Run for your life!!!!

coogy

Hey K. Yes, I thought it was time to dust off the cobwebs and dive back in after what seems like an eternity.

I won't go into too much detail (famous last words!) but between losing my way a little, a not at all badly timed injury and some much-needed time away from running, I seem to have rediscovered an appetite for it again.

The last couple of years were pretty intense on the running front and it seemed that the more I ran, the less I had to show for it. Basically, the confidence was shot and it went downhill from there.

Picked things up again before the summer, just easing myself into really. Since then I've been building up the mileage bit by bit. Also, a big game changer has been the decision to start running with a group every Sunday morning. They're all local lads who I've known for a while from the local parkrun, who have been meeting up most Sundays for the last couple of years. They're a great bunch and I've been heading out with them for the last three or four weeks. It's made me realise how it's something I could really have benefitted from when I was in the middle of training for all those races from DCM 2018 onwards. Anyway, better late than never!

Registered for Jingle Bells too so I will focus on getting myself into reasonable shape for that. Am currently using KSU's 6-week base from the DCM graduates log but not sticking to it too religiously.

Long term, I definitely want to tackle another marathon so whether that's DCM 2023 or something a little less high profile, I'm not too sure but that 's loosely the plan.

So yeah......it's all good!

Huzzah!

Good to have you back, K!

coogy

Alright so, first 'proper' log entry in quite some. Let's see if I can manage this without the usual typos and getting dates wrong.......🙄

Monday 3rd October

Rest day.

Tuesday 4th October

Busy day in work so had to give today's easy run a miss.

Wednesday 5th October

Easy run

4.61 miles

Pace - 8.34 mins/mile

Pretty run of the mill stuff

Thursday 6th October

Easy run - 3.34 miles

Pace - 8.38 mins/mile

Early start today as Thursdays are my day in the office

Friday 7th October

Rest day

Saturday 8th October

40 mins easy + 5 mins a@ threshold pace

5.44 miles @ 8:16 mins/mile

Finding myself now really looking forward to getting back into the 'pacey' stuff so was waiting for this all week, ever though it was only 5 mins of threshold pace at the end.

Sunday 9th October.

90 mins easy

10:07 miles @ 8:31 mins/mile

Another earlier-than-usual start as our son had cross country up in Tymon Park, so didn't get to head out with our running group. Our son decided to give up the athletics at the beginning of this year but after a few unsuccessful attempts at finding another sport, we came back full circle and he's now back at it.

Been finding it a little easier to keep the easy miles easy during the long runs but I like to up the pace a little towards the end for the last few miles.

A lot of my motivation for running in the last while has come from my fellow Boardsies and others I know who are now coming to the end of their training for DCM. I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous but it's so great to see some of the incredible dedication and commitment in 'getting it done'. I will be cheering you all on come 30th October so enjoy the taper madness one and all!!! 😊

Total mileage for the week - 25.5

Wubble Wubble

Delighted to see this log back again. Your recent experiences sound not completely unlike my own!

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119726556#Comment_119726556

Cheers J!

I know it's early days but already weighing up my options for races next year!

coogy

Two weeks on the trot, this must be a record!

Monday 10th October

Rest day.

Tuesday 11th October

1 hour easy

7 miles @ 8.40 mi

Still keeping the easy miles relatively easy

Wednesday 12th October

Should have been a 60 min progression run (easy to MP) but with another crazy day in work, the only window of opportunity was to do this as a runmute. Started off just past the Garda Boat Club but was feeling knackered after only a few hundred metres, and with a bag on my back to contend with, I knew that this was a terrible idea. Last time I ran with a bag on my back was training for DCM 2018 and it was a terrible idea then, too.

I made it as far as the top of the old Lucan Road (after a steady climb of over 1 km) and called it a day before hopping on a bus the rest of the way home.

Thursday 13th October

1 hour easy

6.43 miles @ 8.32 mi

Still annoyed at the previous evening's missed opportunity/b**ls up so went a little beyond easy pace for the last mile of this run.

Friday 14th October

Rest day

Saturday 15th October

5 x 9 mins easy, 1 min hard

6.16 miles @ 8:07 mi

Wasn't the most pleasant morning for running but when did that ever stop anyone? Back down to Griffeen for this, just before the start of the Parkrun.

