Can I give more? The answer is usually yes

Have a good one from all the Mc’s

Happy Xmas Barry

Happy Christmas to all the Malones!

2017, a review:

Races:

Tom Brennan 5k - 1.1.17 - 19.56
Trim 10 Mile - 4.2.17 - 64.19
Barcelona Marathon - 12.3.17 - D.N.F
Lough Boora 10k - 1.4.17 - 43.21
Limerick Marathon - 30.4.17 - 3.20.32
Parnassia Laan Van Meerdervoort Loop 10k - 5.11.17 - 44.17

The Tom Brennan 5k was a now yearly ritual just to get out on the first day of the New Year, it was no pressure race where the result mattered little and the sub 20 was always on, Trim 10 mile was an important race as it was my only build up race to the Barcelona Marathon. It went better than expected running over a 2 minute PB once more thanks to the excellent pacing of FBOT01 who sacrificed his own race to drag my sorry ar$e around, it is the race i'm most satisfied with this year as it was a solid performance where i performed to form on the day plus I ran a 39.40 10k during the race when I've yet to break 40 minutes in an actual 10k race, tells you a lot!!!!

Unfortunately it went all down hill from there on in, a D.N.F in Barcelona due to collapsing just past 19 miles was certainly not on the plan, but i knew from very early something was a miss but pushed on thinking i could get through it, not possible when your up against the marathon beast. Heat was factor to as it was an unusually hot day for the time of year which did not bode well for me. Lough Boora was ran days after a week on antibiotics and was a stupid race to run:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:. Limerick was going to plan till 21 miles when i blew up big time when I was on to run just under 3.15, legs just gave out and had enough and it was a real struggle till the finish. I'm proud i finished it but the result still annoys me.

I'm not the first and certainly not the last man to blow up 21-22 miles into a marathon but i honestly thought i had more in me, that's the annoying part. It won't happen again. From then on till i arrived in Holland i was very flippant with my running, targeting races and finding excuses not to follow through on them and wasting my coaches time, being lazy to be totally honest. I was putting the training in but not enjoying it like i normally should or would.

I followed the results of DCM very closely and seen people who i normally beat quiet easily over the shorter distances run marathon times that leave my PB in the shade, it was Murph_D who said it post Limerick that "i may be better a racer than some, but they are better marathoners" that is something that i am very determined and very focused on changing in 2018, there is a goal in the the back of my mind and determination and solid training will get me there. I don't mean to come across as brash or cocky its just the way i feel, there is big improvements to be made i feel in 2018 and if i come back here next December balling about $hite races again you have every right to say i'm full of it.

I learned quiet a bit about myself in 2017 in regards my running, some i want to rectify and change for the better other things that i feel are a postive and i want to strengthen. There was no doubt improvement in 2017 but more to come in 2018. I got shot of tang1 to as I'm sure most was fed up of him anyway!!! Happy New Year folks, apologies about the long winded post, talk to ye next year.

Hope you enjoy your few days in Ireland. The weather should make you feel at home anyway ...... cold, wet and windy :rolleyes:

Monday 1.1.18

4.40 miles Easy@8.45min/mile in 38min 31secs

Very tired run around Westduinpark, the New Years fireworks kept going till well after 4am which meant zero sleep for me till after that. Lovely run around dusk through the trails and good way to start the New Year.

Tuesday 2.1.18

Rest, traveling to Ireland.

Wednesday 3.1.18

5.35 miles Steady@7.55mi/mile in 42min 21secs

Steady miles around my old stomping ground in Co Meath, wind was blowing on this and made me work a little bit harder than i would have liked.

Thursday 4.1.18

10 miles Easy@8.42min/mile in 1hr 27min 04secs

Done this on some of the old Athlone 3/4 marathon route those familiar with it, was baltic in Tang so the humour wasn't the best before heading out. Strapped the balls on eventually and got out the door, once i got into it as always it was an enjoyable trot.

