A Slow Journey to Faster Times

FBOT01 wrote: »

+1. Time to stop all your sandbagging and get out and give this one a good lash:P

Lol. Sandbagging? I wish that was true. Thanks, I think?

Duanington wrote: »

Have a great race Yaboya1 - enjoying the log at the moment, fair play to you for sticking it out

Cheers D. Might see you along the Clontarf promenade some time next week.

ecoli wrote: »

Anything with a bit of value strike your fancy in it so far? Still scratching my head (probably just go for Spain in the WDW)

Yeah I agree. I think Spain look a very decent price. Holland aren't as strong as they were a few years ago and Spain have so much strength in depth. I actually think the 8/11 that was available to win the group looks very tasty too. They've only conceded one goal in their last ten games at a major tournaments and now with Costa playing up front, have an in form striker which they didn't have at their last three tournaments (which they won!).
Really can't believe Germany were shorter than them in the outright betting. If I was making trading decisions I'd be making them a big loser followed closely by Brazil. I make it between Argentina, Spain & France. Should be a great tournament nonetheless.

New PB and possibly silver?, although more likely to be bronze I think.
Forgot to stop the Garmin for a while after the line as I was so knackered. Race tore my guts out!
I would guess around 1:24:0x (but hoping for 1:23:5x ).
Mixed feelings .
I'll reflect tomorrow and write my report. For now I'm going to get showered, p*ssed and watch the football (in that order).

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

P,

We started around the same time training for Seville, I was hoping to break 3.10 you started hoping to break 3.30. You've come on in absolute leaps and bounds and are in terrific form. Keep it up, I reckon a young lad like you could have some terrific times over the next few years, if you stay focused and injury free. Be interested to see what you thought of the Portumna course, I don't think its a fast HM course with the twists and turns, it's more suited to the ultra stuff. Great run, on a tough course (especially if congested) and it was very warm.

Take a few days to recover and well done.

TbL

Thanks for the kind words.
Although there was nothing wrong with the race, I would not be a fan and am unlikely to run there again. This is not any fault of the organisers, marshals etc. who were all brilliant, helpful and did a great job in general.
However, I'm not a fan of running laps. 4 x 5k loops was hard enough, but there was a soul destroying 1km run out and back where you do a complete U-turn and head straight back where you came from. Add that to the people slowing down/stopping at the water station there and it cost me at least 10-15 seconds a lap, if not more. It's also very narrow on that section because you only have half the path to overtake. I'll go into more detail in my report but I was also alone at my pace for much of the race. From start to finish I was overtaking and never really had a rival to race/bounce off.

carsfan wrote: »

would agree with you with regard to the course for this race.
I know that it is a social race but too many times I came upon runners chatting to each other not aware of faster participants trying to get past and some sections were narrow enough too. that section out and back to the castle was the worst bit with the tight 180 degree turn around.
Don't get me started on the headphone wearers either, they should have been picked up at the start/finish point by marshals and told to bin them or stop running. They are a danger to others especially on a course like this where space is at a premium.
Overall I think the 5k loop concept is great for the longer distances where your pace is slower and you are never far from water/toilet/first aid etc.
I would return to do a longer run as felt the overall vibe was really good there.

I did spend a lot of time weaving in and out, but most of the time was able to plot a path by the slower runners well in advance. On one or two occasions though, there were groups of three or four runners spread right across the path at practically walking pace having a chat. I had to basically step into the bushes/ditch that were alongside to get by. When I did go by, they jumped a little seeming shocked/surprised that there was anyone coming up behind them as if they were out for an afternoon stroll in the isolated countryside.

Pre- Race

I never felt 100% in the whole week building up to this. Seems like I've been playing catch up ever since my drinking session last weekend. I was sweating profusely in my last two recovery runs and although I hit the required paces in my Tuesday session, I was never as fresh as I'd liked to have been. I was hoping a rest day on Friday would leave me raring to go. I got a decent sleep on Thursday night, which was just as well with a 5am wake up call on Saturday. I probably could have got up and left a little later than I did, but I wasn't sure exactly how long it would take me to get there, how easy the forest park would be to find and the amount of time I needed to allow for registration. In the end after a bowl of porridge, a bagel, a banana and a mug of coffee, I hit the road at 5.30am which saw me arrive in Portumna at 7:30. I saw the leaders of the 100k & 50k races completing their first lap while I hung around waiting for registration to open up. I got a few stretches in and made sure I got a visit to the portaloo in before making my way down to the start. After a quick briefing outside the main gate we were under way,


