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Man! I feel like a runner

ReeReeG

I’ve been considering starting a log for some time now, having read quite a number of them on here regularly. (I’m a lurker coming out of hiding). It seems like a good way to keep track of progress, but more importantly for me, how each run feels. Regular stats on Strava don’t do that for me!
My background
I had tried running with friends in 2012 / 2013, and did a couple of 5km and 10km races, but never enjoyed them. I tried again in January 2015 and realised I enjoyed it this time around, especially after I went along to parkrun that February. I started signing up for a few 10k races (best at that stage was approx. 55 mins).
Continued running off and on in 2015 and 2016, but as I had slowed a lot by November 2016 (struggled to run 10k under an hour), I realised I needed to get a routine going if I wanted to improve. And I wanted to improve. I had joined a club in summer 2016 but never made it along to train with them until May this year due to personal circumstances. Since starting to run consistently (i.e. 4/5 times a week) last November, my times have dropped, my easy pace has quickened, my form has improved (I think) and my overall sense of well-being (and smugness) has grown! Club running has certainly helped, as well as introducing speedwork into my training.
My week is typically 4 easy runs (incl. 1 longer run) and 1 speed session / faster run (e.g. parkrun). Some weeks go to plan more than others ðŸ˜Š
My PBs to date
5k:    23:46 (Twilight Challenge, Sept 2017)
5 mile: 43:04 (Raheny 5 Mile, Jan 2017)
10k:     50:31 (Dunshaughlin, June 2017)
10 mile:   1:30:xx (Ballycotton, March 2017 [Goodbye my old friend])
Half-marathon:  2:01:xx (Donabate, Sept 2017)
My struggles
I still struggle mentally in longer runs, doubting if I can maintain pace or complete the distance. I know I need to slow up more in my longer runs, and I am still figuring out how to start a race at the right pace ðŸ˜Š I do use a Garmin but am terrible for checking my pace; I often run by feel but sometimes that goes all wrong.
My goals
1.   Aiming to go sub-50 in a 10k by the end of the year.
2.  Targeting a marathon in May next year. As part of this, I am going to try stay at 30 miles-ish) per week so I have a decent base heading into marathon training after Christmas.
3 Update this log weekly and hopefully receive and review advice given by the lovely boards runners!
And that’s enough for an intro post I think…

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ReeReeG

Mon 29th June
No running, but into S&C class that morning. Evening stroll for air.

Tues 30th June
5 x 2 mins in Zone 4 with 2 min recoveries (60 sec walk, 60 sec jog). I did this waaaay back in week 2 of the plan, looking back at my notes the weather was probably similar so it was a real pleasure to see the paces were a fair bit faster this time around the HR stayed in Zone 4 easier. I felt like it confirmed how I had been feeling the last couple of weeks.
154 miles for June.

Weds 1st July
Into S&C again in the morning.
Very short easy run in the evening, 3.3 miles @ 9.27/m, avg HR 140.

Thurs 2nd July
Another easy run, 3.4m @ 9.20/m, avg HR 140. Felt bloody great tbh.

Fri 3rd July
I was back and forth whether I would run at all, but I generally do a short run the day before an actual race with a few strides so decided to stay with that. It felt awkward and not great, which is normal the day before a race so in a weird way I also found this comforting :pac: 2.4 miles, 9.40/m avg HR 138.

Sat 4th July
So here we were, 13 weeks of HR training behind me, feeling great and ready to tackle 10k and hopefully get a PB.
I never eat before morning training runs, and hadn't eaten before the mile or 5k TTs, but decided it was better to eat before this one so had a light brekkie and headed over to the PP to meet my personal pacer, Murph_D

Nice little warm-up and chats and back to Chesterfield Avenue to get started.

