Run for your life!!!!

coogy

Something clicked this evening during my run.



And I don't mean the type you hear coming from your knee either......:p

skyblue46

coogy wrote: »

Something clicked this evening during my run.



And I don't mean the type you hear coming from your knee either......:p

I guess this is where someone asks what it was?

coogy

skyblue46 wrote: »

I guess this is where someone asks what it was?

Haha! I was wondering who'd be the first to bite.......

Earlier in the week I was reading what Mr Guappa wrote on his blog about cadence while running. I've spent some time in the past thinking about my running form but never would I have thought of associating it with my cadence. Now it all makes perfect sense.
I read somewhere that the recommended cadence for runners is between 170-180 but when I looked into mine over the last few months, I was rarely getting above 150 so I was a little concerned.
I have been trying this week to increase it incrementally to see if I can tweak things a little. Obviously, the first thing I noticed was that my running form had to change. This is no bad thing, given that at times my form resembles a gazelle bounding through the Serengeti as it flees a blood thirsty lion. :pac:
It took a little getting used to and it almost felt like I had to hold myself back a little but I stuck with it.
For yesterday's 70 min progression run, I tried it out again but it wasn't really till the pace quickened that I felt it was starting to feel the benefits.
What made it all the more satisfying was that despite the heat yesterday evening, I felt way more than able to manage the faster paces than I was during the 60 min progression run at the beginning of June, in much cooler temperatures.
My strides felt much shorter and more economical, leading me to wonder how much of a contributing factor my running form might have been in past races where fatigue had set in.
Anyway, I'm losing the run of myself here. In short, I loved yesterday's run and the way I managed it.
Checked my cadence for this week's runs so far and it's up to the 160's so seems to be working. Room for improvement though.

skyblue46

coogy wrote: »

Haha! I was wondering who'd be the first to bite.......

Earlier in the week I was reading what Mr Guappa wrote on his blog about cadence while running. I've spent some time in the past thinking about my running form but never would I have thought of associating it with my cadence. Now it all makes perfect sense.
I read somewhere that the recommended cadence for runners is between 170-180 but when I looked into mine over the last few months, I was rarely getting above 150 so I was a little concerned.
I have been trying this week to increase it incrementally to see if I can tweak things a little. Obviously, the first thing I noticed was that my running form had to change. This is no bad thing, given that at times my form resembles a gazelle bounding through the Serengeti as it flees a blood thirsty lion. :pac:
It took a little getting used to and it almost felt like I had to hold myself back a little but I stuck with it.
For yesterday's 70 min progression run, I tried it out again but it wasn't really till the pace quickened that I felt it was starting to feel the benefits.
What made it all the more satisfying was that despite the heat yesterday evening, I felt way more than able to manage the faster paces than I was during the 60 min progression run at the beginning of June, in much cooler temperatures.
My strides felt much shorter and more economical, leading me to wonder how much of a contributing factor my running form might have been in past races where fatigue had set in.
Anyway, I'm losing the run of myself here. In short, I loved yesterday's run and the way I managed it.
Checked my cadence for this week's runs so far and it's up to the 160's so seems to be working. Room for improvement though.

Hahaha....well you remember that Mr G said that he had seen me make the comment (it was on shotgunmcos's log)? You were the unnamed runner I was referring to!!

Mr. Guappa

Did you do anything specific to try and increase your cadence?

coogy

skyblue46 wrote: »

Hahaha....well you remember that Mr G said that he had seen me make the comment (it was on shotgunmcos's log)? You were the unnamed runner I was referring to!!

Hehe, that's gas. I've just gone back and read the post again.........


I'm amazed at the difference already but like I said, there's lots more work to do on this!!!


Btw, cheers for keeping an eye out!!!

skyblue46

coogy wrote: »

Hehe, that's gas. I've just gone back and read the post again.........


I'm amazed at the difference already but like I said, there's lots more work to do on this!!!


Btw, cheers for keeping an eye out!!!

