Are those my feet?

Applegirl26 · 06-01-2019 8:40pm

Well done for sticking with the long run when it got tough.

Mr. Guappa · 15-01-2019 5:18am

Another decent week this week. A bit of a start/stop beginning to the week due to fitting runs in around work, but that suited anyway as I was conscious of watching the legs following a bit of a struggle during last week's LR.

Mon 7th Jan: Brisk 30 mins walk

Tue 8th Jan: 55 mins moderate, 7.90 mi @ 9:31/mi avg pace.
I added 10 mins warm-up and cool-down onto this. My moderate pace is 9:14 - 8:58 and the splits came in as 9:19, 9:10, 9:00, 9:00, 8:59, 8:59 and 8:50, so bang on really. My PMP miles in DCM training were in and around this pace, so it felt familiar, and really good. I loved this run. It was a great buzz pumping out the miles at a steady pace, but not feeling under too much pressure.

Wed 9th Jan:

Thu 10th Jan: 60 mins very easy, 5.5mi at 10:55/mi
Don't remember anything about this run. I can pump out 60 mins very easy on auto-pilot at this stage.

Fri 11th Jan: 45 mins easy, 5 mins threshold, 6.37mi @ 10:12 avg pace.
My threshold range is 7:51-7:40, but my split for that segment came in at 7:57, so pretty close but not quite there. I think I may need to pick the pace up during the last 30s or so of the easy bit, so that I'm up nearer threshold pace when that 5 mins starts. Anyway, felt good during this.

Sat 12th Jan: 1 hour 45 mins easy, 10.14 miles @ 10:22/mi.
Went to a local wood with the family for a picnic and ran home. The route was net downhill and this was a vast improvement on last weeks LR struggles. My upper back did feel tight over the closing mile or two which I'm taking as a reminder to return to a decent level of stretching, which has slackened somewhat.

Sun 13th Jan: A few pints Saturday night led to a quiet Sunday. No running was planned anyway.

Mon 14th Jan: 60 mins very easy, 5.4 mi @ 10:56/mi.
A nice enjoyable run to kick off Week 5 of the base building plan. The weather has been so mild lately, ideal for running.

I had planned on doing a local 5km race this Sunday, but I'm reconsidering now. My main target in the short-term is the Dungarvan 10 miler on Feb 3rd, so if I skip the 5km I'll be finishing out the base plan, then have a week to mini-taper into the 10 miler. If I do the 5km then I'll miss some of the base plan runs, and it also works out trickier fitting in runs around work. Leaning towards skipping the 5k at the moment anyway.

eyrie · 16-01-2019 1:22pm

I love those moderate runs, it's such a nice level to be working at - enough to add a bit of interest, but never feels hard!

Mr. Guappa · 23-01-2019 8:02pm

A bit late with the update this week.

Tue 15th Jan
70 mins progression run (easy to MP)
Including cooldown I covered 8.49 miles at an even 10 mins/mile average in 1 hour 25 mins.
I was working a block of night shifts this week, and I'm blaming the changing sleep pattern for my lack of focus during this. Paces weren't great and I found myself losing concentration a lot and slowing down as a result. Divided the 70 minutes into four 17.5 minute chunks.

Paces for each section were:
1 - 10:14, 10:15 - range was 10:32-10:10
2 - 10:15, 9:56 - range was 10:08-9:46 (the first split here was during a long drag)
3 - 9:34, 9:35 - range was 9:44-9:22
4 - 9:13, 9:17 - range was 9:20-8:58

Average paces look ok there, but it was a lot more inconsistent than that in reality.

Wed 16th Jan
Rest

Thu 17th Jan
40 mins very easy; 3.50 miles @ 11:26/mi
This was my second go on the treadmill. Supposed to be 60 minutes, but I could only squeeze in 40. I'm not finding the treadmill much fun so far, and even very easy pace feels like a lot more work compared with on the road.
That said I wouldn't have got in any running without the treadmill, so it is coming in handy.

Fri 18th Jan
50 mins easy, plus 4 x 200m @ 5k effort.
Including cooldown I racked up 7.62 miles in 79 minutes.
The paces for the 5k effort were 7:48, 6:20, 7:50 and 7:31. I was aiming for 7:22 - 7:02, although I was more interested in maintaining form (whatever that means!) and controlling the effort.
First split was too short as I heard the watch beep and thought I'd covered the 200m, I hadn't. Turns out 200m is longer than I'd thought.
Second split was way too fast, but third and fourth felt about right, although they recorded as slower than intended. I enjoyed this one.

