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Speedy Gonzales or Slowpoke Rodriguez?

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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Sliabh Bloom half marathon. http://runalong.net/slieve2014
    Organiser is local Liam Dunne who has done some IMRA races over the years and does a share of fell running over in the UK.
    I expect the local Laois runners will be out in force and if so they'll be favorites. If I'm within 10% of them I'll be happy.
    Training going well. Clocking my runs on strava if you wanted to link up.

    Best of luck! I just logged into Strava again the other day so Ill look you up!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,800 ✭✭✭thirstywork2


    Hope you went up atleast a half size in the 1400's,very small fitting but excellent grip.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,441 ✭✭✭Slogger Jogger


    Nice result today T. Looking forward to hearing about it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Wednesday PM:

    Easy 12.5k easy

    Thursday:

    AM: 12.5k easy
    Lunch: 5k easy
    PM: easy cycle home

    Friday: Rest

    Saturday: 27km Including Cooley Legends Half marathon Report below or Full Report HERE

    Sunday:
    Rest due to Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

    Monday:
    Rest DOMS

    Only 111k for the week. A lot less than planned but two days off. DOMs nearly cured now. Will get strength from that pain. Could have done an easy cycle or two to help, but decided to take the two days off for Easter.

    Happy with race fitness. My nutrition and hydration was good for the whole week (only meat was fish) which meant energy levels on the day were good. As well as the more rounded schedule im doing a little core, strength and stretching. Only a little I need to improve, but the routine is bedded now hopefully.


    Cooley Mountains Half Marathon:

    2nd in 86:20

    (full report linked above)

    Anyway, off we went. I wasn’t going to lead or push the pace under any circumstances. Nobody else was either it seemed, so the pace was steady enough, a Newry City vested runner taking it out as far as Lumper’s. Around there a strong looking guy in Tri Rig-out took the lead (later discovered his name is Shane Tobin, a local Glenmore Athlete). Tri Athlon guys are dangerous. The cycling strength gained directly helps climbing strength. The nature of Tris/duathlons means they are running hard after fatiguing these muscles, exactly what this race required.

    I was sitting in about 4th and keeping it steady. As we turned off road Shane started working into his climb and pulling away. Mathieu went after him, and myself and another guy (Graham Hopkins) climbed steadily in 3rd and 4th. Grahams pace looked strong and under control. I got into a good rhythm and took 3rd after a few minutes. At this stage the race was between the 4 of us a felt as we had a sizeable gap back to 5th. I saw I was gaining on Mathieu and opening a gap on Graham. I sensed Graham wasn’t tiring but just running at a sustainable pace as I was. I had a bad feeling that the leader was doing likewise.

    I passed Mathieu and could at last concentrate at focusing the evil eye on the race leaders back. To keep me focused I started taking time checks on the gap. He passed a bush: take the time….check when I pass it….35 seconds. I also knew the elevation of the 2-3 high points here. With elevation displayed on my GPS it easier to know how much climbing remains etc. As the climb levelled out I took the time again….36 secs. Not bad..Keep it going, I thought. When we get to the open mountain stuff I should have an advantage…particularly on the down. We now went off forest road on the first long side of the open mountain rectangle. Sadly, from my viewpoint the leader seemed to take the rougher ground confidently. I kept the effort up, and we passed a mountain biker marshall at the end of this side. I asked him the gap, he said 34 secs and I was happy with that. I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t been taken Johnny McCabe’s pre-race instruction to plough through the first mud puddle. I had packed my brand new pair of racers; they were perfect for the course with decent grip. I assumed only the one mud puddle, I skipped around 3, and the 4th one was not accepting any shortcuts so in I went. As a hill runner, I bow my head in shame…..should have ploughed through them all.

