Cool runnings

Friday 13th

Date corrected. D'oh. Easy run.

6.08 @9.02

HR 114/128

Saturday 14th

Tymon parkrun. Had missed the deadline for the GIR, so hence my presence in Tymon park on a lovely Saturday morning. Perhaps a little on the breezy side, but a balmy day after what seemed like about a fortnight of grey, drizzly conditions. I hoped to improve enough on last time out a few weeks back to sneak under 20 minutes, but in the end had to settle for my usual low top-10 finish and a small improvement, to 20:09.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Tymon has been running a bit long for the last while. Since Christmas, all my (4) runs have been logged at 3.12 by the Garmin, whereas it always used to come in at 3:06/3:08.

5k 20.09 (6.28)

HR 154/170

Sunday 15th

Very soggy long run, along the Dodder to Clonskeagh and back. Hamstrings really tight.

13.54 @8.39

HR 123/158(?)


Week's mileage 56

Monday 23rd

Easy recovery.

6.01 @8.49

HR 119/131

Tuesday 24th

Track session. 8x600 @2.20 w 90secs recovery.

2.22, 2.21, 2.20, 2.20, 2.19, 2.19, 2.20, 2.20

HR 131/160

Wednesday 25th

Short very easy recovery.

4.06@9.16

HR 114

Monday 30th

Easy recovery run.

6 @8.45

HR 120/140

Tuesday 1st

Session. 800, 3x300, 600, 3x300, 800 @6.15 - 2/1 mins recovery.

800 6.09
3x300 5.54, 5.51, 6.17
600 6.11
3x300 6.00, 6.20, 6.10
800 6.06

HR 128/153

Wednesday 2nd

Easy run, incorporating track-test of Saucony Endorphins: some strides, and then a road mile on the race course.

7 @9.06

HR 113/136

Thursday 3rd

Easy run. In and around Bushy park, on the way home from work. The hills probably account for the HR. The park was full of runners, including one group of deludeds with what looked like a paid-for trainer, some sort of boot camp job. You can always tell, because the guy had a gym-bunny physique, not a runner's. They're always a walking advertisement for their own superior training technique. He had them running, then doing what they used to call calisthenics, and he was making with the counting down and the exhortation. I ran past for free.

5.33 @8.49

HR 123/145

Friday 4th

No running.

Saturday 5th

Short shakeout with a few strides thrown in.

3.81 @8.44

HR 119/146

Sunday 6th

Tallaght 5k.

One of my early-season targets, along with the Bob Heffernan, before Berlin training kicks in. Knew from early in the week that it would be hot, and so it proved, with the mercury tipping 20℃ by the 12 noon start. I usually run the course for a warmup, but that didn't seem like a good idea in the heat, so took a shortcut back to the club after less than two miles. A few strides beforehand, and then we were counted down by the starter.

It's a classic, three-cornered road route, all left-handers, with the sections roughly categorised in turn as: 1st downhill, 2nd flat and 3rd uphill. But first there is the short section past the club entrance and into Tallaght village for the first left turn, and it's here that some bright spark of a Garda decided to park his car last year, jutting right out into the road at an angle and forcing everyone to take evasive action. Thankfully it was free of such holdups this time though, and my main concern here was keeping the pace up, but not overdoing it. It was very warm, and there seemed to be little breeze to cool anyone off. The first mile, and the second left turn, onto Castletymon road, conveniently coincide, and at 6.09 it's pretty much on the money. I'm feeling ok, and not minding the heat too much. I had hemmed and hawed, but finally decided to keep the baseball cap on, and it helps a little. On the way down main street, I found myself running with two clubmates, and together they constituted a conundrum which made me ask myself if I was running A) too fast, or too slow. One guy was setting a pace that his current form didn't justify, as far as I knew anyway, and I reminded myself that it was his habit to go out fast, then fade somewhat. The other chap had come from behind me, I thought, and that was his habit too, but the difference was that he was a low 18 minute man, and this gave me pause, until I remembered that he had been injured, and more than likely hadn't raced a lot.

