get to the chopper!

BOSWOLLOX · 11-06-2014 11:31PM

3rd 800m race tonight in Santry, ideal conditions for racing. Managed a pb, not much but still heading in the right direction. 1.02 seconds bringing me down to 2:10.85.
After the 800m last week I was so tempted to give up completely. Today I was in pain but decided after lunch time that I should go ahead and take the plunge again. The funny thing is my lungs werent really hurting at all after the race, and they were burning like hell last thursday. Wonder why that is. Could be my lack of motivation for the distance. I've pretty much mentally given up on times and just see the 800m as speed training for longer races. Am not happy, but not disappointed either which is a change. I must be borderline burnout and am just below the injury threshold.
Coach reckons I go out way to slow and let everyone get away. Says I should be 4 seconds faster. I think I will need some sort of a taper before I go for fast times in the 3000 and 5000m. If only I could recovery faster.

Krusty_Clown · 12-06-2014 09:57AM

That's a very solid 800m time. It'll pay off dividends when you get back to the longer stuff.

BOSWOLLOX · 12-06-2014 10:12PM

Thanks Krusty, 800m training will make 10k+ races feel like a jog(at least for first few miles anyway). Can't wait to see what your 5k training will do for your next marathon. Should be memorable.

Today I did a session in ALSAA. Felt alot better today than I did before the race yesterday. Seem to have loosened out. I think I would run a good time for an 800 if I raced just one a day, for a few consecutive days lol. The coach is very motivating and tells us the times we should be hitting the splits. I get so nervous that this pushes me unlike in any track races I've done so far.
Session was 300m, 3X600m, 300m. All of them were nearly flat out with long recoveries of 5 minutes between each rep.
I couldn't believe the pace I was able to go at today and would rate it as better than my 800 pb from yesterday.
Splits were 45,1:41,1:37,1:39,44. Felt great for being able to do it and just need to get into this frame when I'm actually racing in the graded meets.

BOSWOLLOX · 14-06-2014 02:36PM

Session on the grass in the polo grounds today in Phoenix Park. The grass was nice and short and I had the racing flats on so was able to hold a fast pace. Was basically like a giant version of a track(not far off to 1000m and oval shaped). Did 4 laps with 4 minutes recovery jog between them. They were all between 2:55-2:59 so was really happy with that. If I did exactly 1000m on the track or path I'd definately be under 3 minutes for all of them. I reckon the effort for each of them would be around mile race effort on the track(if I had a great race). The sun was really beaming down for the last one so was working very hard but managed to hold on and finish strong.
Afterwards we had 5 minutes recovery and did 5X100m(full recovery). They were tough and I didn't run the first 3 as enthusiastically as the 1000's, but the last 2 I did them properly. Felt like my legs were going to give way. Probably would you should feel like at the end of a sprint lol.

BOSWOLLOX · 17-06-2014 10:13PM

Another session on the grass loop in the polo grounds. Good place to run and look forward to doing plenty of summer sessions here. Was ideal hot weather training. Session started at 7:30 but it was still hot and sunny at this time.
4X800m off 3 minutes recovery jog. First one was something like 2:22 and next 3 were 2:25. I was working so hard and was drenched in sweat after them.
Then after jogging a whole lap(950m), we did 5X100m with jog back recoveries. I gave them everything I had. Actually starting to get used to these. My racing flats on the grass are better than my spikes on the track. Not sure if it is the runners or that I just don't run as well when I'm on the track for some strange reason.

