PB or not PB...that is the question

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 14/08/23

Had borderline zero expectations of any meaningful exercise but it turned out not too bad in the end.

Didn't run on Monday (did 12K easy on the Sunday) but then did a 3 day streak of short easy runs (8K, 7.5K and 6.5K)

Had acupuncture midweek and it caught up with me towards the weekend I think...did 20K on the bike on Friday and had planned a couple of easy runs over the weekend but legs were heavy as hell yesterday so just did a short 7K trot.

Achilles still a bit achey this morning so hopped on the bike for a 40K spin.

Happy enough with that in the circumstances....only 30K of running but that's approximately 30K more than I thought I'd do at the start of the week.

This week will likely be more of the same I think....the plan now has shifted so High Quality-Low Quantity to Low Quality-Low Quantity 😂

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 21/08/23

Another few days of tentative rebuilding 😬

Started on Monday with a steady 9K, followed by 6K and 8K on Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday was bike days yet again, then up to Mayo on Saturday. Did a fairly solid 10K and felt great at a middling pace for the first time in yonks.

Body boarding yesterday and Croagh Patrick climb today so itching for a run...will try for something longish (20K+) if I can squeeze it in.

Back pain is still lurking and my sleep is gone totally assways so hoping that one or both of those situations improves soon.

Cartman78

Quick update....just back from "long run" now...24.5K in 2:07.

Felt ok for most of it, with a few twinges/twangs starting to surface near the end but happy with that overall tbh.

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times

Update:

5K - 19:18

10K - 41:05

Half Marathon - 1:36

Marathon - 3:44

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 28/08/23

So as mentioned above, started the week with a climb of Croagh Patrick (a lot easier now with the steps at the top section) followed a 24.5K LSR on Tuesday.

Back to the grindstone on Weds with a 6.4K easy pace/recovery run, got tied up with meetings etc on Thursday so gave the legs a break and did a quick 15K on the bike in the evening instead.

Friday lunchtime then was a rather satisfying 45min 10K.

Friday evening was an U9 Gaelic Football blitz, then U11 hurling training on Saturday morning and Juvenile Athletics in the afternoon - busy but feeling a lot better than I have been in recent weeks.

Up early in the fog on Sunday morning for a 25K LSR (2:08, 5:07km pace) - felt grand again with the usual aches and pains lurking by the end.

Then yesterday afternoon, took the lads to Cratloe Woods for a bit of trail cycling - I've had my gravel bike for over a year and this was it's first proper off road outing. It can feel a tad clunky on the road at times but it really came in to it's own on the trails, really enjoyed it (the kids had a good time too lol) - if this whole running mullarkey thing doesn't take off I might turn to cyclo-cross or something 🤣

No major plans for the week - main focus will be pushing out the LSR next weekend

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 04/09/23

Well I've had some topsy turvy weeks over the years but this one might just take the biscuit.

Started off with a standard 10K mid-paced effort on Monday.

Was super busy with work on Tuesday & Wednesday and had to go to a funeral as well so available training budget was zero.

I was also waiting for my GP to ring back with my MRI results - let it go a couple of days and gave them a ring on Wednesday and the secretary rather ominously said that they wanted me to come in 😬 so I made an appointment for that evening.

The results seemed grim initially - 2 bulging discs, more painkillers, talk of pain injections, pain specialists, surgery etc with a token mention of "maybe some physiotherapy might help".

I immediately assumed the worst - was ready to draft a cancellation e-mail for DCM to the charity liaison person at work, sell my stock of runners in the attic. Got the anti-inflammatories and then rang around a couple of physios to see if they had appointments - got a call back from one late on Thursday saying they had a cancellation for early on Friday morning.

Went in again assuming the worst - the guy had a read of the MRI report and was like "this is fairly standard for someone your age" 😮 and "we'll get it sorted with some treatment and exercises" - so TLDR I have a few new exercises I need to do to bring some flexibility and movement to lower back, glute, hips which should help resolve the mystery pain I've had on right hand side for last 12 months...he said that some muscle might have become inflamed and affected some nerves blah blah blah....and gave me the green light to continue running and plough on for DCM.

