Is it Now?

donothoponpop · 04-03-2010 01:34PM

Mon 1st Mar 1 hour weights, upper body stuff.

Thurs 4th 13k hill run.

Legs felt very tight on Mon/Tue (DOMS from the weekend?), so I held back from going out, being very cautious at the moment. Yesterday's run just never materialized, so it was with some relish I took the opportunity this morning to exit the door towards Annagh Hill. A crisp frosty spring morning, I dumped the bike at the start of the trail, and headed on and up onto the trails. Coillte are busy wrecking the forests, so that we may have low-grade MDF panels and firewood, so many of the more off-road trails were ploughed up by heavy machinery.

However, once past all that industry, I came onto open mountain, and began a long and hard climb up to the ridge. The views from here are incredible, over to Wales on one side, and accross to Lug on the other. Managed to find a new (to me) sheep-trail thats very runnable, that leads to a fast grassy downhill. Stopped along the way to make a snowball, but otherwise good solid running. Came down along some fast track, and back to the bike for a handy hour and a bits running.

donothoponpop · 07-03-2010 07:31PM

Sun 711k Hill run

First principles: it was a glorious sunny spring day, so I took the two kids on their first proper hill climb today, all the way up to the top of Annagh Hill, the route is on the right, along the tree line. It's a steep 1:3 gradient with 700m of clumpy grass, and we stopped for a breather a couple of times, but the thought of snowball fights at the top kept them going. When we finally reached the summit, they were a bit dissappointed that the last of the snow was a lone meter square patch of white, but there were four paragliders circling the summit, at times only meters above our heads, so the kids were able to wave and shout at them. I was dead chuffed that my two little kids had managed to climb this far, and they really enjoyed it, even allowing for the few tumbles on the descent.

The reason I mention this, besides being a proud dad, is that I've challenged a mate to run all the way up this climb, he reckons he can do it, I reckon he was very bored and very thirsty in work when I set this challenge, with a beer for a prize. We shall see.;)

Anyway, set off later from home for a handy 11k loop around a much easier hill, great to be out running on a day like today. Tomorrow I start an eight week training plan, for the Limerick 10k.

Slogger Jogger · 07-03-2010 07:55PM

Brilliant

Haven't seen paragliders yet. Saw a single seater plane flying low yesterday.

Headed out this afternoon and did an out and back run - 20k total - taking in some of the Wicklow way around Ballycumber lane. Came across a stile and sign for a new waymarked trail - Kyle loop - which I googled later to see that its part of a 16k loop from Mangans. Sounds like a training loop lies in wait for us.

A great day for running. I must take a leaf from your book and bring the kids out.

BTW, Croaghan featured in the Irish times travel supplement yesterday. I nearly didn't recognise the map as the approach is from the Coolgreany side.

donothoponpop · 07-03-2010 08:29PM

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Headed out this afternoon and did an out and back run - 20k total - taking in some of the Wicklow way around Ballycumber lane. Came across a stile and sign for a new waymarked trail - Kyle loop - which I googled later to see that its part of a 16k loop from Mangans. Sounds like a training loop lies in wait for us.

I almost ran this route this evening, I agree that its a-callin' to us. Soon enough. There's a few other loops the Tinahely Walkers have etched into local maps.

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

A great day for running. I must take a leaf from your book and bring the kids out.

All runners with a non-running partner will recognize The Stare you get when you cheerfully mention you're just heading out for a quick two hour run. Ways I've found around this are to bring the kids to the forest on their bikes, and I can get in a fast enough 6k run. Taking them up mountains is the first step in babysitting as I recce the Circuit of Avonbeg:)

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

BTW, Croaghan featured in the Irish times travel supplement yesterday. I nearly didn't recognise the map as the approach is from the Coolgreany side.

Never yet ran to its summit. Spoiled. For. Choice. Are. We.

donothoponpop · 08-03-2010 08:30PM

Mon 8th March 6k run, half hour weights.

My marathon plans that became half marathon plans have now become 10k plans. (Pretty soon I'll be running the 100m dash). The reason being I want to strip things back to basics, build up a bit of speed, and having done a 10k 8 weeks from now (Limerick), will start on longer stuff for imra summer races, hopefully building up to a Krustyesque Dublin marathon sub3 attempt in the autumn.

