get to the chopper!

Huayra · 17-10-2013 06:35PM #1

I started running by training for a marathon from the beginning of August 2011. I got the running bug straight away. From about March/April 2012-May 2013, I was on and off. Getting cocktails of injuries, coming back to quickly, trying to ignore them and just run through it.

Finally, BB67 pointed me in the right direction and I joined Bray Runners in May this year. Its been a great journey getting back to consistent running, and Shanganagh park feels like my home now. Before I joined the club, I knew nobody, I ran alone. But now I've met lots of fascinating people and its nice to hear about their running history/experiences and advice.

It was a tough summer at first, but I knew I had to be extremely patient. I didn't get as much as I wanted done in June or July because I was still recovering from the mistakes of the past. In August I ran a 5000m on the track and was very disappointed at the time. But it was this race that finally shocked me to get back on track. I met a running buddy around this time, who I now do nearly all my training with. He has been a great coach at the same time too. The past 2 months I have felt very strong and consistent.

Every race I've done;
DCM October 2011-3:20:48
Dunshaughlin 10k June 2013-37:43
Malahide Parkrun 5k August 2013-17:46
5,000m Tullamore track-17:48
Frank Duffy 10 mile August 2013-62:14
Stamullen CC-24/55
Wicklow Novice CC-5th
Wicklow Intermediate CC-5th

Right now I'm focused on the cross country season. I will get onto the track next year and work on my middle distance speeds.

I'll start this log by adding the training I've done this week.

Monday; About 9 miles recovery(8 and a bit minute/miles).

Tuesday; Approx 11 miles, easy for first few miles and then a good steady pace below 7mm for most of the rest.

Wednesday; Easy 9 miles. Same run as Monday, high 7s pace.

Today; w/u 8X800m on path with 2 mins recovery. About 2:35 each. Slowest was 2:37 and last was 2:30. Really happy with this session. Very taxing but I was surprised at my pace. The transition from doing all my running on the grass to going onto pavements is huge. Goes to show how helpful the grass can be.

Now that I'm running and racing consistently, it will be a bonus to meet many of the other boardsies here.

pconn062 · 17-10-2013 08:36PM

Hi Huayra,

Good to see you started up a log, missed you over in Stamullen. Think I caught a glance of a bright orange singlet ahead of me in the race but I never caught you! Are you running the Leinster novice in Dunboyne next week? Good luck with the rest of the season.

Huayra · 18-10-2013 06:15PM

Easy jogging today after the brutul pace of yesterdays session. Legs felt fine though. Enjoyed it and was completely relaxed. Did just under 48 mins and over 5.5 miles. Already really looking forward to sundays session.

Hi pconn. Am going to Dunboyne so hopefully see you this time. Supposed to be a really nice route. Well done in your races so far. It must be a boost for you getting a 5 mile pb in a cc race. Am dying to see what road times we can get between 5-10k distances after the cross country season.

Huayra · 19-10-2013 01:58PM

Ground was noticeably softer after incessant rain yesterday. Did just over 14 miles averaging 7:49 pace. Legs stiff as they tend to be 2 days after a race/hard session. Pace wasn't effortless like I expected. This LSR on the road would be a different league, but I'm all about gaining strength at the moment. The roads and paths will be like rewards for the efforts on the grass.

Huayra · 20-10-2013 12:41PM

Got a quality xc style session in today that has brought me up approx 65 miles this week. Most I've ever done in a week. Nice to be in the 100k club now lol.
It was a tough session today, but I wasn't Catholic Churched after it like my thursday session. I wasn't willing to do 2 sessions that hard in the one week.

2 mile w/u. 4X100m strides, 4X1mile with 90 sec recovery, 2 mile w/d. 8.5 miles today.
I decided to give the spikes a go today as I've never worn them in a training session. I used my normal runners for the w/u and w/d. The surface and a bit of a wind meant it wasn't conducive for extreme speed today. I did the first mile in 5:55. I thought it would be faster than this, but at least I didn't struggle at all. Decided that 90 secs would be enough recovery if I kept them at this pace. Next 2 at exact same pace and last at 5:51. I felt like might have had a 5th in me afterwards so was happy. After the last one when I stopped my watch immediately, it read 1.03 miles so that means I must have been doing 5:4x for them. I'm feeling so confident off roads now. Just one short midweek session left before Leinster Novice next sunday.

