Just like starting over:The quest for a sub 18 5k

Back in Black · 02-01-2020 10:01pm

December update

December turning into a bit of a washout between various bugs getting into the house and lingering. First came a vomiting bug and then I succumbed to a chest infection that put me on antibiotics for a week.

Dec 2nd: 5 mile @ 8:33 Handy run after work at local gaa pitch

Dec 3rd: 6 mile @ 8:14 Easy run while young lad was at training.

Weekly total: 11 miles

Dec 9th: 5 mile @ 8:49 Easy run around local football pitch

Dec 10th: 5 mile @ 8:53 Late evening run with a few of the lads from the club

Dec 12th: 2.5 mile @ 11:27 Ran with some of my running group just to get running

Dec 13th: 4 mile with 3@ 7:00 Idea was to check if I was up to running the 5k on Sunday that I has signed up to. Was really happy with how I felt so decided 5k was on.

Dec 15th: Drogheda 5k: 18:53

Realistically knew that a PB was probably not on the cards but wanted to give this a good rattle.

Started strong but managed to get isolated early on which made this hard work, lost energy rapidly over the last 2kms and was relieved to see the finish line. Was to be expected as previous two weeks training were poor and the body was tired.

Splits: 3:33;3:42;3:46;3:44;3:55.

Weekly Total: 21.5 miles

Dec 21st: 5 mile @ 8:41 pace After a week of feeling crap, went for a run to see how I was feeling - wasn't too bad but was working hard.

Ended up on antibiotics and an extended break.

December 30th@ 6 mile @ 8:48 - First run after finishing the antibiotics and felt good to get out.

December 31st: 6 mile @ 8:17 - same run again and felt even better!!

December total: 49.5 miles

Back in Black · 20-01-2020 9:31pm

Wednesday 1st Jan 6.5 mile with one easy/one quick.

A wee tester to see how I was going after the break.

Started with a handy 0.5 mile warm up and then into the alternating miles. Splits were 6:31/8:02/6:34/8:02/6:28/8:09

A toughie and noticed the lack of fitness. Also managed to get the wire of my headphones caught in a fence and broke them!!

Thurs 2nd JanRest

Friday 3rd Jan Rest

Saturday 4th Jan 6 mile including Parkrun (19:06)

A new parkrun started in Cavan town so decided to pop my parkrun cherry and go along. Finished 2nd in 19:06 (3 seconds behind winner). Didn't push too hard and was just happy with the workout.

Sunday 5th Jan: 1 mile @ 8:54

Out to the forest park trails with running buddy but knee flared up and had to pull the plug after a mile.

6th Jan - 14th Jan: Rest Back to Physio who diagnosed a flare up of the patellar tendinopathy injury from 2 years ago. Lots of rehab exercises to build up knee.

15th Jan: 5 mile @ 8:44Trial run while kids were at athletics training - no issues with the knee.

16th Jan: rest

17th Jan: 5 mile @ 8:50 avg pace 6 am run at local pitch with running buddy and again no issues with the knee. Back to physio in afternoon and he gave me the clean bill of health to build back the mileage. Lots more rehab exercises also prescribed!!

Sat 18th Jan: 5 mile @ 9:08Spent an hour in the gym and then done a slow run with the group I coach.

Sunday 19th Jan: 10 mile @ 8:29 avg pace A big test for the knee and passed with flying colours. This was 31 laps of the football pitch track so boredom was the biggest struggle.

Weekly total: 25 miles

OOnegative · 20-01-2020 9:58pm

Mind the knee J!!

AuldManKing · 20-01-2020 10:47pm

31 laps - my Chri$t.
That would kill me.

What rehab work you get? I'm minding my knee/quad.

Back in Black · 21-01-2020 10:05am

AuldManKing wrote: »

31 laps - my Chri$t.
That would kill me.

What rehab work you get? I'm minding my knee/quad.

Have a few exercises to do.

One that is really working well and making the difference is Spanish Squats (I'm doing 6 minutes a day). Generally do them in blocks of 10 reps of 12 seconds. Quads are usually on fire after the two minutes!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksofnvkohI

Also really working are the leg extensions - using a heavy duty resistance band for this and 4 x15 reps each day.

The thing I like about these is that I can nearly feel the difference straight away and I don't need to go to the gym to do them which will make a difference in building them into the daily routine.

Others I'm doing are 50 x one legged squats onto a bench; one legged wall-sits 3 x 45 seconds; and 4 x12 bulgarian squats (haven't mastered these yet!)

To fix the problem and redress the balance between both legs I'm doing hop and stick 3 x 20metres and 3 x 20 metres of one legged hops. Doing this about 2/3 times a week.

Then I try fit in some running

:D

Back in Black · 30-01-2020 11:32am

Monday 20th January:

AM: rehab work in the gym

PM: running form work on track while coaching my running group - got quite a few funny looks when I was doing my hop and stick routine!!!

Tuesday 21st January: 2.5 mile @ 8:20 avg pace. Around pitch track while young lad was at football training

Wednesday 22nd Jan:

AM: another gym session for rehab work.

PM: 5 mile @ 8:33 avg pace. Ran this with one of the lads from the club around Cavan Town keeping it nice and handy

Thursday 23rd Jan 4 mile @ 8:23 avg pace. Around pitch track again.

More running form exercises while running group where doing their thing!!

Friday 25th January: 5 mile @ 8:34. On the roads for this and kept it nice and handy.

Gym work for knee again.

Saturday 26th Jan: Rest

Sun 27th Jan: Plan 2 x 2 mile @ 7:50 pace with 1 min rec in 9 mins.

Splits for 2 miles were 6:50; 6:51; 8:20; 6:51; 7:00. Got a bit carried away with this but nice to be running fast again and knee held up well. Body was creaky though from the tough gym workout for the legs that morning. Delighted with this as proved I could run fast again and no ill effects from the knee injury!!

Weekly total: 21.5 mile

Overall delighted with the weeks work and the progress with the rehab. Am confident that if I am consistent with the rehab work I can keep on top of the knee injury. Plan for next week is to build again and run Trim on Sunday but will start out easy and pull the plug if the knee plays up!!

Onwards and Upwards

Back in Black · 02-03-2020 1:41pm

Monday 27th January: Rest - no chance to get out as had to work late. Done an hours rehab on the knee instead at home.

Tues 28th Jan: 5 mile @ 8:25. 20 laps of football pitch track while young lad was training.

Wed 29th January: 5.5 mile 3@ 7:55 last 2.5 @ 7:40 pace
Lunchtime run for this and just went on feel. Felt good so pushed on a wee bit. Thankfully no issues with knee. Splits were 7:23;7:18;7:20;7:19;7:15; 7:18 pace. Done an hours rehab on knee in the morning.

Thurs 30th January: 5.1 mile @ 8:16. All I could fit in while kids were at Athletics training - done this with one of the lads from the club.

Friday 31st January: 5 mile @ 8:45 after work around gaa pitch track after an hours work in the gym on the knee. Legs felt tired and quads were on fire after the gym so kept it real handy but knee felt ok.

January total: 70.6 miles

Sat 1st Feb: Rest

Sunday 2nd Feb: 10mile @ 8:02 on the forest trails. Good to get this in the legs at a decent pace. I was signed up for Trim but decided to do a 10mile solo run instead rather than risking injury but pushing too hard.

Weekly total: 30.6 miles

Back in Black · 02-03-2020 1:46pm

Got the all clear from the physio as long as I kept up the rehab exercises so all systems go for Bohermeen.

Mon 3rd Feb 5 mile @ 9:05 avg pace. 6 am run around the pitch track with company are a 30 min rehab session in the gym.

Tues 4th Feb: 5 mile @ 8:18 avg pace while young lad was at football training.

Wed 5th Feb: 6 x 1km (.62mile) in 4:25 with 60 sec rec - Hit the track at first light for this and got into it after a 1 mile warm-up and some stretches just after a 30 minutes rehab session on the knee. Splits for the 1kms were: 4:09; 3:57; 3:55;3:55; 3:55; 3:54. Was running on effort rather than looking at watch so surprised how quick these were. Total 5.5 miles with cool down.

Thurs 6th Feb: 7 mile @ 8:03 Done this around Cavan town. Started with a rehab session in the gym.

Fri 7th Feb: Rest

Sat 8th Feb: 7 mile easy - Again started with a 30 minutes gym session for the knee and then an easy 7 mile around the pitch track @ 8:40 keeping it nice and handy.

