Run run run run run run run....

Monday 2nd June - Cork City Half Marathon
As I mentioned just above with DR, having run a decent 5k earlier in the week I decided to target 78 mins for this meaning I'd have to hold 6 minute miles throughout, well that was the plan. PB before this was 1:21:40 from Bohermeen back in March so I felt I was in good shape to run a PB at the very least.

Start was at 10:45am so I left the house at 10am and jogged the 3 miles to the start area, was feeling nice a light on my feet during the warmup and the morning sun was starting to make its presence felt, nothing like the heat of Saturday though thankfully and there was a cool breeze so fairly good conditions for the race.

Got there nice an early so I had 20 minutes to relax and chat with a few clubmates. With a large crowd of close to 2000 everything was well organised and we were lined up and ready to go bang on time.

Miles 1-3
The pace was nippy at the start but I stuck with my gameplan and didn't get sucked into a quicker pace. A leading group of roughly 8-10 quickly formed and started pulling away from me, off ye go lads. I was now part of a second group which were happy to sit at the 6 minute pace but a few sat in between both groups. Was feeling good in the first mile, settled right in and concentrated on my own race. The 2nd mile caught me a little with some sharp turns, narrow paths and a slight climb before merging with the marathon course. I was intrigued to see how the merge would go and would I get caught up in any congestion. I merged with the marathon runners tipping along at a 3:25 target pace so I quickly started passing them and there was no traffic issues as they were well spaced out. At this stage I had left the group I was in and found myself out on my own. Mile 2 was a little slower on my watch, 6:15 but I was actually a little ahead of pace according to the official markers, the garmin was lagging slightly. Mile 3 was straight forward looping back to where we started but I had yet to fully settle into the pace, I was starting to feel I was working hard but not uncomfortable if you know what I mean.
Splits: 6:00, 6:15, 6:01

Miles 4-6
I saw Jenny just starting mile 4 and got a cheer while I grabbed a sip of water, a valuable lesson I learned from Rotterdam, even if it was just a small sip every 5k, was to keep hydrated. We headed on to the South Link road, a slight drag but I felt strong and I started to feel more comfortable on the downhill. I started to pass some of the half runners before a sharp turn and climb onto the motorway flyover caught me by surprise at 4.5 miles. I worked hard to keep the pace up the brief climb and settled back down into my normal breathing pattern after, phew. I still felt I was working harder than I should have been but the pace was bang on so I just kept ticking off the miles. Mile 6 was a tough battle with a never ending drag but I prevailed and almost at halfway now still well on track.
Splits: 6:00, 5:58, 6:04

Miles 7-9
I was feeling more settled now and on a slight downhill just before the 7 mile mark I felt a warm fuzzy feeling, that lovely moment where all the running planets align and you feel at one with the road, it was my belated welcome to the race I think. I closed my eyes briefly to embrace it and quickly opened them again before I smashed into a lamp post. Of course it didn't last long but it was a big confidence booster and I was faced with another uphill climb which I dealt with and soon I was again on a nice downslope to Dennehy's cross where I would run the familiar Model farm loop. I started tiring along the Model Farm road, again a long uphill drag but with great support along the way. I knew it was the last hilly section and that helped me get through it unscathed and still on pace. Finally the last section of downhill on mile 9 arrived and I let the legs go free before we turned towards the finishing straight, a long finishing straight mind you.
Splits: 5:59, 5:56, 6:03

