A Tall Order

Monday

36Km cycling, 90 minutes, 123avg HR

Still felt a little tired from the hills the previous day. Took it nice and easy on the bike.

Tuesday

65' easy, - 11.5Km, 5:49/Km, 148avg HR

Legs still felt heavy and some very minor DOMS arose.

Wednesday

20' easy, 20' @ 10 mile, 20.easy - 11Km, 5:31/Km, 152avg HR

First midweek session since covid so was very apprehensive about it. Legs still heavy from Sunday's run but got the session completed and on target. Felt quite warm and there was no breeze in Marlay park. 20' @ 10 mile looked as follows:

1.00km 4:40 4:40/km

1.00km 4:40 4:40/km

1.00km 4:40 4:40/km

1.00km 4:41 4:41/km

0.27km 1:16 4:33/km

Thursday

65' easy uphill - 11Km, 5:47/Km, 141avg HR, 125m elevation

I wanted more elevation but didn't want to push as it was my first week back doing sessions. Right calf was tight after this. :( Got some rolling, static stretching and AIS stretching done on the calf in the evening time. It eased up a little.

Friday

75' easy with 5 * 20" strides - 13Km, 5:50/Km, 142avg HR

More AIS stretching on the calf before heading out for this. Wasn't all that confident of getting through the strides on the calf so held a little back on them.

Saturday

60' easy-very easy - 10Km, 6:09/Km, 136avg HR

Calf better but still not 100%. Conscious of the long run on Sunday, I decided to run this more towards recovery pace so it ended up being slightly shorted than my usual easy run.

Sunday

30' easy, 40' steady, 30' easy - 18Km, 5:33/Km, NAavg HR

Even more AIS stretching on the calf. Knew the rain was coming in so I spent 10-15 minutes looking at weather app and then looking at ominous dark clouds outside... rinse and repeat. Ended up bringing the camelbak bag with rain jacket, water bottle and a gel. Sure enough it started to piss about halfway through the run so got it right :) Another session and more apprehensiveness. It went well in the end and I felt comfortable throughout. I did a little tour of the parks close by. Ran to Tymon, over to Bushy Park, down to St Endas and across to Marlay and then home. Was enjoyable as it was relatively quiet out.

Total

75Km for the week. 5 weeks until Glendalough. Calf feeling much better today but have booked in with physio tomorrow just to be sure. Got a 19 miler (3 easy, 13PMP, 3 easy) next Sunday and another physio session the day afterwards. Not messing around with any niggles this close to race day. Going to aim for more elevation on Thursday's easy run though I am mindful of the big run at the weekend.

Tough week from a physical and mental pov. Legs took longer to recover from the prior week's 20 miler.

Monday

Planned Rest day - physio to aid recovery from 20 miler on Sunday. Didn't go too hard on them as it was relatively soon after the run. Right calf in particular was tight.

Tuesday

65' easy - 11Km, 5:53/Km, 131avg HR

Legs were still feeling Sunday's run. I got out walking on Monday/Tuesday but legs were just heavy/tired/achey.

Wednesday

20' easy, 20' @ 10 mile, 3' easy, 15' @ 10 mile, 20' easy - 14.5Km, 5:24/Km, 145avg HR

This should have been straight forward but legs were still unimproved from the previous day. Procrastinated over whether to wear the Zoom Fly's and ended up sticking with the Ghosts. Will be going with the Zoom Fly's for next week's midweek session as the legs will appreciate any help they can get right now. Paces slower than last week but got through it ok.

20' interval - 4:44/km, 4:41/km, 4:48/km, 4:39/km, 4:38/km

15' interval - 4:46/km, 4:47/km, 4:43/km, 4:48/km

Thursday

60' easy - 10Km, 6:04/Km, 123avg HR

Legs were goosed. Took it really very on this as pace/HR show.

Friday

Unplanned Running Rest day - Cycled for 50 mins - shouldn't have.

