The Boggers Log

Wed: working in London and had to move hotels, so was struggling to get the planned 5 mile easy run done. Ran out of daylight and eventually had to go to the hotel gym and use the treadmill. Torturous run that listening to music and watching sky sports couldn't make any better. I started watching the clock on the monitor and it was melting my head. I'm still too top heavy at the moment and as the treadmills faced a mirrored wall I'd to look at my reflection. Not pretty, a carabunkle covered turnip impaled on two bent knitting needles stared back at me! 5 horrible miles followed by 20 mins stretching.

Thur: early start and very late home from London, no run.

Fri: plan called for a session. wu/cd with 5 X1 mile @ 7.15 pace of decreasing recoveries 2 min, 90 sec, 60 sec, 30 sec. 4 minute break then 4x30 seconds hard off 60 seconds.

Headed over to Seanadh Pheistin early this morning to get this done. Was tired and stiff but didn't think this would be too bad. Got a 2 mile warm done and straight into the mile reps. Was told to be careful not to overcook at the start as it would come back to bite me towards the end of the session, was also told to jog the recoveries. As it was I didn't need to wait for the end of the session for it to start biting, whole thing was a lot tougher than I'd imagined. Jogged all recoveries except for a quick stop to stretch after the first mile rep and I walked for about a minute after the 5 rep. The hard 30 seconds were very hard, felt like a fish trying to swim through treacle, and I didn't feel like I was motoring. Got about a mile cool down feeling a bit sorry for myself.

Deceptively tough bastid of a session but happy to have it done.

Mile reps:

7.13
7.14
7.10
7.16
7.13


Off to see Stoke beat Chelsea tomorrow and then heading to New York for the week.

TbL

Younganne wrote: »

that's a tough session alright...i did it 2 weeks in a row( without the sprints at the end...coach was going easy on me!!;) you hit the nail on the head with the reps, none too fast, like can happen in shorter reps!!!

I won't tell you the next session on the plan:eek::eek:!!!!

Tnx YA.

Dashing over to your log to check...

TbL

Travelled to New York on Sunday for work.

I don't like NY at all, its manic, loud, dirty and the residents default setting is hostility. I was staying off Broadway near Times Square and the place is nuts, walking around there is like trying to swim in a fast flowing logging river, slow down and you'll get bumped and bashed! I'd an early start on Monday and at the last minute I got tickets to the Rangers/Flyers ice hockey pre season game in Madison Square Garden. Nice experience that the Rangers won in overtime. Late finish and a bit of jet lag meant I didn't get the planned 5 mile easy done.

Tuesday: up early at 5.30 for a jaunt around Central Park. Was accompanied on this by a South African ultra runner who has run hundreds of marathons and ultras including 21 Comrades, one of which he finished in the silver time of sub 7.30!!! Even though the park was dark it was packed with hundreds and hundreds of runners of all shapes and sizes. Lovely run and the company made the 8 miles go by very quickly.

Wednesday: plan was for wu/cd with 3 x 3 mins @ 7 minute pace at an 8% incline on the treadmill. Couldn't face the treadmill so again did an early morning run around CP and threw in 3 or 4 surges, hadn't the watch but the effort level was good. Wednesday evening spent almost two hours walking over to Greenwich to find the "nicer" parts of the city, never found any!!

Thursday: had a terrible nights sleep, couple in the room next door were arguing like crazy, the woman kept shouting "I hate you, I hate you and I'll never look at you again with love in my eyes". Couldn't make out what the guy was saying but the woman was getting more hysterical. I coughed a couple of times discreetly to no avail so I started coughing like I'd TB but she kept at it. I turned on the tv, and cranked up the volume, no joy. Suddenly everything went very quiet and I though jazus maybe he's killed her! Then, the moaning and groaning of the non fatal offences against the person variety started up and I'd to cover my head with the pillow!!! Think I need to start more arguments with Mrs TbL

Didn't get to CP till 6.45 so I'd only time for 5 miles easy. Leaving NY and looking forward to getting home as I'm too old for the city and it's far to crazy for a sedate Connemara bogger.

TbL

Monday: travelled to central London on Sunday night for a busy schedule over the next few weeks. Plan today called for a rest day and just as well as I didn't finish up till 11pm.

Tuesday: plan called for 5 miles easy. Was staying in a hotel right beside Hyde Park but had agreed to meet someone near Tower Bridge at 7am for a few miles. Beautiful morning with the sun coming up over the Thames and the bridges. Bit stop starty with all the commuters and steps but still an enjoyable 5 miles easy.

A couple of work colleagues were doing a couple of miles easy in Hyde Park so I joined them for 4 easy miles while trying to dodge the swan ****e along the waterfront!

