Man! I feel like a runner

ReeReeG · 20-10-2017 4:00pm #1

I’ve been considering starting a log for some time now, having read quite a number of them on here regularly. (I’m a lurker coming out of hiding). It seems like a good way to keep track of progress, but more importantly for me, how each run feels. Regular stats on Strava don’t do that for me!
My background
I had tried running with friends in 2012 / 2013, and did a couple of 5km and 10km races, but never enjoyed them. I tried again in January 2015 and realised I enjoyed it this time around, especially after I went along to parkrun that February. I started signing up for a few 10k races (best at that stage was approx. 55 mins).
Continued running off and on in 2015 and 2016, but as I had slowed a lot by November 2016 (struggled to run 10k under an hour), I realised I needed to get a routine going if I wanted to improve. And I wanted to improve. I had joined a club in summer 2016 but never made it along to train with them until May this year due to personal circumstances. Since starting to run consistently (i.e. 4/5 times a week) last November, my times have dropped, my easy pace has quickened, my form has improved (I think) and my overall sense of well-being (and smugness) has grown! Club running has certainly helped, as well as introducing speedwork into my training.
My week is typically 4 easy runs (incl. 1 longer run) and 1 speed session / faster run (e.g. parkrun). Some weeks go to plan more than others ðŸ˜Š
My PBs to date
5k:    23:46 (Twilight Challenge, Sept 2017)
5 mile: 43:04 (Raheny 5 Mile, Jan 2017)
10k:     50:31 (Dunshaughlin, June 2017)
10 mile:   1:30:xx (Ballycotton, March 2017 [Goodbye my old friend])
Half-marathon:  2:01:xx (Donabate, Sept 2017)
My struggles
I still struggle mentally in longer runs, doubting if I can maintain pace or complete the distance. I know I need to slow up more in my longer runs, and I am still figuring out how to start a race at the right pace ðŸ˜Š I do use a Garmin but am terrible for checking my pace; I often run by feel but sometimes that goes all wrong.
My goals
1.   Aiming to go sub-50 in a 10k by the end of the year.
2.  Targeting a marathon in May next year. As part of this, I am going to try stay at 30 miles-ish) per week so I have a decent base heading into marathon training after Christmas.
3 Update this log weekly and hopefully receive and review advice given by the lovely boards runners!
And that’s enough for an intro post I think…

healy1835 · 20-10-2017 4:43pm

Best of luck with it! Looking forward to seeing how you get on.....sub 50mins for 10k is a nice one to start with.

ReeReeG · 23-10-2017 10:02am

I suppose I should get logging my week!

Monday: I would usually run home from work on a Monday, but thanks to Ophelia I was working from home and didn't step outside at all.

Tuesday: Attempted a session on my own, as part of my sub-50 10k prep. The plan included 3m at 5k pace (which ideally would be 7.40/mile) with an easy mile between miles 2 and 3. Did my harder miles @ 8:36 / 7:49 / 7:54 so I did struggle to hit the pace on my own. Total 6 miles at an average pace of 9:10/mile

Wednesday: No run, but I did a one hour yoga class.

Thursday: 7.2miles, at an average pace of 9:33. Felt good.

Friday: Ran home from work, 3.1m @ 9:59/m. Tired legs but that's normal for me on a Friday evening.

Saturday: Parkrun (one that wasn't cancelled!). With the rubbish weather, I ended up going for it so it would end sooner... ran at avg. pace 7:39/m.

Sunday: Easy 6 miles, averaged at 9:16/m (maybe not as easy as it should have been).

Total mileage for the week: 25.9 miles (goddammit)

The Muppet · 23-10-2017 12:37pm

The best of luck with the goals and log.

ReeReeG · 30-10-2017 12:27pm

Mon 23 Oct: rest

Tues 24 Oct: 5.7 miles with the club. Took it handy, avg pace 10 min/m

Weds 25 Oct: Yoga in the morning. Tried another session on my own in the evening, went much better this time but damn it was hard. 2m warm up (10:14, 10:46) 2m @5k pace (7:43, 7:55) 4 mins rest, 2 more miles @5k pace (7:37, 8:05) and a mile cool down (10:52). Didn't quite hit the pace on the last fast mile but I'm really happy with how it went. Will try it again this week I think.