    Anyway, before I knew it we were descending and the road was visible. I had gotten a little tired over the open mountain section and I could see the leader exiting onto the road at the refreshment stop, into Glenmore valley, in good shape with what looked like a bigger gap. I took 2 cups of water, drank half of one and dumped the rest on my neck and head. Put the cups in the bin provided, (leave no trace) and headed out onto the tarmac in pursuit. There is a few dips and climbs on the way to the Windy gap with little net increase in altitude. These were starting to hurt a little and I wasn’t able to really attack here as I had hoped. Another gap check put the deficit at 55 seconds and this was bad news indeed. I saw the leader turn at the windy gap and look over to check the pursuers’ positions. After turning myself, I tried to run as close to the red line as possible. Looking across for anyone behind me….I couldn’t see anyone at all back the road…just concentrate on the man in front so. If there was someone close behind at the pass I might not have seen them though……

    I wasn’t gaining though and when we started catching 10k runners I started losing sight of Shane behind 10k runners. As we turned off –road at Goylan pass, although I was told the gap was only a minute, I felt it was more like 90 seconds. Again on the first zig and zag the leader was able to check the pursuit. I was still there, just about, but the race was firmly under his control. My plan was to get to the pass as quick as possible and descend all out to the line. A couple of minutes can easily be gained with a very good descent and anything can happen in a hill race. I struggled with the climb though; managing it in just less than 12 minutes…I was hoping for 11… I kept my promise and descended very hard…..the route descends through Carlingford Commons, north around a few large boulders before zagging back South. After the boulders I struggled over a rough section of a couple of hundred metres……looking up it was clear that the leader was off the mountain safely, a big lead still intact with only a mile or so of tarmac to negotiate to the line. I realistically had no chance anymore. I eased right back to steady effort in order to knock a couple of days off my recovery time. I covered my posterior by checking behind before each turn, off –road and then through the boreens above the town. Same strategy as I neared Carlingford itself. I saw 84 mins on my watch and wondered if the leader had beaten the excellent record set by Ryan Maxwell last year.

    I eventually made it onto the main street and crossed the line. I congratulated the leader, inquired after his time low-ish 83 and the record.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,441 ✭✭✭Slogger Jogger


    Great time and great result T & nice report too.

    Down south the half marathon I did is very hill runner friendly. near 400m of climb on a mix of road and fireroad with most of that climb in the first 8k. Managed a 10th place in 92 mins so was happy enough. 2 IMRA runners in the first 2 spots - Mike Cunningham and Aengus Burke.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Great time and great result T & nice report too.

    Down south the half marathon I did is very hill runner friendly. near 400m of climb on a mix of road and fireroad with most of that climb in the first 8k. Managed a 10th place in 92 mins so was happy enough. 2 IMRA runners in the first 2 spots - Mike Cunningham and Aengus Burke.

    Well done Slogger. Nice time there yourself!

    Views on the Cooleys were unbelievable. Id say it would be a very different race in wet/windy/cold conditions.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,370 ✭✭✭pconn062


    Great run T, well done.

    Shane Toner I believe is the winners name, I know the name from doing a few road races in the County here with him. Very new to this running lark and has made serious gains in a short space of time.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    pconn062 wrote: »
    Great run T, well done.

    Shane Toner I believe is the winners name, I know the name from doing a few road races in the County here with him. Very new to this running lark and has made serious gains in a short space of time.

    Thanks P. He's got a serious future if he's still on an improving curve. I did notice that his musculature was not as defined say, as a runner/triathlete on high volume over several years. His competence over the rougher stuff was also puzzling/disconcerting. A new local runner used to training on those hills with big potential solves the puzzles. I couldn't get close to him at all.

    I see his running club Glenmore AC have a 10 miler on 14th June. We holiday a bit in Giles' Quay so I know thw roads of Glenmore well enough. Thinking about suggesting another family weekend away and heading up for a rematch!
    Im in the North City and anywhere in Co. Louth is extremely accessible due to the M1 obviously so if you know of any good races coming...any type....let me know.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭Peterx


    T runner wrote: »
    Im in the North City and anywhere in Co. Louth is extremely accessible due to the M1 obviously so if you know of any good races coming...any type....let me know.

