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mister paul

Week starting 2020-02-24

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6.2m easy
Wednesday: 2 x 20 min @ HMP / 5 min recovery
Thursday: 6.2m easy
Friday: 4m easy + strides
Saturday: Parkrun @ pace
Sunday: 10m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: I decided to head down to the club and run my own session "solo in company", as I'd things to do on Wednesday evening. Was running (cycling) a bit late, so arrived as everyone finished their warmups. Ran 4 laps at easy pace to warmup, adding a couple of strides in on the final lap. Then into the session. Calves were a bit niggly, but got through it okay. Not sure that the camber of the track helped in that regard. By the second 20 the numbers were starting to thin and there were 4-5 on the track by the time I finished, all but one of those sprint training.

Time|Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR|Avg Run Cadence
06:52.7|1|06:53|148|156|185
06:58.3|1|06:58|154|157|186
06:08.9|0.91|06:46|156|161|187
|
06:56.0|1|06:56|149|156|183
06:50.2|1|06:50|158|160|190
06:13.8|0.91|06:50|158|164|181

When I got home, I felt a slight niggle around left knee. Nothing too bad, but definitely there going up stairs or lifting the knee in any way high.

Distance: 9.06 miles in total

Wednesday: As I'd plans for the evening, I ran into work. First mile was the usual story of HR mis-reads, but once it settled down run went well. Nice crisp morning. Buff removed after the first mile. Run mostly downhill with the wind at my back after that. Perfect conditions. Calves good, nothing from the knee at all.

Distance: 4.01 miles @ 8:55, avg. hr: 127

Thursday: Left hip and glute have been playing up a bit recently, so booked in to see osteopath in the early afternoon. Headed out at lunchtime to ensure that I got some miles in, as often muscles can take a day or two to calm down fully after a visit. Things were a bit tight as expected, but overall run went very well and the route with a second half downhill with the wind at my back worked a treat. The first half mile contained the usual misreading of HR, but it evened out after that.

Distance: 6.23 miles @ 8:26, avg. hr: 131

Friday: Easy Friday lunchtime run around Dublin. Nothing much to report. Didn't notice the hip at all after the osteopath yesterday.

Distance: 6.34 miles @ 8:44, avg. hr: 132

Evening cycle from work to the RDS to watch Leinster flatten Glasgow and home again afterwards. 8.65 miles in total for the day, including the usual morning commute.

Saturday: St. Anne's Parkrun - 19:30 - PB

I'd been debating whether or not to give this as lash, the plan had it in as a tune-up before the HM next week, but I'd zero tapering (5th day in a row running) and the weather wasn't ideal. In the end I decided to go for it.

Short enough warmup of 1.3 miles including a couple of strides. Made sure to get fairly near the front for the start.

Started off with the 19, 20 and 21 minute pacers very close, but fairly quickly they started to spread out a bit. Kept a bit behind the 19 minute pacer, knowning that all going well I should gradually fall away from him. After the first k I thought I was still a bit close, although that also came in a 3:57 for me. As I pace here on occasion myself, I know where the k markers are. Relying on the GPS isn't ideal with the tree cover in parts of the course.

Into the second k and back onto the avenue, which should provide some respite from the wind. There's still a fair bit of effort required as it's a bit of a crosswind. The 19 minute pacer is still slowly moving away from me as I'd expected. Thankfully there are a few runners around me to work off. Second k comes in at 3:56.

Onto the third k and past the volunteers at the finish area for some much needed encouragement. By the second half of the third k I can feel that I'm starting to struggle. It's slightly uphill and we've turned back into the breeze. As I pass another runner he tucks in behind me. It doesn't bother me, as at some point I might need him to push me on. I try to catch up on the next runner to get some protection from the wind myself. I catch him very quickly and realise that he's struggling and I'm going to have to move on. There are another three runners close enough ahead, so I place them in my sights. The third k comes in at 3:59.

Onto the fourth k and I'm really starting struggle, as it seems are all of those around me. I've caught the three in front fairly easily, but I'm really struggling to push on at all. I know that the pace has dropped, but am still surprised at the corner just past the tennis courts when the marshall says "there's the 20 minute pacer" just as I pass. He's only a few metres behind me. I want to step off the course, but convince myself that I can still run sub-20, which would be a Parkrun PB. I dig in for the rest of the 4th k, which comes in at 4:07. I note at this point that the k beeps well beyond the point that marker that I use as 4k (possibly as much as 30 metres), so I reckon I've a bit of leeway.

Back onto the avenue and I start trying to pick up the pace a bit. It's not easy, but the wind is definitely my friend at this stage. Keep pushing, 500 to go. 150 to go, time to start sprinting. One final look at the watch, it's on 19:20. So close. If I push on again, I can possibly hit the 19:30. Give it everything I have, over the line and stop the watch. 19:30 on the nose. I recover fairly quickly, no real dry-wretching although after a couple of minutes the coughing starts and continues on and off for the next hour or so. Jog back down the avenue before turning to jog back to the finish line with A. Quick chat with laura_ac and a few others before we cooldown back to the car.

The next hour or so is spent refreshing my email waiting for my official time. "Eventually" (very promptly) it arrives to confirm my 14 second PB over Bob Heffernan 5k from last year.