Miles 10-13
With the momentum from the downhill I turned onto the Orchards in great spirit, pace felt good, breathing relaxed and for the first time I felt I was going to hit my target. I turned onto Carrigrohane road and Jenny was there with a shout, go Conor I think, something positive anyway. Looking ahead on the Carrigrohane road is a little disconcerting, it's a long long stretch and suddenly I started to tire. The heat was intensifying now and I had 5k to go still, felt like a big ask. Jenny cycled alongside me for this stretch and I was so glad of it, I couldn't really speak back but I got a lot of encouragement and though I was feeling like hell I was still holding a steady 6 min pace. I persevered that stretch and turned onto the again Familiar Mardyke walkway, 2 miles to go. It was an empty stretch with little or no support but it gave me a chance to gather myself and prepare for a strong finish, if I had one. There was a Raheny singlet ahead of me, a half runner also I assumed since he was going at my pace, I had reeled him in slowly through the last mile and now he was close enough that I made him a target. I felt the pace picking up and a second-wind brewing as I neared the end of the Mardyke walkway, just over a mile to go. What's left in the tank. We crossed over the footbridge and onto the narrow leafy walkway straddling the banks of the Lee. This was again a quiet stretch but I had momentum and I passed the Raheny runner here only for him to stick to my back, uh oh it's battle time.

We were neck and neck coming out of the walkway, pace was quick I knew it but I didn't want to know about it, I hadn't checked my watch since the Carrigrohane road and I was fully focused on the road ahead. The last stretch along the quays felt like an eternity, I was giving it everything and so was he. We yoyo'd forth and back switching positions, support was immense and we fed off it powering our way onto St.Patricks bridge and the finish line in sight. I found a last surge of energy from somewhere and I pulled away by just a few yards sprinting to that finish line and I knew I had the 78 in the bag when I saw the clock. I crossed in 1:18:40 with my buddy 1 second behind me, a 5:40 last mile and I don't think I'd have pulled off that had I been on my own so thanks Raheny guy.
Splits: 5:55, 6:01, 5:54, 5:40

Delighted of course with the result, a big PB and bang on target with a 5:58 min/mile avg and 12th place overall. Glad I got this report in now before I head off to the pub. That's a decent week of racing, 5k and 1/2 marathon PB's with one more 5 mile race to come next week, on we go.

Wednesday 4th June - 60 mins Easy
Felt pretty good for this and surprisingly sprightly after mondays race, looped around Model farm and around the city, beautiful evening and really satisfying run.
Summary: 8.6miles in 1:01:31 @ 7:11 min/mile

Thursday 5th June - 6 x 400s & easy running
Coach advised those who did the half marathon to just go on an easy run but I asked could I do a session since I was feeling good, dyin for a session I was. He said to hop in with the 80sec group for 400s taking it fairly easy which seemed like a fair plan. Did 6 reps with 400 recovery and they felt relatively comfortable overall which I'm guessing is a very good sign. Some of the pacing wasn't exactly consistent in the group as we were all taking turns up front but still a decent session, legs felt fresh and got some easy running in on the grass afterwards. Splits: 78, 83, 79, 84, 80, 79.
Total: 8.7 miles

Friday 6th June - AM 5 mile recovery
Had to sneak this one in before work as we'd be heading off to Dublin at 2pm. Horrible, windy, rainy conditions, felt like I was back in February but a nice reminder of how good we've been having it lately with the weather.
Summary: 5.0 miles in 38:52 @ 7:47 min/mile

Saturday 7th June - 60 min Tempo
Wedding weekend, staying with my friend the groom in Athlone but had to make an emergency dash to Dublin on the morning of the wedding to get the registration papers he had forgotten, my duties as a groomsman really being put to the test. Secretly I was happy because I'd get to do a run in the Phoenix park if I left early enough and that's exactly what I did. I was missing my saturday session back in Cork so I figured I'd try get a decent workout in and see how a progressive tempo went. It went pretty well, it was so good to be back running in the park, you really don't appreciate what a great facility it is until it's gone. I used to train in here every day when I lived in Dublin and nothing compares, such a great atmosphere on a nice day with so many folk out running. Headed off up the S-bends and gradually worked up the intensity over the next 7 miles culminating with a 6 minute mile then a 1.5 mile cool-down and that felt like a really decent workout, nice to sneak it in before a wedding. Mile splits: 7:45, 7:11, 7:02, 6:59, 6:34, 6:14, 6:01, 7:43.
Summary: 8.4 miles in 58:47 @ 6:59 min/mile