Saw all the usual heads, some going hell for leather, others just taking it nice and handy. There was rain and wind coming from all sides, just the way I like it. 🙂

Felt good putting the foot down for the 1 minute hard pace. and made sure to keep it nice and easy in between.

Sunday 16th October.

1hr 45 mins easy

12:04 miles @ 8:29 mins/mile

Met up with my new running buddies (I've actually known most of them for ages but just never thought of joining them on a Sunday) at 9am for our usual route. I needed to add a couple of miles on to last week's distance so about 5 miles in, I separated from the group and had a lovely couple of miles along the trail path in Catherine's Park/Lucan Demesne. Still, as the mileage entered double figures, I was starting to tire and did struggle a little for the last couple of miles. Met the others back at our finishing point for the usual post-run chats.

This weekend, I need to keep the pace a bit more consistent to make sure I last the distance.

Total mileage for the week - 31.6

coogy

Two weeks on the trot, this must be a record!

Monday 17th October

Rest day.

Tuesday 18th October

1 hour easy

6.45 miles @ 8.38 mi

Nice lunchtime run along the canal.

Wednesday 19th October

50 mins moderate pace

6.30 miles @ 7.59 mi

Having little or no recent race experience to speak of, knowing what my 'moderate pace' should be, left me scratching my head for a bit but just went with what felt right.

Decided on 8 (ish) minute miles for this which I felt more than comfortable with. Thankfully, with each week that passes, I feel like I'm clawing back a little bit of where I was at before the beginning of the year.

Thursday 20th October

40 mins easy

4.4 miles @ 8.45 mi

Early one today, as I was in the office so had to get this one out of the way. As I ran along the canal (still in the dark), there were a few swans along the canal, two of which were still as statues with their head and necks immersed in the water.

Do they sleep that way?

Do they even sleep?

Friday 21st October

Rest day

Saturday 22nd October

45 mins easy + 5 mins @ threshold

6.01 miles @ 8:19 mi

Sunday 23rd October.

10 miles kind of easy

12:04 miles @ 8:29 mins/mile

Met up with my new running buddies (I've actually known most of them for ages but just never thought of joining them on a Sunday) at 9am for our usual route. I needed to add a couple of miles on to last week's distance so about 5 miles in, I separated from the group and had a lovely couple of miles along the trail path in Catherine's Park/Lucan Demesne. Still, as the mileage entered double figures, I was starting to tire and did struggle a little for the last couple of miles. Met the others back at our finishing point for the usual post-run chats.

This weekend, I need to keep the pace a bit more consistent to make sure I last the distance.

Total mileage for the week - 34.4

coogy

Quick update as I've gone too long without a log entry to start playing catch up.

Everything is going as well as can be expected and am as close as I can be to where I was pre-injury at the beginning of this year.

Having chipped away at the six week base plan, I made the decision to revisit the weekly training plans that were sent to me at the end of 2019 by my then coach as I was starting to train for Manchester. It got me in great shape at the time so I'll stick with it for a few months and try to get some sort of performance in a Spring half or something like that.

Have registered for the DCM lottery so should find out this week whether or not I have a place. Being honest, the thought of doing another marathon sort of terrifies me. I already know that no matter what marathon I do in 2023, I will be going for a time which I have in my head, even now. 😬

Finally, I have been going a little bit running shoe crazy. As someone who, up till this point, has always worn running shoes to death before begrudgingly investing in another pair, I have just ordered two new pairs for myself. Got a pair of Pegasus last week and earlier today, took advantage of a decent sale in Lifestyle Sports and treated myself to a pair of Puma Velocity Nitro 2.

This time, it's WAR!!!!!!

(or something like that).

Murph_D

What will the marathon target time be?

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119884252#Comment_119884252

Right now, I would be very happy with a 3:10/15 finish time. That for me, would be as good as it could get. Knowing my limitations by now, aiming higher would be too big an ask, I reckon.

Plus, we'll we well into 'M50' age category by then! All downhill from here........😉

coogy

Monday 14th November - Rest day

Tuesday 15th November - 5 miles easy @ 8:30 pace

Local park for this one. Forgot to throw in the strides at the end!