Opted for running rest day. Had to cycle in to the city centre to take care of personal stuff. Went too hard on the bike. Glutes were hanging by Sunday. See Sunday's report.

Saturday

65' easy - 10.5Km, 6:07/Km, 129avg HR

Another very easy run. Legs feeling much better.

Sunday

3 mile easy, 16 mile PMP, 3 mile easy - 36Km, 5:55/Km, 140avg HR

Procrastination in getting going on this run paid off as when I finally went to step outside the door, it was lashing so I grabbed the rain jacket which kept me dry for most of the run. The cycle on Friday proved to be my downfall in getting to PMP. I had DOMS in my glutes when I woke up. Got some stretching done but there was just no getting the legs anywhere near 5:30-5:45/Km on the flat. Pretty similar to last week's run with a trip in/out from PP with me covering most of the main roads in the park. Seemed to be only the loony LSR folk out in the poor weather today, along with all the slugs/snails enjoying the wet paths in PP. I was concerned about the tight calf from Monday's physio session but it held out just fine. 11 seconds/Km slower than last week but content with that given where the legs/glutes are at right now. Stretched out when I got home and got the food in to me.

Total

82Km for the week. 3 weeks until Lap of the Gap. More physio on Tuesday to help the legs recover. I've also ordered a "RENPHO R3 Massage Gun" to see if it will aid recovery. Have seen some positive reviews online. Should be here tomorrow so will report back over the next few logs on how well or poorly it works. I'll also be doing more foam rollings and stretching during the week. I have found it to be beneficial in the past, just need to get back in the habit of doing it. 20 miler next Sunday. No cycling before it :) Want to make sure I make it count.

Glad that week is over. Roll on race week.

Monday

Rest day - hamstring still an issue. No scheduled run but kept the the day fairly easy with regards to being on my feet. Managed to schedule an appointment with physio for Tuesday.

Tuesday

Impromptu rest day - Should have had an easy run but physio instead. Not my usual physio but they came recommended by my physio. Session went well. Some physical manipulation on hip ( tight and out of sorts due to compensating for Hamstring) and same for hamstring with some dry needling at the end. Took it easy the rest of the day.

Wednesday

Spent the morning wondering if I needed to opt for my backup marathon at the end of June. Hamstring was still sensitive (needling will do that) and the hip was worse. Sitting seemed to be making the hip worse. Walking not making much difference either. At one stage I was limping around due to the hip. I ended up changing shoes from an older pair of ghosts to a newer pair. Instance change in gait and felt much better. Probably 100% placebo but I was pain free when walking. Spent the rest of the day flip flopping on whether to get and run or not. Decided in the end that I needed to find out one way or another what my plan was. Got out and felt out throughout. A bit anxious on every little bump or rise in the road but I survived.

45' easy - 7.5Km, 5:56/Km, 131avg HR

Thursday

Bit more pep in my step this morning but still taking it relatively easy as it was less than 12 hours since previous day's run. Got an early "Toenail Thursday" session done so I don't have to worry about it next week.

45' easy - 7.5Km, 5:57/Km, 142avg HR

Friday

Over to Bushy Park to get these done and then home. HR strap battery died on this run and thankfully not on race day. New battery sorted.

45' easy with 5 * 20" strides - 7.5Km, 5:45/Km, 136avg HR

Saturday

Felt ok throughout this run. Twas warm with no wind so HR was a little elevated. After the previous week, this was a good confidence booster.

2 miles easy, 8 miles PMP, 2 miles easy - 19.4Km, 5:47/Km, 143avg HR

Sunday

Found myself awake very early so got this out of the way. Took it very easy.

45' very easy - 7Km, 6:19/Km, 131avg HR

Total

49Km. 1 missed run and probably another 30 minutes in reduced duration across the easy runs. I'm not losing any sleep over that stuff at this stage of my race plan. The hamstring was a little sensitive to touch during the week and got the usual bruising from the needling later in the week. It feels like it as all good now.