Sat 19th Jan
2 hours easy. 11.91 miles covered at 10:20 mins/mile average pace.
This was ok. A bit of a slog towards the end as the legs got tired, but grand overall.

Sun 20th Jan
Rest

So that's 5 weeks of the base building plan in the bank. I had toyed with the idea of a local 5km race on the Sunday, but in the end I just stuck with the plan. On the final week of the plan now, and then I'll have a bit of a taper before the Dungarvan 10 miler on Sunday week.

ReeReeG · 23-01-2019 9:40pm

Mr. Guappa wrote:

Turns out 200m is longer than I'd thought./quote]

I've suffered this realisation myself a few times!
Well done!

Mr. Guappa · 31-01-2019 11:34pm

This update is a tale of two halves, first the good:

Mon 21st Jan
60 mins very easy: 5.44 miles @ 11:02/mi

Tue 22nd Jan
Rest

Weds 23rd Jan
65 mins moderate. Moderate range is 8:58-9:14, and my splits were 9:23, 9:13, 9:05, 9:12, 9:11, 9:09 and 9:17.
Added 10 mins each of warm up and cooldown to take me up to 8.9 miles for the session.

Thurs 24th Jan
Rest

Fri 25th Jan
60 mins very easy: 5.43 miles at 11:03/mi.

Sat 26th Jan
45 mins easy, 5 mins temp, 20 mins c/d.
I covered 6.68 miles at 10:30/mi avg. pace, and the tempo was bang in range at 8:11/mi.

Sun 27th Jan
90 mins easy: 8.72 miles @ 10:21/mi.
The plan called for a 2 hour run, but with an eye on the Dungarvan 10 miler this weekend, I decided to knock 30 minutes off that.

So that was a nice 35 mile week which brought an end to the base building plan. I really enjoyed the plan and felt in a good place after it. The plan for this week was to follow the final week of the 10k/half grads plan ahead of the race on Sunday.

But on Monday evening I hurt my ankle. I think I overdid it on a few stretches and just slightly tweaked something. It was still not right on Tuesday, so I kept weight off and rested it as best I could. There was also a lot of ill-advised googling of potential injuries. Luckily by Wednesday it was much better, and better again by Thursday. I've taken a cautious approach and not chanced running on it yet, although it feels fine. I also cracked my head off the garden shed this week which was ultra painful, and both kids have been sick, so a hectic week! I'm planning on getting in maybe 45 mins easy tomorrow to test it out the ankle, and all going well there it'll be onto Dungarvan.

I completed this race in 1:23:27 last year, so I'm hoping to go under 1:20 this year. The runfastcoach calculator puts me at 1:17:26 based on my recent 4 miler, but that seems a bit optimistic. I figure I'll go out at 1:20:00 pace (8:00/mile) and take it from there at halfway.

Huzzah! · 01-02-2019 9:56am

Janey. Mind yourself. Good luck on Sunday!

ReeReeG · 01-02-2019 10:49am

Good luck. Have to say, you do a great job keeping easy "easy". Hope you feel strong on Sunday!

Mr. Guappa · 01-02-2019 4:49pm

Huzzah! wrote: »

Janey. Mind yourself. Good luck on Sunday!

Thanks!

ReeReeG wrote: »

Good luck. Have to say, you do a great job keeping easy "easy". Hope you feel strong on Sunday!

Thanks. I think running in the quiet countryside helps me keep it easy. I can just amble along at a constant pace, but I do find anytime my route takes me through the local town that I quicken up a touch. I think there's more distractions in town which take my concentration and pace slides up as a result.

Mini update from today's run:
45 mins very easy, with 4 strides thrown in the middle. 4.28 miles at a 10:32 average pace.
Most importantly the ankle felt fine. Legs felt pretty dead though, I'm not sure if that was as a result of the mini layoff or what, but hopefully I'll have a bit more pep in my step come Sunday!

Seen as January is in the rear view mirror I'll update my mileage table. Very happy with how the month went overall.