The Race

Miles 1-4

I started pretty close to the front hoping to hold a steady 6:20min/mile pace for the whole race. In the first 200m I picked out two guys in Eagle AC singlets who looked much fitter than me and appeared to be moving at my goal pace. I decided to use them as my pacers, although I would check the watch regularly to ensure I wasn't going too fast/slow. We joined the 5k loop just before the finish line and passed under the arch for our first of four laps. 0.7 miles on the Garmin seemed to be bang on with 20k to go. Finished out the mile comfortably sitting behind my Eagle AC pacers in 6:19. From this point on I found it a real struggle. I don't know why. Was it the heat/humidity? I don't know, but I never felt that was a factor at the time. Was I just not right on the day? I really, really don't know. What I do know is that I shouldn't have been struggling at such an early stage going this pace, considering my recent 5k & 5 mile times. Anyway I decided that although it was already hard work, I was going to keep pushing until I was unable to do so anymore. If I finished a race comfortably running a slower time than I thought I was capable of, I'm not sure I could forgive myself. Second mile in 6:23. All still good. Early in the third mile the Eagle AC guys slowed a bit and we were moving at 6:35 pace. I wasn't happy with this and moved past both of them. One of them didn't seem happy about this and responded immediately by overtaking me again. I was glad to see him do that as I now saw we were now back on 6:22 pace. I thought he must have just got a little complacent and was unlikely to let the pace drop again. It was during this mile we did the first of four soul destroying out & back runs with a 180 degree turn. You seem to be running forever in one direction before doing a complete U-turn and running back along the same track. I found this part of the course the most difficult just because it was so mentally draining. Anyway, through Mile 3 in 6:23. Pace starts to drop a bit here. I notice from the Garmin profile that there's a little climb between here and the finish line. It didn't feel like a hill and looks flat when you're out there, but maybe that's why we slowed a touch? Back out under the finishing arch with three laps to go. We're not going as quickly as I'd like but I'm not feeling strong enough to go any faster. Mile 4 in 6:33. This is where the race got very difficult.


Miles 5-7

Although I wasn't feeling very good up to now I had company. Silent company but it kind of felt like a team/club up to that point even though we never spoke, as we seemed to all have a similar goal. But I noticed that the pace had dropped into the 6:40's now. I thought my Eagle AC friends had got a little complacent and as soon as I injected a little bit of acceleration, one of them would take over again. So I did, but they didn't. They couldn't. And I knew I couldn't afford miles in the 6:40's to have any chance of hitting my pre-race targets. So I left them there and then and for the rest of the race I was alone . I was quite happy to see I managed to drag the pace back to 6:25 in Mile 5, as I was already starting to worry that I was gradually slowing as each mile passed. Miles 6 & 7 were down to the U-turn and back up the little rise to the finish. 6:30 & 6:35 here. I knew it was too slow, but I couldn't go any faster. The U-turn was really annoying me. I was coming down to it each time at sub 6:20 pace and by the time I'd slowed, turned and headed back in the same direction it was showing 6:30-6:40 pace. I never seemed to be able to make that time back up.


Miles 8-11

Hanging on in these miles (6:32, 6:31, 6:33, 6:29). Nothing too memorable except for the constant weaving around the runners I was overtaking. Most of them were very accommodating and actually made a conscious effort to move to one side, so I could pass without any issues. I didn't expect that but did appreciate it. As I mentioned in another post, some weren't as helpful. I remember on two occasions having to step off the path completely while the runners? ahead jogged three/four abreast at walking pace chatting away to each other, completely oblivious that anybody else was taking part in the race. They actually got a fright when I went by them as if I jumped out of nowhere (It's a race ffs!). Anyway, as I was prepared to go off road on those occasions it didn't actually cost me any time. There was a water station on the U-turn (which I'm not sure was a great idea) so apart from the time you lost slowing up and doing the 180 degree turn, you also had people stopping to grab water then walking/jogging while they drank it down. All this on the narrowest part of the course! Without wanting to exaggerate, I think this section probably cost me a minute or more over the course of the race. The only other thing that sticks out for me in this section was a runner in an Offaly singlet shouting some words of support. As I passed him on the long straight lane that led us back towards the finish he said: "You're going for gold". I smiled a little (don't know if he saw), but I hadn't got an ounce of extra energy to do anything else. If I had I wouldn't have had the heart to tell him gold was now out of my reach :pac:. I hope he didn't think I was being ignorant. At the end of Mile 11 I looked at my watch and knew I still needed two 6:3x miles to be sure of a PB.


