You only get what you give

diego_b

It's probably a good time of year to do this but I'd like to setup a new training log. Looking at my old log https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057442298/clear-eyes-full-hearts-cant-lose it's been a long time since I updated it (March 2019) so time for a new chapter I think.

Log title comes from one of my all time favourite songs, You Get What You Give by The New Radicals. Released in 1998 and it's always stuck with me and never fails to catch the ear when it comes on the radio. For my own purposes it's to remind me that you will only get in return what you put into something and never giving up.

This time last year I was working my way with a troublesome calf injury after hurting it pretty badly during a time trial in November 2020 where I was on course for a low 44s in a 10K time trial. I pulled up at 6K where I was feeling good effort wise and confident for the remaining 4K but my calf disagreed and when I stopped I couldn't even walk with the tightness. Had to abandon and call my wife to come collect me, and of course it started raining immediately. This injury took probably at least 3-4 months to work through with a phyiso. I got suckered into probably doing too many of these time trials in 2020 and whilst they were great they had draw backs in that I did silly things in overdoing it with too many too close together. It really annoyed to be honest as I felt I'd gained good ground in 2020 and pretty blew it all away on something silly when I had ignored some warning signs. For 2021 then I mainly focused just on general running with nothing specific really, parkruns (22:42), few half marathons (best time 1:48).

Where I am now, just prior to Christmas I ran the Newmarket 5K and posted my first and only sub 22 5K of 2021 coming home in 21:55. I ran a 10K race yesterday in Beaufort and came home in 47:57 so was very happy with that, especially as I managed to run a negative split (24:16/23:41) over the slower second half of the course and for the last 2K I ran them in 4:30min each which would be what I would consider my true 10K pace if trained for it.

Coming up for me this year in the first few months will be the Ballyroan 10 miler in my home county of Laois, not a race I have done before but planning on doing it as a long tempo run. The true targets for the first quarter of the year are the Adare 10K (a 46min finish time there would not be an unreasonable target) and the Kerry county road race (I ran 22:16 in September last for the 2021 edition so would like to take 30-45 seconds off that time) in March. Few other things pop along through the year, like many people I have a few carried over entries from various races that hopefully will go ahead in 2022. Not least the Dublin marathon, but that seems a long way away yet.

In recent times I was also elected to the chairperson position of my club (Nov 2021 AGM) and has been very interesting to date, I have been coaching juveniles for 5 years and slowly got more involved in the committee side of things in the last two years. It's been an interesting experience to date but I hopeful of a good future for my club and for all involved. Best of luck to everyone for the year ahead, and remember you only get what you give.

Murph_D

Good to see this, D, look forward to tracking your progress towards those goals, all of which I think are achievable.

Wubble Wubble

Best of luck with the new log D, I had no idea it was so long since you'd updated the old one.

We're very similar times wise these days, more than before it seems. Looking forward to following the improvements here.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118406751#Comment_118406751

Thanks D, I'd like to share more of what I am doing and not doing and hopefully become a better runner for what feedback I get.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118407209#Comment_118407209

Thanks J, indeed I let it go a while back. Not sure why really but got a bit bored of it and I think not actually setting targets/checkpoints along the way is part of the problem there. I have no problem running and doing races but not great on structure training for myself really, would like to get better at that and get faster again so this will hopefully help. Your log has long been a reference for me for what you've been doing so nice to share what's happening down here. Here's hoping for a better running year!

Swashbuckler

Welcome back to logging. Happy to see this.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118408181#Comment_118408181

Thanks P, it was seeing your new log that was the final kicker saying I'll give this a go again.

diego_b

Mon 03/01/2022

Started off my training plan today for the Adare 10K. I'm following the Hal Higdon intermediate 10K plan -> https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/10k-training/intermediate-10k/

My reasoning for picking this plan is that it fits in with the time schedule I have to the race which is 8 weeks and also the type of speed work involved tempo runs and 400m intervals which suits me fine. Number of days running (5) and mileage wise it's pretty much where I am at now (40K-50K a week) but adding in some sessions. Timewise I think I can work pretty well with this as for the easy runs I will probably do those at lunchtime. The longest session would probably take me 1-1.15hr so something I can do after work without too much disruption. Pretty busy with club stuff these days as well as being a coach and chair, I'm also one of the run directors for our upcoming 8K race in two weeks but that will pass soon enough. Anyways it's a pretty basic plan otherwise but I think will do for a good start to the year.

On the plan for today was 5K easy so did that on the local beach in Ballyheigue in 32:30, very easy pace which was good after the weekend's racing on Saturday. It was very windy for the run and despite running what is an out and back route it felt like you had wind in your face for most of the run as it swirled around and mainly came from side. My 9yr old daughter joined me for the last 1.5K or so which was nice, she abandoned her mother who she was out walking with to run with me...she probably misjudged the distance so needed encouragement over the last half a K! She'll sleep tonight.

Swashbuckler

Ah ballyheigue....only four more months to go......

diego_b

Week 1 continued

Tuesday 04/01/2022

5K easy on the plan and got this done at lunchtime. Simple out and back route and job done no messing.

Wednesday 05/01/2022

This was due to be a session day on the plan but after a 6 day streak including a 10K race I decided to bring forward the rest day from Friday and take it off from running. Busy evening all the same with a coaches zoom meeting to plan for the next few months, normally we'd be training indoors this time of the year but we're going back outside for next month anyways...it might mean reduced numbers at training but we think it's a safer setup for all at the moment. Following that another zoom meeting with the committee for race planning, all coming together nicely which is great. We've got plenty of people lined up to help so should be a safe an enjoyable event for all. It's my first event as a run director so a learning curve but good team of people involved so we're getting there.

Thursday 06/01/2022

The weather has certainly taken a turn for the worse towards the end of the week. Bitter cold and a lot of hail throughout the day. I was looking at where I'd fit in my tempo run, it was only 35mins but I don't particularly enjoy doing sessions at lunchtime as you get to bathe in sweat afterwards despite taking a shower. I chanced leaving it until after work and hopefully get a break in the weather. Thankfully the weather gods played ball and I was out just before 6 and done by half 6...the hail stones just resumed as I was stepping back in the door. Winning! For the run itself, I am following the Hal Higdon intermediate 10K plan and they advise to structure the tempo run as the first 10-15mins easy and then first the next 10-15mins to get to race pace gradually, finish then with 5mins easy so that's what I aimed for. Splits of 5:34, 5:28, 5:17, 4:42, 4:22 (downhill), 4:37, 5:33 for the 7K I ran. Running tights were brought out due to air temp being around or below zero. Wouldn't normally wear them for such work but felt fine, I hate to be too warm.

Friday 07/01/2022

The week's rest day normally scheduled for Friday's but it looks to be the one day of the week for the moment I'll be able to meet up with some running friends so met them after work for an easy pace 5K around a local loop. Unreal weather down here today in the first half of the day, thunder and lightening during a hailstone storm that seemed to go off just above the house given the 1-2 second gap between the lightening and the sound. Biblical stuff it seemed.

Enjoying getting back into boards a little bit more in the last week or so, I'd hope this site is around for a long time to come. I was heavily involved with a fan forum in the early 2000's for a number of years, I think I had 10000 posts on it over the course of 3-4 years. That site is gone now and I do miss it plus the people that you'd interact with virtually and even occasionally in the real world.

diego_b

Week 1 finish

Saturday 08/01/2022

Tralee parkrun

Enjoyed this run, one of my favourite aspects to my home parkrun in Tralee is that due to the volume of runners (avg of 199) no matter what the pace you run you'll always have someone different to run with it and maybe have a chat with. So run a hard parkrun, for me sub 22 then I catch up with some of the faster lads I know (they'd be in a few mins ahead of me, feckers and their sub 20's...maybe someday). Run a nice 24mins tempo run, meet some different people from other running groups in the area...have the chat enroute and all good. Today I was running easy enough, so came home in 25:57. Ended up running a bit with different people on each of the 3 laps. 2nd lap was catching up with a mate who's getting back running after a break, I trained for my first marathon with him so we've a few miles on the clock together so always good to check in with where each is at. Third lap then I levelled up with one of the juveniles in the club who was starting to drop back after starting too fast. Bit of encouragement and pacing he kept it going and with a good strong finish he held off a few who were trying to pass him.

