Making every mile count

Monday 2/5
13.60+ Miles


This day two years ago I ran the 10km in the Park and died a death on the second lap of the course. The one memory I have of that race was passing the 6km marker and being passed out by an old clubmate. A horrible horrible experience and one I promised myself to learn from. I simply rushed back from the marathon (completed three weeks beforehand). I naively thought a PB was a near certainty off the back off my marathon performance. Roll on two years and I have learned from that experience. It's one of those races that shape your running 'career'.

With all that in mind I decided to tempo run the 5k and donate to a brilliant cause (ARC Cancer Support). I also wanted to just get out and run slightly hard again after all the days of easy running but certainly not overextend myself. I rolled up nice and early and registered. I must be maturing in my old age because I was there 50 minutes early, not rocking up 10 minutes before the gun as per usual. I moved the car closer to the startline using for the first time, the Visitor Centre car park and did a quick warm-up. All good. It all got a bit messy from here though!

From the car I could hear the announcer line people up. Loads of time I said to myself. I left the car 5 minutes before the off to do a few drills etc. All of sudden......BANG! The gun went off. Either it went off early or I misread the clock. SH1TE! Ok, sprint to start and run under the gantry. I thought I would only lose 20, maybe 30 seconds. Well, to say the line of sight was deceptive would have been kind. I was soon confronted with a 9ft sheer drop and a climb to get to the gantry. Disaster. The other option was a near half a mile loop to get there, mind made up. I am a feckin' idiot at the best of times. I really am. Over the fence, a very ungraceful fall into water soaked sh1te at the bottom and an 'all fours' climb to the top. The couple staring at me must have almost called the Guards! I would pay handsome money for that 60 second clip . Comedy gold. A sprint to the gantry. Dead last and a good 50-70 (no idea in truth) seconds behind. Nothing for it but to run. I actually really enjoyed it, quickly reeling in the pensioner walkers . Good fun. The legs really felt the benefit of the session in Bushy Park the previous Friday.

You really can't teach an old dog new tricks!

I finished in with 18.03 on the clock, with little idea how much time I lost. More importantly a great charity supported and a very well run event once again.

A quick chat with some of the participants before meeting P&F for a very enjoyable trot around the canal and the Park before sitting down to some well deserved soup.

-1+ mile w/u (7.11p/m)
-5km Tempo in ???
-9.65 Miles @8.51p/m in 1.25:22



Tuesday 3/5

5.5 Miles Easy @7.11p/m in 39:30

Haha, more stupid than mad! Not exactly a top class field so happy to donate to the charity. Trust me, if I anywhere near the top of a 5km race that's not a good sign of a strong field. The 5km distance is not my forte!

Sharkey47 wrote: »

Hiya Dublin runner, I think I may have been one of those pensioner walkers you referred to! I am pretty sure you galloped past me near the turn down into the Furry Glen. The funny thing is that about 500 yards earlier another speedy looking type flew by and I am pretty sure he was the winner of the 10k. He, too, must have started late. I agree with you about ARC. It's a great charity and I suspect that's why most of us were there. The numbers looked well down on previous years unfortunately. Well done on the win.

Fair play for heading out (sorry for the pensioner remark :rolleyes:....most would put friends to shame with their fitness).

Shame about the numbers. I will email them and try to help out in terms of increasing numbers. Larger numbers, the more raised!

Saturday 7/5

2.5 Miles Easy @6.56p/m in 15:38



Sunday 8/5



Wing for Life 2016


Distance: 47.92km (29.77 miles in old money)


7th Place



Advertising does work. Practically every run over the past few weeks involved seeing the race advertised, be it on bus shelters, rubbish bins of traffic management signs. I have always liked the idea of the race and the fact that your entry fee goes entirely to charity. That was pretty much as much as I knew, even if I did know the tough layout of the opening miles like the back of my hand. Work in Kilkenny wrapped up at 1am and I was asleep by 3am. I was fairly tired the next day as the car decided it didn't need its dashboard display so the entire day was given to getting the car fixed for work that night. I dropped the car off at the garage (thank God) and jogged home. That's when I finally committed to enter. Decision made!