Thurs 26 Oct: More easy miles with the club. 5.5 @10:09 avg pace

Fri 27th Oct: Yoga before work and no run in the evening. Feet up and binged on Stranger Things.

Sat 28th Oct: Went to parkrun but only wanted to half-push

1m warm-up @ 10:57, Parkrun @ 8:15 pace(but negative splits on the miles which was a side-aim).

Sun 29th Oct: Helped out at a marathon water-station. Truly inspirational, and both terrified me and whetted my appetite for my own attempt next May!

Total mileage for the week: 22.5 miles. Lower than I would like.

HigginsJ · 30-10-2017 3:58pm

Best of luck with your goals

ReeReeG · 06-11-2017 3:04pm

This was a mixed week in terms of running. Got the miles in, but it was a personally tough week so it didn't always feel wonderful.

Mon 30th Oct: It was a fabulous bank holiday afternoon so it would have been a waste not to head out for a few miles. 7.1 miles at 9:26/mile. Felt strong.

Tues 31st Oct: Not many at club training post marathon, plus any parents were probably bringing them round for their treats! 5.7 miles at average 9:42/ mile. It felt really hard, my legs felt heavy and my breathing wasn't great.

Weds 1st: Was travelling with work so no running.

Thurs 2nd Nov: Got back to Dublin in time for club training. Started out on the planned 6 miles but only managed 3. My head and body just weren't playing ball. Pace 9:28/mile

Fri 3rd Nov: Had the day off work so headed out for the afternoon to try clear my head and tackle the speedwork. Started fine, and did 2 fast miles but then lost interest completely. Jogged home for a total of 4 miles (ish) and paces of 9:34 / 7:15 / 7:04 / 9:53.

Sat 4th Nov: Headed to parkrun to lift the spirits and ended up getting my fastest time at that particular parkrun! Average pace 8:00/mile.

Sun 5th Nov: Allowed myself a nice lie-in for once and headed out about midday for a longer run. 9.3 miles at 9:54 pace. Was so enjoyable and kept it sensibly paced. If all Sundays in November could be like that weather-wise, I would be very happy!

Total miles for the week: 32.9

ReeReeG · 13-11-2017 10:53am

Mon 6th Nov: Yoga class before work.

Tues 7th Nov: 5 miles with the club. Felt fine, probably a little harder than what is 'easy' pace for me on a couple of miles. Avg. pace 9:24/mile

Weds 8th Nov: Ended up playing two tag rugby games to help out a friend, so I just jogged 1.8 miles to the first game as nice warm-up, 10:10/mile. (Won the first, drew the second, not too shabby)

Thurs 9th Nov: Couldn't make club training but did some speedwork on my own. 2m warm-up, then 3x1 mile with 2 mins recovery. Found a nice lap near my house which was quiet and flat, 7:52 / 7:50 / 7:43... reasonably pleased considering the tag rugby the night before. Jogged another 1.5m for cool down.

Fri 10th Nov: Yoga before work.

Sat 11th Nov: Parkrun 07:40 pace, with a 1m warm-up beforehand

Sun 12th Nov: Walked the Remembrance Run with friends in the morning. Wasn't enough for me, so I headed out for a run last night. 7.5 miles @ 09:23

Total mileage for the week: 25 miles.

This Saturday will be my attempt on getting a sub-50 mins 10k, so easy running (with some strides) for the week. Fingers crossed

ReeReeG · 19-11-2017 11:57pm

Mon Nov 13th: Ran home from work, 4.6 miles @ 9:53/mile. Nice and easy and enjoyable.

Tues Nov 14th: 5 miles with the club, again easy miles @ 9:58. Was a lovely evening for a run.

Weds Nov 15th: nada

Thurs Nov 16th: One hour yoga class before work.

