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The Boggers Log

ThebitterLemon

After some sage advise from Krusty, I've decided to dip my toe into the training log pool.

My 12 month objective is to crack a sub 3, but my immediate objective is to run a 3.05 -3.07 in Seville in February.

I've done a few marathons and did Valencia a couple of weeks ago as a training run (fantastic event by the way), and I've started a 12 week McMillan running program last Monday.

I'll try to post here as frequently as possible and would appreciate any feedback proffered.

Again, tnx Krusty for his time and inputs.

TbL

3 sessions completed so far;

1. 30 min warm up followed by, 22, 30 second strides with 1 min recovery run at between 5k and 1 mile race pace. 15 min cool down jog

2. 70 mins easy run

3. 50 min easy run

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AuldManKing

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Today while waiting on a flight out of Warsaw, I was doing what I usually do when I've a few minutes to spare, I browsed through the A/R/T forums when I saw that I had won new poster and training log of the year. Amazed and bowled over by that TBH, especially given that I'm a mediocre runner at best and given the quality of other logs posted on this forum.

It was Krusty who had told me, this time last year, that a log would also be extremely useful from a training perspective. He was right but in addition I also enjoy keeping it and reading others. The log keeps me honest and part of me thinks that were it not for the log and the community here I wouldn't have bounced back so quickly after a poor showing in Amsterdam, to PB in Valencia! Easier to slink off and take the lazy option when you aren't holding yourself to account on a public forum.

It may be more indicative of a sad auld lad, with feck all to do but my running and the logs on here are inextricably linked. I get a great buzz from running and racing and also writing and reading about it. My logging style mightn't be everyone's cup of tea but it is a factual account of my struggle to balance, work and family with a burning desire to run faster.

I absolutely love the banter that breaks out on the logs and there are some incredible characters posting here along with some talented runners. The wit coupled with some incredible support and advise make this forum what it is. It fantastic and fascinating to watch the chronological development of runners of all levels unfold.

In the 12 months since I've started logging here and with Ecoli's help I've knocked 10 mins off my marathon PB. (And enjoyed almost every minute of it).

I never take myself too seriously but I'm fiercely competitive (bring it on Meno ) and I'd like to think over the next 12 months I'll knock another 10 mins off it, have a blast doing it and logging any progress here.

I've also met and run with some great people because of this forum but just to let ye all know, I'll be charging a fee heretofore

A genuine thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and provide feedback on this log, with a special mention to Krusty (the now retired stud ) for getting me started.

From waffle to waddle:

The plan today called for 7 miles easy. I set my alarm early this morning so that I could hit the hotel gym treadmill but I was too tired so I gave it a miss. I flew back into Heathrow late afternoon and made my way to my hotel near Gatwick. The traffic was desperate and it took me 90 mins to get to my hotel. Staying at an old country manor hotel in Nutfield and as the paths aren't lit I decided to use the leisure centre treadmill to do as many of the 7 miles as I could. The leisure centre is fantastic with a well equipped gym, 2 squash courts and a pool. Unfortunately I'm in different hotels again on Wed & Thursday so it'll be treadmill city for the rest of the week.

Managed to do 11.38k in 60 mins.

Tnx again

TbL

You can't win post of the year at this stage..........

ThebitterLemon

Today the plan called for my first double in what seems like ages, 4 miles recovery am and 7 miles easy pm.

I was collected from my hotel this morning at 6.15 and it was a 2 hour drive to the next hotel so I wasn't able to get the am run in so I had planned on doing a few miles extra in the pm.

Wasn't looking forward to my 4th different hotel room in as many nights but I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of today's hotel. It's a luxury country house hotel called Lime Wood situated in the heart of the New Forest in Hampshire and located in a designated National Park. The hotel was originally established as a hunting lodge in the 13th century. Very impressive.

I mentioned a few days ago that a bath tells a lot about a hotel, and I have two in my room, one a stand alone beauty at the end of the 4 poster bed! There was a real log fire in the fireplace and the room itself was bigger than some of the places I lived in as a student!

The staff wear tweed, call me Sir and don't appear to be taking the piss

The restaurant is fronted by Angela Hartnet, a Michelin star chef and we got served some really good food. (Calories through the roof for the day, the sauce on my starter probably had more calories than my lunch!)

By the time our meetings finished this afternoon it was late and I only had a very short window to get a run in on the treadmill, in the oh so posh gym (the towels were cooled in fridges FFS!!) I only got 5k done but I'm really looking forward to getting a few miles in early tomorrow through the forest trails.

TbL

SamforMayo

Ah will you feck off! I'm having sausage, mash and gravy for the dinner!

laura_ac3

That place looks lovely....I've made a note of it as a future destination. Running, acceptance speeches, travel tips....you get all sorts in this log!