So we ran along together for a bit, until I started getting a feeling that our speed was, ever so slightly, dropping a little. I concentrated on maintaining the pace, rather than staying in step with the other two, and sure enough, I began to draw ahead a little. I wasn't to know it, because I never looked back once (noticed in hindsight, and probably a good sign) but the injuree (is that even a word?) stayed right there with me, and finished only seconds behind. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The second mile is on the flat on Castletymon road, and it's here that concentration can waver, legs start to give out, and spirits flag as people overtake and draw away. I had little to focus on, no clubmates in the immediate vicinity and no red rags (such as a Bros Pearse singlet!) to get the dander up. I concentrated on keeping my pace up, and although a chap who had been alongside me pulled away a bit, we were both catching other runners, so I was reasonably happy. Mile 2 was a 6.24 but at the time I was completely unaware of that. Along here I overtook a clubmate and fellow age-bracketer. The gutsiest of runners, he came into the race on the back of no form and little training. He didn't look that well, in fact, but here he was ploughing along but fighting a losing battle with his own body. I drew ahead but there was no mental box-ticking or scalp-counting.

But here, what was this? Is it Andy, stopped up ahead??? Yes, the very same. I had thought for sure that these days were over, after his pyrotechnics in Manchester (1.26 Half PB and 3.02 PB IN THE SAME RACE!) and elsewhere. Only last week his RLF (Run Like F*ck - no joke, that's what he does) technique of doing ALL his runs at sub-7.20 pace had yielded an 18.18 3 mile run in training. But, when you then go out and run a 5.40 mile in 20+ degree heat, these things can and will happen. One of our stewards was dousing his head with water, and he looked in bits. I was going to say something encouraging, then thought: "Nah, f*ck him" and carried on. In truth, it was so unexpected that I didn't really process it. I had expected him to run under 18.30, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he now came sprinting past me again. So I didn't let it bother me one way or the other.

Mile 2 becomes mile 3 just before the next turn (did I say it was a classic course? More of you lot need to sign up next time. Not that many club singlets visible bar our own highly-supportive neighbours Bros Pearse and Rathfarnham) and this is a part of the course that can drag on body and spirits - but a lifeline presented itself. Young Sean from Tallaght appeared from behind me and started chivvying me along "C'mon Dave, 19.30 pace. Follow me" and so on. Often these sort of words fall on deaf ears during races, but on this occasion it was just what I needed. I asked the question, and the body responded. Strava shows my pace briefly hitting sub-6 minute pace along here, where I had been bumping along at 6.40-plus. Without his intervention I would not have lifted my pace, and that's a fact.

Mile 3 is a drag. Literally. It's a long gradual climb that saps the strength just when you need it. Frequently it is accompanied by a mean headwind that comes straight off the 'mountains'. Today, little wind, although in this heat that probably counts as a negative as well. Sean is still dragging me along, but all of a sudden he's waving me through. Looks like his goose is cooked. I've got something left though, and with about three quarters of a mile to go I can hack it from here I reckon. The course mercifully flattens out a bit after the Kilnamanagh turn and when you see the big Topaz sign you know it's nearly done.

The track finish is both exhilarating and physically daunting. 350 metres that can seem like 3,500. From a hundred metres out I punch it, and then punch it again with 30 to go (or so I imagine, until I see my son's video - dear God, I look like I'M a hundred) I haven't looked at the watch, nor checked the race clock. I don't know why. In the end it came down to that last surge to get me under, and certainly without Sean's cameo I wouldn't have got near 19.30, but the watch shows 19:28.8, and after myself and Ultraman pose for some flattering face-down-on-the-track post-race photos I recover, and find I am quite pleased with that performance. My quote beforehand had been "sub 19.30 will be a good run today". Next up, Terenure. Oh, and I nearly forgot the shoes. Quite literally. If the test of good tech gear is that you forget all about it during the experience, then these babies are outstanding. I can not think of a single thing to say about them, and that is the highest compliment I can come up with, if that makes any sense at all. I did not think about them once. They were unobtrusive to the point of invisibility. They will be employed again next weekend.

3.1 miles @6.17

6.09, 6.24, 6.22, (5.19)

HR 158/169


Week's mileage 35

Monday 14th

Easy run with clubmates.

