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Running Through The Wall

Killerz

So, here we go again. An old training log retired, a new log begins…..

And thus begins my biggest challenge yet – the Connemara Ultra-Marathon. I am aiming to run (or crawl/ walk) this in April 2010. I have 3 marathons under my belt (Dublin 2008 – 3:49; Cork 2009 3:25; Dublin 2009 3:11) and a few halfies (PB Dublin 2009 1:28), so thought it was time to push myself a little more!:D

I have kept up a relatively good level of fitness since Dublin Marathon back at the end of October, so I am aiming to build back up to a 20 mile LSR weekend run prior to new year, and then start looking at back-to-back LSRs starting in New Year. I am loosely following Abhainn’s training plan (in terms of weekend LSRs) from Connemara Ultra 2008, trying to fit in around work and other commitments as best as possible. I don’t think I’ll be coming in sub-5 though! More aiming towards a sub 6-hour target, and I’ll see how that moves as we get closer to d-day.

I see a number of fellow boardsies are doing the Ultra, and I’m sure you’ll be a great source of inspiration and advice as I pursue this goal, indeed best of luck to you all!

I'll start posting updates from tomorrow onwards, all going well.

I picked up this nice quote on the internet to start with, which gives me a hint of what's ahead:

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don’t worry you will get over it."
Gene Thibeault

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AuldManKing

Every one under 4 hours too!!

Did you have any expectation of time goals - either a total time goal or get all under 4? Or was it all about finishing?

yaboya1

Well done J, but you wore FBOT01 out upping the pace like that on Day 4. He reckons he would have gone one minute quicker in Berlin if it wasn't for you :P

Seems like you weren't the only one who found Howth the easier course, since you were 2nd on Day 4 in Clontarf with 3:31, but dropped a place on Day 5 when you were four minutes quicker. Must be the variety of scenery rather than the terrain (or what you said about the muscles :pac:) that makes people go faster.

p.s. Congratulations on the twins

yaboya1

AuldManKing wrote: »

Every one under 4 hours too!!

Did you have any expectation of time goals - either a total time goal or get all under 4? Or was it all about finishing?

Ah come on AMK.
You thanked it, but obviously didnt read it!

Killerz wrote: »

As mentioned, time wasnt a priority, but I had a secret target of Under 20 hours or under 4 per marathon.

AuldManKing

yaboya1 wrote: »

Ah come on AMK.
You thanked it, but obviously didnt read it!

missed that point. Tks!

Killerz

AuldManKing wrote: »

Every one under 4 hours too!!

Did you have any expectation of time goals - either a total time goal or get all under 4? Or was it all about finishing?

yaboya1 wrote: »

Ah come on AMK.
You thanked it, but obviously didnt read it!

AuldManKing wrote: »

missed that point. Tks!

Cheers AMK. To expand upon your question (which yaboya answered - yes - it was all about finishing but by keeping them all under 4 I maintained my marathon record - all my marathons so far are under 4 hours. I wouldnt have lost any sleep by going over the 4 hours but a nice target nonetheless.

Killerz

yaboya1 wrote: »

Well done J, but you wore FBOT01 out upping the pace like that on Day 4. He reckons he would have gone one minute quicker in Berlin if it wasn't for you :P

Seems like you weren't the only one who found Howth the easier course, since you were 2nd on Day 4 in Clontarf with 3:31, but dropped a place on Day 5 when you were four minutes quicker. Must be the variety of scenery rather than the terrain (or what you said about the muscles :pac:) that makes people go faster.

p.s. Congratulations on the twins

Yep, I was tracking you guys on Marathon Morning and couldnt help but feel a little guilty about FBOT

Cheers re the twins. Wont be long before I have them in matching pink t-shirts in the running buggy.... yes one is a boy, but pink will be their chosen colour....:P

Marthastew

We are so, so thrilled for you on your amazing achievement J, 5 super marathons in 5 days, and all with a smile on your face:)
And to top it all off 2 adorable bundles of joy.:D:D Massive congrats to you and MrsK.
PS I won't tell Columbus the cat he didn't get a mention in your report;)

Killerz

Marthastew wrote: »

We are so, so thrilled for you on your amazing achievement J, 5 super marathons in 5 days, and all with a smile on your face:)
And to top it all off 2 adorable bundles of joy.:D:D Massive congrats to you and MrsK.
PS I won't tell Columbus the cat he didn't get a mention in your report;)

Thanks MS! I suppose it is easy to forget how lucky we are to get to run and the joy of running.... that's probably the reason for the smiles.... At least until I go eyeballs out for a fast 5k time!

