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Off the Fence....and looking to go sub 3 hrs

FBOT01

New Year with new challenges ahead…..going to try this log thing out and share my experiences in the hope that the boys and girls of the “boards.ie” community might be able to help me on the road to a sub 3hr Marathon. Yep I said it and it is now out there. No more sitting on the fence..... sub 3hrs is the next big goal!

A little bit of background to put my goal and the challenge ahead in context.....

I’m a 44 yr old 5’ 6 “ late starter with no history or background in running. After hitting 40 and been given a choice between Statins or exercise I choose running. I kicked off my running “career” in January 2011 at the Raheny 5 with the Connemara Half in April 2011 as the target goal. After graduating to the DCM in October 2011 I caught the running bug and have been ticking along enjoying almost every step since.

Marathon History
DCM 2011 03:42:12 (‘FIRST’ training programme)
DCM 2012 03:28:12 ( ‘FIRST’ programme again with extra running days and 10 week pilates course)
DCM 2013 03:13:16 (P&D 18wk /55m – no pilates and it showed in the last 2 miles)

PB’s
5K - 18:19 Parkrun St Anne’s – Oct 2013
5m - 34:20 Raheny 5 – Jan 2013 (only 5 miles I have run is Raheny 5 and until this year I would have been coming off a Nov/Dec break and a heavy Christmas)
10k - 39:05 Docklands – Jun 2013
10m – 1:04:36 Frank Duffy – Aug 2013
½ marathon - 1:28:56 Kildare - May 2013
Marathon - 3:13:16 DCM – Oct 2013

Total Mileage for 2013 was 1,900 miles.

Diary for 2014 starts with Raheny 5 at end of Jan and will be followed by Ballycotton 10 in March and Connemara Marathon in April. Original plan was to work towards a crack at 3hrs in Berlin but didn't manage to get a slot in the lottery so I guess I will have to try it on home soil in DCM 2014 all going well.

I am currently on week 7 of the 18 week P&D 55 to 70 mile program and all is going OK at the moment touch wood........did my first +60 week 2 weeks ago and still motoring.

Last week runs were as follows:
Mon – 7m @ 8:02 avg pace
Tues – 12.39m @ 8:19 avg pace
Wed – 5.87m @ 8:34 avg pace (Recovery)
Thurs – 10m @ 8:09 avg pace
Fri – 5.22m @ 9:02 avg pace (Recovery)
Sat – 12.28m @ 7:58 avg pace followed by St Annes Parkrun 5k @ 6:20 avg pace
Sun - Rest

Week = 55.9m
MTD = 95.8m
YTD = 95.8M

Look forward to getting your views, thoughts and advices over the coming weeks, months, years............and for all they might be worth sharing mine!

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FBOT01

Friday - 19/12/2014

Busy week meant no running on Thursday and just about squeezed in another one of Ecolii's sessions on Friday. Had to trim the warm-up and cool down but got the hard stuff done. Broke down as follows:

wu 10 mins | 08:38
5mins | 06:19 (HMP - with the wind)
5mins | 08:35 (Easy)
10mins | 06:46 (MPE - with the wind but included Watermill Road drag. Watched the watch and made this MP rather than MPE as I struggle with feel/effort running)
5mins | 09:01 (Easy - uphill into the wind)
5mins | 06:17 (HMP - 50% against the wind then downhill to the end)
5mins | cd 07:50 (Easy - downhill)

Good session. Glad to squeeze it in.

FBOT01

Saturday 20/12/2014
5k @ 08:35 avg pace (parkrun - St Anne's)
9.18m @ 08:18 avg pace (General Aerobic)

Agreed to pace Mrs FBOT for a PB attempt in St Anne's. Job done and a 20sec PB in the bag. Well deserved result. She was very happy to finish out the year with a good performance. The youngest also made her debut. She finished just behind her mother and now knows the difference between training and "racing".....she ran with a friend and I think they spent most of the first lap gabbing but they certainly put in a good second lap and hopefully, she will be back for more.

It was a lovely fresh day and I had a longing on me to run so I went back out again at lunchtime. Had a couple of jobs to do so decided to use Shanks' mare as the mode of transport. Headed into to town via North Strand down along the quays and back out by the Point. On route I managed to pick up some electrical connections that I needed to fix a kitchen light, in addition, to getting my Christmas haircut. Productive 75 mins all-round.