Sunday 9th Feb: 9 mile @ 7:58 The storm nearly put paid to this but spotted a window and headed out with one of the lads from the club and hit the forest trails. Paces were all over the place because of the wind and driving rain but felt good and strong and finished strong. No issues with the knee either!

Weekly total: 38.5 mile

Back in Black · 02-03-2020 1:51pm

Monday 10th Feb: Ended up not getting out with the storm and snow here. Done a 5k row in 30 minutes instead.

Tuesday 11th Feb: Rest - weather was even worse!

Wed 12th Feb: 5 mile tempo @ 7:25 pace - Got this in while the kids were at athletics training. Started with a 3 minute warm-up and then into the tempo run on a fairly lumpy route. Splits were 7:18; 7:15; 7:20; 7:06; 7:21. followed by another 3 min cool down. Total 5.6 miles

Thurs 13th Feb: 7 mile @ 8:21 Done this around the local gaa pitch track. nice and easy and body felt good.

Fri 14th Feb: 6 mile tempo 4@ 7:25 last 2 @ 7:15 pace. Struggled to fit this is with work pressure so ended up squeezing it in at the track fighting light straight after work. Was feeling tired so just focussed on the effort. Splits were 7:10; 7:22; 7:20;7:22; 7:05; 6:58. Total 7 miles.

Sat 15th Feb: 5 mile @ 8:13 - Local gaa pitch track again due to high winds and rain. Ended up doing it in a monsoon. A miserable run but it got done.

Sun 16th Feb: 12 mile @ 7:48. Delighted with this as I had only 4 hours sleep and was dreading getting on as conditions were awful. Had company for first 6 miles on a very hilly route and then finished with an out and back 6 miles around the grounds of Farnham estate. Also missed most of the worst weather.

Weekly Total: 36.6 miles

Back in Black · 02-03-2020 1:59pm

Mon 17th February: 7 miles @ 6:55.
Very happy with this as I was dreading it when I seen it on the plan. Snuck out at lunch time from work and was only out the door when the hailstones started pelting me!! Muddled through and got into a rhythm after a few miles. A nice wee confidence booster of a run too.

Tues 18th Feb: Rest

Wed 19th Feb: 10 x 800meters in 3:18 with 90 sec recovery - Done this after work at the gaa pitch track. Splits were 3:05; 3:05; 3:03; 3:03; 3:02; 3:04; 3:06 3:07; 3:05; 3:05. Went by feel on this and just went with it. 7 miles total.

Thurs 20th Feb: 9 easy @ 8:40 pace around football pitch track. Ran this in a monsoon.

Fri 21st Feb: 8 mile @ 8:21 avg pace with last at 7:17. Done it in a complete monsoon and high winds. Ended up with a blister from the soaking I got! Worst conditions I ran in in a long while.

Sat 22nd Feb: Plan - 3x4 mile @ 7:20 pace: Actual 7:06;7:12; 7:08;7:12; 8:35; 7:17; 7:29;7:25; 7:12 (very hilly part of route) 8:34; 7:38;8:02; 7:40; 8:15 (legs were gone at this stage and rain and hail were driving into me!) Happy to get this finished - Total 14miles.

Sun 23rd Feb: 4 mile including 3km race (forgot to start watch) Focused on keeping the pace honest without pushing too hard and risking injury. Numbers were low for the race so managed to pull away from the field over last 800mtrs for a win!!

Weekly total: 49 miles

Back in Black · 02-03-2020 2:07pm

Monday 24th Feb: 6 mile @ 8:35 with 15 x35 secs hills. Done the first few miles slow with the group I'm coaching and then headed out on my own and included the hills. Legs were getting tired over the last few but kept the effort and pace up.

Tues 25th Feb: 6 mile @ 8:02 avg pace. Done this while young lad was at football training around a gaa pitch track.

Wed 26th Feb: 6 mile easy @ 8:18 avg pace Done this while kids were at athletics training keeping the pace handy on an up and down route.

Thurs 27th Feb: 3x3 mile in 6:45 with 1 mile easy recovery:
I had only one chance of doing this which was at first light. Unfortunately it was snowing and footpaths were treacherous so ended up down at gaa pitch track. Bitterly cold but calm so decent conditions. Track was slippy in one corner so had to avoid that. Splits were 6:42;6:39; 6:39..... 6:41;6:34;6:38..... 6:35;6:39; 6:33... Total 11miles. Absolutely delighted with this as I went in to it mentally and physically tired and it was tempting to stay in bed!! the track made it easier to watch the pace but the 44 laps compensated for that!!

Fri 28th Feb: Rest

Sat 29th Feb: 9 mile tempo 6@ 7:10 last 3 @ 7:05 pace Another early morning one before Jorge!! Roads and footpaths were treacherous again so back to laps of the track. Wind was really picking up as this went on and had a few snow showers to contend with too. Splits were - 6:48;7:01;7:10;7:07;7:11;7:08;7:08;7:09;7:04

Weekly total: 38 miles

February Total: 172.1

OOnegative · 02-03-2020 2:12pm

A win is a win J, well done!!

AuldManKing · 02-03-2020 3:21pm

Fair play on the 3k race but also that 3x3 session early in the morning!!

Back in Black · 21-09-2020 10:40am

Update:

Have been plugging away over the last few months but work has been mental busy so wasn't keeping the log updated!

Have been consistently training and hitting 45-50 miles a week since April with the focus mainly on Half Marathon stuff but like everyone else it's been a struggle to stay motivated with races disappearing off the calendar!

Done a few 5k's over the summer with similar enough times - 18:21 in Nurney and 18:23 in Leixlip on the Day of PB's. Had hoped to dip under 18 this year and that's still in the back of my mind if the right race pops up!!

So will try and get better at keeping this updated from here on in.

Week Starting: 14th September
Had a good week last week - started off the week trying to shake off a head cold but managed it well and was back in form by the second half of the week.

Mon Sept 14th 7 mile @ 8:31 at 6am around Cavan Town. Struggled over the second half fighting the head cold still and heart rate was rising all the time.

Tuesday Sept 15th Horrible run as head cold was taking over. Set out at 6:30am and never got going. Heart rate was very high so pulled the plug at 6 miles to fight another day. 6 miles @ 8:52

Wed Sept 16th 15 x 35 sec hill reps with 3 mile warm up and 3 mile cool down. Left this till late evening and was starting to come out of the worst of the head cold. 3 mile warm-up @8:35 and then the hills - a nice steep one close to home and with street lights!. Happy with the hills as I was consistently hitting the same spot. 3 mile cool down at 8:26. Total 8.5 miles. Very happy with this and the legs felt they were getting a good workout!!

Thurs Sept 17th: 7 mile @ 8:24 avg pace. Another 6 am start and felt much easier than earlier in the week.

Fri Sept 18th: 8 mile 6 easy last 2 @ 6:40 and 6:35 pace: Out early for this again and first 6 mile were nice and handy at 8:15 avg pace and last two at 6:41 and 6:34.

Sat Sept 19th Rest

Sun 20th Sept: 20 mile @ 7:23 avg pace. Plan had me down for 21 @ 7:25!

Out at 7:30 am for this after a bowl of porridge and planned a route that would take me past the car to get water after 14 miles. Just brought a gel with me. Was nervous of the distance so set out with aim of averaging 7:30 per mile. Weather was perfect with sun starting to break through the fog and not a gasp of wind. The first 10 miles ticked by and was working to keep pace down. Took a gel at 10mile and was starting to feel the need for it. Last mile back to car was mentally tough but once I got a bit of water on board I was ready to go again and after a few minutes was back in a nice rhythm. Mile 19 was a long slow drag which took a lot out of the legs and pace slowed. Was within sight of the car when 20miles beeped on the watch and couldn't convince the legs to run by the car again!. Splits were: 7:20;7:26;7:32;7:15;7:20;7:25; 7:16;7:27;7:23;7:20;7:14; 7:18; 7:25; 7:21; 7:24;7:!9;7:26; 7:41; 7:20. My previous longest run ever was 16 miles slowly so will take that.

Weekly Total: 56.5 miles

Duanington · 21-09-2020 10:54am

Good to see this log going again

Question...20 miles at 7.25? What's the target again?

Back in Black · 21-09-2020 11:27am

Duanington wrote: »

Good to see this log going again

Question...20 miles at 7.25? What's the target again?

Thanks DD - good to see you back logging again too and running consistently again.