Fri Nov 17th: 45 min yoga class before work, and an easy 2 mile jog with strides (avg pace 9:52)

Sat 18th Nov: RACE DAY! This was the 10k I'd chosen as my target race for breaking 50 minutes. I managed to make myself nicely nervous and full of self-doubt as is my wont. Headed to the race in good time to make sure I did a decent warm-up. I knew I was technically capable of sub-50 given my 5k times, but I really didn't know if my head would let me.
Spoiler alert: It did!
I felt so strong, and so good throughout. 47.38 was my chip time. Mile splits were 7:35 / 7:46 / 7:43 / 7:25 / 7:47 / 7:38 and the last .2 was at a pace of 7:15. Absolutely thrilled to hit this target!! It definitely helped that it was a reasonably flat course, but I am relieved the speed stuff I've been doing seems to have paid off!

Sun Nov 19th: Headed out for a nice 4.5 mile jog this evening @9:33/mile. Good way to finish the week's running.

Total mileage this week: 25.2

Taking a break for a couple of weeks with holidays and the feeling of needing it before I head into marathon training!

Annie get your Run · 20-11-2017 10:24am

Congrats on breaking the 50 - very comfortably too!!

ReeReeG · 11-12-2017 10:50am

20th Nov - 3rd Dec: I took a break (including a great holiday) to let any niggles die down. Walked plenty and did a little yoga.

Mon 4th Dec: Headed out in the morning for an easy 5k before I headed away for work for a couple of days. Felt a bit stiff after the couple of weeks off, but that was to be expected I suppose. 3.3miles @ 9:13/m.

Tues 5th Dec: Was travelling for work, no exercise apart from walking in airports.

Weds 6th Dec: Same route as Monday, and felt even stiffer! Started to worry at this point that 2 weeks is too much of a break for me, but also realised maybe I was going too fast for an easy run? 3.3 miles @ 9:17/m.

Thurs 7th Dec: Made it back to club training. Wasn't sure I would manage a longer route at all, but the chats help distract from mental doubts. 5.7miles @ 9:30/m. Started to feel more like myself towards the end of this too.

Friday 8th Dec: As I am a culchie, I felt obliged to go Christmas shopping on this date

Sat 9th Dec: Aware 10k in the Phoenix Park. Only I had committed to giving lifts to people, I might well have stayed in bed for this. It was insanely cold. It wasn't a target 10k or anything, and because I'd not run for the couple of weeks, I wasn't sure I could / would go sub-50 again. It was clear after mile 1 that I was not feeling up to it. So I struggled on at a slower pace. I wasn't checking my total time but if I had, I would have attempted a quicker last mile as I wasn't far off the sub-50 as it turns out; 50:19. Suppose it's nice to see my "struggling" time has come down?!
Splits: 7:34 / 8:00 / 8:27 / 8:33 / 8:02 / 8:17 and last .2 at pace of 7:24 (yes I was all over the place really)

Sunday 10th Dec: No chance I wanted to head out in the snow / ice.

Total miles: 18.5

ReeReeG · 18-12-2017 12:01pm

Mon 11th Dec: Ran home from work. Hadn't gotten a run from work in ages, and it felt so nice. Best way to unwind for sure. 4.6 miles @ 9:40/m. Handy pace.

Tues 12th Dec: Went along to the club training intending on really easy miles. Ended up running with a faster clubmate and pushing it a bit. Felt pretty good despite my moaning! 5.2 miles @ 9:11/m

Weds 13th Dec: Just a 45 min yoga class at lunchtime.

Thurs 14th Dec: Was off work so I headed out for a nice longer(ish) run in the morning. Ran by feel and was surprised by my pace at times when I looked back at Strava. 7.1 miles @ 9:03/m

Fri 15th Dec: Nada

Sat 16th Dec: Went along to parkrun before a wedding so I could feel smug in front of my friends

Small crowd so I ended up being first female with a time of 23:47 (PB on that parkrun). Nice surprise!

Sun 17th Dec: No running post-wedding...