BOSWOLLOX · 19-06-2014 10:11PM

Track session in ALSAA today. Probably my least favourite session; 4 sets of 3X200m. 30 seconds between each rep and about 500m jog between each set. I was extremely stiff and quite sore yesterday and today so was not in the mood for the pace. To make matters worse I went off to the toilets after the strides and when I got back the group were already approaching the opposite side of the track and I didn't even know what the session was going to be at that stage. I just ran hard from where we usually start and could see them stopping a few seconds afterwards. I guessed what the session was from this. I didn't want to blow up so after 150m I just eased down and took it easy until the next 200m started shortly afterwards.
Average times were 31/32(more 32 as I was suffering badly). For the last set I got my first taste of lactic acid and blowing up in a sprint. The last 100m of the last 200m I absolutely died a death and thought my legs were going to buckle. The coach was saying I should be feeling like this at end of track races so at least I know what it feels like now. Gotta get used to pushing through it I guess, it was a new experience like nothing I've ever felt before in a race or training session.
I know I'm not fast but I also think my spikes could be better for long distances too. They felt so unnatural, and yet doing 100m sprints in my racing flats I feel way smoother. I might stop wearing the spikes for sessions like this. Maybe I will run a good 3000m and 5000m in the spikes, we will have to see

BOSWOLLOX · 21-06-2014 02:16PM

Donore 300m track for a session of 10X300m with full recoveries. Average about 48/49 seconds and good to keep them consistent in warmer weather. Just had a pair of saucony kinvara 4 flats on me. To be honest I think my top speed is very limited in the spikes but with the flats I can go that bit faster which I noticed doing my strides before the session.

BOSWOLLOX · 23-06-2014 09:03PM

Not really a session but did 8X ~100m sprints on the grass with full recovery after an easy 5 and a bit miles on grass. This is what the coach had told me to do today on my own. First time I've actually done it. He always asks us to do the strides on the monday before the graded meets but I always thought I wouldn't be able to do them because of stiffness and soreness. Normally I would just try compensating by doing an extra few miles which is pointless now that I think of it. I enjoyed doing these and feel sharper from doing them. After the last 800m in santry I felt great and ran a really good session the next day so I'm hoping the strides today will make me run a better 1500m on wednesday now. I'm going to get into the habit of doing more strides on my easy days. Enough sprinting and it will make 1500m pace feel that little bit more comfortable.

pconn062 · 23-06-2014 09:15PM

Good training here, what grade are you running in on Wednesday? Heading up myself and I think I'll jump in the C grade. Normally won in 4.15 or so which suits me fine!

BOSWOLLOX · 23-06-2014 09:44PM

Hey pconn. Yea I decided I'll go for grade C now. The grade B might still be too scary for now. If I could crack sub 4:20 it will be a dream come true. Hard to tell how I will feel though as my legs are so unpredictable. I think Tallaght is a better track than any other I've been on so its probably the best place to get a pb. Will look out for you before the race starts

BOSWOLLOX · 25-06-2014 10:55PM

Hope things are ok pconn. There was a Dunleer guy there alright but when his name was called I knew it wasn't you. I can't remember if he was in my race or not cause I was too nervous.

The 1500m race was a slight improvement over any other track race I've done. I gave it everything. Went up just behind leaders for first 6/700 metres and then when they seemed to be struggling, I took the lead. My lead lasted until 1100m when a club mate overtook me. I hung on as hard as possible and thought I might be able to catch him in the last 100m but I didn't quite manage to have the finishing kick I wanted. It was all good though because he has been between 4-5 seconds faster over 800m/1500m and the mile so far. The thing that annoys me most though is that I came third. I was overtaken in the last 50m by someone who has always finished behind me in races;road/track/XC.
Went up to check exact finish time before I left and it was 4:23.48 so a 3.65 seconds pb. It isn't too bad but suggests that getting sub 16 for 5000m will be a major feat. After the race I was told that I was running too far from the inside and that this probably cost me a bit. I seem to have a habit of running wide especially when I am in a group and running parallel to them. Hopefully this is the case and I haven't just reached my plateau for middle distance running

The next graded meet is a 5000m, only 2 weeks away. I guess I could attempt 76/77 second laps and see how long I can hold on. I think the 7th graded meet also has a 5000m so I can try again if it comes to it.

pconn062 · 25-06-2014 11:19PM

Great race man, would love that time myself. Didn't make it up, had a disaster on the M50. The guy in the Dunleer singlet was my brother.