I also helped out with the setup role for the first time, have done most of the other volunteer roles to date so was on the to do list. 8am in the town park was a new experience...pitch dark and just the run director there when I arrived. They like an early start but it was all good and nice to see that side of it and now I know how it goes when I do it again. The only thing after being there for a good hour I was a bit slow about getting out of my nice warm gear to go run, not the best morning but with a short warmup...half a K and a few strides I was ready for it. Where else would you be on a Saturday morning.

Sunday 09/01/2022

Director's Run for my club's upcoming Tom Kelly 8K today. Photoshoot with members of the family who have sponsored the cups, being hugely supportive when the event was proposed to them to allow us to have it in his name. Have to say I have enjoyed planning the establishment of what will be an annual event rather that the normal events you might help out with. Following that we had the director's run which gave a chance to volunteers for the run to come and run the route ahead of the race next week and get a medal for their trouble. Nice bit of craic starting off, good chat for the first 3/4K with bits and pieces of planning things to talk about but the conversation dropped when we got to the tougher part of the course and the pace ratchetted up then for the second 4K (bit of a drag from 4K-6K). Finished the run home in 39:12, avg pace 4:51 with splits of 5:07, 5:02, 4:59, 4:54, 5:05, 4:47, 4:36, 4:20 so a good strong finish over the second half and my fastest time on the course..so Strava tells me. Looking forward to the real race next week and when all the plans come together.

That wraps the week with 36.5K for me.

59.5K for the year so far.

Swashbuckler

Good memories of Tralee parkrun. Couple of serious runners have come out of my parkrun class of 2017. Oisin and Derek I first met at Tralee parkrun. They're running serious times now.

Is it just me or is the GPS way off for the parkrun? Always comes in less than 3 miles.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118446863#Comment_118446863

Yup, Derek is doing brilliant on the marathon front and only getting better. Delighted to see him get his sub 2:30 in London and looking forward to seeing how it goes at his next run at the event. Oisin is flying it at the 5K, he ran a cracking time in the 5K in Newmarket. 14:35 and a top 5 finish, some going in a race of that standard. Definitely one to watch for the years ahead.

Yup GPS is hopeless there I find...too many trees and a few too many turns, when pacing it I usually just do it based on the laptime itself...so 3 laps @ 8min/lap if pacing for 24mins. I have been told it's definitely 5K and based on the times there in comparison to race times it is, I never been able to set a true 5K pb on it though...always quicker in a road race. I think the dog leg/out and back bit with the 180 degree turn takes too much out of your momentum so you lose a few seconds every lap.

Annie get your Run

Tralee parkrun is on my list to visit once the mornings start getting a bit brighter, must do the new route in Killarney first though! Great idea to have the race volunteers run the route together for the club race, the downside of volunteering is missing out on the experience but that's lovely to have everyone running the route before hand.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118447577#Comment_118447577

Very good, drop me a note when you're planning to be in Tralee and I'll keep an eye out for you to say hello. Killarney House is a nice one in fairness to it, smaller than Tralee but a good location as well and gets bigger numbers than the old route used to get. I never managed to original Killarney one though...too lazy to get up and drive the extra 30mins or so!! We had a directors run for our club annual Banna run last year and it is a nice idea alright as like you say people don't feel like they are missing out then so much on the race day itself then. We'll try keep up the new tradition.

diego_b

Week 2

Monday 10/01/2022

5k easy on the plan so slotted this run in at lunchtime with an out and back run on the road. 5K in 28:42.

Tuesday 11/01/2022

6K easy scheduled for today, met up with a running mate in the evening time for a run in Ballyheigue using the line road. This particular road has long been used by myself for training but not all the locals like it for running. Not really sure why but I guess because it's not especially scenic, some decent mountain views though...I guess in comparison to other routes available you cannot see the sea...an it's probably at sea level also. It's often busy with agricultural traffic, you meet the odd lunatic driving some exceptional speeds on what is a bog road. The road has an interesting history, was built during the famine as a relief scheme so providing people with employment and I guess means to be able to buy food. It's an extremely straight road for the most part....for almost 13.5K before it curves for the last 3.5K. It runs parallel to the extremely windy main regional road that serves the area so I do wonder what the point of it's construction in the first place really was, hardly just to give employment. I guess to give access to farmland rather than lots of long lanes from the main road. Anyways it's a good road for easy training as it's flat, I also like it for speed sessions and time trials but you need to be careful with your timing to get a good run at it...sometimes with the vehicles you've not choice but to step off into the ditch. I think it's a good tester for marathon running as despite being flat it can be pretty tedious to be able to see kms in front of you as you trudge alone...so good for the brain training side of things to help development strategies when training does feel so good. I can recall doing a run from Tralee once training for DCM 2015 (my first marathon), having run 15K already to having to turn and another 10K+ plus home on a dead straight road. My legs were quite tired, I took pause for a few seconds at one end of the line road for a quick drink and then headed off on the line road. For some reason I can always remember how dead my quads felt that day and I can remember the run, it felt horrible for the most part but to me they are the most valuable runs of all. That was then, this is now 6K easy in 36:24.

Wednesday 12/01/2022

Speed session on the plan, 8x400m @ 5K pace.

Wednesday evening is my second night of the week for coaching (Monday is the other) so I will when possible get my runs done at lunchtime. Took a 10 minute warmup plus a few basic drills before getting into the intervals. Used my gps and some lampposts on my warm up to mark out a 400m that I ran up and down. Target pace for the 400s was 1:44. In the end they worked out as 1:41, 1:37, 1:39, 1:44, 1:41, 1:42, 1:37, 1:39. The recoveries taken were 1 minute which was enough to help my heart rate get down to the easy range again, I walked the recoveries with a small jog before starting the next interval. This was a tough enough but manageable workout. I find the pacing on these difficult to manage, I checked my watch around 200m in on the first few and just based the rest on the same effort. Felt very leggy on the last interval so not sure if I would have felt like doing another...small bit of tightness on right calf afterwards so have to careful. With a 5min cool down home, it was 7.5K in 42 minutes running. I noted on my strava, easy days easy and hard days hard. I've never had a problem pushing myself when it comes to intervals but it's the easy running I am focusing on to try keep it slow. Running on my own it's easy enough to do that but if I run with mates they have a tendency to run them a bit faster than I would like so I try factor that into my training to not those sort of runs that the day after a session.

Thursday 13/01/2022

Friday's scheduled rest day on the Thursday instead again. Final planning meeting this evening for the club's upcoming race on Sunday which I was run director for. We sold out the race the day previous but decided to allow some entries on the weekend but would have to post medals out to those people 1-2 weeks after the race. People seemed very happy with that. Difficult to plan for entries into a new race at a relatively uncommon distance (8K) and almost 50 percent of those who registered in the end signed up in the last week. We had to give a week's notice to our supplier to get extra medals.

Horrified to hear the news coming out of Tullamore about the murder of Ashling Murphy, my deepest sympathies to her family and friends. I always think the job of a teacher is an ideal job for a runner. Even during winter months usually finished work early enough to be able to get out and get your training done in daylight, notionally a safer thing to do but evidentially it is not a safe thing to do for a woman in this country. I rarely have to give too much thought about the safety of where/when I run, given I live in the countryside most of running is done alone, often in the dark for 1/3 of the year. Do I worry about being approached by a slowing car, van or random person. No I don't and it's clearly male privilege that I don't need to, we are rarely if ever the target. What a society we have created that one set of people are often targeted and victims of another set of people, for shame. I am not sure what can be done to change this, we have a problem but yet to find a solution...for Ashling Murphy and for the Ashling Murphy's of the future I hope we do.

Friday 14/01/2022

Easy run with some running mates down near Banna beach, 6.4K easy in 36:24. Talk dominated by events in Tullamore, talking about our respective wives. None of whom would go running alone, generally safety the main reason. It's a problem we are all aware of but rarely talk of how it can resolved. How can I convince my wife she safe out to go run a 5K loop in the locality on her own when events like this week happen, when she's heard hearsay of attempted abductions in years passed. Should she get into the care and drive 25mins to go into Tralee and to be able to go run around a town on her own or does she have to try link up with a mate working around another person's schedule? How do I know that she wouldn't get some helpful comments from some groups of young lads with nothing to do but just try be a smart a** in front of their mates. Doubt they care too much of their target's feelings. It's all part of the problem.

Saturday 15/01/2022

Tralee parkrun, 24:09....ran this a bit of a tempo run. Tried to help one of my younger clubmates break a pb but he dropped off to miss out by 12 seconds. He'll get it again soon. 1K warmup before and 1K afterwards. Like all parkruns it seems a minutes silence was held.

