Run run run run run run run....

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)

Full Results

ya looks like I missed some good games, poor Spain. I'm considering moving to somewhere with a cooler climate, I can't be dealing with this heat :pac:

Thursday 19th - 40min recovery AM + 45min easy PM (11.3 miles)
Up early for a post race shakedown and legs were feeling good HR was reading well. At around 7:30am I passed a guy in a suit on his way to work, this will have relevance in a minute. Headed down to club session after work but just headed off for a light jog, bit pacier than this morning but felt fine. At 6:45pm I passed the same guy in the suit coming home from work, in roughly the same place, it was kinda awkward. He must have though I was nuts, but I think he's nuts working almost a 12 hour day, did not look one bit happy about it.
Summary AM: 5.1m in 40:11 @ 7:53 min/mile (120bpm)
Summary PM: 6.2m in 46:39 @ 7:29 min/mile (125bpm)

Friday 20th - 60mins Easy
Feeling well recovered, nice steady pace, HR was good and beautiful evening around the marina. Into the gym afterwards for core work & weights.
Summary: 8.3m in 58:31 @ 7:03 min/mile (135bpm)

Saturday 21st - Track Fartlek
Up at 8am to do this one on my own, we're off to Killarney now to entertain some Swedes this weekend so couldn't make the club session. Coaches orders were 12 x laps (or roughly 20 mins) of sprinting the straights and jogging the bends. Had a few pints last night so had to clear my head for first few miles warmup and I was ready to go. Straight forward session, didn't time anything just ran by feel, it was really just a set of 24 strides really, tough and warm but felt good. Jog cooldown on the grass afterwards.
Summary: 8.6 miles @ 7:29 min/mile (131bpm)

Wednesday 25th - 50min Recovery AM
Bit of a ritual now getting an early run in the day before the race so I'm well rested, seems to work well for me.
Summary: 6.2m in 48:57 @ 7:50 min/mile (123bpm)

Thursday 26th - Daniel Kingston 5k Race
So continuing on with my racing addiction streak, I signed up for this last week as it was on the same day as a session, I felt I recovered well from last Wednesday so why not give it a shot.

I knew the course wasn't going to be the flattest from looking at the preview, a total climb of 155ft but only one real hill of note. It didn't feel too bad on the day though, it was certainly undulating and that one particular saucy climb at the end was....lovely.

We got into Macroom pretty late and only managed to get 10 minutes warmup done, not ideal but wasn't going to make a huge difference. There was a large crowd at this one, almost 600 which was impressive really with another major race (Ballycotton series 5 mile, also drawing 600) on at the same time. The rain clouds had cleared up, the sun was out but not so warm so it was pretty good conditions, much improved on the 25 degrees heat I had to run through last week.

Target today? It was hard to call, PB would obviously be nice but wasn't expecting miracles with the course profile, more racing experience was really what I was looking for and a placing in the top 10.

Mile 1
Lined up at the front and I could have sworn I was in a 100m dash when the hooter went off, some lads were off like bloody greyhounds. A group of 4 (possibly 5) formed in a pack, we caught the greyhounds and having a quick glance behind me, we were on our own, this was it. Surprising given the numbers present but I was sitting in 3rd or 4th and figured I had a good chance of placing in the top 3 today, game on. We made our way out of the town, I found the first few minutes uncomfortable but settled into the pace around halfway through the first mile. So off we set into the countryside, the 4 musketeers. I had no idea of the calibre of the lads around me but we were tightly packed, everyone seemed comfortable and I felt this was going to be a tactical race. Hit the first mile in 5:21, working hard but feeling ok.

Mile 2
Mile 2 was relatively flat, I was sitting at the front of the pack alongside black singlet, with yellow singlet and white singlet just behind me. We were running so close to each other I almost got clipped a few times but we were chugging along nicely probably all aware of the climb on the 3rd mile, I knew I had to keep something for that though I was really feeling the effort now. Hit mile 2 a little slower in 5:30

Mile 3
Really feeling the burn now but I'm still in the mix, I'm not worried about time just keeping myself in contention, thoughts of even winning are bouncing around in my head but no time for that because once we passed the bridge at 2.3 miles, we'd be tested with the 300 meter uphill climb. It felt like we all eased a little for this but still worked hard, I just focussed on not letting the lads away from me and pumped the arms. Suddenly the the hill is over and I can see the town in the distance, a gentle incline and we're back on pace but holy crap my lungs are about to burst. I'm back alongside black to my right and yellow to my left, 3 of us in a line and the 4th guy seems to have been lost on the hill. We're motoring up the road, spectators out clapping and cheering. It feels like it's just me and black as yellow is gone very quiet behind my shoulder, nobody making a move, I couldn't make a move. We hit the 3 mile mark and then bam out of nowhere yellow takes off with a very impressive burst of energy, he storms ahead by a few lengths, black tries to go and gains a few yards on me, I can't respond at all, maxed out. The finish line comes into sight, a quick glance over my shoulder and I know I have 3rd place. I cross officially in 16:44 (but my watch reads 16:56), 4 seconds behind black and 7 seconds behind yellow. I have given it my all, I couldn't respond to the kicks and 3rd was a fair result. I collapse on my knees for a few seconds before congratulating the lads. Mile 3 was 5:26