I was home at a more reasonable 2.30am on Saturday night. Once again fairly fatigued. The alarm was set for 9am for breakfast before heading straight back to bed! I did my usual late arrival at the start line, maybe 45 seconds before the gun. Here I was greeted by many friendly faces. The OH was using this as her long run in preparation for Cork. She was well warned about the hills. The opening few miles went fine but the effort was high, despite running well outside marathon pace. The midday sun already was already a big factor. I really didn't take the conditions into my preparation. I told myself to 'run easy' and was happy enough to see 6.30-6.40 a mile average on the watch. Another thing I didn't really anticipate were the hills. So many hills. Relentless.

I reached Bray in once piece and negotiated the challenging climb up Putland Road. The sun was really beating down now and I was sweating like a pig. Not a good look! The constant drags and climbs, the heat and headwind really battered my tired body. From here on in things become somewhat hazy. The ascent by the Bray Golf Club was incredibly soul destroying. I was really looking forward to seeing Greystones. The on course support was really good, with many bystanders offering encouragement and many drivers cheering us on. This was a lonely section though. I was holding on for each and every water station. I was beginning to melt and boy I knew it.

By that stage I had turned off the watch as it was annoyingly indicating low battery. Perhaps I knew what was to come. I didn't need the watch to kick me when I am down! I also realised how dehydrated I had become. I stopped sweating and couldn't get enough water into the system. Climb after climb came and went. I focused on hitting 40km. From there I knew the marathon distance was a near certainty and I could happily retire to the shade. It was nice to reach Wicklow Town and 39km but in truth I was in a fairly bad place. The rise over the railway climb, I think, was fairly brutal. The roundabout and left turn offered some brief respite. By this stage I was cursing the sun. Sure, the hills were a challenge but the heat was the real problem for me today. A right hand turn brought me to 41km and one step closer the marathon distance. The climb here (did I mention the hills?!) to pass the iconic distance was really rubbing salt into the wounds. On reaching a junction I had to wait for a Garda to offer me some assistance as it really was unclear as to which way to. In my heart I knew it was to continue straight and not the left turn I craved. The hill was a killer. I working way too hard and craved the 42km mark. *As I said, things did become somewhat cloudy late on so please excuse any inaccuracies in the course layout

Finally I passed the 42km sign and continued on for a few hundred metres. I was looking for a suitable place to bring the afternoons activities to a halt, having gone the distance. I saw a 'STOP 'road sign and that was it! An apt conclusion to a testing afternoon. Job done. Well, almost.......

After a brief moment of rest I continued on. The reason? I have little idea. I guess I had more in me and sensed a certain disappointment would come over me if I didn't battle on. Here I employed the classic ultra tactic of 'run, walk, run.....etc.' I was cramping up now but in a perverse way enjoying the other ridiculousness of the situation. I never thought I would ever get to this stage but needs must. Runners must be made of tougher stuff! Here I probably clocked my slowest miles ever in a race. I had to laugh. What was I doing??


43k, 44km, 45km........


A nice bystander offered some encouragement. ''Just a small climb and flat for 4 miles after''. Well, that was one complete and total lie! It worked though and I shuffled on.


46km........


Damn you Kevin E. I had mistakenly thought he reached the 47km mark last year. No way was I losing to him!


47km........


Where the hell is the car?! I had great fun with the locals, especially during my many walks of shame. 'Sprint finish!' was my response to their encouragement. Bloody good fun in truth. I was in unknown territory now, never before going beyond the marathon distance. The body had shut down. I left my legs in Greystones (or Rotterdam) and I was walking and/or running on fumes.

That's him beat (he actually ran 45km but anyway!). Ok seriously, where is the car? There it is! Yes!

I was somewhat concerned it may have had a camera onboard so it was back to good running form and simply back to running. The near two hour trip getting back to the start line was not ideal but perhaps the only downside to the very well organised race.

That one will live long in the memory.


47.92km. That hurt.