Time|Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR|Elev Gain|Elev Loss|Avg Run Cadence
03:57.7|0.62|06:23|145|157|26|3|194
03:56.6|0.62|06:21|157|159|20|16|191
03:59.3|0.62|06:25|162|167|23|16|192
04:07.2|0.62|06:38|166|170|23|13|191
03:29.4|0.61|05:46|169|173|0|20|192
19:30|3.09|06:19|159|173|92|72|192

Distance: 6.24 miles in total

Sunday: Easy paced long run with A. Out and up the PP into the wind, down the canal home with the wind at our backs.

Distance: 9.40 miles @ 10:02, avg. hr: 116

Weekly totals
Running: 41.3 miles
Cycling: 16.4 miles

mister paul

Week starting 2020-03-02

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5m easy
Wednesday: 6 x 1 min @ Vo2 / 2 min rec
Thursday: 5m rec
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 3m rec + strides
Sunday: Bohermeen Half Marathon

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 5 miles easy. Nothing much to report.

Distance: 5.02 miles @ 8:28, avg. hr: 128 *

* HR data was junk for the first mile or so (first mile avg 134, max 158)

Wednesday: Plan had 6 x 1 minute @ Vo2Max off 2 minute recovery, a session for the week that's in it with Bohermeen the target on Sunday. We'd dinner plans in the evening, so options to get out for this were limited. Either get up early, take a long lunch or attempt a commute-session on the way home. In the end I went for the latter option, leaving the bike locked in the basement in work overnight.

I was very organised (mostly) so was able to leave my backpack in the office with clothes for Thursday.

Jogged out to the seafront in Clontarf to get this done. Once there I set off on the first rep. Left shin was a bit sore, so after the first rep I moved to the grass for the rest of the session to lessen the impacts on it. Nothing much to report other than that. Paces were pretty much all on the fast side after the first. Target pace according to tinman was 5:59 - 6:06. For the final rep I opened up a bit more just for ****s and giggles. Cooldown home through Fairview and Drumcondra.

Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR
0.16|06:09|137|147
0.17|05:48|144|153
0.17|05:54|147|155
0.17|05:46|149|158
0.17|05:47|149|158
0.18|05:30|152|161

Distance: 6.56 miles in total

Thursday: As the bike was in the office, I went with the morning runmute option. It felt strange running into work without the backpack, but it was a good feeling.

Distance: 5.01 miles @ 8:42, avg. hr: 127 *

Once again the HR data for the first mile was mostly junk, hitting a high of 156...before dropping back into the 120's

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Poppintree Parkrun very easy supporting the Sanctuary Runners with the gang. Threw in a few strides on the final lap to remind the legs what lay in store for them on Sunday.

Distance: 3.06 miles @ 9:37, avg. hr: 117

Sunday: Bohermeen Spring Half Marathon

Race report to follow!

Distance: 14.51 miles in total

Weekly totals
Running: 34.2 miles
Cycling: 17.5 miles

mister paul

So, a 7 minute HM PB a week after a 5k PB. What's not to like?

Pre race

I'd been offered a lift by Murph_D, which I gratefully accepted. Said goodbye to A and headed to the end of the road. Right on cue, D and C arrive and I hop in the back. Chat about race targets and strategies. My plan is to head out at 7 minute miles and see if I'm able to push on in the latter stages. C is having none of it and tells me I should be heading out at 1:30 (~6:51/2) pace...so that he has some company.

I've checked a few online pace calculator and based on my 5k Parkrun the previous week, I should be in and around 1:30, with most having me just over. In both the FD10 and the Dublin half last year I struggled to hold my pace and as a result I'm trying to be more cautious in my pacing approach, but the conversation gives me pause for thought.

No issues with traffic and we get parked up in the field/carpark by 10. A short stroll to the community centre before we turn and jog back to get our gear. Back to the community centre again to get changed.

C queues for the portaloos while myself and D warmup. He's still queueing as we head to the start line. I'm still undecided on my race strategy, but when I find out that there's a 1:30 pacer, I find myself leaning towards heading out at that pace and seeing how things go. Eventually I line up between the 1:30 and 1:40 pacers. No sign of C as we cross the start line.

Early doors - 6:49, 6:52, 6:50

As I cross the start line, the 1:30 pacer is already 30 metres ahead. Nothing much to report for the first few miles. I'm feeling good and keeping the pacer in my sights. I note after 1 (Garmin) mile that I'm well short of the mile marker. I've measured an extra 0.11 before we reach the marker, something that is pretty much constant over the full distance. In the third mile I pass crockmac and G from the club.

Catching up - 6:48, 6:48, 6:42

After the first 3-4 miles the group that I'm in starts breaking up a bit and I'm left with a decision to make, do I try to bridge the gap to the pacing group or muddle on. As I find myself at the front of the group thinking about it, a Star of the Sea runner makes the decision for me and starts pushing on, so I tuck in behind. We make good progress and mile 6 comes in at 6:41. By this stage, we've caught up with the pace group, who seemed to slow a bit in mile 6 thankfully. I notice C a bit ahead of the pace group, where he remains until the finish. It turns out that he just about made the start line in time, but we managed to miss each other.

I'm starting to feel tightness in my right hip/glute area, which is a bit of a worry, but I sit at the back of the pace group and hope that it will abate.

Hail - 6:47, 6:46, 6:49, 6:52

By this point I'm definitely starting to regret wearing a base layer under the singlet, even if it is fairly light. I take a water bottle at the second water station, which I hold onto until the end of the race. At about the hour mark, the heavens open, with hail hitting us from the right. Suddenly I'm feeling sorry for everyone in their little singlets. Anotheer good thing about the hail is that I stop noticing the glute. I'm still sitting at the back of the pace group and every so often I find myself drifting back a bit as someone falls off and I have to re-engage with the group. By mile 9 I'm in countdown mode and the countdown isn't going fast enough for my liking.