Off we went and got into the pace quickly, D just seems to lock into pace so naturally!! I didn't even have to think for myself

About half a mile in and it felt like the pace was too hot for me, and my breathing was a bit heavy, but I just focused on settling into it. Mile 1 was 7.13 which was perfect, but I was thinking how am I going to keep that pace up for 5+ more miles.. I tried to focus on positive things like this is the harder part of the course, or when D's watch beeped for 2km that the kms were going by quickly at least.. By the end of mile 2 I already felt like the sub 45 was beyond me (and possibly said this aloud, although I was banned from talking

). Up the hill out of the glen and I was thinking I'd be doing well to get to halfway at this pace. When we turned into the Acres, and up what I never thought was a tough hill before, I was breathing hard and gone mentally. I stopped, put my hands on my knees and shouted to D up ahead that I was done. He jogged back saying 'no you're not', bless him, and told me not to stop the watch! I didn't but did start jogging again, after a couple more pushes and it just felt hard. 3 miles never felt so long. I felt awful about letting D pace me and then blowing up, but he was an absolute gent about it (is anyone shocked by that though?) and it was the right thing to finish it out. Pushed the last little bit to get under 50 minutes. 49.29.

Personally, I really don't think it's that tough a course. I also thought the weather conditions were how I like them! I haven't been flat out with social activities now that life is back up and running a bit more normally. So all the reasons mentioned by people are not valid! The pace just felt too fast for whatever reason, even though all my training suggested it shouldn't really?
I do plan to try again in the near future.. just not sure when exactly. Or where.
ANYway, it was an enjoyable morning despite the last 3 miles being rough and MASSIVE thanks again to Murph_D for his pacing! And I enjoyed the warm-up and post-run chats.
Also thanks to shotgun and Healy (I suppose

) for the organising and putting together the results!

Sun 5th July
Lazy morning, then finally visited a friend who had a lockdown baby

Really fancied a run when I got home, so over to the UCD trails for a nice 5 miles. No HR monitor, no checking the watch, just some tunes and running as I felt. 9.20/m avg.

27.4 miles for the week.

career move

Congrats to you and murph on the TT. Not the result you wanted I know but you'll crack it next time

Laineyfrecks

Well done on pushing through what sounds like a really mentally challenging TT. You will get it, I'm sure of it...you have put in a lot of consistent training which you should be very proud of!
It was lovely chatting to you before I got started, hopefully will meet you again when races start back up

OOnegative

Unlucky V, the time is there just not last week. Your training certainly pointed towards achieving your target. It’s a great session if nothing else, move on now & nail it the next time out.

Superb job by the Thin White Duke of Boards pacing once more also.

ReeReeG

Mon 6th July
Evening walk and 30 mins of mobility type stuff.

Tues 7th July
Into S&C in the morning, 45 mins class, pretty tough on upper body which was better than it being tough on the legs

Easy jaunt in the rain that evening, no HRM but I felt good. 9.15/m avg, 5.4 miles.

Weds 8th July
For whatever reason, cos it wasn't an easy run really like I had planned for all runs this week, I arranged to go up the hills

I did take plenty of short walk breaks on the way up. Desperate weather but so much fun! Left calf was giving out a bit as I got near the top, so made sure to look after it the rest of the week with my usual exercises. 7.2 miles total, averaging 12 min miles (but obviously the down ones were a lot faster!).

Thurs 9th July
Easy evening run which was needed for some head clearing. Calf a bit tight after the hills but not too bad either. 4.5 miles @ 9.15/m avg.
Did 30 mins of stability work off that UA page again.

Fri 10th July
S&C in the morning, 45 mins.
More easy miles with no HRM. Run felt a bit sluggish for whatever reason. 4 miles @ 9.25/m.
Over to my sister's in the evening to give my nephew a card for his flippin' 21st!!! I feel ancient.

Sat 11th July
Down to Offaly

Headed out to the wind farm with my Dad for a run (although we ran separately). It was great to get all the fresh air although I really noticed how much more humid the midlands are compared to Dublin! You could really feel the heat coming off the bog! Felt good though, and couldn't keep the pace down. Well, I probably didn't try too hard either. 5.5 miles @ 8.48/m avg.

Sun 12th July
My brother and his crew were over from Galway so went for a run with him in the afternoon, hitting up the canal banks and we spotted a heron

He seemed determined to run the legs off me so it was not a very easy run for me really, even though we were chatting all things running throughout. 8 miles @ 8.49/m. Wore the HRM and sure enough I was in Zone 3 for most of it.

Total miles: 35.

I was all sure at the start of the week I'd try another 10k TT this coming week but I don't know if I'm bothered anymore. I'll have a think about it the next couple of days anyway, see how I feel.