So went out for another 10K trot on Saturday and felt tippity top for the first time in ages. Headed out for a slightly longer run on Sunday (maybe 16K-18K) - it was balmy and hot when I left the house, started raining a bit around 6K, then got really heavy rain around 8K (I should add I was in a state of bliss at this point, feeling in touch with nature and all that rubbish 🤣).....then the thunder and lightning started and things got a bit hairy...rang my wife to come and collect me in what was now a complete deluge....I was saturated but wasn't overly bothered and made it home in one piece.

Discovered fairly quickly that my phone wasn't quite as water resistant as me and was pretty much fupped from water damage (speaker crackling, mic not working and not charging at all) so had to pick up a new one yesterday for €220 😬....that's my second running related phone snafu in 18 months.

Anyway, annoying but could have been a lot worse I guess....30K running for the week along with two 20K cycles so not too bad.

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 11/09/23

Monday was taken up with water-damaged phone replacement 🙄

Was tight for time on Tuesday as well but managed to squeeze in a reasonably decent set of 8 x 800m, followed by a mid-paced 8K on Thursday.

Did another shortish quickish run on Friday lunchtime (7.5K) - work has been busy and loads of kids stuff in the evening so time is limited atm unfortunately.

The eldest fella got a new bike on Saturday (which is somehow bigger than my own 🤣😱) so took him for a spin in the afternoon, then went out after a did 20K on my own.

Got up as early as I could yesterday morning and drove over to UL for an LSR - did 30K @ 5:15 pace which was grand (slight pain in left knee but no pain in back/flank/side).

The back pain seems to be easing off I think - exercises going well I think...back to physio on Friday morning

Garmin Bullsh1t Predicted Times

Update:

5K - 18:54

10K - 40:06

Half Marathon - 1:32

Marathon - 3:22

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 18/09/23

So the slight pain in my left knee mentioned last week turned into a significant pain during my recovery run on Monday.

Was baffled initially as to why it was so sore, and also why my Achilles had started flaring up over the last couple of weeks. And also why I had familiar headaches, general aches and pains and tiredness.

Took me a few days to figure it out but a review of my food diary eventually led me to it - after talking to the dietitian a few weeks ago she suggested switching to soya milk (as it is marginally higher in nutrients than the coconut milk I was using)...anyway my working hypothesis (via online research and my symptom history) is that I've had a reaction to the soya milk (either to the milk itself or some element of gluten in it) which led to the inflammation ( knee pain) and other symptoms I had last week.

Very frustrating but hopefully that's resolved now. So no running last week and no cycling either due to a puncture - got a few walks in (😒) and a cycle on Saturday and finally 5K yesterday. The knee was still a bit sore tbh but I'm convinced it's the soya milk so would expect that to resolve in the next couple of days.

Marathon prep in absolute tatters now obvs - whatever state I make the start line in it certainly won't be overtrained 😅

Anyway was out at Cross Country yesterday with my eldest fella - he ran well and finished 10th.

I'm probably going to to do the Masters Cross Country next Sunday - my physio wants me to do a hard run to test my side/flank status so cross country fits the bill. Assuming the knee issue clears up i'm actually looking forward to it.

Lack of mileage still a concern re: the marathon but at this stage I think I have enough experience to manage my way around without too much drama

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 25/09/23

Yet another topsy-turvy week in my running world with an unexpected plot twist at the end :-)

Did 5K on Monday to test the knee and it still wasn't right - started to get mildly sore during the run and a bit stiff after it.

Decided to rest it again for a couple of days which dovetailed nicely with the atrocious weather on Tues & Weds and also the fact that I got the flu jab.

Popped out for a mid-paced (~4:30km) 8K on Thursday and the knee felt ok-ish but still not 100%. Did 15K on the bike on Friday and then was totally zonked all day Saturday with some sort of post flu jab lethargy.