6 days until Lap of the Gap. I have cycled the roads a good few times but it has been some time since I was over that way. Awoke very early on Saturday morning so I did a drive over 90% of the course to refresh my memory. First half is net uphill and the opposite in the second half. However, there are some steep sharp hills in the 2nd half, one in particular at around 35Km as you enter Oldbridge. Patience and discipline are going to be key.

I've an idea of how to approach the race on the day but going to discuss with coach on Tuesday. Main goal is sub 4:50. Sub 4:35 would be great but I don't want to get greedy. If I don't get either, I've got Waterford as a backup at the end of June though I would prefer to be building towards Comrades at that stage instead of spending weeks tapering/recovering from a marathon. I think both times are realistic given the training that has gone in. No races in 2 years has me hesitant to (1) predict a specific time and (2) be somewhat aggressive with my run on the day. Last "marathon" (virtual) was a 4:09 with ~200m elevation, next week has ~750m elevation.

At this stage, it feels like I'm performing a risk assessment for every step I take. The school runs are filled with rampaging kids on scooters/bikes. The parents wheeling buggies (some with dogs attached - pure madness) are just as bad. Maniacs the lot of them. Do they not know I'm running a marathon next weekend? I don't need my legs/ankles/feet being crashed in to. Maranoia is real.

Thanks V. I'm just following what coach prescribes. His training calls when I'm injured/sick/tired are making me appear to be more disciplined than I really am 😁

A head cold went through the household and I was the last one to catch it. Fingers and toes crossed that it wasn't COVID... which it wasn't. Cleared up by Wednesday after doses of Lemsip and Night Nurse. Energy levels were fine and HR was good throughout. Very mild one thankfully. Sleep has been good throughout the week. Fuelling and hydration going well too.

Monday

Rest Day - final physio visit to make everything is good to go. Hamstring (medial) from prior week was much better.

Tuesday

45' easy - 7.5Km, 6:00/Km, 131avg HR

Very easy run over to Tymon park and back.

Wednesday

45' easy - 8Km, 5:46/Km, 137avg HR

Nothing to report.

Thursday

45' easy with 5 * 20" strides - 7.5Km, 5:54/Km, 137 avg HR

Got to Bushy Park for the strides. Right knee felt off. Sure enough there's some tightness in my right quad. Did some very minor massage on it.

Friday

35' easy - 6Km, 5:56/Km, 131 avg HR (not HR strap)

Further light massage on the right quad before this morning's run. Felt much better throughout. Last run done 😎

Total

29Km done, 42.2Km of hills to get through tomorrow 🤞

Friday

Afternoon/Evening was spent working on my right quad as it was painful at this stage. I was very close to calling the physio. I ended up getting the massage gun at it which alleviated the weird feeling in it when I bent it. The pain subsided overnight.

I didn't go wild on the carbs. Added a few extra throughout the day but no large plates of pasta. Have 99% of what I need in a large plastic storage box which I've been dropping stuff in over the past few days. I did a final bit of race planning and have what will be my definitive approach to the hills.

Saturday - Race day

Alarm was set for 4:45am, body clock has me awake at 4:44am. Breakfast consumed and Maurten 320 mixed in the camelbak. Start my drive and get a few Km in to the mountains when Bambi jumps out of nowhere across the road. I jam on the brakes and miss him by inches. I am fully awake now. Make it to Glendalough without any further incidents with wildlife. Get changed from the boot of the car and get on to the bus for the short trip to the start line. As I'm sitting on the bus I have a cheeky look at my DCM 2019 time to see what the pace per Km was and decide I'm dreaming if I think I can make that today. We depart the bus and I'm one of the first to the start line. I position myself at the very front. I'm not running any further than I need to. At the start line, I spend the last few minutes chatting with other particpants. Those who I chat with are seasoned marathon and ultra runners. Almost go time and the race director says a few words. He announces that one particular particpant today is almost at his 1,000th (yes, One Thousandth) marathon.