The painful bit - 6:50, 6:42, 6:45, (5:57 - 0.12m)

Into double figures, only a Parkrun left. Parkruns are tough! Down to 2.5 miles. 2.4. I'm really struggling to keep with the pace group. I can feel my form slowly going to pot, but I've only 2.3 miles to go. I can't give up now. I'm trying to calculate what pace I need to maintain to get under the 1:30 as I slowly drift off the pace group. The field/carpark can't come soon enough, but it takes an age to come into view. As we take the final right I know I'm not going to stop, but I'm also struggling to see how I can continue. I'm counting down in increments of 0.1m. All of them seem long. Most of the pacees have pushed on now, but I'm still in touching distance of the pacer. I'm holding on for that first glimpse of the community centre and the track. Finally. I descend carefully over the mats and onto the track. A DNF from tripping/slipping on them doesn't bear thinking about. As I successfully enter the track, I can see the giant timer at the finish line, it's just over 1:29. I look at my watch and see that sub-1:29 might be possible. I find the strength for a sprint finish but alas it's not to be.

1:29:01 (avg. pace: 6:47), a PB by over 7 and a half minutes, well beyond expectations. I'm still stunned that I managed it.

Afterwards

A quick change of clothes and then into the hall for a cuppa before we head off. Great to catch up with a few more boardsies, but looking at Strava there are a fair few more that I missed completely.

Laps|Cumulative Time|Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR|Elev Gain|Elev Loss|Avg Run Cadence
1|0:06:49|1|06:49|140|151|20|46|183
2|0:13:41|1|06:52|153|157|39|13|186
3|0:20:31|1|06:50|155|158|20|16|185
4|0:27:19|1|06:48|156|159|20|20|185
5|0:34:06|1|06:48|157|162|10|23|184
6|0:40:48|1|06:42|160|163|16|3|185
7|0:47:36|1|06:47|159|164|16|7|185
8|0:54:21|1|06:46|160|164|13|23|185
9|01:01:10|1|06:49|161|166|30|56|186
10|01:08:02|1|06:52|161|163|13|16|187
11|01:14:52|1|06:50|163|165|26|10|187
12|01:21:34|1|06:42|166|167|16|20|188
13|01:28:19|1|06:45|167|170|16|3|187
14|01:29:02|0.12|05:57|170|171|0|0|195
Summary|01:29:02|13.12|06:47|158|171|256|253|186

Laineyfrecks

Well done on the PB, you have trained hard & it's well deserved:)

Wubble Wubble

Great result and report P, if I can match that performance later this year I'll be thrilled. Two PBs in a week over such varying distances is worthy reward for your training.

AuldManKing

Superb Time and a very well run race - you're on a good upwards trajectory.
Keep it going - there is plenty more there.

OOnegative

Well done on the PB P, as AMK said plenty more there for you.

ReeReeG

Fabulous. What a giant PB!!!

Comic Book Guy

Congrats on the PB, brilliant running!

Loved your description of those final 3 miles and the countdown! My legs are getting phantom tired just reading it!

Treviso

Well done P, sounds like you left everything out on the course. Not much fun at the time I bet but must give you more satisfaction afterwards.

A great performance and to go sub 1.30 is unreal

Murph_D

Classy! Well done again. You were kind enough not to mention my more conservative advice, which of course turned out to be bad advice.

Mr. Guappa

Congrats on the PB P! Sounds like a really well-judged race. You describe those closing miles very well and you did so well to maintain the pace during those miles. Super stuff.

mister paul

Laineyfrecks wrote: »

Well done on the PB, you have trained hard & it's well deserved:)

Thanks E. Training has been tough, but the rewards make it worthwhile, as you're seeing with your own running.

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Great result and report P, if I can match that performance later this year I'll be thrilled. Two PBs in a week over such varying distances is worthy reward for your training.

Thanks J. The training has been tough and I struggled with some of the sessions, but when you see the results it makes it all worthwhile.

AuldManKing wrote: »

Superb Time and a very well run race - you're on a good upwards trajectory.
Keep it going - there is plenty more there.

OOnegative wrote: »

Well done on the PB P, as AMK said plenty more there for you.

I'm a long way behind the two of you still. I'll leave you to trade PBs.

ReeReeG wrote: »

Fabulous. What a giant PB!!!

It was good seeing someone else using the same training plan as me over the last while and good that we both came out the other side with good results.

Comic Book Guy wrote: »

Congrats on the PB, brilliant running!

Loved your description of those final 3 miles and the countdown! My legs are getting phantom tired just reading it!

I really couldn't believe how slowly those last few miles went. It felt like I'd slowed to a crawl, but the data on garmin/strava show that I managed to hold my pace somehow.

Treviso wrote: »

Well done P, sounds like you left everything out on the course. Not much fun at the time I bet but must give you more satisfaction afterwards.

A great performance and to go sub 1.30 is unreal

It really wasn't something that I expected at all, still checking strava every so often to make sure it's real.

Murph_D wrote: »

Classy! Well done again. You were kind enough not to mention my more conservative advice, which of course turned out to be bad advice.

Thanks D. A few times last year you advised more caution with some of my race targets, including my FD target and also with my original (unrealistic) marathon target.

