Sometimes I just need to get out and run

davemcmahon · 27-06-2014 01:31PM

25/06/2014 Wed: 6.70 miles @ 8:32 min/mile

Was out early before work to try get about an hour in. Legs were feeling ok at the start but by about mile 4 they were beginning to protest and I was feeling the effects from the previous nights session. Finished out the duration (57 mins) and headed back to work for breakfast. Wanted this out of the way as early as possible so I'd have the guts of 36 hours between this run and the session tomorrow night.

26/06/2014 Thurs: 8.39 miles inc Club Session

Headed down to the club for a repeat of last weeks session (32 min pace run) to find that yet again there was a few of us doing the session due to various races at the weekend. Thankfully there wasn't anyone from the faster group doing it and 2 of us from the next group doing it. Was running late so only had a little over a mile warm up. A quick chat and a stretch and we were off. The pace was always going to be easier than last week as I felt that was probably too fast as I felt I suffered a little too much in this session last week.

Pace section: 32 mins @ 6:52min/mile.

This was far more comfortable than last week and the pace itself was much more consistent. This may have been a little too comfortable as I was able to have a conversation on the way round the track. I may try keep this is the 6:40s from now on, then again I may just see how I feel week on week.

27/06/2014 Fri: 3.87 miles @ 9:21 min/mile

The plan has today as a rest day but decided I'd rather a recovery run as the legs were a little stiff from yesterdays session. Nothing much else to say about this one.

Have decided not to run the Clontarf half but will run the 5 miler on the same morning. Not a huge field but I feel its a bit more relevant at this stage of the plan. I still have 2 half marathons in the plan later so I'm not missing out on much.

WTD|32.9
MTD|185.47
YTD|1026.43

davemcmahon · 29-06-2014 09:16PM

29/06/2014 Sun: 15.41 miles @ 8:05 min/mile

Up nice and early this morning to get this out of the way before a busy family day started. Met up with a couple of the lads from the club and headed off on our normal route. Our plan each week seem to be heading off on the route and adding/changing sections depending on the time we;re planning on being out for. This week the plan was to include Kellystown lane again, which adds a good bit onto the overall elevation of the route. Its a tough enough climb but short enough and late in the route so a good practice sections for Dublin. After this section we headed back into Leixlip, across the motorway and back into Celbridge via Castletown house. This meant the last mile or so would be a gradual climb back to the cars.

We pushed the last mile or so as we had taken bets what time we could back to the cars at. The last 3 miles were the fastest of the day so I was happy with that as I was feeling a bit sluggish at the start.

I will do the planned session on Tuesday night but otherwise it will be easy running up to the race on Saturday.

WTD|48.32
MTD|200.89
YTD|1041.85

davemcmahon · 02-07-2014 06:48PM

30/06/2014 Mon: 6.84 miles @ 8:21 min/mile

Was out at lunch time for this one. Legs were feeling grand after yesterdays LSR. Kept to the back roads around Leixlip and Celbridge. This is a much hillier route than keeping to the main roads but is also far more sheltered. It was very hot so was glad to be sticking to the more sheltered route.

MTD: 207.73

01/07/2014 Tues: 7.57 miles inc Club Session

The plan for tonight was 6 x 1k (~917m) with 90s recovery. The usual 2 miles warm up followed by some light stretching and I was ready to go. The reps themselves were grand but I was beginning to feel the heat by the last couple of reps so was thankful to get them done. Just under 2 miles warm down.

Reps: 3:20, 3:22, 3:20, 3:22, 3:22, 3:24

Was happy with the session as the reps are getting quicker but without the effort feeling any tougher.

02/07/2014 Wed: 6.45 miles @ 8:02 min/mile

Legs were feeling good this morning so the plan was to head to Carton House and run some of the hillier trails around golf courses. Parked the car and headed back down towards the river and did two laps of the main trail. Each lap was about 2.1 miles and had a good few climbs. Tried to keep the effort fairly consistent and was happy to see the pace pick up on the flatter sections. Was happy with the run and its definitely a route I'll do again.

WTD|20.86
MTD|14.02
YTD|1062.71

davemcmahon · 05-07-2014 10:08PM

03/07/2014 Thurs: 4.17 miles @ 8:48 min/mile

A nice and slow run on the border between easy and recovery just to keep the legs ticking over.