Huayra · 21-10-2013 08:07PM

9.15 miles in 73:33. Easy run just over 8m/m. I can see this pace becoming tricky soon with the XC weather hitting us now. Now I'll be really getting strength from the grass before I get onto the track next year.

Huayra · 22-10-2013 07:43PM

Ease run @7:44 pace. Exact same run as yesterday. Felt better today. Much less stuffy. Training partner(coach) said we should just run easy for the week and no point in a session. He will be doing the masters race in Dunboyne on sunday. I'm building a good base now so I know the experienced runners here would be telling me to concentrate on easy miles. Am really looking forward to sunday, I should be as fresh as can be.

Huayra · 24-10-2013 07:23PM

Yesterday: 6.35@7:26
Today: Same run @7:22
Steady pace but was so eager to stretch the legs. Luckily I wasn't alone. Its good to be supervised by an expert for most of your running. No running tomorrow so the legs will be dying to race on sunday when they're needed most.

Huayra · 26-10-2013 05:20PM

4.7 miles @7:40 pace. Short 36 minute run to complete the training for Leinster Novice.
Gonna get some new runners soon. Been thinking about the DCM Expo but since I got home after run today, I've felt to lazy to do anything. Will get a pair next week sure.
In other news, I've just finished reading Charlie Spedding's book about his running career. I highly recommend giving it a read. Shows how doing miserable in sports day as a kid, doesn't mean you can't change things around :cool:

Krusty_Clown · 27-10-2013 12:13PM

Best of luck in Dunboyne! Hope you get a crackin' result.

Huayra · 27-10-2013 09:08PM

Good race in Dunboyne despite the weather and plenty of mud. At least it was a pretty flat course. Am being encouraged to go out harder so I don't have to do as much work in getting up the field later on. I usually feel weak at the start and it seems like everyone is way faster than me. I enjoyed working my way up the field in 2nd and 3rd lap though. I haven't been training long enough to be able to keep up with the fast guys at the start yet, someday they won't be way off in the distance. Had a nice sprint finish for the last few hundred metres. Passed a few but had to dig very deep, as everyone else in front also had enough to match my sprint pace.

Enjoyable day, 34/72 and did it in 22:28(just under 6:02mm).
Over 8 miles today, and 44 for week. Should have a good base behind me going into the new year

pconn062 · 27-10-2013 11:53PM

Cracking run man, you have great strength in those conditions.

Huayra · 28-10-2013 04:13PM

DCM Day
Surprised myself alright pconn. Am going through a strength boom now since August. My running recession is a distant memory now. You are also going through a boom too, judging by your log.

I’m not sure if it was the excitement and buzz of yesterday, but I didn’t sleep well and ended up getting up at 6. I had planned on starting the run today at 8 with Eddie(coach and training partner). Got my fuel in before the run. We didn’t want to start at 9, as we wanted to beat the elites to fosters avenue, get ahead of everyone lol.

Miles 0-9.15 in 72:47 (7:57m/m). Felt grand apart from tightness and niggles after the tough race yesterday. After running on the soft muddy surface yesterday, the grass actually felt very hard today in comparison.

Between 21 miles-35km mark(approx 10.30am-1pm); we drove to this point, as we had already done a decent recovery run today. Saw the elites pass by, coming down the steep hill onto fosters avenue. Was great to see a fellow bray runner so far up the field, some clowns have incredible endurance. Saw some more clubmates too who were also looking strong. Am really happy for them. The only other boardsies that I knew were KU and ronnie085. 2 very admirable runners. Well done guys, and everyone else who ran. Be proud of it.
Felt stiff as I was cheering at the sidelines so will be doing plenty of foam rolling, stretching and icing for a while now.