Friday 5.1.18

7.10 miles Easy@8.38min/mile in 61mins 19secs

Once more on the old Athlone 3/4 route, funny what the body gets used to, my legs were feeling it from the runs all on road the few days previous, they are more used to soft trails now that the firmness of the Irish road. Or maybe i'm going soft since moving to Holland!!!

Saturday 6.1.18

2E, 3HMP, 2E

Out the gap as soon as i made it to Donegal to get this in, those who know Ballyshannon will know there isn't really much flat road to run on so i knew this would test how the fitness is coming on with a goal of 6.24 for the HMP miles. Out and ran for the Donegal Rd that leads back into Ballyshannon, started the HMP miles on a downhill section so that made it a little easier, first one flew by at 6.25 and was now heading out the Finner Rd towards Bundoran and a bitch of a hill as you head for Finner Army barracks.

No choice but to put the head down and dig in, second mile was 6.23, turned and free wheeled back down the hill towards town and up a few short sharp hills around the Mall to round out mile three in 6.21. Was there many more at that pace in me, one at most i'd say but i'm not looking to peak now that can wait till the 11th of March, happy enough with the run and how i felt.

7.1.18

3.60 miles Easy@8.37min/miles in 31min 02 secs

Few handy miles around the Braes at the rear of the missus' home place, very very hilly but very very scenic, could see Benbulbin as clear as day in the cold frosty morning sun.

37.45 miles in what was a very rushed week back at home, it would have been a week in the past where i got lazy and done feck all and used the visit home as an excuse but that thankfully did not happen. The booze and bad food is gone to after the week back home, no more pale ale's till the afternoon of the 11th of March when they will be richly deserved!!!

Last year was very light racing wise, ran 6 in total from maybe an average of 20-25 the 3-4 years previous. Plan on racing maybe 15-20 times in 2018.

I love the buzz you get from running a race, challenging yourself, racing those around you, picking people out ahead and chasing them down, digging in when it gets tough, trying to kick over those last 100-200 metres to finish the race out hard. I love every aspect of running a race, butterflies in your stomach before starting, the rush of euphoria and endorphins when you finish. It’s what makes us improve as runners, what makes us stronger, what makes us faster, what makes all the training worth while.

We learn so much from races, even the bad ones when we don’t perform to expectations teach us a valuable lesson that will stand to us the next time we tow the line at another race. We all need bad races, those are the ones that give us the appetite to try come back even stronger to prove ourselves right the next time around.

My race calendar up until the end of May will look something like this:

Noord-Aa Polderloop 15km - 11.2.18
CPC Loop Den Haag - 11.3.18
The Royal 10km, Den Haag - 27.5.18

I’m guaranteed one PB out of that lot as I have never raced a 15km before but all will be assaults on what are very weak PB’s for me. Shoot for the stars and all that but feel i’m more than capable of knocking out a PB in all three races.

Annie get your Run wrote: »

:D Sounds about right

?? You lost me there?

Annie get your Run wrote: »

It looks very like Plodderloop :pac:

It takes the fun out of it when you have to explain your wisecracks!!

You have the wrong log there sorry, a polder is a piece of land reclaimed from the sea surrounded by dykes which a fair share of Holland is. Polderloop is a run around reclaimed land in short, your welcome for the geography lesson!!!!

Monday 8.1.18

Rest, traveling back to Holland from Ireland and didn't get home till after 8pm and was wrecked.

Tuesday 9.1.18

6.30 miles Easy@8.39min/miles in 54min 30secs

The first two miles of this were pure torture, i was moving at over 9min/mile at time and thought of canning it after i came out of Bosjes Van Poot. The excesses of Ireland were coming back to bite me in a big way. The Garmin beeped for two miles and its like a switch was flicked and i got a new lease of life. Crossed the road over into Westduinpark and the rest of the run went well.