Better pacing today would have meant 50km+. I have no doubt about that, even in recovery mode after Rotterdam. That would have been nice but I got home in one piece and sometimes that's enough. Some days you have to try something new, most probably stupid and different. Today was that day.

I ventured into the known and I got taught a lesson. I learned so much during the race. Now begins the real work and tacking the shorter distances. It will be a long time before I run that distance ever again! What an experience.



WEEK TOTAL: 69.87+ MILES

AuldManKing wrote: »

Super report and well done on it - the OCD part of me wonders if you would've made the additional 0.08k had your watch been working??

What sort of recovery from that would be needed??

Stop, I know! As soon as the car caught me I saw the 48km sign. With that and missing out on 30 miles I will have to head back now and tick off that 400m to be able to sleep! The OCD in me is strong. The watch would have pushed me but in saying that, I was never going to push myself into injury risk. It's wasn't a goal race.

Recovery? Interesting question. This morning I really regretted running it as the quads were in a bad way. Everything else is fine but the downhill sections nailed me. I have a weakness in the quads so they always take the most abuse. The one thing I neglected in the lead up to Rotterdam was hill training. Sure, I did hilly routes but no serious hill training as the course didn't really need hard hill training. I cannot run downhill so I need to be careful. Maybe it's a height thing..... (that's my excuse anyway!).....I will play this week by feel.

Stairs are still not my friend. In a much better way after the marathon but not worried. I would have regretted not running it more. 8 months of smart training to come to make up for it. That's a promise!

Building slowly but surely..........


Monday 23/5

AM: 5 Miles Very Easy@8.00p/m (treadmill)
PM: 5 Miles Easy @7.15p/m in 36:21



Tuesday 24/5

6.5 Miles Easy @7.25p/m in 48:15



Wednesday 25/5


10 Miles @6.40p/m in 1.06:42
-inc. 5x(800m @Steady, 400 @5k)


Splits (paces):
6.06, 5.29
6.09, 5.25
6.13, 5.28
6.09, 5.15
6.15, 5.14


A near perfect evening greeted me for this session, even if the wind was somewhat noticeable at times. I planned to concentrate on pace over exact splits, so what that in mind I took myself down to the seafront and a trip to Ringsend and back. As you can see, I started out quite conservatively, as is my want at the moment! At this stage I really do not want to be overcooking things and struggling. If I was a bit too be a bit easy on myself, so be it! I was quite happy to see the 5k paces come down and approach respectability. The body is still most definitively adjusting to the quicker stuff after all the steady long miles undertaken earlier in the year.



Thursday 26/5


AM: 5 Miles Very Easy@8.00p/m (treadmill)
PM: 5.25 Miles Easy @7.09p/m in 37:38



Friday 27/5

8.5 Miles Easy @7.12p/m in 1.01:13



Saturday 28/5


9.25+ Miles


Session: 2,000m @10k, 400m @3,200m pace, 1,200m @10k, 400m @3,200m pace, @ 1,000m@10k ~4min after 10k reps, 2min after 400m reps

*3,200m pace? Wtf?! :rolleyes:


Splits (non-garmin):

2,000m (10k): 6.56 (5.34)
400m (3.2k): 76sec
1,200m (10k): 4.04 (5.27)
400m (3.2k): 73sec
1,000m (10k): 3.23 (5.26)


It was so good to be back at the old stomping ground after quite a considerable time away. Kilbogget Park was looking well today, basking in glorious sunshine. After a couple of warm-up miles I made it up to the cinder track to find a soccer game on. Great! That wasn't going to stop me. In fairness, one of the kids struck a freekick off the bar from 30 yards. That was the most soccer I have watch in over 5 years. I knew the session was going to be somewhat painful and so it proved to be. The heat was very noticeable and had me sweating like a pig. The 2k rep was fine, although a bit slow. Things picked up after I whipped off the t-shirt to the delight of the 'soccer moms' . I seriously overcooked the first 200 metres of the 400m rep, crawling home up the home straight in a pedestrian 76 seconds. Hello wobbly legs, it's been a while! Ouch! The 10k reps picked up nicely and I was happy to get a good session in the bank. Things are most definitely looking up.