I think I need a physio appointment as well, I'm not injured but there's an issue that might turn into one. Dr Google tells me its my piriformis; it doesn't hurt AT ALL running or walking, but when I get up from a chair or out of my car I'm a bit lame on one side for a few minutes with the pain in that area. I'm no expert but I suspect that's not supposed to happen

Best to be safe I reckon .

ReeReeG

Mon 13th - Sun 19th July

Mon 13th
I was feeling tired from the weekend so just an evening walk. I have a work call every Monday evening at 7.30 so I've been finding it nice to dial in while I walk the neighbourhood. Two birds etc etc

Tues 14th
Into the S&C class. A lot of upper body 'stuff'. This is the same place I go for physio so mentioned the pain I've been getting when I get out of a seat. Was suggested it might be tight quads so rather than book a physio appointment yet I'm gonna work on stretching them out a bit.
I still had it in mind to try another 10k TT so did the 5 x 2 mins Zone 4 workout from the book that evening. It went pretty well, think the paces might have been slightly slower than the last time I did it but it was also a heavier evening. 4.3 miles total.
Later that evening I got a club notification that the twice-yearly mile time trial was happening on Saturday. I assume it had been discussed at training which I have not yet been back to :pac: I was in two minds then whether to do that or continue with my 10k plan... decided to sleep on it!

Weds 15th
Easy lunchtime run, 5 miles @ 9.49/m avg, avg HR 142. Shoulders were sore from S&C the day before.
Threw my conundrum into the 2018 novice whatsapp group where I was guilted into going to the club organised event :P

Thurs 16th
S&C in the morning again.
Easy hour in the evening, 6.2miles @ 9.48/m avg, avg HR 145. Felt terribly unfit and like I would never be able to run fast again.

Fri 17th
4 miles easy in the evening, miraculous recovery to feeling fit again

9.23/m avg, HR 143.
Stayed up way too late watching a Garth Brooks documentary on Netflix

Sat 18th
I was able to get a lie-in with the club mile not happening until lunchtime. Decided on just having a big late breakfast to solve the when-to-eat question. I'd never run in Irishtown before so I was looking forward to that at least. We just did a short warm-up and drills in the park beside the stadium - I would usually prefer a longer jog but ah well. We split into 2 groups as one group times the other (buddy system). I had to fight my way into the fast group a bit but we won't say much about that - sure I haven't been seen at training in an age. Watching the 1st group is a lovely way to build up the nerves when you see the anguish on laps 3 and 4 :rolleyes:
Anyway, time to go for my group. As this was a group ranging from very very fast to myself, there was gonna be a split immediately with the fast men heading off quick. I'd myself warned not to follow them so I eased up to the back of the group almost right away. I knew a couple near my pace had headed off too quick so I was pretty sure I'd get them before the end of the mile - got one at the end of lap 1 and the other in lap 3. I don't know what else to say about it only I felt totally in control from start to finish. My stride felt fluid, breathing was heavy from halfway but again, it felt controlled. I was delighted to see 6.11 on the watch at the finish! My clubmate who was timing me had it at 6.10.96 so on our 'official' sheet I'm down for 6.10 but I'm going to count it as 6.11 with rounding sure! BUT he also had the splits for each lap, and boy was I pleased with them: 1.33, 1.34, 1.33 and 1.29! They are exactly how I felt like I had ran it, which is hella satisfying.
Fairly pitiful 1 lap cooldown but I was keen to head to Offaly anyway so just went with it. Great morning out, and a few PBs. One sub 5 runner!

Sun 19th
Longish run in Edenderry again. Humid again! Just ran around the town admiring people's gardens. 8.4 miles, 9.21/m, HR 146 and 1,001 miles for the year so far! And it's always a good day when you get a Mammy dinner :pac:

Total: 30.2

The mile yesterday decided my next plans anyway; gonna park the 10k for now and work on project sub 6. Sure I can only try.

Murph_D

Excellently run mile. Certainly suggests your 10k target is well within your grasp. Well done - Project Sub-6 sounds exciting! What’s the method going to be like?

healy1835

Speaking as someone who once ran a 1:19:59 half marathon, that was without doubt a 6:10 mile

ReeReeG

Murph_D wrote: »

Excellently run mile. Certainly suggests your 10k target is well within your grasp. Well done - Project Sub-6 sounds exciting! What’s the method going to be like?