Wednesday 10.1.18

5.05 miles Steady@7.42min/miles in 38min 55secs

The hope is to do most of these steady runs n around the undulations of the dunes through Westduinpark but by time the missus got in it was dark so that plan went out the window on this one. Luckily we live at the junction of two of the most "hilly" streets in Den Haag and i use hilly very loosely. Out the door and onto Laan Van Meerdervoort which has a gradual climb for over 2.5 miles, kind of like the Coast Road up to Kilbarrack Fire Station but far more gradual and spread over a longer distance. First half is the climb to the NN Atlantic Hotel at Kijkduin then turn and the rest is downhill back to the house. Huge difference on previous days run as this felt easy as easy can be, this running lark is crazy at times. Lovely run in a cool winters evening.

Thursday 11.1.18

6 miles Easy@8.43min/miles in 52min 18secs

Again late getting out for this, down to Zuiderpark for a few laps and back home again. Bog standard easy run which felt good and handy.

Friday 12.1.18

2E, 3HMP, 2E

Got the wee off to playschool and procrastinated about the house for a while before getting out to do this, to be honest i had myself talked out of it before i even laced up so knew i was going to find this a slog. Down once more to Zuiderpark getting the 2 miles easy in, started at '0' where the park is marked out like a track so as to know the distance without paying much attention to the Garmin. First mile was torture, toughest mile i've ran in a long time and i had to stop after it, hands on knees stuff breathing like an over worked hooker:eek::eek::eek:.

Decided to take 400m recoveries after each mile to make the session more manageable, which it didn't, but i struggled through it. I was due a bad session to be fair, i'm long enough at this running game to know you ain't going to nail the splits every time you run, learn from it and move on to the next one. I done better on much more undulating terrain last week in Donegal. Splits were fast in any sense but i had myself talked out of this before i even began as i said. 6.24/6.19/6.20 for the HMP miles.

Saturday 13.1.18

6 miles Steady@7.43min/mile in 46min 15secs

Not the ideal run after a session, albeit a failed session but my missus was sick, proper sick, as in the 15 odd years we have been together she has never been sick, shes made of stern stuff but what ever dose had afflicted her had knocked her for six. I didn't want to be away from the house for long and leave her with Gruesome Twosome while i was running so switched my days around. Out onto the dunes and got the run done, again feeling good :rolleyes:. Back to the house to find our wee one had spewed all over the place while i was gone, another patient to take care of.

Sunday 14.1.18

10.10 miles Easy@8.26min/mile in 1hr 25min 06secs

Up late the night before looking at the NFL playoffs so was wrecked when i rose in the morning this time to three patients, our young lad had succumbed to some vomiting over night to. Busy morning at housework, joys of being a stay at home Dad and i was procrastinating again. The missus checked the fridge to see what i had to do and told me to go, i have my plan on the fridge so the missus knows what i have to do run wise that week. She knows the running benefits me in other ways a part from fitness. Got out after 1.30pm and took my phone and went to Zuiderpark so i was one ten minutes away at most if i needed to get back quickly. Zoned out with some music and got this done, hamstrings were very sore for first mile, returned home to three sleeping patients :(:(.

40.45 miles for the week, my highest in god knows when. Happy enough with the week, some good steady comfortable runs in there a decent long run but a failed session, i'll be ready for next weeks 4@HMP thats for sure. Now to avoid the rest of the family so i don't get sick!!!

I wonder were you fighting some bug yourself and that's why you found the HMP session hard? Maybe something to consider

Monday 15.1.18

Rest, the missus missed her first day off work due to sickness in 17 years:eek::eek:

Tuesday 16.1.18

6.25 miles Easy@8.40min/miles in 54min 11secs

Same route as the same day last week, started off in Bosjes Van Poot over into Westduinpark and back into BVP for another bit and home. Feeling good and enjoyed running on the softness of the sandy/muck trails to give the legs a break from the concrete paths.