Race Goal - 4:49:59 (6:52/Km) - This gets me qualified for Comrades

Bonus Goal - 4:34:59 (6:31/Km) - This moves me up a wave and will save me 5-10 minutes on the day as it is gun to gun timing.

DCM 2019 - 4:28:48 (6:21/Km) - Race PB - Almost 4 times the elevation in today's race.

1-5Km (5:41 -9m, 6:00 17m, 5:53 2m, 6:34 42m, 6:15 17m) (Km pace and elevation in Metres)

As I spend all of the pre race chatting, I have forgotten to take my pre race caffeine gel so quickly down it in the 1st Km. I get caught up in the rush at the start and 1st Km ticks over far too quick. I ease up a little but still too quick. As I've reduced my pace, it feels like every one in the marathon field has passed me. As we head out of Laragh We hit the hills and this makes it easier to not get dragged along with people. Pace settles by 4th Km which is when we see the first sign of elevation. We're in Wicklow hills but this stage is very much enclosed within trees/bushes. As I have not raced since February 2020, I'm going off feel. Breathing and HR are very steady. Chug down some Maurten at 30 minutes.

6-10Km (6:06 -3m, 6:27 19m, 6:22 6m, 6:44 34m, 7:28 72m)

Keeping it very steady as the foliage along the road opens up a bit and we can see some of the beautiful scenery. As we approach 8Km, you can peak a little view of Glenmacnass Waterfall through the bushes up ahead. The real climbing for the day starts at 8.5Km. I ease up the pace a good bit on this ascent. You can see a trail of runners all the way up past the waterfall. I walk for about 100 metres of this ascent. Legs still feeling good. HR gone slighly beyond aerobic zone but not too high. More Maurten 320 at 60 minutes.

11-15Km (6:46 43m, 7:02 43m, 6:05 -6m, 5:36 -31m, 6:19 24m)

Still on the ascent by Glenmacnass waterfall with gradients consistently in high single digits. Keeping it very steady focusing on form and breathing. I take another 100 metre walking break near the top of this climb at the 12Km mark. The scenery has opened up and we can see mountains for miles. I've cycled Miltary road a bit but I have never seen it as calm as it is today. Perfect running conditions. The 12.5Km point provides the first decent descent of the day so we're downhill for the next 1Km. This makes it very easy to up the pace. As the road starts to ascend slightly, my conservative approach to the first 1/4 of the race sees me to start pass people for the first time. Caffeine gel at 90 minutes.

16-20Km (6:18 25m, 6:10 11m, 6:15 1m, 6:17 17m, 6:24 29m)

Gradient is in the low single digits for this 5Km stretch. Still in awe of the views. Driving or cycling along here you so focused on the road. Running it makes you appreciate it so much more. Very consistent pace, breathing and HR throughout this section. I continue to pass the occassional person. Sally gap alsmt in view and I'm eager to start the descent to give parts of the legs a break. I have been eyeballing my average pace up to this point. I'm at 6:20/Km which has me on for a Race PB. Very nervous with most of the steeper hills to come in the 2nd half. A sense of dread starts to come over me. I've gone out too fast. Maurten 320 at 120 mins.

21-25Km (5:54 -8m, 6:03 7m, 5:34 -20m, 5:19 -59m, 6:29 -4m)

21/22Km are relatively flat in the run to Sally Gap. Results sheet has me passing Sally Gap at 2:20:17. Turn at Sally Gap has us descending for 2Km so I pick up the pace a little. 25th Km elevation total of -4m is a little deceiving. 2 short hills at medium single digit gradients. I walk up both of these and run the descents. Maurten 320 at 150 minutes. The descending has my overall pace down to 6:14/Km. Getting really nervous about whether this is maintainable. No phsyiological reason to think it is not but no races in the run up to this means I have nothing to judge race fitness/pace off. Stunning views of Lough Tay along this stretch.