Target is still very much a half marathon and lots of improvements to be made at that distant. I always ruled out doing a marathon (particularly in the short to medium term) but I will confess that I did check out what a marathon time would be for 7:23 average pace!! :eek::eek::eek:

I was half afraid the body would fall apart after 20 miles but feeling good today so far!!

Duanington · 21-09-2020 1:15pm

Back in Black wrote: »

Thanks DD - good to see you back logging again too and running consistently again.

Target is still very much a half marathon and lots of improvements to be made at that distant. I always ruled out doing a marathon (particularly in the short to medium term) but I will confess that I did check out what a marathon time would be for 7:23 average pace!! :eek::eek::eek:

I was half afraid the body would fall apart after 20 miles but feeling good today so far!!

Nice, strong running - fair play

ThebitterLemon · 21-09-2020 2:09pm

Great to see another of the auld lads crawl back outta the sarcophagus

You’re flying it

TbL

Back in Black · 27-09-2020 7:56pm

So another weeks training done and unsurprisingly the legs were dead for much of the week after 20 miles at close to marathon pace (if I ever done a marathon :pac:) But managed a decent hills session, an ok tempo run and a 5k race so not the worst week.

Monday 21st September: 6 mile easy @ 8:43 on very heavy legs after the 20 miler. Just about squeezed this in after work. Ran from the house.

Tues 22nd September: 6 mile easy @ 8:46. The plan had me down for 9 miles easy but it was never going to be in the legs and it was also the young lads birthday so had to fit this in straight after work.

Wed 23rd Sept: 2 mile @ 6:20, 12x35sec hills, 2 miles @ 6:20 I missed two windows to run dealing with stuff at work so only had about 50 minutes to squeeze in a run after work before I took the young lad to a GAA blitz so moved things around a bit with the plan and figured I could just about fit this one in (alternative was a 10mile tempo). Started with 2 miles 6:19, 6:23 and then into the hills and was happy with the consistency of them especially as the hill I was using is very steep and was racing trucks that were labouring up it which kept it interesting!! I was on the footpath

Last two miles 6:20; 6:22. Total: 7 miles. Goosed after this but really happy with it. And made young lads match with seconds to spare!!

Thurs 24th Sept: 8 miles @ 8:45 avg pace. Plan had me down for 7 mile easy but I felt guilty about the missing miles from Tuesday so squeezed in 8 miles straight after work on a hilly route!.

Friday 25th Sept: 10 mile tempo @ 6:50. So Wednesdays 10mile tempo was moved to today and was again a rush to squeeze it in. I've struggled to regulate the pace of these in the past and turn them into a slog but have got better at regulating the pace and easing into these over the last 12 months. But made a bit of a balls of this one and never settled into the right pace. More that the head was elsewhere than anything else. Third mile at 6:18 followed by the 4th at 6:39 really killed me and it turned into a right slog. Splits were 6:48;6:45; 6:18;6:39; 6:54;6:42; 6:52; 6:56; 7:01; 7:15 Toughest tempo run in a while and was just glad to get back to the car in one piece after this. Followed it up with a 1 hour circuits class.

Sat 26th Sept: Rest

Sunday 27th Sept: 6 miles with 5km county road championship 18:50.

It was county road championships today and thankfully it went ahead. Biggest crowd I've seen in years but unfortunately our club couldn't get a V1 masters team out with only 2 of us running. It was a tough course with lots of long drags and it turned out to be a more tactical race than I anticipated and I was about 30 metres behind the lead group for most of the race and was fairly comfortable there. Left it too late to pull in the lead group who finished very strong. Still managed to get a second place finish in my category and third overall. Time was 18:50 which I was happy enough with given the course profile and I finished strong. Was a bit more in the tank too even if the legs were heavy.

Splits 3:48;3:46;4:00;3:49;3:26

Weekly Total: 43 miles.

Next week I've masters cross country and looking forward to that.

ThebitterLemon · 27-09-2020 7:59pm

Back in Black wrote: »

So another weeks training done and unsurprisingly the legs were dead for much of the week after 20 miles at close to marathon pace (if I ever done a marathon :pac:) But managed a decent hills session, an ok tempo run and a 5k race so not the worst week.

Monday 21st September: 6 mile easy @ 8:43 on very heavy legs after the 20 miler. Just about squeezed this in after work. Ran from the house.

Tues 22nd September: 6 mile easy @ 8:46. The plan had me down for 9 miles easy but it was never going to be in the legs and it was also the young lads birthday so had to fit this in straight after work.

Wed 23rd Sept: 2 mile @ 6:20, 12x35sec hills, 2 miles @ 6:20 I missed two windows to run dealing with stuff at work so only had about 50 minutes to squeeze in a run after work before I took the young lad to a GAA blitz so moved things around a bit with the plan and figured I could just about fit this one in (alternative was a 10mile tempo). Started with 2 miles 6:19, 6:23 and then into the hills and was happy with the consistency of them especially as the hill I was using is very steep and was racing trucks that were labouring up it which kept it interesting!! I was on the footpath Last two miles 6:20; 6:22. Total: 7 miles. Goosed after this but really happy with it. And made young lads match with seconds to spare!!

Thurs 24th Sept: 8 miles @ 8:45 avg pace. Plan had me down for 7 mile easy but I felt guilty about the missing miles from Tuesday so squeezed in 8 miles straight after work on a hilly route!.

Friday 25th Sept: 10 mile tempo @ 6:50. So Wednesdays 10mile tempo was moved to today and was again a rush to squeeze it in. I've struggled to regulate the pace of these in the past and turn them into a slog but have got better at regulating the pace and easing into these over the last 12 months. But made a bit of a balls of this one and never settled into the right pace. More that the head was elsewhere than anything else. Third mile at 6:18 followed by the 4th at 6:39 really killed me and it turned into a right slog. Splits were 6:48;6:45; 6:18;6:39; 6:54;6:42; 6:52; 6:56; 7:01; 7:15 Toughest tempo run in a while and was just glad to get back to the car in one piece after this. Followed it up with a 1 hour circuits class.

Sat 26th Sept: Rest

Sunday 27th Sept: 6 miles with 5km county road championship 18:50.

It was county road championships today and thankfully it went ahead. Biggest crowd I've seen in years but unfortunately our club couldn't get a V1 masters team out with only 2 of us running. It was a tough course with lots of long drags and it turned out to be a more tactical race than I anticipated and I was about 30 metres behind the lead group for most of the race and was fairly comfortable there. Left it too late to pull in the lead group who finished very strong. Still managed to get a second place finish in my category and third overall. Time was 18:50 which I was happy enough with given the course profile and I finished strong. Was a bit more in the tank too even if the legs were heavy.

Splits 3:48;3:46;4:00;3:49;3:26

Weekly Total: 43 miles.

Next week I've masters cross country and looking forward to that.

Well done J, nice racing

TbL

Back in Black · 01-10-2020 3:12pm

Monday 28th Sept: 7mile easy @ 7:44 avg pace Working from home today so put the runners on at lunchtime and headed out on an up and down route from the house. Legs were fresher than I expected.

Tuesday 29th Sept: 9 mile easy @ 7:47 avg pace Set the alarm for 5:30 and donned the gloves for an early morning run around Cavan Town. Again the legs were as fresh as daisies and the miles flew by.

Wednesday 30th Sept: 8 mile tempo @ 6:44 avg pace This is what I now consider both my favourite and most dreaded session of the week. I know the benefit and confidence boost I get from them but also know if I'm not prepared right that it will be a slugfest and torturous.

So headed out at lunchtime from the office and wanted to make sure I eased into the pace so kept a close eye on this for first mile and a bit. Started to wane at about 5 mile but got a second wind and finished reasonably comfortably. Target pace was 6:45 per mile so delighted to nail it!

Splits were: 6:49;6:44;6:46;6:42;6:49;6:38;6:44;6:39

Monthly Total: 184.9 miles A reasonably solid months work

Back in Black · 12-10-2020 9:23am

So it's been a very strange October so far to say the least. On the 1st Got a call from a neighbour to say that they had tested positive for covid-19 and myself and the 2 kids would probably be considered close contacts. So immediately started limiting movements and waited to get tested. We got test results back on the Sunday for myself and 1 of the kids and they were negative but then got a call on the Tuesday to say young lad tested positive. Thankfully he's feeling fine and none of the rest of us have had any symptoms. Mrs B in B also tested negative since.

Not surprisingly running has taken a back seat and I've used it as a stress release as there is a fair bit of anxiety and lots of sleep being missed in the house. Also heard our neighbour went into hospital with it last night which shows what a horrible dangerous virus it is - he's the same age as me and also a runner.