And so on to the Cross Country on Sunday morning - I'll admit to having serious doubts about taking part but didn't want to let the team down. Was there good and early as my young fella was taking part in the U9 run - they went off at a furious pace and pretty much kept it going for 750m. Very entertaining race to watch but as the age categories increased the races got increasingly grim.

Anyway did a bit of a warm up with the lads and headed to the line in the blazing sun - my goal was to run a steady consistent race and not end up in sweaty hot mess like some of the juvenile competitors.

Started at the back and off we went - my other injury concern was my back issue which hadn't responded well to high intensity runs recently. But felt a-ok of the first couple of km (both 4:04) and was motoring on grand, passing a couple of people from various age categories (there was a mix of U17, U19, Novice and Masters).

Struggled a bit on the next couple of km (4:10, 4:22) but finished strongly enough (4:15) - had no real sense of where I finished but was happy at least that neither my knee or back were sore.

We decided to hang around for the results and cool down - one of the lads had ran a very strong run and we were sure he'd get a medal of some sort (he missed out in the end)....eventually they announced the results and started going through the age categories. The Over-45 gold and silver were called out and then to my total astonishment, my name was announced for bronze! My first individual medal in 20 years of running 😎

So still have a big call to make on DCM - have I enough in the tank to get around, I'm not sure to be honest...if I can get a couple of half decent runs in I'll probably give it a go. Would be a nice way to round off what's been a bumpy year

ariana`

Many congrats on the individual medal, that must feel pretty special 🤩

Cartman78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121184788#Comment_121184788

Thanks - it was a nice boost alright after what has been a generally frustrating year in terms of running.

It becomes slightly less impressive if you drill down into the results too far but the history books won't take that into account 😅

Being able to run a 20 min 5K without breaking down (and running the 2 days following that) is a big plus also.

I've been looking at structured run/walk plans for the marathon so looking at something like 7K running + 1K walk repeats

Cartman78

Quick update:

Have been able to run ok and pain free the last 2 days so hopefully my injury/inflammation/food allergy problems are in the rearview for the moment.

Have been looking at run/walk marathon plans - I think something like 7K running + 1K walking repeats might work 🤞

Cartman78

Bah...some sort of glitch earlier...seems like posts were delayed

ariana`

If you start out very easy you might find you can jog around handy enough... I really believe that the accumulation of miles in the legs over the years can allow for this as long as one is very realistic with the goal of course, conservative all the way 😉

Cartman78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121197781#Comment_121197781

And miles in the brain and soul also 😙

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 02/10/23 & WEEK BEGINNING 09/10/23

So nothing too spectacular to report in the last couple of weeks really.

Followed up my cross country glory with a few short solid runs and spent the weekend before last mountain biking in Offaly (which was great fun but not sure how much it's going to help my marathon efforts)

Had another physio visit that went ok - more tweaking of the exercises and he endorsed my walk/run plan.

Got a couple of more cycles in as well so general fitness ok but still feeling a bit groggy kinda so maybe a hangover from the soya inflammation (??)

More of the same last week - got a midweek 10 miler in around UL on Thursday evening and a slow 20K yesterday.

Feels like a real balancing act now between keeping fresh and not over-loading my knee/back. Will be very much erring on the side of caution.

My enthusiastic Garmin is still predicting a 3:18 marathon but I'd be over the moon now with a 4hr pain free result

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 16/09/2023

So was busy with work on Monday so decided to take a rest day after relatively longish run at the weekend.

Headed off on Tuesday afternoon for a 10K tune-up effort.....felt absolutely fantastic for 7K and then my right Achilles started groaning, the groaning quickly escalated to actual quite sore and intense tightness 😩😫😣😩😫

Had to stop and walk back to the office 🤬

And I haven't ran since 🫨

Have been doing all sorts of stretches and resting as much as possible....also had physio on Tuesday...he reckoned I hadn't done too much damage and gave a tentative green light to go ahead with a conservative marathon effort.