BOSWOLLOX · 26-06-2014 10:23PM

Thats really annoying pconn. m50 can be a disaster nearly every time the weather goes bad. You will have a great race in the C if you do the next 1500m meet in tallaght. Doing a 1500m on your own sounds alot harder. Do you think it could be motivation that made you struggle the last 300m(having nobody to race against with people giving you support)?

Went to ALSAA today for the track session. Wasn't too bad today compared to most track sessions I've done. Did 3X1000m with 60 seconds recovery. All hit in 3:02 so happy with that. There is a 3000m club race next thursday, so the coach wanted to get an idea of how we would do. Hope I can make it down for it.
10 minutes recovery jog and then some short bursts. 2X80m,2X90m,2X100m. Jog was about 20 metres between each of the 6 bursts.
Weather was cooler and there was a drizzle, so that made it easier than doing sessions in the heat. I'd like to think I could do around 9:15(74s/lap) in the 3000m if I'm feeling fresh and the weather is favorable.

BOSWOLLOX · 28-06-2014 02:59PM

10X200m session in flats on the Donore track this morning. Recoveries were 110m jog(walking for a short while immediately after each rep). For the first one we stopped too early by accident so it was more like 170m. The rest were all roughly 31 seconds. This is the kind of session I struggle with the most. I can't seem to push myself hard at the start of any speed work and usually go flying at the end. I'm always told that this is pointless in these kind of sessions where you need to be going very hard straight away. Good news is that the legs feel strong at the moment. I might not be good at speed work but I find that I am getting used to it now. I'm less nervous about it and seem to be recovering faster these days

BOSWOLLOX · 01-07-2014 10:30PM

Light session because of the 3000m on thursday. 4X800m on grass in polo grounds in PP. 3 minutes recovery, average 2:24. Legs very stiff and sore today. Aching everywhere and nauseous. Think I might have gone too fast on the sunday long run considering there was a tough session the day before. That's the danger in feeling good after a session. Ended up going harder than I should have for 14 miles on road. Am paying for it now. I'm undecided about the 3000m now and am tempted to taper off a bit for the 5000m next week instead. I'll see how I am tomorrow and thursday before the race starts.

BOSWOLLOX · 03-07-2014 11:46PM

Club 3,000m today in ALSAA. Legs felt really good warming up so signs looking good. The standards were high as nearly all the top runners in the club were around. The top runner (and winner of the race) has run 2:03/4:32/15:28 for 800m/mile/5k(Enfield) this summer, although he is a bit off form with a recent calf pain. My plan was to get as close to him as possible. I let him do his own thing, fearing that I’d die a death trying to keep up with him. Beating all the other guys would be satisfying as some of them are capable of low 16s 5k on a good day, and they are much better than me over 800m. The plan worked and I managed to come 2nd in the men’s race. There was 20 something lined up at the start of the race, and luckily I was lined up in the front lane on the very inside. I went out hard enough to put me in 2nd place and it was like this for pretty much the whole race. The first lap was 69 or 70 seconds. In a race like this with many people, you don’t have a choice but to go out hard if you want to do well. Finished with 9:24 7 seconds ahead of 3rd and 8 seconds behind 1st. Enjoyable to get a club medal out of it. It was a bit humid and there was some wind. They were the toughest conditions I’ve had for any track race so far but managed to hang in there. The finish time may not be fast but everyone was a good bit slower than what they are capable of in fairness. I’m judging my position and time by the quality of people around me and still think there is a chance for me to run a sub 16 5,000m(track or road) before the summer finishes. The graded meet next Wednesday will be fun. I will go for the B category and target consistent 76/77 laps to the best of my ability. If racing conditions are perfect I should be able to get close at least. It will mean going through 3k in 9:36 and holding the pace for another 5 laps. Let’s just see what happens.