Month|2016|2017|2018|2019
January|21|5|51|131
February|19||51
March|27||62
April|3||55
May|1|18|74
June|2|38|96
July||33|129
August||49|137
September|1|25|179
October|4|42|131
November|6|40|34
December||51|84
Total (mi)|83|301|1083

skyblue46 · 01-02-2019 8:26pm

Best of luck on Sunday

tbukela · 02-02-2019 3:59pm

Best of luck tomorrow. You're doing great training. Think about going out slightly ahead of the 80 Pacers, be well able.

OOnegative · 02-02-2019 4:13pm

Best of luck tomorrow, trust the training. Run well!!!

Mr. Guappa · 04-02-2019 11:22pm

Race Report: John Tracey Dungarvan 10 miler

As mentioned previously I was targeting sub 80 mins here. I felt like this should be achievable, but there was a lingering doubt in the back of my mind about holding an 8:00 pace for 10 miles. I'd forgotten there was pacers for this, so when tbukela mentioned this my plan was set. I'd tuck in with the 80 min pacers for the first 5 miles, then hopefully pick up the pace a touch from there on in.

I got to Dungarvan in plenty of time, so strolled down to the race HQ and then completed a 15 min warm up at very easy pace. As the start time approached I took up a position just a bit behind the 80 pacers, and we were off right on time. By the time I got through the start line the pacers were already a nice bit ahead, but I just knew all I needed was to maintain that distance for the first 5 miles, and hopefully reel them in after 6 or 7 miles. The first half mile was very bunched and I tried my best not to zigzag and let the gaps come to me. Once we made it out onto the Youghal road things opened up and I settled into a nice rhythm. I remember being surprised when we passed the 2 mile marker. Went through the first two miles in 8:06; 8:03.

It was back onto narrower country roads for mile 3, which had a nice downhill section where i made up some ground on the pacers. I was around a Watergrasshill AC athlete for most of the middle section of the race. I'd pass him, then half a mile later he'd be in front of me again. There was the odd bit of breeze through some of these sections, so I tried to tuck in behind someone when possible, although I'm pretty tall so not sure how effective that was. I just maintained the 8:00 pace through miles 4 and 5, keeping the pacers in sight all the while. Took on a gel as I passed through the water station at mile 5. I still felt strong at this point, although the effort had increased since mile 2. I went through these miles in 7:49; 8:00: 8:02.

Entering the sixth mile I knew I was right on plan through halfway and now was the time to pick things up. Upped the pace a touch and just maintained it as best I could. I didn't want to go too mad just yet, as I knew there was a nice pull ahead after 8 miles, so i was happy to tip away at a 7:45 type pace for these few miles. Mile 7 featured a lovely downhill section, where I could have went a bit faster maybe, but it's one of those that is nearly too steep. Passed the first of the 80 pacers on this section. Mile 8 flattened out and I found it tough enough going for a while along here. Anytime doubts crept in I just tried to lift my head and concentrate on keeping a good form, and it seemed to do the trick. Went through those miles in 7:51; 7:46; 7:45.

Mile 9 brought us back onto the Youghal road and a good surface. Although this is a very tough long drag I had fond memories of it from last year as I was strong going up there and this year was a similar story. I gritted the teeth and just stormed up the hill, passing lots of people. I felt super strong for this mile. Into the last mile and I took a semi breather for the first third after the effort I had put into getting up the hill. I was still motoring nicely though, and picked up the pace for the final stretch. I kept thinking the finish was closer than it was, but another corner kept appearing. Kept the boot down anyway and got there in the end. Last 2 miles were 7:39 and 7:15.

Official time and watch time were 1:18:22. That's a 5 minute improvement on last year, which I'm very satisfied with. It's nice to see some progress. Of course my three year old wasn't overly impressed with a 5 minute improvement, as he innocently suggested that maybe I'll win the next race. Back down to earth pretty swiftly then!

Kellygirl · 04-02-2019 11:29pm

Wow - you really flew it it the end! Brilliant racing. Very well done.

Looking forward to you winning it next year now

No pressure!

Huzzah! · 05-02-2019 10:15am

Lovely, controlled running and a cracking PB to boot. Congrats!

aloooof · 05-02-2019 10:19am

Great stuff, serious chunk off from last year!