Right leg still not quite 100%.

Itziger

FBOT01 wrote: »

Saturday 20/12/2014
5k @ 08:35 avg pace (parkrun - St Anne's)
9.18m @ 08:18 avg pace (General Aerobic)

Agreed to pace Mrs FBOT for a PB attempt in St Anne's. Job done and a 20sec PB in the bag. Well deserved result. She was very happy to finish out the year with a good performance. The youngest also made her debut. She finished just behind her mother and now knows the difference between training and "racing".....she ran with a friend and I think they spent most of the first lap gabbing but they certainly put in a good second lap and hopefully, she will be back for more.

It was a lovely fresh day and I had a longing on me to run so I went back out again at lunchtime. Had a couple of jobs to do so decided to use Shanks' mare as the mode of transport. Headed into to town via North Strand down along the quays and back out by the Point. On route I managed to pick up some electrical connections that I needed to fix a kitchen light, in addition, to getting my Christmas haircut. Productive 75 mins all-round.

Right leg still not quite 100%.

Hah?? You go into your Barbers (I'm guessing it's not a 'Hairdressers") in the middle of a run and with some dodgy electrical gear around your neck!

FBOT01

Last 2 weeks have been busy ones but managed to get in a few runs and to kick off my first training plan of 2015 which will bring me up to the Ballycotton 10 on 8th March 2015 taking in the Raheny 5 on the way.

Summary of my running since my last post is as follows:

23/12/2014 - 6.35m @ 08:43 avg pace (Recovery)

24/12/2014 - No running;

25/12/2014 - Goal Dash in St Anne's with my youngest. Traditional this run goes the length of the Avenue in St Anne's which is about 200m short of the full mile so doesn't qualify as Goal Mile. This year the Christmas Kingdom set up in the park meant a slight detour off the Avenue and around the Rose Gardens. I thought that they were going to take the opportunity to make it the full mile so got a caught out by where the finish was and it nearly turned out to be a very embarrassing start to Christmas. As we came around the Rose Garden my daughter dropped off me slightly and I checked over my left shoulder and could see her a couple of yards behind me. I then saw the finish which was earlier than I expected it to be. I glanced again over my left shoulder to check all was OK with my daughter but couldn't see her. I looked ahead of me and there she was pulling away after dropping the hammer and passing me on my blindside. I had the accelerator hard and only caught her with a yard or two to spare. In fact if the truth be told I suspect that she may have thought she had it in the bag so coasted to the finish line rather than keeping the head down through to the finish. Either way my blushes were saved and I milked it for the day as payback for her sneaky (but nicely done) overtaking manoeuvre. Caught up and exchanged Christmas wished with Ferris B and few others before heading home to spend the rest of the day over indulging in food and overloading on caffeine.

26/12/2014 - No running. In the MIL's for dinner so loads more food and caffeine as I was designated driver for the day. Felt like I was coming down with something and hit the hay as soon as we got in, complete with aches, pains and shivers.

27/12/2014 - No running. Was on the volunteer roster for St Anne's parkrun so dragged myself out of bed and did my best to muster some enthusiasm to support the runners from my marshalling post. Mrs FBOT was also on duty while the youngest rolled out of bed and clocked a very respectable 24:55 on only her second parkrun. Crawled back into bed after parkrun and stayed there for the rest of the day.

28/12/2014 - 7.72m @ 07:59 avg pace (General Aerobic - Easy). Felt a little better after another lazy day but still hadn't eaten anything other than porridge since Friday. However, I had had a miserable running week so was keen to try to get 60mins or so in. Headed out early evening and really enjoyed this run on a crisp winters night. Had a bunch of friends over later in the evening and didn't get to bed until 5am:eek: However, the couple of days of being under the weather meant that I was carefully about what I ate and drank so it was as "bad" as it could have been.

29/12/2014 - No running.

30/12/2014 - 9.88m @ 08:00 (10x2mins @ 10k RI90s) Kicked off the first day of Ballycotton training plan. I am going to follow the one that Ecolii suggested to me on the Continuity Training Thread. Average paces for the reps in this session broke down as follows: 06:17/06:10/06:11/06:10/06:02/06:05/06:07/06:03/06:07/06:00. Very happy with this session as it was very controlled. I know the recovery intervals were generous but I was still pleasantly surprised that I could hold the pace and feel strong throughout. No serious heavy breathing required and legs held up well.