We have another week to ten days left (providing things stay the same) so running will be mostly easy stuff as I really don't want to stress the system!

Thurs 1st Oct: 6 mile easy @ 8:05 avg pace -

Friday 2nd Oct: Rest

Sat 3rd Oct: 7.2 miles @ 8:23 avg pace - Handy run on some very rural back roads

Sun 4th Oct: Rest:

Weekly total: 37.2 miles

Mon 5th Oct: 7 miles @ 8:07 - after work run again on some very rural roads.

Tues 6th Oct: 6 mile @ 8:08 - another handy after work run

Wed 7th Oct: Rest

Thurs 8th Oct: Rest

Friday 9th Oct: 8 mile @ 8:10 avg pace - after work again

Sat 10th Oct: 6 miles with varying paces - avg 7:21 . Was feeling good so wanted to do something a bit quicker without taxing the body too much so just went with it. Splits 7:48; 7:41; 7:10; 7:05; 7:18; 6:59.

Sun 11th Oct: 7 miles @ 7:58 avg pace: handy early morning run on the forest trails - absolute bliss on deserted forest trails and never met a sinner. First time I relaxed since this started.

Weekly total: 34 miles

Dubh Geannain · 12-10-2020 9:28am

Best wishes to the neighbour and young lad. Can only imagine the anxiety levels associated with it.

Back in Black · 12-10-2020 9:32am

Dubh Geannain wrote: »

Best wishes to the neighbour and young lad. Can only imagine the anxiety levels associated with it.

Thanks Dubh - appreciate that.

Back in Black · 21-10-2020 9:08am

Monday 12th October: 7.2 miles @ 8:24 avg pace.

Nice and easy stress releasing run.

Tuesday 13th October: Rest

Wednesday 14th October: 6.1 mile @ 8:05 avg pace Another easy run after work. 2nd covid test for the family today.

Thursday 15th October: 8 mile @ 8:13 avg pace Another easy run after work following a familiar pattern.

Friday 16th October: 5 mile @ 8:31 A nice handy run. Test results back - all negative so isolation ends on Sunday!

Saturday 17th October: 7 mile @ 8:04 avg pace Handy run again

Sunday 18th October: 8.5 miles @ 7:44 Great to be back out and a glorious morning for a run. Ran around Cavan Town and the legs wanted to go a wee bit faster so just went with it.

Weekly total: 43.8 miles all easy running but happy to get the miles in the legs and even happier with a return to normality!!

Monday 19th October: 7 miles @ 8:45 avg pace. Had intended to be up at 5:30 to do this before work but was tired and hit the snooze button one time too many so ended up only getting out at 7am so down circuits of the village until it got bright enough to use the football pitch track.

Tuesday 20th October: 6 x1km @ 3:46 with 90 seconds recovery First session in a few weeks and I was nervous about it, not knowing how the legs would react. Ran down to local pitch track just as it was starting to get bright.

First one was tough as it took a while for the body to react to the quicker pace. 2,3 and 4 were all about maintaining control and good form. 5 & 6 were about hanging on for dear life!!

Splits were as follows:
3:46
3:37
3:42
3:44
3:46
3:47

Very happy with this and hitting the paces (well nearly on all :pac:)

Total: 5.5 miles

Back in Black · 27-10-2020 10:07am

Wednesday21st Oct: Rest

Thursday 22nd Oct: 8 miles @ 7:55 avg pace. Back to the previous lockdown routine!!. Nice handy run on a fairly hilly route from the house. Had been aiming for 9 miles but misjudged the distance and ended up back at the house after 8 mile. Was lashing so left it at 8.

Friday 23rd October: 2 mile @ 6:15 pace / 3min jog 12 x 35 sec hills / 3 min jog/ 2 mile @ 6:15 pace.
Love these runs and works out ok with the 5km limit as the GAA pitch track is at the bottom of my hill. Out straight after work for this. A slow run down to pitch track and then the 2 mile around the track. Splits 6:14; 6:16. Thankfully my usual hill is less than 3 minutes jog from the pitch and has street lights!
Set the watch for 12 intervals of 35 seconds and zoned out just focussing on hitting the same spot each time. Happy that I consistently hit the same spot. Last 2 miles were 6:09 and 6:16. Finished with a slow jog back up the hill to home. Total 7.9 miles

Saturday 24th October: 7 miles @ 8:40 avg pace - nice and handy run from the house in the late evening so ended up with lots of laps of the pitch!! See a lot of this in my future for the next few weeks.

Sunday 25th October: 6 mile 7:00, 6:50, 6:40,6:35,6:30,6:25. Once again down to the gaa pitch for this and a bit apprehensive as I usually make a balls of these types of runs. Had been doing manual labour for the day and on the previous day so the body was feeling creaky. A slow jog down to the pitch helped loosen me up a bit and was feeling good once I got going - first one was of course too fast!! Splits were as follows: 6:48;6:50; 6:32;6:26; 6:16; 6:15. Total 7 miles.

Weekly total: 41.9 miles

Back in Black · 02-11-2020 10:39am

Monday 26th October: 9 miles @ 8:20 avg pace. Nice and handy trot keeping within the 5km which meant loads of laps of the local gaa pitch. See lots of this in my future but it's all good!! Had downloaded Springsteen's new album so the laps zoomed by as I zoned out.

Tuesday 27th October: 5 mile easy @ 8:00 avg pace Had to move things around to get a run in. Meant to be a tempo run today but hit the treadmill for 5 miles instead.

Wednesday 28th October: 7 mile with 6 at tempo - 3 @6:40, 3@ 6:35 Out at lunchtime for this from the house and headed down to the gaa pitch track (the one with no hill!!) It makes these tempo runs a wee bit easier but I'm stuck for alternatives with the 5km limit. Splits were as follows: 6:27; 6:34; 6:33; 6:25; 6:23;6:31. Went with the quicker paces to compensate for the flat track.

Felt comfortable so delighted with that.

Thursday 29th October: Rest Planned rest day

Friday 7 mile with 8x1km @ 3:42 with 80 sec recovery
Did a bit of a double take when I seen this on the plan, knowing it would be a real toughie. Got out straight after work on Friday evening and down to the GAA pitch track again for this. Slow jog down loosened the legs and got stuck in as dark was falling. Aside from the first one where the legs were struggling to loosen up, the first few felt good and strong and once these were in the legs it was just a matter of keeping going and keeping the effort honest. Last 3 were tough and sometimes it was hard to keep the legs moving!!

Splits were as follows:
3:48
3:40
3:37
3:37
3:39
3:41
3:39
3:40

Absolutely delighted with that!

Saturday 31st Oct: 6 miles @ 8:54 pace. I was an emotional wreck heading out for this straight after watching Cavan beat Monaghan in an epic battle. Kept the pace nice and handy.

Monthly Total: 159.7 miles

AuldManKing · 04-11-2020 11:13am

Super session and a good bit of progression from the 6x1km you done the previous week.

Back in Black · 09-11-2020 4:46pm

AuldManKing wrote: »

Super session and a good bit of progression from the 6x1km you done the previous week.

Cheers - yes very happy with the step up and managed it comfortably enough!

Back in Black · 09-11-2020 5:33pm

New month = new plan!

Monday 2nd November: 7 mile 6easy last 1 @ 6:20 pace 7 mile with last one @ 6:25 avg pace. I was later than planned out doing this so headed up to the GAA pitch track with the hills as it has floodlights. First 6 miles were all under 8 min pace. Picked up the pace for last mile but wasn't checking the watch so went with what I thought was 6:20 pace - not a million miles off :P

Tues 3rd November: 8 mile @ 8:48 avg pace Headed out straight after work on a fairly lumpy makey up route as it was getting dark. Zoned out listening to a podcast and kept it nice and handy.

Wed 4th November: 7 mile @ 8:21 avg pace: My original plan was to do a tempo run at lunchtime around the GAA pitch (with no hills!!) but when I got down to it there was about 200 school kids wandering around it on lunchbreak, so abandoned that plan and just done a handy 7 mile easy instead. The 5km limit is really messing with my tempo runs as it's just too hilly around me to do a proper tempo run.

Thurs 5th November: 9 mile with 8 @ tempo pace. Set the alarm for early and got out the door. A slow jog down to the GAA pitch with no hills and got stuck in - took a few laps to loosen up and get into a proper rhythm. Want to quit from about 4 mile in but dug in and kept going. Splits for the tempo sections were as follows:
6:36
6:38
6:42
6:44
6:43
6:46
6:42
6:38

Happy out with that!