Total miles: 21.4

ReeReeG · 18-12-2017 2:11pm

Probably should add in this log that I passed the 1000 mile mark last week! Hadn't set it as a goal in January so it's been an unexpected good feeling.

ReeReeG · 27-12-2017 11:38am

Mon 18th Dec: Beginning of the week I allowed myself to be a carefree, well-fed pig. Went out for dinner and no run.

Tues 19th Dec: Ran home from work before another night in the pub.. forgot my watch and messed up tracking on my phone, but 6.3 miles at approx 9:50/m according to google fit.

Weds 20th Dec: Did some speedwork near the office before heading to Star Wars. 2mile warm-up (9:38/m), 5 * 400 mtrs (splits: 1.40 (stopped early), 1.49, 1.49, 1.46 and 1.50) 40 secs jog between. happy enough. 1.6 mile cool down (10:00/m roughly)

Thurs 21st Dec: Easy miles with the club. 5m @ 9:35/m.

Fri 22nd Dec: Last of the shopping to get done.

Sat 23rd Dec: Woke up with a bad cold, but (foolishly) headed to parkrun anyway. Did a mile warm up before suffering through the first mile, and somehow feeling better for the last 2. average pace was 8:39/m.

Sun 24th Dec: Really got worse on the cold front, so no running this day.

Total miles: 20.5

ReeReeG · 02-01-2018 10:23am

Well that cold certainly travelled into the chest and knocked me badly. Poor week on the running front, and not ideal considering I officially start my marathon training TODAY.

Mon 25th Dec: TURKEY (and lots of nose-blowing and coughing)

Tues 26th Dec: Decided to chance doing the GOAL mile while at my parents. Jogged to the local track, felt tough with the cold, then stupidly ran the mile fast. Opening up the lungs so much and letting all that cold air in... well, I was coughing very badly. Had no chance but to jog home again as it was the quickest route to the shower!

Weds, Thurs, Fri... nothing.

Sat 30th Dec: Was in London for the new year, and headed out for a handy 5km to see how I was. Tough but enjoyable 9:41/m pace.

Sun 31st Dec: Let loose for the new year celebrations. No social life now between here and the Limerick Marathon, so I justified it that way

Total miles: a dismal 7.5, but I really was poorly...

And so today begins the slogging towards my first marathon. I'm slightly terrified, but also excited. The plan is an easy 5 miles, which is a nice way to kick it all off.

ReeReeG · 07-01-2018 11:16pm

Week 1: Marathon Training
Mon 1st Jan: Recovery from New Year's Eve but no run had been planned so no harm done.

Tues 2nd Jan: Plan was 5 easy, and that was done. It will be nice to have the club to get a lot of these midweek runs done in the weeks ahead I suspect. Avg. pace 10:08/m, which I am pleased with.

Weds 3rd Jan: Rest day

Thurs 4th Jan: Plan was 6 easy, and again this was done. Less easy pace than Tuesday but not much. Good chats so it felt fine, 9:56/m

Fri 5th Jan: 45 minute yoga class (hope to get in 2 a week from now)

Sat 6th Jan: Plan was speedwork. I did a session alright, but it was so hard. I was supposed to do 3x400, and 3x300, but I ended up skipping the 300s. I realised part way through that I hadn't done speedwork on grass in quite a while, and this was wet, soft grass on Saturday so it was crazy hard. I also took off way too fast on the first 400. Anywho, I did my best and 3 400s are better than none. Splits: 1:42, 1:51 and 1:57. Not exactly consistent.

Sun 7th Jan: Plan was 8 steady, and I somehow ended up doing 8 negative miles. Lesson here is to watch my pace (I ignored my watch the entire run), and keep it easy on my longer runs. Avg. pace 9:22/m (but paceband was 10:12 down to 8:42).

So week one is completed with no major mishaps. Pretty happy.
Total miles: 23.7

Kellygirl · 07-01-2018 11:29pm

Good luck with the marathon training. What one are you planning to do?