I didn't say anything to you because I don't know enough about the subject, and still don't. I'd always be fearful of giving advice based on something I know very little about. It would probably be best not to attempt hasty changes without some research into the pros and cons.

coogy

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Did you do anything specific to try and increase your cadence?

Well, what I did to start with was to just relax a lot more.
Not that I didn't feel relaxed up till now but I had to get my head around the fact that even though I was trying to increase my cadence, it didn't mean that my effort had to be any greater. I knew that the biggest challenge would be the shortening of my stride lengths. When I thought about it some more, I realised I'd been getting it wrong for so long, expending all that valuable energy.
Spent most of Tuesday's 60 min easy run trying it out, with mixed results. It felt a little unnatural at first and because I was trying little too hard, it was difficult for me to feel at ease but I gradually slipped into it after a while.

coogy

skyblue46 wrote: »

I didn't say anything to you because I don't know enough about the subject, and still don't. I'd always be fearful of giving advice based on something I know very little about. It would probably be best not to attempt hasty changes without some research into the pros and cons.

Yeah, I'm trying to do it gradually enough. My last two runs have been 160 and 161 respectively which is an improvement.

Next week, will try to increase it some more. Have been reading up tons of stuff about it all week!!

coogy

*repeats to self, ad nauseam*:


"I will not go for my 2 hour lsr tomorrow for fear of aggravating whatever the hell is currently wrong with my ankle, even though it does not hurt to run on it and I would probably get away with if I did decide to run.
I am completely and utterly ok with this decision. Totally ok. No question about it".
:cool:

coogy

Grads Base plan, Week 5


Monday 1st July - Off
Physio session. I touched on this in an earlier post on my log (post #270)



Tuesday 2nd July - 60 mins easy. 6.55m @ 9:26
Early start and tried out some shorter strides with a view to increasing my cadence. Found it quite difficult and a little challenging to relax as I was putting so much effort to slow the legs down while shortening the strides at the same time.


Wednesday 3rd July - 70 mins progression run. 8.25m @8.29
Knew it would be a hot day so it was the plan to head out early again but with little shuteye, I knew it wouldn't be wise. Decided to use the run as a runmute in the evening and went out armed with a cold bottle of water for the journey. Don't think I'd have managed without it.
Again, I have written about this is a previous post. No issues from the lower leg/ankle area at any stage during or after this run.



Thursday 4th July - 60 mins easy. 6.46m @ 9.22.
Got out of the house late for this one and just about managed to squeeze in the last bit of daylight. Beautiful evening for it too. I will certainly miss these bright evenings. Cadence has increased to 164 from an average of around 152 so am seeing small improvements, which is the sensible approach I need to take.


Friday 5th July - Off



Saturday 6th July - Scheduled: 50 mins easy + 4 x 200m @ 5k pace w/ 2-3 mins rec jog
Our daughter's 10th birthday today so decided to scratch this one off, knowing she would be up at the crack of dawn to see what gifts awaited her....... :rolleyes: and a full schedule of events throughout the day, including Toy Story 4 (during which I wept like a baby).
Not only that, my ankle was still giving me some cause for concern with a slight swelling still visible, so the last thing I wanted to do was to aggravate it. Ended up Googling all sorts of sh**e and got completely freaked out. Never a good idea. I think an x-ray is the only way to know for sure. Had it on ice for a couple of days a well as resting it (as much as possible).


Sunday 7th July - Scheduled: 2 hours easy.
See above.
Junior Parkrun update: Full marathon wristband was presented today to himself for completing 22 Junior Parkruns. Proud as punch! :cool:


Miles for the week - 22.19

Miles for the year - 866

So, off on hols to Portugal for two weeks where I hope to see out the remainder of the base plan, followed by a few days of easy running before I take on the Boards Intermediate marathon plan........all depending on how the ankle feels. It 'feels' ok.........but I am still worried that I might just make things worse. The jury is still out.