Wednesday 16th November - 3 sets of 4 x 400 @ 5k pace/off 75 secs/2 mins rest between sets

Tried out the new footwear today and enjoyed the entra bounce they gave me, serving as a reminder to try to rotate my running shoes a bit more frequently, something I've always been a little reluctant to do. With so many great deals around nowadays, there's not much of an excuse.

The session itself was ok, hit the paces no problem but still inclined to make most of my recoveries a half walk/half jog effort. Will seee if I can change that over the coming weeks.

Thursday 17th November - Recovery run

This didn't happen for more reasons than you could shake a stick at.

Friday 18th November - Rest day (and payday!)

Also, received a much needed 'schooling' from a fellow boardsie on the do's and dont's when it comes to choosing the best running shoe. Turns out there was actually more that I didn't know about running shoe technology that I thought!! 😬

Saturday 19th November - 2 miles @ 8:15/3 miles @ 7:45/2 miles @8:15

Once again, lifted from a training plan from my old coach from the tail end of 2019. Tweaked the paces a little to make them a little quicker. Really enjoyed this one and was so locked into the faster pace that I went into mile six forgetting to slow the paces down.

Sunday 20th November - 11 mile long run

Met up with the gang down at Griffeen at 9am and did our usual route through Lucan into Catherine's Park and back. It's got its fair share of hills which I mostly dread but gradualy getting used to them. I definitely do feel that I'm getting closer to where I was at at the end of 2021, before the injury came. Just need to keep things consistent for now. Had registed for Jingle Bells but had to pass the entry on as my son will be racing at the Uneven age XC Nationals down in Cork on the same day.

In other news, was thankfully successful in securing a place for DCM 23 in the lottery. Have already registered so it's game on! In the new year, will be aiming for either Naas 10 miler of Bohermeen half and will see what the lay of the land is. It's going to be an interesting 11 months!!! 😉

Miles for the week - 31

Miles for the year - 491

coogy

Monday 21st November - 40 mins easy with strides

Once again, using the training plan from 2019. Have been questioning this decision a fair bit over the last week, wondering if it's the right thing to do and if I should be trying out something new. I know some folks in running circles (most of whom are sub-3 marathon runners) who have told me they'd be happy to send me on a training plan if I ever needed one. Might just take them up on that offer but for now, as I mentioned last week (I think), I'll probably stick with it till the new year.

Tuesday 22nd November - 5 miles easy @ 8:40 pace

A friend of mine (casual runner) told me he secured an entry for DCM - his first one - and I mentioned to him about the Boards Novice marathon thread, recommending that he check it out when the time comes for it to start up again. Decided just for the hell of it to take a look back (mostly done through my fingers) at the 2018 version and relive some of the experience. I'm now glad that I did because it reminded me just how important it all was, and how I may not have fully appreciated the advice at the time (I did, of course but in a different way). The constant and repetitive advice to 'SLOW DOWN' by the then mentors took a while to sink in and my understanding of what an 'easy pace' was couldn't have been any further off the mark. At one point - this is even before the proper training started - I posted with pride about how I managed a 10 mile 'easy' run, expecting to be inundated with virtual high fives galore. First question thrown in my direction from the 'sensible pace department' (their words, not mine 😉) was "how slow did you go?" My jaw dropped when I saw what I had responded with: "Average pace of around 7:37 mins/mile". Jesus wept. Hats off to the mentors (and the other experienced folk) that year, patience of saints I tell you. Why am I telling you this? Well, I figured that my easy runs of late have been lacking in that 'relaxed' feel that i eventually became used to when the proper training kicked in back in 2018. I decided for this run to just let go, stop staring at the watch and enjoy the run. Which I did, and loved every second of it. More of the same please.

Wednesday 23rd November - Rest day

Thursday 24th November - 8 x 400 @ 5k pace/off 75 secs/4 x 200 hard / off 1 min

Was in the office today with meetings coming out of my ears so couldn't do this until evening time. Dropped my son off to athletics and ran across the road to Griffeen Park, in the pitch dark. Parts of the loop I was running on were mostly poorly lit and had to rely on my new head-light hat, which helped only slightly. Was conscious of getting back in time to collect himself so decided to do 6 x 400 and 2 x 200 instead. Turns out I would have had time to fit it all in but I reasoned that doing an interval session in the dark AND the rain was enough to not feel like it was a wasted outing.