31/12/2014 - 4.92m @ 08:37 avg pace (Recovery) Nice easy recovery run to bring 2014 to a close.

..........will be back shortly to give my thoughts on 2014 as a running year for me and also to update first runs of 2015.

FBOT01

PB Summary | | |
Distance | 31/12/2013 | 31/12/2014 |
5k | 18:19 | 18:19 | Didn't race a 5k all year
5m | 34:20 | 30:57 | Raheny 5 (Jan)
10k | 39:05 | 38:42 | Kilbride 10k (Jul)
10m | 1:04:36 | 1:02:06 | Frank Duffy 10m (Aug)
HM | 1:28:56 | 1:28:56 | Didn't race a HM all year
Mar | 3:13:16 | 3:00:59 | Berlin Marathon (Sept)

On a whole 2014 was a good running year for me. I doubled my Marathon count from 3 to 6 by completing Connemara, Berlin and DCM (pacing 4:10) during the year with Connemara being my first spring marathon. I hit my first +70 mile week and my first +300 mile month. My total mileage for the year was 2,361 up from 1,933 in 2013. I also raced in Raheny 5, Ballycotton 10, Kilrbride 10k, Mulligar 10mile and Frank Duffy 10mile and managed to achieve PB's in each. However, as 2014 was all about the Berlin Marathon for me its not surprising that both my highlight and lowlight are focused on it.

Highlight:
Berlin Marathon - This was my first marathon major and I committed my year to it. Other than the obvious, it was well and truly worth it. A great event and a memorable experience in every way.....the race, the event, the city and the company were all perfect. A result starting with a 2 would have put the icing on the cake but as I said at the time sometimes sh*t happens:)

Lowlight:
Berlin Marathon - not having Ferris B to chase down or drag along over the last mile but as above sometimes sh*t happens:(

Lessons Learnt
- High mileage training needs to be supplemented with good flexibility and strength training together with correct nutrition. I believe that I came out of my last two training blocks fitter but physically weaker than I went into them. I became leaner but I didn't only lose fat, I also lost muscle mass from one dimensional training without proper regard to diet. IMHO this is the key factor to most of my niggles and is also responsible for me coughing and spluttering to various degrees for the last 3 months;

- Pacing 4:10 in DCM thought me that time of my feet is much more painful than running the marathon distance.....the old saying of "it is the pace that kills rather than the distance" was never more true. Never again will I pace so far off my long run pace never mind my marathon pace;

- I enjoy running but don't like to run for the enjoyment of it. I need to have targets and plans to work to keep me on track;

- The running community really is that and it is great to be part of it.:)

FBOT01

01/01/2015 - 8m @ 08:06 avg pace (Easy)

Headed to Mount Wolseley in Tullow for New Year's Eve and the first few days of the New Year with Family and friends. After a great night that involved eating, drinking, singing, dancing along with a few rowdy games of Heads up and Charades I headed out at lunchtime for the first run of the year. Hadn't a clue of the lie of the land around Tullow and stuck to the main road as this in generally the best place to avoid the loose dogs that are often found wondering lonely country roads. However, the flip side of that is that you are taking your life in your hands with mad speeding drivers cutting things a bit close. At one stage if I had moved 12ins to the left I was well ad truly dead as a wannabe in an SUV sped past. Bigger problem would have been if he had had moved a couple of inches to his left as I had no where to go on my right to escape. Anyway other than the near miss I enjoyed the run but decided not to chance the main road again on this trip.

Finished off by meeting up with the crew for a nice dip in the pool and a very therapeutic swim that probably need more for my niggles than anything else I have done in a long time. Legs felt refreshed after it.

02/01/2015 - 7m including 30mins @ MP (06:45)

Decided to head to the hotel Gym early and get this done on the deardmill..........should have been 45 mins MP but it was shear torture so canned it after 30. I can't remember the last time I ran on a treadmill never mind tried to do a session on one. I will remember this one and it will be a long time before I try it again. I love myself as much as the next guy but running on a treadmill looking at myself in a mirror just doesn't work for me.

