Dream big, work hard, achieve your goals - My DCM '19 Journey

Laineyfrecks

Mon 3rd July - EIM 6*1k - 8miles - 8:21/mi avg - 1h 6m

WFH on a Mon means I can fit these runs in at lunch providing there's no meetings scheduled. This weeks running schedule means business, back to my 6*1k reps a couple of times in the week so my instructions were to keep the c/d a bit shorter than usual. Looked out & the sun was shining but it was obvious there was a bit of a breeze there. I wore a running vest top & my sunglasses. The 1st couple of reps felt good, I was half expecting my legs to resist a bit but nope they felt really good, that soak in the epsom salts last night must have really helped! Wore my New NB Fuelcell Rebel V3, a lovely runner, can't feel a huge difference from the previous version, which is good because I still use them & I love them too! The rain started quite heavy into the 3rd km but was actually quite refreshing as it was behind me more than in my face. Got to the end of KT road & turned to head into the 5th km, Jebus the wind & rain hammered me here 😯 I had to take my sunglasses off & just put them on my head, this was a tough km! Then as I crossed the road there's a slight downhill at the traffic lights, just as I was listening to 'In the Air tonight', the legendary drum solo came on as I was running downhill & my cadence felt like it matched every single drum beat, haha I'm easily amused, I laughed, felt great after all the wind & rain, then the sun decided to come out & help dry me off! Overall a very good start to my marathon block☺️

The km reps came in at;

4:22, 4:18, 4:29, 4:35, 4:38 & 4:31

Laineyfrecks

Tues 4th July - EIM 15*200's - 5.37miles - 8:35/mi avg - 46m

This was a bit shorter than usual so headed out on my lunch break in work. I was conscious that my cooldown was to be short so I ran to Tallaght IT & did the reps in the back carpark, the length of the carpark was perfect, felt good!

The reps were;

44,45,43,44,44,44,44,45,45,42,43,41,44,44

Weds 5th July - EIM 4*2k's - 8.65miles - 8:20/mi avg - 1hr 12m

Another lunch run, managed to get in just before the really heavy showers. Settled into a nice pace for each of the 2km reps trying to keep them at the lower end of the HR scale.

Thurs 6th July - EIM 6*1k's - 8.51miles - 8:25/mi avg - 1hr 11m

Really lucky to be able to fit these runs in at lunchtime, although I had set the alarm for 5.30 to try get it done before work but that didn't happen. It was dry when I set out, felt a bit strange doing these 1k reps on a different route(well not so different mostly the opposite way) but it felt different! Happy with how each km rep went, again focusing a lot on form & feeling good whilst running. It rained a few times but the sun came out heading back so it was nice!

The reps were;

4:25, 4:15, 4:13, 4:26, 4:21, 4:25

Fri 7th July - Rest Day

Sat 8th July - W/u, 75mins steady @8 ish min miles - 11.51miles - 8:12/mi avg - 1hr 34m

Met S for this in the PP. A lovely but windy morning. The plan was to do a few laps of the Furze/OS then down to the Zoo & back up the North road. We settled into a pace & it felt good, could still chat which was nice. Could feel the incline after the turn up towards the Garda headquarters but felt strong which was good, really felt the headwind on the North road but good that we were still quite consistent (effort a bit higher) but feeling good. Finished off where we started, on the Furze for a short cool down. Happy with this!

Sun 9th July - 2hrs easy with a gentle surge every mile - 13.34miles - 9/mi avg - 2hrs

Another early run in the park. Met up with the IMRA gang, a good few there, always so nice to have company. We set off & again I explained to them that I wasn't crazy(debatable) but that I would be doing a gentle surge every mile. A few asked about EIM & why the surges etc, I explained as best I could. We naturally split into 2 groups. Passed @scotindublin in flying form with the Donore crew! It was lovely chatting to so many different people, I love hearing how people got into running, why they love it, goals & dreams etc. The only downside was I'd be in conversation then my watch would beep & off I'd go, it was quite funny they would hear it & be like we'll finish this chat, off you go! One of the lads was really interested & loved the idea of it being a gentle surge just to get the legs turning over at a different pace so he decided to join me for them. Went for Tea & cake afterwards, lovely bunch of people!