Huayra · 29-10-2013 08:55PM

We were onto the roads today for over 9 miles of handy running. Ran in Killiney, Dalkey, Dunlaoghaire and Blackrock area. Was a nice route. 72 minutes. Very easy start and finish with steady pace for most of the run. Need to be cautious as we get into a mixture of road and grass running. Floating along effortlessly today, but its important to remember that there is more impact on your leg muscles. The main thing is to get a balance of running on different surfaces. Not too much on the grass, or too much on the roads

Huayra · 30-10-2013 08:28PM

w/u for 35 minutes by running to Kilbogget Park. 4 strides(about 30seconds each).
6X500+m approx. on the straight from the rugby club to the end of the path at the n11 entrance. Was dark when we did them but we were on a straight path so was grand. The last 100-200m were the testing part as it was a steep enough uphill part. Garmin went so don't know the pace or exact distance. Good session, finished strong and the w/d didn't feel like I was shuffling along in a tempo lol, which is what some of my sessions have felt like. We will save the 7th gear for race days

Roughly 10.5 miles today

Huayra · 31-10-2013 08:45PM

68 minute run. Same 9 mile route as tuesday. Easy with some steady miles. Nice end to month. Best one I've had in a long time. Happy Halloween!!!!!!

Huayra · 01-11-2013 07:35PM

6.35 miles easy @ 7:50 pace on grass again. On grass for weekend and then roads from monday-thursdays.
Got a new pair of runners after the run. Mizuno Wave Inspire 9. Will continue using the Brooks for training on the grass, and the Mizuno for the tarmac.

Huayra · 02-11-2013 01:41PM

Tough conditions for a session today. 6X1000m with average 1:55 recovery. Average pace 3:25/km.
3:25,3:27,3:25,3:24,3:24,3:24. Glad I was able to keep them all pretty much the exact same. Was amazed after the 1st one to have gone that fast. Ground was surprisingly soft and the wind made us dig deep to keep the speed up. Yesterday when we were running the ground felt hard, but things must have changed overnight. Didn't wear spikes but we agreed that they might have made us a few seconds faster. Happy to get a quality workout in today.
8 miles done including w/u, 4X100m strides and w/d.

Huayra · 03-11-2013 12:56PM

14 miles @7:28 pace. Plenty of steady running today around fields in shanganagh park. Very nice day apart from a strong wind. Glad my session wasn't today, wind would have blown me up. 66 miles for week :eek:. Ease back week now as the Leinster Intermediate is next sunday. Can't wait.

Huayra · 04-11-2013 07:21PM

9.5 miles @7:36 pace. Easy run to get a feel for the new runners. I feel sharper in them. They are lighter and I can see myself performing well in them over the coming months.

Huayra · 05-11-2013 08:57PM

8.6 miles @7:16 pace. Good steady run. Strong pace at times as I won't be doing a session this week.

Huayra · 06-11-2013 07:56PM

Not sure of the distance, but definately over 10.6 miles in 77:39, about 7:15 average. Route included Killiney, Shankill, Ballybrack, Cabinteely. Tough route. Was easy for 1st 2.5 miles and last mile but going pretty fast for alot of it so was tired enough afterwards. When your well dressed, a good steady pace can nearly feel like a tempo. We will be taking it way easier tomorrow.

Huayra · 07-11-2013 07:43PM

Easy 6.95 miles @~7:17mm. Hope my cold clears up by sunday. No running tomorrow so that might help me.

Huayra · 09-11-2013 03:02PM

Easy 6.35 miles on grass @7:43 m/m. Legs have never felt better the day before a race, but I still have a cold and have a feeling it might turn into a cough tomorrow. Coughing a bit right now. I don't know what to do. Breathing was a bit heavy for the pace I was going at today, but not sure if it will affect me that much in the race. I will be adding a few hot chillis to my pasta dinner later. I'm going to have about a dozen cups of mint and lemon&ginger tea between now and going to bed tonight. Manuka honey is good with the lemon&ginger tea so will add plenty of that too. Really want to race

pconn062 · 09-11-2013 07:17PM

Hope you get to race tomorrow, these coughs and colds are very annoying. You're in great shape.