03/01/2015 - 7m @ 07:58 avg pace (Easy w/7x100m Strides)

Back in the big smoke for this one. After a lazy day I headed out for this one in the late afternoon. I made a concious effort to get the blood flowing early on this one and after the first mile I settled into a nice steady rhythm. I focused on keeping form while ensuring the effort was easy rather than recovery. Throw the strides in at the end and for the first time in a long time I was on my toes with a real spring in my step for pretty much all of them. Good run.

04/01/2015 - 12.4m @ 07:42 avg pace (Med-Long Progression)

Went back to the progression format that I like for this one. 4/4/4 @ 08:00/07:40/07:20 avg pace. Another enjoyable run. A good way to finish off the first week of the new programme.

05/01/2015 - 9:39 m @ 07:38 avg pace (5x6mins @ HMP RI90s)

This was the first of two sessions in the schedule for this week. HMP for current programme is 06:25-06:30. I had the watch set-up correctly so it meant I could just concentrate on on form and keep a good steady rhythm. Very happy with the consistency of the splits and in particular, I was happy to be able to push the last one a little without having to go OTT as it was up a nice little drag while the rest were along the seafront. Avg pace for the reps where 06:28/06:29/06:29/06:29/6:26.

06/01/2015 - 4.36m @ 08:34 avg pace (Recovery)

Did what it says on the tin.

07/01/2015 - 9.36m @ 08:14 avg pace (Easy)

I had been chained to the desk all day so hadn't appreciated what the weather was like outside before I headed out. All started nicely with a few nice easy miles up through Raheny and Donaghmeade out to Baldoyle. However, when I reached the coast and headed for home I was hit by a wall of wind and rain. I had to reach for my hat and put it on to stop the stinging needle like rain from hitting my forehead. I was just about to stick the head down for the battle when I remember that today was about easy effort so I settled in for a long and bumpy ride home. As I approached the end of Kilbarrack Road the houses started to provide a little shelter and the pace natural improved without increasing the effort. I passed another runner heading the same direction as me and said a quick Hello and kept moving on. I noticed then from the shadows that he had jumped on my coat tails and was drafting off me. This actually helped me as while we weren't running together I felt like I wasn't on a solo run anymore. At this stage it was p*ssing down and I was like a drowned rat. Effort still felt easy but as my legs were numb to the touch I am not sure what the effort actually was. My breathing felt fine though and I was enjoying every stride. If anyone looked at me splashing through the puddles getting hammered by the wind and rain with a big grin on my face they might be excused for thinking I was mad..........I even tagged on an extra half mile at the end for good measure:)

ThebitterLemon

FBOT01 wrote: »

01/01/2015 - 8m @ 08:06 avg pace (Easy)

Headed to Mount Wolseley in Tullow for New Year's Eve and the first few days of the New Year with Family and friends. After a great night that involved eating, drinking, singing, dancing along with a few rowdy games of Heads up and Charades I headed out at lunchtime for the first run of the year. Hadn't a clue of the lie of the land around Tullow and stuck to the main road as this in generally the best place to avoid the loose dogs that are often found wondering lonely country roads. However, the flip side of that is that you are taking your life in your hands with mad speeding drivers cutting things a bit close. At one stage if I had moved 12ins to the left I was well ad truly dead as a wannabe in an SUV sped past. Bigger problem would have been if he had had moved a couple of inches to his left as I had no where to go on my right to escape. Anyway other than the near miss I enjoyed the run but decided not to chance the main road again on this trip.

Finished off by meeting up with the crew for a nice dip in the pool and a very therapeutic swim that probably need more for my niggles than anything else I have done in a long time. Legs felt refreshed after it.

02/01/2015 - 7m including 30mins @ MP (06:45)

Decided to head to the hotel Gym early and get this done on the deardmill..........should have been 45 mins MP but it was shear torture so canned it after 30. I can't remember the last time I ran on a treadmill never mind tried to do a session on one. I will remember this one and it will be a long time before I try it again. I love myself as much as the next guy but running on a treadmill looking at myself in a mirror just doesn't work for me.