Columbus is just happy to keep a low profile at the moment so he doesnt get shoved outside in the cold with all the attention on the twins.

FBOT01

Fairplay, J.......nice few weeks work there. 5 in 5 and 2 in 1:) not to mention a few exams and a very well successful parkrun birthday @ St Anne's.

I think the recovery from the 5 in 5 will be a lot quicker than the 2 in 1 which will take you the rest of your life:D

I hope the boys are enjoying their quality time and that the ladies get home soon. Regards to Mrs K and the now expanded Killerz Clan.

KielyUnusual

FBOT01 wrote: »

Fairplay, J.......nice few weeks work there. 5 in 5 and 2 in 1:) not to mention a few exams and a very well successful parkrun birthday @ St Anne's.

I think the recovery from the 5 in 5 will be a lot quicker than the 2 in 1 which will take you the rest of your life:D

I hope the boys are enjoying their quality time and that the ladies get home soon. Regards to Mrs K and the now expanded Killerz Clan.

+1

Most people wouldn't fit in that amount of achievements in a lifetime, let alone a few weeks. :eek:

Congratulations on everything. Hope to make it down to St Anne's some Saturday and say hello but might have to wait for all this cross country madness to end

Murph_D

96 mins under the target? Serious HTFU alright. Great stuff.

sideswipe

Congrats on ....errr.... Everything, too many things to list! You're some man for one man!!

pgmcpq

Fantastic stuff ! Congrats on the races, and especially the twins ( 5 marathons is probably good training ), and good luck on the exam !!

Killerz

FBOT01 wrote: »

Fairplay, J.......nice few weeks work there. 5 in 5 and 2 in 1:) not to mention a few exams and a very well successful parkrun birthday @ St Anne's.

I think the recovery from the 5 in 5 will be a lot quicker than the 2 in 1 which will take you the rest of your life:D

I hope the boys are enjoying their quality time and that the ladies get home soon. Regards to Mrs K and the now expanded Killerz Clan.

KielyUnusual wrote: »

+1

Most people wouldn't fit in that amount of achievements in a lifetime, let alone a few weeks. :eek:

Congratulations on everything. Hope to make it down to St Anne's some Saturday and say hello but might have to wait for all this cross country madness to end

Murph_D wrote: »

96 mins under the target? Serious HTFU alright. Great stuff.

sideswipe wrote: »

Congrats on ....errr.... Everything, too many things to list! You're some man for one man!!

pgmcpq wrote: »

Fantastic stuff ! Congrats on the races, and especially the twins ( 5 marathons is probably good training ), and good luck on the exam !!

Wow - thanks a million guys, really appreciate those comments. I agree that it is lucky that endurance is one of my strong points as I move into family life.... :cool:

Phonehead

Not a bad achievement at all!!!

belcarra

It'll be tough to beat that PB J, but next time out try making it three!:pac:

Murph_D

Killerz wrote: »

Wow - thanks a million guys, really appreciate those comments. I agree that it is lucky that endurance is one of my strong points as I move into family life.... :cool:

Ha ha - being on your feet, running yourself into the ground repeatedly, day after day after day...

That really is great preparation for family life! :pac:

Killerz

belcarra wrote: »

It'll be tough to beat that PB J, but next time out try making it three!:pac:

Next time? There will be no next time... 2 is enough

Killerz

Just catching up on the log here. Both twins now at home with the little girl released from ICU on Thursday, 4 weeks after birth. Doing well now and certainly nothing wrong with her lungs :rolleyes:

Been tipping away with a few miles here and there - mostly 5 or 6 miles at lunchtime during work or 6-7 miles into or home from work each day. Total 25-35 mpw on average.