6.07 @8.35

HR 126/138

Tuesday 15th

14x300 in 70 sec, 50 sec jog recovery (100m). Done on the track. All within one second, bar the last at 1.08

HR 130/153

Wednesday 16th

No running.

Thursday 17th

Easy short run.

5.03 @9.01

HR 117/129

Friday 18th

6x3 min @ 6.30 (75 sec rec), 4 min jog, 5x30 sec hard (90 sec rec). Another complicated session where one needs to keep one's wits about one.

6.27, 6.36, 6.20, 6.26, 6.27, 6.20 (Av 6.26)
5.40, 5.44, 5.47, 5.30, 5.27 (Av 5.40)

HR 129/164

Saturday 19th

Long-ish run. On instructions, racing on Tuesday.

10.01 @8.42

HR 121/135

Sunday 20th

No running.


Week's mileage 37

Friday 1st June

Easy run. First week, sorta, of marathon training. The official line is that we are segueing gradually into marathon mode, but, you know. I have 16 WEEKS TO GO marked in my calendar and stuff.

8.01 @8.33

HR 125/141

Saturday 2nd

6x5 mins @6.50 with 90 secs jog recovery. A little comprehension fail here, as I misread '90 sec jog' as '90 sec walk', and moreover awarded myself points because I only walked 30 secs and then jogged for a minute. Anyhoo.

6.54, 6.44, 6.46, 6.45, 6.53, 6.43 (Av 6.47)

HR 132/160

Sunday 3rd

14m long run. Majorly hungover which is why I didn't get out to do this until the late afternoon. In my defence I had been on the dry all week. Got extremely hot in the second half of this, run along the Dodder as far as Clonskeagh and back. Very happy with the pace, considering the tough session the day before.

14 @8.14

HR 134/155


Week's mileage 56

Monday 11th

Easy short recovery.

5.03 @8.46

HR 115/134

Tuesday 12th

Club race 1. A 5k run on the paths in Tymon, with a changed route owing to the ongoing works. It was a no-watch, predict-your-time effort. Didn't get close to my prediction and was disappointed to not even break 20. I ran 19.10 mere weeks ago!

Wednesday 13th

No running.

Thursday 14th

7 mile run. Overcompensating, I'd say.

7.02 @8.10

HR 135/151

Friday 15th

Easy run. More like it.

8 @8.34

HR 123/137

Saturday 16th

Marlay parkrun. Tymon having changed yet again, a run there would be meaningless, timewise, and anyway from what I've seen of the traffic-coned 180 turn nonsense from pictures, it's a waste of time at the mo. I'll return when it settles down again. So it was that my 50th parkrun took place in Marlay, where I hadn't in been in so long that I'd never run the present course. I suppose that contradicts my previous argument too, come to think of it. Oh well. At least I broke 20 this time.

5k @6.25 (19.57)

HR 150/162

Sunday 17th

Long run. Added a mile onto the recommended distance. Feeling those long run nerves already.

15.03 @8.37

HR 125/150

Week's mileage 48

Monday 25th

No running.

Tuesday 26th

Easy 5 miler.

Wednesday 27th

Session. 2x90sec, 4X(60,30,15) fairly hard, with a floating (ie a bit slower but not much) equal-time recovery. Much, much harder than it looked, to me anyway. The hardest part was not going too fast, especially as the intervals progressed, but in not slowing down too much on the 'recoveries', and I think I probably failed in that regard. Some of the later paces seem impossibly slow too, unless I was really getting punchy from the sun.

HR 141/168

Thursday 28th

No running. Last night.

Friday 29th

Going home. No running.

Saturday 30th

Back home in good old Dodder Valley Big Loop for the second session - and the weather seemed identical to Portugal. A nice touch of coolness to the breeze though. Managed to jog the recoveries, until the last couple. Overall pace on the money.

8x3mins @6.50 1 min rec.

6.57, 6.39, 6.59, 6.47, 6.57, 6.48, 6.49, 6.37

HR 137/159

Sunday 1st July

16m run. Aimed to avoid too much climbing, but in the end did waterworks to back gate and around the brook field area.

16.01 @8.14

HR 137/154

Week's mileage 36

Monday 9th

No running.

Tuesday 10th

No running.