03/01/2015 - 7m @ 07:58 avg pace (Easy w/7x100m Strides)

Back in the big smoke for this one. After a lazy day I headed out for this one in the late afternoon. I made a concious effort to get the blood flowing early on this one and after the first mile I settled into a nice steady rhythm. I focused on keeping form while ensuring the effort was easy rather than recovery. Throw the strides in at the end and for the first time in a long time I was on my toes with a real spring in my step for pretty much all of them. Good run.

04/01/2015 - 12.4m @ 07:42 avg pace (Med-Long Progression)

Went back to the progression format that I like for this one. 4/4/4 @ 08:00/07:40/07:20 avg pace. Another enjoyable run. A good way to finish off the first week of the new programme.

05/01/2015 - 9:39 m @ 07:38 avg pace (5x6mins @ HMP RI90s)

This was the first of two sessions in the schedule for this week. HMP for current programme is 06:25-06:30. I had the watch set-up correctly so it meant I could just concentrate on on form and keep a good steady rhythm. Very happy with the consistency of the splits and in particular, I was happy to be able to push the last one a little without having to go OTT as it was up a nice little drag while the rest were along the seafront. Avg pace for the reps where 06:28/06:29/06:29/06:29/6:26.

06/01/2015 - 4.36m @ 08:34 avg pace (Recovery)

Did what it says on the tin.

07/01/2015 - 9.36m @ 08:14 avg pace (Easy)

I had been chained to the desk all day so hadn't appreciated what the weather was like outside before I headed out. All started nicely with a few nice easy miles up through Raheny and Donaghmeade out to Baldoyle. However, when I reached the coast and headed for home I was hit by a wall of wind and rain. I had to reach for my hat and put it on to stop the stinging needle like rain from hitting my forehead. I was just about to stick the head down for the battle when I remember that today was about easy effort so I settled in for a long and bumpy ride home. As I approached the end of Kilbarrack Road the houses started to provide a little shelter and the pace natural improved without increasing the effort. I passed another runner heading the same direction as me and said a quick Hello and kept moving on. I noticed then from the shadows that he had jumped on my coat tails and was drafting off me. This actually helped me as while we weren't running together I felt like I wasn't on a solo run anymore. At this stage it was p*ssing down and I was like a drowned rat. Effort still felt easy but as my legs were numb to the touch I am not sure what the effort actually was. My breathing felt fine though and I was enjoying every stride. If anyone looked at me splashing through the puddles getting hammered by the wind and rain with a big grin on my face they might be excused for thinking I was mad..........I even tagged on an extra half mile at the end for good measure:)

Solid few days M,

I hear you re the treadmill, I feckin hate it, it's mental torture. The slow runs are bad enough but doing sessions on it is just pure ****e.

Anyway I've seen your photo so not surprised that you could only take 30 mins of looking at yourself in the mirror

It's your missus I feel sorry for!!!

TbL

FBOT01

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Solid few days M,

I hear you re the treadmill, I feckin hate it, it's mental torture. The slow runs are bad enough but doing sessions on it is just pure ****e.

Anyway I've seen your photo so not surprised that you could only take 30 mins of looking at yourself in the mirror

It's your missus I feel sorry for!!!

TbL

Cheers TbL.

Things have gone downhill since that photo so I was lucky to get 30mins done:p

FBOT01

08/01/2015 - 16m @ 07:38 avg pace (Steady Run)

This was Session 2 for this week's training plan. Plan was 2hrs at Steady pace which for this programme is 07:30 or thereabouts. I went out with the view that as long as I stayed under 07:40 it would be a good session. This was my longest run since DCM and the first time I have ever done a "steady" run of this length. Normally I do all my long runs as progressive runs so I was a little apprehensive as to how it might go. It was windy out there again this evening and this had an influence on pace at some stages. Felt the wheels starting to come off in mile 9 when pace fell to 07:42 but had a quiet word with myself and kicked on. Finished with the wind and a 07:30 mile. Nice way to finish and overall I am very happy to bank this one.

Duanington

FBOT01 wrote: »

08/01/2015 - 16m @ 07:38 avg pace (Steady Run)

This was Session 2 for this week's training plan. Plan was 2hrs at Steady pace which for this programme is 07:30 or thereabouts. I went out with the view that as long as I stayed under 07:40 it would be a good session. This was my longest run since DCM and the first time I have ever done a "steady" run of this length. Normally I do all my long runs as progressive runs so I was a little apprehensive as to how it might go. It was windy out there again this evening and this had an influence on pace at some stages. Felt the wheels starting to come off in mile 9 when pace fell to 07:42 but had a quiet word with myself and kicked on. Finished with the wind and a 07:30 mile. Nice way to finish and overall I am very happy to bank this one.