In the case of FD, I went out fast and died a death and the same would have happened in the marathon if I hadn't listened to you (and others).

One of the main reasons that I and many others post here on boards is because honest advise based on others experiences can be invaluable. And it's great when you get to share a PB beer after a race.

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Congrats on the PB P! Sounds like a really well-judged race. You describe those closing miles very well and you did so well to maintain the pace during those miles. Super stuff.

Thanks A. Not sure you can call it well judged when you change your race plan after a chat in the car on the way down. I feel that often there's a bit of luck involved in getting these things right and that conversation along with overhearing that there would be a 1:30 pacer when we were walking to the community centre helped make my mind up.

mister paul

Week starting 2020-03-09

Plan:

Easy miles

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Just over 4 recovery miles. Quads were unhappy, but I felt that they eased a bit as the run went on.

Distance: 4.44 miles @ 9:14, avg. hr: 120

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 8 miles easy. After about 4 miles the quads started to get tired (at furthest point from home) and by the end the left quad was very unhappy.

Distance: 8.01 miles @ 8:40, avg. hr: 128

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Short run to test the quad. Started out with A, who was out for her long run. Turned around after 2.

Distance: 4.28 miles @ 9:37, avg. hr: 129 *

* HR readings were well off for the first while, with a max of over 160 during the first mile. It eventually settled, but "average" higher than expected as a result.

Weekly totals
Running: 16.7 miles
Cycling: 28.7 miles

Physio booked in for lunch time today. Would prefer to be staying at home in the current climate...but I'll go totally mad if I can't run for the next few weeks.

mister paul

Back from physio, nothing sinister with the quad, muscles just generally overloaded after Bohermeen. Need to keep the running easy for the next week or two. Recommendation is S&C.

My plan had been to jump into the graduate 5/10k plan with a view to racing a few 5k races over the next few months and trying to further improve my PB. With pretty much all races cancelled, I'm going to change tack and take a longer term view of my training.

As two physios have now suggested that I should be adding S&C work into my schedule, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'll definitely keep some faster stuff in there, but will limit it to one session per week. Hopefully this approach will give me a better base to target Dublin in October.

mister paul

Week starting 2020-03-16

Plan:

3/4 days easy miles, depending on quad

Actual:

Monday: Physio visit. As above, nothing to report really. Need to keep pace easy for the next week to 10 days.

Tuesday: A was out for a 60 minute run (turned into 70), so I joined her for the first bit and then turned for home around Glasnevin Cemetary.

Distance: 3.33 miles @ 9:36, avg. hr: 123

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: More easy miles using one of my standard routes out to Clontarf.

Distance: 6.23 miles @ 8:28, avg. hr: 134

Friday: Rest

Saturday: I'd intended heading out for 4 miles but as Wednesday's run had gone well and I was feeling good, I joined A for her mini-session, which was 50 minutes with 5 minutes tempo to finish.

Distance: 5.80 miles @ 9:51, avg. hr: 122, pace for 5 min 8:25

Sunday: After running on Saturday, I was going to be conservative here and go out for 10k. I was feeling good though so was open to running 7/8 miles. Headed out with A through Tolka Valley Park to Ashtown. A continued along the canal on her 2 hour run and I turned towards the park. The choice was either back along the canal to Phibsboro for 7 miles, or onto the North Road in the PP for 8 miles. Went with the latter and upped the pace a bit. Exited the park en-route home and stopped at Hanlons Corner, breathing in the day. Back to the canal via Cabra to add an extra two+ miles on top. Breeze in my face along the canal towards Phibsboro for once, but the sun was out and I'd a smile on my face.

Distance: 10.69 miles @ 8:47, avg. hr: 130

Weekly totals
Running: 26 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

mister paul

Week starting 2020-03-23

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 10k easy
Wednesday: 7/8 miles easy
Thursday: 5 miles easy
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 10k easy
Sunday: 12 miles easy

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Easy miles after wfh. Still bright for the duration. Summer's on the way.

Distance: 6.36 miles @ 8:51, avg. hr: 127

Wednesday: Easy run after work. Same route as two weeks ago when quad started playing up. No issues this time out.

After a few miles, I added an alarm to the watch to help me keep in zone 1. Pace slowed initially, but second half was mostly downhill, so pace increased again.

Distance: 8.01 miles @ 9:13, avg. hr: 127

Thursday: Lunchtime recovery run with A.

Distance: 6.23 miles @ 9:51, avg. hr: 118

Friday: Rest

Saturday: With the quad feeling back to normal, I decided to get back into the sessions, 5 x 5 min @ Threshold off 2 min jog recovery.

I'd mapped out a route to run the session in the PP, but that's not within 2k of home, so switched to Albert College Park instead. Headed out with A, who was doing her own session. I went off to complete a longr warmup around local rods, but we met up again in the park, looping in different directions. Was ready to knock session after 3 reps if quad felt under pressure, but got through all five without any issues. With 3 mile warmup and cooldown, session came in at 10.75 miles in total.

Distance|Avg. Pace|Avg. HR|Max. HR
0.74|06:48|154|168
0.75|06:38|160|168
0.77|06:31|160|168
0.77|06:31|162|167
0.76|06:34|164|169

HR higher than it probably should be for this. It was difficult managing pace with combination of tree cover, wind and elevation changes. As a result most reps were a bit too fast. Target was 6:39 - 6:49.

Distance: 10.75 miles in total

Sunday: Easy miles staying within 2k of home. It's actually easier to get the long run in than I expected. Ran with A for the first 7 or so miles and then she turned for home. I was meant to run 12, but decided after 10 that I'd had enough myself.

