Brownian Motion

Was going well on the resting front, until herself said "let's nip up Lugnaquilla". Five hours of hill walking followed. Nice walk, but perhaps not ideal prep for a long run on the Sunday.

A poor run today - I felt like I worked hard throughout, but the time doesn't reflect the effort. That in turn doesn't do anything for my confidence that I'll be able to knock out a decent run on Saturday.

Started out slow but soon had the pace up around the 4 minutes a kilometre. Felt like I was motoring along pretty handy up to the end of Kilgobbet park, but got to the 5km mark only at about 20:00 (best to date up to there was 17:30 and I'd have hoped to get there about 18:30 or so today...not a bit of it). Bit of a drag up the hill through Ballybrack and down to Killiney dart station. Sections of 3:45 pace, then hit the steep hill away from the sea, where speed predictably dropped to about 6:00/km up to the top. Listening to a rather dull lecture about Freud's relationship with Fister (ok, Pfister, but that's fisting with an Austrian accent) didn't help. Stopped at the top to watch a kayaker in Killiney bay being buzzed by three dolphins - a large male and two smaller ones. Probably the ones I saw in Dalkey sound earlier this summer. Lovely to see.

Handy spin down to Coliemore Harbour, up to Dalkey village and down to Bullock Harbour. Feeling the heat from here on in, and a stiff enough headwind along Tivoli Road back to Monkstown. Final spin up Monkstown Avenue and down to the Rock Road and home.

Definitely put some extra effort into this run, trying to keep a decent pace (sub 4/km where possible, since that'd be my goal pace on Saturday), but I don't think I prepared well - didn't drink a whole lot with lunch so was dry from the start, didn't take a gel or anything to drink en route, didnt' sleep all that well last night, went to bed late with a beer and a toastie cheese sitting on the gut...not quite Pfistinger and Douglas.

Gentle shorter run on Thurs, quick jog on Friday - that's my lot before the Frank Duffy. Then really have to think about some sort of plan to increase pace - the distance is going ok, but I'm 3 minutes per ten miles slower than pre-Connemara, which doesn't delight me.:(

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You definitely need a break from Freud!

Wondered if anyone would notice

Tapering a little coming up to Saturday's race, I shortened things down and took them a bit easier today, and will skip the club intervals this evening. Had a bite of lunch and a pint of water+sugar+electrolytes before heading out, and put on my boards running top for enhanced performance. Listened to a talk on pheronomes in badgers "human armpits are like badger bottoms". To my shock, those AttractaBurd tablets I've been buying off TrusteeFarmisy.com may not actually be based on hard science...but I may be more attractive to badgers than I expect.

Anyway, running was tight and uncomfortable to start with, and I kept a pretty tight rein on speed, never letting it get faster than 4:00/km. Found 4:15 pretty comfortable from a breathing and energy perspective, but doubt I could have done another 10 or 20km at that pace today. Legs were sore throughout - calves (as usual) and quads (more worryingly) both full of niggles. That's a few days that I've had this level of discomfort - if it persists after my week in France next week, I'll go for a beating to Ciaran Fitz. That'll remind me what discomfort really is all about.

Long stretch, big drink of juice+water plus a banana when I got in. Still a bit sore. One consolation is that Krusty seems to have similar malaise...if the superstars get it, then maybe my discomfort is a sign of incipient superstardom:)

TheGutterRunner- is that like TheRoadRunner only wetter and smellier?

Still in two minds about Saturday. One mind is
- Mind #1 - run at 6:00/mile pace for as long as possible. If I get near the end and am still alive, go faster and try to get under 60 minutes. This mind is largely fantasy and likely to lead to a 65-70 minute end result at best, injury or demoralisation at worst. But the only possible way I'll do better than with....

- Mind #2 - run at usual lunchtime pace or a little harder (say, 6:30 a mile). Aim for creditable if unspectacular 1:05 goal, which would be my fastest 10 miles since training for Conn, at which time I seemed to be able to knock off 65s twice a week. What happened to me since:(

There is of course a sort of middle ground, where I aim for 63 or 64. TBH, that doesn't seem much better to me than 65, and more risky.

Will decide on the day. Knowing me, it'll go like this
- half a mile at 6:30
- three miles at 6:00
- three miles at 6:30
- three and a half miles at 6:45
...unless I feel great, find that a gel at the start makes a massive difference and am swept up by a superstar group that I draft effortlessly all the way round.

Long-winded way of saying "target-me??"