Fri 6th Nov: Rest

Sat 7th Nov: 2 mile @ 6:20 pace / 3min rec/ 10 x 400meters in82 with 50 sec rec

Waited until the Cavan game was over to head out for this - same GAA pitch track again. Body was feeling fresh after the day's rest.

First two miles in 5:59; 6:11

Splits for 400mtrs were:
79
78
79
81
82
83
81
82
82
83

I was blowing hard after these but delighted to get it done. Following with a slow jog back home.

Total: 6 miles

Sunday 8th November: 12 mile easy @ 8:14 avg pace - nice and handy long run in cracking running weather exploring my 5km radius!

Weekly total: 51 miles - happy with a good solid weeks work.

ThebitterLemon · 09-11-2020 8:36pm

So what’s the plan...:)

TbL

Back in Black · 11-11-2020 9:37am

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

So what’s the plan...:)

TbL

Now that's a good question!!! Not thinking too far into the future with uncertainty over races, etc, etc.

Plan so is to keep building the fitness over the winter and be ready for spring Half marathon if and when they go ahead!!

Back in Black · 13-11-2020 9:40am

Monday 9th November: 8 mile easy @ 9:04 avg pace A rare run with a bit of company. Arranged to meet running buddy at 6am at the gaa pitch for this. Got up a wee bit early and got a mile done before he arrived. Ran 6 mile together before he headed on his way and finish out the 8 miles solo. Kept the pace real handy as he is only getting back into it.

Tuesday 10th November: 8.5 mile with 4 @ 6:40; 3@ 6:35 Out the door shortly before 7 am for this and again down to the GAA pitch track and after a 6 minutes warm up run got stuck in. Struggled with the usual just out of bed feeling for the first few, thought about throwing in the towel in the middle bits but kept the head down and got it done. Struggled with the increasing the pace bit over the last 3 miles but am very happy with this. A slow jog back home for the breakfast to finish this out.
Splits for fast miles:
6:35
6:43
6:32
6:39
6:40
6:39
6:34

Wednesday 11th Nov: Rest

Thursday 12th Nov: 2mile@6:20; 5x800 in 2:50 w/65 sec recovery

I Left this one until just after work and again down to the GAA pitch track which was surprisingly busy. Started with a 8 minutes jog to warm-up and then into the 2 miles. Felt really good doing the 2 miles and pace was good 6:16;6:15 without feeling under pressure. A 3 minute recovery before I got into the 800s. First one I felt comfortable and strong and was delighted to see 2:46 on the watch. Felt strong for the rest and finished it out not feeling completely fecked like some of these sessions. Splits for 800s:
2:46
2:45
2:46
2:45
2:46

Another mile slow cool down to finish it out

Total: 6.5 miles

Friday 13th Nov: 8 mile @ 8:29 avg pace Down to the pitch before 6 am for this and running buddy joined me for a few miles. Enjoyed the chat and miles flew by.

Back in Black · 17-11-2020 9:51am

Sat 14th Nov: 10 mile with 6 @ 6:55; last 4 @ 6:50.

Was dreading this a bit to be honest as the body was tired after a few tough sessions. I spent the morning doing manual labour at the kids school so was feeling creaky by the time this came around. Was tempted to hit the treadmill as the forecast was dreadful but eventually got out the door around 4 o clock. Done as much as I could on the roads before it got too dark and then headed to the football pitch track to finish it out. It started raining about 4 mile in and got worse and worse with every passing minute and eventually I was ankle deep in puddles on some of the corners of the track. Delighted to tough it out but was like a drowned rat by the time I got home. What doesn't kill you and all that :pac:

Splits: 6:54; 6:35;6:40;6:45; 6:41;6:47;6:50;6:48; 6:49; 6:52

The progression element never really happened but I'm putting that down more to the worsening underfoot conditions on the track than anything else.

Total: 10 miles

Sunday 15th Nov: 8.3 mile easy @ 8:37 avg page: Out early for this in the old runners (current pair hadn't dried out from yesterday's run!!) and met running buddy for a slow creaky run in the rain. Really enjoyed it as the miles flew by and nice to get it out early and free up the afternoon to watch Cavan pull off the great escape!!

Weekly Total: 49.3 miles

Back in Black · 30-11-2020 10:02am

Monday 16th Nov: 8 mile easy @8:45 am. Out of bed at 5:30 am for this - got in a few mile before running buddy joined me for a few mile and then finished the 8 mile out on my own. Nice to have company for some of it.

Tuesday 17th Nov: 2 mile @ 6:15/ 3 min rec/ 8x800 in 2:50 with 90 sec recovery
This looked like a monster when I seen it on the plan so was unsure what to expect when I started out. Headed down to GAA pitch track straight after work. Hit the first two mile in 6:18 exactly for both. While I wasn't paying too much attention to the pace, I was starting to question hitting 2:50 8 times!

Got stuck in anyway and decided not to worry too much about pace.
Splits
2:50
2:48
2:50
2:51
2:49
2:47
2:49
2:51

Was starting to hang on for dear life over the last 3 but absolutely delighted with this.

Done a very slow and creaky cool down to bring me to 8 mile

Total: 8 miles

Wednesday 18th Nov: 7 mile easy @ 8:57.

Another 5:30 alarm and out the door for a few mile at the football pitch track. First 2 on my own and then had company for 4 and finished last one on my own. Unsurprisingly body was feeling tired.

Thursday 19th Nov: Rest

Friday 20th Nov: 2 mile @ 6:15; 12 x400mtrs at 83sec with 60 sec recovery

One of those days were everything was working against me going out. Had the running gear on at two different times for this but a long work call and issues I had to fix put paid to getting out. In the end I got a very small window late in the evening to get out so I took it. Not ideal as time was against me and I just had my dinner. Decided to leave out the first two miles and just do the reps as I was on my local gaa club track and it has a nasty hill on it which it difficult to pace properly.

Straight into the 400mtrs after a warm up. The rest of the family were walking around the track and were counting down the reps which was a good distraction.

Splits:
87
83
82
82
82
83
83
85
84
85
84
87

Not perfect by any means but something got done and I most definitely got a good honest work out!!

Some easy running finished it out to 6.5 miles for the day.

Saturday 21st Nov: 9 mile @ 8:20 avg pace

Nice and handy mid morning run. Nice to be out in the bright and enjoyed this.

Sunday 22nd Nov: 11mile @ 6:55 avg pace.

Out early for this as it was Ulster Final day!!! A different than usual one. Ran from the house and after 2 mile in and out of cul de sacs headed down to the Gaa pitch track for 36 laps of it. All the while listening to Second Captains talk about a Donegal and Dublin All Ireland semi final. Helped me keep the pace up. Miles ticked by.

Splits as follows:6:52;6:42;6:44;6:45;6:53;6:52;6:52;6:56;6:49;6:56.

Definitely overcooked the first half and paid in the second half of this but delighted with it. Set me up for the rest of the day and enjoyed a great day of sport. After waiting 23 years for Cavan to win Ulster, was bursting with pride for the way the Cavan players gave everything to win. I may have leaked a tear or two after the final whistle!!

Total 11 miles.

Weekly total: 49.5 miles Another solid weeks training

Dubh Geannain · 30-11-2020 10:18am

I was expecting a post earlier last week after the Ulster final. Well we've still got a week to bask in the Ulster final glow I suppose

Best day in a long long time for this long suffering supporter. I. brought the eldest fella to the final last year. This year he wouldn't even put on the Cavan jersey for me. He's a Meath man now.

Back in Black · 01-12-2020 9:59am

Dubh Geannain wrote: »

I was expecting a post earlier last week after the Ulster final. Well we've still got a week to bask in the Ulster final glow I suppose

Best day in a long long time for this long suffering supporter. I. brought the eldest fella to the final last year. This year he wouldn't even put on the Cavan jersey for me. He's a Meath man now.

Ha - work has been a bit mental but yeah fantastic week of basking in the glory. I've only re watched the game twice!!

Really enjoying the buzz the kids are getting outing of it as well heading off to school in the Cavan gear.