After that it was to pick up some extra supplies for the runners/walkers in the race tomorrow, another check on the course. We had some potholes filled during the week and then home for the day to take it handy. Expecting an early night I was still up till 1am working on my pre race briefing. Had got a message from a runner who required a vi guide (and a lift to/from the race) after he had a drop out. Managed to get it sorted for him with a club mate stepping up to the plate to do it.

Sunday 16/01/2022

Early start as up just after 6am, race start was due to 9:30am but a few things to do and check on before the inaugural Tom Kelly 8K. First thing to do when I got to Ardfert was to go drive the course to check for any issues...all was good. After that it was checking on the finish area which one of our local committee members had already got in place. I had said I'd be there at 7:30am to do it. He was talking about doing it at 6am and I said no need. If I had said 6am, he would have said 5am. Sometimes you just have to let people get on with it and he did a good job. Main work that had to be done in the end there for me was clearing the area of leaves and gunk from leaves to make sure the ground was not slippy. Next to go check on the water station to see all in order. Back then to see how the registrations/number collections were going. We'd advertised that number collection would finish at 9am but you will always get last minute people rushing in. I think 9:15 was the last number collected. 180 entrants in total (150 online) and the rest in person. Delighted with the turnout as when planning the event we thought maybe 100 runners. 170 people toed the line as well which was an excellent percentage of those who signed up to be there. Got a last minute call before my briefing at 9:20 with a marshal issue but got that sorted. 9:20ish I stood in front of runners and gave the briefing, I cut some sections on it just not to stall things too long but made sure to include a moments silence for Aishling Murphy who was just out for a run. It was an honor to be able to do this and to offer thanks to Kelly family who supported the event as soon as it was proposed to them. They stood at the start line and joined us at the finish line for the presentations to the winners.

At approx 9:32 the race started and 25:55 minutes later the first male finisher crossed the line, the first female finisher crossed the line in 33:11. Both are now deemed the course records.

Here is a picture from the race start, I am very proud of my club to have setup and ran such a brilliant race. The feedback from all participants has been brilliant and Tom's family were delighted with it. Lots of coverage with the local media and one of my club mates was on local radio last night interviewed about the man for whom the race was created in memory of and about the club. I wanted to us to create a quality event that could become an established race fixture on the calendar and it seems like with one go it will be, we look forward to the Tom Kelly 8K in January 2023.

Was very much on a high after the whole event with how well it went, few bits to do when I got home so didn't get out until after 6pm. 8K easy in 46:07 @ 5:42min/km. Clear, cold night with a full moon, joked with my wife when I got home that in that sort of weather I could run for hours. I do get funny looks from her occasionally.

39.9K for the week.

99.4K for the year so far.

Swashbuckler

Well done on a great job as race director. Its a nice distance - you dont see to many of those around. I'll be hopeful of toeing the line in Banna this year all going well.

I know that road very well. Its literally the only flat(ish) part of road I can use near Ballyheigue in the Summer. SO many miles clocked up along that road.

DeepBlue

I'm just amazed that there's a long flat road in Kerry suitable for runners 😯

I wouldn't mind one near me.

Congrats on the Tom Kelly 8K. Heard good reports and hope to toe the line next year.

Murph_D

Congrats D, super job on the race. Hope you get to run it yourself some year!

Annie get your Run

Glad to hear it went well, that's a fantastic photo! Congrats on your first one as race director.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118495458#Comment_118495458

Thanks P, yeah we picked the distance for a few reasons. One was to be different from many of the 5/10K races on locally this time of the year and for the route we looked at it just fit nicely. We could have made a 10K out of it but would have involved as nasty hill for 1.5K at least...and a lot of people who/run walk 5K would try the 8K but maybe not got as far as 10K. Also for promotion, we used "TK8K "as part of the advertising and it has stuck....it also met with the families' approval too.

Very good, I'll see you at either the start or the finish line all going well. We'll start planning that event in the next couple of months.

Indeed I see your runs on Strava on it, Trevor C who runs locally a good bit does a lot of mileage on it too. Great straight lines!

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118495500#Comment_118495500

In North Kerry you would get a few stretches here but line road would be pretty unique for it's length. Certainly after learning to run alone the canal in Sallins coming down here was a change. Most runs I do these days I get to run up a nice short sharp hill for the last 200m to my door....just in case you didn't get a hill to run already!

Thanks very much, nice to hear that word has spread. Majority of the runners we had were from Kerry but quite a few from Cork which was nice....so word should spread and help grow the event. You would be very welcome, bring a friend!

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118495875#Comment_118495875

Thanks D, it was an interesting experience. I used to always compliment my old workmate Pat Hooper on the Raheny 5 mile, I loved that is was a club race instead of just a commercial event as many of the larger races are...and how well it was run by volunteers. I doubt we'll have 1000's running anytime soon but I hope we get a lot of the runners and walkers back again next year with a few more. Indeed that might be a few years away but we have a directors run so get to scratch the itch that way!

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118498221#Comment_118498221

Thanks very much AM, It was just nice seeing all come to fruition as took a good few months work. Next year should be easier in ways as we've done it once now!

diego_b

Week 3

Monday 17/01/2022

5K easy on the plan, 5.2K easy in 29:37 @ 5:41min/km. Bit of a curve ball today with my daughter presenting symptoms of covid overnight. First time we've had a visit to the house of covid-19 since the pandemic started. One antigen test later and it was confirmed, feck it. She was grand with it really, just a headache and achy neck on that day and running a temp but all good otherwise. She did start crying when I told her and she said that at least we probably won't die if we catch it from her as we've had our vaccines. The poor thing with what must be in these kids heads now.

Discussed it with the head coach in the club and given we had enough coaching cover for the week said that I would give training a break this week just in case. Fully vaxxed and boostered so could attend training if I didn't have symptoms and a clear antigen test but just playing it safe. Did my run after work in the evening.

Tuesday 18/01/2022

6K easy on the plan, 6K in 33:53 @ 5:38min/km. Another after work run in the dark...simple out and back route to Causeway village from home. A regular route I use, it's pretty flat which is nice barring the last few hundred meters. Club EGM that evening, my first EGM/AGM as chair and it went well. Put a lot of work in preparation for it since our club AGM back in November. Very happy to have a club constitution in place now which passed with a strong majority vote. Interesting debate in the meeting but all was carried out respectfully and puts the club in a better position for the future and represents the wishes of members.

Wednesday 19/01/2022

40min tempo run on for today. Again like two weeks again the structure would be the same where the first 10-15mins were to be easy pace, then 20mins ratcheting up to get to race pace. Last 5 mins to be easy running. Splits tell the story as well as anything. 5:52, 5:30, 5:13, 4:54, 4:46, 4:39, 4:35, 5:26 (0.8K) for a total of 7.8K. Calf felt fine on this run but the effort was pretty high for the faster kms, I recalled reading on one of the logs during the week not to worry about pace and focus on the effort there so should be happy with that but being honest I thought I was probably running faster...saying that I need to remind myself the target is a 46:xx 10K time and not a 45:xx 10K time so 4:35/4:36 for the K is perfect. In order to really focus on the effort I am not tracking pace as I speed up on these, it's solely effort based and just checking in on each K rather than taking a split at the end of the easy running so I could track the faster stuff better. So far my approach is working with these runs in hitting the target pace.

Attended the local community games agm this evening, the joys of going to these things is that you are quite likely to end up with a job. I am the new vice chair. It's one thing about living in a rural area that it's not too hard to get volunteer roles, since moving to Kerry in 2015 I've become an athletics coach, a credit union director, a school board of management member, an athletics club committee member (now chair of that same committee), now vice chair of the local community games. It's often the ways really in rural areas that people are involved with lots of things and also have many jobs, the local postman for example is an also the undertaker (no joke). I do however joke with people that as well as deliveries he does collections...

Thursday 20/01/2022

5K easy on the plan, 5.2K in 29:10 @ 5:36min/km, ran this one at lunchtime on the same loop as Monday evening's run. Bit of tightness in my hip after this so keeping an eye on that. Was due to have a physio apt this evening (had booked it when I was feeling my calf a little) but cancelled it with my daughter's covid.

Friday 21/01/2022

Rest day, after clear antigen tests all week my wife (who'd been struggling with heavy cold symptoms all week) posted a positive antigen test. She got a PCR test done to confirm it, so isolation type for her too as well as my daughter. Fun times! Managing it as best as we can but both of them are well really which is great. Still showing a clear antigen test myself so went for a substantial food shop that evening just in case we'd be going nowhere for a week or so. Hard to see how I can avoid it now.