OOnegative · 05-02-2019 10:31am

Well done, that’s a nice chunk to take off your PB, great stuff!!! I sympathise with you on the unimpressed kids front, get the same off our two.

Applegirl26 · 05-02-2019 10:47am

It was a pleasure to read your race report A. Well done! You're flying it.

yido1882 · 05-02-2019 11:04am

Well done A, that's a big PB.

I think you'll have plenty more PB's this year with the way you're going

tbukela · 05-02-2019 7:47pm

Great report and a really well paced race. Congrats on a great PB.

eyrie · 06-02-2019 5:15pm

Brilliant going, well done! That's a massive PB and you finished so strongly, suggests you'll knock a bit more off that fairly comfortably too.

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Of course my three year old wasn't overly impressed with a 5 minute improvement, as he innocently suggested that maybe I'll win the next race. Back down to earth pretty swiftly then!

Aw but look at his faith in you! Love this :P

Mr. Guappa · 10-02-2019 10:57am

Thanks for all the kind words everyone, they are appreciated. I know this forum is generally a positive place, but if anyone has constructive criticisms at any stage, or feels I should do something differently, feel free to voice that opinion too!

Time for another update to the PB table:
5k | 23:18 | Feb '18
4 mile | 29:13 | Dec '18
10k | 48:29 | Mar '18
10 mile | 1:18:22 | Feb '19
HM | 1:54:00 | Aug '18
Marathon | 4:13:21 | Oct '18

This past week I've taken things handy, trying to allow a bit of recovery:

Mon 04/02: 30 mins very easy: 2.5 miles @ 11:42
A short recovery run on the treadmill

Tues 05/02: Rest

Weds 06/02: 60 mins very easy: 5.4 miles @ 10:56

Thurs 07/02: Brisk 30 mins walk

Fri 08/02: Brisk 20 mins walk + 30 mins very easy (2.6 miles @ 11:34)
Got in a short walk at lunchtime, then hopped on the treadmill for a bit later on. The treadmill always feels like more effort than the road, so I take the paces back a touch.

Sat 09/02: Rest

So just the 10.6 running miles for the week so far. I'll kick off the 5k/10k grads plan later this evening. The goal race for this block is the Annerville 10km in Clonmel in May, which is 13 weeks away, so I'm going to skip to week 2 of the 14-week plan. My 10km race PB is 48:29 from St. Patrick's Day last year, but my watch tells me I ran faster than that in Dungarvan last weekend (48:02). I had sub-45 in my head as a target for May, mainly just because it's a nice round number, but that is probably a bit optimistic. I'll be running the same Patrick's Day 10km race again this March, so I'll get a good indicator there of where I'm set for the target race in May. For what it's worth, and because I like tables, here's another one:

10km race PB | 48:29 | Mar '18
Fastest 10km | 48:02 | Feb '19
Tinman 10km prediction off recent 4 miler | 46:36 | Dec '18
Tinman 10km prediction off recent 10 miler | 47:10 | Feb '19

Anyway, lots of talk there about goal times for a race that is over three months away, so I suppose I'd better do a bit of training first!

Mr. Guappa · 17-02-2019 10:09pm

Sunday 10th Feb: 60 mins very easy (5.60 miles, 10:55/mi)
Done this one after work. It was a right miserable evening, but as often is the case it looked worse out the window. Really enjoyed this one actually.

Monday 11th Feb: 6 x 3 mins CV, 3 min recoveries
CV range: 7:30 - 7:20
Actual paces: 7:42, 7:26, 7:32, 7:30, 7:26, 7:22
I found this one pretty tough going. Took a while to find the right effort, and I was nicely tired at the end of each rep. After the third rep I slowed the recoveries way down, and found the last three reps a shade easier. Warmup and cooldown took me to 7.13 miles for the day.

Tuesday 12th Feb: 60 mins very easy (5.30 miles, 11:19/mi)
Received a strava compliment from ReeReeG on my very easy paces after this one. This was actually on the slow side of my very easy range, but I found I just settled at that pace and tipped along. I know some people struggle to slow down, but I really don't find it a problem, for whatever reason.