So, two months to get a 33:xx time. Tough but doable. I will be very happy to knock a chunk off my PB over the next few weeks. I will need to be patient because I need to readjust myself to the shorter distances. A few mistakes will definitely be made but it's all about learning.



Sunday 29/5


Long Easy Run
-14.3 Miles @7.10p/m in 1.42:31


A serious slog in the heat. Not very enjoyable to be honest! I needed to rescue the car so I took in a run into the city. I really felt the heat this afternoon (that or I paid the price of the many beers the previous night).


WEEK TOTAL: 68.80+ MILES

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If I haven't already stumped up the hefty entry fee I would be avoiding Cork like the plague. Unfortunately I have (53 euro), so I have no choice but to run it. The smart thing to do would be to use it as a long run but I would prefer not to run it at all if that was the choice made. I will decide on Thursday as I reckon I am a good 2 minutes off PB shape.

Sunday 5/6

3.25 Miles Easy @7.07p/m in 23:16


My feet. Ouch! Loosened up but annoying as hell.


WEEK TOTAL: 51.40+ MILES

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Monday 6/6

16.70+ Miles

-.5+ warm-up
-10 Miles @6.06p/m
-6.2+ Easy


Where do I start?

A day of mixed emotions really. I was delighted to see so many do well but left cold cold by personal experience. I kept the negativity at bay after the race and for the entire evening (somehow) but I was pretty annoyed. I guess my experiences of big city marathons has been perfect to date but what happened on Sunday morning was nothing short of a farce. I really hate being so negative but it truly was amateur hour. Thankfully, it did not badly affect the majority but mistakes in the organistation meant me running 10 pointless and soulless miles. It was very unfair to blame one single person, as the press release did later that day. The course was mismanaged by the organisers. Plain and simple. No one person should dictate the direction of thousands of people.

Essentially, I got misdirected twice. The first time was bad enough but the second misdirection meant me running completely on the wrong part of the course. The chaos meant a fracturing of the field and a group of us pointed in the wrong direction, despite asking for clarification and confirmation on numerous occasions. It led to the farcical situation were I thought I was leading the race. I waited to be overtaken but after a mile it was clear neither Sergiu, Somba et al were going to do so. There was nothing for it but to keep on running and hope for the best. Passing the 5 Mile marker in around 12 minutes or thereabouts confirmed for definite! I then decided to follow the remaining miles of the marathon route. I just ran and ran pretty aimlessly. The pre-race plan of starting out conservatively (5.50/6.00p/m) went out the window. Miles ticked by and averaged out at 6.06p/m. I told myself to get to 10 miles and jump off the course. In truth, I felt like a bit of a fraud and just wanted the pub. I turned onto the final stretch and to my surprise the crowds were quite large in number. This meant a desperate search for the emergency exit. Thankfully one appeared just before the finish gantry. This was met by a lot of curious looks needless to say! I had to laugh.

That'll make some finish line video.......

I then retraced my steps to give encouragement to the OH, who was making her half marathon debut. I probably looked like a right idiot but I managed to jog three miles back and off some help. I then ran the last 3 miles (again!), meeting a fair few friendly faces on my travels.

Not quite the morning I was expecting. Disappointing to give up the weekend in preparation. I wanted to give myself the chance of a crack at the race but for obvious reasons that did not happen. Great night out after though!


Official Time: 2.16:03 :cool:



Tuesday 7/6

8 Miles Easy @7.07p/m in 57:01



Wednesday 8/6


AM


6.5+ Miles
-inc. drills/strides


Session: 15min @LT ~4min rec, 4x60sec hill repeats ~jog down recovery


*Can I take the watch pace please?!