Saturday 22/01/2022

The day the restrictions...or at least most of them end. I won't lie but I'm probably more on the negative side of things with seeing the great opening in that it might just be too soon, probably biased given the experience of the last week. I quite enjoyed the social distancing side of things in ways, I work from home all day and have been doing so since 2015. Early adopter to remote working. But even things in the last year where you go into the cinema and you're spaced a few seats/rows apart from people...I actually like that. Guess as we got used to the restrictions of the last few years we'll get used to life without them too. Still showing clear on the antigen tests but even with that gave parkrun a miss today and followed the plan which says 60min cross training. So onto the bike for the first time this year and did 27K, it was grand now.

Sunday 23/01/2022

Had signed up for the Ballyroan 10 miler up in my home county of Laois but wasn't going to travel for the race given the covid situation at home, hardly going to call and stay with my parents for a few nights as was originally the case. Anyways missing the race meant I could take a late night to stay up to watch the Packers hopefully beat the 49ers...best laid plans and f-ing special teams. Probably an end of an era loss with the work that needs to be done for next seasons, 40mill over the salary cap and big names coming to free agency. For the era of Aaron Rodgers to likely end with just one superbowl is a real shame.

Taking in the game meant a much later start for my run today so starting off at 1:30 I ran a long loop (half of the run being on the line road as mentioned in my log update last week), nothing much to say about the run. My longest since the gap of Dunloe half marathon back in November but on a good deal flatter road! 16.1K in 90mins @ 5:36min/km. Small bit of hip discomfort again when the run was done so will get that checked as soon as the dust settles. Will do some mobilty work on it this week and hopefully it clears up.

40.3K for the week.

139.5K for the year so far.

babacool

Finally a log with paces in Km and not per mile 😁. Thank you for that!

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118549073#Comment_118549073

I've had it both ways, tbh it doesn't really matter I find (the road is still the same)....most people I run with run in km so just became easier to use km. I still know my mile paces in my head but track and record in km.

diego_b

Week 4

Monday 24/01/2022

5K easy on the plan but my hip was a bit stuff/sore so took a rest day instead. Did some mobility work on it and definitely helped, the pigeon pose seems to work well for me and I can actually do it decent enough so just need to bring that into stretches and that helps.

Tuesday 25/01/2022

7.3K on the plan but given the missed day yesterday I just did 5K easy after work on a out and back route. Stopped before the small bit of a hill near the end just to keep it on the flat as much as possible. 5K in 27:40 @ 5:31min/km. My daughter was back to school today after her missing all the previous week due to covid, my wife was pretty much in of the clear also barring a bit of a cough. I managed to avoid so far myself so we'll see when it comes back around again!

Wednesday 26/01/2022

Weekly speed session on for today but still easing into the week so decided to carry it over for another day and do another easy run. 6K easy in 32:48 @ 5:27min/km during my lunchtime. Still the little bit of a hip issue but nothing that some stretching isn't help address so far so good. Back to coaching tonight as well, great numbers attending training so real buzz to the start of the year for the club. We've an athletics match coming up next Saturday against another club in the county so we just have to get the numbers to that which is always a challenge for any form of competitive event.

Thursday 27/01/2022

So a bit of stick or twist with the week, after reading a comment about plans on Babacool's log earlier in the week I was thinking just do the speed session and see how it goes. The plan had for 9x400 @5K pace, 1min recoveries. Left it till after work, so 15min warmup plus a few drills and dynamic stretching. Target pace of 1:44 for the 400m using the same pretty flat section of the road to run each rep up and then down. First one down, 1:42...very happy with that as it felt controlled. Now do it again...1:41 on the slightly slower return leg, watch the pace. 1:43 for the 3rd, took a few seconds to stretch a bit after this but glad this were feeling good...was sure about 9 of them but would stay going for now, 1:42 for the 4th...sure we're nearly halfway there...do two more and see. 1:41 for the 5th...think I'm actually starting to enjoy these despite my light giving up the ghost on it's charge but only 10mins or so running left to do, 1:43 for the 6th....still all good, only 3 to go so gonna see this out, 1:42 for the 7th....wish I didn't have the bit of a hip niggle as otherwise it's all still good, 1:41 for the 8th....yup feeling a bit more of the effort now but one to go, facing for home and off to the 9th....1:35 after hitting the button at 0.39KM but still very happy with that session. 5min jog home, 8K in 46mins.

Friday 28/01/2022

Rest day was on the plan here but having taken a rest day earlier in the week and the chance to run with a mate I said I'd go with the run. I did say starting off if it was okay we'd be averaging probably 6min/K, that suited us both which was great. 5K easy in 29:35 @ 5:55min/km.

Saturday 29/01/2022

Back to Tralee parkrun today, One of the young athletes (C) in my club came up to me at the startline and asked me could he run with me and I said of course. He's too fast for him mum at the moment, only 8 so has to run with an adult and I think he wanted to try for his pb. He was recently running with a guy who runs around 26mins normally. I asked him what his pb was, he said 25 something...he wasn't sure...I wasn't either so I said we'll try for 24 something if that sounded okay so that was the plan. Said to him we'd line up nicely a few rows back from the front but he wasn't to go sprinting off at the start. All good and off we went on our mission and he was spot on at the start, no crazy weaving or anything which I was happy with as often see that with young kids. Due to unreliable GPS i just pace per lap (like Donadea 50K back in 2018), so for Tralee parkrun it's 3 laps of even length. Just checked in with him every few mins to see how he was and giving encouragement, keeping an eye on effort/breathing, all good. First lap was 8:06 so I said to my young charge we are all good and no need to go any faster over this second lap. Told him we just keep going as we are and we can go a bit faster on the 3rd lap if we want. Very impressed with his ability to run the distance without needing to stop and walk at any point. He just kept on my shoulder the whole way around or maybe dropped 1-2 seconds behind me. Coming to the end of the second lap I checked the watch and it said 16 something...can't recall so I told him we are still all good here now just keep it going for one last lap. At this point we were lapping some of the walkers so he got a nice cheer going by from them. We came up to another person who was guiding a visually impared runner, also going for sub 25 so we had company over some of the second half of the last lap and we seemed to jockey for position a bit. Giving encouragement to both of our runners we were helping out. Into the last 500/600m I was edging C to move ahead of me to take it on, I told him two mins running left and we're on the downhill part. He kept it nice and controlled and picked it up slightly, 1 minute to go...I said to C time to push it now if you can...he took it on...now I'm just the passenger and he drives all the way to the line passing 1-2 people enroute. 24:35 for him and 24:37 for me, delighted for the chap. We met some more clubmates then and he was getting great congrats for fine run, his mum came in 6/7 mins later so she was very happy to hear how he got on. I found out afterwards that his previous best was 25:23 so that was a great time for him to take that much time off. The last time I paced a clubmate like this was for a clubmate who in his mid 60's, and like that day today is now filed away as one of my favourite parkrun moments.

1K warm up before, 24:37 for the parkrun and 1K cool down afterwards.

Did a small bit of throws practice when I got home, I'll probably do some terrible shot putting and weight for distance next Sunday in Munster indoors. I seem to be able to throw the implements as far as I have previous so least I've not regressed!

Sunday 30/01/2022

The plan has a race in for this weekend but given the week passed I decided I'd leave the race to the actual race at the end of Feb. I might do a local 10 miler a long run in a few weeks but will seeing to the date. So for today a group run with some running mates. Bit lazy getting up to go do this, 9am is not an early start but wasn't really feeling it. I was awake anyways so just got up and put on my gear before I made a proper decision either way. Glad I did as it was a nice run using my clubs 10K race route and good chats enroute, 11K in 59:42 @ 5:28min/km. Next few weekends likely to be business with Munster indoors competition across all the various age groups so probably won't make weekend group runs.

42K for the week.

181.5K for the year so far.

ReeReeG

Ah god I love that parkrun story!! Well done you for encouraging him so well and getting him around so confidently. He must have been buzzing after it too.

Nice job on the 400s session too!

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118557966#Comment_118557966

Thanks, it's nice to be able to do it, in a few years he'll no doubt be leaving me behind for dust! He was delighted with himself but tired, he was heading off to a cafe with his mom then for some treats. I was telling him that he can't be trying for a pb next week, the young kids have amazing powers of recovery but I do suggest going for a pb maybe once a month or else you just get burnt out I think.

