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Run for your life!!!!
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Monday 18th November
REST
Tuesday 19th November
5 miles easy w/6 x 80 strides/cool down.
6.36m @ 9:23
Back up to Grange Castle Business Park for this easy run, another very early start. The early mornings runs definitely benefit me in terms of 'getting it done' but I sometimes wonder how long I can keep it up for before I start to flake.
Messed up the strides at the end, thanks to some GPS issues.
Wednesday 20th November
Warm up/ 4x400 (6:45-6:55) off 75 x 3/2 mins rec between sets.
6.16m @ 8:12
Now at the stage where I am waking up before my alarm goes off. Not sure if that's a good thing or not?
15 minute warm up jog preceded this on the way back up to Grange Castle, now becoming a favorite location, especially for the session work.
Reps for each of the 400's were:
Set 1: 6:49/6:45/6:54/6:43
Set 2: 6:50/6:44/6:50/6:54
Set 3: 6:55/6:50/6:52/6:49
Very happy with this. As with last week, I felt at times I could have given a little more but I was satisfied with the effort.
Thursday 21st November
45 mins recovery
5.06m @ 9.07
Down the quays and a brief visit to the Phoenix Park for a lap of the zoo before heading back down the quays.
Friday 22nd November
REST
Saturday 23rd November
Warm up/2 miles @ 8:30/3 miles @8:00/2miles @8:30
8.61m @ 8:27
Enjoyed this one. Just a nice pace to be running at although might have over-cooked it a little at times. Lots of runners out this morning, with lots of nods of acknowledgement.
Sunday 24th November
Easy 10 mile run.
10.31mi @ 9:35
Decided the night before that I would give the body a rest by leaving this till Sunday evening. It was only later in the day that I remembered we were going to an Oasis tribute act Liam Gallagher at the 3 Arena that night so just about managed to squeeze this one in, thanks to a very understanding OH. I think I did a good job at stressing how much I needed to do this run. I was actually doing her a favour by going to the gig (wouldn't have gone by choice) so I figured we'd be quits.......:D
Recap of the week - Finally got the finger out and registered for Manchester. It's happening. Still yet to sign up for Jingle Bells but looking likely.
Certainly felt the tiredness this week but I suspect that it's more to do with the early starts than anything else. Will need to try to break things up a bit when it comes to planning the timing of my runs from here on in.
Passed the 1,500 mile mark for the year too.
Miles for the week- 39.9 :rolleyes:
Miles for the year - 15220 -
Monday 25th November
40 mins easy w/4×80m strides/cool down
5.23m @ 9.18
It was out into the late night cold air for this. Don't remember very much about it tbh, pretty straightforward.
Tuesday 26th November
5 miles easy w/6 x strides
5.45m @ 9:03
Took advantage of a long lunch and ran down the docks, into Ringsend and finished with some strides (approx 80 metres) in Trinity College.
Wednesday 27th November
OFF
Thursday 28th November
WU / 8 x 400m @5k pace off 75 seconds/2 mins recovery/4 x 200m hard off 60 seconds
5.53m @8.05
Woke up at the usual early time but I really had to push myself out the door to do this session. After deliberating for about 20 minutes over whether or not I had it in me, I decided that I would only regret it later.
After a similar session the previous week, I felt that I could have given a bit more so I thought I'd up the pace slightly for each o f the 400's:
Splits were:
6:36/6:34/6:38/6:32/6:36/6:34/6:28/6:34
The splits for the 4 x 200's were:
5:43/5:55/6:05/5:46
Overall, very happy with the session and by the end, relieved that I got it done and out of the way rather than spend the day fretting about how I would fit it in.
Still somehow getting away with not wearing running tights. Hard as nails, me. :cool:
Friday 29th November
30 mins easy
3.23m @ 9:20
A little tired during this, a good tired though.
Saturday 30th November
30 mins easy + strides
4.14m @ 8:51
Over to Griffeen for the first time in a long time for this easy trundle. Finished off with 4 x 80's
Sunday 1st November
10 mile progression run
10.01m @ 8:28
Was planning on starting with a 1st mile of around 9:30 but some gps issues resulted in mile 1 coming in at around 9:42. Probably just as well as my final mile would have ended up being close to the 7:00 mark which I felt might have been a little on the 'pacey' side so I stuck with the gradual progression from the slightly slower-than-planned pace.
Have been a little guilty of becoming something of a slave to the Garmin of late. Definitely need it for uploading workouts for the sessions but for runs like this one, I should try to be less rigid when it comes to the paces. Seemed to do the trick and with mile 10 coming in at around 7:15, I reckoned it was a good day at the office.
