Let the madness continue

4 miles this morning nice and steady. Had to keep an eye on the pace and keep dropping it back. Legs were feeling pretty good just a little bit of a niggle in the calf.

Looking at the weather out there at the moment I really hope things pick up a bit before next weekend. Wind and rain together just isn't fun.

Distance: 4
Pace : 8:51
Weather: wet
Totals

Week: 32.4
Month : 119:60
Year : 1290.79

Same run as Tuesday nights run. Felt really easy almost effortless. Just seem to be coming together nicely at the moment. Legs felt fine and everything was good.

Cue everythign falling to pieces on the last run Saturday.

Distance: 4
Pace : 9:26
Weather: dull
Totals

Week: 8
Month : 127:60
Year : 1298.79

So thats the last run out of the way. Just 3 miles nice and slow, felt a little niggle in my lower back but I'm guessing its nothing and will be fine by Monday.

Now just get the bag packed for tomorrow and hope that met eireann are having one of their off days

Been thinking what to do if the weather is as bad as promised, especially the wind, but I think I will stick woth the plan and hope for the best. I dont want to be giving myself excuses before I have even run a step.

Distance: 3
Pace : 9:15
Weather: wet
Totals

Week: 11
Month : 130:60
Year : 1301.79

Absolute disaster today. Back went into spasm after 10 miles. Barely broke 4 hours. Will post full report when my head is in a better place.

This race was the main target for the past 12 months. After last year I was determined to come back stronger and better trained and to put the demons from 2010 to rest. Training had gone reasonably well with just a few minor hiccups along the way. I had concentrated on getting more speed into the legs to go along with added endurance. My peak mileage weeks were ahead of last year and my total mileage was well ahead also.

With all of that in mind I lined up in plenty of time just behind the 3:30 pacers with the plan to stay right there all day if I could. I knew 3:30 was going to be tight especially with a few nagging doubts from some bad races recently, particularly the National half but I was trying to put those out of my mind as I hadn’t really targeted them or tapered properly.

Once we got going I settled into a nice relaxed pace beside the second of the pacers and while it was pretty humid I was feeling really comfortable. The first miles up to the park were really enjoyable, crowds were great and the running just felt easy. No sign of any of the niggles I had been having over the last month and I was feeling pretty confident. Into the park and on the North Road I noticed just how many people were ahead of the pacers, I don’t know if they were people from wave 2 gone out very fast or were we already coming up into the back of wave 1. The miles through the park just ticked along nicely having a bit if a chat with a few people and generally enjoying the atmosphere. Out of the park then and onto the first sharp climb which caused me to slow a little but I was right back onto the pace group straight away and still feeling good.

It was from here to the half way point that my race was essentially over. What started as a dull ache in my lower back around the10 mile mark fairly rapidly elevated into some serious pain. Unfortunately it’s a pain that I was once very familiar with but had not had any issues at all recently. I dropped the pace back to 8:30’s and popped a couple of pain killers in the hope that it would ease down but it wasn’t to be. Passed through half way about a minute off pace and I knew that 3:30 was gone for sure. My back was starting to spasm slightly at this stage as well, to go with the pain, but I figured that I would keep it going and try to salvage a PB at least. Pretty soon though the ain had spread from my back down through my glutes and into the hamstrings. I had promised myself before the start that whatever happened I wasn’t going to walk but I knew at this stage that if I didn’t do something I wasn’t going to finish as it would just lock up entirely. So I decided to allow myself to walk through the next water station. Once I slowed to a walk it didn’t feel as bad and after 30 second or so I started to run slowly again. Managed to get a mile or so and then had to walk again. This was the pattern for the rest of the day with the gaps between walks getting shorter and the overall pace getting slower. Even my running pace had dropped away. Stepped off the road a couple of time to try and stretch to see if that would help, I knew from experience that it probably wouldn’t but I had nothing to lose. At one of these times the 3:45 balloons went past me like a train and I knew that even a PB was gone. I got going again but from then on in I just didn’t care. It was shuffle along alternating slow jogging with even slower walking. The one positive again though was the crowds, their support was just fantastic especially over the last few miles.



I just got in ahead of the 4 hour pacers at the end so a full half hour off my target time. Back seized up pretty much entirely soon after I finished but as is usually the case with it, its settled down now and you wouldn’t even know there was a problem 2 days ago.

To say that I’m disappointed would probably be the understatement of the year, everything for the last 12 months had been geared towards this race and for things to have been going so well and feeling so comfortable before the arthritis that had been more or less under control for two years to rear its ugly head again at the exact wrong time and without any prior warning is pretty hard to accept.