Really frustrating obvs....I still think that soya flare up I had is the root of it (and my previous knee issue).

Have very strongly considered not doing Dublin....but it would feel like such a damp squib of an end to the journey I've had this year....I'd rather go and try and maybe DNF rather than sit at home wondering.

So the good news is I'm heading to the start line and I'm not completely overtrained.

I genuinely have no idea what's going to happen on Sunday but looking forward to the experience 😃

Laineyfrecks

Very best of luck to you on Sunday😊

ariana`

Best of luck!

Cartman78

3:55! 😎

Stunned...I didn't think I had it in me tbh.

Fairly zonked now....long winded and rambling report to follow at some stage 😴

ariana`

Brilliant, delighted for you, after everything! Hope you're starting to recover - looking forward to the report!

Cartman78

DUBLIN MARATHON 2023 REPORT

As medium to long term readers of this blog will know I had a pretty crap 2023 on the health/fitness front....here's a brief summary to save you the trauma of going back through my updates 😅

Started off with a very bad post Christmas flu, then got back running a bit, then got a nasty dose of Covid in April which left me breathless for a couple of weeks, then got back running a bit, then had a pain in my side that took months to diagnose, then got back running a bit, then got a pain in my knee followed swiftly by the worst Achilles tightness I've ever had (3 weeks ago) and did absolutely no running for 2 weeks.

2 trips to A&E, 4 nights in hospital, 1 day in MAU, 1 bronchoscopy, 1 colonoscopy, 5 CT scans, 1 MRI ,1 ultrasound, multiple physio trips and a whole bunch of acupuncture sessions

My races were a post flu local 10K in January in 41 mins (and the debut of my back pain), Mallow 10 Miler (a meh 71 minute jog), a no show for the Limerick half, didn't even bother with Clonmel/Charleville and an age category bronze medal winning performance in County Cross Country

And somewhere in the middle of all that I managed to snaffle a place for the DCM as part of a charity team entry at my work - I had turned down the automatic entry option last year as I was shattered after it.

There were multiple times this year when I genuinely thought I'd never run in a meaningful way again, and to be honest I wasn't 100% confirmed for DCM until a few days before it.

Longest run in training = 30K, with maybe 5 other runs >=20K

So yeah....great prep to take on 26.2 miles 🤣

Expo and build up:

Drove up on the Saturday morning and made our way to the hotel (right beside the RDS...same as last year)....there was some buzz around the place...a heady mix of marathon runners, people at the Hyrox event, Leinster rugby fans and pro-Palestinian protestors. For once the marathon runners weren't the most crazy group in the vicinity 😋

Flew through registration, have a quick look around, got the picture on the podium thing and out the door.

Went to meet up with some work colleagues then who were part of the charity team (had only "met" them virtually before) so nice to catch up.

Bounced around town for a bit (mainly the Lego shop with the kids) and headed back to the hotel. Was actually tired - as mentioned I hadn't ran in 3 weeks almost and hadn't done much walking either....nothing was really sore but nothing felt fresh either.

Race Day:

I'd actually dozed off watching the rugby the previous night, then woke up and was faffing about with gear and stuff for a while so any slim chance of decent sleep was gone fairly quickly.

And my two young fellas wrestling in a double bed all night didn't help either 😆

Anyway felt ok when I got up - made my Gluten Free Porridge in the room, popped on about 15 layers of clothing and off I went. Gave everyone a big hug - I was seriously unsure what time I'd see them again.

I had gone through virtually every possible scenario of DNF in my head - the Achilles was the main concern by far....I knew if it started to strain at any point I'd have to quit. I'd made peace with it in my head that if I made the start line and even managed a few miles I'd be happy.

Walked the 2K in to town - it was suspiciously quiet but eventually bumped into another fella and chatted most of the way in.

Met another work colleague just outside the baggage area which was nice - kept my mind distracted for another few minutes.

Got togged out - had an old Karrimor top that I was throwing on to keep warm, an old manky hi-viz wooly hat that I last wore about 15 years ago, a neck scarf yokey and gloves.