Distance: 10.01 miles @ 9:30, avg. hr: 119

Weekly totals
Running: 41.4 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

mister paul

Week starting 2020-03-30

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8m mlr
Wednesday: 8 x 1 min hills
Thursday: 5m rec
Friday: 5m easy
Saturday: 30 min tempo
Sunday: 10m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Early (for me) morning runmute. Showered, changed, breakfast and finally ascended the stairs to the attic/home office only 10 minutes late. I don't think the boss noticed.

Distance: 8.01 miles @ 8:44, avg. hr: 127

Wednesday: Early morning hill sprints, what's not to like? Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this for the most part. Used the hill on Mobhi Road near Na Fianna for the repeats, which pretty much all started at the same lamppost and ended outside the same house. I pushed the final two reps a bit and made it a house or two further.

Rep|Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR|Elev Gain|Elev Loss
1|0.14|07:05|135|149|26|0
2|0.15|06:49|146|157|23|0
3|0.14|06:58|149|159|20|3
4|0.15|06:28|152|161|23|0
5|0.16|06:25|154|164|30|3
6|0.16|06:16|155|164|26|0
7|0.16|06:15|157|165|26|0
8|0.17|05:50|156|167|23|0

Distance: 7.25 miles in total

Thursday: Early morning recovery run. Lower calves were a bit tight and quad started to tire near the end, but an enjoyable run none the less.

Distance: 5.05 miles @ 9:03, avg. hr: 123

Friday: Easy morning run around the redbrick streets of Drumcondra. Lower left calf a bit tight, but once I eased that out all was well.

Distance: 6.23 miles @ 8:47, avg. hr: 127

Saturday: Not gonna lie, this one was tough. By the end of the first mile I wanted to throw the towel in, but decided that I'd stop after 15. At 15 I convinced myself that I'd stop after 20 and by then I was on the home stretch.

Rep|Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR|Elev Gain|Elev Loss|Avg Run Cadence|Avg Ground Contact Time
5|1|07:04|152|161|23|26|191|204
6|1|07:08|160|162|26|30|190|205
7|1|07:11|162|165|30|33|190|205
8|1|07:03|164|166|26|26|191|204
9|0.23|06:54|166|169|3|3|192|203

Distance: 10.3 miles in total

Sunday: Enjoyable long run within 2k of home. Started off with A, but she sent me on my way after 2 miles. There was plenty of wind around but I still enjoyed the run overall. Albert College park rammed with people. Might need to start avoiding it except in the early morning.

Distance: 10.01 miles @ 9:09, avg. hr: 127

Weekly totals
Running: 46.8 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

mister paul

Week starting 2020-04-06

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8m mlr
Wednesday: 6 x 2 min AP w/ 3 min rec
Thursday: 5m rec
Friday: 5m easy
Saturday: 4 x 6 min @ Threshold w/ 2 min rec
Sunday: 10m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Trying to get the runs "out of the way" in the mornings at the moment, so alarm set for 7 and out the door shortly after. Crisp morning warmed up pretty quickly. Beautiful blue sky to keep me company. More like this, please.

Distance: 8.00 miles @ 8:31, avg. hr: 127

Wednesday: Kept the session local and ran the reps on the road on Griffith Avenue. Rush hour traffic, what rush hour traffic? All went well, noticed the form slipping a bit a couple of times, but was able to correct quickly and push on again.

Target pace for the AP reps was 6:06 - 6:13.

Rep|Time|Distance|Avg Pace|Avg HR|Max HR|Elev Gain|Elev Loss
1|02:00|0.33|06:08|143|154|0|7
2|02:00|0.33|06:06|152|160|7|0
3|02:00|0.33|06:05|150|158|0|10
4|02:00|0.33|06:04|155|162|7|0
5|02:00|0.32|06:10|151|159|0|10
6|02:00|0.33|06:05|155|161|10|0
Summary|12:00|1.96|06:06|151|162|23|26

Distance: 10 miles in total

Thursday: Easy miles on a beautiful morning. Left foot and lower calf niggly early on in the run, but eased after a while. The tennis ball has been resurrected for some sole torture.

Part of this run was investigating a possible route for the boards 5k TT in a couple of week, even if I haven't committed to it yet. The route was a no-go.

Distance: 6.22 miles @ 8:48, avg. hr: 126

Friday: Easy-ish miles. Foot much better than yesterday after attacking it with a tennis ball.

Another possible TT route investigated. This one is much more promising; first half mostly uphill and second half back down again. One busy road to cross (twice), but I'll be running along it for nearly 1k, so should find a chance to cross easily enough.

Distance: 6.22 miles @ 8:34, avg. hr: 128

Saturday: 4 x 6 mins @ Threshold w/ 2 min recovery. Target pace was 6:39 - 6:49.

Woke naturally on Saturday morning, so decided that Hamstead / Albert College Park would be too busy for this, so went with loops of Griffith Avenue -> Home Farm Road instead. Decided to run it clockwise, even though it meant that Griffith was downhill and with the wind. All went well, although reps 2 and 3, which started uphill on Homefarm and onto Mobhi Road (more uphill) were tough going. Hit Griffith Avenue on both reps on about 3 minutes, with average pace of ~7:00. Managed to pull both back on target though. Turned back on Griffith for the recovery and started the final rep downhill. The lights at Drumcondra Road were in my favour, so I continued straight across and on down Griffith to Grace Park. Possibly constitutes cheating, but I'll take the chances when they present themselves.