Huayra · 10-11-2013 12:45PM

Thanks pconn, it means alot. Be interesting to see how fast you can do a 5k on the road now, I also really want to try one soon.
I have been asking myself all morning and all yesterday if I should race today, and have just decided its best to forget it. Not worth it. Still have congestion in my throat. Shame really, my legs are dying to race but my head is disagreeing. I should be ok for an easy run tomorrow if I am better.
42 easy enough miles for this week done so at least that adds to the base.

Huayra · 11-11-2013 08:23PM

Easy run today. 9.64 miles @7:23m/m. Hilly but scenic route which went around Killiney Hill along the coast road. Enjoyable at the pace I was going. Think I'll be perfectly fine by the time wednesday's session comes around. Not a big deal missing one day yesterday.

Huayra · 12-11-2013 08:18PM

Did more than I expected today. 12.36 miles @7:26m/m(91:58 time). Kept it easy. Ran to Cabinteely and up N11 until Nutley Lane, left at Vincents and back up Merrion to Killiney. Good route apart from having to get out of the way of so many cyclists on N11. At least the planned session tomorrow will be short. Feel 100% fine again after the slight technical difficulties a few days ago.

Huayra · 14-11-2013 12:48AM

Got my first session in with the new Mizunos.
About 40 mins for w/u, w/d and 4X100m strides. And 6X510m for short session. 8.6 miles total today.
The session was the same one as today 2 weeks ago in Kilboggot. Was a challenge as we had the headwind for the entire 510m stretch. That along with darkness and a nasty incline for last half of the stretch, meant this was a character building session. The recovery was a jog back down to the start, after about 10 seconds waiting for coach to finish each rep(hes an elite as far as I'm concerned but he is not in form at moment) so was very generous. Even with the long recovery, it was such a tough session. I thought it would be pointless timing each rep. I decided to time the last one and it was 1:42(~3:20/km). Definately felt sharper doing session in these runners. Few extra seconds gap between me and ed today so im using that as a gauge for the performance of the Mizunos. At the end of the day, I have done plenty of sessions tougher than this so didn't kill myself today

Huayra · 16-11-2013 01:43PM

Thursday: 9.45 miles on road @7:28 pace.

Friday: 6.35 miles on grass @7:30 pace.

Today: 7.6 miles; w/u, 4X100m strides, 6X800m on grass, w/d.
Splits were 2:38, 2:42, 2:40, 2:39, 2:38, 2:34 and recovery was 2 minutes. I usually shuffle along for most of the recovery.
Was really happy with the session apart from the 2nd rep. A big malamute got in the way, and after the ordeal I sped up to make up time. That ended up taking alot out of me. They are the best dog breed in the world but when your really pushing yourself, you have to forget about everything else in the world and concentrate 100% on yourself.
Am looking forward to doing these sessioins on a track, will be aiming for 2:30 each.

Krusty_Clown · 16-11-2013 06:48PM

Huayra wrote: »

Thursday: 9.45 miles on road @7:28 pace.

Friday: 6.35 miles on grass @7:30 pace.

Today: 7.6 miles; w/u, 4X100m strides, 6X800m on grass, w/d.
Splits were 2:38, 2:42, 2:40, 2:39, 2:38, 2:34 and recovery was 2 minutes. I usually shuffle along for most of the recovery.
Was really happy with the session apart from the 2nd rep. A big malamute got in the way, and after the ordeal I sped up to make up time. That ended up taking alot out of me. They are the best dog breed in the world but when your really pushing yourself, you have to forget about everything else in the world and concentrate 100% on yourself.
Am looking forward to doing these sessioins on a track, will be aiming for 2:30 each.

Were you in Shanganagh? Saw one of those beasties ambling around the place, but thankfully I was just running easy. Nice session by the way.

get to the chopper!

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