Ended the week with 55.4 miles, not bad at all. Have changed everything to kms except Strava with Amsterdam in mind so will record kms going forward, very hard to get used to them after using miles for so long🤣Really happy with the plan & how I'm feeling & really enjoying having the company on the longer runs, long may it last😊

Mon 10th July - Recovery - 2.60miles - 9:55/mi avg - 25m

Absolutely lashed for this whole run but really enjoyed just plodding around not looking at pace or anything. Umbrella came on my playlist & I grinned thinking of the most epic lipsync performance ever(IMO) Tom Holland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brq-exSvB7Q

😁

AuldManKing

thinking of changing to KM's myself - tried it during Covid but had to move back!

Annie get your Run

I see S has moved to KM's too. I've also tried it before and as crazy as this sounds, I can't figure out how I feel at XX pace per KM but I know exactly how I should be feeling at xx min miles... Maybe that's an argument for changing, shake things up and bit and stop self limiting beliefs etc! Best of luck with it 😊.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120833388#Comment_120833388

Yeah I have to say it is taking me a while to get my head around it, doing it as it makes sense for Amsterdam, S got caught out with his half this year so really don't want this to happen to me! The kms will be more accurate so it defo makes sense 😊

Laineyfrecks

Tues 11th July - EIM 10*400's - 10.48kms - 5:24km avg - 56m

Set out after work for this, weather was nice leaving the house but then it lashed, then it was sunny again! Gotta love Irish weather😉 Did my usual loop for these, into a strong wind for some of them but all the efforts & paces felt right. Legs were a bit leggy to start with but once I got going they loosened out, a short cd took me home for a nice bit of grub!

The reps were;

1:38,1:40,1:40,1:37,1:39,1:38,1:38,1:37,1:38,1:39

Weds 12th July - EIM 2*2ks, 3*1ks - 13.81kms - 5:17km avg - 1hr 13m

I had to be out early for this as I was getting a tattoo that I have wanted for ages but just didn't get round to it & with my da's 2nd anniversary coming up I booked it, its a line from his fav song ever, "in my life I love you more" really happy with it💛

Got up about quarter past 6 & sorted a few bits before heading out, heard a noise & looked out the window & it was torrential rain😲 Grabbed my cap & just as I went out the door it stopped! Happy days but it still looked quite grey so kept the cap on. The WU felt grand then I tried to settle into the 1st 2k rep, something wasn't right, my HR was way to high for the effort, I eased off a bit but it just wouldn't come down so I just judged the pace myself. As soon as I got to the generous recovery I took the HR monitor off & wiped it noticing some of my anti chaffing cream had rubbed off onto it, I'll need to be careful going forward as I got a weird reading from it the other day too. Once I went into the next 2k rep it all felt normal again, happy days! The cap came off as it was so humid, I just clipped it onto my shorts! I set off in the 1k reps feeling quite good thankfully, was a bit worried after feeling leggy yesterday & running so early this morning that this might feel harder than it should but I needn't have worried😊

Murph_D

Well done to ye all on the (belated) move to kms. Definitely the way forward! I'm quite comfortable with both codes myself.

