mile
Mon 6/8 - DLR Bay 10k
Sun 12/8 - Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon
Sun 19/8 - Kilcock 10 Mile
Sun 2/9 - Frank Duffy 10 Mile, Swords
Sat 8/9 - Ratoath Half Marathon
Sat 22/9 - Dublin Race Series HM, Phoenix Park

Those in italics are possibles. Of course, this is only a small subset of what's actually available. For someone who loves their racing as much as I do, it's going to be hard to pick a good 2 or 3 more, rather than trying to race an additional six or seven just because I can.

Castleknock or IR5 will be one or the other; definitely not both. As for the rest of it, I'm leaning towards the South Dublin 10k, as well as unfinished business with the R'N'R. But it's so long (August 2016) since I raced a 10 mile!

Thoughts?

Wubble Wubble

Wed 16/5 - 3.15 miles @8:55/mi

Between work and GAA, I just about had enough time to fit this one in. I consciously slowed down around the Carpenterstown loops; although on this occasion, I didn't do the second one in its entirety, thinking I'd covered enough ground for a handy recovery run.

Thu 17/5 - 7.12 miles @8:13/mi

I decided to try a variation on some of my regular Phoenix Park routes. After coming in through White's Gate, instead of turning up towards Castleknock, I went around the Chesterfield Avenue/Furze Road/Ordnance Survey Road triangle, before heading back out through White's Gate and home by the Castleknock College route. Some amount of midges on White's Road. I'll have to work harder on my breathing! As Ronan from the Ross O'Carroll Kelly books might say, "A shut mouth catches no flies"

Fri 18/5 - Rest

Sat 19/5 - Tolka Valley parkrun - A Sort Of Homecoming

Due to logistical issues (i.e. wife needed the car in the afternoon) I had to give the IKA Run For A Life a miss this year. Instead, I hopped across to Finglas, to tick another parkrun off the list.

I'd been looking forward to this one since it was first rumoured. Following early course confusion, the friendly volunteers seem to have got this one bedded in nicely. There's a nice few ups and downs, particularly in the short lap, but thankfully we don't run down the lower road closer to Cabra - the climb back up is Waterstown-esque.

Anyway. A group of six headed out, with me following. A lad in a green Simon Home Run top passed me just after the T junction, and then I was running alone throughout the long lap and for most of the first short lap. Two guys passed me on the way around the GAA pitch. I couldn't be bothered racing them. This meant that the final lap was a solo one, apart from lapping a few runners, and I felt it on the last hill on a very warm morning.

22:01, 10th place, first age cat. Not too bothered about the time to be honest. I'm one closer to the parkrun century, now on 97. I'll be back for another go at this one, when I'm a bit fitter

Sun 20/5 - Club running, Phoenix Park

I was unsure whether I'd make it out for 7, following beer and wine last night. Maybe I'm more determined to get the miles in than I realise! Six of us were away just after 7. My legs felt heavy and tired, but I was able to stay with it. 7.19 miles@8:24/mi for the opening stint.

After a brief pause, AMK and a few others joined us for the next 5 mile stint. Usual Chesterfield/Wellington/Khyber/Acres/Chesterfield loop. I stayed at the back, until I picked up my pace a bit in the last kilometre. 5.05 miles@8:22/mi, so 12.24 miles for the day.

It's my longest run of the year, about 30 miles in total for the week. Not too bad with a 5k race and a parkrun in there. Anyway, I'm mindful of not increasing my weekly mileage too much too soon. Thanks for reading. J.

scotindublin

Solid week J and most importantly you seem to be enjoying it!

Wubble Wubble

scotindublin wrote: »

Solid week J and most importantly you seem to be enjoying it!

Thanks C, like I say the running mojo is coming back!

It certainly helps that I'm starting to build a base for the first time since before DCM 2017. This should give me more confidence and mean I'll be more likely to back myself, rather than back off, when pressure starts to come on or doubts begin to creep in. Even at my level, a fair bit of it is mental "there's no way you can beat him/her/X minutes".