Wednesday 13th Feb: Rest

Thursday 14th Feb: 60 mins very easy (5.41 miles, 11:05/mi)
Don't remember anything in particular about this one. No strava compliments on my pacing either :pac:

Friday 15th Feb: 5 x 5 mins threshold, 2 min recoveries
Threshold range: 7:51 - 7:40
Actual paces: 7:44, 7:48, 7:44, 7:50, 7:50
In contrast to the CV session earlier in the week, I found this one a relative breeze. Maybe it was the slightly slower pace compared to ~7:25 for CV, or maybe it was just a better day for me, but this was one I really enjoyed anyway. Possibly put too much effort into the last two reps which were into the breeze and on a slight incline, but I was very pleased with this session. Warmup and cooldown took me to 6.86 miles for the day.

Saturday 16th Feb: Rest
Had planned to do my long run here, but a late change of plans meant pushing it out a day.

Sunday 17th Feb: 1 hour 45 mins easy (10:07 miles, 10:25/mi)
A feed of pints the night before meant I was fairly apprehensive setting out for this one. I had plenty opt-out options built into the route if I felt the need, but luckily I managed to complete the whole run. Actually felt better as the run wore on.

I'm happy with that weeks work, and it was nice to be back properly after two down weeks. 40.3 miles for the (8-day) week. There is a local Operation Transformation 5k fun run on this Saturday, that i might take a pop at. I did the same one last year in 23:18, so interested to see how I'd fare now.

ReeReeG · 17-02-2019 10:45pm

Mr. Guappa wrote:

Thursday 14th Feb: 60 mins very easy (5.41 miles, 11:05/mi) Don't remember anything in particular about this one. No strava compliments on my pacing either

You can't be expecting compliments on every run

Nice week. Funny enough I'd the same feeling on my own threshold session this week that it felt a bit too easy...

eyrie · 20-02-2019 1:18pm

Great week A! Very consistent with the threshold splits - I enjoyed that one myself. Will be keen to see how the 5k goes for you! It's always nice when you can compare against the exact same race.

Kellygirl · 20-02-2019 9:46pm

Good luck on Saturday. Hope it goes well.

Mr. Guappa · 24-02-2019 7:54pm

18th - 24th Feb: 5k/10k grads plan, week 3

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.62 miles, 11:13/mi)
Slightly hillier route than I've been using for these for most of the winter, so paces were a fraction slower as a result.

Wednesday: 8 x 1 min hills, 2-3 min recoveries
I was really looking forward to this one, as I tend to with any session. Yeah, they can be tough, but I like the opportunity to push myself. Anyway, I'd found a nice quite hill with the desired 6% gradient, and as it turned was recently resurfaced. Before setting out, I had a quick re-read of Swashbuckler's advice in the grads thread:

Fast enough where you are challenged but focus on form and posture and lifting those knees and powering up the hill. Enough effort that you'll manage all 8. Pick a point that you reach at the end of the first one and that's your target for the remaining 7. Forget about paces for this one. It should be tough but not so tough that your form goes out the window. But not so easy that you'd manage two or three more. A fine balance!

Nice gentle warm-up trot over as I tried to remember all of the above. Set off on the first one at with what felt like the appropriate effort and noted my mark which was two posts from the end of a fence. I just tried to keep the pace at what felt like the same for each subsequent rep, and finished with a couple of yards of my target on each one. Tried to concentrate on form and lifting the knees as much as possible. At the time I felt like I'd pitched the effort just right, or maybe slightly under, and as I headed back on my cooldown the legs were pretty sore, so I was happy the effort was about right. Subsequent comments in eyrie's log had me second guessing whether I went too easy altogether, my lungs weren't "on fire", but my legs were still feeling the effects 3 days later so I'm happy enough that I made a decent fist of this.

Hill splits were: 7:26; 7:50, 8:08, 7:58, 7:32, 7:31, 8:04: 7:44. I didn't look at the watch at all during each rep, and effort felt a lot more even than reflected in those splits. Warmup and cooldown took me to 6.22 miles for the day.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.30 miles, 11:20/mi)
With a 5k earmarked for Saturday, I had intended adding 20 minutes onto this to keep my mileage up for the week, but my legs were tender and tired from the previous days efforts, so once I was a mile in, I knew that adding extra was not a goer. Contemplated knocking a further 20 mins off, and maybe should have done, but in the end settled for the planned hour. This was not fun, at all.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 30 mins tempo
I was all set for the 5k on Saturday morning, even had my gear on, but a last minute hitch meant shelving that plan. Was probably a blessing in disguise actually, as legs were still a bit tender. I was planning to see how I felt after a warm-up before deciding whether to do the 5k at race pace, or tempo. Kids birthday party took up the afternoon, and it was early evening before I had the opportunity to head out. Legs were feeling much better by then, and I enjoyed this one. Second mile was a bit too fast, but a nice workout otherwise.