Hello legs! After a decent nights sleep I was back down to my high altitude training base in Kilbogget. Sure, the red trails were replaced by tarmac and cement but for now this is about as close as I will get to Kenya (2017 hopefully). The legs felt good for once. The 'effort' on Monday wasn't evident so I backed myself to tick off this session. I wouldn't normally do this session after a 10 mile steady run two days previous but this week demands it as the weekend is manic. I was prepared to pull the plug if not feeling it. So, I ran for 15.04 on the track without looking at the pace once. The effort felt hard but manageable. It could have been 6 minute miles for all I knew. The hill efforts were tough, not quite at the puke stage but an honest effort on another humid day. I took them at 3k effort.

The watch had me for 2.73 miles in 15.04 (5.31 pace) but I stopped at the 300/315m mark on the cinder to make just over 43xxm (5.38 pace). Surprisingly decent and happy enough. This type of run will need to edge to 5.30s over the next few weeks.


PM

5.7 Miles Easy @7.18p/m in 41:45

Monday 13/6

Long Easy Run
-14.50 Miles @7.09p/m in 1.43:47


The weekend long run I missed. I was in a fairly bad way for this after a number of late nights. A bit of a grind but fine.



Tuesday 14/6


AM: 5 miles Easy @6.59p/m in 34:59
PM: 5 Miles Easy @7.45p/m (treadmill)



Wednesday 15/6


AM


6+ Miles inc. drills/strides


Session: 1,600m @5k, 400m @1m, 1,200m @5k, 300m @1m, 600m (1st 300 @5k, 2nd 300m w/kick) ~3min rec


Splits (stopwatch):
1,600m: 5.22 (5.23p/m)
400m: 72sec (4.49p/m)
1,200m: 3.59 (5.20p/m)
300m: n/a
600m (inc.): n/a

*The 300m and 600m came in at 5.56 (4.56p/m) -watch mishap!


Quite the disappointing session. Am I in bad form? Am I not pushing hard enough? I am really not too sure but today was not good enough. Sure the wind was a right pain but it always is down at the cinder. It's a very slow track but that's no excuse. No improvement on last years time which, to be honest, is no great surprise. Thankfully I have had a good opening few months so the rebuilding phase is continuing. I am nowhere near where I want to be at the moment.


The same session (9/6/2015) on the same track:

Splits:
1,600m: 5.20
400m: 69sec
1,200m: 3.55
300m: 55sec
600m (inc.=kick): 1.51

A tough session, in the company of a school athletics day (ffs!). Probably the hardest session to date. Hard but manageable. The 1,200m was hard going as too was the last rep with the 'kick'. Legs hanging off for the kick part!! Not too sure was it a surge or just me keeping the pace respectable!

PM

5 Miles Easy @7.32p/m in 37:43



Thursday 16/6


AM: 5.30 Miles Easy @7.20p/m
PM: 5 Miles Easy (treadmill) @7.46p/m



Friday 17/6


Long Easy Run
-16.30 Miles @7.10p/m in 1.56:55


Not ideal but I pushed forward this run to today instead of it's usual weekend spot. All good.



Saturday 18/6


9+ Miles inc. drills/strides


Session: 4x(300m @3k to 1 mile, 200m jog rec)

Paces: 5.01, 5.01, 4.50, 4.53


There's a soccer game on? On went the runners and I was out the door to the cinder. Lovely to have the place to myself (along with the car boot sale).



Sunday 19/6

5 Miles Very Easy (treadmill) @8.00p/m


WEEK TOTAL: 76.10+ MILES

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I have come to the conclusion that I need a serious change in mindset and attitude. I am letting myself off by subconsciously allowing this block to become merely a means to and end, rather than solely about running a good/respectful 5k time. Truthfully, running a good 5k time just doesn't interest or motivate me like running a half or full marathon. Training should be about periodization and specificity, not a step towards a faster marathon in the future. I guess we should all do what we enjoy. I am enjoying the training at the moment but it certainly doesn't have the drive of opening few months of the year. Added to that, I don't find myself dreading any run so motivation isn't the issue. Maybe I just need to race and get beaten by everyone around me to reawaken my competitive streak!

It was really fantastic to see so many do so well in Dunshaughlin. A twinge of jealously mixed with a good kick up the ar$e was in full swing as I browsed the results!