Thanks for reading!!

coogy

Grads Base plan, Week 6



Monday 8th July - Off

Up at 2am for a 3am taxi ride to Dublin airport for our 6am flight to Portugal. Could barely stay awake for the duration of the flight and on the coach from the airport to our hotel, I tried desperately and in vain to suss out potential running routes. Rest of the day was a write-off and an early enough night was had, not before I left out my running gear ready for the morning......




Tuesday 9th July - 60 mins easy. 7.23m @ 9:39

Managed to get up to the alarm and having worked out a route I was reasonably confident of remembering, I set off, with phone in hand and Google maps at the ready, just in case. 

Paths were a little tricky to navigate at first, a lot of them broken in parts but quickly got used to it.

The previous night's party people were unsteadily making their way home, beer bottles clutched in their hands as if their lives depended on it......aaaaah, memories........

Was taking it nice and handy, sticking to at least 9:30 mins/mile but about three miles in, even at the early hour, I started to feel the sun's rays. Not only that, I was beginning to lose my bearings slightly. A quick check of my phone told me I was on the right track for the time being but it was shortly after that, that I took a wrong turn and ended up running across about a mile of private property (I didn't know this at the time) with a sandy terrain and ended up completely losing my focus.

After about ten minutes of stopping/starting/turning back/checking my bearings, I eventually got back on track. 

Relieved to return to three sleeping heads so managed to enjoy a good feed in the hotel breakfast buffet (food is spectacular!!).



Wednesday 10th July - 60 mins moderate pace. 7.27m @8.15

Decided to take the same route again but managed to get my bearings right this time. There were a good few inclines along the route and as I had set out over an hour later than planned, it was already very warm so parts of the run were tough going. Still, I managed to maintain the pace throughout (8:10 - 8:20) so I was very happy with that.

The plan said '65 mins moderate pace' but I was spent and soaked to the skin too so I called it a day on the hour mark.

Another well-earned feed was had back at the hotel.

Checked cadence for the run afterwards and it was 171. We're getting there......



Thursday 11th July - 60 mins easy. 6.71m @ 9.38.

Didn't fancy doing the same route again so took advantage of being practically right next to the beach for this one. Measured the distance from one end to the other and it worked out perfectly.

The tide was still well out and thankfully the surface on the beach was nice and hard all the way down to the pier and back. Started out slow-ish due to taking a few snaps of the gorgeous sunrise but settled into my stride soon after. Still making sure the pace was easy enough.

Definitely one of those runs where you are grateful for everything you have in life.


Friday 12th July - Off

Had toyed with doing around 30 mins easy but definitely need a rest day in this heat!!

Another session tomorrow and a a 2 hour easy run will see out the base plan. Will definitely throw in a few easy miles next week for good measure.

Btw, no issues regarding ankle. Happy days!

Kellygirl

Love the holiday running and how well I know that feeling of returning to sleeping heads! Bliss!

Smiling at the party people returning home while you were out running. The one thing I couldn’t figure out in Spain was the groups of Spanish teenagers out at 7am in the morning. They didn’t look party goers but not sure what they were doing out at that time either. Nothing that indicated that they were on their way to school or college either. It’s a mystery!!

coogy

Kellygirl wrote: »

The one thing I couldn’t figure out in Spain was the groups of Spanish teenagers out at 7am in the morning. They didn’t look party goers but not sure what they were doing out at that time either. Nothing that indicated that they were on their way to school or college either. It’s a mystery!!

Seasoned pros I imagine.........;)

coogy

Grads Base plan, Week 6......continued



Saturday 13th July - 60 mins easy, last 6 mins @ tempo (7:25). 6.44m @ 9.19

Figured I'd head back down to the beach as the distance was just about right for this session.

As I had already completed about a mile by the time I'd made it onto the beach, I wanted to make sure that I gauged it properly so I'd know when to turn back and leave enough room for the tempo run. 