BOSWOLLOX · 05-07-2014 03:06PM

Back to the track in Donore for a hard session. 3X200m with 20 seconds recovery, 3X300m with 20 seconds recovery and another 3X200m with 20 seconds recovery. 5 minutes jogging between each set. I was on my own for this session but thankfully the coach was around to look after my session(he is normally working somewhere else on Saturday mornings). Managed to get the whole session done during the warm sunny part of the morning, windy however.
Splits were slow for the 1st rep of the 1st and 2nd set(32s and 50/51s). But the others were good. 30/31s for 200's and 48s for the other 300's. Coach reckons I should do more strides before sessions. I tend to make it as easy as possible when I do the strides. Thinking about it afterwards, my best sessions were from doing plenty of quality strides, especially the session 3 weeks ago after the 800m graded meet. That must be the best I've run out of any track race or session.

BOSWOLLOX · 10-07-2014 12:33AM

GRADED MEET 6 – IRISHTOWN TRACK 5,000M
Today was the best race I’ve ever done. Felt good today, strides before the race were stiff so thats nothing new. It was a windy day but don’t think it slowed me down much today. The race didn’t start till nearly 9pm so the weather was as good as it could be for racing today. The first lap was a very comfortable 79 seconds and I was just a few strides from the leader for the first 1.5 laps. They started to pull away and I was in no mans land for most of the remainder of the race. Up to half way it looked like I was not going to run near the time I wanted. Reckoned I would have to settle for 16:3x up until the last mile. I wasn’t willing to give up though. I’m better at longer races and can always push myself for longer. The lead bunch got to between 50 to 100m ahead of me by about 10 laps or so. Then a few of them faded and I managed to catch them. I gave it the beans and ran the last 1km in about 3:06. Sprinted hard the last 150m and flew past 2 guys. The finish time on the clock was something like 15:45 and I must have been 150 behind as he finished(my clubmate who is our strongest runner at the moment). The adrenaline was rushing through me when I crossed the line, so much so that I ran the half lap back to the start line(slower pace of course lol). I must be more conditioned to racing now. I was so excited that I impatiently went up to see the results. The guy in the results room must have thought I was mental lol. Don’t know if it was a hallucination but it looks like I ran 16:13.29 a major pb. The best part is that I know it was accurate. I was bitterly disappointed and in denial for a while after my MSB race where I ran 16:09. That was at most 4.9km. I can put that to rest now. It was great to only finish 28 seconds behind our clubs star runner. I’m going to be very ambitious and target 15:45 by the end of the year if I do the Jingle Bells race. The next graded meet is in Santry. It is either a 3 or a 5,000m. I think Santry is a better track for running fast times because it is more sheltered. I could give the 5 a go again and go for sub 16. At least if it fails I will still have my pb from today. Will be giving it alot of thought anyway. My coach will probably tell me which race to do.

BOSWOLLOX · 13-07-2014 01:36PM

Felt good after the 5,000m last Wednesday, and was a relief not having to do the Thursday track session too. I was still feeling the adrenaline on Saturday morning as I warmed up for the session. Did 3 sets of 3X300m with 5 minutes jog between sets and 30 seconds between reps. It was torture. I found it way harder than the race I'd just done a few days ago. Felt like I was a bit slow, evidence that the 5,000 took more out of me than I thought, but also that I raced properly. Averaged ~50 seconds for them.

BOSWOLLOX · 15-07-2014 10:44PM

Nice session on the grass today. Including longer reps than usual is what I enjoy most in a session.
Did 1k, 3 mins recovery jog, 2k, 5 mins recovery jog, 1k.
Splits were 3:07, 6:14, 3:01.
I held back a bit for the first rep so should have been faster. The 2k and final 1k rep were better so overall a fun sessioin.

BOSWOLLOX · 17-07-2014 10:19PM

8X400m session on the ALSAA track with 200m jog recoveries. Been a while since I've done the 400's. I actually enjoyed them. They don't feel as intimidating as they did a few months ago. Average ~66/67 seconds, started out at 68 and as the session went on I gradually brought them down to 65 seconds. Pleased with that. First track session I did at the beginning of April was averaging 71/72 for 8X400m so I've gained plenty of speed even if it feels like I haven't sometimes.