Rest day on Friday. Normally I'd run the day before a race and take a day off 2 days before but wanted to try it the other way round so ran very easy Thursday and rested Friday.

05/07/2014 Sat: 9.92 miles inc Clontarf 5 mile

Was up nice and early and headed out to Clontarf with the aim to be there just after 9 even though the 5 mile wasn't starting until 10:25. I had planned to park at the train station (only a couple of hundred meters from the start and finish) but as soon as I arrived I realised I hadn't brought any coins to pay for the parking. That meant driving over to Eastpoint and parking there (~1 mile from the start). I ran over to the start and bumped into statss as he was doing his warm up. I tagged along for a bit and then he headed off to get ready for the start. I headed away from the start line to do some stretching and got chatting to a couple of other guys doing the 5 mile. I wasn't sure if I was going to wear the watch or not but at the last minute I decided to trust my instincts and leave it in the bag.

We were herded back to the 5 mile start (over by the erdinger tent). I lined up in the 3rd row as I wasn't sure about the depth of the field. The plan for the race itself was to run hard and try hold an aggressive pace for as long as possible. The first mile flew in as I was pushing hard and trying to gauge which runner to stick with and kept moving from group to group until I sat in at a pace I was happy with. The 2 mile until the turning point was all about making a little bit of ground on the runner a couple of seconds ahead with the aim of passing him in the 2nd half. At this stage I was pushing hard but knew I had enough left to push that little bit harder in the 2nd half. Was good to see RR at the turning point and gave him a shout as I went past. I lost footing slightly as I turned but thankfully so did the runner I was chasing.

As we hit the bridge on the way back I decided to push the pace a little bit more and moved past the 2 runners ahead of me and pushed on towards the next guy about 50m in front. Over the next mile I caught the runner and we kept exchanging places slightly. The only issue I had with the race was during the last 2 miles having to run around the kids from the junior race as they made their way back to the start line. With about 100m to go the runner I'd been beside pushed on to finish and I just didn't have enough left to catch him. Had a chat with him after the race and realised he was a runner I'd been talking to at the Lucan 5k and the Leixlip 5k.

Chip time: 31:16. 15th finisher.

I had planned to stick around for the finish of the half but the heavens started to open and I had agreed to meet the wife and kids out in Malahide. Ran the mile back to the car and got to Malahide before the family so got just under 2 more miles in to bring the total for the day to 9.92 miles.

I'm delighted with the time as I was aiming for somewhere between 31:00 and 31:30. A nice chunk taken off the 5 mile pb since the last one I'd run had been Raheny 13 in 36:18. Plan to take a rest day tomorrow as I haven't really had a a recovery week in about 6 weeks so will sacrifice the long run in favor of a good rest.

WTD|34.95
MTD|28.11
YTD|1076.8

davemcmahon · 13-07-2014 10:53PM

07/07/2014 Mon: 6.37 miles @ 8:29 min/mile

After yesterdays day off the legs were feeling grand but out on this run i could definitely feel Saturdays race still in them.

08/07/2014 Tues: 8.13 miles inc Club Session

The planned club session tonight was 4 x 6 mins hard with 90s recovery. First two reps were a little faster than I planned and the legs felt good. I held back on the third and the legs ran out of steam on the final reps (paces: 6:06, 6:07, 6:16, 6:21). Legs were feeling grand albeit a little on the stiff side.

09/07/2014 Wed: 2 miles @ 9:40 min/mile

Legs were feeling a little tired this morning so opted for a recovery run. The left leg started feeling very tight as the run started. By the end of the first mile I was getting some pain in the left quad and it wasn't getting any better so called it a day a nobbled back to the car.

Thurs/Fri/Sat: No running just rested the quad. It gradually improved over Thursday and Friday until it was giving me no problems at all on Saturday. Tried a couple of short sprints while out playing with the kids and all was good so green light for Sundays long run.

13/07/2014 Sun: 16.13 miles @ 8:08 min/mile

Was out early with the lads from the club for this. Wasn't sure what my plan would be but decided that if I was getting any issues from the quad I'd cut it short. Thankfully it didn't cause any problems although I suffered a little towards the end of the run as the legs got a bit of a shock after a couple of days no running. Some stretching afterwards and the legs are feeling grand now.