Tempo paces were (8:03-8:15) 8:04, 7:55, 8:10, 8:13.
Warmp-up and cooldown took me to 6.49 miles for the day.

Sunday: 1 hour 45 mins easy (10:23 miles, 10:16/mi)
This was a proper slog. I think a number of factors combined to make this my toughest run since the height of DCM training, and even then, I don't remember any of those been this much of a chore. A couple of poor night's sleep in succession, poor food intake with the party yesterday, and my own failure to eat enough before the run today, and a tough week on the legs all played their part. Legs felt heavy for the first 3 miles, so I stopped for a quick stretch which helped matters on that front. Energy levels started feeling low a short while later, so I tucked into the energy gel I had luckily remembered to bring. This kept me going for a while, but the last half hour was tough sledding. Got there in the end anyway, although I felt like calling it quits a few times.

So 33.9 miles for the week. A mixed bag of a week really. I enjoyed the two sessions, and got a timely reminder about eating well in preparation for runs. Seeing as I missed the 5k this week, I might venture over to parkrun next week, we'll see. Looking forward to a days rest tomorrow.

Mr. Guappa · 04-03-2019 12:44am

25th Feb - 3rd Mar Feb: 5k/10k grads plan, week 4

Monday:
Brisk 30 mins walk at lunchtime to wake up the legs

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.53 miles, 10:52/mi)
Done this one after work and as with a few of last weeks runs it felt like more effort than it should. I wasn't sure if the long day at work was to blame, or still some affects of the previous week's hill session. I had picked up a pair of compression socks in the bargain bin at Elvery's and this was their second outing. I must do some reading on the benefits as I've no idea what they do, other than make me feel that I look ridiculous.

Wednesday: 6 x 2 min AP, 3 min recoveries
AP range: 7:11 - 7:02
Paces: 7:24, 7:08, 7:12, 7:12, 7:15, 7:10
I found this one tough enough going, but got better as it went. I never quite hit the desired paces. As the session progressed I remembered to focus on form and each time I did the effort felt much easier. The more ragged I ran, the more effort I was feeling. The last rep was my best, with effort feeling controlled and form staying decent. Including w/u and c/d I covered 6.15 miles. Once again though, I felt that I was not appropriately fresh before this run, and I identified a need to get back to going to bed earlier, something which has definitely slipped since DCM.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.53 miles, 10:52/mi)
My last run of February and this was a much more pleasant effort off the back of a decent nights sleep. 119 miles for the month, which is a solid enough number considering I had a slow start to the month mileage wise due to Dungarvan recovery. Feel like I'm adding solid weeks together, and building steadily but appropriately.

Month|2016|2017|2018|2019
January|21|5|51|131
February|19||51|119
March|27||62
April|3||55
May|1|18|74
June|2|38|96
July||33|129
August||49|137
September|1|25|179
October|4|42|131
November|6|40|34
December||51|84
Total (mi)|83|301|1083

Friday:
No running, but I did dive back into a yoga/bodyweight training DVD I had used a handful of times during DCM training. Will hopefully incorporate that into the weekly schedule from now on.

Saturday: Clonmel Parkrun
Having missed out on a local 5km last weekend I decided to give parkrun a good rattle this weekend to see where I'm at. I hadn't been to the parkrun much in the past 18 months, so PB stood at a soft 23:26 from Nov '17. I didn't really have a goal in mind, moreso just to run it hard and see where it took me, but felt that low 22's might be doable. I arrived later than planned so warmup had to be curtailed to a 5 minute jog.