First time I did this particular session was just before Jingle Bells 2019. Unfortunately had to pass my entry on for this year but did consider the Tom Brennan memorial 5k on New Year's Day.

Friday 25th November - Rest day

Should have actually done a 30 mins recovery run but again, busy day in work from the word go.

Saturday 26th November - 30 mins easy - @ 8:42 pace

Went for the more relaxed pace again, and what do you know, another really enjoyable run, even though it was only 4 miles.

Sunday 27th November - 8 mile progression run @ 8.24 pace

Another run with the Sunday morning crew. Perfect morning for it too. I knew I would have to cut this run short due to my son's early training session so managed just the 8 miles. The plan was to do it as a progression run but looking back at my last five or six long runs, they've all started off easy with the pace picking up gradually........ nothing different about this one so! 🤷‍♂️

Bit of a drop in the mileage this week. Not too concerned though as I am keeping things relatively consistent.

Also. I think it has just hit home that I am doing the Dublin marathon next year.

Miles for the week - 27

Miles for the year - 517

coogy

Nowt to report this week due to being hit with Covid, and boy did it hit me!!

Caught it briefly last year and experienced the usual symptoms but this time around, it was far more severe. I actually started feeling aches and pains in my shoulder during last week's long run which I mistook for something else. This became steadily worse as the week progressed and by Wednesday, the temperature had rocketed and the headaches and other symptoms were at their worst.

Over the worst of it now thankfully and dying to get back to running so hoping to pick things up again midweek all being well.

So great to see so many impressive performances over the weekend, well done to everyone!!

coogy

Wednesday 7th December - 6-ish miles easy

My bout of Covid from last week pretty much had me floored but thankfully made a speedy enough recovery. Still decided not to rush back into anything silly. Took advantage of a day in the office with an enjoyable run through the city on Wednesday, into the Phoenix Park and back again. Used to do this run (about 10k), back when the term 'pacing' meant nothing to me. I would have squeezed a 10k into about 50 minutes during my lunch hour, thinking I was taking it handy. Utter madness.

Thursday 8th December - 5 miles easy

Not much to report about this. Just glad to get out.

Saturday 10th December - 5k tempo-ish run

Woke to the 'ping' of WhatsApp messages from the Griffeen crew asking who was up for a 5k/10k in place of the cancelled Parkrun. Paths still very icy so stuck to the grass for the most part which, although a little energy-sapping, was manageable enough. Felt good afterwards, and was happy that I decided not to stay under the duvet. 🙂

Sunday 11th December - 10 miles easy

First word I uttered when I looked out the window was "nope". Went outside for a closer inspection and saw that it wasn't too bad. Met up with a few other hardy souls down in Griffeen at 9am and we did our usual 10 miles in the glorious winter sunshine. Very enjoyable, relaxed run.

Been a very busy couple of weeks with my extra-curricular sideline as a live caricature artist. Have had about two or three corporate Christmas parties a week for the last few weeks and it's not over yet. It's mostly enjoyable but as ever, when the punters can't get the booze down their necks quick enough, it makes the job of an artist all the more challenging. Fun times!!! 🤪

Murph_D

Interesting sideline! Sounds like fun, although it possibly explains the covid too. 😉

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119985014#Comment_119985014

Yes, no doubt that's where I picked it up! Had to cancel a couple of bookings too unfortunately!

Feel free to look around!! 👇️

https://www.caricaturesbyken.ie/

Murph_D

Oh wow, some fabulous work there! I can really see the animation background coming through alright. Full of surprises. 😉

coogy

Monday 12th December - Rest day

Tuesday 13th December - 6.5 miles with strides

Knowing it would be a busy week with little running, this was a couple of miles longer than originally planned, making sure there were some strides tagged on at the end.

Wednesday 14th December - 5 miles steady

Was a toss up between an interval session and this but there's not been many of these runs in my training of late so just decided to go with it. Can focus more on the speedier stuff after Christmas. Enjoyed this. Had a couple of wobbles along the canal where it was still pretty icy.