    A NIMRA Hill & Dale Thursday sometime?
    Get a carload of city based IMRA lads heading up for the evening.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Peterx wrote: »
    A NIMRA Hill & Dale Thursday sometime?
    Get a carload of city based IMRA lads heading up for the evening.

    Sounds like a great plan!

    Binnian to the top on May 8th is one that jumps out initially.

    Happy to do any of the accessable ones though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭Peterx


    T runner wrote: »
    Sounds like a great plan!

    Binnian to the top on May 8th is one that jumps out initially.

    Happy to do any of the accessable ones though.

    Yep. We did that one before. Great fun and a short sharp savage all out effort.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Peterx wrote: »
    Yep. We did that one before. Great fun and a short sharp savage all out effort.

    Yes indeed. "Uphill tempo" is how I'll rationalize that one into my 10k program.

    You had a great race that day and I reckon were only denied the win because the NIMRA folks had a sneaky way around that quarry yoke at the bottom!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭Peterx


    I thought it was because the other guy was stronger :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Tuesday 22/4

    Lunch: 10.5k easy Killiney Hill
    PM 12.5 k easy

    Felt strongish. Still a bit sore from DOMS

    Wed 23/4

    Lunch: 10k easy Killiney Hill..slightly different route
    PM 12.5 k easy inc 10 x 100m strides

    Tired today strides completed OK, but a bit of a struggle.
    Easy running for another day before a session.

    The next training week in order is:

    25min LT
    Distance run with 8 x 30s surges
    2 x 4 mile @MP
    Long Run 15 mile

    I'm thinking of changing the week to doing the long runs on a weekday. I work close enough to Dublin hills so can take an evening for a long run, which suits better than a de facto 4 hr round trip at weekends. The recovery from the Half will push my schedule back 3-4 days but I may leave it and not re-adjust.

    Booked the tickets for myself and my Dad for Frankfurt today. Full commitment now. Should help focus.

    Got to look after the body...speaking of which....time for another glass of water.........


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Thursday:
    AM 12.5k easy
    Lunch 8k inc some core work.

    Friday
    AM: Jog Dart Jog about 5k
    Lunch 25 mins LT (17 + 8, 3' rest) 18k

    Wind assisted. Ran from 1k south of Dun Laoghaire along the coast. I was splitting the session and Blackrock Dart station was where the split was going to happen. Had the Garmin, but only showing Lap time.
    That was a mistake as I still wasn't disciplined enough to not try and race a fast pace. Hanging on at the end ran a wind assisted 17 mins @ 3:36 pace.
    Remaining 8 mins was done at 3:35 pace.
    The saving grace is that I know where Im at now. Before my injury, and very much in base training I managed 3:34 pace with a tailwind for 8k as part of a 16k effort run. It was a stronger wind then but ive a long way to go. I wont get there by racing these LT sessions that's for sure.
    My road pace for last Saturdays race was 3:40. That felt in the pocket AT pace so these paces are still close together. Just an observation. Ill be concentrating a little more on AT pace than other schedules as that helps the final marathon target also. That said id hope to start to see the paces separate a little from now on.
    I decided to do the schedule in the given order, so LT session first and this week (starting today) is the start of a 140k/90 mile week.
    I don't believe im recovered yet from the Half on Saturday. Sleep is so important. A slow drawn out adaption towards the marathon sessions might be called for.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Sat: 10k am and pm (20k)
    sun: 22k steadyish inc 8 x 30s surges @ 5k pace near end
    mon:10k + 12.5 k
    Tues: am 5k pm 2 x 6.5k tempo wi 5' rest
    To be done @ MP worked out 3:47 pace out into wind 3:43 back
    Happy with that. I had eaten only 90 min before. My legs were a little sluggish and carrying a niggle (see below.)
    Wed: 5k + 12.5k limped it home
    Thursday rest
    Friday rest

    The niggle is a pain in my upper ham just under the buttock. Ive a visit to Vinny Mulvey on Monday to have a look. I might try and jog tomorrow.
    I felt it first on a last hill sprint maybe 2 weeks ago...it was gone the next day. Re-emerged on Fridays tempo. Again receded, back Tuesday and stayed.