So day one, and Hal Higdon sends me out for a three mile run. It was very hard to keep this short and sweet, but I think tomorrow's tempo session will thank me.

donothoponpop · 09-03-2010 10:16PM

Tue 9 30 min tempo

Headtorch on, and out into the starscape for day two of Hals training schedule, an easy ten minutes build up to ten at 10k pace. No watch on, so this was done on feel, and it felt bloody great to be running fast for a while, under the bright lights of Orion. Ten minutes steady back home, and that was that, short'n'sweet.

PositiveNegativ · 10-03-2010 03:15PM

donothoponpop wrote: »

Sun 711k Hill run

The reason I mention this, besides being a proud dad, is that I've challenged a mate to run all the way up this climb, he reckons he can do it, I reckon he was very bored and very thirsty in work when I set this challenge, with a beer for a prize. We shall see.;)

Pint. Yummy.

donothoponpop · 10-03-2010 03:23PM

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

Pint. Yummy.

All this forum talk of "Man vs Horse" races, and a dead car battery made me miss "Man vs Mountain Goat". 9:27 is a very good time, kudos to that goat.

donothoponpop · 11-03-2010 12:17PM

Thurs 11th 10k including 6x400 @85/86sec

Yesterdays hill run was aborted, I was meant to meet PositiveNegativ and run a steep part of Annagh Hill, but my damn car battery was dead. Just about cycled over to see him on the top, which he scaled in well under ten minutes. My own attempt will have to wait till perhaps the weekend, and my goal is very much to just run all the way without walking.

I now owe him a pint, so I jogged up to the forest, all the while looking for coppers by the side of the road to pay for it. No luck. Garmin at the ready, I set off for my first intervals in over half a year, and I knew they would feel tough. Schedule was for each 400 at about 90 seconds or so, but I have no idea of pace at the moment, so I just took off at a speed that felt like work. When doing intervals of any length, I feel a good indicator that you're doing them right, is that you want to slow down at half way, and are hanging on in there at three quarters mark. So it felt today, in the event I was pretty consistant with pace, they all felt tough, and I had to persuade myself to do the last two. Happy enough with the standard, one of these a week for a while now.

Jogged back looking in the opposite gutter, no luck there either.

Krusty_Clown · 11-03-2010 04:47PM

Fair play to ya. Those 400s are tough. Particularly when you get to the 10-12 repetitions. Don't envy you one bit! It's such a relief to finish (and survive!) one of these sessions though, that it nearly makes it worthwhile.

donothoponpop · 13-03-2010 06:27PM

Sat 13 13k including 3.5k @ 10k pace

There's got to be a few besides me who look at the HH plans, and think, easy peasy, low milage, 5k runs, sure its over before its started. Boy, am I changing my mind quickly, give me marathon training any day. The thing with Hal is, its all about the effort, which can be pretty intense.

After a few k warm-up to the forest, I took off at 10k pace- no watch, pretty hard. Soon I was panting, and after 2k developed an almighty stitch in my side, which meant I had to slow a bit for 500m or so, but picked it up again to finish with a flourish, the "almost puking" sort of flourish that says you're on the right track.

donothoponpop · 16-03-2010 06:27PM

Mon 7k easy

Legs were wrecked all day Sunday, felt better after this light run. Upper body weights after.

Tue 9.5k hill run.

In lieu of the prescribed 40 min tempo run, I headed off to a new hill trail at Tinahely for 50 minutes. Ran for about 15 min hard on the uphill, around Ballycumber Hill. The views from the top are fantastic, I love this part of the world. Lots of new trails to explore over the summer.

Found the uphill running tough enough, and I wasn't going at any great pace either, I guess this is to be expected after putting on a few pounds on my lay-off. Tried doing the "Puppet-on-a-string" downhill, and- guess what?- it works.:D

BeepBeep67 · 16-03-2010 09:06PM

donothoponpop wrote: »

6x400 @85/86sec

At this rate we'll have to get you on the track in the Summer

Slogger Jogger · 16-03-2010 09:46PM

Thought you'd like that new trail alright

donothoponpop · 16-03-2010 10:04PM

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Thought you'd like that new trail alright

I was running it clockwise, and missed a turn. No matter, there's so many ways to do the same thing, and scaled Ballycumber. Nice and grassy up there all right. I foresee plenty of weekend running around these parts:)

donothoponpop · 19-03-2010 11:37AM

Wed 5k easy.