Thursday 15th December -

Work too busy to even think about getting out the door for a run. Had two caricature gigs in the city during the evening too so had to just strike it off.

Friday 16th December - rest day

Saturday 17th December -

Too much going on with just over a week to go before Chrimmah and way too much left to do.

Sunday 18th December - 14 miles easy

Had been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks after it was originally planned with skyblue. Arrived at the Visitors Centre in the Phoenix Park to meet skyblue himself, Laineyfrecks, Lazare and ReeReeG - none of whom I had seen in person since DCM 2019 - and was introduced for the first time to scotindublin.

We set off just after 10am and started on a big loop of the park and had some nice chats along the way, lots of talk about what our respective plans for the year ahead were. V left us just past the 9 mile stage and we continued on out of the park, into the beautiful surroundings of the Memorial Park along the Liffey, leading us back into the park for what was easily the most enjoyable run of the year. Felt it at the end though!!! 😉

Miles for the week - 30.

Mile for the year - 576

ReeReeG

Thanks for the run on Sunday 😊

Laineyfrecks

Yeah cheers, it was lovely to run & chat & have no real focus😊

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120017285#Comment_120017285

No real focus?? I was more focused during that run than I've ever been in my whole life. 😆

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120019456#Comment_120019456

🤣🤣🤣

skyblue46

"Felt it at the end"? Is that when you fooked off up the avenue to the visitor centre at 5k pace? 🤣

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120019785#Comment_120019785

Haha, I was wondering if that would get a mention!

To be honest, I was feeling it a few minutes before that and thought I was going to have to pull up as we crossed Chesterfield Ave for the last time. Speeding up was was one way of making sure I didn't stop before we hit the 14 miles! 😬

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120017233#Comment_120017233

Cheers V, was a nice surprise to see you there! 🙂

scotindublin

Haha, yeah I hadn't realised we were recreating "race mode" at the end of the run. It was a great morning.

coogy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120020528#Comment_120020528

Don't worry about it, you'll know for next time.........😉

coogy

Let's see if I can remember what happened last week.....

Monday 19th December - Rest day

Tuesday 20th December - 4 miles with 6 x 80m strides

Wednesday 21st December - 5 miles progression run

Went down to Griffeen for this. I find it a good motivator doing progression runs in this park, with the 1 mile loops.

Felt strong, especially the last couple of miles.

Thursday 22nd December -

No sooner did I leave the house that the heavens opened but as a lover of running in the rain, I lapped this one up.

Friday 23rd December - rest day

Signed up for Bohermeen.

Saturday 24th December - 11 miles easy

Decided to do the long run today as I knew I wouldn't get out the door for a run on Christmas day. Watch didn't charge properly overnight and only lasted beyond 8 miles. Probably spent longer trying to manually upload the missing part of the run to Strava than I did running the 8 miles.........🤔

Sunday 25th December - Rest day

Santa was VERY good to me this year. 😁 A few new nice running tops and a brand spanking new pair of Puma Deviate Nitro Elltes! First time owning a race shoe (I know) and was blown away with how little they weighed, there's literally nothing to them. Can't wait to give them a spin.

As the morning progressed, I watched on in envy as my Strava feed became choc-a-bloc with runners getting out for their Christmas morning miles, whether it was a Parkrun, the GOAL mile or just heading out for an easy hour. 🤨

As for the weeks ahead, after much protracted umming and awing (humming and hawing?) I have decided to switch over* to the Faster Road Racing half marathon plan. I had a good look through it and I like the look of it. May have to switch my rest days around but that's not really an issue.

Goal time - at present - is 1:29:59. Have yet to break 90 mins in an official race but cracked it during a time trial during lockdown back in 2020 and I feel I am very close now to where I was then. Time will tell over the next 11 weeks or so I suppose. I am feeling really good at the moment and enjoying my running more now than I have done for a long time.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Miles for the week - 30-ish

Mile for the year - 619

*when I say 'switch over', I don't mean I'm swapping plans half way through a block. I was just doing some random stuff up until this week from no particular plan so from this week, I start the half marathon plan proper..........the first week of which, I missed as a result of all my indecision..........🙄

coogy

Have been enjoying everyone's review of their year of running in 2022 but given how the year went for me - injured between January and March, with a self-imposed and restful hiatus of sorts for the first half of the year - there's not an awful lot to report.