In retrospect the session on Tuesday was a little too much even though the legs felt grand. Plan for the week includes a session on Tuesday, hills on Thursday and then the Fingal 10k on Sunday. Plan for the race is to finally nail the sub 40 as at this stage not hitting it is purely a mental issue.

WTD|32.68
MTD|60.79
YTD|1109.48

davemcmahon · 16-07-2014 02:17PM

14/07/2014 Mon: 4.00 miles @ Recovery pace

Wasn't really in the mood for this run so I decided to keep it short and just do a recovery run after yesterdays long run. As I heading to get ready the heavens opened so I just settled for a treadmill run. Should have been a little easier than it was but apparently they don't like putting the aircon on in the gym.

15/07/2014 Tues: 7.69 miles inc Club Session

Was a little nervous about this session as it was going to be the first session since hurting the quad last week. Planned session was 6 x 1k (917m) with 90s recovery. Did the usual warm up followed by some stretching and was ready to go. I eased into the first rep and was happy enough knowing at half way (1:45) it would probably be my slowest of the session. The next few reps were a fair bit faster but were kept fairly consistent going through half way in 1:39-1:40. Slowed it down a little for the 5th rep (1:43 @ half way) and then pushed the last rep to empty the tank.

Reps: 3:29. 3:21, 3:21, 3:21, 3:26, 3:15

Was very happy with the session especially with the strong finish of the final rep (went through halfway in 1:40 and then pushed the second half). Had the usual warm down.

Legs were feeling great afterwards and I found the session a good confidence builder ahead of Sundays race.

16/07/2014 Wed AM: 4.13 miles @ 8:23 min/mile

Had no car today so had to run to and from work. Was an easy enough run and will probably have the same again this evening.

WTD|15.82
MTD|76.61
YTD|1126.3

davemcmahon · 17-07-2014 05:24PM

16/07/2014 Wed PM: 3.15 miles @ 8:31 min/mile

Run home from work. Was very warm out so took it easy and went a more direct route home.

17/07/2014 Thurs: 6.03 miles @ 7:48 min/mile

Headed over to Carton House before work to get in a couple of loops of the hills around the golf course. Was very warm and humid out so I brought some water with me (something I wouldn't normally do) and was very thankful for it on the second loop. Had planned to keep the pace nice and easy but it wasn't long untill it ended up at a steady pace but the body was feeling good so just kept with it. The first 2 mile loop was at 7:15 m/mi, while the second was a little faster at 7:00 m/mi. Took on some water at the end of the second lap as the sweat was pouring off me. I was a little surprised by the paces in the end as they hadn't felt that fast while I was doing them.

Was good to get a good run in without pushing it too hard. A very easy run planned for tomorrow and then a rest day before the race on Sunday.

WTD|25
MTD|85.79
YTD|1134.48

tang1 · 19-07-2014 10:29AM

Best of luck in the morning Dave.

davemcmahon · 20-07-2014 01:09PM

39:09 report will follow later when I get the chance to sit at the laptop

AuldManKing · 20-07-2014 01:58PM

Super racing Dave.

tang1 · 20-07-2014 02:53PM

Well done Dave, great running.

Tom Joad · 20-07-2014 05:03PM

superb running today Dave - well done

davemcmahon · 20-07-2014 10:19PM

18/07/2014 Fri: 4.13 miles @ 8:49 min/mile

Nice and short very easy run just to keep the legs ticking over and fresh for the race on Sunday.

20/07/2014 Sun: Fingal 10k

Was really looking forward to this as I wanted it to be the race I finally nailed the sub 40. Arrived out in Swords nice and early and straight away bumped into one of the clubmates. Walked down to the start and had a look around to get into the right frame of mind. Went for a short warm up and dropped the watch and top back into the car and ran back down to the start. Was lining up and Tom Joad came over to say hello. Shortly afterwards we spotted statss and moved forward to have a quick chat.

The plan for the race was to go out hard and just hold on and try to keep the pace up for as long as possible. The gun went and I moved off and gradually move up the field and settled into what felt like a hard pace. Passed by Redrunner after about 200m and gave him a quick shout as I went past. I could outforarun in the corner of my eye so was using him as a marker for the first km. After we turned onto the motorway I began to push a little harder and decided to stick on the shoulder of a couple of runners that were pulling away from me. As we approached the first water station I made the decision to take a cup as i was very aware that it was very warm and didn't want this to be an issue later in the race. Was passed by another runner from the club at this stage whom I knew was a better runner than me so decided I should keep an eye on him just incase I could gain a few extra seconds by runner with him.