26-30Km (6:01 -18m, 7:32 30m, 7:21 43m, 6:39 -59m, 5:43 -82m)

This is the first of the two main really difficult climbs/descents in the 2nd half of the race. 27th Km sees you down the bottom of the climb. The road twists up for more cracking views of Lough Tay. The twist sees the gradients hit low double digits. I walk this part and anything that goes above low single digits. The climb continues past the 28Km mark and then descends sharply. The descent for 2Km has my quads talking to me. I try not to build too much momentum going down here but it is proving difficult as the gradients are -5 to -15 in points.

31-35Km (6:38 -21m, 5:52 -6m, 6:18 9m, 5:40 -20m, 5:49 -53m)

At the bottom of the long sharp descent, we turn off the road and are immediately hit with a small ascent. I'm walking this. There are a number of runners just ahead of me running up the hill. They're not making much progress so my walking appears to be the better option this late in the race. The initial few Kms in this section are relatively flat so I pick up the pace a little. HR elevates beyond aerobic levels. I know at this point in the race that my race goal is all but achieved. If I have to walk the remainder I'll make it in good time. Don't talk too soon though... the issue with my knee from Friday rears its head. I ease up the pace a tad and it subsides on the sharp descent in the 34th/35th Km. Thankfully it doesn't happen again. Overall pace is at 6:14/Km by the end of 35Km. Starting to believe I might get the bonus goal. I am desperately trying not to be greedy with a race PB too. The previous 2 * 5Km sections have been on a side road and extremely tranquil. Final caffeine gel taken at this point.

36-40Km (6:50 0, 7:45 39, 6:00 -22m, 5:55 4, 6:01 -14m)

Final major climb begins at 36.5Km. It is brutal. Tops out at 15. I walk most of it. As it eases up at the top, I start to run a little as I begin to give myself a little bit of leeway with the goal of a race PB. Another sharp descent is followed by the penultimate ascent. I would have walked this earlier in the race but I've opted to be greedy and go for the race PB. Most of 39/40Km are descending. I've not seen someone for about 6Km. I finally spot someone at the end of this section who is podding along. Catching this person becomes the immediate goal.

41-42.2 (5:19 -51m, 5:17 -31m, 1:38 (4:51/Km) -6)

I'm throwing caution to the wind on this final descent. I'm reeling in this runner ahead of me. Down to T junction in to Laragh. I'm moving quick but saving a little knowing that there is a sneaky ascent at the very end of this race. 300 metres that averages 8.5%. I pass the runner I was chasing down at the beginning of this climb. I am powering up this hill. I eye 2 more runners whom I'd chatted with earlier. They're halfway up the hill. I'm catching them. Pumping the legs as hard as I can. Pass them just before cresting the hill. Slight descent and my legs are wobbly af. Keep it together before turning in for the finish line in the Brokagh centre. I sprint for the line to round of applause that welcomes everyone who finishes. Race goal, bonus goal and Race PB accomplished. Happier than a pig in sh!t. Torrential rain starts shortly after I finish... not even that will put a dampener on this day.

Result - 4:24:08 for 62nd out of 128.

Summary

I would have liked to have had another race prior to today but covid in March put a halt to that. The unknown of how to pace today had me a little weary as I reached the halfway point but I kept a positive mindset for the most part. It worked out well in the end :) It is a fantastic race - from an organisation and scenic perspectives. Typically not a PB race but something I would recommend if you were looking for something different from a marathon course.

That was a massive confidence boost ahead of Comrades in August. I was very weary going in to it that today and ultimately Comrades, would be beyond me. The last 10 months of training under the coach has worked wonders. I had lined up Waterford marathon as a backup plan if today went balls up so I'm going to skip that to focus on building for South Africa. The two year delay due to covid has worked in my favour from a running perspective. I feel in a much better place now with regards to where my training is when compared with pre covid.

Still smiling!