Hopefully that young lad of yours comes to his senses and puts back on the Cavan Jersey. The Meath jerseys are great for washing the car

Just hope we are a bit closer to Dublin than Meath managed

Back in Black · 02-12-2020 9:53am

Monday 23rd Nov: 8 mile easy @ 8:33 - nice and easy trot from the house on my lunchbreak on tired legs. Also felt a little groggy after opening a bottle of whiskey I'd been saving to celebrate Cavan winning Ulster. The run blew a few cobwebs away!

Tuesday 24th Nov: 8 mile @ 8:42 - Late evening run at the club Gaa pitch track - legs coming back to life a wee bit. Had a sports massage first thing that morning for the first time since February - they was lots of yelps and ows!!

:o

Wednesday 25th Nov: Rest

Thursday 26th Nov:8 mile easy at 8:46 A nice and gentle run after a mental day at work.

Friday 27th Nov: 6 x 1mile @ 5:58 pace with 90 sec recovery

This had been down for Wednesday but finally got to it after work today in the semi dark at the gaa pitch track. Felt surprisingly ok as I was expected the tiredness I was feeling to catch up with me.

Hit the first one bang and felt ok. Never really struggled so very happy with that.

Splits were:
5:58
5:55
5:53
5:55
5:55
5:56

Cool down mile was at 7:15 pace so obviously was feeling good!

Delighted with this!

Total: 8 mile

Saturday 28th Nov: 8.3 miles @ 8:20 avg pace
Was meant to be 9 but was staying close to the house so a lot of passing the house. Kids were out playing football when I passed at 8.3 miles so joined in!

Legs were tired on this one.

Sunday 29th Nov: 10 mile @ 6:50 pace

Felt this would be a toughie but felt surprisingly ok. After 40 laps of the Gaa pitch track, I'm looking forward to getting outside my 5km limit!!

Splits for the 10mile:
6:43
6:41
6:42
6:40
6:45
6:50
6:49
6:54
6:49
6:51

Total: 10 miles

Weekly Total: 50.3 mile - very happy with that week's work!

AuldManKing · 04-12-2020 3:41pm

2 super sessions - good man.

Back in Black · 10-01-2021 9:25pm

Wow did I let this go so long again!!! That's the first of the new year's resolutions there

Monday 30th November: 7 miles @ 8:43 late evening run. Was working until very late and was very tired heading out for this. Had planned 8 but happy that I managed 7 miles around the football pitch in the dark!!

November monthly total: 222 miles - will take that!!

Tuesday 1st December: 15 x 35 sec hills with 2 mile warm up and cool down. 2 mile handy warm-up at 8:15 avg pace and then into the hills. Consistently hit the same spot and kept it honest. happy with this one too.

Total 6 miles

Wed 2nd December: 9 miles @ 8:15 avg pace. Legs felt better than I was expecting after the hills.

Thurs 3rd Dec: 7 mile easy @ 8:57 avg pace. Kept this very handy around football pitch after work.

Friday 4th Dec: 4 x 1 mile @ 6:20 with 1 mile recovery in 7:30 Got out at lunchtime for this and down to gaa pitch track again. Splits for this 6:13; 7:24; 6:18; 7:24; 6:18; 7:18; Very happy with this and felt nice and controlled. Total. 8 miles with warm-up and cool down.

Sat 5th Dec: Rest

Sun 6th Dec: 12 x 400metes in 82/83 sec with 60 sec rec Back down to GAA pitch just before dark for this. Splits were 87;81;81;80;80'80'79;81;81;80;83;82. Apart from the first one where I just couldn't get the legs moving any quicker was very happy with this and felt I was strong for all. Total 6.5 miles.

Weekly total: 43.5miles (Dec 36.5)

Mon 7th Dec: 8 mile easy @ 7:48 avg pace - legs felt nice and fresh

Tues 8th Dec Rest - woke up with a heavy head cold

Wed 9th Dec: Rest

Thurs 10th Dec: Rest

Fri 11th Dec: 7 mile easy Feeling much better so went for an exploratory easy run straight after work. Kept it nice and handy - avg pace 8:28.

Sat 12th Dec: Planned to do a 5 mile tempo run I missed during the week as hadn't done one in a while. Splits were 6:28;6:22;6:25;6:21;6;20;6:19. Accidentally done 6 miles and delighted with the pace. Total 8.6 miles with warm up and cool down.

Sun 13th Dec: 7 mile easy @ 8:24 - nice and easy early run in the rain.

Weekly total: 30.6 miles

Mon 14th Dec: 2 mile @ 6:25 pace / 3min jog /8 x400m in 82/81 sec with 65 sec rec Legs were strangely heavy for this and first 2 quick miles were way off pace @ 6:37 and 6:41. Got going for the 400mtrs - splits 82;82;81;83;82;83;83;85. Total 6.3 miles. Not the best session ever but it got done and finished it out!!

Tues 15th Dec: 11 miles @ 8:04 avg pace. Went running with 2 of the lads from the club and we kept going when we hit 8. Enjoyed the company and miles flew by.

Wed 16th Dec: 3 x 2 mile @ 6:25 pace with 1 mile rec in 7:45 Out straight after work again for this at gaa pitch track. Splits 6:22;6:22; 7:21; 6:23;6:30; 7:41; 6:27;6:23; Absolutely delighted with this as body was tired going into it. Total 10.3 miles

Thurs 17th Dec: 5.2 miles easy at 6am with company @ 8:25 - Legs were tired so left it at 5.2 when running buddy left me.

Fri 18th: Rest

Sat 19th Dec: Plan was 7 x 1km in 3:40 with 80 sec rec Knee was feeling sore and was worried about a flare up of the tendonitis so decided to do the easy run instead today. 7 mile easy @ 8:27 avg pace.

Sun 20th Dec: Rest Not happy with the knee so decided an extra day's rest might help the knee - lots of icing and recovery.

Weekly total: 39.5

Mon 21st Dec: Started a session but really didn't feel happy so pulled the plug and turned this into a 3 mile easy run

Tues 22nd Dec: 5 mile easy @ 8:21

Wed 23rd Dec: 3 mile easy @ 8:24 and lots of knee rehab exercises

Thurs 24th Dec - Sat 26th Dec: Rest -knee rehab

Sun 27th Dec: 6 mile easy @ 8:21 to test the knee and thankfully no issues. 2 mile @ 6:15 pace / 3min jog / 12 x 200m in 39/40 with 60 sec rec

Weekly total: 17miles

Mon 28th Dec: 7 mile easy @ 8:17 - again no issues with the knee

Tues 29th Dec: 7 mile @ 8:37. easy run with some of the lads from the club around Cavan Town.

Wed 30th Dec: 2 x (200,400,800,800,400,200with 60sec rec and 3 min between sets. Target 39,81,2:50 )

Actuals: 39;80; 2:53; 2:56; 83;39 40;82;2:54; 2:54; 84; 40)

Total: 7 miles - a toughie but delighted the knee was fine!!

Thurs 31st Dec: Rest

Dec total: 144.6 miles

So there ends 2020 - I done a reasonably solid years training but obviously didn't get to test the training in races. Onwards and upwards for 2021!!

AuldManKing · 12-01-2021 10:40am

Good to see you getting some quality in over the break.

Back in Black · 13-01-2021 9:23pm

So new year and time to think about plans for the year. Given all the external factors at play I've decided that I will treat this, for now, like a normal year running wise. So I'm training as if Bohermeen is happening and the plan is aimed at a quick half marathon time which will also be the hard slog/ base building work to be ready for the shorter stuff (if it happens over the summer).

Will take it month by month so focus for January is on getting the base built nice and strong - so lots of miles and focus mainly on tempo/ half marathon paced runs.

Friday 1st Jan: 6 mile easy@ 8:09 Nice and easy 6 mile – ran down to local gaa pitch track, loads of laps of the pitch and back home. Will be plenty of laps of the pitch in January!!

Sat 2nd Jan: 2 x 3 mile @ 6:35 avg pace with 0.5 mile recovery @ 8min pace: I knew this would be a tester of the fitness and the knee heading out. Started with a 10 minute easy warm-up from the house and then onto the gaa pitch track for the fast bits. Splits for first 3 miles were 6:33; 6:29;6:29. Recovery went way too fast as usual!! Splits for next 3 were 6:28;6:32; 6:27. A slow recovery back home brought the total miles to 9. Very happy with this one as no issues with the knee. Done plenty of work on the knee that evening anyway. Total 9 miles

Sun 3rd Jan: 10 mile LSR @ 8:29. A very boring 40 laps of the football pitch track in the cold and ice but it got done. Legs were unsurprisingly heavy and tired. Followed by more physio work on the knee that evening.
January to date: 25 miles

Mon 4th Jan: 6 mile @ 8:24. Out just before lunch and down to the gaa pitch track again. Plan had me down for a fast mile @ 6:20 pace after the 6 easy but pulled the plug on that as the legs were very tired, sore and heavy from the physio work and miles last week.