ReeReeG · 08-01-2018 12:29am

Kellygirl wrote: »

Good luck with the marathon training. What one are you planning to do?

Thanks! I've signed up for Limerick on May 6th

ReeReeG · 14-01-2018 11:19pm

Week 2: Marathon Training
Mon 8th Jan: Rest day, and food prep in the evening.

Tues 9th Jan:
Plan: 5 miles easy. Actual: 5.5 miles easy, avg pace 9:43/m. Felt tough, but nice to have the club to push me around.

Weds 10th Jan: 45 min yoga class at lunchtime.

Thurs 11th Jan:
Plan: 6 miles easy. Actual: 6.5 miles easy. Avg pace was 9:42. Was a really foggy evening, but I felt so good. One of those runs where you just enjoy every second of it.

Fri 12th Jan: Another 45 mins yoga class on my lunchbreak.

Sat 13th Jan: Club mile time trial. Goal was to go sub-7 and the goal was achieved! I've improved my mile time by 59 seconds since this time last year... from 7.48 to 6.49. Can't be anything but delighted with that progress.

Sun 14th Jan:
Plan: 10 miles easy. Actual: 10.4 miles easy(ish). Kept an eye on my watch for the first 7 miles to stay in the 9:20 - 9:50 bracket, but mile 8 and 9 were uphill so I assumed I would be ok... somehow pushed on to 9:10 / 9:19 and the last mile was downhill so it was 8:49... bit of a mixed run, but I've learnt that I really push on hills so that's surely a good thing?! Really enjoyable run though overall, was a beautiful morning to be out.

Total Miles: 25

Huzzah! · 15-01-2018 3:11pm

Good luck with training for the marathon. What plan are you following? I shall be following with interest.

ReeReeG · 15-01-2018 5:20pm

Thanks! It's one that the club used for training for DCM, I just amended the dates and races a little... they had the race series, but I could only really find a 5 mile and half marathon that fits the plan, timewise and without travelling to the other side of the country!

ReeReeG · 22-01-2018 10:39am

Week 3: Marathon Training
Mon 15th Jan: Rest day, and food prep.

Tues 16th Jan
Plan: 5 miles easy. Actual: 5 miles very very easy. The weather on Tuesday night was horrible and the paths were in a dangerous condition with ice, snow and slush. Ended up taking it very slowly at an average pace of 10:42/m

Weds 17th Jan: No running, but had a 45 min yoga class.

Thurs 18th Jan
Plan: 8 miles easy. Actual: 8 miles mostly steady! Got pushed into running with a faster group in the club now that my times have gotten faster overall, but alas their easy pace is still ahead of mine... Feeling a bit like I'm caught between groups. Also the fact that the route included Foster's Avenue made it extra hard! Average pace was 9:05/m in the end, but mostly because I faded badly for the last couple of miles.
Also did my first Pilates class at lunchtime on Thursday. I was still sore on Sunday!!

Fri 19th Jan: Rest day

Sat 20th Jan
Plan: Workout of 400s and 300s. Actual: 1.5 mile warm-up, 3 x 400s (1:33, 1:34, 1:37) 3 x 300s (1:16, 1:18, 1:19) and another 1.5 miles home as cool down. Was raining for this, but was a refreshing rain... felt tough but I am pleased with the paces I was hitting.
I then used recovery pump leg thingies in the afternoon. They work on pressure to speed up recovery. My friend is a physio and recommended to use them now and again... certainly no harm.

Sun 21st Jan
Plan: 10 miles easy. Actual: 10 miles easy. Left it til evening due to RAIN and life. Felt good though. Average pace 9:53/m.

Total mileage: 28.2 (and feeling good)

ReeReeG · 29-01-2018 10:45am

Week 4: Marathon Training
Mon 22nd Jan: A yoga day (45 min class)

Tues 23rd Jan:
Plan: 5 miles easy. Actual: 5 miles easy. Had to get my run done before work as I had a work event that night. Avg pace 9.32/m

Weds 24th Jan: Rest day

Thurs 25th Jan
Plan: 5 miles easy. Actual: 5 miles easy. Lovely club run, average pace 9.49/m. Also did another Pilates class at lunchtime. My goodness, they are tough but really work on the appropriate running muscles.

