To Ballycotton and Beyond (or starting again)

zenmonk · 11-12-2008 5:36pm #1

Ok decided to give this a go any comments and help appreciated.

Ran a good bit back in my 20s (now 35)but had a niggling knee injury and took up cycling instead. Got back into it during the summer (inspired by Olympics and Murakami's running book). Knee still not 100% but with a bit of physio it will do.
Did a few 3k and 5k runs and decided hell I'm going to give Ballycotton a go next March.
A few of my (non running and running)friends have also entered so there is a bit of a competitive edge already!
My aim timewise is to get down to 9min miles in training and maybe 85 mins in Ballycotton.
Also want to do a gym session or 2 a week time and new arrival permitting but running is my focus.

zenmonk · 11-12-2008 5:40pm

Serious (well at the moment) training started in November with 3 x 3miles per week and in December I have added a 4th longer run at the weekend.
This longer run will go to 6 miles before XMas and build up to 10 miles in Feb.
Also included once a week a bit of interval training to mix it up and work on the speed.
Running aprox 10 min miles at the moment.

zenmonk · 11-12-2008 5:41pm

Baby arrived on the 18th Nov - happy days
No training that week! of course

zenmonk · 11-12-2008 5:42pm

Ran first interval session
4x400m in 1.45 - 1.50 with jog lap between.
Tough going - hope to get lap times down to steady 1.40s

zenmonk · 11-12-2008 5:45pm

Finally after perhaps 14 runs have managed to take some time off my 3 mile run. Best time was 29 mins , ran it yesterday in 27.35!!
Got out at 6.30 am (baby woke and that was that!)and was surprised to meet other Ennis runners and walkers on the Clon rd.
Ran 4.5 miles last Sat in lees rd with a friend at a faster pace than usual so would explain my increased pace.
Good to run with someone a little faster eventhough I was bollixed!

Fast_Mover · 11-12-2008 6:06pm

See you at Ballycotton...Best of luck with the training!:)

SUNGOD · 11-12-2008 6:31pm

best of luck with your training and log

Slogger Jogger · 11-12-2008 9:11pm

Good luck zenmonk. As another Ballycotton applicant (and recent Murakami book reader too) I'll be reading your blog updates with interest. Are you following a particular plan?

showry · 11-12-2008 9:42pm

+1 for Murakami,
best of luck zenmonk

zenmonk · 12-12-2008 9:34am

Thanks for all the messages, I downloaded Hal Higdon's novice plan but it seems a bit too easy! Really would you bother doing all that cross training and running 2 miles easy. I feel when I get out the door that if I don't get in 3 miles at least there isn't much point getting out.
And I'm not really into cross training apart from a little weights.
So then I looked at his 15k intermediate and it looks a lot better even though I doubt I will get out 6 days a week but I will stick to it as best I can.

zenmonk · 12-12-2008 9:38am

Woke this morning with sore throat so abandoned hope of running... until I got up and I said to myself "What if I just run to the end of the road and back..." (so much for my earlier post of "what's the point of running 2 miles!").
Ran a mile in 8.40 min- kind of time trial. May regret it though if throat gets worse and causes me to miss group run tomorrow.

zenmonk · 15-12-2008 9:56am

Ran for about an hour on Saturday morning, furthest in years! aprox 5.5miles through Lees Rd.trails. Felt ok afterwards, alot easier to train with company!

zenmonk · 17-12-2008 12:50pm

Stomach bug all week so had to grit my teeth as my mates went out for a run this morning.
Hope to be right for a few miles Saturday.
Bought the book Running with the buffaloes to read over xmas, is there anything worse than being sick and mad to train at the same time?

MarieC · 17-12-2008 1:05pm

Hi Zenmonk,

Best of luck with the training and hopefully ul be all better and out running soon!
Might see you in Ennis for some of those fun runs over the Christmas!
Congrats on the new arrival also!

zenmonk · 17-12-2008 1:51pm

thanks Marie
will hopefully run the Ennis Track club Turkey trot on Stephen's Day. Might see you there.

buck65 · 22-12-2008 10:54am

well done keep at it

To Ballycotton and Beyond (or starting again)

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