Fri 7x 400m one @ 89, rest @ 85 secs.

These intervals were scheduled for yesterday, a day spent waiting for the weather to break, and dreading when it would. In the end, I never got out, so this morning I set off early. There's no getting away from these sessions, they are tough! The first 400 went well, but from then on, the familiar burning in the body after 150m began. Nevertheless, I kept a steady pace, and they felt marginally easier than last weeks.

No. 5 was slower, I set off at an easier pace, to "experiment"- really an experiment to see what would happen if I took it handier, oh, goodness, I run slower! Finished off the last two at a harder pace for penance, and I was using every mental trick in the book to keep going till the line. Very happy to have these done till next week.

BeepBeep67 · 19-03-2010 01:40PM

donothoponpop wrote: »

Wed 5k easy.

Fri 7x 400m one @ 89, rest @ 85 secs.

These intervals were scheduled for yesterday, a day spent waiting for the weather to break, and dreading when it would. In the end, I never got out, so this morning I set off early. There's no getting away from these sessions, they are tough! The first 400 went well, but from then on, the familiar burning in the body after 150m began. Nevertheless, I kept a steady pace, and they felt marginally easier than last weeks.

No. 5 was slower, I set off at an easier pace, to "experiment"- really an experiment to see what would happen if I took it handier, oh, goodness, I run slower! Finished off the last two at a harder pace for penance, and I was using every mental trick in the book to keep going till the line. Very happy to have these done till next week.

I find focussing on form and breathing (2-2), helps them go by faster.
Where are you doing them?

donothoponpop · 19-03-2010 01:47PM

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

I find focussing on form and breathing (2-2), helps them go by faster.
Where are you doing them?

Running them on forest trail, which is bendy, bumpy, stoney and muddy, underfoot. Garmin measured. Maybe 40 secs jog recovery in between. Reason being:

Bendy: I can focus on reaching the next bend, then the next, etc.
Bumpy, stoney, muddy: To simulate my preferred race conditions, ie., mountains.
Recovery: Again, to suit the hills enviroment (tough uphill followed by short flat recovery followed by more tough uphill).

I did some last year on a cinder track, and on grass track, with more recovery, and was going a fair bit faster, but that may be more because I was fitter, rather than smoother terrain.

**Edit** Agree with you on focussing on breathing and form- both for physiological reasons, as well as giving you something else to take your mind off the pain!

Krusty_Clown · 19-03-2010 02:22PM

It really is a bloody relief to get them over with for a whole week, isn't it?!
I started out doing 45 seconds easy run between reps, but towards the end of the training program, increased it to 60 seconds, as I wasn't recovering enough to run the next interval with good running form. I also made the mistake of wearing too many layers for these sessions. Shorts + singlet (or mankini, if you're running in a remote mountain area).

donothoponpop · 19-03-2010 02:46PM

Yup, I took off three layers after the first one. Modesty prevented any more nudity, but some day I intend running free on a mountaintop- far away from any camera's, video recorders, or lightening sketch artists!

@BB- what's that 2-2 thing about?

BeepBeep67 · 19-03-2010 04:13PM

donothoponpop wrote: »

@BB- what's that 2-2 thing about?

breathe in for 2 steps and out for 2 steps, normally what you should be doing when working hard, but reminding yourself to do it and concentrating on it can make 100mts go by without thinking about the pain.

Just had a quick google and there's a good piece on running economy here with a paragraph on breathing further down.

donothoponpop · 20-03-2010 07:54PM

Sat 20 March 8 k incl. 3.5 at 10k pace

5 miles, including a long lap of Marlay Park in 14 minutes, which I think covers my 10 pace. Lots of people running/jogging, great to see. Three hours of calculus for warm down.

donothoponpop · 22-03-2010 01:12PM

Sun A few easy strides.