Great song, great tattoo.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120843351#Comment_120843351

Thanks D, means so much to me🥰✨️

marathon2022

Hey, do you mind me asking why the miles to km change and how it effects Amsterdam. I'm running Amsterdam as well but train in miles. Happy to move training to km if it helps in any way.

py

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844844#Comment_120844844

I would imagine it is due to the race signage being in Km. I've been contemplating going the other way for Chicago.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844844#Comment_120844844

Hi, it's just something I have been thinking about for a bit, a lot of people talk kms & I do feel lost! S also ran a half marathon in March & felt it would have been better if he'd been using kms & not miles. I just need to get my head around kms then I'll be grand😊

marathon2022

Thanks guys, appreciated. Might give it a go and see how it works out.

skyblue46

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844844#Comment_120844844

I think my advice influenced this. I ran Loop Den Haag using miles and through running well and feeling I was well ahead of target I didn't do any mental maths to keep track of splits at the km markers. I decided to switch to KMs for Amsterdam to mitigate the risk of a repeat. E seemed to think it's a wise move. 🙂

Lazare

Yay, metric. Finally we're speaking the same language 😀

Laineyfrecks

Thurs 13th July - EIM 15*200's - 8.72kms - 5:24km avg - 47m

Set out after work for this, weather was nice enough, Did my usual loop & felt good.

The reps were;

46,46,44,43,44,45,43,44,43,45,44,44,45,42,43

Fri 14th July - W/u, 82mins Steady, C/d - 19.71kms - 5:05km avg - 1hr 40m

Was on a half day for this as I was going into Vicar Street for the Swell Season with Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova later this evening. The rain was non stop from early & I could hear it bouncing off the roof of my car as I got changed at the Visitor centre! I never mind running in the rain but stepping out into a heavy downpour from the very start is a bit crappy! I knew it was warm so just wore a tshirt & a cap. Once out I headed towards Chesterfield with my plan to more or less do the route I had done the week before. The relief from the rain when blocked from some of the trees etc on the OS side was nice but by god you felt all the elements on the Furze. I paced my efforts as best I could accordingly. I knew when to push a little & when to ease off. I think I passed maybe 2 other runners & a walker all giving each other that "yeah I know I'm nuts" look, people in their cars where staring, not that I blame then, I was absolutely soaked, all the ducks were out from the fenced area on the OS side, I swear they were laughing at me too! After the 3rd lap & feeling good about controlling the efforts etc I made the decision to stay doing the loops, I really didn't feel like continuing on with the route I did last week. I finished out the laps feeling really good, this was a good steady effort with a bit of the weather elements thrown in, nothing makes you feel like a badass more than being out running in weather like that! Mentally doing this alone also gave me a great boost. Got back to the car drenched but feeling very happy with myself! Met my brother his GF & mate for a few drinks in a pub beside Vicar st then headed in for the gig. We were up on the balcony, my god what a gig. There was a piano, guitars, drums, violin, accordion, cello, to me nothing beats live instruments at a gig, the singing & story telling by Glen & the few others he had on stage was amazing, his gigs always mesmerise me & tonight's was no different!

Sat 15th July - EIM 4*1ks - 10.34kms - 5:16km avg - 54m

Set out a bit later than expected for this as I had a nice lie in! Got soaked again but getting used to it now!

Reps came in at;

4:26,4:23,4:41,4:32

Sun 16th July - 8k easy, EIM 6*2ks, 2k easy - 27.45kms - 5:14km avg - 2hr 23m

Met S for this in the park. Weather was playing ball so I decided to wear my new Puma Deviate Nitro 2 runners, felt very nice straight out of the box, not too squidgy & not too firm. Set off on our 8k easy down Chesterfield following the path around onto the North road where we passed @scotindublin with his crew & a nice friendly hello as always. The plan was to get to the OS/Furze triangle for the 2k reps. The watch beeped & we set off on the 2k reps, agreeing to stick to our own HR zones, which meant S was ahead of me towards the end of the reps for the 1st 4 2ks. The reps went by quite quickly, feeling good too, not easy but happy with how they were going. S said for the last 2 reps we would lock into 4:44km pace & hold that. We ran side by side for these & again they felt good, early days but building up confidence is always good. Couldn't believe the overall distance we had done, breaking it down into these kind of reps makes it more enjoyable for sure & having company always helps! We finished off with a 2k cool down & some nice chats.