Also been getting in a medium long run at the weekend - 10 miles last Sunday and 12 miles today. I'll be pacing 1:50 at the Clontarf Half at end of November so a nice target to aim at, keeping me out of trouble!

AuldManKing

Apart from looking after the twins (& G) - whats the next target??

yaboya1

AuldManKing wrote: »

Apart from looking after the twins (& G) - whats the next target??

Beer Mile 2015

Killerz

AuldManKing wrote: »

Apart from looking after the twins (& G) - whats the next target??

Good question - I'm now on 24 marathons and would love to hit the 25 mark over the next year, but I would say I'll hold off til DCM for that. While running a marathon wouldnt be overly time-consuming in itself, training for one would be..... Or at least training for one to try and get a decent time/ PB. I haven't gone for a PB in a marathon since Tralee 2013. Typically I prefer to go for my PB stuff in the first half of the year as I prefer winter training.

I'm going to take this opportunity to focus on shorter stuff for now - I can get more bang for my buck with fast, short sessions on lunch, getting to and from work etc. I'd love to try and get under 29 mins in the Raheny 5 (think i'm about 6-7 seconds over that now) in January - that would be a nice target, and along the way push down the 5k time that 18 or so seconds to get under 17 minutes.

But this is all new to me so I'm quite happy to let running take a back seat to be honest. Who knows what the next year will bring.....

I do have a double running buggy which I am excited about taking out - just need twinnies to build up their strength for it!

Killerz

Continuing to get a few runs in here and there, including one speed session per week over the last three weeks (8 x 400m; 10 x 400m and 12 x 400m - each in approx 1 min 20-23 seconds, with 1 min recoveries) as part ofthe plan of improving my speed over 5k and 5 miles.

Other than that it is approx 2-3 runs home from work + I got a 13.1 miler in last Sunday morning which felt good.

Training this week has been curtailed by the unexpected news on Tuesday that one of my newborn twins (7 weeks old) needed to go in for heart surgery. It was a routine follow on test after being released from hospital after her birth but they admitted her to Crumlin Hospital and she underwent the op on Thursday. Thankfully it was caught as my understanding is this could be fatal within days. She's recovering well and will probably be in hospital until the end of this week.

So it has been an emotional rollercoaster over the past week but thankfully the major twists and turns have been negotiated and things look good.

Killerz

Well, it is getting harder and harder to get out for a run, never mind updating my log! I've signed up for the Raheny 5, though going below my PB of low 29's is no longer a realistic target I feel - I neither have the endurance (which I have relied on over the past couple of years) or the speed training done. January is always a good month for me training-wise, and I'll certainly put the head down, but it is unlikely that I will be able to do more than 30 mpw, and can't see myself pushing hard on the speed front taking the tiredness into account. No issues with this - the babies are flying it and I have put running on the back burner for now, but it is tough not getting out for the long runs!

General outline plan for early 2015 is: a parkrun in mid-January to see where I am at; Raheny 5 at end of Jan; and then a 5k &/ or 10k in March/ April, before getting back into the BHAA season once it gets away from XC! I'll also look at picking up a couple of pacing gigs to keep the motivation going.

Killerz

It’s been a while since I’ve updated my log, so will give a brief history of 2015 so far…

In order to maximise my time at home with family and not leave Mrs. Killerz overloaded with twin-related items, my general running week involves:

Running home from work on a Monday – typically make this 7/8 miles;
Back in to work on a Tuesday – 6 miles
Lunchtime run on a Tuesday and/or a Wednesday – 6 miles
Run home on a Thursday – 6/7 miles
Run into work on a Friday – 6 miles.

So, roughly 30-35 miles.

Aside from that, I may get the odd weekend run in when the babies are tucked up in bed, but am happy to keep it free to spend time with family and/or to give Mrs. Killerz a break.