Thanks on the 400s, they're working nicely for speed work at the moment!

diego_b

Week 5

Monday 31/01/2022

5K easy on the plan, on a half day from work in the morning after a late night watching NFL. Been some playoff season in fairness, fantastic stuff at times. Did my run before work, 5.2K in 29:02 @ 5:34min/km.

Tuesday 01/02/2022

8K easy on for today. Left this run until this evening after work, weather wise it seemed worse out than it was when I got actually going but aside from a bit of a blusty head wind at times it was quite nice to run in. Ran down around an old loop near the house we rented in prior to our own house, a loop I haven't used for a while so that was slight novelty to go down there. Been on a bit of a streak at the moment, 8 days running which is good going for me. Usually after 5 days I feel it a lot but I think being a bit more cautious on pace for easy runs is standing to me, hip good too. Not holding myself back but naturally will run around 5:20min/km pace if I don't keep an eye on it so try to get it to be a bit slower. 8K easy in 45:28 @ 5:40min/km. Next scheduled rest day is Friday.

diego_b

Wednesday 02/02/2022

45min tempo run on for today, slotted this on in at lunch time. Same approach as suggested before, first 10-15mins easy pace, then the next 20-25mins building up to race pace, last 5 mins easy. Splits of 5:29, 5:15, 5:05, 4:43, 4:40, 4:42, 4:36, 4:37, 5:32 for 9K. I got down to the target pace of 4:36min/km (sub 46min 10K time) and certainly it felt a race pace effort....and tough one at that for a few K in there. Fierce busy with club stuff this week as were trying to prep for an athletics match against another club. Takes a lot of work to get anything done but it's great seeing the results when it's done! Anyways an efficient use of lunchtime with athletics coaching to come in the evening.

Thursday 03/02/2022

Today was the wrap day of a 10 day streak, I think my longest streak in a few years. No niggles but trying to stick to the plan as best I can. 5K easy was on the plan so ended up doing a 5.2K easy run on an out and back route after work. Horrendous weather, as I was heading "out" I was getting drenched on one half and knowing I'd have to turn into the same weather on "back" section was not a fun thought. Around 1.5K from home I had a not nice experience with a car, I think he saw me very late despite me wearing my brightness top, shorts and high viz plus bodylight(they are hard to miss alone). As they were going to be way to close for comfort I ended up having to back into the ditch briars and all so got a bit cut up on my legs by that. After he/she went past I had a bit of an angry man rants at the sky moment shouting back at them and gesticulating. Reckon they saw me then...as they slowed down about 200m after the incident but never thought to come back and say sorry. Good luck to them in this life. I tend not to like to tell my wife about the occasional bad driver I encounter but despite running for the remaining 1.5K home I still had a good rant about it to her.

Friday 04/02/2022

Rest day

Saturday 05/02/2022

60 minute cross train on the plan, usually a Saturday morning involves parkrun but after a late night prepping stuff for the athletics match today in Killarney and to join 50 kids on a bus for 45mins I just left it off and focused on the main job for the day, putting myself under too much pressure to try it in. The athletics match itself was a brilliant experience and the kids enjoyed it. Unfortunately my club did not win but that was not the aim of the day really, it was for the kids to take part and have fun and all did despite the overall result. After the last number of years it was a novelty to see our young athletes on a bus and some for the first time in their young life. We've got some great feedback and thanks for it which is always nice. After I got home I was completely shot so that was it for the day...so a second rest day!

Sunday 06/02/2022

Small matter of the Munster Master's Indoor Championships in Nenagh today, on the road at 7:30am...even though my first event wasn't scheduled for 12:30 but my travelling partner(my father)'s event was on at 10am. Being the only one in my age category (o40) competing in the shot and weight for distance I was certain of a gold barring disaster. First competition I haven't recorded a foul in a throwing event but I deliberately decided to play it safe and just set a marker for the year ahead. Got to within 5cm of shot pb from 2017, recorded 5.84 today and a second longest throw of 5.81 so with a bit of work I hope to try finally crack 6 meters in a few months. Just need to do some work on it so took so good tips and advice away from today. Throwers are some of the nicest and supportive people you met and the time I get to hang with them at county, munster and national events are always a good experience. Some brilliant throws from the other competitors across the U23/Senior/Masters age groups. The power people can generate in such a small space is very cool to see up close. 7.26kg still feels heavy to me though and driving a computer for a living instead of being involved in physical work probably doesn't help. After the shot it was onto the weight for distance, I was happier with this event as again only one in my age category it's trying to get close/beat pb...that was set back in 2019...a not very huge (2.92m)...so today each throw got longer with my longest throw 2.88 so happy with it as I haven't throw the 56 pounder since 2019. Again few things to work on but will try to hopefully pb and break 3m in the outdoor version in a few months. Nenagh as cold as venue as ever, the only place you ever put more clothes on going into the place that you do outside. My clubmates had a good day out so we took home a good few medals for the club back home to Kerry.

Forced myself out for the 10K run on the place when I got home, felt less tired after it than I did before. 10K easy in 55min @ 5:30min. A wholly forgettable run apart from some dog hassles at 5K. Can live with one dog when they come charging it but then a second one appears then it gets a challenge. Thankfully the owner was on hand in the yard and called back his hounds....I saluted him to say thanks.

Wraps the week with 37.4K

220.9K for the year so far.

Wubble Wubble

That's a very productive week's work. I wouldn't have been mad about a 10k run after all that, but fair play to you for getting out and doing it, even without having to deal with angry (or overfriendly) dogs.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118593098#Comment_118593098

Thanks J, least the weather was dry so that was a comfort to push myself out the door. Just put on my running gear quickly when I got home and job done! Would have been annoyed if I'd not done it.

diego_b

Week 6 of Adare 10K plan

Monday 07/02/2022

5K easy on the plan for tonight but given the free evening I had I opted to do the club run on offer. I was originally going to do it at lunchtime but given I ended up taking a 45min nap at lunchtime after a hectic weekend that killed that idea. So come evening time it was into Tralee for 7:30 to see what was on the cards. Linked in with a few guys who were planning to around the same pace as me. Ended up doing a loop that was 6.3K easy, average pace of 5:39min/km so pace was grand to keep it at the right pace. Met up with some of the new people to club who recently joined as part of our new couch to 5K program, they were all going to be doing their first 20 minute run later on in the week. I was telling them I can still remember my first 20 minute run, it was before we lived in Kerry and were down here visiting my inlaws. I did it on the beach in Ballyheigue, i remember running 10 minutes one way and then turning to run back the way and telling myself...well the first half didn't kill me so just do it again.

I can remember at the end of that first 20min run the NHS choices podcast I was using told me that now that I had run for 20 minutes without stopping that I had learned to pace myself and could run any distance....this was back in the summer of 2013. My first 5K race was in November that year, first 10K early the next year, first half marathon in Sept 2014, first marathon in 2015 and first (and only) 50K to date in Feb 2022 so it wasn't lying.

Tuesday 08/02/2022

9K easy to do and 9K easy done after work @ 5:40min/km. After the bit of hassles with car last week I have varied up my route a little bit to take me away from the main road a bit quicker. Just did an out and back route down to the line road...unremarkable enough run.

Wednesday 09/02/2022

Speed session on the cards for today but between caught for time a little and a little notion for tweaking things a little bit this week (doing a 10 mile race on Saturday, albeit not at race pace) so I took a rest day today. Got in some calf raises work during an audio meeting in work, sometimes it's great when the cameras are off! Two hours coaching this evening kept me busy, doing a lot of relay practice with our juveniles at the moment in the hope we can make a strong showing in the Munster indoors in March. Fierce cold evening but great numbers at training so a good bit of excitement with it all.

Thursday 10/02/2022

6.4K easy on the plan for today but had pushed my speed session from Wednesday back a day so it was 10x400m @ 5K pace. Slotted this after work, nice calm evening at that start but pretty cold...long sleeves and gloves to start the run off with but the sleeves get rolled up fairly lively. Wore my Saucony Endorphin Speeds for this (likely going to be my race shoe but have been toying with investing in something with a swoosh on it). 15 minute warm up plus some drills and strides. The planned time for these is 1:44min for the 400m, really concentrated in staying relaxed as I could for these...reading about demfad's experiences in Kenya was still in my mind. So just focusing on form and keeping relaxed as best as I could...I know how these should feel speed wise now so was confident I would hit the splits. 1 min walk/jog between each one, small bit of discomfort around the left heel (where I got a blister a few weeks back) so having to play around with my sock at the end of every second or so interval which was a bit annoying. At the end that the only thing that would have put me off doing more at the end of the session was the heel discomfort. 400m splits as follows, 1:45, 1:41, 1:43, 1:44, 1:42, 1:43, 1:43, 1:44, 1:42, 1:39. I deliberately did the last one a bit faster as I wanted had I a bit more pace left in the legs after 9x400 and I had so that's nice for confidence. 5min cool down run home at the end. 8.3K in 47:46 for a nice evening's work. Blister on my heel had come up a bit when I got home but nothing major.