Usual post marathon tiredness throughout the week. Felt much better by Thur/Fri. Quads were the only part of my legs that had DOMS after the race. They eased after physio on Monday. Calves/hamstrings/glutes and the supporting muscles all felt fine throughout the week. Got out for my usual early morning walks throughout the week in addition to a couple of 1 hour cycles up around Brittas/Ballinascorney. Got the boys out volunteering at junior parkrun on Sunday which they enjoyed almost as much as the churros with nutella afterwards.

Other than that it was a whole lot of rest and food consumption this past week. A lot of terrible food but I got the body topped up with fats/protein/carbs after the race and throughout the week too.

Came up with a high level plan for the next few months with coach so I can plan the 2 big training runs in June and July. They will be 4-5 hour efforts so I need to plan these in advance around family. Also moved my rest day from Monday to Sunday for family reasons. "Running" is fast becoming a word best not mentioned at home 😂 Hoping the change in weekly schedule will smooth things over.

Back to running this upcoming week. All easy running and nothing to report after first easy effort this morning.

Quick correction, there was not 13 weeks until Comrades at the end of last week... there was 11. 2 weeks have vanished. Derp.

Monday

70' easy - 11.5Km, 6:02/Km, 137avg HR - Got out early in the morning. It was a struggle with legs feeling very heavy/tired. I probably would've stopped at 50'/60' but OH had to get to work early so I trundled on which meant it went from a 65' to a 70' run. Physio visit later in the day got the legs back functioning as expected. There was some tightness in quads.

Tuesday

65' easy - 11.5Km, 5:42/Km, 142avg HR - Almost same route from day before, legs moving much better.

Wednesday

65' easy uphill - 11Km, 5:47/Km, 147avg HR - Tweaked my usual easy hill route to get some slight more vertical distance in my easy weekday runs. I'm going to continue using this as it was very enjoyable. Heat was the killer as there was no wind through the hedgerows up Edmonstown Road or Mount Venus Road.

Thursday

65' easy - 11.5Km, 5:37/Km, 144avg HR - A little quicker than my usual easy runs but didn't feel the extra pace at all. Legs feeling great at this stage of the week.

Friday

35' easy - 6Km, 5:53/Km, 136avg HR - took it very easy on this run as I knew I would be tackling hills on the long run on Saturday.

Saturday

110' easy - 18Km, 6:04/Km, 147avg HR - Ran over to Marlay Park, up Kellystown Road and through Ticknock/Three Rock forest. Just before reaching the turn for Three Rock masts, I turned towards Kilmashogue Lane. On the descent here I picked up the pacea little to give the quads a good workout. Got to the bottom of Kilmashogue Lane and went up Tibradden Lane. Got halfway up here and noticed there was some construction. Started cursing developers/builders/planners that they had allowed house building up here only to be surprised that DSD has a track (and more?) being built up there. Continued on and turned down Edmonstown road where I picked up the pace a little on the descent again. Tough workout on the quads. They were feeling it for the remainder of the day and through Sunday and early on Monday.

Sunday

Rest day - Had a few non alcholic ciders (not cidona :D ) the night before and felt hungover all day.

Total

70Km for the week. Body feeling good after a poor start to the week. The DOMS in the quads have almost subsided. I will continue to get more downhill workouts in over the coming 7-8 weeks. I have Docklands 5k on Thursday (10mile/Tempo pace, not full 5k pace) and then a 3-3.5hr long run on Sunday. 10 weeks until Comrades.

That sounds like a fantastic local resource. Excited to see how it turns out now. Thanks for the info V.

Monday

65' easy - 11.2Km, 5:52/Km, 147avg HR - We had headed up north for a few days so I was delighted with the opportunity to try out some new terrain. There were hills everywhere so the route I took was the flattest that I could map out on Strava. Very undulating compared to my usual flat route back home.

Tuesday

65' easy - 10.5Km, 6:09/Km, 139avg HR - Same route as the previous day. Couldn't get the legs going at all. I think we spent too much time walking around Newry the day before.

Wednesday

70' easy - 12Km, 5:45/Km, 138avg HR - Got some good rest the night before and felt good throughout my usual easy route. Legs felt like they were back to normal.