Satisfyingly, by the time I'd come to the end of my tempo run (1 minute longer than planned), there was a mere 20 metres of beach left. It's the little things.....;)



Sunday 14th July - 2 hours easy. 12.6m @ 9:34

Was a little apprehensive of this one, worried that I'd lose my way again on an unfamiliar route. Also, the heat factor, even at the early hour is not something I'm accustomed to.

Wasn't able to take in much in the way of fuel beforehand but went armed to the teeth with jellies and took a bottle of water with Dioralyte. 

Again, Falésia beach took up the first 3 or 4 miles before I left the sand and took on the various running paths and some not so running -friendly roads (minus the paths).

The route itself was pretty straightforward to follow and only got stuck the once, just as I left the beach.by the hour mark, I was sweating bullets and my running shirt felt like a lead weight on my back. Apart from a couple of hairy moments on the open road, it was an enjoyable enough run and the 2 hour mark took me to just a couple of hundred metres past the hotel.

Pace-wise, it was reasonably steady and on the right side of 'easy'. 

Have discovered a couple more running friendly routes around the area which I will try out next week.


So that brings to an end the 6 week base plan. All in all, I think it went pretty well and I feel as ready as I can be ahead of the training for DCM. Discipline is key over the next 14 weeks or so. My target time is certainly ambitious (maybe it's not) but I know it's in me as suggested by my recent race times. Need to work more on S&C and get another couple of races under the belt too.


Miles for the week - 41.13
Miles for the year - 907


Thanks for reading!

coogy

Tuesday 16th July - 8 mile easy run. 8.02m @ 9.34

Fancied giving the beach running a rest for a couple of days and decided to try out part of a route that an elite runner - who I follow on Strava - ran last month during his time here. 

From what I could see on Google maps beforehand, the terrain along the coastline was a trail path but once I'd made my way onto it, I realised just how steep and hilly it was in parts. After a few minutes of practically climbing, I convinced myself that I'd taken a wrong turn somewhere but it wasn't the case so I kept going and eventually the path levelled out revealing some stunning views. Great start to the day.

Think I'll just keep the miles easy this week. No point in overdoing it before training even starts.

Yesterday by the hotel pool, we were chatting away to a couple we've gotten to know over the last week and eventually, the conversation moved on to running (one of them had seen me returning from a morning run the previous day). When I had given them an indication of the amount of running I do and the hours I put in, she asked: "ah, so you're one of those running freaks?"

I considered this for a couple of seconds before smiling and saying "yes........yes I am".

coogy

Hello all. Hope your respective training plans are going well for whatever your target race might be.

I've been trawling through the various running threads here, looking for one that's specific to a 3:30 marathon target time.

I came across one or two that were started with good intentions by other Boardsies but came to a sudden halt and have been dormant for the last number of years.

In light of my recent decision to aim for a 3:30 finish at DCM, it was in my mind to start up a new thread aimed at anyone with a similar target time.

Would anyone be interested in this or find it useful? Part of me is thinking I should just stick to updating my own log and record everything there.
I know there's an active 'sub-4' thread but wasn't sure whether it would be appropriate for me to be posting stuff there, even though a 3:30 finish time is still technically sub-4........

Any thoughts on the above would be welcome!!!

KSU

coogy wrote: »

Hello all. Hope your respective training plans are going well for whatever your target race might be.

I've been trawling through the various running threads here, looking for one that's specific to a 3:30 marathon target time.

I came across one or two that were started with good intentions by other Boardsies but came to a sudden halt and have been dormant for the last number of years.

In light of my recent decision to aim for a 3:30 finish at DCM, it was in my mind to start up a new thread aimed at anyone with a similar target time.

Would anyone be interested in this or find it useful? Part of me is thinking I should just stick to updating my own log and record everything there.
I know there's an active 'sub-4' thread but wasn't sure whether it would be appropriate for me to be posting stuff there, even though a 3:30 finish time is still technically sub-4........

Any thoughts on the above would be welcome!!!

The below thread used to be the one that bridged the Novice threads and the Sub 3 thread from what I remember.