Sunday 8th June
Ah the morning after the wedding. We got to bed at 4am, it was a great day and I had super intentions of heading off at 8:30am for a run. It was 9:30am when I did get outside the door, a miracle I even managed to get up. The head was dodgy and it was pounding for the first mile, I just wanted to turn back and curl up in a ball. We were staying in a place just outside Kells, Co.Meath, nestled in the Boyne valley so I was blessed with some nice quiet roads and rolling scenic countryside, none of which was interesting to me for the first 10 minutes. Gradually my body started to accept I wasn't backing down and it made some adjustments, the headache subsided and I started feeling better and the pace naturally picked up. I looked at my watch after a couple of miles and saw a 7:20 min/mile pace, it felt nothing like that and I was pretty pleased that it felt so easy, I thought I had been crawling along. I had initially planned on a 45 min jog but ended up doing 70 mins and feeling pretty damn good at the end. I literally ran the hangover out of me. I got back and make an absolute fool of the breakfast and we headed off back to Cork, that's a good week of 63 miles banked.
Summary: 9.5 miles in 1:10:53 @ 7:28 min/mile

Thursday 12th June - 30 min tempo & 2 x 400m
What a swelter of a day, pure torture sitting in the office all day looking out the window but I was like a dog being let off a leash once work finished. Grabbed my stuff and straight down to the track to soak up the last remaining few rays. Off we headed off on a 5k warmup around the park. I was chatting away to some of the faster lads and never realised until afterwards that the warmup was way too nippy for me, down around 7 min/mile at one stage. I was feeling pretty tired after that and then I heard we were doing a 30 min tempo followed by 2 x 400's, nice.

I sat in behind the faster group with one other guy who is around my level and off we set. The aim was to hold in and around 6 min/mile pace for the 30 mins but immediately it felt difficult. It could have been a combination of the overcooked warmup and the lingering heat but I struggled with this one. We hit the first mile in 6:10 which wasn't ideal and then to make matters worse my partner dropped off the pace so I found myself out on my own for the rest of the session. I found it that little bit more difficult without anyone to push me and 4 miles left felt like an age. The next mile was 6:15, not where I wanted to be at all but eventually I settled in and clocked off the next 3 miles at 6:04, 6:03 and 6:02, better but finished feeling a little disappointed that it felt so hard.

20 laps later and I was done, I was just catching my breath when the coach reminded me about the 400's...ah balls! Off I went and again on my own I had to muster the energy to run these. I surprised myself with a 76 in the first rep though my legs felt like jelly, very strange feeling but I can see what he's doing, getting the legs used to running hard when tired. Took a 400m recovery and repeated with another 76, so I was happy being able to run those after the tempo. I headed off to the grass for only a 10 minute cool down as I wanted to head to the pub for the world cup opener, nice cold beer for ideal recovery
Summary: 9.9 miles in 1:08:54 @ 6:57 min/mile

Friday 13th (ahh!!!) June - 45 min recovery
Up early, I never find it hard to get up for these Friday morning recoveries, especially when it's a beautiful summers morning. Down to the city for a 45 minute slog, and slog it was. Legs felt heavy and tired but as always loosened up and felt pretty good at the end running a few loops of the track.
Summary: 5.73 miles in 46:27 @ 8:06 min/mile (122bpm)

SPM1959 wrote: »

This is a fantastic and motivating log.

yaboya1 wrote: »

+1

Cheers folks I've been motivated by so many runners on this forum myself so it's nice to hear someone being motivated by me for a change

Hottest day of the year? Anyone for a 5k?? Oooh me me!!! I don't want to be complaining about our tropical heat wave, it's great but seriously could the scorchiest day of the year have maybe waited for a day when I'm not doing a race?

Anyway the show had to go on, it simply had to. I hopped into my sauna on wheels after work and drove the 45 min journey to a little village called Gortroe just outside Youghal. This was the 2nd staging of the 5k in this tiny little village comprising basically of a school and a church. Lovely atmosphere around, good crowd of 300+ and the whole community was involved, kids were on hand with their drink stations and the oul lads sittin in the shade on their deck chairs cursing the young folk, the mammies guarding the cakes until after the race this is real Ireland, Love it! Got my bib and old school shoe chip and headed out for a 20 min warmup. Cripes it was warm. I'm not exaggerating but it was 7pm and hotter than the sun itself. My HR was higher was normal and only doing 8 min miles but the sweat levels, they were just about right.