After straying further from home during the session, I investigated some of my 2k limits closer to the city and as a result overdid the distance, the cooldown being about 3.75 miles.

Time|Distance|Avg. pace|Avg. HR|Max. HR|Elev gain|Elev loss
06:00|0.89|06:43|145|154|10|43
06:00|0.89|06:44|156|162|36|20
06:00|0.89|06:46|160|166|39|16
06:00|0.91|06:37|159|165|0|43
24:00:00|3.58|06:43|155|166|85|121

Distance: 11.25 miles in total

Sunday: Enjoyable long run with A in a soft drizzle for the most part. What a difference a day makes. Saturday was like the middle of Summer, but 24 hours later and we were all layered up. Still, I love running in weather like this and Sunday was just one of those mornings.

Distance: 10.10 miles @ 9:54, avg. hr: 116

Weekly totals
Running: 51.8 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

mister paul

Week starting 2020-04-13

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8m mlr
Wednesday: 8 x 1 min hills (2-3 min rec) - will possibly replace with 1M TT
Thursday: 6.2m rec
Friday: 6.2m easy
Saturday: 15 min @ Tempo, 4 min rec, 10 min @ Threshold
Sunday: 12m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: I twinged something in my lower back on Monday morning, sitting at breakfast and it had been sore all day. As a result, I was ready to knock this on the head after 30 seconds if it wasn't right. Sure enough there was a slight twinge within 20 metres, but after that not a peep out of it. Felt much better after the run.

Distance: 8.50 miles @ 8:43, avg. hr: 123

Wednesday: I'd mapped out a 1M TT route on Tuesday but wasn't sure whether I'd actually use it or not. Decided in the end to give it a lash. A couple of miles to warmup followed by a few strides. Didn't really feel it during the strides, energy levels seemed low.

Started out a bit quick, on for sub 5:30 pace...on the uphill part of the route. Had garmin programmed to auto-lap on quarter miles. First came in a 1:22 but the wheels were already falling off a bit. Felt like I was crawling along already. There was no energy in the legs at all. Considered knocking it on the head completely during the second quarter, which came in a full 14 seconds slower than the first at 1:36. By now I was on the downhill and started to get into more of a rhythm, coming in at a more respectable 1:30. Final downhill and found another gear, with the distinct possibility of a PB, even by a couple of seconds. Final Q came in at 1:20, for an 8.4 second (Garmin) PB of 5:49.6.

Finished out with a 4 mile cooldown back home.

Distance: 8.08 miles in total

Thursday: A couple of niggles starting off, but eased as the run progressed.

Distance: 6.22 miles @ 9:01, avg. hr: 121

Friday: More easy miles in the morning. Perfect running conditions.

Distance: 6.23 miles @ 8:39, avg. hr: 124

Saturday: Session was 15 min @ tempo, 4 minute recovery and then 10 min @ threshold. I was undecided about where to run this one, either on the Griffth Avenue / Home Farm Road loop or in Albert College. Went for the latter in the end, but the park was busy enough. Joined A in using a loop around a couple of football pitches. Haven't done any sessions on grass before, so was worried about it being tougher than on tarmac. Thankfully all went well and I hit the required paces easily enough.

Type|Time|Distance|Avg pace|Avg HR|Max HR
Run|07:00.3|1|07:00|153|159
Run|06:56.1|1|06:56|158|161
Run|01:03.6|0.15|07:15|158|160
Rec|03:03.2|0.33|09:14|141|158
Run|06:38.4|1|06:38|158|163
Run|03:21.6|0.5|06:41|160|163

Distance: 10.49 miles in total

Sunday: After possibly a bit too much wine on Saturday night, we took it easy on Sunday morning, eventually getting out the door after 11. Ran the first few miles with A and then headed off on my own to explore the border area. Was tiring by the end, but enjoyed the run for the most part.

Distance: 12.01 miles @ 9:06, avg. hr: 128

Weekly totals
Running: 51.6 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

Murph_D

Nice TT.

mister paul

Week starting 2020-04-20

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8m mlr
Wednesday: 5x5 min CV w/ 4 min rec OR 6 x 1 min @ VO2Max
Thursday: 6.2m rec
Friday: 5m easy
Saturday: 3 x 8 min @ Threshold / 3 min rec OR Boards 5k TT
Sunday: 12m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Easy morning miles on roads that are quickly becoming very familiar to me. Left foot and shin were playing up early on but mostly eased after a mile or so, the foot after I loosened the laces.

Distance: 8.01 miles @ 8:40, avg. hr: 126

Wednesday: The original plan for this had been 5 x 5 minutes @ CV, with 4 minutes recovery between. With the time trial looming, I switched to a shortish Vo2Max session instead, in the end going with 8 x 1 min @ Vo2 off 2 min recoveries. Hit all of the paces except for the first, which although uphill I thought I was on pace for, until watch beeped with a few seconds to go.

Rep|Distance|Avg. pace|Avg. HR|Max. HR|Elev gain|Elev loss
1|0.16|06:06|137|148|7|0
2|0.17|05:53|145|153|7|0
3|0.17|05:52|147|155|3|0
4|0.17|05:44|149|155|7|0
5|0.17|05:53|150|158|3|0
6|0.18|05:41|148|156|0|10
7|0.17|05:53|150|158|0|3
8|0.17|05:51|146|155|0|16

Distance: 9.15 miles in total

Thursday: Legs were tired after the Vo2Max session on Wednesday, so kept this very easy.