Looks to have been active recently might be what you are looking for

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=103588931

coogy

KSU wrote: »

The below thread used to be the one that bridged the Novice threads and the Sub 3 thread from what I remember.

Looks to have been active recently might be what you are looking for

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=103588931

Great, thanks for that L! Will certainly check it out.
It also appears that I'm not as good at 'trawling'as I thought I was........:p

coogy

Thursday 18th July - Easy run. 7.12m @ 9.28

Holiday drawing to a close now and the temperatures are increasing gradually with each day that passes. With temperatures reaching the early 30's, it's early morning runs or nothing at all. Staying well hydrated too. Cant remember ever drinking so much water.

This morning, ran a route that I'd already done last week. Nice to not have the phone in hand for once.

I will miss this place. Definitely the best holiday location for quite some time. Food has been exquisite and as we're all-inclusive, the portions we've allowed ourselves during breakfast, lunch and dinner have been generous to say the least. Have eaten fish every day since we arrived, what a let down next week will be when ham sandwiches for lunch  make an unwelcome return. 


Saturday 20th July - Easy run. 7.20m @ 9.32

Back down to the beach but didn't go quite according to plan.
Was hoping to do a repeat of last weeks session run (55 mins easy w/ last 5 mins at threshold) but the tide was in a lot further this morning compared to the same time last week which left little or no hard sand to run on. Legs were beginning to feel heavy so ran as far as I could before leaving the beach and a fair old climb up some wooden steps to the top of the cliff overlooking the sea for about a mile of some more Bear Grylls trail running.
Still keeping one eye on the cadence which has been hovering around 166/167 for a couple of weeks now.

Temperatures today are set to reach a high of 35. Cant cope in this heat. I told everyone they can find me in the shade if they need me.

Not sure yet about running tomorrow. Wont be too disappointed if it doesn't materialise, happy to have fit in as much running in as I have up till now.


Miles for the week (so far) - 22.34
Miles for the year- 929



Thanks for reading!

coogy

Sunday 21st July - Easy run. 8.38m @ 9.29/

And that's a wrap!
Almost didn't do this after sitting on the edge of the bed for 10 minutes thinking "will I or won't I?"

71 Portugese miles in the bag, that'll keep things ticking along nicely.

Miles for the week - 30.6

Miles for the year- 937

coogy

Grads Intermediate plan, Week 1


Monday 22nd July - Off
Travelling back home from Portugal. Tried to squeeze in a 20 minute run while on the plane but there were several factors that prevented me from doing this.


Tuesday 23rd July - 60 mins very easy. 6.33m @ 9.47
One thing I was perhaps guilty of during the recent base plan and the 10k-half plan was that I didn't take the easy runs as easy as I should have and ended up sort of combining the two paces together.
Starting today, I was determined to run the paces exactly as they are prescribed, they are there for a reason, after all.
Thankfully, I didn't find it as much of a challenge as I thought I would and managed to run each of my splits above 9:40 which is kind of new territory for me:
9:47, 9:54, 9:52, 945, 9:45, 9:41.
By mile 4, the very easy pace actually stopped feeling like it was a very easy pace and I was really comfortable.
During the last 10 mins of the run, I felt a little strain in my left knee. Perhaps tiredness from the previous day's travelling? Hopefully that's all it is.


Wednesday 24th July - 10 x 2 min @ CV w/ 2 min rec. 4.25m @ 7:48
Started with a 1.5 mile easy run which brought me over to the Trinity grass track as I didn't fancy doing this one first thing in the morning. I was disappointed to find that the track was still not open for use. I was under pressure time-wise so decided to stay on campus and use the paths around the various areas of College.
The humidity was pretty high and I knew even before I started that I'd have to work hard for this. The pacing for the CV splits was to be between 6:45 - 6:55. The first couple were a little quick, around 6:30 or so but I gradually managed to find a happy medium within the pace range. There were a fair amount of tourists around and on more than one occasion, I was faced with having to sharply avoid an oncoming group of what I like to call "meanderthals" who were out in force.
By about half way through, as well as dripping with perspiration, I started to lose count of how many reps I had already completed and totally lost my concentration, while keeping one eye on the time, not wanting to be late back at work. It was so warm, I had to stop at one point, just to get my focus and it was then I knew that I wouldn't get all of this done so called it a day after the eighth 2 minute sprint. Still reasonably happy with the effort though.
No knee problems to report of.