Wednesday 17.1.18

w/u, 12x20sec Hills@5k off equal recovery, c/d

Back to Bosjes Van Poot to do this as it has a few tasty steep hills for a session of this nature. Got a 2 mile warm up done in a gale before starting the hill repeats, chose a hill that starts out steep levels off for 2-3 steps then gets steeper the further you run all on tar path. The first 8-9 were comfortable but the last 3 were tough going, legs felt zapped and i had to bite the bottom lip on a few occasions to keep myself moving forward but got them done.

Legs were stinging after but i felt good in the knowledge of getting a good session in. Am always skeptical of paces on a rep as short as this but they all came in between 6-6.05 pace which is roughly 5k pace for me at the minute. A short cool down brought the days total to 5.5 miles.

Thursday 18.1.18

5.25 miles Easy@8.30min/miles in 44min 37secs

Another run up Laan Van Meerdervoort out to Kijkduin, had to stay away from the parks as the wind was crazy, flights had been cancelled for a time in and out of Schipol it was that bad and the veranda in out back garden nearly came a cropper till i took the roof off it. Legs feeling surprising good after the previous days hills and the pace felt easy, i had taken the trees into account but never thought of tiles being blown off the roofs of houses, a few examples of which i seen on my run but thankfully not while i passed.

Friday 19.1.18

2E, 4HMP, 2E

Had been looking forward to sweet revenge all week in relation to this session, left it a bit later than last week to get out and do it and also pared the pace back to 6.29/30 pace which should make it that bit for comfortable. Down to Zuiderpark once more to do it and thankfully the previous days gale had abated some. Got the two easy in then straight into the HMP miles, no doubting myself this week and relaxed and zoned out and got my head into the session from the off.

Pace was never an issue till a quarter of a mile left in the HMP miles when a big gust of wind hit me straight in the face and threw my breathing all over the place, last bit was bit tough as a result but there was never a question of me not getting through it. 6.33/6.31/6.26/6.26 for the faster miles, legs felt strong on these which is what i'm most happy about. Another session I'm more than happy with this week.

Saturday 20.1.18

4 miles Recovery

Spend the early part of the day at the cinema with the eldest man watching Paddington 2, that bear always makes me cry:o. Out later for run sans watch, i know it was four miles as its a route I know like back of my hand at this stage, legs sore from HMP miles the day before.

Sunday 21.1.18

13 miles Easy@8.17min/miles in 1hr 47mins 47secs

Yasso advises you run one of your weekly runs a bit faster than Easy pace so i chose my long run this week to see how it would go. A run that involved running on footpath, cycle path, tar path, gravel trail, muck trail, sand trail, fire trail and grass involving visits to Van Stolkpark, Westbroepark, Scheveningse Bosjes, Malieveld and Haagsche Bos.

The latter two i had never visited before and are situated right bang in the middle of the city but like the others are wonderful parks to go running in that were being used by plenty of other runners apart from myself. The pace was never an issue and i got through the run no bothers, as i should do really at this stage. All done and dusted by 10am and home for a few cups of hot coffee to warm me up.

42 miles even for the week and i feel i'm building the mileage up nicely week by week, plenty of energy to and the body is getting leaner with the miles. My weight has gone from 13st 5.5 pounds to 12st 13.5 pounds in past two weeks which is only going to help as the training progresses, another half stone off before the 11th of March should see me well.

Testosterscone wrote: »

Good stuff man very solid week. hope the OH is alright after her illness.

Cheers L, one day turned to three off work and she’s now a second week into it and still far from 100%.

Murph_D wrote: »

Good man. The wind over there made the news here. Pretty mad stuff so well done on not getting blown away.

Cheers D, running in the parks today you could see the damage done midweek by the wind, serious amount of trees down and up-rooted.

Monday 22.1.18

Rest, zonked after previous days long run and that was to be the theme of the week really.

Tuesday 23.1.18

6.25 miles Easy@8.35min/miles in 53min 41 secs

As has become nearly the regular Tuesday run at this stage, lap of Bosjes Van Poot up into the dunes of Westduinpark and back home. Done a recce for Wednesdays run to try and find an appropriate hill for the session in hand. All good on this less tired thankfully.