Yeah, that's a good question :pac: It will involve properly reading Daniels for a start. Might try doing a few 200s sessions the next couple of weeks just to get started and a bit of practice at workouts like that.

Laineyfrecks

Well done on the mile time! I look forward to following your progress with this, Sub 6 is a nice goal

Best of luck!

Murph_D

Not sure when you're thinking of going for it but here's a schedule I used a few years ago for a sub-6 attempt, built around a few sessions suggested by one of the club coaches at the time. Worked for me, and I think you're going into it with a lot of strength to begin with. Just to throw in a few ideas. You may prefer a longer JD cycle, of course.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/0B9vymDdLderQZHZsam1SbjFVSHc/edit#gid=68166930

ariana`

Congrats on the 1m TT, excellent stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing what mile training looks like. I'd say it's very refreshing to be starting something completely new? In these uncertain times it seems like a really sensible choice too.

I may have missed it but I'd love to hear your reflections on the 80/20 10k plan you followed or just HR training in general

sheep26

excellent amazing 1 mile run

ReeReeG

ariana` wrote: »

Congrats on the 1m TT, excellent stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing what mile training looks like. I'd say it's very refreshing to be starting something completely new? In these uncertain times it seems like a really sensible choice too.

I may have missed it but I'd love to hear your reflections on the 80/20 10k plan you followed or just HR training in general

Thanks, this question has been a great opportunity to procrastinate today

What I liked about the plan:
Plenty of easy days! The plan had two proper sessions a week, and sometimes moderate minutes in the long run, but staying actually easy using HR I managed to get through the session days intact.
The sessions were challenging, and some days I did despair but once I was reminded to use both pace and HR for some of the shorter reps, they left me feeling more confident.
It confirmed that I do better running more days in the week, and not necessarily for long distances, than say the P&D plan which has less days but each one is a bit more intense? It's just easier when it's the habit and you're checking what I am running today, as opposed to am I running today..

I'm don't know how, but there was a point I didn't even notice where my fitness seemed to jump on a large amount. 9 weeks into the plan, I suddenly felt amazing on most runs. At the beginning of the plan, my Zone 2 easy was in or around 10 min miles, and by week 10 it was 9 or even under that (bear in mind the weather got cooler as we got more into summer though :pac: ).

The book never made it back on to my bookshelf while I was following the plan, as I kept rereading paragraphs about certain sessions etc; it is really a very good read.

A couple of other things worked out well which I think is important to note:
- I was able to run regularly without social life distractions due to Covid19
- Not being able to go further than 2 or 5km for a good while meant I kept using the same places for the same type of session; I honestly think I got into the 'zone' quicker with this?! I am a creature of habit.

I only really have one gripe with the plan. I started out on Level 2, but changed to Level 3 on week 3 or so. The mileage felt a bit too low for me on Level 2, but then I didn't add the double runs ( think 2 or 3 per week) on Level 3 because I thought that would be too much of a jump for me. I suppose my issue is I wish there was a level 2.5! I think I got away with Level 3 and doing plenty of S&C etc as my extra minutes.

Oh one other issue - there were no actual 10k races when I was done with the plan :P but I suppose the plan isn't at fault there!

Re HR training, yeah I'm a big fan now. I don't know if I'll wear the HRM every day, but on easy days certainly. The only really annoying thing about HR running is how many factors seem to play into affecting it, for me anyway. The humidity, running into the wind, direct sun! Interestingly hormones don't seem to affect my HR much which really surprised me.

Thanks again for the question, it's been good to reflect on all that

Do you think you will try one of the 80/20 plans yourself?

Huzzah!

Congrats on your mile time - so speedy!

ReeReeG wrote: »

It confirmed that I do better running more days in the week, and not necessarily for long distances, than say the P&D plan which has less days but each one is a bit more intense? It's just easier when it's the habit and you're checking what I am running today, as opposed to am I running today..

Me too. I'm a disaster on any less than five days a week.

Mr. Guappa

Congrats on the mile V - great performance and great to see a reward for a super six months or more of training. Sub 6 is an exciting goal

Do you think the shorter than normal warm up helped your race?

Looks like I'll have to pick up a copy of 80/20 after such a strong recommendation.

ReeReeG

Mr. Guappa wrote:

Do you think the shorter than normal warm up helped your race?