Mileage for the week - 94.7kms(58.8miles)

Mileage for the year so far - 1,882.8kms(1,169.9miles)

Laineyfrecks

Mon 17th July - Rest Day

Had a physio app for a once over & a sports massage. OMG this hurt like hell. I squirmed on the bed for the majority of this visit. Nothing to worry about thankfully but he said my hamstrings & calves were very tight. He put the cups on my right hamstring which was very pinchy & I have some lovely marks on it! He told me I really need to give a few minutes to stretching after each run so going forward I'm going to try make this a habit. I will be back to him in a few weeks, will keep it maintained through my marathon block.

Tues 18th July - Wu, 6*800@HM,800@Steady - 13.19kms - 4:52km avg - 1Hr 04m

Set off for this after work. Wasn't too sure how it was going to go as my legs felt quite tender & leggy. The Wu felt hard, I eased completely into it thinking that I possibly was not going to be able to do this session. Thankfully as I ran more the legs seemed to loosen out but I still had in my head that if I wasn't feeling it after the 1st rep that I wasn't going to push it. The watch beeped for the 1st rep & I eased into the target pace easier than I thought, I was surprised this actually felt good, it was so humid out, I feel the sweat dripping almost straight away. The recovery came at my steady pace, again this felt quite comfortable. I ran the loops in the park & felt really good about this with my Kicka$$ tunes pumping in my ears, all my self doubt was gone, this filled me with confidence as I really enjoyed the buzz of it. The Cd actually felt harder than the speed parts which made me laugh!

The Reps came in at 3:27,3:54,3:27,3:53,3:25,3:54,3:27,3:52,3:27,3:53,3:28,3:52

Weds 19th July - EIM 10*400's - 10.80kms - 5:25km avg - 58m

A nice sunny lunchtime run before the showers came. Again my legs felt a little heavy for the wu but loosened out as I went. I decided to shake it up a little & run each loop separately then up the middle of the park, very enjoyable little change. All the efforts felt good staying at the slower pace of the reps.

The reps came in at 1:39,1:38,1:40,1:38,1:38,1:38,1:38,1:40,1:40,1:38

ariana`

Great to hear you sounding confident, your enthusiasm is contagious!

Your splits are always so even E. Do you use run off feel or do you use the watch much?

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120871995#Comment_120871995

Thanks so much E, I love my running,writing about it & reading about others too, it's nice to build each other up😊

I used to be awful at judging my pace & efforts. Now I rely on the 1st beep to tell me I'm in the zone & generally know I'm running the correct pace give or take a second or 2. These runs have become so familiar to me that I really enjoy trying to get them as consistent as I can(not competitive at all🤣) I would check the watch again coming to the end of the rep but that's about it! It's really nice getting better at judging my efforts/pace.

ariana`

Thanks E. I get a kick out of even splits too, unfortunately it doesn't happen often but what's rare is wonderful 😂

I tend to zone out a bit, I must try and pay a little bit more attention to the beeps and hopefully it will become 2nd nature eventually.

Laineyfrecks

Thurs 20th July - EIM 4*1k - 10.19kms - 5:21km avg - 54m

Set out for this on my lunch break, nothing much to report about it.

My reps came in at 4:35,4:20,4:26,4:20

Fri 21st July - EIM 15*200's - 10.80kms - 5:25km avg - 58m

Was on a flexi day off in work & was finally getting my hair done(long overdue👀) I got home at lunchtime a natural blonde again, Had food so didn't head out for my run until a bit later. I wore my new bright green Puma runners & was more worried about these when the rain started than my hair getting wet🤣 It was a nice run, enjoyed the faster reps but still kept them near the slower end of pace & controlled too. As with all my 400s & 200s I concentrated on my form & being as light as possible running them. My recoveries still include the 10 sec walks at the start & end of recoveries which makes them very generous indeed!