Came home for a quick shower and change before making our way to Tymon Park for the last of the three Junior XC events of the season.
Once again, my son was running in the Under 10's and when we arrived, the terrain was, as expected, 'soft', with some parts of the course that could only be described as mulch.
Given the proximity between the start line and finish, it wasn't possible to see him set off so we waited just before the finish line to cheer him on. The usual faces made up the top four or five but wait a second, who's this? Out of nowhere, himself comes steamrolling down towards the finish line, securing a top 10 finish. Unreal.
Bring on the Nationals!
Recap of the week: a busy week of running with only one rest day but four of the days were 'easy pace' and relatively short.
The coaching side of things is going really well too. I think I'm just one of those runners who's not confident of making decisions without some direction. Definitely the right move for me.
One thing I need to pick up again though is a routine of s&c workouts. I was doing these religiously pre-DCM but let it slide once that was done and dusted.
Also, Jingle Bells was all of a sudden looking unlikely after I discovered at the weekend that it was sold out. All is not lost though, thanks to fellow 2018 Novice Hedgehoggy (thanks G!), who's saved my bacon!!
As for the race, a 19:59:59 will send me home happy!
Miles for the week- 36.6
Miles for the year - 15580 -
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I'm another sticking to the shorts. Got through last winter without resorting to the leggings and I'll try keep the legs out for the duration this year too. Hat and gloves and I'm happy.
Got told by an elderly lady on my run this morning that "you're making me cold just looking at you" 0 -
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Monday 2nd December
Rest
Tuesday 3rd December
Warm up/4x 1k @ 5k pace
4.48m @ 7:48
This looked like a juicy one on paper and I was NOT disappointed when it came to executing it. Always feels like more of a challenge doing these sessions so early in the morning and ultimately way more satisfying. After a 15 min warm up, I started the first of the 1k reps. I knew for Jingle Bells that if I wanted a sub-20, I'd need to be hitting at least 6:25 min/miles so I aimed for a similar pace. Was happy to see that I was bang on target each time.
Splits were:
6:25/6:27/6:23/6:26
Wednesday 4th December
50 mins recovery
5.52 m @ 9:12
Headed down the North Quays and up to the Phoenix Park via NCR.
Thursday 5th December
Rest
Friday 6th December
30 mins easy + strides
3.59m @ 8:58
Another lunch-time run with 4 x 80 m strides tagged on to the end.
Saturday 7th November
Jingle Bells 5k
3.1m @ 6.22
Although I was feeling very confident, the nerves were starting to make themselves known during the drive over to the Phoenix Park. Made sure I was in plenty of time to allow for a bit of a warm up and some decent stretching and a few strides for good measure.
Met Hedgehoggy on the way down to the start line and once in the enclosure, had a brief chat with Damo before spotting Wubble Wubble and wished them both luck. Positioned myself about 50 metres from the start line and save for some minor congestion, once we got going, and manoevered past some pockets of runners, I was moving freely enough. That said, some small amount of weaving in and out was required at times but once we hit Chesterfield Ave, we were motoring.
Spotted WW up ahead, steadily making ground, while Damo had already left us for dust.
This being only my second actual 5k race, I was unsure how things would unfold but for the time being, I felt in control and was hitting my target pace without any major problems.
Turning on to the Furze, mile 1 beeped in at 6:29, happy with that for starters, just keep it up and don't panic. Too early for panic. I was starting to pass out a good few runners now and a quick glance of the watch showed me I was still maintaining the desired pace, even though the first signs of real effort were become evident. The only thing I was focusing on was not letting the pace slip too far beyond what was needed and, looking up ahead at the incline, I knew how important it was to do a good job of managing this section of the course.
Kept the form as controlled as possible and thankfully, still on track. Past the Knockmaroon Gates now and mile 2 showed a pace of 6:27, Feeling the pinch now but knowing that the home straight was not too far ahead, I tried desperately hard to prevent any of the usual inner demons from rearing their ugly heads. Another unexpected incline which was thankfully managed reasonably well and we can finally begin the approach down the home straight. Even with the obvious downhill advantage and a pace of around 5:55/6:00, I knew that this was no time to take the foot off the gas. Things were beginning to hurt now and was really struggling to find an extra gear from somewhere. Spotted my coach pacing one of his crew and had a little chuckle to myself as I heard his words/shouts/screams of gentle (?) encouragement. It was a relief to see mile 3 coming in at 6:11 and knew that this was the time to make it count. I desperately searched for signs of the runners up ahead approaching or crossing anything that looked like a finish line but all I could make out were runners running. Ah, there it is, finally.