Friday 11/02/2022

Took a second rest day for the week ahead of doing a local 10 mile race tomorrow, planning for a leisurely enough run so aiming to run around 90mins or so. If the conditions are bad that might encourage me to run a bit quicker but hoping I might loop in with someone I know doing it who fancies a chat! Best of luck to those doing 10 laps and f-ing off tomorrow in Donadea, no headphones.

diego_b

Week 6 of Adare 10K plan continued

Saturday 12/02/2022

Took part in a local 10 mile run in Tralee today, pretty relaxed going into it really as was doing the run for a few reasons (social, nice to support a fundraiser for the local hospice and nice way to get a long run in) but not chasing a time was not one. Got to the start area about 45mins before the start and collected my number. Met a few runners I know before the race and caught up on what each was at and planning for the day....eventually found out what the course was, I couldn't find it published anywhere online before but I knew the start and finish (same area) and I would have plenty of people to follow. So after a quick briefing we were off a few mins after 11am.

Never changed my watch to imperial for this, had thought about it but forgot and just went with the kms. Would only be important if I was chasing a time. I was figuring around 90mins would do nicely but trying not to get sucked into running it hard. My 10 mile pb is 1:13:58 from 2018 so no fear of getting close to that. Just said I'd lock into an effort and go with whatever that was but something in 1:20s would be grand. First K was pretty fast as you get carried along a bit but just left people go, decided just to concentrate on running relaxed, keeping the effort constant and running a good line. 5:04, 5:16, 5:21, 5:18 the splits for the first 4K which for 3.5K was just a straight run out towards Blennerville...the main issue here is the head wind on the canal section but not too bad today for most of it. Once to Blennerville, there we did a 3K loop which is often used by local runners to that area for a time trial loop. 5:15, 5:15, 5:13 the splits for that loop which brought me up to 7K.

Next we ran through Blennerville itself and ran a road parallel to the main road known as Kearney's road. We crossed the rail crossing here of the old steam train that used to run from the Aquadome to the windmill in Blennerville back in the 90's. I visited the area on a primary school tour back in 92 I think it was, it seemed a far place away from my home then (took probably 3-3.5 hours) on a bus to get to Tralee. Little did I know the area would become my home 25 or so years later. Anyways a brief thought of that school tour when I was crossing the railway track and good memories. The race was zipping along nicely now and would have a check point at halfway. 5:15 for the 8th K, 5:13 for the 9K. We took a right turn around 8.5K after a tough drag for the previous k and then headed out away from Tralee passed the rugby club and up to an area called Ballyard. Plenty of drags and ups and down here, nothing steep but a bit of country flat as I once heard a race described as. Some nice houses in this area, remember running around here with a group when we first moved down in 2015 and thinking this is where the rich people live. Well that's probably not true, some do but a lot of rich people live in an area outside of Tralee called the Spa/Fenit which is out a different direction of the town completely. Working nicely with the route here now and was working out my finishing time was going to around 1:22/1:23. Probably a shade on the faster side but I was enjoying the pace. Went past a club mate of mine here at the top of a drag, the last hill if you'd call it that on the course. That had us at 10K and just 6K and change to go. 5:25 for the 10th K.

Picked it up a small bit now as could see a few runners up ahead and thought I can catch onto that group, managed to level up with them for a few mins and then went past them thinking I'll just try work myself up through the field now, 4:59 for the 11th, 5:16th for the 12th...a bit of a draggy section again here but nothing too bad, again just keeping the effort constant. Back down now towards Blennerville (3rd visit of the day) and a fast K again...4:53 for the 13th K. Was working well now and was figuring I could get a catch a few more runners over the last two miles as was making good ground.

Turning over the lockbridge now for the last run back towards Tralee, not my most favourite section of the road as you by what was once the town dump on the right hand side. It's been covered over by earth since and grown over with grass but the area for is just wide open exposed area with nothing of note but just a long road ahead. I saw a runner in a grey top about 200m ahead of me slow down to walk and I was thinking that's nice I'll catch him too. I was running below 5min/K pace now and was planning now to keep that to the end. As I got up near to him I recognised the guy as someone I run with in a group pretty regularly so gave him a shout to get going again and come on with me but he said to me he was in too much pain. I had a brief thought here what to do and I said f it...running in the last 1.5 miles or so hard as I was planning to do wasn't going to prove anything only a lot of sandbagging with my approach to the race and I could do him a favour so I stopped and walked with him for a few seconds. He beckoned me to run on and I said nah you're grand sure I was only planning to run this in 90mins and loads of time to go. I'd run it in with him, thought once he got running again he'd be fine and figured he'd tell me to f off if he didn't want me to. We got going again and after a few hundred meters he had to stop and walk again...this was the way for the last few KMs but he was happy to try finish it out. At the stage in the race the nearest marshall was around 1K to go so you might as well keep running or else you're in for a long stand waiting for help to come to you. I was just telling him 10mins running to go, 5 mins...then we were down to 400m and he had to walk at that. That surprised me but he said he was really pain, last two small turns (100m to go) and another walking break. Slightly surreal way to finish a race but the job was done. 5:04 for the 14th K, 6:26 for the 15th and 5:48 for the 16th. 38s for the change at the end to finish at 16.1K. The racing line craic had worked anyways whatever else I did on the day.

Official time was 1:25:38 (92nd place), exact same time for my mate. Looking at the results it was 25 places we lost over the last stretch but that didn't matter really and it was nice to do a good deed. Hoping the running gods will show some favour the next time I need a dig out. My running mate, he'll live to fight another day and hopefully get over the plantar fascitis issue he's been having.

diego_b

Week 6 of Adare 10K plan continued

Sunday 13/02/2022

Met up with some running mates for an easy beach run this morning to wrap the week. 6.5K in 38:37 @ 5:56min/km.

Two weeks until race day.

47.2K for this week.

268.1K for the year so far.

DeepBlue

As I got up near to him I recognised the guy as someone I run with in a group pretty regularly so gave him a shout to get going again and come on with me but he said to me he was in too much pain. I had a brief thought here what to do and I said f it...running in the last 1.5 miles or so hard as I was planning to do wasn't going to prove anything only a lot of sandbagging with my approach to the race and I could do him a favour so I stopped and walked with him for a few seconds.

Fair play and in keeping with the title of your log. Hopefully the karma bounces back.

2681.K for the year so far.

That's quite a jump from the previous week. 😜

diego_b

Thanks @DeepBlue !

Indeed a substantial jump there, bit more than the recommended 10 percent, ta for the spot...have corrected it.

diego_b

Week 7 of Adare 10K plan

Monday 14/02/2022

5K easy to do, 5K easy done in 27:28 @ 5:30min/km. Been a very busy week again so don't have much of a memory of this run. Out and back route after work. Lot of work that evening thereafter trying to line up athletes for Munster indoors that evening, unfortunately finding that generic messsages from the club don't work well so getting coaches directly contacting parents to see if their child wants to take part. In my experience to date, if you have 20/30 athletes to are eligible to go, you only seem to get 2/3 that will respond to generic messages. Whereas a targeted approach to directly 15/18 athletes parents that should go will achieve 6/7 extra athletes to go. Lot of work to it though. Same rules apply when it comes to getting adults to go to anything.

Tuesday 15/02/2022

10K easy on the plan, another after work run..out the door a bit quicker this time and trying to slot in between showers. Ran the reverse of a loop I used recently when I had some dog trouble so a good hill to climb in that that I haven't ran that direction for a long time. You don't feel the climb at all really going the other direction but you still get the same elevation in a run when you start and finish in the same place. Funny enough no dogs out this evening, as when going past the house around 5.5K the weather had really started to turn so a good headwind then for 3K or so. Still got it done before the worst of it. 10K in 55:51min @ 5:35min/km. Invested in a small bit of late night shopping to order a pair of Nike Air Tempo Next% from Lifestyle...hopefully to have them for my speed session.