The race is 2.5 laps of Clonmel racecourse, with a long hill to be negotiated twice. I typically start conservative and pick up the pace on the final lap, but this time I went out at a decent clip on the initial downhill section, and tried to keep a decent pace on the first pass of the hill. I had a pair of runners 5-10 yards ahead of me at this stage and I just maintained that gap all the way up the hill. We rounded onto the back straight where normally you'd get some respite after the hill, but not today. There was a very strong wind blowing straight into our faces which really made this section just as tough as the hill. The two guys were still 5-10 yards ahead of me as we rounded the top bend and onto the downhill section. I put the boot down here and passed both, then passed by another runner on the bottom straight. As I hit the hill for the second time I had no one near me, the runner ahead was too far way to be a target. The legs really felt heavy now as I trudged up the hill. Onto the back straight and the wind was as strong as ever. No runners near me, but there was walkers to negotiate. I just got through here as best as I could, knowing that the downhill would offer respite, eventually. Gradually picked up the pace once I reached the downhill and when I heard footsteps in the background in the last 100m or so I was able to kick again and maintain my position.

Finished in a very pleasing 21:45, with splits of 7:24, 6:51, 7:16 and 5:39 for the last bit. I reckon that there's another nice chunk to come off that on a better day, and if I had someone around me for the latter part of the race too.
Course is short by my watch, I worked out that my actual 5km time would be 22:15 or thereabouts.

Sunday: 70 mins easy (6.83 miles, 10:17/mi)
Got absolutely soaked but I really enjoyed this run. Legs felt tired after yesterdays efforts, but in a good way.

I've made a big effort to get in more sleep over the last few days, and I'm already seeing the benefits in my running. Felt a lot better on my runs later in the week than I had done over the previous week.

Mr. Guappa · 10-03-2019 10:36pm

4th Mar - 10th Mar: 5k/10k grads plan, week 5

Monday:
Rest

Tuesday: 60 mins very easy (5.55 miles, 11:00/mi)
A tired effort around a hillier loop than normal. Must work this loop into my routine more often, and probably will as the evenings lengthen. Tiredness was due to being on night shifts early in the week.

Wednesday: 8 x 1 min hills, 2-3 min recoveries
Paces: 7:26, 7:10, 7:17, 7:15, 7:23, 7:56, 7:33, 7:40
Back to the same hill as a fortnight ago for these. Not as even an effort as the time previous, the first three reps felt too fast, the next two about right and the final three a bit slow. Still, it was there or thereabouts and I kept my mind on maintaining form and lifting the knees. Had to walk the first minute or so of each recovery, and lungs were definitely feeling it this time. Curtailed warm up and cool down to 10 mins each due to time constraints, so just the 4.51 miles for the session. Arms and elbows were sore all evening after, so I guess I was swinging them like a lunatic.

Thursday: 60 mins very easy (5.55 miles, 10:49/mi)
A nice run. Legs felt fine after the hill session, unlike the previous time. Got a scare when I trod on a stone and feared I rolled my ankle, but it was fine thankfully.

Friday:
No running, but I did the yoga DVD for the second week running. Felt it in the upper body muscles after last week's, but seem less affected by this week's.

Saturday: 15 mins tempo, 4 mins recovery, 10 mins threshold
Tempo (8:15-8:03), actual 8:13, 8:04
Threshold (7:51-7:40), actual 7:47, 7:42
This was a nice session. Legs felt good. 6.31 miles for the day with warm up and cool down. I find I really like these paces and the longer reps.

Sunday: 1 hour 45 mins easy (9.73 miles, 10:48/mi)
It was wet and wild outside so I stayed indoors and did this one on the treadmill. I feared a disaster as I haven't overly enjoyed the treadmill so far, and this would be my longest run on it, by some distance. But as it turns out, it was grand. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but it was tolerable. Kept the paces back a touch as I always feel the treadmill is more effort. If nothing else, learned that the treadmill is definitely a viable option for when circumstances require it.

Local 10km coming up on Sunday, which will be a great barometer of what I can hope for in my target 10km come May. I'd love to crack 45 mins in May, but fear that's a touch ambitious, but it's a good two months away yet. Hoping to beat 46:30 at the weekend anyway. Well done to all those who raced today, lots of great running from these parts.

ReeReeG · 10-03-2019 10:58pm

Not a hope of me staying on a treadmill that long, fair play!

I dunno, I think your sub 45 could be closer than you're letting yourself think?

Are those my feet?

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