Interesting question. I don't think so? I was thinking would I have gotten another couple of seconds if I was more warmed up but now you've given me food for thought. I'll have to try both approaches a few times maybe

ReeReeG

Mon 20th
Did some mobility and core stuff at lunchtime, then felt good so went for a little recovery run in the evening. 9.52/m, 132 avg HR

Tues 21st
Morning S&C, 45 mins.
Up to 3 rock that evening for a run (with again plenty of walk breaks on the way up!). Lovely evening and great views from up there. 7 miles, 11.18/m avg. Didn't bother with the HRM!

Weds 22nd
Easy run after work, 5 miles@ 9.26/m avg, HR 141. Legs felt grand after the hills the night before.

Thurs 23rd
Morning S&C, 45 mins. Conditioning part was pretty tough.
I'm hoping to start making it up to club training more often as I've gotten into very anti-social running habits! Absolutely went out with the wrong group though, even though we split out according to the mile time trials but that 'easy' is not an easy I'd be happy to be doing too often. Pace wise it should be ok, but my HR was into Zone 3. Muggy evening, and I was talking a good bit but dunno, will head out with a slightly slower group in future. 6 miles, 9.14/m, avg HR 152.

Fri 24th
Very easy 5k after work, 9.33/m, avg HR 133.

Sat 25th
5 miles in the morning, forgot to put on my HRM so just tried to keep it at what felt easy. 9.11/m average, so probably pushed a little too much at times but felt quite good.
Went for a walk up to the Hellfire club later in the morning with a few friends and we absolutely managed to get lost. Too much chatting I reckon!
BUT a very momentous morning - I had asked my friend to bring her dog on a lead to see if I can work on my phobia a bit.. I knew I could trust her to keep the dog away from me but it would be good for me to be near her for an extended period. It actually went well, I only jumped a few times

Sun 26th
In my quest to be more sociable running-wise again, I met up with a few from the club who I knew would be running the long run at a sensible pace. My HR was grand and low for most of it, we were coming back up a few climbs towards the end so it creeped up to 140s but that's still easy zone for me so all good. 9.2 miles, 9.57/m, avg HR 134.

Total miles: 39 on the button.

More of whatever I feel this week, have a few days off and heading down the country for a bit, but probably going to attempt some sort of mile plan next week. Most likely the one Murph_D very kindly shared, it seems quite straightforward - well apart from the actual running at certain paces :pac:

ariana`

ReeReeG wrote: »

Thanks, this question has been a great opportunity to procrastinate today

What I liked about the plan:
Plenty of easy days! The plan had two proper sessions a week, and sometimes moderate minutes in the long run, but staying actually easy using HR I managed to get through the session days intact.
The sessions were challenging, and some days I did despair but once I was reminded to use both pace and HR for some of the shorter reps, they left me feeling more confident.
It confirmed that I do better running more days in the week, and not necessarily for long distances, than say the P&D plan which has less days but each one is a bit more intense? It's just easier when it's the habit and you're checking what I am running today, as opposed to am I running today..

I'm don't know how, but there was a point I didn't even notice where my fitness seemed to jump on a large amount. 9 weeks into the plan, I suddenly felt amazing on most runs. At the beginning of the plan, my Zone 2 easy was in or around 10 min miles, and by week 10 it was 9 or even under that (bear in mind the weather got cooler as we got more into summer though :pac: ).

The book never made it back on to my bookshelf while I was following the plan, as I kept rereading paragraphs about certain sessions etc; it is really a very good read.

A couple of other things worked out well which I think is important to note:
- I was able to run regularly without social life distractions due to Covid19
- Not being able to go further than 2 or 5km for a good while meant I kept using the same places for the same type of session; I honestly think I got into the 'zone' quicker with this?! I am a creature of habit.

I only really have one gripe with the plan. I started out on Level 2, but changed to Level 3 on week 3 or so. The mileage felt a bit too low for me on Level 2, but then I didn't add the double runs ( think 2 or 3 per week) on Level 3 because I thought that would be too much of a jump for me. I suppose my issue is I wish there was a level 2.5! I think I got away with Level 3 and doing plenty of S&C etc as my extra minutes.

Oh one other issue - there were no actual 10k races when I was done with the plan :P but I suppose the plan isn't at fault there!