Wednesday 16/02/2022

Speed session on for today but was feeling pretty fatigued in general (not running related) so took a rest day. Due to the wind warnings we had to cancel outdoor training but slotted in a smaller indoor session for the athletes going to competition at the weekend. Lot of work on sprint starts, for some of the runners it's their first time using a crouch start in competition (from U12 you must use a crouch start, from U14 you must use the starting blocks) so just to build confidence and make some minor corrections. Approach taking with the indoors is that it's your first competition of year, go to go and set a benchmark. No pressure (not that there ever should be on juvenile athletes) and see how it goes. Looking forward to seeing them in action on Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday 17/02/2022

The 50min tempo run carried over from Wednesday was on the cards, very nice evening actually ahead of Storm Eunice...pure calm and nice temperature so gloves were got rid of after about 15mins. I had my new Tempo Next% to try out so was looking forward to that. Plan for the run was as suggested, first 10-15mins easy pace, then the rest of the run to build up to race pace and the last 5mins for easy cool down. Found the runners nice to run in in fairness, there's a bit of slap noise out of them which takes a bit of getting used to, think I only noticed in my warm up and then forgot about it or else it stopped as I was running quicker. As I mentioned earlier in my log been pretty tired this week so was happy to see I got down to race pace for a few K on probably similar effort as to the previous tempo runs. So reckon easily faster by about 5 secs a K. Very conscious of the different sections to the sole but probably just getting used to it as they are very different to anything I've ran in before, the upper and fit I would compare with a pair of Nike Zoom flys I have from a few years back, I used to use them as a racing shoe for 5/10K so the Tempo Next% will take the job now I think.

Splits worked out as 5:30, 5:30, 5:13, 4:55, 4:48, 4:46, 4:34, 4:31, 4:32, 5:12.

10K in 50:08 @ 4:48min/km

diego_b

Week 7 of Adare 10K plan cont.

Friday 18/02/2022

Not a great night's sleep with Storm Eunice coming in, red weather warning kicked in at 3am...the wind eventually woke me at 5am and there was no going back to sleep then. The wind or at least the dangerous gusted were pretty much gone by mid morning. Was on a half day from work before traveling up the country so just did 6.5K out and back in 35:57 @ 5:30min/km around lunchtime Hail stones kicked in about halfway through the run but thankfully was wearing a running jacket, running tights and a peaky hat so got off very lightly. My wife rang me mid-run to see if I wanted to be collected but I couldn't hear the call but it was all good. Small bit of hip niggle again today so back to the pigeon poses.

Saturday 19/02/2022

60min cross training on for today but ended up doing nothing. At the indoor track in Nenagh for 9am to assist with our juveniles competing. First time for many of the athletes competing at this level and for some of them first time competing in new events. All did great and all enjoyed the day and will go again which we're delighted to hear. One of our athletes got a medal in the long jump so great excitement there and a good way to start the season.

Back home to my parents house afterwards and caught up with my brother (haven't seen him in 3 months) and my sister (even longer) as Christmas plans did not work out due to covid. First time we've all been the same place and with our partners and kids since end of May last year. Hopefully won't be as long a break again.

Sunday 20/02/2022

Another day at the indoors in Nenagh, very impressed with how our young athletes got on. For some of them their first time competing at Munster level. Strong performances with athletes reaching semi finals and finals in sprints, unfortunately no medals today but they might come later in the year. Like the day before in every case it was a pb so all gave their best and all happy with how it went. Hopefully we'll be back to the same venue in two weeks with a large number of relay teams.

Horrible weather on the drive back home and when we got home my wife vetoed me going outside for a run. Tbh I don't think I could have really have ran in the wind, it was crazy strong and as it turned out, about 2K up the road on one of my regular routes an ESB pole was knocked over that evening. The wind, whilst only a yellow warning was much more severe than Friday, less gusts but just strong. So that Treadmill for the first time in a year, 13K was the planned run but I coped out with just doing 6.5K. Set the treadmill at 10kph so the run took 39:11.

38K for this week.

306.1K for the year so far.

diego_b

Week 8 of Adare 10K plan

Monday 20th February

5K easy in 27:50 @ 5:33min/km, done after work...another bad evening in store...such has been the way with the weather of late.

Tuesday 21th February

5K easy in 27:51 @ 5:33min/km, same as the day before. Different out and back route.

Wednesday 22nd February

Last speed session on the plan for today, 5x400m. Used the same section on the road as have been doing all of these on, so with the wind it would mean some with be with the wind at my back and the other ones would be into the headwind. Target pace of 1:44 for the 400m (5K pace, based on 23min 5K). After a 15minute warmup and some drills it was into the intervals, 1:37, 1:44, 1:41, 1:47, 1:36...pretty easy spot which ones were into the headwind. It didn't feel that bad for much of it but for the last 50meters or so it almost felt like going backwards at times so the effort on the slower ones felt higher. 5.8K in total in 30:15.

Thursday 23nd February

Last run on the plan, another 5K easy. Did this one at lunch time, same out and back route as my run on Tuesday. Awful grey looking sky for this one, tiny bit of hailstones but they managed to hold off till I got home. After this would be two rest days before the race.

Enjoyed the plan over the last 8 weeks and was good to get some structure going again. The hal higdon one has been pretty basic to follow, I do find the 5K runs a bit short for general easy midweek runs and regret not having done a 5K time trial during the plan. In the past I've had phases where my shortest runs would be 10K in general. Mileage for this plan has averaged out around 38K a week which fit in with life at the moment. Last year I was generally trying to have a minimum mileage of 50K a week but wasn't following a plan for the first half of the year. If anything I'd prefer to up the weekend mileage a bit, longer runs on a Sunday so will look for a more advanced plan next time.

Friday 24th February

Rest day, off work for the day which was nice. Training session in the track in Castleisland that evening with the juveniles so bus over and back. Pretty good session and something we hope to continue with over the coming months. Like to get them used to the track and surroundings so that when you talk about going to a competition it's nothing new. A lot of our training is done on astro or indoors at the moment so you have to get people out to the tartan and so on.

Saturday 25th February

Rest but spent around 6-7 hours on the mobile and laptop trying to sort out relay teams for the Munster Juvenile Indoors next weekend. So far we have 6 teams ready to go, maybe 2-3 more. A lot of work putting it together as mentioned before I find you have to contact parents directly to get response. Broadcast messages, social media posts, emails...none of them really work. Old fashioned calls and texts with the personal touch.

Race report to follow.

diego_b

Adare 10K race report

Training for this race began back at the start of the year, the goal was to run a 46min 10K time. My last 10K race was on New Year's Day in Beaufort, 47:57 for that race with a negative split (24:16/23:41). Last real 10K race before that was August 2019 (44:40, but the course showed as about 100 meters too short so has an asterix on it). Over the last two years a 45:30 10K time trial in May 2020 and a few aborted time trials in July 2020 (5 mile pb set in this before pulling up due to a left calf issue) and November 2020 (pulled up after 6K in this a right calf tear it turned out to be which took about 3-4 months to clear, was on course for a low 44min 10K that day...errr) brings me to today and looking for a 46min 10K time. In my head that was 45:59 and not 46:59. And would be paced accordingly, 4:36min/km or better.

Bit of slog of a start in the morning as woke up feeling slightly groggy and my wife asked if I had a cold...said maybe a small one but will be grand. Never got too excited with head colds and usually run (not sure have I raced) with them. Decent breakfast of porridge around 9am and arrived in Adare just before 12pm (it'd around a 75min drive for me). Th race was due to start at 1pm and unsurprisingly for a place that's bad with traffic the best of times it was bad enough getting into the village. Coming from the Kerry side I passed by school, all the car spaces filled up and the same with the car park across the road. Just when I got down near the petrol station spotted a little and lane and that did the job. Got chatting to a local club runner and he said it was a good place to park and he gave me some course tips too, friendly bunch in West Limerick AC. Number had come in the post during the week so just down to the hall to collect my t-shirt and then back to the car before a warmup. Caught up with running mate who haven't met since before Covid so telling me his current injury wows but he's on the comeback trail.

Did my warmup, including a facilities pit stop (and also some last minute messages on my phone in regards club stuff) and down to the start line. Met a new clubmate down there so caught up with him for a few mins and wished him best. He was going for 50min and I said to him around 45/46...wasn't sure. Race got underway at 1:02 so that's about as on time as these things can be....1000 runners had signed up but 730 running on the day according to the report. Largest crowd I've been in two years if not more. Noted it was quite warm for this time of year, around 11/12 degrees but plenty of sun.