As for this Sunday's race, even though my 10k PB is very soft (43:19), this is unlikely to be a realistic opportunity to go after it. Even though I'm a lot better prepared for this one than my last 10k (K Club), this course is a lot more challenging, with a stiff uphill finish that could have much faster guys than me in trouble. I'm looking forward to it all the same.

Wubble Wubble

Mon 21/5 - Rest

Tue 22/5 - 7.55 miles@8:32/mi

Fairly standard run from the house into and out of the Phoenix Park, with one exception. With Sunday's race in mind, I decided to exit PP at Knockmaroon Gate (Mount Sackville) and take on the climb from there back up to Castleknock. I've run this stretch of road downhill numerous times, but this would be a first. I didn't try to race up it; the aim was to be reasonably consistent. Not fast by any stretch (8:41 for Mile 5, which covered Mount Sackville to Castleknock College), but I was happy with my work.

Wed 23/5 - Club session, Porterstown Park

After a 1.5 mile warmup, coach told us we'd be running at sub-5k pace for a total of 14 minutes, in three segments (2 min rec). So grand, we're thinking - everyone thought the first one would be four or five. Six proved to be tough going to say the least, especially as I had John Todd on my heels. Three and five were a bit more manageable, and I covered a decent amount of ground. The second part of the session was running around the hedges (250m or so hard uphill, recover on downhill). I felt strong on these, and overall in far better shape than I was in my previous club session two weeks previous.

Thu 24/5 - 8.00 miles@8:25/mi

Sweating buckets on this one. To add a little bit onto the distance, I went around the North Road, before turning at the Hole In The Wall and right again at the Áras. I was trying to keep ahead of a runmuter from the Áras past Castleknock College, so some of this was a lot faster than I intended.

Fri 25/5 - Rest

Sat 26/5 - 2.95 miles@8:50/mi

Easy laps of Porterstown, before parkrun volunteering. Out for dinner and drinks with my college gang on Friday night, so a low key run definitely suited

Sun 27/5 - Windmill Run 10k, Garristown

"Sleep with one eye open,
Gripping your pillow tight"

Pre Race

After a shambolic outing at the K Club, I was determined that I wouldn't race another 10k without putting a reasonable amount of work into the build up. So with a few good weeks in the bag, I pointed the car deep into North County Dublin, for my second time taking on this event. Collecting my number from the friendly volunteers was quick and efficient, so I'd lots of time to take care of essentials and warm up. Passing the finish line, the DJ just happened to have "Enter Sandman" playing, which brought a smile, as I wondered if this race would be the nightmare the course profile suggested :pac:

Just after 9:30, as I found a spot a couple of rows back, we got a 5 second countdown, and away we went.

1-3

The 10k started near the bottom of Garristown's Main Street. Straight away, we climbed up past the finish and on up the hill, for about 550 metres until we passed the 5k runners at the top of the hill (great support from them!) and continued straight through the crossroads. There was some downhill afterwards, but already my effort levels felt closer to 5k than 10, and the sun had come out, so I found shade where possible. After about 1.5k we turned right down a narrow country lane, with a poor road surface and a drag around 2k. I got passed by two or three around here, but passed one or two others while trying to keep my form reasonably consistent. Crossroads about 2.6k, and then right up another hill, to the highest point of the course at Garristown reservoir. Already I was feeling plenty of burn in the legs, and breathing was hard, but there would be some respite on the way.

4-8

Downhill from the reservoir, and then some flat stretches before we turned down another lane. I made up a few places in these kms, striding well on the downhills, or at least better than anyone around me. I'd been tracking a Portmarnock runner for a while, and eventually passed him just after halfway and a trip up another hill and into County Meath. While not being too bothered about time, I was trying to at least do some things right; shortening my stride and working the arms on the climbs, while I occasionally remembered to relax my shoulders even when things were getting tough. Roughly between 6.4 and 8.5k, I really felt like we were in the dead zone - long straight stretches and pain levels increasing, even though it wasn't too hilly or anything. I only got passed once in the second half of the race, at around 8k, but to be honest I was a little disappointed, as I thought I'd got rid of the guy.