Also got a large blob of Deep Heat from a fella beside me for my Achilles - I'd already put a tonne of Voltarol gel on it earlier so God knows what sort of chemical reaction was going on there under my Vaporflys.

Positioned myself as far back as possible in the Orange Wave......was actually feeling super emotional for whatever reason (again, long term readers might remember I was a blubbering mess at the finish line last year, this year it was the start line 😂)...the national anthem sent me over the edge altogether.

It took me about 2 mins to cross the start line - was glad to have plenty of space around me as I eased into a very gentle trot.

I normally have quite an elegant long stride (so I've been told) but I was very much limiting this and telling myself that the Nike carbon plate would do the job.

Because I wasn't chasing a time, I paid a lot more attention to my surroundings and the crowds....really inspiring and amazing that so many people were out at that time of the day and that feeling only grew as the race went on.

At this stage I was paying zero attention to time.....the Achilles felt ok-ish...there was one twinge around 3K I think but nothing else beyond that.

5K - 26:34

Into the Phoenix Park which was quite enjoyable for a change - again huge crowds.

Took my first gel around 7.5K and walked for a couple of minutes - a couple of people asked was I ok and looked relieved when I replied "It's all part of a plan"

It took a while to get my rhythm back but settled back into my shortened stride - it was such a contrast to last year when I was super stressed in the PP trying to get ahead of the 3:10 pacing group after being clipped a couple of times.

10K - 56:16

A slightly slower 5K due to the walk but it didn't bother me in the slightest - I was still fairly paranoid /anxious at this stage and knew that the further I went the longer it would take me to get home in the case of what I thought was an inevitable DNF and/or a very long walk.

I actually don't remember a whole lot from large parts of the race - not sure if that's a good or a bad sign 😐️

15K - 1:23:33

Another consistent 5K and my Achilles hadn't exploded - confidence building now and I was actually starting to enjoy the run.

One thing I did notice was different from previous years was that I was still relatively cold - I still had the gloves and neck scarf on and miraculously the manky hi-viz hat was now part of my marathon gear after being destined for a bin at the start line.

Took another gel and walk break at 16K.

20K - 1:51:37

(Official halfway time = 1:59:47) - not sure why there's such a big discrepancy here between my watch and chip time (it was accurate overall at the end)

Still motoring along nicely - I remember feeling awful at halfway last year.

25K - 2:19:40

My fear and paranoia were dissipating with every passing mile - I began to believe I could actually finish this fecking thing (and not wreck myself in the process).

Another gel and walk at 24K.....remarkably that would be the last walking break!

30K - 2:47:22

Another very consistent 5K - can't remember anything remarkable about it.

At some stage (probably earlier than this block) I was passed/consumed by the Green Wave 3:30 group....normally getting passed by a pace group is the most soul destroying experience but I literally didn't give a sh1t this time....I did note a few people were struggling in that group and wondered would I maybe/possibly/perhaps get to pass a few of them in the closing miles.

Got chatting to a fella from Clare Crusaders for a few miles which really helped as well - we were motoring along nicely as people more and more people were slowing down around us

35K - 3:15:29

I now knew two things for sure - my Achilles (and knee and back) were fine, and I was not going to hit THE WALL.

For the first time all day, I started to open up my stride a bit and felt like I was flying along that section around RTE and along the dual carriageway hard shoulder.

I finally took off the manky hi-viz hat at this point but didn't have the heart to throw it in a ditch so just tucked it into my Flipbelt

40K - 3:41:45

Was flying past people now - have certainly never felt so good in the closing stages of a marathon before.

I knew my wife and kids would be somewhere around the RDS and sure enough I spotted them a couple of hundred yards ahead .....last year I barely saw them tbh as I was so obsessed with chasing a time :-( ....this year everyone got a big sweaty hug and the missus got a kiss 😜

Back on the road and head down for the finish...the crowd and noise were borderline overwhelming for the last bit and the torrential rain somehow made the atmosphere even better/more intense.