Tues 5th Jan: Free

Wed 6th Jan: 7 mile tempo 4@ 6:40 last 3@ 6:35 pace: Got out just before it got dark for this. Footpaths were slippy so took it handy on the way down to the pitch. The track was ok so got stuck in. Splits were 6:40; 6:36;6:34 6:34; 6:33; 6:37; 6:34. Very happy with this – only slight downside was pace slipped over last two miles when I was trying to up it!! Total of 9 mile with warm-up and cool down.

Thurs 7th Jan: Rest. Had to bring my car to Dublin to main dealer for work before the warranty ran out. Ended up hanging around for the day and with restrictions there really wasn’t much to do so ended up walking from the Naas Road to the Phoenix Park (with some diversions around the war memorial gardens on the way) to pass the time. Totalled 14 miles walking while waiting for a call to pick up the car. So by the time I got back home, the legs refused to get out the door. Done some physio exercises for the knee instead.

Fri 8th Jan: 8 mile 7easy last 1 @ 6:10 pace Back to icy football pitch track, picking my step. First 7 miles @ 7:59 avg pace. Last mile was 6:21 – fastest I could get the legs going!

Sat 9th Jan: 8 mile easy @ 8:12 avg pace: Left this till the afternoon to allow a bit of a thaw and before it started freezing again. Back down to football pitch track and zoned out. Legs felt tired and heavy. More physio exercises for the legs afterwards

Sun 10th Jan: 11 mile 9 @ 7: 00 last 2 @ 6:45 pace Finally there was a bit of a thaw and I could run without watching every step. Had to use track again and had to mentally prepare myself for 44 laps! Splits were 6:54; 6:55; 6:49; 6:53; 6:45; 6:54; 6:56; 7:00; 7:02; 6:50; 6:45. Really pleased with this one and once I hit the pace I got in the zone and miles flew by. Track was a bit of a mud bath though.

Weekly Total: 42 miles – Jan to date: 67 miles

Back in Black · 25-01-2021 10:10am

Monday 11th January: 9 mile 8 easy last 1 @ 6:15 pace: Headed out at lunchtime for this and ran from the house. Last one at 6:20 avg pace.

Tues 12th Jan 7 mile easy: @ 8:26 Headed out for this straight after work and got it done.

Wed 13th Jan: 9 mile tempo 3@ 6:38 last 3 @ 6:32 pace last 3 @ 6:26 pace. Bit of a disaster this one but wasn't unexpected and it was one of those runs that I went into in the wrong frame of mind completely . I was feeling tired heading out for this and I let the session get into my head too much. Shows the power of the mind and I had probably convinced myself I was going to fail it before I started.

Started with 10mins easy and then into the tempo. Splits for 1st 3. 6:35;6:48; 6:45 and was blowing hard. But I never relaxed into the effort or the pace - the head was all over the place. Walked for 4 minutes to recover and went again. Hit 6:49 struggling and just turned it into an easy run for a total of 8 miles. Annoyed with myself for letting the mind win the battle but have to learn from sessions like this and importance of going into them in the right frame of mind.

Thurs 14th Jan: 8 mile easy. Out again straight after work and down to gaa pitch track. Total 8.2 miles @ 8:26 avg pace. Body felt tired and heavy.

Fri 15th Jan: 3 mile @ 6:18 pace / 3min rec / 6 x 800meters in 2:50 with 50 sec rec. I was very close to swerving this as I really didn't feel like I could hit this. Splits for 3 miles were 6:24;6:26; 6:21 and happy enough with that as wasn't going to flog myself about the pace. Splits for 800s 2:52;2:53; 2:56; 2:53;2:56; 2:55. Didn't hit the paces but happy to get the session done and it was a good honest workout - had no more to give! Total: 8.5 miles

Sat 16th Jan: 4 mile easy @ 9:15. I'd done up a programme for the under age teams to do at the local club so took the young lad out to do his and finished out 4 miles very handy while he kicked a ball around.

Sun 17th Jan: 12 mile 7 @ 6:55 last 5 @ 6:50 pace. Another one I was feeling like I would struggle with so decided not to worry too much about the pace. Headed from the house and pace was all over the place for 1.75 miles down to the football pitch and was really struggling. Avg pace 7:11. Walked for 4 minutes while I had a good chat to myself!!! Ground out the remaining 10 miles at a decent clip around the gaa pitch track. Splits 6:42; 6:49; 6:52; 6:56; 6:53; 6:49; 6:51; 6:46; 6:45; 6:40. Very happy to get that done and salvage the run. Very pleased that I learned something from earlier in the week and actually won the battle with the mind today.

Weekly total: 56.7 miles – January to date – 123.7 miles

A tough week but delighted with the work I done on Sunday and need to remember that I can't knock every session out of the park or hit the prescribed pace straight away every day.

Back in Black · 26-01-2021 10:05am

Monday 18th Jan: 8 mile @ 8:40 avg pace. Got out at lunchtime for this and kept the pace nice and handy.

Tues 19th Jan: With the awful weather I had decided to swop days around and take a rest day here. A very busy day at work and a break in the rain encouraged me to get out the door and get a few mile in. Got 5 mile done around GAA pitch track and while I don’t remember and heavy rain while I was running I still got soaked to the bone. Still happy that I got out. 5 mile @ 8:45 avg pace.

Wed 20th Jan: 8 mile easy @ 8:40 avg pace with 6 x 30 strides. Out straight after work again for this and young lad joined me for the last few miles. Just tipping along.

Thurs 21st Jan: 9 mile @ 8:39 avg pace straight after work again. Lots of laps around the pitch!!

Fri 22nd Jan: 2 x 5 mile @ 6:30 pace with 1/2 mile rec in 4:00 Went out as soon as I finished work for this and wanted to learn from last week. Didn’t worry about pace as I knew this was a monster session and if I focussed on time too much early on, it would make this so much tougher. So after a 10 minute warm-up I set off and just tried to relax into it. Watch beeped at 6:30 for 1st one and felt ok so tried to keep the effort the same. Was listening to Ciara Magean on Second Captains talking about Jerry McKiernan and that took my focus away from how tough the session was. Second Captains has begun to grate on my nerves recently but this was a great interview and Ciara was very brave to talk so soon after hearing the news. 5th mile beeped and nearly took me by surprise. Splits for 1st 5: 6:30;6:31;6:25;6:22; 6:26.

Focussed on getting the breathing right for the recovery which went way too fast but went into the second 5 mile feeling good and again didn’t fixate on the pace too much. Felt strong once I got going again and ground out the last few miles. Splits 6:18; 6:32; 6:33; 6:34; 6:31.

Pace slipped over last few but overall delighted with that session. Cool down took me to 12 miles. A good days work!

Sat 23rd Jan: Plan had me down for 9 mile easy. Was waiting for a bit of a thaw before heading out but it was slow coming. Gave running buddy a call and he fancied a few miles so headed out on a route we hadn’t done in a while close to the house. We lost light and he was happy to leave it at 6 so left it at that too. Was feeling creaky at the start but body loosened out after a few miles. 6 miles @ 8:38.

Sun 24th Jan: 12 mile easy followed by 4 x 30 sec strides
Had no choice but to head down to GAA pitch track for this after overnight snow left the roads treacherous and it was snowing as I headed out so wasn’t feeling the love for this at all. Was out of the normal podcasts so went digging and found an old podcast with an hour long interview with Catherina McKiernan. That helped the laps fly by and zoned out once I figured out which slippy bits to avoid on the track!! Brilliant interview and it was great timing to hear Catherina talking about doing your best on the day and her love for running and not obsessing about times and PBs and the focus on monitoring HR. Her approach to running and training really resonated with me and I must look into getting a proper HRM!. Anyway that got me through 49 laps of the pitch for 12 miles in the snow @ 8:09. Went back out an hour later for another 7 laps with the young lad pacing him on his session.

Weekly total: 60 miles – January to date 183.7 miles
First time I've hit 60 miles in a week and body is holding up well. The week was focussed on building the miles with just one big session and was delighted with how that went.

Back in Black · 01-02-2021 11:07am

Monday January 25th: 7 mile easy @ 8:48 easy pace. Very handy run straight after work at the Gaa pitch.