    I googled it. If its chronic it might be upper hamstring tendonitis. i.e not good
    Hopefully its a light acute issue and a rub will have me right.

    Pity..the base was starting to come together.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 784 ✭✭✭Stazza


    Hope all goes well with appointment - you're not having much luck at the moment. Hang in there.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Stazza wrote: »
    Hope all goes well with appointment - you're not having much luck at the moment. Hang in there.

    Good news. Tight Adductor Magnus. Sometimes known as the 4th hamstring, it seems to take the slack for weak or tight hamstrings especially during harder work (hamstring extended more). Vinny dry needled it. Deffo got the right muscle which is great. Might be OK now or need 1 more treatment. Rest tomorrow then 30 minutes day after. Ill add 5-10 mins a day thereafter.

    I promised myself if I got lucky here that I would turn a new page re stretching nutrition etc.

    Cant believe I got this injury as a non stretching 40 something who (tries to) drinks his hydration needs through coffee, doesn't stretch and does suddenly do faster stuff he hasn't done in years.

    Im going to change I don't believe in God but I solemn vowed to the long horned fella down under.

    Ill report back in a few days.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    Did my run dart run to work yesterday. About 5k of running. Felt the muscle a little but happy enough. Will try 30-40 minutes this evening. If I feel it, ill get the second treatment from Vinny.

    Looking into a weekly Yoga class which would form the basis of flexibility/injury prevention work.

    Steve Way

    Steve Ways success with his marathon by using long runs has me thinking.
    He attributed it to doing something different from his norm, rather than specifically the long run. Canova has alluded to the fact that a seasons training should constantly change. He even advocates not repeating individual sessions more than twice.

    There is something in the very long runs though. I know one guy with a very fast marathon PB who ran two 4hr hill runs (on good runnable fireroads and trails NOT on mountainous terrain) as part of his prep with only water. Just time on the feet runs. He ran his marathon with only one slug of flat coke.

    Here's a theory to explain Ways improvement that has no practical basis whatsoever...but I digress...ahem...heres the theory.

    Lipid = Using Fat as a source of fuel

    When we run easy we utilize about 20% of our muscles. In order and always the same 20%. When we run long, these muscle fibres tire, new fibres are utilized to burn fat and our endurance improves. Presumably when we continue to run very very long, with long double weekends this process continues until we become very efficient at burning fat to exercise (aerobic monster).

    Now running around LT supposedly increases LT, running @ VO2 max improves VO2 max etc.

    The lipid power is the amount of fats we use per minute. The maximum lipid power occurs @ Aerobic Threshold. (By the by, On the glycogen burning side the amount of lactic in the system is roughly 2 mmol).

    Steves Ways last 7-8 weeks training before London involved:

    Very long single and double runs: Increases efficiency of lipid consumption for almost all slow twitch muscle fibres (not just a lower percentage), improving lipid power.

    Marathon paced sessions: Almost corresponding to AT, these sessions would have increased his Maximum lipid power as well as helping him specifically prepare for his marathon.

    Increasing max lipid power means more power coming from the percentage of fat usage @ MP, which means a higher velocity at MP.

    Thus the PB.

    It needed both. The very long runs to increase potential Max Lipid power.
    The runs @ AT to actually increase Max lipid power.

    Now if he could have structured the buildup better in hindsight, perhaps with the long runs earlier...who knows he may have been able to hold 2:15 pace all the way.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,182 ✭✭✭demfad


    Ah.....Nice to be back in the old place!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 352 ✭✭NetwerkErrer


    demfad wrote: »
    Ah.....Nice to be back in the old place!

    To be fair. It didn't take a genius to know who you were.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,182 ✭✭✭demfad


    To be fair. It didn't take a genius to know who you were.

    Glad to hear it. I did suspect as much, but wasn't pretending to be anyone else ;) ..... and I did tell people if they asked or when it arose.