My last 2K were the fastest (5:06, 5:00)....unbelievable really given the state I was in at the start line

Crossed the line in 3:55:27......my slowest marathon in years but it really doesn't matter.

Will be back in the next few days with some plans.....going to register for 2024 DCM now :-)

Lazare

haha, that's brilliant 😁

Such a tough year you've had, it must have been an awesome experience towards the end of that, knowing the achilles was playing ball and just enjoying it.

You'll have to wear that manky hat for your sub 3. 😉

Cartman78

I think the manky hi viz hat might be key from now on 😉

Honestly dunno if I had worn it running before.... it's easily 10 years since it last saw daylight 😂

Feeling pretty good now after usual soreness early in the week.

Did 18K easy on the bike yesterday....no plans on running yet for another few days.

My side/back pain is still niggling away a small bit.....have physio on Tuesday so will see what the plan is

ariana`

I absolutely loved reading that, it really goes to show that there are so many different ways to "win" at running a marathon! Kudos to you. Recover well and hopefully a better year ahead - you'll certainly be glad to see the back of this one i'd say!

AuldManKing

Great report and great run - congrats!

Cartman78

So went for one run last week, a gentle 6.5K trot with a fella from work...rarely run with other people these days so it was a nice change.

And then, in perhaps the least unsurprising update ever posted on the internet, I picked up the respiratory virus that literally everyone I know seems to have....battled it for a few days but eventually had to concede and go to doctor...yet more antibiotics and steroids 🙄🙄🙄

Had to cancel physio twice - scheduled for end of month now.

Bit of a buzzkill after marathon "success" but probably not the worst time of the year to be off my feet I guess....but not happy being back on toxic meds again tbh.

Cartman78

THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS

So got over the latest virus/bug pretty ok ....have been taking it pretty handy tbh, lots of short gentle running to ease myself back into things.

Last week was 4 runs and two bike rides....no major intensity on the runs or the bike.

My left knee still feels a bit wonky - working away at the exercises as well so hopefully it'll be back to normal soon. Have physio on Wednesday so should no more after that 🤞

Managed to get through Black Friday without bankrupting myself buying shoes I don't need...still have an unworn pair of Vaporflys from last year. Limited my spending this time to a pair of Adidas running shorts... they're a fairly garish design and colour so a good incentive to run fast to avoid looking like a complete eejit

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 27/11/23

A fairly solid first half of the week - a steady 8K on Monday and some 8 x 800m on Tuesday.

Physio then on Wednesday morning - I think he was amazed at my DCM performance 😂.... everything generally ok...have a few more exercises to do (for my back mainly and general flexibility in hips, glutes and hamstrings) and back to him in January.

Popped out for a quick run on Thursday and then popped in to get my Covid booster which pretty much wiped me out running wise until yesterday.

No major plans for the week really ...main goal is just some steady consistent miles and not get sick 🤞

Cartman78

WEEK BEGINNING 04/12/23

Another standard enough but disconcertingly meh week of running.

8K, 6.5K, some 400m intervals, 18K on the bike and a 10K "LSR".

Feeling pretty leggy and tired for some reason - it could be:

a) hangover from Covid booster (maybe, probably)

b) middle-age starting to really bite (possibly, hopefully focking not)

c) some other auto-immune bullsh1t making me feel crappy (hopefully focking not x 1,000,000,000)

Will keep plugging away anyway and see if I can run myself back into form....no races on the horizon atm, might try to sneak in a ParkRun over the Christmas.

Cartman78

DECEMBER/CHRISTMAS UPDATE

So (in news that will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody who has ever read this blog) I have been sick since the last update in mid December.

Hard to know if it was the flu, Covid or some other RSV bug but either way it left me huffing and puffing yet again and in no fit state for running or anything really apart from mooching around the house.

The only consolation is that I haven't entered any Spring races so won't have the hassle this year of trying to get refunds etc.

Anyway, back at it tentatively today with a gentle lunchtime jog....roll on 2024!