ThebitterLemon

The plan today called for a 6 mile progression run, with the last half mile at 10k pace.

I was fairly late getting to bed last night and two of my colleagues, an Austrian and an English lad said that they'd join me at 7am for a couple of miles. They'd had a few beers so I'd didn't expect to see them but low and behold they were there. Don't know where the Austrian lad thought we were going as he was dressed head to toe in black including a hoodie sort of thing that covered most of his face, he looked like a ninja.

The porter told us that the trails were very wet and that we would have very poor visibility for another while, and suggested that we stick to the road. Ninja decided for the 3 of us to completely ignore this and we went into the forest, while it's probably fantastic in daylight I decided to come out after about a mile and hit the road to try and get some sort of a session done.

I noticed over the last couple of days that my chesty cough is coming back and this morning I could really feel it. Got the session completed, it wasn't great and the last mile was very poor, the uphill drag finish certainly didn't help.

The ninja emerged from the thick of the forest a bit later covered in mud, swearing that I'd missed a great run. The look on his face told another story

I'm not a fan of trail running at the best of times but the area is beautiful and I'd love to do those trails on a better day.

Splits

9.48
7.30
7.15
7.08
7.01
7.07

Not a good session but there's a number of reasons for it so I'm not too concerned.

Going to find it hard to run this weekend as I've to go back to London early Saturday morning. It won't have been a great week but I'm taking 10 days off over Xmas and hope to get some quality sessions in.

Just arrived in Dublin and hopefully I make it home to my own bed tonight and a bowl of porridge in the morning

TbL

Netwerk Errer

I think it's about time you changed the log title to "the gentry's log":)

ThebitterLemon

Netwerk Errer wrote: »

I think it's about time you changed the log title to "the gentry's log":)

Trust me NE, I'm a little rough around the edges for those types of place! If I ever change the title it's gotta be "the Loggers Bog"

TbL

PaulieYifter

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

I'm not a fan of trail running at the best of times

:rolleyes:

ThebitterLemon

PaulieYifter wrote: »

:rolleyes:

I was till I ran with you Paulie, you nearly killed me

TbL

ultraman1

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Im a mediocre runner

Don't be gettin too big for ur boots........well done tbl

ThebitterLemon

ultraman1 wrote: »

Don't be gettin too big for ur boots........well done tbl

Tnx UM,

When I get a bit older I'll probably take up those long sponsored walks that you're so fond of

Well done yourself, impressive performance. I was gonna say you walked the walk...

Seriously, some achievement well done.

TbL

ThebitterLemon

Plan today called for a 4 mile nursing home special.

Work all over the place at the moment and I'm back in London early tomorrow morning until Sunday afternoon so I'm gonna struggle to get the sessions in. We changed today's session to include 7 miles easy pm.

Tomorrow's session was to be 2 miles easy, and 7x3 min at 6.15-6.20 pace off 90 sec jog recovery. Definitely won't get a chance to do this tomorrow but I'd like to give it a lash so I might swap it out with the planned Sunday 12 miler (easy).

Anyway, got to sleep in my own bed last night for a change! It was a struggle to get up but I managed to get 4 miles recovery in a loop near the house.

We have our Xmas party tonight, I feckin hate Xmas parties, I haven't been in years but I have to go tonight, bah humbug, I'd prefer to watch the entire box set of Oireachtas Report 2000-2014:)

Everyone headed off early this afternoon and I took the chance to get the 7 miles easy done in the fading winter sunshine. Picked a nice rolling route over some local hills. While the New Forest area is very scenic you can't beat the natural beauty of Connemara on a bright and crisp winters afternoon. Still can feel the rattle in the chest but enjoyed this run and finished the 7 in 8.01 average.

Total miles 11.

TbL

dintbo

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

I'd prefer to watch the entire box set of Oireachtas Report 2000-2014:)

When was this released? I know what my weekend plans are!!!:D

ger664

You should get one of those Star Trek transporters at home. It would be dead handy:D

Ger

Murph_D

Feck the running. After that intro I'm dying to hear the Xmas party report.

ThebitterLemon

Sat. & Sun: a complete washout from a running perspective.