Breaking the race into 3 sections as that's how it feels when looking back on it.

1-3K (4:25, 4:34, 4:28)

Was happy with start, felt I was in a good position from the off and little to no weaving. Jarring my right foot slightly just going past the post office in Adare but was fine...found a crack in the road. Noted a guy in front of my wearing a blue top, older man in his 50s with a nice gait for running (I guess a XC runner) but amazingly tanned calves. Figure he has miles in his legs and a good reference for me, I pretending he was a French man for some reason. First K took us out of the town and into the country, bit of support out on the course which was nice. Pretty happy with the race for the first 3K and I had the French man ahead of me. Little bit of side wind head and there but all good. Little bit surprised that I was averaging 4:30 at this point but felt good so stick with it.

4-6K (4:37, 4:36, 4:44)

Still with my French buddy, note we never exchanged words and never say him at the finish so will never know! Few ups and downs in the course, country flat you could call but not flat. Going through the 5K marker my watch was pretty close to markers, 23:02 for the first 5K so thought same again and with a good finish on the last K I should be good for a 45:xx...happy day. I was starting to feel the heat a lot at this point (not really hot but still felt hot for me), dying a bit for the water station around the 5K mark which is not a good sign this time of the year. For the 6K I knew there was a bit of a climb here but not fighting it and still with my new buddy I actually pushed ahead of him for this K and was taking it on a bit.

7-10K (5:14, 5:09, 5:45, 5:00, 4.51 pace for the last .1K)

During the 6-7K I was really starting to feel a bit off, hard to explain but legs awful heavy, breathing was getting a bit constrained beyond comfort and heart rate was around 178bpm...that's pretty 5K race pace for me. I figured this is not the best situation and said you won't keep the pace now so let it go...f it I said and just stopped to walk for 30 seconds. The Frenchman in the blue top, with tanned calves disappeared into the distance...no bother to him. As I walked for 30 seconds or so the heart rate came down then to the 160s so felt good enough to get going again. I was not getting anywhere fast though, good few runners going passed me. Nice one on their pacing unlike mine! Half way through the 8K and another walking break...this feels like proper crap now I said, encouragement from a West Limerick AC runner and I got going again...thought I was good again Knew I wouldn't even beat my time from New Years Day and given how the race went I didn't actually want to. No reward for such a poor race I thought but will try run to the end now. The 9th K...the worst one yet, minor enough climb but I was bunched again...a fella also having a bad day stopped to walk beside me for a minute told me to get going again..count the poles and run for 10 and then walk for one. My head was gone at this stage and thought that's pretty smart so that's what I'll do. Lost count after 8 poles though but got in a walk break then for a second, I think I did this twice. I ran out of poles then...was looking for my new friend to tell him the poles were gone (loving the thoughts in a mushed brain). Finally into the last K and I could actually hear the finish line...I was walking for the first 100m of that got going again was determined to run the remainder of the race out. With 500m to go I actually started to feel what appeared to be something like a cramp coming into my hip flexor...that's a new one I thought. Had to ease back a little but kept running...ever so happy to see the finish line and I could see the clock clicking from the 48s to 49s. No real muster of a fast finish really to try get the time at 48:xx.

Finish time: 49:13 (chip time 49:05)....first 5K 23:02, second 5K 26:02 aka how not to run a 10 race. Finishing position of 257/738. It appears I lost around 70-80 positions over the last last third of the race.

Afterwards, just happy to that have it done. Was going to sit down for a minute on an inviting wall but saw my club mate finishing and noted his time (he got a sub 50 and a new pb) so was congratulating him. The inviting seat on the wall there was gone then when I turned around, didn't feel very sociable to go chatting with anyone barring my new club mate and he was planning to hit the road soon so suited me fine to just walk away from the finish area. Normally I'd be very chatty at the end of races and would often catch a few I know to catch up with. I just wanted to put the race behind me and leave. Can't really explain the day to be honest, think a culmination of a few things, training has gone well over the last 8 weeks albeit a basic plan...maybe I needed something more aggressive and life stresses have been pretty high in the last week. Few club issues to work through as ever. I guess maybe just a bit run down and hence the cold kicking in this morning, took an antigen test just to check and all clear so just one of these things.

Will just take it handy over the next week, maybe the cold will prove to be more of a significant factor than I think it is. My next race will be the Kerry Road Championships 5K on March 27th. Have the option to do the Munster 4 Mile race next Sunday but it's a two hour drive to West Clare each way, will be in Nenagh all day on Saturday with those relay teams and given today's experience it's a pass. Will try seek out another 10K race in the coming months to try run a better one, good 10Ks are hard to find I think.

DeepBlue

The headwind there today from approximately 6 to 9k made it very tough and probably more so if you're coming into the race carrying a slight bug.

Also for a race with seemingly very little elevation there's an awful lot of little short drags.

Swashbuckler

Was disappointed to see this on my Strava yesterday and apologies I had meant to wish you luck on here Saturday but between one thing and another, plus compiling an essay of questions for AMK in his log it totally slipped my mind.

Wouldn't overthink it too much. Probably a few factors at play. Life stress is a massive one. Most of the training lately has been in very tricky conditions - certainly not ideal conditions for 5k paced sessions every other week.

The plan itself is basic. Looking at it, I can see how it might not give you the endurance you need for the latter parts of the race. By the way , by all accounts the last few km of the race yesterday were very tricky with the wind. Plus the second half of Adare is not flat!

Rest, recuperate and get back at it. The 5k race championship might actually suit you better , given all the 5k reps you've done over the past 8 weeks.

As for other 10k races, Ennis 10k is cancelled is it? The Milford Hospice 10k is on March 13th in UL. There's always your local 10k in June (probably too far away) - a nice flat route 😂

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118706020#Comment_118706020

Yeah it certainly didn't help at least, was a few spots there where a decent wind came in. The coughing and spluttering overnight and today confirms a bug alright. How did your race go?

Indeed I had read through a course preview on the Running in Munster website beforehand but there was plenty of ups and downs...nothing major but testing enough. Great to see course records in male and female categories there. Impressive stuff.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118707304#Comment_118707304

No worries P, it's a minor wobble and definitely a cold in the system anyways so I'm going to put down the majority of things yesterday down to it. Training has gone well so hopefully be able to pick things up again next week when this passes. That will give me a 4 week lead in for the road championships which should be enough as before the wheels came of yesterday much of the first 5K went fine. Back to the 400's then I guess, speed wise they had gone well and I can get a bit more endurance work in too. I like the idea of trying a fast parkrun mid March maybe two weeks ahead of the race if I can fit it in.

Not sure about the Ennis 10K, not one I've came across before. I see the Milford Hospice 10K alright, do you know what the course is like for that? Guessing some long drags, I went to UL for 4 years but never ran a step in Castletroy. Indeed that local 10K is a challenging route, my best time on that route is 47:27..I reckon due to the elevation I lose anything from 90-120 seconds on it.

Swashbuckler

I've sent some texts in the meantime. Ennis 10k is cancelled.

Milford hospice 10k is apparently not the worst route. SOme of my buddies have got PB's there;

https://eventmaster.ie/event/Go1qfkKtpd

I can never make out those Strava elevation profiles but the net elevation per km doesnt look too bad.

I have fond bad memories of Ballyheigue 10k - an awful route. But once you leave thoughts of a pb out of your head and just enjoy the sufferfest its a bit of craic. Finished fourth there one year I think. Always nice to get it done, jump into the sea and head to Flahives.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118709587#Comment_118709587

I'd reckon that route is a pretty quick route, I just realized I lied about running in Castletroy...I did the parkrun in UL about 3 years ago...about 1K of that route is the same as the race route above. Will have a think about that, thanks for the details on it. Gonna say they got value for money with the 10.31K for 10K race though!!

Haha yeah, anyone who gets a pb on those race routes in Ballyheigue is either new to running those distances or else has a very soft pb. I got a half marathon pb there back in 2015 but it was only my third ever half marathon.

Annie get your Run

Sorry to hear the race didn't go as planned D. Kudos for sticking with it as it sounds like you had multiple very good reasons for quitting. The good thing about 10k's is you can go again and again...

There might be something in this calendar of events to suit https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html.

diego_b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118714136#Comment_118714136

Thanks AM, it was nice to get it done for sure. Fingers crossed for the next one! Ta for the link, keeping an eye on that alright and seeing where I can slot another race in.