Wednesday 11th

3x1k@4.10, 4x600@2.30 - 2 min rec throughout.

4.12, 4.03, 4.02
2.24, 2.29, 2.25, 2.26

HR 124/157

Thursday 12th

Easy run.

8.06 @8.48

HR 121/147

Friday 13th

Short easy run.

5.09 @8.32

HR 121/134

Monday 16th

Easy short recovery.

5.01 @8.54

HR 125/137

Tuesday 17th

Club race. Handicap 5k.

3.07 @6.41 (19.34)

HR 158/179(!)

Wednesday 18th

Easy run.

7.03 @8.49

HR 122/137

Thursday 19th

Short run.

5.05 @8.24

HR 126/142

Friday-Sunday

Nada


Week's mileage 23

Friday 27th

Easy run.

7.01 @8.36

HR 123/138

Saturday 28th

4x(4,3,2,1mins)@6.40 - 90 secs rec. 4 mins between sets. Quite breezy, and into the wind was also slightly uphill, so I worked out a route that I could repeat, which very roughly meant I had 3 mins of the 4 min rep downwind/hill, 2 mins of the 3 min rep upwind/hill, then 2 mins all downwind, and the 1 min all uphill. A 6 to 4 downwind split. I thought that was fair enough.

4 6.41
3 6.47
2 6.28
1 6.46

4 6.37
3 6.42
2 6.30
1 6.34

4 6.41
3 6.46
2 6.29
1 6.38

HR 130/159

Sunday 29th

16 mile run. Last 6 at 7.45 pace. Very trepidatious in advance of this. I was keenly aware that coach had deliberately scheduled a tough session just the day before. All part of the plan, no doubt. Accordingly, I agonised over time and route. A couple of clubmates were running early, but it would mean the waterworks, and that didn't work for me. One, it's too hilly, and two, it's all downhill on the way back. Very easy to knock off 6 miles at 7.45 without really having to work at it. I told the lads I'd make my own arrangements.

Having eventually settled, sort of, on a route, I headed out in the afternoon, and looped around a nearby green space before heading toward Knocklyon. I settled into a rhythm very quickly, and the miles began ticking off at 8.15 pace or so. I realised I was feeling good. Very good. Despite a savage session the day before, and 11 miles in total, I was just humming along. My intention, with the pickup section at the end, was to run nice and easy at 8.30/8.40 pace, but I was hitting 8 minute mile pace here without any effort, breathing nice and relaxed. Just like you do when you're running a really good marathon, in fact.

When I hit the Dodder at Rathfarnham, I followed it back up towards home. I decided I would do the 6 mile pickup on the Dodder Big Loop. It's pretty flat, but the prevailing wind usually means that you get the tailwind with the very slight downhill. It's always a fair test either way. After 2-3 loops the tiredness did kick in, but I had the pace programmed by that stage, and I wasn't for quitting now. Best long run I've had in ages, have to say. And I even managed to tack on a half-mile cooldown back home to get me to 70 for the week. Now I feel like I'm rolling.
Ich bin ein Berliner!

16.02 @8.06

Last 6 - 7.40, 7.39, 7.40, 7.43, 7.39, 7.25

HR 134/155


Week's mileage 70

Monday 6th

Easy slow recovery.

6@8.58

HR 119/135

Tuesday 7th

Easy run.

8.14 @9.09

Wednesday 8th

Session. 3 miles @7.00, 4 min jog, 5x2 mins @6.20 (60 sec rec). Bit of a wind on this, IIRC. 'Uphill' and into a headwind on the Dodder Big Loop was challenging, but a good session.

6.58, 6.57, 6.47
6.10, 6.12, 6.22, 6.15, 6.16

HR 128/159

Thursday 9th

Sort-of MLR. A deliberate ploy on the coach's part. Both sessions are followed by a longer run, and then the long run.

9@8.27

HR 124/139

Friday 10th

Easy run. I let it get a bit on the long side.

9.01@8.45

HR 118/129

Saturday 11th

Session. 2x10mins@7:15/2x8mins@7:00/2x4mins@6:45. 2 mins jog recovery throughout. On the DBL once again, and really happy with this.