Thursday 25th July - 60 mins very easy. 6.25m @9.41
Used this as a run-mute so did my usual bus route from Lucan to the N4 (just across from Liffey Valley) and ran along the backroad along the N4 and down into Chapelizod, Conyngham Rd and along the quays.
In the first couple of miles, I felt the knee give out again but after about 30 mins, it disappeared. I think I will definitely have to get this seen to as I have a feeling it could be related to the ankle issues I was experiencing last month.


Friday 26th July - Rest day
Parents' 50th wedding anniversary today so enjoyed a nice meal in Trocadero to mark the occasion.
Bloody hell, 50 years. That's some innings.....:)


Saturday 27th July - 60 mins very easy. 6.59m @ 9:52
Early run, and possible my slowest yet. Even managed a 10 minute mile!!! :cool:
Worryingly, the left knee was quite sore at times. A dull ache is the only way I can describe it. It came and went quite a bit during the run, doesn't seem like this one is going away in a hurry.


Sunday 28th July - 2 hours easy.
Was planning on driving out to Kilcock to do this run along the Royal Canal but had a change of plan at the last minute and instead headed out to the Phoenix Park.
Out the door and into the car just before 6am and was in the park by about 6:15.
I was fretting slightly on the way, wondering if the knee would hold up for two whole hours but I needn't have bothered because less than 5 minutes in, the knee trouble started. Tried running through it for a few minutes but I knew it was no use so I pulled up, shouted out some random expletive and walked back to the car.
Obviously, fretting now and a visit to the physio is in order. That's a pretty hefty run to scratch off and not a great start to the plan, hopefully whatever the problem is can be easily overcome.


Miles for the week - 26

Miles for the year - 963


Thanks for reading.

Mr. Guappa

Fingers crossed that the knee issue is something minor.

Dealerz2.0

As A said, hopefully nothing serious!

Kellygirl

You did the right thing calling it a day and not pushing any further. Hopefully just something minor that needs a bit of manipulation and off you go again. You’ve a great base behind you and loads of mileage done this year so this one run won’t make much difference. I know it doesn’t feel like that right now.

Wubble Wubble

Fingers crossed K. Wise decision to pull the plug.

coogy

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Fingers crossed that the knee issue is something minor.

Thanks A, me too! Just waiting to hear back from Physio. Have a feeling he's away on his hols.

Dealerz2.0 wrote: »

As A said, hopefully nothing serious!

Cheers F. Glad it's happening now and not further down the line!

Kellygirl wrote: »

You did the right thing calling it a day and not pushing any further. Hopefully just something minor that needs a bit of manipulation and off you go again. You’ve a great base behind you and loads of mileage done this year so this one run won’t make much difference. I know it doesn’t feel like that right now.

Yeah, I knew I had to stop but could easily have tried to run it off. Bit of a surreal experience walking back to the car, down Chesterfield Avenue at 6:20am........:pac:

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Fingers crossed K. Wise decision to pull the plug.

Thanks J! I wish I could apply my running-related decision making process to everything else in life!!

The Black Oil

Frustrating. On a positive note it's early in the plan and hopefully there's time to get an answer on it and get back out there.

coogy

Trip to the physio planned for Wednesday.

Been stretching and rolling a fair bit over the last couple of days and am prepared to forego any running for the coming week to play it safe.

ariana`

coogy wrote: »

Trip to the physio planned for Wednesday.

Been stretching and rolling a fair bit over the last couple of days and am prepared to forego any running for the coming week to play it safe.

Hopefully one session will sort it, you're doing the right thing.