Re HR training, yeah I'm a big fan now. I don't know if I'll wear the HRM every day, but on easy days certainly. The only really annoying thing about HR running is how many factors seem to play into affecting it, for me anyway. The humidity, running into the wind, direct sun! Interestingly hormones don't seem to affect my HR much which really surprised me.

Thanks again for the question, it's been good to reflect on all that
Do you think you will try one of the 80/20 plans yourself?

Thanks for that, very interesting. I remembered Huzzah making a similar point another time, I think we were discussing Hanson, how she also finds it easier to run every day... There's logic in there somewhere alright! I'm not sure how I'd cope without the wriggle room that rest day(s) give me but I used to think I'd never be able to run 5 days/week and now that's the norm so who knows.

I noticed the big drop in your easy pace recently, along with your very impressive mile time trial, you've deservedly made great strides since the start of the year. No doubt due to your commitment to the training approach but also the supplementary s&c you do also.

I certainly wouldn't rule out following one of the plans. I have the 80/20 connect app on my watch so I already have a good feel for Z1/Z2 for my recovery/easy runs, I don't look at pace at all for those, I haven't for a long time. I find the layout of the plans and the quality of the paper a bit off-putting but I could get over those gripes if I set my mind to it, maybe... For now I seem to be drawn back to the grads plans - comfort in familiarity I think :cool:

career move

The mile plan I was following is on this site https://m.nike.com/ie/en_gb/c/running/nike-run-club/training-plans/fastest-mile
I quite liked it but obviously I didn't finish it so not sure if it actually makes you faster or not

ReeReeG

Mon 27th
Early S&C class, plenty of glute work.
Handy evening run, 3.3 miles @ 9.24/m.

Tues 28th
Some early morning mobility and core stuff.
Went up to club training for the session for the first time in god knows how long! It was 200s so that fit nicely with my mile-plans. I stupidly thought 800m pace was the way to ease in - but of course that is faster than mile pace I realised about half way through! Anyway, target was about 43 seconds in my head. We did it in the cricket field in Marlay so one way was slightly downhill and then slight uphill coming back. I'd had to manually program in the workout as Garmin Connect wouldn't upload from the app, so a few reps were actually more than 200m. I was reasonably happy with it: 43, 46, 42, 47, 44, 47, 43, 47. 60 secs standing recovery each time. Nice to do it with company too.
Just 3.3 miles total for the evening.

Weds 29th
Early morning S&C again, sucker for punishment even when off work

Headed off to Kenmare then, but stopped off in Glengariff park to meet a clubmate who has been cocooning in Cork since March (we'd actually ran together the day before lockdown was announced). We'd intended to follow the parkrun route, but the website directions include 'head north' etc which was not helpful so we just ran! It was lovely, but quite hilly! 3.2 miles @ 10.18/m avg. Then sambos in the rain for a real Irish break.

Thurs 30th
I'd been wanting to climb Carrauntoohil for a good few years, but never seemed to find a weekend other summers to go do it. This summer is of course a different matter! I had somehow talked a few friends into it, who may or may not hate me now, but I had a great time

I really loved it.. even though I naively wasn't expecting actual climbing (hands etc) up the Devil's Ladder! We'd booked a guide which was definitely the smart idea, if only for the help he gave us crossing the stream / river which had risen a lot overnight from the gallons of rain!! We actually hadn't realised Kenmare was flooded until after the climb, we'd left early and not driven through the town and couldn't understand why people were texting us about floods.. :pac: Anyway, 8 hours on the hills. SO much fun.

Fri 31st
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I may have gone for a short run only we had to check out by 9am so I just drove to my sister's in Cork for the day. I needed a nap there, the tiredness from the day before really caught me.

Total miles for July: 141

Sat 1st Aug
I'd driven on up to my brother's in Rathdowney Friday night as I also hadn't seen him and his family since before lockdown and he had agreed to bring me on a trail run I'd seen him do on Strava a few times. I actually assumed he might cut it short but NO, 14 miles! No sympathy for my tired legs

It was a fab run though, called the Leafy Loop and circles Durrow through various natural woodlands and along the Nore. Laois ain't flat either; I flat out refused to run up one hill! Legs were fairly tired afterwards. Avg pace 10.10/m.