9-10

Right turn at the end of this road, but before I even turned, I could see people struggling on what's known locally as "The Bog Road". It's an insanely steep climb 9k into a 10k race. My only thoughts here were to keep the legs turning and resist any temptation to stop. While I managed that, I wasn't gaining on anyone ahead. After a little bit of downhill, there was still time for one more uphill, from the bottom of the village, past the 10k start, and up and up we went. I didn't feel like I'd much left, but then I started speeding up approaching the gantry, although not quite quickly enough to catch anyone.

Time: 45:56
Position: 31/155

I'm actually happy with that time, even though it's a lot slower than my PB of 43:19. This was never going to be an attempt at lowering that record. For comparison, in 2016, as a tuneup for the Connemara Half, I ran this race in 45:49, on a different and more favourable course - the Bog Road climb came at 6k then.

The South Dublin 10k on July 22 may provide an opportunity to attack that PB, plus by that stage I'll have a lot more miles under my belt. Afterwards, I grabbed a coffee while sampling delights such as cherry bakewells, Swiss roll, and chocolate Rice Krispies. All of that made the drive back to D15 a more comfortable (less sore?) one Thanks for reading. J.

Wubble Wubble

Mon 28/5 - 3.60 miles@9:22/mi

Two very slow recovery loops of Carpenterstown. It did pretty much what it said on the tin. Tired legs, but no DOMS to report.

Tue 29/5 - 9.79 miles@8:25/mi

With GAA on Wednesday, I decided to try this run tonight instead of attempting to mimic a club session, or something from one of the plans, alone. Through Laurel Lodge and Castleknock (a lot of stops and starts) to the Phoenix roundabout and down the Acres Road, before turning up behind the hospital and out by White's Gate. It was longer than I thought, and very hot, but it was a nice run to chalk up, two days after a hard 10k.

Wed 30/5 - Rest

Thu 31/5 - 8.05 miles @8:25/mi

I wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about getting out in the heat again. However, once I got the first mile or so out of the way it was fine. There was even a sub-8 in there, which was probably a bit fast, even allowing for it covering the steepest downhill as I passed Mount Sackville. Honestly though, even though it was very clammy and humid, I felt comfortable with the actual running part of it. It helped that I took to the grass quite a bit, to save my old joints Even the drag from under the M50 up to Carpenterstown didn't feel like a chore. Maybe it's my imagination, but I think I may be getting more comfortable with this "easy" pace.

May Review

Having got my first "proper" month of running under my belt for quite some time, I feel that things are starting to come together just in time for the summer racing specials. More training and less racing seems to be helping in the overall scheme of things. I ran approximately 135 miles this month. Strava says 118, but my Wednesday club sessions and various other minutiae are not included there.

I ran three races this month. Taking the 5k option in the ARC races was definitely the right decision, as I was rewarded with my fastest 5k this year - on a fairly challenging course, which ordinarily wouldn't see too many fast times. The other two weren't easy either, but a wet and windy BHAA beach race, and a very hilly 10k, brought better than expected outcomes given my current level of fitness. They certainly weren't picked for PB attempts :pac: Three more parkruns brought my total to 97.

As regards the next few months of running, my race schedule now looks like this:-

Wed 13/6 - BHAA Trinity Track 800m/1 mile
Sat 16/6 - Castleknock 5k (entered, but will not be racing it)
Sun 24/6 - Irish Runner 5 Mile, Phoenix Park
Sat 7/7 - Clontarf Half Marathon
Sun 22/7 - South Dublin 10k
Sun 19/8 - Kilcock 10 Mile
Sat 8/9 - Ratoath Half Marathon

Will there be PB attempts in there? Absolutely! For example, my 5 mile PB is now over 4 years old (34:08, Terenure 2014) which is a joke really. In fact, apart from Castleknock, I should hopefully be in a position to shoot for the stars in most or all of the above. Unfortunately, I'm double booked for this year's Docklands 5k, and I'd signed up for Clontarf before I found out about the Day of Irish PBs.

In other news, I stuck to my guns and refused to flinch as DCM sold out today :pac: However, I did manage to bag the early bird rate for Connemarathon 2019
Thanks for reading. J.