The next couple of km are a bit of a blur as I just kept pushing myself. From around the 4km mark I was beginning to hurt but decided I'd just ignore it and try to keep the pace up. The water from the civil defense was welcome distraction as I was really beginning to suffer. At this stage I realised the runner from the club that passed me earlier was coming back to me so I pushed again and came up on his shoulder at around the 8 km mark. As we hit the 9k mark I pushed ahead of him and took the hill strongly moving past a few more runners that looked dead on their feet. Tried to hold onto my lead on the guy from the club but he outkicked me and finished a couple of seconds ahead of me.

Chip time : 39:09

Was delighted with the result and finally breaking 40 mins after 5? attempts. I felt I'd raced this one as hard as I could and made up for the pacing mistakes in Maynooth. The real change here was a difference in approach, out with the 'trying to break 40mins' and in with 'I'm a sub 40 runner and there's no reason I shouldn't be hitting this time'. I feel the lack of watch really helped me today as I probably would have backed off the pace earlier in the race instead I was blissfully ignorant of what pace I was running which helped. Was good to meet a good few new boardsies afterwards.

Headed back to the car afterwards and changed top and then went for a 4 mile cool down with the clubmate to bring the total to 11.86 miles for the day.

WTD|40.99
MTD|101.78
YTD|1150.47

menoscemo · 20-07-2014 10:34PM

davemcmahon wrote: »

From around the 4km mark I was beginning to hurt but decided I'd just ignore it and try to keep the pace up.

Love that bit Dave. Great racing without a watch and very brave. Much deserved.

yaboya1 · 20-07-2014 10:35PM

Good stuff Dave.
First past the post in the statss challenge too :pac:

davemcmahon · 20-07-2014 10:40PM

menoscemo wrote: »

Love that bit Dave. Great racing without a watch and very brave. Much deserved.

Cheers meno

davemcmahon · 20-07-2014 10:41PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Good stuff Dave.
First past the post in the statss challenge too :pac:

I think the important part here is the fact statss jinxed himself

davemcmahon · 22-07-2014 03:21PM

21/07/2014 Mon: 5.17 miles @ 8:51 min/mile

A very easy lunchtime run around Celbridge. Legs were feeling heavy but not as bad as I was expecting after yesterdays efforts.

22/07/2014 Tues: 7.10 miles @ 8:27 min/mile

Decided to skip this evenings club session and got out at lunchtime instead. After the race in Clontarf I'd gone back to doing the club sessions too soon and ended up narrowly avoiding injury so I'm going to leave off the session tonight but will be back to do a pace run on Thursday night. Decided to get a hour easy in today. Stuck to the trails around Castletown house. By about the 3rd mile I really wised I'd picked a route with more shelter from the sun. The pace felt nice and handy although it did pick up slightly towards the end of the run.

WTD|12.27
MTD|114.05
YTD|1162.75

davemcmahon · 25-07-2014 02:49PM

24/07/2014 Thurs: 8.46 miles inc Club Session

First club session since Fingal and I knew with the heat of the last few days it was going to be a tough one. Made sure I was well hydrated during the day as the plan had us down for a 38 minute pace run so no stops for water. Did the usual warm up and got to the track to see that there weren't many doing the session as they were running Donadea on Friday evening. Thankfully there was at least a couple of runners at similar enough standard so I jumped in with them. We all agreed before we'd keep the pace a little handier than usual since even on the warm up the heat was making it tough.

The pace session itself was fairly unremarkable. We used the main track and the XC track to mix it up a bit (more so because the XC track was half in the shade). This made the laps little tough as there is a little climb from the XC track to the grass track. Pace section: 38 mins @ 6:57 min/mile (5.5 miles).

A little slower than I would have wanted but I was definitely working harder than I should have at that pace so I'm happy enough. The usual warm down afterwards.

25/07/2014 Fri: 6.15 miles @ 8:37 min/mile

Got out just before lunch today and it was so hot it was uncomfortable. After about 3 miles I considered packing it in, but instead changed route to a more shaded area and eased off the pace a little more. Once I was out of the direct heat it was much more comfortable. Thankful to get it done but I'll definitely be switching back to running first thing in the morning until it cools down a bit.