One race, the Lucan Harriers 5 mile in September, went just as I had expected, having to stop to come up for air on more than one occasion and crossed the line in just under 38 minutes. Since then, I have been growing in confidence and feeling stronger by the week so happy to have finished the year on something of a high. Excited about what's in store for the year ahead................

Monday 26th December - 7 miles easy

Planned rest day today but the FOMO was too much for me to take! Headed out with the gang and took it nice and handy with an easy and enjoyable 7 miles.

Tuesday 27th December - 7 miles easy/6 x 15 sec hills/6 x 100 m strides

Woke up later than expected so didn't get to do the route I had planned (with better hills). There was a stiff wind for the first mile and a half but once I made it up to Grange Castle, it was mostly sheltered. The hills weren't too bad in the end as they were all into the wind so the effort was decent enough.

Wednesday 28th December - 8 miles endurance

If I'm honest, I didn't really know how to approach this run. I obviously know what endurance training is, but for an actual endurance run, I didn't know what sort of paces I should be doing. After a bit of fact checking, the penny soon dropped. 🙄

Thursday 29th December - Rest day

Friday 30th December - 5 x 1k @ 6:30 pace/off 90 secs

The session in the plan prescribed 8 miles in total, comprising of warm up/18 mins LT interval/4 mins rec/12 mins LT interval/cool down. I don't actually have a copy of the book yet 😂 so I'm not sure if there was a specific session intended.

The bulk of my interval sessions to date have been 30/35 mins duration and there's plenty for me to choose from so I decided to just go with one that I did exactly one year ago which was 5 x 1k/off 90 secs. When I did it last year, the paces were slightly quicker (approx 6:15 pace) so figured I would scale the efforts back a little. Felt strange doing a session on a Friday, when this would usually be my rest day.

The wind was still howling outside (as opposed to inside) so knowing which way it was blowing, I thought I would give the 500m loop at Griffeen a miss seeing as last year too, it was also extremely windy with crosswinds, headwinds, tailwinds to contend with and I struggled a little when it came to hitting the paces. Opted for the long stretch of road at Adamstown to do this which is just over a mile in length. Started off with the wind at my back and was thankfully on pace. As soon as I turned 180 to start the recovery, I was head on into wild gusts of wind so efforts 2 and 4 were a little off pace but kept things pretty consistent. The last rep, even though I had the wind at my back, was tough (as it's meant to be) but was happy to see that my form didn't dip or that I had to deal with thoughts of stopping.

Saturday 31st December - Rest day

Sunday 1st January two thousand and twenty three - 11 miles endurance......HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Went out solo today as most of the regular running crew opted for the New Years Day Parkrun instead. Wasn't really a late one the night before (it was the usual NYE movie with the kids and the ringing in of the new year outside with the neighbours) so felt fresh enough and was out the door by 9am.

As soon as I decided on a route - something that seems to take an eternity these days - I set off on an easy enough pace of 8:39/8:40, knowing I would be gradually ramping it up during the latter miles. Headed up the canal to Corkagh Park for a change of scenery. Ended up running in the middle of their Parkrun (lots of shiny new running gear on display 😊) for about a mile before leaving the park and heading through Clondalkin, ending back on the canal. After mile 6, I decided to up the pace a little and I left it until miles 9-11 before hitting sub-8 pace. The rain and headwind down along the the canal was a nice little challenge too.

Overall, an enjoyable week of running. The weekly mileage may have increased a tad more than it should have compared to last week but I feel like I can handle it once I remain sensible on the whole.

Also, something new (sort of) that I have been factoring into my daily routine for the last couple of weeks has been working on my S&C. Not really new to it but I always lacked discipline when it came to trying to keep it a regular thing. Will try my best to keep this consistent (about 20/25 mins) on each of my rest days.

Miles for the week - 43

Miles for the year - 11

scotindublin

Best of luck with the year ahead and hopefully see you for a run soon.