From Couch 25k To Where Ever

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Delighted to hear you're good for Saturday. I've a feeling you're in for a substantial PB.

Oh I really don't think so. The knee is holding up but it's not 100% . See how it goes.ill be happy to get around without making it worse.

I see you not 100% either from your log. You're taking a chance too. I hope everything holds up for you on the day .

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I don't think mine is as acute as yours, like it has bothered me and made me limp when walking at times, but I've been able to run pretty much without issue so I'm confident I'll make it through the race ok. It's more what happens afterwards that I'd be a bit concerned about.

I know I've rejected this advice myself... but have you considered giving it a miss?

I have considered not doing it and I may still pull out if I feel I will do further damage . I have only had pain after 5 miles, I had a 3 mile a 4 mile and another 3 mile easy is runs this week and I have got through them ok so I'm telling myself I will at least get around the 5k, I think it will be at easyish pace though.

I do have a slight feeling at the bottom of my knee now but ive had that on and off since i started running,I think most runners run with such niggles . It's not what Id call pain its different to the actual pain I had in the last few weeks and in a different location .

The bottom line is I will be sensible and listen to my body , as the last thing I need is to be out injured for any length of time.

I'm not sure our problems are all that different, do you read pacing Mules log? I could be wrong but I suspect my problems are similar to his which is why i have decided to go to a physio as soon as possible to get a proper diagniosis and treatment.

Up at seven this morning, some dads taxi duties and then a big bowl of Porridge, I was raised on the stuff and still love it. In to my running gear then which I had laid out last night, some more taxi duties and a trip to a few shops looking for safety pins to pin on the number and a then I headed over to the Donore harriers clubhouse to collect a replacemnet number and chip as the original got lost in the post..

Headed into the park then, I'm not really familiar with it so I headed for Chesterfield avenue and parked there, jogged to the start line and I was there with 25 minutes to the off.

With 10 Minutes to go I decide to pin on my number ,Panic I couldn't find my safety pins and hadn't time to go back to car so I asked a steward if there were any spare pins of id not did I need to wear the number to get a time, he told me to show the number at the finish line and all would be grand which i did.

He also explained about not using the mats at the start for safety reasons and it would be gun time , which was perfectly understandable given the conditions.

I was felling good this morning, no pain . My race plan was to go out easy and take it from there.

I lined up a bit back from the sub 25 sign assuming every one in front of me were 25 min runners or better , I was wrong , just my inexperience , it wont happen again. I see other novices like myself make similar observations in their log,

The race started and then stopped and we were asked to reverse back, This totally threw me, inexperience again. When the race restarted someone to my left asked the steward with the loudhailer if we were at the start, he said not yet he'll tell you up there. So on we shuffled.

I didn't start my watch as i was waiting for the start line but I never saw it, people all around me were confused as to whether we'd crossed the line or not. a guy went by me and I asked him if we had crossed the line, he said he tough we had so I started my watch , I now know I had been shuffling along waiting for the start well passed the actual startline.

Thinking about this later I accept that this is totally my own fault , as I knew where the start line was when I lined up but I though they may have moved it forward in the mix up with the restart etc. Inexperience again, I now realise this would be impossible in a race situation but i was just focusing on the run ahead and it didn't register with me at the time..

So I was off and running a little later than I should have been, There was a lot of slow traffic in front of me , I saw a few people heading for the grass to my right and I followed . I took it nice and steady as far as Chesterfield Avenue.

I was felling good on Chesterfield avenue and took to the white line in the middle of the road and upped my pace . I passed a lot of people going up there. I felt good and I was moving well, no pain. I took a quick look at the watch and it was showing the time, Feck it i though (or something like that), I didn't start the watch properly and now it wasn't recording. Not my day I guess

I turned at the top of chesterfield avenue (that's the only road name i know in the park) and the wind hit me , I put my head down and ploughed on, I was still passing runners including Santa pushing a buggy, I told him he could do with an engine on that today and on I went. A bit further on I passed an young lad a round 10, I was really impressed with where he was on the course and I congratulated him and on I went again.

The next thing I noticed was the 3k marker, I was comfortable and I decided I would keep going as i was to the 4 k marker and then push for home for the last K. I was going well , my breathing was good , I felt comfortable and the knee was holding up well , I was loving it. Then I head my watch beep and realised it must be recording, Brilliant, It was just on the wrong screen for some reason.

I saw the 5 k marker then and upped my pace. Not long to go now, just around the next corner a steward shouted, I pushed on again still passing people . The finish line came into sight and I was settling in behind a few people when the stewards started shouting at us to push for the line, I remembered my last park run where I had not pushed for the line and the comments I got here so I went for it and passed three people two ladies and a gent in on the home stretch. holding up my number as I was told to do as I crossed the line.

I was delighted to have gotten around with no knee issues, I felt I had given it all I had today while running sensibly..

This was my 3rd race, 2 park runs and I learned a lot today again. I will not be making the mistakes I made at the start again.

Once I got going I had a great run , I ran to the best of my ability and really enjoyed it and didn't aggravate my injury which was my stated goal last night so I'm happy with that.

My plans now are to see a physio to sort out the niggles once and for all. To do some easy running and park runs and possibly another race over xmas if the physio allows.



Because of my issues at the start I am using the stats from my watch for this run.

I switched my watch to KM for these but they are still showing as miles in Garmin connect, Perhaps I need to change that to Km too to see the stats properly.

Stats
2.95 miles in 23:54 @ 8.14 pace

I ran the last half mile at 7:32 pace.

Just see a new 1k record of 4:40 in garmin connect




Lastly I don't want anyone to read my comments as criticism of the organisers, They did a great job in really tough circumstances and my own inexperience was the primary reason for my issues.

Ososlo wrote: »

Congrats on your race TM! Shame about the messy timing issues but at least you have a good general idea of where you stand. I'd say try and get yourself to St. Anne's Parkrun or Tom Brennan on NY Day, or similar in a few weeks, if the physio allows.

Well done and geat that you have no adverse reactions from the knee!

Thanks, I have a few parkruns to visit in the months ahead, St Annes is definitely one I wnat to do and could become my regular haunt as I'm usually in that area on a saturday morning.

The knee held up well, i didn't really expect it to give me trouble up to 5k , its after that it gets sore. I know I still need to get it looked.

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I'm as bad as yourself, it just usually seems like everyone else is better at it. I don't have a Cork accent anyway!



My watch had 4.96km / 3.08mi

Well there you go, fact is you ran your 5k in a few seconds over 23:36.. Allow 10 seconds or so for the extra 40 Meters if you must but you have a more accurate time to work off from those times than your gun time today for sure..

3.29 miles @10.09 pace with 6 x 100 m strides.

Heart rate 144.

All good today again

Im still keeping the runs short and easy but missing the longer runs now.

Made it to an extrealmly soggy malahide castle this morning for the parkrun . Parts of the usual corse was flooded so they used the old course of 3 laps around the pitch and putt club .

They told us the course could be a bit longer than 5 k .

It wasnt a morning for pbs but i really enjoyed the run

Official time 25.31

I got out again tonight , its a beautiful night here in swords but a little too warm for running in winter gear.
Progression run of 3.4 miles@10.04 pace

1 @11.09
2 @ 10.02
3 @ 9:15
4 @ 9:26

Thats the first time I've ran 2 days in a row in a few weeks and it felt good. I think I'll try gradually build back up my mileage now by doing more shorter runs to see how things go. I'm felling quite positive .