WTD|26.88
MTD|128.66
YTD|1177.35

davemcmahon · 27-07-2014 10:29PM

27/07/2014 Sun: 18.49 miles @ 8:03 min/mile

Met up with the lads from the club early before brealfast this morning for this run. The plan had us down for 2hrs 30 mins. Since I'd struggled a little on the last long run I'd done (2hr 15) I was a little cautious but made sure I was well hydrated and had a gel or two in my belt just in case. After about 30 mins a couple of the lads upped the pace as they were running some MP miles early on. Myself and a couple of others held back with the aim of keeping the pace fairly consistent and just running the planned duration. The plan at the moment is to hold off on doing any MP miles until after the national half and make a proper call on goal time after that.

We kept to the usual route through Maynooth and into Carton House. We decided at this stage to throw in a loop of the hills I've been doing around the golf course to mix things up a little. A little after we left Carton one of the lads dropped off to make a pit stop while the rest of us continued on. After about 15 minutes and no sign of the guy that made the pitstop we decided to turn around and go look for him since he wasn't really familiar with the area. Thankfully we found him after a couple of minutes as he'd taken a wrong turn just before we entered Leixlip. Decided to take a gel at around mile 13 and was glad I did as it made the last few miles a little easier. We finished up coming back in Celbridge through Castletown house and finished off the back at the cars at 18.49 miles.

This was only the second time I've ever ran with a water belt and was very glad I did as it was very humid and was getting hotter the longer the run went on. Was good to get a LSR of over 18 miles in with 13 weeks still to go as the legs felt good and I could easily have gone on for a couple more.

This week will be an easier enough week with the race on the Bank Holiday Monday. Not sure of what the goal is but I'll have a think about it during the week and make a decision then.

WTD|45.38
MTD|147.16
YTD|1195.85

davemcmahon · 31-07-2014 11:07PM

28/07/2014 Mon: 7.04 miles @ 7:56 min/mile

Have the week off work so headed into the Phoenix Park for this. Was a nice run and i was very surprised at the pace in the legs after yesterdays LSR. Legs felt very good at the end of the run

29/07/2014 Tues: 6.32 miles @ 8:25 min/mile

Was out in Laytown for a couple of days so any notion I had of getting the club session in went out the window after a poor nights sleep. Took the opportunity to go exploring and get a feel for the area.

30/07/2014 Wed: 8.21 miles @ 8:18 min/mile

Another run out in Laytown. This time I headed out into Mornington and back again. Took a couple of detours down to the beach and back. Lots of people out but very few returned or acknowledged any greetings as i went past, same as yesterday. Have come to the conclusion that they just weren't friendly. Miserable gits.

31/07/2014 Thurs: 8.95 miles inc Club Session

Was back at home so headed up to the club. The usual warm up and warm down. The planned session was 3 x 10 mins hard with 3 ins recovery. The plan for this was to run these harder than HM pace so that Monday would feel a little easier mentally. The reps were:

10 mins @ 6:31 min/mile,
10 mins @ 6:16 min/mile,
10 mins @ 6:14 min/mile.

Was a tough session but I was feeling good and strong even on the third rep so was very happy with it.

I still havent fully committed to a plan for Monday's Half. While I'm aware its a tough course I should be able to take some more time off my PB from Bohermeen (1:29:48). The feeling I'm getting is that I should go out at about 1:28 pace (~6:42min/mile) and see what happens.

WTD|30.52
MTD|177.68
YTD|1226.37

wowzer · 31-07-2014 11:12PM

Go for it, you got nothing to lose and nothing to prove. Your flying at the minute so it would be a shame not to go for it.

davemcmahon · 01-08-2014 10:52AM

wowzer wrote: »

Go for it, you got nothing to lose and nothing to prove. Your flying at the minute so it would be a shame not to go for it.