7:13, 7:10
6:55, 6:58
6:38, 6:38

HR 133/161

Sunday 12th

Long run. 18 miles, with last 8 @7:45. Took a chance and went sans water bottle, as while it wasn't as hot as it had been, it was still 19℃ by mid-afternoon. Cheated a tiny bit by not segueing straight into the Steady section, but taking a short break first. Really happy with the outcome, though. Deliberately held back a little on the first 10 miles, then toughed out the 8 on the DBL. The body has gotten used to these punishing weekends, with back-to-back session and (tough) long run. Another 70 mile week, meanwhile. It's all good.

18.01@8.11

Final 8 splits: 7:36, 7:46, 7:45, 7:43, 7:44, 7:44, 7:47, 7:45

HR 133/159

Week's mileage 70

Friday 17th

Easy run.

8.01 @8.44

HR 115/139

Saturday 18th

3 mile pre-race shakeout.

3.05@8.08

HR 126

Sunday 19th

Kilcock 10 mile race. Great race, great event. Very windy pre-race, but the course was very sheltered, until the last couple of miles when we were exposed to a nasty headwind along the Greenway/canal section. Possibly slightly too ambitious at the start, but wilted significantly in the second half of the race.

10 @6.57 (1:09:31)


Week's mileage 54

Monday 27th

Long run from previous day.

18.01@8.36

Tuesday 28th

Easy run.

5.65@8.45

Wednesday 29th

Easy run.

7.01@8.56

Thursday 30th

Session. 20 min* @ 7.00 pace (4 min jog), 4x2 min @ 6.50 (60 sec jog)

* stretched it to 3m

6:59, 6:58, 6:53

6:47, 6:44, 6:38, 6:57

Friday 31st

18 miles @7.30

This was a big week. Last one of full-on training before the taper, and it coincided with Electric Picnic, where I would be working all weekend. It's imperative to get on site early before the traffic builds, so I thought the most sensible thing would be to move the session/long run up a couple of days and get them out of the way, rather than risking committing to them over the weekend, with all the other madness going on.

I have never started a long run at 5.30am before, let alone an almost-MP 18 miler. Untrodden territory for me. I've done 12 miles @ MP. I've done longer runs, but nothing like this sort of sustained, lengthy effort, outside of an actual race. The sheer discipline it seemed to require was unnerving. Which is why the decision to opt for loops of the DBL, rather than a 'normal' route, might seem odd. But hell, I thought. This run is all about, yes, discipline, so let's go for broke and run 15 or 16 laps at dawn. Berlin is all about long, long, unwaveringly straight streets. That's going to require lots of the 'D' word, too.

I decided to run a mile or so to warmup. It would set me up better, and also allow me to stretch the distance to 20. Old habits die hard. On the first circuit, I settled into a pace and ignored the watch. The thought nagged at me that if I finished the first mile and it was slow it would be a struggle lifting the pace I had established, but when the watch buzzed it was a 7.11, and I could relax. Bit of a cushion there pacewise, so I continued on and it wasn't until mile 5 that I actually slowed to goal pace. After about 9 miles I took a detour over a bridge and an adjacent loop, just to break things up, but then got back on the DBL. Breathing was good, the strength was there, but fatigue was building, as I knew and expected it to. Later on the pace flagged a bit, but as long as it stayed in the 7.40's I had plenty of time in the bank. At the end I finished with a 7.25, and was bang-on pace overall.

A huge psychological boost. Now for the taper.


Saturday 1st September

Short very easy recovery.

4.45@9.17

Week's mileage 63

Taper: WEEK 2


Monday 10th

Rest.

by order.

Tuesday 11th

Easy run.

5.2 @8.38

Wednesday 12th

Mini-session. Just a little reminder that one can still run fast, to soothe the nerves. Stiff headwind in parts. HR stayed at around 140 for the 7 minute mile, which was reassuring.

1 mile@7:00, 2x2 mins @6:40, 3x1 mins @6:20. 3 mins jog rec after mile 1, 90 secs thereafter (Walked for about 30 secs, then jog)

7:04

6:45
6:28

5:52
6:07
6:04

HR 123/154

OOnegative wrote: »

Best of luck Sunday D.

Cheers. Once more unto the breach, and so forth.