I'm very happy with the race but to be honest I never had the winning mentality today, even when it was the 3 of us left, I was thinking I'm happy with a 2nd or 3rd. I need to change that and maybe with more racing I can work on and develop it. Before the race I wouldn't have considered myself placing so was pretty chuffed with the result all the same.

I then found out that 1st place was €250 argh!!! Still picked up a €50 boots voucher so I am ok for toothpaste for the next 10 years. 2 paycheques in a week I am on a serious roll! Went for a 3 mile cooldown around the course and back to the community centre to pig out on crisps and snickers before collecting my prize.

I'm not sure how there is a differential of 12 seconds between my chip time and my watch, there was a starting and finishing mat so I'm very confused and kind of reluctant to accept 16:44 as a PB, anybody care to explain how this might have happened? I did clock the course slightly long however at 3.13 miles and my average pace on the garmin is on par for a 16:46 but that wouldn't really explain the times being different. If the chip time is wrong, I've still equalled my PB on a tougher course so it's progress in my eyes :pac:

I read a post recently comparing toughness of 5k's to a marathon and I'm really starting to lean in the direction of "give me a marathon any day".

Summary: 5k in 16:44, 3rd overall (7.2m total) Full Results

Friday 27th - 50min Recovery AM
Rain cleared up just in time for this as I heard it peeing down all night. Nice morning, legs very heavy at the start but loosened out as the body gradually woke up and felt pretty good at the end.
Summary: 6.13m in 49:30 @ 8:04 min/mile

Guess what time it is now? That's right...it's stag time again! This weekend I'll be taking on Sligo, stay tuned.

yaboya1 wrote: »

I'm like this. I love improving my 5k time, but I don't know if I ever actually enjoy the race. I look forward to it and enjoy looking back on it, but the race itself is so painful I'm glad it's over so quickly .

Well done on another great result btw.

Somehow I don't think we're alone

Saturday 5th July - Grass Fartlek Session
Repeat of a session we had a few weeks ago, sprinting various lengths of the pitches. Cracking morning so it wasn't long until the shirts were off! Tough going but felt very strong, in with a good group so we worked hard together and pushed each other, makes a world of difference doing this in a group.
Summary: 8.9m in 1:04:01 @ 7:10 min/mile (138bpm)

Sunday 6th July - 13m Long
Nice relaxed jog out on my own around the city, pace very comfortable. Got caught in a sudden rain shower 2 miles from home so pace suddenly picked up.
Summary: 13.1m in 1:36:30 @ 7:24 min/mile (130bpm)

Monday 7th July - 10m Easy
I enjoyed running this one by HR last week so I opted for some more of the same, 135bpm was the target which is smack in my easy zone and pace was surprisingly nippy, running the first few in 6:45's though some that was downhill. Really happy with my easy running pace right now and how I've progressed since I came back from travelling. When I think back to this time last year I was in Vietnam in agony with a herniated disc and thinking I'd never run again. When I did eventually get back running (in Hong Kong) I could barely manage a 9 minute mile and couldn't even finish 2 miles! So thankful to be where I am now and more importantly enjoying my running more than ever. Yeah so that was Monday
Summary: 10.6m in 1:13:20 @ 6:55 min/mile (134bpm)

Tuesday 8th July - 40min Easy
Up early for a run on Tuesday? This can only mean one thing, yep it's race time again! Tomorrow shall see me back at the scene where I ran my 16:56 PB over a month ago. This is another Cork BHAA race and a super flat course. I still have doubts about the official timing of my last PB (16:44) so I want to put that to bed tomorrow and hopefully shave a few seconds off. Feeling in good shape and looking forward to it so tune in tomorrow for a glowing* race report. Nice relaxed jog around model farm loop today, legs were fairly tired for first while as always in the morning but finished up wide awake and gobbled a delicious omelette when I got back.
Summary: 5.4m in 40:02 @ 7:23 min/mile (126bpm)

In other news I signed up for the Run Killarney half marathon on the 19th of July so that's next on the list, yeah that means our 10k showdown will have to wait DR, I got scared. I couldn't resist signing up for this though, it's a spectacular route covering the last leg of the ring of Kerry and an overall downhill course so hopefully can take another minute or 2 off my half time and it will be a good indicator of what shape I'm in coming into DCM training.