That's a great run in that wind M, fair play to you

FBOT01

Duanington wrote: »

That's a great run in that wind M, fair play to you

Cheers, D. I see you had a nice session yourself on the track today. Plan on using it myself over the next little while so might see you up there.

FBOT01

09/01/2015 - 7m @ 08:15 avg pace ( Easy w/7x100m strides)

Another 7 windy miles today. Planned it so I would finish with the wind to my back. Strides weren't as lively as last week but reps 6 and 7 had a little bounce.

10/01/2015 - St Anne's parkrun 19:17

Plan for this year is to run a few more of these as I only ran 5 last year while I was there for 30+ of them. After a couple of miles warm-up and a few stretches I toed the line with a record 384 others in St Anne's this morning.

Warm up was laboured and when I was doing my stretches I could hardly touch my ankles never mind my toes so I decided that sub 20 would be good result given the increased level of training I have hit over the last couple of weeks. First lap was not pretty but when my split was called at 09:53 I was pleasantly surprised. This gave me a lift and encouraged me to push on a little. I avoided being passed on the second lap and should have clawed back a couple of places. If the truth be told I knew that I had sub 20 well in the bag and was well off my PB so just didn't have the mental strength to push myself into the pain zone with little to gain.

Still a lot to do before Raheny but seeing some progress and feeling like I am moving in the right direction.

FBOT01

11/01/2015 - 4m @ 09:35 avg pace (Recovery with Dog)

I had left myself short a few miles yesterday so decided that I would make a couple up today with the Dog. I was going to have to walk him anyway so just made the two of use work a little harder. Nothing to report just a nice easy run around the outer perimeter of St Anne's on a windy but otherwise pleasant enough evening.

FBOT01

12/01/2015 - 9.9m @ 07:57 avg pace (w/8x3mins @ 10k Pace RI120)

Took the usual route for the first session of the week. Out towards Sutton along the coast and then back to me Mammy's for dinner. After a 2.6m warm-up I kicked off the faster reps. I had the watch set-up so just tried to concentrate on form as long as the watch wasn't beeping at me. First fews reps were straight forward with little or no comment from the watch. The generous recovery meant I had no excuses not to hit the target although I could remember what I had set as 10k pace. I lost a little concentration on reps 5 and 6 and pace dropped a little but got it back OK for 7 and 8. Finished off with a 2m Cool-down.

While this wasn't too tough it was challenging enough and I did have to work hard at time to hold pace but I could have completed another couple if required. I thought I had done well and had in my head that I had 10k pace set at somewhere between 06:00 and 06:10. I was disappointed when I reviewed the splits and discovered that I must have had the outer limit set at 06:15. Probably explains why I wasn't as tired as I'd expect to have been afterwards.

Paces for the 10k reps were as follows: 05:59/06:09/06:13/06:11/06:18/06:16/06:09/06:13

I will need to adjust the zone setting on the watch to ensure 10k Pace is a lot closer to 06:00.

FBOT01

13/01/2015 - 5.37m @ 08:26 avg pace (Recovery)

Nice easy recovery run on a lovely crisp cold evening.

FBOT01

14/01/2015 - 9.35m @ 08:12 avg pace (Easy)

Got out before the worst of the weather this evening. Last couple of miles were into the wind but downhill so wasn't too bad. Not happy with pace but the effort to get closer to 08:00, my target easy pace, was more than easy so just kept the effort level consistent.

FBOT01

15/01/2015 - 11.99 @ 07:41 (w/50mins @ MP)

Second session of the week was 50mins @ MP. Target MP for these sessions is currently 06:45. Plan is to get this down to 06:40 for my next marathon cycle. With the weather today this was always going to be a tough ask.