Having felt poor most of the week, I wasn't looking forward to this. Got to the park nice and early, did some desultory warm-ups. Not quite as sore as the last couple of days, but legs not feeling the love, and lungs also not happy bunnies.

Strolled down to the under-85 bin (wasn't THAT pessimistic) but hung back maybe ten rows from the front. Met up with Derek, a friend who runs with Rathfarnham, and with whom I've run several Connemara Halfs, usually in or around the same pace. A few more stretches, ignoring a sense of dodgy stomach - why is there always an urge for a squidgy steamer 15 minutes before the off? It must be nerves, but it put me off my plan to take a gel before the start.

Slow enough start, getting past the many people in front, but by half a mile in myself and Derek were spinning along handy enough at about 6:20 pace. Kept this up to mile 5, pacing one another and keeping things under control. I could have run a little faster, but not sub-6, and I was very aware of the need to keep something in the tank. Took a gel just coming up to Chesterfield.

Broke away from Derek on Chesterfield after the 5 mile marker, and ended up putting about 20 seconds on him by the end. Ran the long gentle downhills between 5 and 8 a little bit faster, occasionally hitting 3:40 or 3:45 a km pace. Throttled back a little (to 4:00) on the flats. Looking forward to a gulp of water at the bottom of the steep hill, but sadly there wasn't one, and so had to keep going. I'd been reeling people in fairly steadily, if slowly, for miles 5-8, but was caught by a few speedsters too.

Bit of a crank up to the top of Acres Road, then the loooong flat back to the finish line. Tried to really hit pace around the 1km mark, but after 100m I knew I couldn't sustain 3:50, and dropped it to about 4:00. Went over the line as hard as I could, but not what you'd call a sprint finish.

They wouldn't give me a medium t-shirt (cheeky!), but the large is pretty medium, really. Got a good load of water and a couple of bananas, met up with Krusty the sub60 Clown, Aero2K, TheBoyBlunder, Aibhinn and one or two other speed merchants...they gave me that "63...you should be happy enough" encouragement that the sub-60s can afford :). Really, it was good to put some names on faces, and also to run into Mike from Bray Runners.

Gentle jog down to Parkgate Street (traffic in park unsurprisingly savage) and home for pancakes with nutella and rasberries (as a foreign friend so nicely puts it "tastes like an orgasm in your mouth" ) and to pack for tomorrow's week of wine, cheese and easy jogging in France.

Overall, I'm pretty happy. I was sincerely expecting a 67/68 pain fest; instead I managed (just) negative splits and ran in or around 4:00 kms, which is adequate. Not sub-60 this time, but someday it might happen... And, of course, it's a PB!

Headed out this evening after a reasonable amount of warm-up, just to jog around easy and see if my sore right knee or tight (tight) left+right achilles were going to behave. Sure enough, the first mile or two felt tight and sore, but then it loosened out. Wore full-length tights for the first time in months - after France, Ireland feels cold (expect to see Krusty in his snorkel jacket after Calfornia:)). Apart from the dead dog, I saw no sign of mountain lions or snakes in France.

Pleasant spin along the usual linear park, listening to the opening chapters of Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities. Actually, given that I'd no great energy and no savage urge to run, I'm pretty happy that I just went and did it, and that, after a while, I found some reasonable pace without killing myself.

Home then for a long stretch, some foam rolling (ITB hell, can't put much weight on it), a pint of strawberry milk and a late dinner (mmmm, steak, nice break from the cheese). Actually, I'd be happy to lose a few pounds between now and DCM, but the accepted wisdom seems to be NOT to cut down on your calories. However, I'll try to cut down on the chocolate and beer that represent the bottom of my food pyramid

Major trauma ahead - back to getting up at 0630 and bringing the sprogs to school. Those evenin's are a drawin-in...can't wait. Urgh.

Delighted to see that the odd person with nowt better to do is reading the log occasionally. Thanks for thanking - I don't mind talking to myself, but real peer pressure is also good.

Nothing in the way of running today - just some stretches and a stroll.

Sorry, Krusty, no pictures of the dead dog. Cloud of flies would have ruined the shot anyway. Picture a big brown heap covered in fur and black flies; add a broad rothweiler-shaped head and a bushy retriever-style tail, and you've got it.

Mind you, compared to the Coyote trails you're on, at least the French ones are scenic and free of chicken wire, industrial estates and hobos.

Back to usual whinges - ITB still giving me gyp. Hopefully will get a beating from cfitz in the next day or two, and also some extra stretches. Am stretching the Achilleses pretty religiously, but still look like an old man when I get out of bed in the morning, doing a sort of John Wayne meets Long John Silver walk for the first few minutes, and going downstairs clutching the banister....