My target for this was to PB ideally around the 16:45 mark, I felt in the shape for it but after the warmup I wasn't so sure about a PB but still willing to give it my best shot. There were prizes for the first 6 home so I thought I was in for a shout there also. It would be a 1 lap course, not the flattest but not the hilliest from looking at the map beforehand.

Mile 1
At 7:30pm we took our places on a narrow country road and bang, we're off. A slight jostle at the start but no main traffic concerns, got off well and quickly a front group formed of 6 wine (east cork) singlets and a Leevale shirt which was my clubmate DC. I sat behind these and heard no footsteps behind me so I figured this was it in terms of competition. Breathing was difficult at first but settled down after a few minutes and was clipping along around 5:20 pace. I was sitting in 7th, there was a gap between the lead group, DC and then a wine singlet just ahead of me. I sort of knew a PB was out of reach today so my goal was to place in the top 6 and make a race of it. The first mile didn't feel too bad, I was moving well and on a slight incline just after 1/2 a mile I took the wine singlet in front of me, he was breathing hard and struggling so I sort of knew I had at least 6th place barring any disasters. DC was about 20 meters ahead so I just kept him in sight. He trains in the top group at Leevale and regularly places ahead of me so I thought if I can stick with him the whole way I've done well. My garmin clocked the first mile at 5:22 but Strava shows it at a 5:27, what's that all about? I passed the 1 mile marker just as it beeped 5:22 on the watch so I dunno, doesn't really matter....or does it.

Mile 2
Now the struggle starts. I'm keeping DC in sight but its hard, I'm really feeling the heat now but I keep the legs working. I'm trying to keep in the shade but shade is very hard to find, I glance at the watch and its hovering around 5:30, I know that's too slow for a PB so I just focus on keeping a steady pace and keeping something in the tank for the finish. I don't have much more to say about this mile, it was fairly uneventful. Clocked it at 5:32.

Mile 3
Killllllll meeeeeeeeeeeeeee. We take a left turn and onto the last mile and I'm hurting. There's nice support around the course but I'm just thinking you lucky f**kers, I wish I was just standing on the side of the road, what's it like? Bit of a climb for the start of the last mile, DC is still just ahead of me, I'm catching him ever so slightly but not by enough. I just want to keep this effort going to the end and I'll be happy, why am I doing this again? I'm breathing so hard now, half a mile to go is all I was thinking and I just persevered. There was a bit of a sneaky climb thrown in at the end but soon the finish balloon came into sight, thank heavens. I mustered what I had left and fell over the line (but without actually falling). I saw the clock just over 17 mins as I crossed, watch says 17:01, chip time says 17:06 (DC also clocked 5 seconds off from chip time) and I'm home in 6th. Final mile of 5:31 so fairly consistent pacing overall and water...give me water.

(noted afterwards that Strava has me down for a 17:06, and garmin connect a 17:01, breakin my balls Strava, that means 17:06 wins)

Hands down hardest 5k I've ever ran, no PB but a nice to get a reward for my efforts. My prize was a huge A4 envelope with €30 in it, thought it was going to be a giant cheque. That brings my total winning for the year to €30 and when you factor in all the runners, gear, travel expenses, race entries, and time spent in work on the athletics forum, I'd say I'm just about breaking even.

Headed for a 3 mile cooldown and mulled over the race in my head while swatting off midgets. I was disappointed at first not getting my PB but I had a good chat with myself and came back happy with my effort, there'll be plenty more chances. Considering the fact that DC finished only 10 seconds ahead of me today and he ran a 16:24 in the recent John Buckley 5k (where I ran my 16:56), it gives me more belief that I can get that time down to a 16:30 by the end of the summer. Nice drive back to Cork and ate some crisps in the car. That is all for now.

Summary: 5k in 17:06 @ 5:31 min/mile (8.2 mile total)

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