Miles 12-13

At no stage in the race after the first mile did I think I was going to achieve any of my targets. I was barely hanging on and was working too hard too early for a race of this distance. 1:23 was definitely gone as I had way too many miles in the 6:30's to claw that time back, but I had manged to hold a pretty even pace up to now considering my difficulties and a PB was still on if I could just hang on for two more miles. However, my legs felt as if they were going to fall off. Early on in the race they felt lethargic and heavy but now they felt so weak I thought they were going to give way at any moment and I'd end up with a face full of concrete. I felt awful! I was in the twelfth mile of a thirteen mile race and a DNF didn't seem that unlikely. The fact that I was now running the soul destroying kilometre towards the U-turn didn't help. I got through the mile in 6:38 (baffles me how I did this as I thought at one stage I might have to stop). This was my slowest mile of the race, but in terms of effort it was the most difficult. I was now past the U-turn and it was a great feeling knowing I was heading in the right direction. Having glanced at my watch I knew I would PB once I stayed below 7 minutes in the last mile. This helped me relax for a few hundred metres meaning when the finish started to loom, I had the strength to pick it up a little bit for a final mile of 6:29. I fell over the line and immediately headed for the comfort of the grass to the side of the road. I was so knackered I completely forgot to stop the Garmin until well after the line. When I did hit the button it showed 1:24:16, which is a PB by more than a minute (Official time: 1:24:10), but I think there may be at least ten seconds to come off that and maybe even enough to take me below 1:24 (but I won't get greedy). I'm still waiting on the official result. The Garmin is only showing 12.99 miles. I've no doubt that the course was accurate though and I reckon the tree cover in the forest or the sharp U-turn are probably to blame for the inaccuracy.


Garmin data is here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/521601454


Post Race

I lay flat on my back on the grass for about five minutes. The little girls handing out the medals had to come over and hand it to me as it was impossible to drape it around my neck. I've never felt as knackered after a race in my whole life. The Eagle AC guys weren't that long in behind me and both of them made it their business to come up to me after the race. They congratulated me on a great race and said they just weren't able to hold the pace. Both were aiming for sub 1:25, but neither managed it. Think they ran 1:26 & 1:27. Up until then I had been unhappy with myself. I didn't know why I found it so difficult, why I felt so bad throughout the race. I thought it was down to not being 100% or a knock on effect from the rough weekend I had last week. But after hearing what they said I started to wonder if everybody had struggled? I really hate making excuses for a below par run, but when I got to the car I noticed how humid and warm it was. It was extremely sticky. The Forest Park is pretty sheltered too. Maybe that had something to do with it. I don't know though. I never once felt like that was an issue while I was running. I just felt awful in myself. Never because of the conditions.


Thoughts

I definitely feel like my heavy bout of drinking had a knock on effect throughout the whole week. I think in future I need to make sure I get the required sleep/rest after a night out. That would probably do me more good than completing a session on target when I'm not in the right state, as it can end up being detrimental. I think I will also ensure I don't drink for a fortnight in the run up to any future goal race. In saying all that I'm wondering if maybe 1:24 or thereabouts is as good as I am. I like to set aggressive targets and I thought I could definitely improve by more than I did on my Larne time. Maybe that was a better run than I gave myself credit for? For 9/10 miles of yesterday's race, I had a lot more respect for my Larne time than I did before I started. Or maybe I am better than this and the humid/warm conditions were enough to slow me that little bit. The layout of the course also cost me some time. Maybe it was more of a case of me being under the weather than the weather itself? I don't know. So many questions, so many observations. One thing I do now is that my PB's are starting to become really difficult to beat. This race absolutely tore my guts out and I was around 80-90 seconds better than last time. In Larne I was 14 minutes quicker than my previous HM. I doubt I'll be knocking chunks like that off again. Lastly, I'm still not sure whether to be happy or disappointed. A bit of both I suppose. Disappointed as I really believed I could run sub 1:23. I probably didn't prepare perfectly in the preceding seven days and that's something I can definitely learn from. The course, weather etc. may have also been a factor but I'll make sure to be on top of the things that I can control in the future. On the plus side I've got to be happy that I've run a PB. I'm particularly happy with this as I was never comfortable after the first mile. I feel like it took a lot of resolve to see out the race as I did and that can only stand to me. It will serve as a big confidence booster in future races when I hit a bad patch. I know some of you may think I'm being harsh, but if I start getting complacent and patting myself on the back I'll probably stop improving :P.

Roll on Fingal 10k!