I’m sure there are some positives to be dragged from this train wreck but I really can’t see them. I don’t really consider getting to the finish line an achievement, once the 3:45 pacers went by I gave up mentally and the only reason I did finish was that I didn’t think about not finishing.


26.2 miles in 3:59:50


Totals

Week: 26.2
Month : 156:80
Year : 1327.99

Ventured back out last Friday evening for an easy 3 miles as I had agreed to do a small pacing job in a local Fit4Life 5K on the Saturday. just wanted to see how the legs and body were. In general the legs were pretty muck OK, which added to my general frustration as it confirmed I left an awful lot out on the course. I did notice a pit of pain under the outside of my right foot though. No idea on tie left the watch at home.

Saturday I was down to do a 30 min 5K as part of the Fit4Life run but when I got to the hall I was asked to do a 26 min pace instead. I actually really enjoyed and had managed to get my split times pretty much spot on. Had a few with me coming into the last K and pushed them on and then tried to coax anyone behind to catch up. Finished just outside the 26 mins trying to coax the last person in under the time. Unfortunately he just missed out. Would love to try out a proper pacing job at a longer race sometime, definitely helps put a bit of a smile on your face.

I noticed pretty much straight away afterwards though that my foot was really sore and there was a definite limp coming on. I'm guessing its somethign to do with having to alter my stride on Monday and I must have been landing on the outside of the foot. Was very sore yesterday to put any weight towards the heel, bit better today though. Going to be taking a few more days than planned off I think.

Entered the Waterford Half as my last race of the year now so not sure how I'm going to approach it. I would like to get one good race under the belt bofore the year ends but will have to see how the foot holds up.

foot has only really started to settle down n the last couple of days.

Felt more or less ok today and was going to go out for a short run. thiught better fo it though and will wait until tomorrow.

Frustrated now but don't want to make things worse.

Interesting run this morning. Assumed it was going to be the normal Saturday morning run but turned into a bit of a local tour. Wound up turning off the road at one point and off down a gravelled forest path. I had no idea where we were going at this stage and just had follow along. Pace was fairly fast with a lot of the miles sub 8s apart from the first and the one off road which were around 8.30s

Definitely faster and further than I had planned for today but very enjoyable all the same. I did feel it a bit tough though on the last mile or so.

Decided I'm going to dig out the HRM again just to try and use it to get a better idea of the effort i'm putting in.

Distance : 7.82 miles
Pace :8:06
HR (max/avg): 187/173
Totals

Week: 11.82
Month : 17.92
Year : 1345.91

Relatively comfortable run today. Just 4 miles again but kept it feeling pretty handy. Again didnt focus too much on th ewatch just let the legs tick over.

Foot felt a little sore at the end again, first time in a few days. Im wondering if running on the footpaths might be causing some of it. Had been running on the roads over the weekend and it was grand.

Distance : 4.02 miles
Pace :8:20
HR (max/avg): 174/161
Totals

Week: 4.02
Month : 25.94
Year : 1353.93

No running Thursday or Friday due to work being a bit hectic and the legs feeling pretty wrecked. To be honest there was a bit of lack of motivation in there as well.

Went out this morning for my first longish run sonce Dublin. took the first 2 miles really handy (9:20 pace) and then just eased the pace up gradually to what felt just on the edge of difficult. Maintained a nice steady pace for the rest of the run and felt pretty good. forgot the HRM so no HR to track.

Foot has been a bit sore since I finished though, not too bad just uncomfortable on the outside of the right foot.

Think I might give the new 4 mile race in Abbey a go tomorrow just to try the legs out at a faster pace. Have never raced a 4 miler before.

Distance : 11.37 miles
Pace :8:40
HR (max/avg): ??/??
Totals

Week: 18.39
Month : 40.31
Year : 1368.3

Just an easy run today. Legs were a bit stiff from yesterday especially the quads and hips. Lovely day for a run no wind and temperature was perfect.

Foot seems fine again as well so all in all things going ok.

Distance : 5 miles
Pace :8:40
HR (max/avg): 172/161
Totals

Week: 5
Month : 50.31
Year : 1378.3

I have to get myself out of this slump. Nothing for the last 2 days again, found every excuse I could not to go out.
Todays run was jsut a handy 4 miles again. Nothing out of the ordinary really. Will 11 or 12 miles tomorrow morning to keep ticking over.


Distance : 4 miles
Pace :8:36
HR (max/avg): 177/158
Totals

Week: 13
Month : 58.31
Year : 1386.3