Just Do It

Laineyfrecks

So happy to read you got out for a drink with your dad, the best Christmas present ever! Cherish it all, life is so precious💛

Very best of luck for 2024; I've no doubt you'll be back to peak shape in no time!

Lambay island

Jan - Mid march recap

I have been consistently running approx 45- 55 mile weeks since beginning of the year so constantly building has been very much a positive.

I have ran 3 races in that period with mixed results

Raheny 5 mile 28.42 which I was relatively happy with as had only really put in 3-4 weeks training prior to it. It was about 7 seconds off the previous year PB which I accepted gladly as sub 29 was target.

Trim 10 mile. This came a week later and I felt Raheny gave me some good confidence going into here to see if a PB was possible. PB from this course last year was 58.19. The wind this year compared to 2023 in my opinion made this a far harder prospect after warming up on the last 600 metres of the course which was into a strong headwind. I started off quite aggressive with the wind on my back and basically had to hang in as much as i could in the middle miles when the wind was dead against. I actually came in at 58.48 about 30 seconds outside last years effort. I think in the conditions though I ran a stronger race as I was a couple of places further up the standings this year.

Last year I did 2 spring half marathons along with competing in the shorter stuff for the Peugeot series. I have decided to skip the longer stuff this spring and concentrate on building and throwing in a few shorter races to limit injury breaks like I suffered last year. I was originally going to compete in the Portlaoise 5k on paddy's day but I saw the club were sending a very strong team down there anyway, so chose the more local option in Tallaght for a 5k. I hadn't been solely targeting 5k pacing in training which I think is something that may have caught me out a bit here. 5k in my opinion is a real learned discipline and probably the hardest to get right. I find I need 2 or 3 races in a short enough space to get right or even close to right. I wasn't expecting to get near my time(avg3.14 pace) I ran at Kilkenny a year ago but I did feel confident I would go sub 17.

Splits went like this for a 17.19 final time

3.18

3.19

3.22 - writing on the wall

3.35

3.33

It was a fast enough start but felt I was working too hard from the first km really. I found a mini group of 3 there and kept pushing on the 2nd km but even on the downhill, I was ever so slightly slowing down, although effort was increasing. You never really feel great in a 5km race but I was waiting patiently just to feel even a tiny bit stronger. It never came though and if anything I was sweating up more and coughing lots. I had a rough night sleep the previous night with a cough but that wouldn't usually effect me much. At this stage I think it simply got in my head that this wasn't going well and I'd be better off stepping off the gas to fight again. The truth was, I was subconsciously looking for excuses in my head as I approach the climb. The pace dropped considerably in that 4th km and it wasn't by choice. My legs just felt heavy and i was breathing hard. I hung in with one Cru guy through this section and when it flattened out and entered towards the track, I assumed id be able to kick it up a gear. I ever so slightly increased speed on the track but my heart wasn't in at that stage when I realised id be the wrong side of 17, I trundled in more that finished strong. Mixed emotions coming out of it, but I believe it will bring me on and have an idea where I can improve next time. Nice to meet up briefly with a few boards heads pre race too.

I plan to race Dunboyne 10km this weekend but at the min I cant seem to shake this cough I have had for a week now. Its been an age since I raced a 10km so want to go into it feeling right! if not, I may pull the plug. I was hoping to return to streets of Kilkenny 5k on Good Friday but turns out I'm at a wedding that night. Enfield may be the next target for that distance. Really enjoying just running and having no real ultimate targets at the minute. I like the idea of just been fit enough to jump into any training block if any particular race comes calling.

Lambay island

Monday - 12 miles @7.39

I have been a bit shy on anything longer recently so was determined to get out for 90 mins and forget about the previous day's race. I was one of the few head-the-ball's out this early on the Bank holiday with @Wottle been another. We passed each other early in our respective runs.

Tuesday - Double runmute 6.10 miles @7.55 + 6.2 miles @8.04

I usually do UCD session on Tuesdays but not this weeks as it falls between 2 races. Rumutes suited here and was padding the mileage early in week to have a quieter lead up to Dunboyne later on.

Wed - 5 miles @8.10

Evening jaunt around trails and Marlay.

Thurs - 6.29 miles @7.17

I think I did 10 x 60 seconds @ 10k pace and possibly another 4 @30 seconds. I didn't program it in, so that is just guessing looking back at the run. I must have been away in my own world for that one as very little memory of it.

Friday - Off

Saturday - 5.68 miles @7.34

I jogged up and back from Marlay Parkrun. I started off towards the back and just slowly progressed per km before finishing last 800 at planned 10k pace .

Sunday

National 10k Dunboyne

I had a busy morning here trying to sort out the under 9's, which was probably a good distraction pre race. I only for sure decided after waking up that I would do this race. I still have a very annoying cough but it hadn't been keeping me up at night like previously.

I arrived in plenty of time and parked up in the primary school and used the distance down to the start line as a warmup.

It is quite a tight start with a lot of people trying to get to the front. I positioned myself okay in the pen, probably could have done with been a few yards further forward in hindsight.

The usual stampede of a start as we ran towards the town - Great crowds out watching here was very noticeable. My legs felt a bit heavy as I looked for some space but was probably more mind tricks. I have one "soft pb" possibly 2 but 10km was there for the taking anyway and haven't raced one since Dunshaughlin 2022. PB(current 35.40) was the minimum I wanted but was hoping I was feeling well enough to go sub 35. This meant it was a target of 3.30 per km with the hope of dipping below that for last km.

I noticed going past 5k marker on road, I was spot on 17.30 on the watch - splits on the watch were 3.27, 3.29,3.30, 3.29,3.26

I ended joining and alternating positions for the 2nd half of the race with a work colleague of mine. I think this helped both of us(helped me anyway) as we closed in and caught a few groups together. At one stage, I thought I actually got away from him at the 9km mark but to hear the slapping of his runners just off my shoulder as we turned towards the track entrance. I knew my watch was off with the markers from early on but I thought when we were going to go on the track, my tiring brain thought it was going to be a 100 metre run up anti clockwise to the finish line. I assumed my sub 35 was looking good. Anyway, we know what they say about Assume. Instead, it was the clockwise 300 metre finish and I was tiring. My work colleague went by here and despite a mini fight back, I couldn't quite get him. I beat him on the chip time though, which I was sure to tell him ;-). splits for 2nd half 3.26, 3.32,3.34,3.31,3.31 for 35.06 which was a 30 odd second PB which I have to be happy about. I left the sub 35 out there but I'll be back for that. I loved the route and great decision to bring National 10k there.