Thursday

70' easy uphill - 12Km, 5:55/Km, 141avg HR, 170m elevation - My regular hilly route with the added benefit of 20 Celsius heat. I really enjoy this route but the heat is a killer on the country roads amongst the trees/shrubs with no wind hitting the body.

Friday

35' easy - 6.5Km, 6:07/Km, 133avg HR - I opted for a very easy run in advance of the long run on Saturday. Tipped around to give the legs/lungs a light workout.

Saturday

2hours easy - 21Km, 5:47/Km, 151avg HR - This was an enjoyable route. The roads themselves are busy but paths were quiet from pedestrians/dogs/cyclists. Another day of 20 Celcius weather and very little wind. I had brought the new hydration pack with me with 1 litre of water but it was warm after about 10 minutes of running. Took a maurten gel every 30 minutes.

Sunday

Rest day - took my father and boys to Croke Park for the first time. Very good match. Kerry deserved to win on the day. COYBIB :(

Total

74Km for the week. Legs were tired by the end of the week but no injury niggles at all. Physio today loosened them out. Much of the same for next week with an increase in duration for the long run. After 2.75 years since registration, it finally feels like I might actually get to run Comrades. (touch wood). Final qualifying day is tomorrow so I would imagine there are some people preparing for a last roll of the dice. Entrant list is up on the website but the search functionality is poor so I'm unsure how many other Irish people are going to be running it. 7 weeks to go.

This was the last "up" week of training. I'm glad to see the back of it. I had easy runs scheduled across the board but still had a couple of tough runs to work through.

Monday

Rest day after Sunday's 3 hour long run.

Tuesday

70' easy - 11.5Km, 6:03/Km, 142avg HR - Between the heat and no camps this week, the young lads had the Mrs tortured. I dragged the two of them out on their bikes before there was calls put in to any boarding school that would take them. This was about the time we were due to have thunderstorms. Zero forks given. I took their rain coats with me and off we went. I dropped them off to the grandparents afterwards to ensure things were safe before they returned.

Wednesday

65' easy - 11Km, 5:45/Km, 141avg HR - cooler temperatures were welcomed with open arms. I got out around Dodder Valley Park again. Felt good throughout.

Thursday

60' easy - 10Km, 6:08/Km, 141avg HR - Cycled in to work and got out for the run prior to starting work. I wanted it to end after the first 10 steps.Told myself that I was going to get 35' done but when it came for the turn for the office I went straight on towards Halfpenny bridge to make sure I got the full run done. Felt awful throughout - energy/motivation/physically drained. Toughest run of the year, bar none.

Friday

65' easy - 11Km, 5:52/Km, 145avg HR - whatever bad mojo I had the day before was shook off after a good night's sleep. I got to physio at lunch time to work out some kinks in the legs prior to the weekend's long run.

Saturday

70' easy - 11.5Km, 6:04/Km, 141avg HR - Got out for first parkrun in months. Headed to Bushy Park (Dublin) and met a former colleague as he zipped past me. He slowed down and we had a great chat for the remainder of the run. He was originally due to be running Comrades with me in 2020 but couldn't get around to it this year... we have provisionally discussed 2023 but god knows what will happen at the end of August so nothing set in concrete right now. Great company and very enjoyable run.

Sunday

4.5Hrs easy - 42.5Km, 6:30/Km, 155avg HR - I ran the DCM route. It has a decent profile and I knew in the time scheduled I'd get around at least a marathon. Well, I didn't. It went slightly over the 4.5 hours so I could scrape a marathon distance in. It was a hard route to do when the roads aren't closed. Between traffic, pedestrians, undulating paths and having to take multiple water stops... it was a tough day at the office. The accumulative fatigue and heat got me. I never should've started as "fast" (6/Km) as I did. I should have been running very easy from the get go. I started with 1 litre of Maurten 320 and ended up picking up an additional 2.5 litres of water and 0.5 litres of Lucozade sport along the route. Then another 1.5 litres when I finished so I could top up hydration and mix my post workout drink. Thirsty day out. Shout out to the lad buying ~10 scratch cards in Milltown Spar, delayed me several minutes whilst the shop assistant tried to find them all and then scan them one by one. Sound.