Ten somethings tomorrow, depending on how I feel, and back to the club on Thursday, now that I've actually paid money and filled in a form.

Didn't get the Garmin working properly on this run...did show the pace (typically 4:20-5:00 per km, lots around the 4:30 mark) but somehow seems to have lost the distance data. Tedious.

Anyway, after a good seeing to from Mr Fitz, felt somewhat looser today. Then down to Bray to the Bray Runners meet. No intervals/racing today, just a "general run", with people breaking up into groups at whatever pace suited. Spun along with whoever would have me. Didn't feel massively strong, but then I don't usually run two days in a row, so the body may be complaining.

After run, did a few stretches, filled the car with petrol (90 euro!!! - owing a BMW isn't all it's cracked up to be:eek:) and tootled home. Trying to get another hour's work out of the old body, but the mental focus is waning.

Rest day tomorrow, with some stretches and mebbe a trifle of cross-training.

This is a bit more like it. Felt strong throughout, and put in a fair amount of sub-4 kilometres. Nice tailwind in the first half, pig of a headwind at times going back. First 4.5 km average was under 3:50 per km, then stopped for two minutes to catch breath because I was trying just a bit too hard (18 mintues for 4.66...a fair bit off my PB of 17:30 for 5km on the same run).

Next 2 km were uphill through Ballybrack and then down along by Killiney dart station, averaging 3:51. Actually, that's pretty good, as the uphill's not that trivial, and I didn't sprint the seafront. Bono's house hill is hard, and I deliberately throttled back; the first 500m in particular are savage, and the discussion of whether or not it's best to leave your company to your children didn't lift the legs; the 750m of climbing averaged 5:35 (it really is rather steep, is my excuse). Definite room for improvement there - must plan a hill run soon.

From there, a long cruise down to Dalkey, along the windy seafront and back up home (8.64km) averaged 4:14, which isn't too far off marathon pace. The secret, apparently, is to do as the Japanese do - if you eldest son is a loser, adopt a better one, aged about 25, so that you keep the company in the family without loss of performance.

Without the headwind, could have cut a minute or two off this...I put in plenty of effort and hadn't a whole lot left in the tank at the end. But the upside is that I felt strong for a lot of it, and the GPS agrees - without Bono's hill and the headwind, and with slightly smarter pacing, this could have been better.

Going to try to get a few more miles in this week, aim for 40, rather than 33, which is all I've been doing of late. Maybe a five mile gentler run tomorrow, and then another ten on Thursday, even if this means missing the club race....

Going up to Connemara I was putting in runs like 18 to 20 at 7 minutes; I need to find that speed and endurance again if I'm going to run well in Dublin.

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Hey Brownian, how about a different approach. Start steady and finish off the last 5k at 19:30 rather that the first 5k? Pushing every 10miler too will tire you. You could try an easy on at say 4:30 pace with km intervals at 3:50 pace. The last 16 km run I did I split into 23, 22 and 21 min 5ks with the last km picked up to make it a sub 70 run. It was a good run.

Your Conn form was super alright and I remember you doing lots of 10 mile training runs at 70 mins. What is the difference between this approach at then?

I wish I knew the difference; apart from my pre-Conn runs being 65/66 instead of 6m minutes, I amn't doing anything much different. I did a fair amount of hill runs prior to Conn (including an epic 20mile recce of the WW ultra with Dpop, KC, JeffonTour and Mithril); these were slow (6 minute kms) runs, but maybe they built some hardiness that allowed me to go faster in my widweek runs. And I did more or less religiously drink 750mls of carbo/water before the ten-milers last time - maybe that suits me better than the nutella sandwich and cup of tea.

I'll try your 23/22/21 approach next time I'm out, and I'll go for the Torq drink rather than the sandwich.

Next up - 15 miles at the weekend, about 7 min/mile. Might do a 5 mile easy run tomorrow, to shift today's lactic acid (there's gotta be plenty of it).

BTW ran in support socks this evening, having worn them this afternoon. Legs certainly felt surprisingly good this afternoon while wearing them.

liamo123 wrote: »

Thats some days running Brownian.... Fair play tough ur going to b a sore boy tomorrow morning :pac:

Thank you! I fear you're not wrong.

Got some advice after the race from one of the lads who left me for total dust - get a solid session in tomorrow, so that tomorrow's pain make you forget today's discomfort (at least that's my interpretation). Might actually try to get 5 miles easy (8:00s, mebbe) in tomorrow, shift some of this lactic acid.