Distance: 6.22 miles @ 9:28, avg. hr: 117

Friday: Niggly few miles around the locality. Included a couple of miles mostly on the grass, with strides on the paths thrown in as well. Left calf was the main issue and was not at all happy with me for the first half of this, but the strides actually seemed to help ease it out.

Distance: 5.01 miles @ 9:32, avg. hr: 120

Saturday: Boards 5k TT. The less said about this the better. Low energy, lower appetite. Niggly niggles / excuses. "Finished" in 23:26, but first k was 3:49 and final one 3:38. In between that though were 4:16, 5:32 and 6:02. The Saturday before, I'd run a tempo -> threshold session on grass in which I comfortably covered 5k a minute or so more quickly, and that included a few minutes recovery in the middle. Just a bad day at the office to be parked and move on.

Distance: 6.8 miles in total

Sunday: Easy miles with A. The calf was niggling again and I was ready to call this after 2.5 miles, but route took me closer to home at that point, so kept going for bit and just focused on form. Quickly noticed that calf improved to the extent that this was probably my most positive run for a week or so. Finished out the LR with barely another peep out of the calf.

Distance: 10.65 miles (1h45m) @ 9:51, avg. hr: 117

Weekly totals
Running: 45.9 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

mister paul

Week starting 2020-04-27

Plan:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8m mlr
Wednesday: 10 x 90 seconds @ Vo2 w/ 2 min rec
Thursday: 5m rec
Friday: 7m easy
Saturday: 30 min @ Tempo
Sunday: 14m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Left calf fairly tight for the first few miles and also had to loosen laces on left foot. I think over time I've been tying my laces tighter and tighter, which isn't necessarily good for my feet.

This was a bit on the fast side...

Distance: 8.51 miles @ 8:20, avg. hr: 130

Wednesday: The quick easy run on Tuesday probably didn't help here, but found the going tough, as I seem to be finding with anything a bit faster at the moment. Target pace was 5:52 - 5:59. Most of the reps were there or thereabouts.

Reps: 6:01, 5:58, 6:38*, 5:56, 5:52, 6:03, 5:55, 6:02, 5:59, 5:55

* GPS had me taking a short cut through houses, so definitely not accurate.

Distance: 10.5 miles in total

Thursday: Easier miles than Tuesday, although still a bit faster than I'd like for easy miles.

Distance: 5.37 miles @ 8:40, avg. hr: 130

Friday: "Rest"

Saturday: I was possibly still feeling the effects of Thursday evenings session for this, but once again found the going tough. I should possibly have slowed the target paces a bit, as I did the session on the grass of Albert College Park. Target pace was 6:59 - 7:10.

Tempo: 6:58, 7:03, 7:12, 7:08, 1:36 (0.23m)

Distance: 10.76 miles in total

Sunday: Long run with A. Nice easy paced run with a bit of a progression to finish out.

Progression miles: 8:24, 8:07; 7:53, 7:24

Distance: 14.01 miles @ 9:11, avg. hr: 127

Weekly totals
Running: 49.1 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

laura_ac3

Are you thinking of taking a step back week soon? Seems you've done 5/6 weeks of keeping the mileage up. Maybe take a down week, slow down the easy runs and give the body a recovery - see if that helps with the niggles and struggling with faster paces?

mister paul

laura_ac3 wrote: »

Are you thinking of taking a step back week soon? Seems you've done 5/6 weeks of keeping the mileage up. Maybe take a down week, slow down the easy runs and give the body a recovery - see if that helps with the niggles and struggling with faster paces?

Thanks L. This week is actually a step back week, so the mileage will be down a bit. Hadn't considered the paces, but will try to keep a lid on them as well.

mister paul

Week starting 2020-05-04

Plan:

The week I started 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWBfQjuwp4E&list=PLui6Eyny-UzzFFfpiil94CUrWKVMaqmkm

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8m mlr
Wednesday: 5 x 3 min AP w/ 3 min rec
Thursday: 5m rec
Friday: 5m easy
Saturday: 2 x 12 min @ Threshold / 4 min rec
Sunday: 9m lsr

Actual:

Monday: Started 30 days of yoga with Adriene.

Tuesday: Back to familiar routes from "before". Out through Clontarf, up to Killester and back via Griffith Avenue.

Left shin was a bit niggly early on, but eased as it usually does.

Things have come full circle. Last Tuesday (and other days recently) I had to loosen laces, today I needed to tighten them. Laces are clearly my kryptonite. That and Tayto Cheese and Onion. I'd happily eat them all day. Tayto that is, not laces.

Distance: 8.00 miles @ 8:30, avg. hr: 131

Wednesday: Other than the left shin playing up, I found this mostly manageable.

The first two reps were with the wind at my back and then I turned around and ran back into it for the next three. I took a detour up a hill for the final recovery, which made the final rep easier than it might otherwise have been.

Target pace for the reps was 6:06 - 6:13.

Rep|Distance|Avg. Pace|Avg. HR|Max. HR|Elev Gain|Elev Loss
1|0.49|06:07|148|160|16|10
2|0.49|06:06|153|165|10|3
3|0.48|06:12|159|165|3|30
4|0.48|06:15|160|167|16|30
5|0.49|06:08|157|168|0|43

For this plan, I've generally extended warmups and cooldowns to 3 miles, but as this is meant to be a bit of a step-back week, I capped them at 2.