*may or may not be glowing

yaboya1 wrote: »

Good luck tomorrow.
I'm sure you'll nail it.

Cheers and great session yourself yesterday you're really flying at the moment. Any plan to race soon? would be interesting to see where you're at now with all these great sessions. I can't recommend regular racing enough though, will definitely be keeping it up during my marathon schedule....within reason

By the way your HR training really starting to rub off on me now!!

So back to the super flat Marina course where I first ducked under 17 mins only 5 weeks ago, time to see how I've progressed having run some hillier (and hotter!) 5k's in between. Training has been consistent with plenty of speedy track work and I've stayed injury free so felt I had a good run in me today.

Just over 450 turned up on this nice and calm evening, though slightly humid. It also happened to clash with the Paulo Nutella gig which was on at the Marquee, traffic was a nightmare but nothing the organisers could do except wait for it to die down a little. It didn't die down so we just eventually had to start using one side of the road. I had gotten a nice 20 min warmup done around the course but started to feel restless standing around for over half an hour waiting. Finally the hooter went at around 8:20pm. I managed to get a good start this time though again like the last race it was a serious sprint start for a lot of people, must have been 30+ ahead of me but I kept my own pace, long way to go yet.

Mile 1
After a couple of minutes of hard breathing I settled into my pace, I started reeling in a few people and noted the pace hover around 5:20 on my watch, perfect. There was a distinct lead group of 6-8 after taking off and then a fairly large group of about 12 including club-mate RP who I've trained with in the last few weeks and knowing we're at a similar level I worked in with him at the front of the group. We cruised along nicely, felt pretty comfortable and breathing well hitting the first mile in 5:18.

Mile 2
A concern from the last few 5k's was that I was always losing ground on the 2nd mile so today I would focus and concentrate fully on that middle section, to really work hard and hold that pace and still finish strongly. Well that was the plan anyway but I knew if I could do that I'd persevere through the 3rd mile. On to the 2nd lap of the course, I was going along nicely with RP just on my shoulder. A green singlet had made a surge to the front but I didn't move just keeping my own pace steady. Soon he dropped off and I found myself slowly taking away from the group. I was definitely working hard here but kept my focus and was delighted to see the watch clock a 5:22 for the 2nd mile, it gave me huge encouragement to just get through the last section. Some brief inner words of encouragement to hold this pace till the end and on we go.

Mile 3
It was just pure perseverance for this mile, I was hurting but it was just a question of how long I could tolerate it. I felt my form was good, I was running strongly but the burn was there too. There was a navy singlet ahead of me at the start of this mile, he had gone with the lead group and I didn't even consider it a possibility that I'd catch him but slowly I started reeling him in throughout the last mile. I glanced at the watch with just under half a mile to go, still holding a 5:20 pace and I knew I was on for something special if I kept this going. I focussed on the top ahead of me, breathing heavily now but knowing a big PB is potentially around the corner was a huge incentive to keep going. We started to turn for the finish straight and I'm a couple of yards from navy singlet. Out of nowhere comes clubmate RP breezing past me, I knew he had a good finish in him from the track sessions so I wasn't hugely surprised. We both overtook the navy singlet at the same time but more importantly I had a glance at the finish clock, just ticking onto 16:10! Holy mackerel I'm on for a good one here! I gave it all I could on the finish straight and crossed the line in 8th place in a brand new PB of 16:27 still not sure if it was real or not. Final mile of 5:19, so I think pace-wise I (finally) got it spot on.

Really surprised myself out there today but I did feel there was a big performance in me and I think that middle mile gave me the confidence to keep going and finish strong. I have to admit I've exceeded my targets by a long way in the last 2 months, sub 16:30 was the yearly goal for 5k and only 5 weeks ago I was over the moon with a 16:56 on the same course. I don't expect these sort of rapid improvements all the time so I'm going to enjoy them while I can. Great confidence booster for the half marathon next week, will ease off slightly next week and give the body a good rest.

Summary: 5k in 16:27 @ 5:19 min/mile (8.4m total)

Full Results

Thanks lads. DR, yeah of course it's very tempting to keep this intensity going but if I step back and look at the last couple of months, the plan was to work on the speed and get the 5k time right down for marathon training. I think I've achieved that goal so perhaps its time to start shifting my attention to the endurance side of things, ramping up the milage slowly and getting a midweek long run in.

Talking to the coach last night, the marathon structure will be something like this:

Mon/Wed/Fri - Easy/Recovery running
Tuesday - Long Run
Thursday - Tempo
Saturday - Grass/Hills Session
Sunday - Long Run

What I might do after the half is to start easing a medium-long 12-15m run in midweek along with keeping up the doubles a few days a week, hopefully this means I peak just in time for Dublin.