BOSWOLLOX · 20-07-2014 09:37AM

Hard week of sessions done this week. Yesterday did 3 sets of 4X200m on Donore track with 30s recovery between reps and 4mins between sets. Well it was meant to be 30s recovery but we decided to just jog 100m back to start line so nearly 40 seconds. Was just me and one other club mate. He was averaging close to a full second faster than me and was timing them all. He was doing them in 31s average so I'd guess I was 32 seconds at most. I'm sure his reaction time in starting and stopping the watch meant they were actually a bit faster. It certaining felt like I was going faster if I compare them with the 400's on Thursday. Thing is they don't want you to wear spikes on the Donore track so that could explain it. I've adjusted to the ALSAA track and to wearing the spikes now and am fully comfortable. The 300m track in Donore in the racing flats will take more time to tame.

BOSWOLLOX · 26-07-2014 02:57PM

GRADED MEET 5000M PART 2

Was a hot day on Wednesday and I was unsure if I could get near my pb from 2 weeks ago. I arrived in Santry at half 6 and it was still hot and sunny. The B race was due to start at 8. I was hoping that things would be delayed for as long as possible and thankfully I got my wish. The race didn’t start till close to 9pm when it cooled down a bit.
The A and the B races were put together so I knew the standards would be high. I went out fast enough(72s first lap) and it was still considerably slower than most of the field. I eased back a bit as I was concerned about blowing up. I passed 1k in 3:12, exactly 16 minute pace. I should have kept the pace up but I went into the race thinking 16:13 would be too hard to beat. I had banked some time and was ahead of my expectations so that is my excuse. Throughout the race I picked people off and sped up as usual over the last mile. 100m into my second last lap I heard the bell signalling the final lap of the leader’s race. I was increasing the pace and yet I was passed by 2 runners 80m before the end of the lap. How the hell did they manage to run a lap that fast! I saw the clock stop at 14:54 so it must have been 14:57 when I had completed 11.5 laps. Seeing the leaders rocket past me gave me an extra burst of energy and I finished the last lap in about 71 seconds. I felt like I was flying myself as I tore past a runner in the final straight who was quite far ahead of me at the start of the last lap.
I was on the ground for 5 minutes in agony. I put so much into this race and I was so happy to get a pb in tougher conditions than the race 2 weeks ago. I don’t mind that I got lapped because I was kind of expecting that to happen. If I remember correctly last August in the National League finals, I got lapped for the 2nd time by the leader(finished 14:50ish) at the same part of the final straight as he was finishing(me with another 2 laps to go), so I have improved alot since that race. The official results are mixed up on the website. I should be 13th with 16:08.70. Am getting close enough to sub 16 that I think I will have a very good chance at the end of August. I would like to try and aim for sub 15 for the distance next year. I want to how far I can go by pushing the limits. The coach should be giving us more tempo type work when the track finishes. This will be helpful for the middle of distance races where I tend to slow down. I miss tempo running so much at this stage.

Saturday session today in Donore. The legs recovered nicely after the race for the session today. Did 8X300m with full 300m recoveries. Averaged 46/47 seconds which was a sweet surprise. Wasn’t sure how I would hold out as this 5,000m took more out of me than the previous one.

BOSWOLLOX · 01-08-2014 06:42PM

I did the Tuesday session by myself on the grass in Shanganagh because I couldn’t make it to the club in the evening. It has been a long time since I did a session there now. Session was 2 mins fast, 2 mins jog, 3 fast, 3 jog, 4 fast, 4 jog, 3 fast, 3 jog, and finally 2 fast. It is alot harder not having anyone else to run with or at least having the coach around to watch me. I’m a highly dependent person lol. Session took exactly 26 mins from start of first rep to end of last rep and I covered exactly 4 miles by my garmin. I would have been going 5ish mile pace so was good going.

Yesterday was my final day in ALSAA for the year. What a relief lol. We had a predictor mile race and I put down 4:39. It was a miserable run. I have been feeling run down since Tuesday and during the day yesterday, I was thinking about giving it a miss. It didn’t help that there was a strong wind to drain me even more. I ended up running 4:51 and was 2nd fastest. Our elite runner wasn’t around and I would have expected to be an even match for the winner over this particular distance. Instead he finished 7 seconds ahead. I wanted to just run a mile that could live up to my 5,000m from last week. I ran the first 400m of the race in 71 seconds and I already felt like dropping out. For the club 3,000m race I ran the first lap 2 seconds faster, and for the 5,000m last week I was only 1 second slower for my first lap. My lungs were burning after the race too. I will just put it as an off day. I hate anything under 3,000m with a passion.