Tuesday 26th Jan: 4 x 1mile @ 6:00 pace with 1/2 mile recovery in 4:00min Out after work for this and down to Gaa pitch track which was in a real mess after all the melted snow had done it’s worst. It was more like a cross country course than a running track. It made the going tough and had to really keep an eye on where I was putting my feet. Focus was more on effort than speed. Ended up just taking a standing recovery between the 2nd and 3rd and 3rd and 4th just to clear the runners of all the mud. Pace increased after each rep as I got more tuned into where I needed to put my feet!! Glad to get this done and thankfully the runners are near the end of their useful life as they will never be clean again!

Splits: 6:21; 6:10; 6:03; 6:04 – Total 8 mile

Wed 27th Jan: 7 mile easy @ 8:31 – Nice and handy lunchtime run around town with a few laps of the gaa pitch thrown in to see what state it was in!!

Thurs 28th Jan: Rest

Friday 29th Jan: 7 mile tempo 3 @6 :30 last 2 @ 6:25 last 2 @ 6:20 pace
I wasn’t sure I would manage this as I was struggling all afternoon with a dodgy stomach but decided to get out the door the minute work finished and head down to the track to see how I would get on. Didn’t feel great in the warm-up and resolved not to push too hard if this wasn’t happening. Surprisingly got into a rhythm early on and just went with. Stomach did start protesting over the last 3 miles but knew the pace was good so just ignored it and kept going. Absolutely delighted with this especially when I was feeling so off!

Splits 6:20; 6:20; 6:26; 6:23; 6:19; 6:22; 6:20 – Total 9.5 miles.

Saturday 30th Jan: 9 mile easy @ 8:35. Was still not feeling great but needed the fresh air so headed out tentatively to see how I would get on. Managed the 9 mile without too much of a struggle, helped by listening to my brother's podcast - he has always dabbled in local radio and is on a station in Dublin now and has a sports podcast so dipped into the back catalogue and really enjoyed it - listened to him interviewing Ger Canning and then David Silk who wrote a book about Alex Ferguson's time at Man United.

Sunday 31st Jan: Rest. Had a long run in the plan but after pretty much no sleep and feeling fairly crap, I decided to wait until later on to do this. Didn’t feel much better and stomach was annoying me so decided a rest day would be better than flogging myself. Youngest was also complaining of a dodgy tummy so probably just a bug that we both picked up.

Weekly Total: 40.5 miles A decent week with good work done on both key sessions - not perfect by any means but I worked hard at them. Missing the long run meant the mileage was lower than previous weeks but it was the right call.

January Total: 224.2 miles Happy with the month's work all things considered. The 5km limit is a pain when I live in rural Ireland and am following the same route (mainly gaa pitch tracks and in the village between the speed limit signs) day after day. There is also a feeling nagging away that while I'm mainly nailing the big tempo sessions, it is a lot easier on the track and it doesn't necessarily transfer to the road. Not a lot I can do about that at the minute though!

Back in Black · 10-02-2021 9:25pm

New month but focus remains the same - HM in March.

Monday 1st February: 7.25 miles @ 8:18 pace. Nice and handy run at the gaa pitch track by myself.

Tuesday 2nd February 5 x 1 mile @ 5:50 with 80 sec rec. Out the door straight after work for this and the warm-up was a handy jog down to the gaa pitch track. Took me a while to get going on the first mile but expected that as I was sitting at the one spot all day. Soon got going though and was hitting the right pace by the 3rd one. Breaks felt short but overall really enjoyed this and happy with the paces. Track was a bit messy in a few spots too which was worth a few seconds

Splits 6:02; 5:52; 5:49; 5:49; 5:51.

Total: 8miles

Wednesday 3rd February: 9 mile easy @ 8:19 pace. Out at lunchtime for this and kept it handy around home. An enjoyable run.

Thursday 4th February Rest – Spent the day in Dublin getting my car fixed so could do nothing but walk around. Ended up walking 17 miles around in circles so decided I’d take a break from the running when I got home.

Friday 5th February: 9 mile easy @ 8:48 Late evening run on very tired legs at the gaa pitch but thankfully zoned out and the miles flew by

Saturday 6th February: 2 mile @ 6:20 pace / 3min rec /5 x 800m in 2:55 with 70 sec rec Missed a few opportunities to get out so this ended up being a late run after a day’s manual labour in the garden. Knew I would struggle to hit the paces so just focussed on an honest workout with pace not the primary concern. Wise call that as knew from lap one that there was no speed in the legs at all. &#55357;&#56842;

First 2 miles were 6:41 and 6:43 and that’s all that was in the legs. Splits for 800s were 3:05; 3:04;3:03; 3:06; 3:04

Total: 6. 5miles

Sunday 7th February: 13 mile easy – Out the door early for this into a bitter easterly mind. This was a real mental struggle as the wind would cut you in two. Ground it out mile by mile. 13 @ 8:41 avg pace.

Weekly total: 52.75 miles

A reasonably solid if unspectacular week but at this stage in the plan, its about ticking the sessions off and getting the miles in.

Back in Black · 12-02-2021 9:49am

Monday 8th Feb: 8 mile with last 1 @ 6:50 pace Out straight after work for this and ran through the village and finished it out at the gaa pitch track. Last mile in 6:49

– quite pleased with that as it was too dark to see the watch so the whole mile was completely by feel. 8 @ 8:27 avg pace

Tuesday 9th February: Only window to get out was at lunchtime in the snow. Was meant to do 9 but was stuck for time so left it at 8 mile on a very snowy pitch track. Bitterly cold easterly wind blowing too. 8 mile @ 8:09 avg pace.

Wednesday 10th February: 5 x 1 mile @ 6:15 pace with 1 mile rec in 7:40. Have figured that after work is the best time for me doing these sessions during the week so out the door once I finished work and jogged down to the Gaa pitch track. This was one of those sweet sessions were I knew from the first lap that I would nail it. Hard to beat that feeling!

Splits for this were: 6:12; 7:23; 6:10;7:26; 6:13; 7:36;6:05; 7:52; 6:08

Total: 10.5 miles with warm-up and cool-down.

Thursday 11th February: Rest 5 mile @ 9:04 Meant to be a rest day but got a call from running buddy to see if I fancied a run after work. Grabbed the chance as snow is forecast for Saturday so figured I could move the rest day to then if needs be. Headed to the football pitch and it was bitter cold – the wind would cut you in half. Still enjoyed the easy pace and the chat as we trundled around. No hanging around afterwards – straight into the car and home.

AuldManKing · 12-02-2021 10:48am

Some serious training going on there J!!

Tuesday session looks sweet!!

Back in Black · 12-02-2021 12:49pm

AuldManKing wrote: »

Some serious training going on there J!!

Tuesday session looks sweet!!

Thanks - yes happy with the way things are going at the minute and delighted with Tuesday's session. If only I had a race to put it to good use against but a TT will have to do!!

You are moving well yourself - some serious work going on!

Back in Black · 15-02-2021 9:18am

Friday 12th Feb: 10 mile tempo 5 @ 6:50 last 5 @6:45

Headed out straight after work was for this one in the bitter cold again with a fair wind in places. A one mile warm-up and straight into the tempo. Felt good and controlled from early on. Checked the watch after the first mile and then just switched off focussing on keeping the effort controlled as the miles ticked by. 6:40;6:43;6:42;6:37;6:37;6:40; 6:36;6:39;6:38;6:34. Finished with a nice and easy jog recovery for 11.5 miles total. Very happy with this one.

Sat 13th Feb: Rest – Was toying with the idea of doing something easy but took the rest day as the weather was awful.

Sun 14th Feb: 14 mile @ 7:22 pace Had to get this done early as had a few things that I needed to do today and wanted to see the rugby. However, it was too dangerous to head out with the wind when I planned to get out so headed for the treadmill instead. Managed 9 mile @ 7:20 pace when I had to stop as was so overheated I was starting to see stars - the radiator was on in the room and it was too windy to open the window. Took a while to recover but got out the door later on to finish out the 5 miles. Didn’t push the pace too much and hit the 5 in 7:40 avg pace when the wind calmed down. Was feeling very creaky and never loosened up. Not perfect but got it done.

Weekly total: 56.5 miles A horrible week weather wise so happy to hit the main sessions and keep the mileage up. I'm keeping on top of the rehab for the knee so all good on that front too. Just hoping spring is on the way soon!!

Just like starting over:The quest for a sub 18 5k

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