Now with the finish line finally in clear sight, I took one last look at the watch which showed 19:30. With about 100 metres to go, I put the foot down (or as close to 'putting your foot down' as you can get), using up the last of my reserves and crossing the line with around 10 seconds to spare. Phew!! Crossed the line in 19:48 and for the first time in what seemed like a long time, experienced a feeling of elation at the finish. Spotted Lazare, who finished just a few seconds ahead of me and went over to congratulate him as we both desperately clung on to the barrier composed ourselves before collecting our mugs and other goodies.
Was great to catch up with some Boardsies afterwards including Browneyes, Huzzah, and Damo to discuss our respective post-race thoughts. Had a quick chat with coach before running the cool down with Browneyes before joining ReeReeG for about a mile's worth of chats.
A good day at the office all round.
Sunday 8th December
70 mins easy
7.65m @ 9:21
Not much to say about this except that it was an absolutely rotten morning for running. The running tights came out too. I am clearly not as 'hard as nails' as I thought I was. :rolleyes:
Legs felt a little creaky after the previous day so took it nice and slow. Weather took a turn for the worse later in the day so was relieved to have got this done early doors.
What's next..........the training for Manchester will begin in earnest in January, during which time I plan to target a 10k and half marathon. Bohermeen would be ideal but cutting it a little fine for me timing wise, being less than 4 weeks away from Manchester. Wicklow half looks like the only other option for now.
Miles for the week- 35
Miles for the year - 15890 -
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Monday 16th December
6 miles easy
6.44m@ 9:08
Night time run around Lucan. Nowt to report
Wednesday 18th December
15 mins wu/3 sets of 4 X 400m @ 5k pace off 90secs/2 mins between sets
6.37m @ 8:11
Another 'up with the birds' speed session. Still hard to know if I'm getting the best out of myself, given the early hour. Usually by the time the warm up is done, I feel reasonably awake.
Paces were as follows:
Set 1 - 98/97/99/98
Set 2 - 96/96/99/98
Set 3 - 99/98/97/100
Last two reps in set 3 felt a little leggy, not a bad thing I suppose.
Finished with a
15 minute cool down
Thursday 19th December
Recovery run
5.91m @ 9:09
Day off work. Absolutely Baltic morning and was on the receiving end of some very strange looks as I walked the kids to school dressed in just shorts/running top.:pac:
Friday 20th December
60 mins easy + strides
6.84 @ 9:12
Very little to mention about this one either. Still, they all count.
Saturday 21st December
5 x hill repeats off 3 mins/cool down
Met the coach at the top of the Upper Glen Rd, just where the road splits leading down to the Furry Glen. It was the two of us and another of his crew who has been training with him for over a year and is currently preparing for Donadea.
Did a quick recce of the loop we'd be doing which started along the Furry Glen, about 200 metres from Upper Glen Rd, sharp left continuing along this road, off the road and down the steps leading back down to the Furry Glen. The plan was for 90 seconds hills at 10k pace (approx 6:45) and the rest would be 3 mins recovery.
Won't go into too much detail but I thoroughly enjoyed this, not least because of the company which is something I rarely get to experience.
The coaching side of things is working out better than I could have imagined, glad that I decided to take the plunge.
Sunday 22nd December
10 miles steady 10.07m @ 8:49
Identical mileage (have just realised that the distance and time for last week's 10 mile was completely wrong and now uneditable) and route to previous Sunday but right knee was giving out for the first few miles. Felt fine by the end of the run though.
Miles for the week- 42.2
Miles for the year - 1682
So, we're almost through with 2019 but still just enough time to practice different ways to say "just going out for a run" on December 25th.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a visit and to those of you who left a comment along the way. It's all greatly appreciated.
On the whole, I can say that the year has been a success from a running point of view and in what I was hoping to achieve. I know there's a lot more in the tank for 2020 and beyond and hopefully will come away from Manchester with another marathon time and performance to be proud of.
Happy Chrimbles to you all!!0 -
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Comic Book Guy wrote: »Congrats on a tremendous 2019 K.
Your style of writing and reporting has really marked this log out as one of my favourites. Loved your Dublin Marathon report and looking forward to tracking your progress on what will inevitably be a sub 3 30 in Manchester.
Cheers for that J. I've definitely been growing in confidence since DCM and that's a big thing that was holding me back for a long time.
The shackles are off!!! 0 -
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