My reps came in at 45,45,44,44,44,44,44,44,42,43,44,44,45,43,44

Sat 21st July - 90mins @steady pace - 22kms - 5:00km avg - 1hr 50m

Met S for this in the park, a little bit of drizzle but nothing too bad, the humidity on the other hand was really my bad! Once we did the wu we set off at the steady pace around the Furze/OS triangle, more or less the same as the previous week. The chats today were were much better😉 The pace was a really good steady effort, very happy with it!

Arrived home to a phone call from my mam who was having a nosebleed but as she's on blood thinners an hour later it still hadn't stopped so off to A & E with her, thankfully she was dealt with immediately but a lot of waiting for the procedure to work before letting her home after midnight, happy to say she's back to slagging everyone today but something we have to watch going forward!

Sun 22nd July - Sunday Long Run - 28.85kms - 5:10km avg - 2hrs 29m

Met S for this on the SCR, passing @scotindublin & his crew along the Crumlin children's hospital. Actually arrived early so had plenty of time to sit in my car looking at the rain getting heavier😂With the 10 mile race on in the PP, S had decided we would do the DCM route from Kilmainham to the finish and then back along the Grand Canal to Kilmainham His car was a fair bit down from mine so he jogged to me & we set off, thankfully the heavy rain stopped fairly quickly. This was a nice run, as we ran through Crumlin apparently I splashed S when I ran through a puddle but I never noticed(this is for reference later). We chatted & I actually directed S a couple of times much to my surprise & pleasure😉 As we were running along I felt something wet & warm on my leg, had I pee'd myself😮 nope S had ran into a puddle which splashed me, quite a big splash too! When I politely pointed it out to him he then proceeded to tell me that I had splashed him earlier(the incident in Crumlin) so it was a revenge splash!! I decided to be the bigger person & just let it go, and as we ran further S ended up on the road & ended up running through a pothole full of water, some would say Karma😜 With more caution S did a Jeté(only way I can describe it) across the next puddle, I could just picture him in a tutu it was so graceful! Once we got to about 22kms it started to feel a bit tougher, weird to describe, not hard just felt tougher. The chat had stopped more or less & I was just dying to get to my car to drink my clear protein orange drink I had full of ice, of course S proceeded to crush that dream by saying the ice would definitely be melted & I would be lucky if there was one tiny sliver of ice left!! We proceeded along the canal & I thought we were taking the turn closest to my car but NOPE we didn't, I cursed S out loud to which he just laughed! We dropped him off at his car & I proceeded onto mine so I was quite puzzled that our runs didn't match up, for some reason mine almost always ends up a bit shorter than his🤷 Had a cuppa with S, was nice to discuss & realise what a decent weeks running we have both put in! Really happy with how my training is coming along, hopefully this continues!

Mileage for the week - 93.8kms(58.2miles)

Mileage for the year so far - 1,976.56kms(1,228.2miles)

For anyone wondering there was plenty of ice left in my drink😁 photo evidence attached!

skyblue46

There is one part of your report that reads sooooo wrong 😲

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120888578#Comment_120888578

haha just one part? Oh do tell🤔

skyblue46

"something warm and wet on your leg" "quite a big splash" .... 🫣

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120888632#Comment_120888632

There's always one🤣🤣🤣

Murph_D

(deleted) Never mind. 😱

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120889247#Comment_120889247

....

Lambay island

Great running and consistency going on over here! fair play!

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120889655#Comment_120889655

Thanks a mill D, feeling quite strong at the moment & enjoying the training, although I forgot how tough those longer runs can be after a week of training but I am excited to see how it comes together!

I hope all is well with you😊

Mr. Guappa

The number nerd in me is intrigued that your watch shows up a shorter distance than S for the same run(s). I wondered if his watch is slightly over-estimating the distance? When you add in the drama in den Haag it might make sense (although racing line etc. would contribute there). Marginal stuff anyway, but somewhat interesting (to me at least 🤣)

py

Quite possibly they're using different satellites.