Monday 20/6


AM: 4+ Miles @7.3x (watch died)
PM: 5 Miles (treadmill) @7.45p/m
+S&C Session



Tuesday 21/6


AM

2 Mile Shakeout @7.47p/m in 15:36


PM

6.60+ Miles


Kilbride 5km (16:54)


With most weekends out due to work commitments, midweek races have increased in importance. After a fair bit swapping and changing I soon found myself in Kilbride, paid up but not quite ready to go. The journey over was fraught with danger. Every bend and stop was met with a huge sneeze or a cough. Damn you pollen! I was in a fairly bad way at times and was delighted to reach the GAA grounds in one messy piece. I suffer badly from hayfever and unfortunately this evening it hit very hard. Even with the best of intentions the steering wheel was somehow still sprayed the debris from the nostril area! Attractive.

I ran this race two years ago and made a complete 'mare in the 10km. It left a bitter taste and I really wanted to right a few wrongs. The course from memory was a quick one on a fast rural route. A definite PB course in my opinion. The warm-up consisted of 4 very tough laps around the excellent GAA pitch. Unfortunately I really could not have felt worse and was somewhat embarrassed to pass runners doing their pre-race warm-up, including Somba. The coughing became so bad that it did somewhat concern me. Perhaps running around a pitch of freshly cut grass was not my finest ever idea! So back in the car the OH told me to cop on via text and just run. Sage advice! After a double espresso I felt a lot better. Caffeine definitely helps (says the addict).

The legs felt good but the chest was in a heap. I was happy to dump the watch and instantly felt lighter. The gun went and I soon caught the 10km leaders, including Mr.Sit n' Kick himself. I quickly leveled with the good man, him jogging and me working at 85% 5k effort. The KM markings flew by and I was quite enjoying myself. He set up camp on my shoulder and for whatever reason it felt good. It was nice to share the same road as someone who could tear you apart at any moment of their choosing! It was almost reassuring. I played one or two games by putting in random surges to see if he would respond. That he did. Interestingly he sounded quite tired and sounded like me on my warm-up jog. Approaching the stretch for home he probably did not know that I was only doing the one lap 5k race. I crossed the line in 16:54. Sure, an average time but a time I am happy with given the effort. Even with the hayfever there were at least 20 seconds for me today. No doubt at all in my mind. Here the benefit of the watch was missing.

16:30 has to the intermediary time target. Nothing else will really do. I hope to race next week as there looks to be one or two midweek options. It is disappointing to miss Kilcock this week and Dunshaughlin last but that is the freelance life.


-w/u 1 mile @7.41p/m +drills/strides
-w/d 2.5+ miles @7.21p/m



Wednesday 22/6


AM: 6.25 Miles Easy @7.25p/m in 46:28
PM: 5 Miles Very Easy (treadmill) @7.59p/m
+S&C Session

ThebitterLemon wrote:

Whatever about the 16.54, I seriously doubt you got a double espresso in Kilbride

This is what separates the amateurs from the professionals! I brought it with me in a flask (how sad!).

Ok, I have got a problem. An unfortunate addiction........haha

Thursday 23/6


AM: 6 Easy @7.22p/m in 44:15
PM: 5 Miles Easy @7.53p/m (treadmill)



Friday 24/6


AM


6+ Miles inc. drills/strides

Session: 4x(600@5k, 600@steady)


Splits:
1.59, 2.25
2.00, 2.27
2.01, 2.30
2.00, 2.16


With the average coming in at 2 minutes for the 600m, this morning proved another sub-par outing. I decided to forgo the watch and focus on good form and effort. Obviously I got this somewhat wrong. 5.21 minute miles equates to a 5km time of 16.38. While I would take that currently it still does not fill me with confidence given the effort. I really did expect faster splits and was quite disappointed to see the times on reflection. Maybe I am tired or slightly hampered by hayfever but most likely I just need to work harder. Perhaps using the watch would have given me the kick I obviously needed!

At this stage I really need to get to an actual track. t will be interesting to see the difference in splits, if any. I am slowing down my easy miles but have yet to see the improvement I expected in the quality workouts. Er.