Mondays of late, I have been working on my HM speed, building up to 10 miles this Monday just gone, with 7 @HM pace. When I add in a Tuesday morning 6 miler and occasionally a Tuesday lunchtime 6 miler, this is the best I can do within my timeframes available in terms of building my endurance. This is ahead of the EOI HM in Lusk on 28th Feb. Depending how that goes, I will decide on what races to look at in late Spring.

I was very pleased with my result in the Raheny 5 mile at end of January, scoring a fairly hefty PB, finishing in 28:12, which is almost a minute ahead of my time from last year which was my current PB (29:06 I think). This result was a pleasant surprise as I had done no speed work and my mileage has been limited. The 29:06 last year had little speed work ahead of it, but my endurance was strong at that time, being in the middle of 50k training. One thing I have noticed though is that my natural run pace now seems to be just under 7 minutes, whereas it may have been 7:30+ around a year ago – albeit my runs are shorter now and perhaps I am recovering more quickly.

Last Saturday I put the twins in the buggy (the normal pram rather than the running buggy which they would not be ready for yet) and took them down to St. Anne’s parkrun. I hadn’t run with the buggy yet, but surprised myself to get a nice time of 22:44. I think there’s scope to shave a minute or two off that as I was being quite cautious given it was our debut there and that those buggies aren’t really made for taking corners at speed. I think the 2 lap split was in the region of 12:10/ 10:34 too which is promising. We had two soother stops but other than that it went off without a hitch.

Now, next up is that HM on Saturday week. I haven’t run a HM since Clontarf pacing in November where I slotted in at 1:50, so we will see where I shake out. Either way, it will be a good status check! After that is the St. Patrick’s 5k on 15th March – really looking forward to that!

Killerz

Dubgal72

Just very recently discovered this log. Congrats on the twins and congrats on keeping the running going. Just be careful if you start to sleep-run (from an all-too-frequently sleep-deprived parent to another

). The twins are already a legend (ok and daddy too) from their park run debut last week...including soother stops :eek:
Lovely to see that 5 mile PB too. So do you recommend new born twins as a sound training method?! I'm sure Mrs Killerz will appreciate it when you start to buggy run them on your ultra training runs

Killerz

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Just very recently discovered this log. Congrats on the twins and congrats on keeping the running going. Just be careful if you start to sleep-run (from an all-too-frequently sleep-deprived parent to another ). The twins are already a legend (ok and daddy too) from their park run debut last week...including soother stops :eek:
Lovely to see that 5 mile PB too. So do you recommend new born twins as a sound training method?! I'm sure Mrs Killerz will appreciate it when you start to buggy run them on your ultra training runs

Hi dubgal,

I'm trying to put face to name here... were you there on Saturday?

Based on my running over the last few months, I would encourage any aspiring runners to have twins. Of course they will probably beat me down over the next few months, years and decades and I will fondly reflect on these times!

I see you are making some nice progress yourself these past few weeks?

Dubgal72

Hi, no I wasn't. Your fame goes wider

I was reading the reports, Aquinn, murph and Anna's. Y'know I've always had a yen for twins but my child bearing days are definitely behind me and the sleep deprivation is ongoing so I'm going to pass on that particular method. I'm happy with my progress as is thanks! Maybe it's the sleep deprivation??

annapr

Killerz wrote: »

Hi dubgal,

I'm trying to put face to name here... were you there on Saturday?

Based on my running over the last few months, I would encourage any aspiring runners to have twins. Of course they will probably beat me down over the next few months, years and decades and I will fondly reflect on these times!

I see you are making some nice progress yourself these past few weeks?

The twins have made guest appearances on half a dozen logs after parkrun, J! Good to see they're not slowing you down too much. Is Mrs K getting out for a run at all these days?

FBOT01

annapr wrote: »

The twins have made guest appearances on half a dozen logs after parkrun, J! Good to see they're not slowing you down too much. Is Mrs K getting out for a run at all these days?

Anna, did you not read his post? He has They have a nice little routine going so don't be trying to mess it up:D