As I was finishing out the run and also on the bus home, I got myself in to a serious mental funk. The usual self deprecation/doubting in addition to impostor syndrome were sky high. I got off the bus early and grabbed some food/drink in Rathgar. With the hangry animal suppressed, I did a bit of a post mortem on the long run. I'm at almost 130Kms for the last 8 days. That's a lot of running for me. I can't control the traffic/pedestrians or the fu4ckwits holding me up when buying water/supplies. I won't have any of that to deal with on race day. I will have tapered well in advance and there will also be doing a lot more walking on race day. I also got some kind messages on Strava/WhatsApp that perked me up too.

Don't forget to lube up when going on a long run like that in warm conditions. Ouch.

Total

98Km for the week. 5 weeks until Comrades. There'll be a gradual taper for the next few weeks. Easy runs during the week as usual and then the weekend long run slowly decreases. I've got most of my race kit sorted. I'll be breaking in a new pair of ghosts (I'm up to my 10th pair at this stage) over the coming weeks and that will be the last piece of the puzzle. All logistics are sorted though I had year another flight cancellation this week. I got it sorted after 30 minutes on hold. I think I'm up to about 15 flight cancellations since I first booked flights back in 2020 (Covid, Airlines going bankrupt and BA cancelling stuff for fun).

Missed a few runs this week but I expected as much due to the long run the week prior and also due to it being family holiday time.

Monday/Tuesday

Monday was a planned rest day. Tuesday we travelled to Malaga for holidays so took an unplanned rest day due to a very early start.

Wednesday

65' very easy - 10Km, 6:33/Km, 138avg HR - First full day on holiday. I got out whilst everyone was sleeping. Legs were still dead after Sunday's long run. Up/down the beach paths until the time had elapsed. I brought 2 frozen flasks of water in the running gear with me. Born fully consumed having melted target quick.

Thursday

65' easy - 11Km, 5:56/Km, 145avg HR - Out early again. Legs much better. Similar enough route to the day before.

Friday

60' very easy - 9.5Km, 6:24/Km, 136avg HR - We did a huge amount of walking the previous afternoon and evening so the legs were heavy going out for this. Just needed to get it done.

Saturday

Unplanned rest day. Poor night's sleep meant I stayed in bed late. Considered getting out in the evening for a shorter run but decided against it. Family time comes first on holidays so not going to interrupt the flow of things. The couch here doesn't look like it would be comfortable to sleep on. I should also add that I dictated the family holiday timing due to me traveling for Comrades so it's best I not push things.

Sunday

2.5Hrs easy - 23Km, 6:42/Km, 148avg HR - Average KM is the average elapsed time so it includes 2 water breaks at service stations. Moving average was 6:14/Km which makes the run look better but race day will be gun to gun so I need to be cognizant of how my long runs compare with my race. Enjoyable enough out and back undulating run. The surface left a lot to be desired. Energy was good throughout. Heat (~24c), Humidity(~90%) and a lack of breeze added to the fun. Right quad was a little tight. I've done what I can on my own to ease the quad but booked in for physio upon my return to get it loosened.

Total

53Km for the week. 4 weeks until Comrades. It's a bit dud not getting out for all the runs but the work is mostly done. I'm hoping the upcoming week will prove to be an improvement as the body is in better shape than it was 7 days ago. Nothing exciting next week. More easy runs. Just gotta get out and get them done.

An odd thing I noticed this week when using the running vest. Each day I start with 2 * 500ml flasks with water which is frozen over night. The flask on the right side of the running vest always defrosts far quicker than the left side. Any scientific/biological reason for this or am I just cold hearted? 😄