PM

5 Miles @7.25p/m in 37:06



Saturday 25/6

Long Easy Run
-16 Miles @7.10p/m in 1.54:47


Another long run slog. Hard to motivate yourself for this type of run. A case of plodding on and happily retiring when the watch ticked over to 16 miles!



Sunday 26/6


8.5 Miles Easy @7.12p/m in 1.01:14


An enjoyable run into town to rescue the car after last nights activities (Zaytoon anyone?!). A window opened up at 2pm so I took it. Strangely the roads were somewhat subdued. Almost like there was something on? Back in time to see Westmeath fall over the line and Dublin send Meath back to Tayto Park.

Interested to see Coldplay tonight in Glastonbury. Their earlier shows (must be 10 years ago) were simply brilliant. Unfortunately they have lost the plot since. Still waiting on the call to play on the Pyramid Stage. One for the bucket list for sure.


WEEK TOTAL: 75.35+ MILES

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The old weight is finally going in the right direction. Finally! I will do a session tomorrow and a race on Thursday I think. There are one or two options so looking forward to that. I will be genuinely interested to see the time achieved. I feel in good form but nothing in training points towards progression. I expect a decent time in whatever distance I run. I won't wear a watch in races until late July. I think it's easier to gauge performance and tactics by leaving the watch in the car. I also need to learn how to race again rather than time-trial (half and full marathon).

Interesting times!

Monday 4/7: 9 Miles @7.11p/m in 1.04:45
Tuesday 5/7: 8 Miles @7.08p/m in 57:05
Wednesday 6/7: 8 Miles @7.21p/m in 58:53 (watch measured the first mile verrrrrry long-so faster)
Thursday 7/7: DAY OFF


Prague is a wonderful city and a city highly recommended. The body did though take a bit of a bashing over the four night stint. I decided to put the runners in the bin after Wednesdays run to avoid the temptation of running the next day (they were due for retirement anyway). I found myself thinking about squeezing in a run and not enough on actually enjoying the trip to the max so I decided to give myself the day off on Thursday. With all the walking it turned out to be a busy day anyway! Good food and beer/absinthe in a crackin' city. A nice reminder of the joys of traveling and exploring new places. The problem with my job is that I rarely get a full week or two off.


Back in the real world.........


Friday 8/7


11 Miles


Magness Aerboic Refresh Session ~3min easy rec

10min @MP: 1.66 miles @6.01p/m in 10:00
7min @LT: 1.22 miles @5.44p/m in 7:00
5min @10k: .90 mile @5.35p/m in 5:02
3min @5k: .58 mile @5.20p/m in 3:01


Back to Dublin and the real world with a bang (well, whimper). I needed to get get some quality in so I used this session this morning as I missed it a few weeks back due to race commitments. I took myself down to Sandymount Strand on my warm-up and was slightly dreading this one. I didn't have the benefit of the track and was going to be facing into a very strong wind on the way down to Sean Moore Park. I reached the park happy to turn around and do the LT work. I reckon my LT is around 5.38-5.40 but without testing I am sort of shooting in the dark. The wind once more was a right pain and I struggled on, delighted to tick off some faster miles, even if the paces were somewhat slow.



Saturday 9/7

Long Easy Run (hilly)
-16.50 Miles @7.13p/m in 1.59:04


A durty durty run in horrific rain this morning. Hello summer! I really wasn't enjoying the run this morning so I decided to be hard on myself and take myself up to Killiney. Soaked from mile 1 to 16! Er. Legs in good order but everything else very much at me after the weeks exploits.



Sunday 10/7

8.25 Miles Easy @7.00p/m in 57:52


In a rough state after the previous nights wedding festivities. Felt great throughout though except from a big energy wobble along the coastline. Damn whiskey!


WEEK TOTAL: 60.75+ MILES

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The plan next week is to a) sort out the diet b) increase the mileage c) race! Simples :pac:.......