I was joined for the warm-up by Ferris B. He is anxiously waiting for the all clear to up his training but in the meantime is doing just what the doctor ordered. After just over 3m we parted company both of us slightly jealous of the other, I think.....he would have loved to be putting the boot down and knocking out a half dozen more miles while I was slight envious that is ten minutes time he would be back in the warmth of his house while I would be just about ready to turn back into the wind:eek:

Next 3 miles were with the wind and kept the effort solid and the splits below the target pace. Last mile towards Sutton was tricky as roadworks meant the street lights were out and with the headlights of oncoming cars stopping my eyes from adjusting to the dark I couldn't see 10 ft in front of me. All I could do was follow the white of the cycle track and hope there was no one walking in front of me on the same line. If I didn't know the route well I could have come a cropper when the concrete bollard came into play at the Baldoyle junction.

Turned into the wind at Sutton and headed back in through Baldoyle, Donaghmeade and Raheny. The wind and the uphill drag here made these a few tough miles but I was determined to keep the splits below 07:00 pace all the way. I targeted a few cyclists along this section who were struggling against the wind and made it my mission to try the make their journey even more difficult by being left for dead by a runner while the struggled to stay upright on the bikes......mission accomplished:) Well I don't know if it made their journey any worse but it certainly made mine a lot better:D

Split for the MP section were as follows:
06:39
06:42
06:41
06:51
06:59
06:59
06:56
0.54m @ 07:16 (had to pause for traffic at road crossing in this section)

From mile 4 onwards were against the wind. Mile 7 was a little quicker as the cyclist I targeted took a little longer to shake off:)

Finished off with 1.5m cool down. Happy out with this run.

Duanington

Not the easiest of routes for that session FBOT01, not with that wind after the turn anyway - nice going

FBOT01

Duanington wrote: »

Not the easiest of routes for that session FBOT01, not with that wind after the turn anyway - nice going

Cheers, D. Lesser of two evils when the other option was back along the cycling track on the coast:)

Murph_D

Nice going M. You'll be a shoo-in for the next Run In The Dark.

FBOT01

Murph_D wrote: »

Nice going M. You'll be a shoo-in for the next Run In The Dark.

Never thought of that:)

Interesting 3 or 4 mins just blindly following the White line with the sea 2m away and not being able see to where the edge was or whether there was anyone or anything in front of me. Suppose I could have slowed down but sure where would the fun be in that;)

FBOT01

16/01/2015 - 7m @ 08:27 avg pace (Easy w/7x100m Strides)

What a difference a day can make!! Lovely evening for running on Friday. My youngest joined me for the first 3m and then I picked up pace for next 3m before finishing with a slightly faster mile including the strides. Legs were heavy most of the way around but woke up nicely when I started the strides.

17/01/2015 - parkrun in Poppintree (2nd finisher in 19:22) + 10m @ 07:58 avg pace (General Aerobic - Easy)

With St Anne's cancelled to facilitate the OT walk Mrs FBOT and I joined a few other St Anne's regulars in a bit of parkrun tourism and headed up to Poppintree.

Very cold and icy out and I nearly went on my snot walking from the car to start line. Did very very short warm up before lining up. Bumped into Belcarra and Wubble Wubble. Both in good form and as always good to catch up.

It is a three lap course and I wasn't looking to passing the finish line three times before actually.....tbc:)

Wubble Wubble

Fair play to you getting out for another 10 miles after that. It certainly wasn't a morning to be chasing fast times. Slow as I was, I would have ended up in the pond but for the guard rails after a skid on lap 3.

FBOT01

Last post was done in the wee hours of Sunday morning as "Daddy's" Taxi say waiting for its passengers. Closed out when me passengers arrived and only getting back to it now.

so picking up where I left off..........

.....It is a three lap course and I wasn't looking to passing the finish line three times before actually finishing. As we headed off I threaded through the people in front until I picked up the leading group. A few tight twists and turns in the first 200m so had to thread carefully with the slippy ground. As we hit the first long straight section I was in a group of 5 blokes with the lead runner just ahead. I was blowing like an old fashion steam train at this stage due to the lack of a warm-up and I'd say the lads around me were thinkng....this poor sod in focked. Anyway kept trucking along and was happy to stay with the group rather than chase the leader. By the time lap one was over I was warmed up and breathing easier. Heading up the straight the second time two lads pulled ahead so I tagged along for the ride. As we turned at the top one continued to push....well in reality he was just holding pace while others fell off.... and I continued to tag along. He was 2nd and I was 3rd. Rhythm was fine now. Time wasn't really in my mind as I knew with the ground conditions a PB was not an option but was happy I would be under 20mins which would be a good work out. How far under 20 would be dependant on the guy in front of me? As we headed down the back straight I was mulling over where the best place to pass him would be and how late should I leave it. Then out of no where as we passed through the finish, to start the last lap, he stepped out. I gave him a quick shout to ensure he was OK which he was and then headed off around the last lap. The leader was 300/400m ahead at least and there was no way I was catching him and the next guy was a ways back so no real concerns about been caught. Game over really just had to finish it out. Ended up second finisher in 19:22.