Sun 2nd Aug
I was in Offaly by now and headed out for an afternoon run to bring the weekly mileage up to 30. 6.5 miles @ 8.57/m. I was surprised that my legs felt ok on this and just went with it. I could probably do with a wee sports massage though, the pesky calf was not so happy with the mountain and I don't want that to flare up again.

Total for the week: 30.3

Laineyfrecks

Really nice variety of runs! Fair play

Murph_D

+1 to that, what a great week of runs etc. Nice 200s to start off with, nothing wrong with those. And good call on the Carrauntoohill guide, you can never be too careful up there IMO. I have a friend whose brother fell off. :eek:

crisco10

Based on your aversion to the phrase "head north" probably a good call to have a guide for Carrauntoohill...

Lovely weeks running!

ReeReeG

Murph_D wrote: »

+1 to that, what a great week of runs etc. Nice 200s to start off with, nothing wrong with those. And good call on the Carrauntoohill guide, you can never be too careful up there IMO. I have a friend whose brother fell off. :eek:

Christ. The guide did tell us stories of some tragic incidents which he maybe should have saved for afterwards, not when we were clinging on to the Ladder.. one of my friends was anxious enough already.

crisco10 wrote: »

Based on your aversion to the phrase "head north" probably a good call to have a guide for Carrauntoohill...

Lovely weeks running!

Cheers.. yeah the guide was a good call alright, especially with mist blowing over every so often, wouldn't want to go down the wrong way! He was of course ascending and descending with his arms folded. Like a stroll in his backyard!

crisco10

ReeReeG wrote: »

Cheers.. yeah the guide was a good call alright, especially with mist blowing over every so often, wouldn't want to go down the wrong way! He was of course ascending and descending with his arms folded. Like a stroll in his backyard!

lol. casual as! yeah, we got a guide too, nice to just relax and let someone else do the navigating!

ReeReeG

Mon 3rd Aug
Nothing! Bit of visiting in Offaly (while I could eh?) before heading back to the big smoke.

Tues 4th Aug
45 mins S&C, quads very tight.
Up to the club for more 200s that evening. The club schedule was 6 x 200s off 40 seconds this week, so just stuck with that. It went a lot better this week, I suppose knowing a bit more of how it can feel from the previous week helps? Same place as last week, so reps 1,3,5 slight downhill and the rest with a slight uphill: 42, 43, 42, 42, 41, 43. Was quite pooped for cooldown however! 3 miles total for the evening only.

Weds 5th
Easy 6 miles, tried to keep HR easy as possible but the humidity seemed to affect me a lot. Avg pace 9.34/m, avg HR 145.

Thurs 6th
More easy miles, 5 @ 9.21/m. Didn't bother with the HRM but it didn't feel as warm out and all felt easy. Had intended on some mobility stuff but never got around to it.

Fri 7th
45 mins S&C in the morning, body felt quite tired.
Still decided I'd try 400s that afternoon... I don't think I like them very much! The plan was 2 sets of 4x400, 75 secs between the 400s and 3 mins between the sets. I'd seen a man do 400s along the side of the sports fields in UCD during lockdown so I thought it was handiest to just go there, it's on grass away from the path so no people-traffic issues really. The target was 90 seconds (6 min mile pace):
Set 1: 93, 87, 91, 89 -- guess which direction had the bit of wind on my back

I took about 4 mins between sets actually cos I had the 75 sec AND the 3 mins programmed in. I was wrecked and wondering how I'd manage 4 more.
Set 2: 95, 91... and stop! I just couldn't face the last 2 at all. I probably could have forced myself seeing as I wasn't totally dead, but my head wasn't really in it. But I had definitely underestimated how tough they would be. Lesson learned!
3.7 miles total.

Sat 8th
Easy 6 miles enjoying the sun and Enrique in my ears. 9.43/m, avg HR 145.
30 mins mobility and core stuff when I got home. Very much needed!

Sun 9th
Headed up to Marlay for my long run, had 12 miles in mind but finished with 10. The left calf was giving out a bit so decided not to push it - although maybe I should have cut it shorter. I have a sports massage booked for tomorrow anyway so we'll see. Nice morning all the same, few miles solo in Marlay then went over to St Enda's and bumped into a clubmate for a couple laps there. Back to Marlay where I met a group from the club so joined them for a few miles and chats. Finished with tae and snacks near the market with club and parkrun folk

Avg pace 9.44/m, avg HR 138.