Wednesday 24.1.18

2E, 14X45sec hills Hard(jog back rec), 2E

Retraced the first two miles of yesterdays run as my warm up to bring me to the hill, 45 degree angle straight up on a sandy trail was the one i had chosen from the day before. It had a real sting in the tail over last 7-8 yards covered in trees and thankfully not effected by the gale coming in off the North Sea. Got into them and looked at the watch for first 2-3 but it was showing up ridiculous paces of 10-11min miles which was nowhere near the pace i was running. Trees obviously affecting the Garmin:rolleyes: here, so ignored the watch from here on in and concentrated on effort, as the week before the first 10 or so were comfortable. Last four were ragged but the effort levels did not drop, legs like jelly running recovery on last one. Tough going and surface didn't help but great session all the same.

Thursday 25.1.18

5.20 miles Easy@8.41min/miles in 45min 10secs

Another jaunt about BVP and Westduinpark but on the flatter sections this time, on the few hills i ran down my quads were screaming at me from the previous days efforts.

Friday 26.1.18

6 miles Steady@7.39min/mile in 45min 54secs

Had to move my weekend runs around to suit the missus work so instead of my usual Friday session it was a shorter run on the cards, again up Goudenregenstraat towards Westduinpark and into the undulations of the dunes, had to row the pace back few times on this as i was daydreaming looking at the big container ships out in the North Sea as they made there way to Rotterdam. Half mile from home as i crossed a pedestrian crossing i got a grazing smack from a car, slid across the road a bit resulting in nasty road rash on my left leg/ass cheek but the fcuker kept going. Partly my fault as i jumped onto the crossing a bit sharpish, no damage done thankfully apart from feeling a fool. Lesson learned though.

Saturday 27.1.18

13.15 miles Easy@8.19min/miles in 1hr 49mins 20secs

Like last week i chose my long run to run at 'faster' than easy pace, my left ass cheek looked like it had a bad case of nappy rash but soldiered on. Different route to last week, again taking in the dunes towards Kijkduin an running on towards the town of Monster on the running tracks. It was reasonably warm and i was over dressed, i was sweating up a storm and this did not help my ass cheek, salty sweat was making it sting like fcuk and a bit uncomfortable. Smart person would have covered it up but nooooo i'm a man why would i do that:o:o. Anyway got through it and was rowing back the pace big style on last 3 miles which i'll take as a good sign, big confidence booster this.

Sunday 28.1.18

2E, 5HMP, 2E

Late night at the flicks with Mrs OO had me bunched waking, i'm sleeping well being 3 weeks off the hooch but this was the first week the plan has me tired. Fluted about the house till early afternoon till i got out and headed for the track around Zuiderpark, it was crazy busy when i got down there, runners, roller-bladers, roller-skaters, skateboarders, cyclists had the place a hive of activity. Even though the park is surrounded by trees it still feels the wind blowing down off the North Sea, the first 800m in particular being affected.

Got the warm up in and straight into the HMP miles, first half mile into wind, nightmare, say i looked a mess cause i felt it. Please turn away from the wind, please, i'll knock the pace back when we do, mind games!!! Got through that first 800m and the breeze(gale really!!) did not bother me again till the last 800m of the session but by that time there was no giving in and the hard work was done. The two miles warm down were 9min/miles+ but i didn't care the work was done, the HMP splits were as follows 6.28/6.28/6.31/6.29/6.25, a session i'm delighted with.

45.35 miles for the week, and as i said i'm bunched this week, 5 weeks into the plan its to be expected as i was fairly dormant mileage wise heading into it. I know i recover reasonably quickly from sessions and long runs so i won't dwell on it to much unless it continues, touch wood to i have no niggles to speak off plus no broken bones from Fridays episode either. 12st 12.25pounds is another loss of 1.25pounds for the week which again i will take and more intensity to come next week which i look forward to. Well done to all racing this weekend in Raheny/elsewhere.