Splits were 06:15/06:23/06:11/00:32

Good workout. Good course. All very well organised and a big shout out as always should go to the volunteers that make these events happen even on the coldest of mornings.

The original plan was to run the long way home and tag 10miles on after parkrun. It didn't take much convincing from Mrs FBOT to scrap that plan and go for coffee instead.

As I am back on a plan now, I wasn't willing to give up me miles for today so after the coffee and scone settled I headed back out and got in the planned 10miles. Turned into a lovely winter running day but these easy miles were harder than they probably would have been had I have done it straight after parkrun.

18/01/2015 - 4m @ 09:18 avg pace (Recovery)

Nice easy recovery run to close out the week.

19/01/2015 - 9.26m @ 08:09 avg pace (Intervals 12x1min @ 10K Pace RI60)

Another good Monday session done along the seafront between Clontarf and Sutton. The rest intervals appeared generous so I was keen to get the pace closer to 06:00 than the 06:15 other limit that was set in the watch for 10k Pace. I felt that I had a good consistent effort going for the first 10 but when I turned back into the breeze for 11 and 12 I knew I had slightly over egged the 11th one and then over compensated in the last one. Watch pretty much back up how these felt.

Avg pace for each of the 12 reps was 05:59/06:01/05:58/05:54/05:55/06:05/05:56/06:01/06:00/06:02/05:46/06:10

20/01/2015 - 5.37m @ 08:44 avg pace (Recovery)

Wet and cold recovery run. Nothing to report.

21/01/2015 8.76m @ 08:21 avg pace (General Aerobic - Easy w/5x100m strides)

This was a real nothing run. A real slog. Strides were probably the best bit.

A couple of twinges in the sole of my right foot which will require some attention with the golf ball. Hamstrings and glutes still tighter than I would like them to be but that been said I have done very little to loosen them out so not sure what kind of miracle I am expecting to sort this out

yaboya1

All set for Sunday?

FBOT01

yaboya1 wrote: »

All set for Sunday?

Probably as set as I am going to be. It made for interesting food for thought during my run on Saturday afternoon reflecting on the parkrun earlier in the day and wondering how I am going to get on running >15secs per mile quicker on Sunday........but that what I plan to do and we will see how long I can keep it going. Will be looking to find a nice group to give me a lift (shelter) up the Howth Road as that is likely to be into the wind and is where I was very exposed last year.

You good to go?

yaboya1

FBOT01 wrote: »

Probably as set as I am going to be. It made for interesting food for thought during my run on Saturday afternoon reflecting on the parkrun earlier in the day and wondering how I am going to get on running >15secs per mile quicker on Sunday........but that what I plan to do and we will see how long I can keep it going. Will be looking to find a nice group to give me a lift (shelter) up the Howth Road as that is likely to be into the wind and is where I was very exposed last year.

You good to go?

I felt great up to last Saturday morning, but a rough weekend and some uncomfortable runs since have made me start to have doubts. Still, I'm going to go out at sub 29 pace and try to hang on. No more going easy on myself :P

FBOT01

yaboya1 wrote: »

I felt great up to last Saturday morning, but a rough weekend and some uncomfortable runs since have made me start to have doubts. Still, I'm going to go out at sub 29 pace and try to hang on. No more going easy on myself :P

I am glad to hear that. I didn't want to say but I thought you could have done better in 2014 so if you stopped taking the handy options you should have a good 2015:D.......See ya Sunday:pac::pac:

ThebitterLemon

What plan are you following now M?

TbL

Murph_D

Nice parkrun there, boss. Best of luck on Sunday. Would love to be doing it myself but out of town for the weekend.