Distance: 8.00 miles in total

Thursday: Easy miles, trying to stick to Z1 (Z1: 82%, Z2, 15%). Left shin was a bit niggly early on but improved as the run went on. Legs were a bit tired overall.

Distance: 5.00 miles @ 9:12, avg. hr: 122

Friday: More easy miles. The shin still seems to be improving.

Distance: 5.00 miles @ 8:30, avg. hr: 129

Saturday: Woohoo, finally back to the PP. Session was 2 x 12 minutes @ Threshold. Ran most of the way to the park with A, but then we parted company as we'd different sessions. Shin was still a bit niggly as I started the first rep, but by the end it was grand. Target pace was 6:39 - 6:49.

Time|Distance|Avg. Pace|Avg. HR|Max. HR|Elev gain|Elev loss|Avg. Cadence
12:00|1.78|06:45|156|166|59|0|188
04:00|0.45|08:49|151|165|3|13|177
12:00|1.8|06:40|162|167|3|69|188

Distance: 9 miles in total

We were out for most of the afternoon, shopping and delivering supplies to cocooning parents, so this was the first time I've missed the daily yoga this week.

Sunday: As this is a bit of a step back week, the long run was only 9 miles. But I was definitely open to cutting that a bit short. In the end, went for some easy miles up through Tolka Valley Park with A and back along the canal solo, as A had a longer run scheduled. Called it at 8.

Distance: 8.01 miles @ 9:13, avg. hr: 126

Weekly totals
Running: 43 miles
Cycling: 0 miles

mister paul

Been very quiet here since early May...

The rest of 2020 wasn't great. After a great 2019 and even better start to 2020, things started to go downhill. I was losing fitness, despite thinking I was training well.

In hindsight, there were probably a couple of issues...

1. Possibly (Probably) overtraining. After Bohermeen I didn't really give the body a proper opportunity to recover and within a couple of weeks was ramping up the paces again.

2. Global pandemic...albeit indirectly. Started having back issues around May time and didn't get it sorted for a couple of months, when I went into the office and grabbed the chair from my desk there. Within a week or two, the back issue was resolved. I've had the same chair for at least 10 years in the office, so clearly I'll need to hold onto it when I retire.

Since then, I've had a couple of false starts, mainly with calf niggles, but just started the FRR base building plan. A started the same plan 5/6 weeks ago and is enjoying it.

It's the first time that I've actually "properly" trained by HR, although easy runs have usually been based on HR.

Year on year progression...



Taking this one from the 2020 targets thread...

Distance | 2019 PB | 2020 Target | 2020 Actual
1 Mile|0:05:58|0:05:49|0:05:49 - Boards 1M TT
5 K|0:19:44|0:19:15|0:19:30 - Parkrun the week before Bohermeen, so during HM training
5 Mile|0:36:51|0:32:29|0:32:31 - So close - Raheny 5M
10 K|0:42:38|0:40:59|N/A - No 10k races, although Strava tells me I got a 10k PB in Bohermeen of 0:42:04
10 Mile|1:14:41|1:11:59|N/A - Also no 10M races, although Strava also tells me I got a 10M PB of 1:07:42 in Bohermeen
Half Marathon|1:36:38|1:32:59|1:29:01 - Bohermeen - last race before lockdown #1
Marathon|3:31:53|3:24:59|N/A

Not bad overall and hopefully if I can stay fit and healthy this year, I'll progress some more. For this year after base building I'll try to focus on 5/10k until June and hopefully DCM goes ahead to give me an autumn target.

Distance | 2020 PB | 2021 Target
1 Mile|0:05:49|0:05:44
5 K|0:19:30|0:18:59
5 Mile|0:32:31|0:31:59
10 K|0:42:38 *|0:39:59
10 Mile|1:14:41 **|1:06:59
Half Marathon|1:29:01|1:27:59
Marathon|3:31:53|3:19:59

* Strava tells me I got a 10k PB in Bohermeen of 0:42:04
** Strava tells me I got a 10M PB of 1:07:42 (also) in Bohermeen

ThebitterLemon

And another New Year resolution returnee

Best of luck with it

TbL

Huzzah!

Nice one. Welcome back.

mister paul

After a rest week at the start of December, I took a few weeks to build the mileage back up towards 30.

Prior to the rest week, mileage had been 31, 34 and 33, with the long run of the final week cut short as left calf/achilles was acting up.

Nov 30 - Dec 6

3.1 miles in total

Dec 7 - Dec 13

12.5 miles in 4 runs. Should note that I'd started using HR zone for general aerobic runs from Faster Road Running to determine paces. According to that, my zone for GA should be 127-144.

Dec 14 - Dec 20

17 miles in 4 runs.

Dec 21 - Dec 27

23.5 miles in 5 runs.

Dec 28 - Jan 03

27.5 miles in 5 runs.

That's everything up to this week...

Week starting 2021-01-04

Monday

Rest day

Tuesday

6 miles GA - 6.01 miles @ 8:52, avg. HR: 139

Wednesday

3 miles GA - 3.01 miles @ 8:44, avg. HR: 134 - Not sure how reliable the HR was for the first couple of miles...

Thursday

4 miles GA - 4.01 miles @ 8:39, avg. HR: 135

Wore Asics Gel-Kayano 25 today. Really not sure about them. They seem to have support on the outer shoe, particularly towards the heel, that aggravates my foot woes, which reminds me that I need to get back to the physio exercises.