Total miles: 34, happy enough with that.

This was the first week of the mile plan D shared with me. I'm not gonna follow it religiously but will certainly use the sessions. I want to keep running up the hills / trails regularly enough, so will play it all by ear at the same time. I know it might mean not breaking 6 minutes for the mile but right now I just want to do whatever is enjoyable.

ariana`

The hills and trails will really stand to you even if they're not part of any specific plan. And right now in the absence of races I think anything at all that helps with mojo is a good thing. You have lovely variety at the moment. I'd say those shorter speed sessions are a great buzz. Do what you love and love what you do

Murph_D

Those sessions are tough alright but it's amazing how you can adapt. Not bad at all for the first week, and remember running on the grass would have made those 400s a good bit harder compared to a track or the road.

ReeReeG

Mon 10th
Nothing apart from a short lunchtime walk, before a sports massage that evening. I knew my left calf was tight again after all the miles and hills recently, but the whole leg was a lot tighter than I thought. Not the most pleasant evening :pac: Bit of dry needling on the calf and I was limping for the night! Nothing to be worried about but the physio did say I should think about why the left might be so much worse than the right.. I haven't a clue but something to watch I suppose.

Tues 11th
45 mins S&C in the morning, left leg a little tender but ok.
Plan had 8 x 600s, split into 2 sets. Having just had the rub the night before, and signed up for the IMRA the night after, I decided to do half the session.. in my attempt at being a little sensible?! To be honest, with work a bit mad I had to squeeze it in between evening calls anyway so wouldn't have had much time for the full session.
Target time on the 600s was 2:21, actual were: 2.21, 2.19, 2.15 and 2.18. I walked the 200m recoveries. I actually enjoyed the 600s, but maybe if I'd done the full 8 I wouldn't have!

Weds 12th
Last week I happened to look up the IMRA calendar, saw that Prince William's seat event was open and was signed up before I knew it

Got a bit delayed heading out, then got lost on the drive, meaning I made a very dramatic and embarrassing entrance with about 5 mins to go until the start time. Every runner was pretty much at the start line watching me drive up this little lane.. then I was so flustered parking up and trying to get my number - one of the organisers actually pinned my number on for me

I didn't even have time to change into my trail runners. Anyway, they still started on time despite my best efforts

As usual, plenty of walk breaks for me on the way up. It was misty-ish evening so not really any views to be seen but there was a nice mix of terrain to keep it interesting and the concentration levels up. I definitely missed not having the trail runners on. The last couple miles were a fairly relentless downhill which was fun. 5 miles total for a very enjoyable evening in about an hour. Some people got lost and added an extra uphill loop for themselves, very glad I was not one of those people!!

Thurs 13th
5 miles easy in the evening. Ankles were a bit off thanks to the hills the night before, but otherwise nothing of note. Felt a lot looser anyway by the end of the run. 9.20/m avg.

Fri 14th
Morning S&C, 40 mins.
I decided to leave the 2nd session of the week for another day as I was still feeling a bit tired from Weds night so easy evening miles instead. 6 miles@ 9.22/m avg.

Sat 15th
I was a bit apprehensive of this session for some reason, but got myself out the door anyway which is always a good start.
Plan was 3 sets of 4 x 200 with 45 seconds between the 200s and 6 minutes between the sets. Target time 43 seconds for the 200s.
1st set: 42, 43, 43, 43
2nd set: 42, 41, 41, 41
3rd set: 40, 42, 42, 41
I think I needed the 6 minutes between sets to keep the pace right, but was delighted with how this went and how I felt running them. It really felt like I knew how to dial into that pace now after doing a couple of 200s sessions.
4 miles for the morning.

Afternoon hike / walk in the Dublin mountains, a bit more than intended after we kinda just wandered and then needed to get back to our cars! Lots of people out and about which is great to see.

Sun 16th
I woke up tired and stiff from all the exercise yesterday, but forced myself out for a long run. Told myself to get to 8 miles, then managed to trick myself into adding 2 more. 10 @ 9.35/m avg. Heavy and tired legs, but they did seem looser by the end of the run - or that could just have been relief at getting it done!

Total: 34.5