Started Community Games training with a bunch of kids, easy strides, jogs, etc. Think I'm too hard on them though, they were keen to collapse on the ground after each set, and one poor girl puked at the end. Numbers had dictated she was against me in a relay leg, and she really went for it!

Mon 13k Hill run.

My ITB was hurting a bit (I couldn't walk for a while after strides yesterday), so I went on an easy 10k run, which became hillier and longer as I felt fine. Took some of the steeper climbs up Hillbrook and Annagh hill strong enough. Longish runs like this almost make me miss trainer for the longer stuff- although plenty of time for that later in the year.

donothoponpop · 23-03-2010 07:58PM

Tue 6k easy

The leg muscles were tightish and sore today, so this scheduled easy run was very welcome.

Thought I'd share this with anyone who is interested: I'm doing a degree in Maths, and sometimes come across some beautiful math-related stuff. Here's a short little video called Nature by Numbers which has the added bonus of a great Wim Mertens soundtrack. Not a jot to do with running, but very enjoyable!

donothoponpop · 24-03-2010 12:45PM

Wed 10k Hillbrook loop 50 mins, with 5k tempo.

The sort of dull grey rainy morning that you just have to go out the door on autopilot, or you could think about it all day inside. After the first 8 minutes I hit a hill, and ran hard enough up it until the halfway point. Took a short breather jog at the crest, and upped the pace again, hard going. The last couple of k were slow enough.

Found this tempo tough enough, and I'm going to have to concentrate on my running form, which is shot to pieces at the moment.

donothoponpop · 25-03-2010 02:04PM

Thurs 8x400m intervals.

Breakthough! The past couple of tempo sessions have been proceeded by a rest day, usually after a hard tempo workout. This has been due to fatigue, and the body finding any excuse to put off the painful interval session. However, the correct way to do them is one the day after the other, so you get in two hard sessions before DOMS sets in. That's what I did today, with great results.

Times were 80secs, 81, 81, 85, 80, 81, 85, 82. I felt strong for most of them, as though there was a couple of extra gears if needed, compared to the last weeks intervals. Worked on running form and breathing, especially upper body, and found it paid dividends. The last two felt a lot tougher than the first six, but thats to be expected. A good bit faster than before: next week I should hope to throw in a few under 80 seconds.

Krusty_Clown · 25-03-2010 03:06PM

You're really flying. Great to see the full recovery and return to full speed (that's the same pace I was running the 400s in November). I didn't realize that the scheduling of these two runs one day after the other might be down to avoiding Doms. I thought Hal Higdon was just a cruel and bitter man.

By the way, I won an orange 'run like an animal' technical top a couple of weeks ago. IIRC this was the top favoured by the guy I used to chase over the IMRA hills not so long ago. They sent me a large one though. Any use to you? I'll swap it for a link to another nifty video.

donothoponpop · 25-03-2010 03:48PM

Cheers Krusty. I must admit, when I first started these intervals a while back, I glanced over your log to get a feel for times! Right now, I'm just very happy to be following a program and making progress, anything that approaches your standard is very much a bonus:)

I still have my orange top (wore it today!), but there's always room for one more (in fact, my kit drawers are bursting after those Nike deals!), thanks! Your chances of me being a bright orange target in this summers IMRA races have just doubled...;)

donothoponpop · 30-03-2010 08:22PM

^My side of the deal KC, a link to lots of proper Maths videos, from the brilliant Khan Academy. They're the real deal, but if you wanted something lighter, try this M.C. Escher spoof.

Sat 13k easy.

Was in London for a few days, so (after a pub lunch of fish'n'chips with two and a half pints of warm flat ale) went for a run from the depressing hotel anonymity of Slough, to the Seb Coe fabulousness of Windsor and Eton, via several fields, trails, and paths along the Thames, up the hill to the highly impressive Windsor Castle. Like any good Irishman I pissed against the walls scowled silently at the absent Queen, before heading back the way I came. Magnificent area to run in.

Sun 30 mins dreadmill

6am down at the gym, running into my mirrored viz in an underventilated room, waiting for some red digits to reach 30:00. Very happy when they did.

BeepBeep67 · 30-03-2010 09:00PM

donothoponpop wrote: »

Like any good Irishman I pissed against the walls scowled silently at the absent Queen

LOL

Is it Now?

Comments