I decided to give today’s run a miss and am debating doing the session tomorrow in Donore. It will be the last track session so won’t make a difference anyway. The final race is the 1500m in Tallaght next week. Maybe I will feel better and run a good race then. I will be so glad to finish it because we get 2 weeks to recover and then it’s all about the XC again. At this stage I badly need that taper. The training this year has been so intense and I feel like I could disintegrate if I keep it up much longer.

BOSWOLLOX · 06-08-2014 10:28PM

I decided to do the session on Saturday in the end. My legs felt better after a days rest. I couldn't drive to club because my car isn't working and might be gone soon. I would love to drive it around a XC course and then make a nice bonfire out of it. I just ran to Shanganagh park and did 10X200m on the grass pitch with 200m recovery jogs. I never recorded the times but I ran them all hard enough.
I skipped my pre race day run yesterday as I was feeling very run down again. Instead I tested my strength by doing a long plank and got a new pb of 16 minutes. I will do lots more strength and core work now that I won't be doing sessions for a few weeks.

Finally I did my last track race of the season. 1500m in Tallaght. I went for the C race because I wanted to get the chance to experience winning a race. The C and D went off together. I got boxed in at the start and there were 4 or 5 ahead going into the home straight on the first lap. My right lace untied itself at this point but I wasn't willing to let it ruin my race. It was a risky strategy. Last time on the track until next year so I wouldn't let it slow me down. I ended up taking the lead after about 650m by surging past the leaders. This is when I really felt the force of the wind. Despite the conditions and my lace, I held the lead to the end and had a reasonable race. Some guy followed me for the last 2 laps and gave a great effort but luckily I was able to stay ahead. I was a second slower than I was in the same race 6 weeks ago. The wind probably cost a few seconds so I'd like to think it was equivalent to sub 4:20 in ideal conditions.

I am so relieved to be finished the track now. I don't have the natural talent of track racing but I think it will make me way faster for the next XC season. I have big plans. I want to get sub 16 and sub 33 for 10k this year(club 10k race-sub 33 realistic if conditions ideal but I am told it is normally very windy every time it is on). I also want to win medals in all the XC races and get into the inter counties race. Now for some badly needed recovery!!!!!!!

BOSWOLLOX · 01-09-2014 09:17PM

Back to full consistent training this week. September will consist of endurance building sessions. Steady runs, tempo, and pick ups. I will build up to over 60 miles/week.
I have alot of work to do. August ended up becoming a total disaster. I felt like I was getting sick with the last 2 track races, and when I finished them, I became sick. I got a cold, stomach flu/runs, a relapse cold, possible chest infection(didn't go to doctor). I did a challenging multi-terrrain 5k on friday and got 17:14. I lead out the first 150m and slowly blew up after that. My breathing was out of control within minutes and I was falling apart. I only got a new inhaler today. It's 3 or 4 years since I last got one. I will need to take it before every run until I'm fit again. Running well is the one thing that stops me getting heavy bouts of depression. There is a 10k club race in 2 weeks and I want to to run as well in it as I did in my last 5000m on the track. If there was ever an optimal time to be ill, it is the gap between track and XC seasons. Bring on the autumn. I expect to come back stronger this month

pconn062 · 01-09-2014 10:37PM

Good to see you back, getting into your time of the year now with the x-country.

BOSWOLLOX · 06-09-2014 04:20PM

Its good to be back to proper consistent training. You seemed to have a hard time in August too pconn, but your also getting back into a good programme now that the XC training has started again. This XC will be better than ever. I hope to see you in Stamullen. That is where it all began one year ago.