That's pretty much how I feel. No point in going to a race and not racing it. That said not brave enough to race a half without the watch, yet.

tang1 · 03-08-2014 12:59PM

Best of luck tomorrow Dave.

davemcmahon · 04-08-2014 11:18AM

1:28:34 (6:43 pace) report will follow later

yaboya1 · 04-08-2014 11:31AM

davemcmahon wrote: »

1:28:34 (6:43 pace) report will follow later

Saw you at about halfway and coming up to the finish. Looked fairly comfortable both times.
Well done.

davemcmahon · 04-08-2014 12:09PM

yaboya1 wrote: »

Saw you at about halfway and coming up to the finish. Looked fairly comfortable both times.
Well done.

Hahaha that's definitely not how I felt.

davemcmahon · 04-08-2014 11:13PM

01/08/2014 Fri: 4.43 miles @ 8:35 min/mile

A nice easy run around Celbridge not much to report on this one other than the legs being a little tired after last nights session.

03/08/2014 Sun: 5.09 miles @ 8:36 min/mile

Met the lads from the club that are running on Monday for a nice easy run to loosen up the legs. Down through Castletown house and back into Celbridge via the Dublin road. Legs were feeling good.

04/08/2014 Mon: National Half Marathon

Was up at a ridiculous hour to get some food in and get ready for the race. From the off the legs weren't feeling great and wasn't looking forward to race. Parked up in Merrion square and jogged over to the start. Met up with a couple of lads from the club and finished out a mile warm up. Ended up in the second coral by mistake but figured there was no point moving forward as we would set off at the same time. Gave RR a quick shout as I got into position and then it wasn't long until we set off (albeit a little late)

The first mile was a little fast (6:39) and I was a little surprised to see the 1:30 pace fly off ahead of me. Passed by him again during the second mile but the pace was still a little on the fast side (6:36), even with the first of the many hills up in this section. At this stage I was happy to hold the pace as it didn't feel too hard although it didn't feel comfortable. Even at this early stage there was a decent support on the route.

Miles 3-6 (6:33, 6:49, 6:41, 6:35). These passed quick enough with the climb towards IMMA slowing me down a little. Mile 5 was littered with Celbridge AC club members so was nice to get plenty of shout outs along this section. While mile 6 say the pace pick up again slightly.

Once we entered the park the pace dropped a little as I'd expected but I noticed a couple of club mates coming back to me so made an effort to try catch them by the time we hit the 9 mile mark. Took a gel at the water station at the start of mile 8. By the time we turned back towards the Wellington monument I'd caught the club mates but could hear the 1:30 pace group behind me. I was aware that I wasn't off target so ignored them as they went past as we got towards the 9 mile mark. Miles 7-9 (6:55, 6:29, 6:48)

Mile 10 was a tough drag along Chesterfield avenue and the legs were beginning to hurt at this stage. Took another gel at the next water station. This one didn't go down quite as easy as the last one and it slowed me down a little (6:57). Where as I'd struggled on mile 10 I found the legs picking up speed on mile 11 and the pace dropped back down again (6:45).

Mile 12 was tough and I could feel the energy just draining out of the legs. Just after the hill out of the glen the legs went dead and the life just drained out of them. I ended up walking for a couple of seconds hear. I quickly told myself to cop on and get moving again. Either the last gel I'd taken suddenly kicked in or I found a small bit of energy I had left but I got moving (7:08!!). Since there was only a mile to go I pushed as much as I could and mile 13 saw my second fastest mile of the day (6:30). As soon as I came to the finish straight I pushed as hard as I could and cross the line as the clock read 1:29:35 (the 1:30 pacer was still ahead of me and had slowed to a walk to encourage his diminishing group across the line) (6:12 pace)

Chip time: 1:28:29. a PB by about 80s.

Was very happy with the result as I felt I pushed it as hard as I could on the day. The course was very tough and the heat this morning didn't help. The legs were in bits afterwards as the hills really took it out of me. As to why I had to slow to a walk, I'm not going to spend too much time analysing it as didn't cost me much time and I got over it pretty quickly.

My biggest gripes of the day, 'Rock' bands playing ****e music to urge on competitors when they should be playing something more upbeat and forgetting to protect myself from chaffing. One of the problems of a white club vest it that blood stains are more noticeable.

WTD|15.19
MTD|24.71
YTD|1251.08

RedRunner · 04-08-2014 11:51PM

Great time Dave. It was tough out there today alright.

tang1 · 05-08-2014 07:37AM

Great stuff Dave, sounded like tough course.

Sometimes I just need to get out and run

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