    A few race reports to follow hopefully. Hoping to start logging again so here I am.

    Hoping to get out to a boards hill run soon also.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,272 ✭✭✭Dubgal72


    The *strenght* of your spelling sort of gave a clue :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,182 ✭✭✭demfad


    Dubgal72 wrote: »
    The *strenght* of your spelling sort of gave a clue :)

    strenhgt? I dont get it :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,217 ✭✭✭Wottle


    I didn't cop it but welcome back, always enjoyed your log.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 352 ✭✭NetwerkErrer


    Wottle wrote: »
    I didn't cop it but welcome back, always enjoyed your log.

    Wottle, while we're at it, are you LYG? How'd the mile go?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,182 ✭✭✭demfad


    Wottle wrote: »
    I didn't cop it but welcome back, always enjoyed your log.

    Thanks very much Wottle. Have changed the training a bit. Goal is an Autumn marathon, probably Frankfurt.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,420 ✭✭✭Ososlo


    Delighted to see the log back up and running T.
    Looking forward to watching the next episode unfold.
    Best of luck !


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,182 ✭✭✭demfad


    Ososlo wrote: »
    Delighted to see the log back up and running T.
    Looking forward to watching the next episode unfold.
    Best of luck !

    Thanks Ososlo. I dont think any improvements I make will be a patch on yours this summer though!

    PS my log wont be either


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,182 ✭✭✭demfad


    Better start the catch up here.

    Hope to stick the intervening reports up too but just some background before the first race report.
    Rewind back to August 2013 and I’m ready as I ever was for the Warriors run in Sligo after some good runs on the hills and roads. What happens? My youngest child decides to get born the day of the race! (Maybe the day after). I had a running plan for the weeks after our first was born but neglected to plan for this period for the young lad and ended up with 4 weeks of no running or any other exercise.
    Long term goal was now an autumn 2014 marathon in Frankfurt. The plan was a HADD base phase (lots of easy running with two 1 hr steady runs and 1 long run per week) to build a big base, then maybe a Magness schedule for the 5k or 10k. Then, a general into a marathon specific phase.
    That plan was flawed. You need (or I needed) something like a short period of faster running to get the legs back after the long layoff especially as a masters aged runner. Maybe an 8 week 5k plan or similar.
    Anyway, progress was really slow but I was getting there by the New Year. I was starting to get a lot of muscle tightness dues to the volume of slow running. The legs just weren’t getting a healthy range of motion. A calf issue saw a drastic reduction in exercise for a good few weeks. Back in action and I’m into the Magness 10k base stuff. Going well with a good result in an off road half marathon and then I started getting pain down my left side. Eventually diagnosed as sciatica but absolutely scuppered my plans. Got a window to train for the 2014 Warriors run where I put in a good performance on the day. But I was back where I started.

    Okay, once more with feeling. Turned up for one club session a week and did a second session on my own. Not flying but after a good block I was happy, and ready to build up a large base. I wanted to concentrate on a big base phase because I felt I hadn’t reached my limit in improvement there.
    I wanted to have a session to keep the speed gains and protect me through the base phase and this was an aerobic interval sessions. More or less 200 relaxed efforts with 200 jog every 2 weeks. I started incorporating strides any time needed. I’d perform strides before some runs, at the end of others, even just 3-4 here and there. Bottom line, leg speed needed to be preserved as much as possible. And this helped hugely.
    Also I had a long run planned for every 2 weeks. Building up to just over 2 hrs. Effort days were planned as 30-65 mins steady progression runs (in reality most were even paced). 2 days’ easy running between all efforts Inc. long runs and aerobic intervals. Glacial slow increase in mileage to avoid injury. Up periods (higher mileage) and down periods (lower) were usually in multiples of these 3 day blocks (Effort, easy, easy). Any sign of a niggle; volume would go immediately down for 3 days.
    Any races to be started steady initially for best progress.
    That was the plan for the initial long phase with a race at the end a 10k, probably the national road 10k with the timing.


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