This week I was back to 3 sessions. Tuesday was a hilly tempo run in PP on the grass. The route was 5 laps and 6.6 miles according to one of the guys who had a garmin. Lovely route. It covered some of the Gerry Farnham XC route near the Magazine Fort. Crossed the Kyber too. I'm good at going up hills. Going down them is a different story. I always get left behind a few metres after going down a hill and then I have to surge to get back to my group. I will have to practice running downhill. Overall I enjoyed the session. It was a great workout but not too demanding(took 41 minutes).

Thursday's session was very in comparison to any other session I've done. 5-6 miles of the run were done at a steady 6:3x pace/mile.

Today was a tough one. We did strides before it(didn't do any strides on Tuesday or Thursday). Then it was a 4 mile tempo. A lap starting at the Dog Pond, up to Furze and back again, crossing Papal Cross. The grass was long enough in places. The route was flat enough apart from a dip in the final mile. Did the lap in exactly 23 minutes. I don't think I could have kept the pace up much longer. Another few miles and it would have been a flat out race. On a good surface on a path/road, 5:45 wouldn't have been taxing.

BOSWOLLOX · 13-09-2014 04:56PM

Tuesday Session: 8-8.5 mile run with 4 pickups thrown in. First one was very fast and was the longest one ~1.5k, the others were around 1k and at a nicer pace where I sat in with some of the other lads and went at their pace. The pickups were a few minutes apart too so the session was light overall.

Thursday Session: Didn't go to club so did 8 easy miles myself and did 6 strides(between to goal posts in a field) in the middle of it, full jog back recovery between each. I was feeling tired and sore so it wasn't far off a session in the end.

Club 10k today: A bit under 4 laps on the path around the Acres in PP. If your just jog around this lap you would think it is flat. When your racing it can be deceptive. A few up and down parts to it. It was also a warm day and a little headwind on the longest straight of the lap. For the first few lap I just sat in with a group of 4 or 5 of us close enough together. After that me and another guy broke away from everyone. I ran with him until the last mile where I surged away to eventually win by running hard. The finishing straight just went on forever and ever. You could see a crowd of people near the Magazine Fort, just little specks in the distance. I got 14 seconds on the guy who ran with me for most of the race and came home in 34:53 or something like that(didn't bother with garmin). Credit goes to 2nd place guy as he basically paced the race. My time is way off what my 5k pb would predict but I am getting strong again with the high quality training we are doing now. As I ran beside the 2nd place finisher, I didn't expect that I would eventually be able to pull away and win, he is a very good runner and has run a 32 minute 10k or something along them lines. Eventually I hope to get there myself, with the goal of breaking 30 minutes before I turn 30. By the end of this month I think I will be as fit as I was when I ran my 16:08 5,000m in July, and am going to go mad from October onwards.

BOSWOLLOX · 20-09-2014 02:46PM

Tuesday session: Nice session, first tough session since the track. Got a buzz out of it. 9 mile run with 5 pickups thrown in. First pickup was around 1500m and the only one that was on the grass. The others were on average 1 and a bit km, on the road/paths in Phoenix Park. Second one was easiest as it was on smooth, fast Furze. The last 3 were hilly, especially the final one which was all uphill along the Kyber.

Thursday session: Was a steady run. The first 2 miles were easy, followed by 7 and a bit miles of good steady running. We went at ~6:30 pace for the steady miles. They were hilly enough, and I enjoyed this run alot.

Saturday session: Did a hard tempo run on the Dublin Novice XC route. We ran 4 laps(most of the route of the XC race- we turned left uphill back onto the Acres sooner, where the actual race goes a bit further before it turns onto the Acres. I felt absolutely miserable today and struggled to run today. Didn’t bother wearing spikes. I just didn’t have anything in me today. Very sore and weak, no vitamins in me. I’ll have to do my non session days easier, very easy. I will need to recover because from next week in Stamullen, it will be race after race from now on. My biggest concern with the Dublin Novice is that the route is so narrow when you leave the Acres. If I get caught behind it will be very hard to get past anyone. There is no choice but to run like it is a track race for the wider parts on the Acres, particularly the first lap. I’m scared as hell now.

get to the chopper!

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