I had my staff Xmas party on Friday night and had to drive up to Dublin straight after for a 7.30 flight to London. I must be getting awful auld coz the young wans were talking at the Xmas party about 21st century "dating", mother of suffering god, tinder and a pool of fish (or some other online ****e like that!!) I'm my day it went something like this, boy sees girl (a actual living, breathing girl, not some virtual picture that has been photoshopped, or isn't even the same person!) at bar/disco/mass, boy asks girl "do you come here often, if girl gives any reply apart from "fcuk off" then boys ask girl do you want to dance/drink/smoke. Kinda old fashioned and it occasionally worked and one didn't need to send out ones GPS coordinates with a twatter message of "come and get me"

Got to London early on Saturday for an early morning meeting and then headed off to Selhurst Park for the Palace v Stoke match. A friend of mine had a box for the match and while it was a good experience it was a ****e match. At the Palace home games they have cheerleaders, called the "Crystals" that come onto the pitch to do a dubious dance routine. They are dressed in next to nothing and I made a throw away comment about them been freezing, someone questioned whether I would be man enough to warm them up and of course I took the bait and prattled out some macho bull, that I was to regret. Just after half time 5 of them appeared in our box and I turned Ken Livingstone red! I ended up been pulled into a photo where I look like Hugh Hefner (without the dressing gown!) and I had the complete piss pulled out of me. The photo is doing the rounds at work today FFS!

I was at another work function on Saturday night and only got a couple of hours kip before I had to fly back. I had the gear in the car and had intended on doing the session or 12 miles easy but by the time I got to Galway I was absolutely wrecked. Texted coach and we decided to draw a line under the sand of a poor training week overall and concentrate on getting some consistent training done over the coming weeks/months. I went to bed just after 6pm last night and didn't wake up till 7 this morning!

Anyway back to the running, today's plan called for 2m wu/cd with 14 x 300m at 5k pace off 60 secs recovery. Wasn't looking forward to this and it's the first time I've been on the track in a while. Took a late lunch to get this one in around the UCG sports grounds and track. It's the first session on this cycle that I feel that I actually hit the target. Found it hard to find the 300m point as there was more lines on the track than you'd see at a Pete Doherty house party but eventually got my bearings. Only took 55 secs recovery between the reps.

Splits:

60
60
61
60
60
61
60
61
60
61
61
62
58
58

Only took 55 secs recovery so reasonably satisfied with the session.

TbL

laura_ac3

Mass? Really?

SamforMayo

Suffering Jaysus and I thought I had a rough weekend! Poor Ecolii must have been up in a heap after that phone call!

adrian522

We need to see this photo, otherwise your log has no validity.

Ososlo

adrian522 wrote: »

We need to see this photo, otherwise your log has no validity.

Hear hear. Photo or GTFO!

ThebitterLemon

adrian522 wrote: »

We need to see this photo, otherwise your log has no validity.

Haha Adrian if you need to see the Connemara Hugh Hefner with the Crystals I'll pm it to you!

TbL

adrian522

Ha ha Fair enough, but I'll just post it up here then!

ThebitterLemon

Ososlo wrote: »

Hear hear. Photo or GTFO!

I'll post mine if you post yours O (your photo that is

)

TbL

SamforMayo

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Haha Adrian if you need to see the Connemara Hugh Hefner with the Crystals I'll pm it to you!

TbL

And me! And I promise I won't show it to a soul....

AuldManKing

I'm impressed you know about Pete Doherty.......

ThebitterLemon

SamforMayo wrote: »

And me! And I promise I won't show it to a soul....

Ye Mayo wans couldn't be up ta ye, ye lot were always the ones to tell us good looking Galway lads to fcuk off when we asked ye out dancing.

Ps. Bulmers has a copy of the picture (along with a confidentiality agreement

) so he can verify!!

TbL

Pps. Bulmers has just come back to me and said it was no wonder I was in bed early

Bulmers74

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Ye Mayo wans couldn't be up ta ye, ye lot we always the ones to tell us good looking Galway lads to fcuk off when we asked ye out dancing.

Ps. Bulmers has a copy of the picture (along with a confidentiality agreement ) so he can verify!!

TbL

Pps. Bulmers has just come back to me and said it was no wonder I was in bed early

Just checking out the cost of a season ticket at Selhurst Park

SamforMayo

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Ye Mayo wans couldn't be up ta ye, ye lot we always the ones to tell us good looking Galway lads to fcuk off when we asked ye out dancing.

Ps. Bulmers has a copy of the picture (along with a confidentiality agreement ) so he can verify!!

TbL

Pps. Bulmers has just come back to me and said it was no wonder I was in bed early

I m off to buy a copy of all the English tabloids to see if I can spot you! And I'm sorry the Mayo girls wouldn't dance, my mother often tells a story of refusing a fella a dance and he said "you should have brought your knitting with ya". So I was brought up to dance with every old eegit that asked!

yaboya1

What you've all been waiting for:

ger664

As an Eagles fan I agree it was a Sh*** match, but at least the day wasn't a total washout. Off to bribe Bulmers