Wednesday: after my knee op, I decided to change my runners to a pair with maximum cushioning. The transition from the Nikes I'd been wearing to the Hoka Clifton has been slow and uncomfortable and is another stupid idea that I've to add to a long list of stupid ideas. My feet have been becoming increasingly painful to the extent that I dreaded putting them on! They provide superb cushioning but I found them very rigid and inflexible. I googled them and found that in some people they can negatively affect your gait and cause tight/sore hips and adductors. On Wednesday at lunch time I went into Nike on Oxford Street and bought a pair of my old model of Nikes and wore them for the planned session

Wu/cd with 2x90seconds, 4x60 second, 4x30 seconds and 4x15 second hard off equal times at steady pace. (So 20 minutes of continuous running at a decent clip). Got 2 mile wu done and started the session around Hyde Park. Found this really tough, I ran 5 continuous miles last Saturday just under 7 min pace but found this way harder despite the average pace not been materially faster. Ended up doing too many of the 30 second reps and ended up with 22 minutes running. Was tired at the end so just walked back to the hotel. Feet felt a lot better in the Nikes but I'm still carrying a bucket of niggles but hopefully they'll start to dissipate.

Thur: plan called for 5 miles easy.

All I had time for was a very early morning slow 5k in a pitch dark Hyde park.

Friday: plan was for a rest day. Decided to do 5 miles easy in the rain around Dangan to acclimatise and break in the new runners. Went ok and got the 5 miles done @ 7.59.

TbL

Sun: plan called for 10 miles easy.

Another cracking day in Connemara, did my usual Sunday thing and kept putting off the run, eventually getting out around 5pm. Started off slow enough but got into it and finished up with 10 miles @ 8.10.

Mon: plan called for 4 miles easy. Got out along the prom in shocking weather after work. Got a 4.3 mile nursing home special done.

Think I made the right decision on the Hokas, feet felt better than they have in weeks but noticed a slight tightening on the shin but I'll take that over the feet pain any day!

Long hauling tomorrow and hoping I can get to run most days.

TbL

Wed: plan called for a rest day.

I arrived in Santiago, Chile early in the morning and hadn't slept great on the flight so I was a bit all over the place. I've been to Santiago a couple of times and really like it, it's fairly cosmopolitan, modern and clean while still retaining a bit of South American craziness. They also know how to do parks in Chile, there are loads of really good quality ones and I headed up to Parque Bicentario after a couple of meetings. Place was a hive of activity and I got a lovely 6.5 miles very easy done around the park with the snow covered Andes as a backdrop.

Decided to get a hotel massage, I should know better at this stage! I asked for a strong deep tissue massage, she barely flattened the hairs on my legs!!!

Thursday: plan 5 miles easy.

Tired and an early morning start left me in no humour to run, I also picked up a dose of mild food poisoning but a work colleague was heading out for a few miles so I joined him. Went to another beautiful park basking in warm spring sunshine but I ended up puking in the hedges so only ended up with a stop/start 5k. I was expelling more noxious fumes than a frightened skunk with halitosis so I just removed myself from company and got an early night.

Friday: plan rest day.

Long journey home via San Paolo meant I'd be in planes/airports all day Friday so no run.

Might run a race at weekend if I get planning permission

TbL

Saturday:

Plan today was for, mile warm up, 6x1 mile @ 7.15 pace (2.30, 2.00, 1.30, 1.00, 30 recovery).

I had hoped to get a race in today and had got coaches ok to do a 10k instead of the planned session. Thought I might break my Donedea duck and do their 10k this morning but I landed in Dublin via San Paulo and Heathrow this morning after 10am, and I wasn't sure the race director would look favourably on a request for a late start Went for plan b and drove down to Carna in Connemara where there was a 10k at 3pm. Long drive and I arrived at around 2.15 got togged out, registered, and got a short warm up done.

Small turnout which was a pity for such a very well organised race. Lovely scenic route but it was pretty windy, I was running on my own until half way when I caught and passed a small group.

Finished up in 41.54, it's a poor time but it's nearly 3 minutes better than the last 10k a couple of weeks ago so I'm very happy with that, managed to stay strong and ran a negative split. Nice little confidence booster.

Off to bed for an auld man nap!

TbL

Today: plan called for 10 miles easy.

Instruction was to run this at a very easy recovery pace as today's run was about time on feet.

Spent the day battening down anything that could move in anticipation of the approaching storm. Didn't feel like there was any storm coming as it was a lovely warm day with hardly a puff of wind.

Eventually got out at 5pm. The body felt good (in fact it felt better than it has in months) and this was one of the most enjoyable runs I've had in a while with 80-90% of the niggles subsided. I can only assume that the niggles/aches were down to the Hoka shoes or the S&C sessions. I haven't had an S&C session in 2 weeks so it'll be interesting to see how the auld body is after next Friday's S&C.

I also picked up a theragun to help belt out knots and relieve tired muscles. It was expensive but so far it's proving value for money.

10 handy miles @ 8.45

TbL