Monday 11/7


AM


5.25+ Miles drills/strides

Session: 9x(300m @3k/1m pace, 100m jog)


A near carbon copy of the session undertaken this day two week ago. Despite my reservations it proved to be a decent sharpener before the Clonee 10km that Thursday. With that in mind I repeated the session, partly because of the reason already mentioned but partly because it provided some security and confidence (the body is still paying for the previous 7 days). I promised myself not to mention the wind in Kilbogget again but there was no missing it today. Killer! What a horrible horrible headwind for the last 150m. The place needs to be become and indoor facility ASAP!

Once again happy enough to get this done with respectable splits given that blasted gale. I really REALLY need to treat myself to a proper track session soon. Ye know, the type of track track with a proper surface, lanes etc.......:)


Splits (3k,3k,1m effort):
51,53,51
54,53,51
54,54,50


PM

5 Miles Very Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)



Tuesday 12/7


AM: 5 Miles Very Easy @8.00p/m (treadmill)
PM: 5 Miles Easy @6.58p/m in 27:58



Wednesday 13/7

6 Miles Easy @7.55p/m (treadmill)



Thursday 14/7


AM


Shakeout
-2.25 Miles @7.35p/m in 17:07


I live next to a lovely square containing a nice 350m gravel track. Many, many laps of trying to not injure myself/talk myself into a bad performance later. Ye know, the usual pre-race shakeout!


PM


Docklands 5km


12th

16.22


Leaving home at 18.45 for a 19.30 race start was perhaps not the best idea but due to some luck (and great driving) I arrived and parked 200m from the startline just after 7pm. Luck was on my side as they closed the road 90 seconds after! I had one plan tonight and that was I had no plan. Nothing. I simply wanted to run without the watch and see what it got me. A quick mile around the quays was the warm-up and the traditional pre-made double espresso was clinically dispatched! Singlet and racers on. Ready to roll. I made the smart choice to not run to the startline from the back but to from the front, thereby giving me a very good spot on the startline. The body felt decent during the couple of strides to get me to the line so I had no excuses. The only factor tonight would be the wind, especially on the return section from the Point Depot (02 Arena, Three Arena depending on your age!). There looked to be a strong field tonight so I hoped to have a group to work off on the blustery sections.

The gun went and the race race soon settled. I love this part of any race, the opening moments were groups are formed and races made. Here is where you can win and lose the race. Now, I was never going to be near the sharp end tonight but the personal race against the clock and similar standard runners can easily be lost in those opening few hundred metres. Crossing the bridge for the first time a good group formed. I felt I was ticking over ok and hopefully in with the right group of runners, maybe 5 or 6. I didn't really recognise many around me but they all looked and sounded (no heavy breathers) strong. I was working hard leading the group to the Point. As the wind was kind of on our backs I didn't think this was the worst of ideas. On the turnaround I lost a bit of momentum but soon got back into my stride. The pack once again formed before I made the conscious decision to tuck in and hide as much as possible from the headwind. The constant discomfort of 5k effort is something I really struggle with. There is no real place to settle, have a bad patch or lose concentration. One can easily lose 10-20 seconds by doing any of these. Passing the 3km mark my inexperience became somewhat evident as I lost a bit of concentration and confidence. I clung on in and soon reached the bridge and the last kilometre. The wind now was again on our backs but I didn't really have a 5th gear. I had no real strength in the legs to up the effort. I was still moving well but lacking the killer edge. The pack had splintered by at this point and one or two runners pushed on. Seeing the clock at 15:56 gave me my first indication of my time in the race. I was very happy to cross the line in 16.22. No race to the finish, just an honest grind for home.

I am delighted to have made one more step towards the time I know is in me. A really enjoyable evening and boy I learned a lot. 5km racing is a different beast. It will be interesting to see if I can improve on this time over the next 4 weeks.

A really well organised race and thanks to all for the shouts of encouragement. Nice to be back racing in the city once more.

Just the 23 seconds to find now! :rolleyes:


-w/u 1+ Mile @7.18p/m +inc. drills/strides
-w/d 3 Miles w/d @7.18p/m in 21:57