Fri 26th Jan: Rest and Netflix.

Sat 27th Jan
Plan: 5 miles easy. Actual: 5 miles easy. Was lunchtime before I got out for this as I wanted to watch the Australian Open Women's final first

Average pace 9.22/m and I should have noted how mild it was on this when deciding on clothing for Raheny the next day...

Sun 28th Jan
Plan: Raheny 5 Mile at 7.35/m pace. Actual: Raheny 5 mile at 7.34/m pace!!
PB

Last year I ran this race in 43.04 and this year I was 37.39. So nice to see the results of a year's consistent running and effort. I will admit I struggled mentally, but somehow talked myself into keeping the pace going. I wore too many clothes, and was dripping sweat so badly. Delighted with the race in the end though :) It was a soft enough PB going into this to be fair, considering I don't run the distance often, and it's a year since that old PB but hey, I'll take the win.
Splits: 7.45, 7.31, 7.26, 7.44, 7.22.

Total Miles: 21.8 and a new PB in the bag.

ariana` · 29-01-2018 11:05am

Wow, that's a brilliant PB, well done you!!

Kellygirl · 29-01-2018 11:08am

Brilliant result in Raheny. Well done to you.

Huzzah! · 29-01-2018 2:36pm

Congrats on the PB!

skyblue46 · 31-01-2018 3:04pm

That's super impressive running! Congrats on a great performance

eyrie · 31-01-2018 3:32pm

Nice, well done on the PB!! That's a super time

ReeReeG · 05-02-2018 10:24am

Week 5: Marathon Training
I think this is the first week where I realised 18 weeks is quite a long time and this plan has quite a way to go. The intensity really seemed to increase this week too, but I thoroughly enjoyed the week!

Mon 29th Jan
Plan: Rest. Actual: Easy 5km run home from work. This week was to increase to 5 runs in the week, ideally adding a Weds run. Knew I wouldn't be able to do it on Weds thanks to work travel, so I decided a recovery type run after Raheny on Monday was my best option to add miles but also not overdo it. Avg pace 10.11/m
Also did a yoga class at lunchtime. A great stretch

Tues 30th Jan
Plan: 2m jog, 2*1 mile, 1m jog. Actual: 2m easy, 2m steady(ish) and 1m easy. Could definitely feel Raheny still in the legs but at the same time it was nice to go a bit hard. Splits: 9.41, 9.00, 8.29, 8.07 and 9.30

Weds 31st Jan: Rest

Thurs 1st Feb
Plan: 6 miles steady. Actual: 6 miles steady! A night where I was so thankful to be in a club. Got a clubmate to help me keep this pace going, even though 3 miles in I was sure I couldn't keep going. Avg pace 8.27/m

Fri 2nd Feb: Yoga at lunch, no run.

Sat 3rd Feb
Plan: 3x400 & 3x300. Actual: 3x400 & 3x200
Changed mid-session as doing the 400s on grass really is tough and I just couldn't face 300 metres!
splits for 400s: 1.40,1.34,1.46 (not great) and splits for 200s: 1.10,0.59,1.00. 2 mile warm-up and 1 mile to cool down.

Sun 4th Feb
Plan: 11 miles easy. Actual: 12.5 miles easy.
Ended up with more miles accidentally, ran to the club training did a bit with them and then ran home again. Felt great though, and even more surprisingly, I felt like I could have added on a few more miles...

Total miles: 32.3

ReeReeG · 12-02-2018 11:14am

Week 6: Marathon Training (1/3 of the way there!)
Mon 5th Feb: No running, but did a lunchtime yoga class.

Tues 6th Feb
Plan: 5 miles steady. Actual: 1m easy, and 4 steady.
Ran with a few from the club and they suggested doing the middle 3 of the 5 as steady miles, but in the end I kept it going for the last mile too. Splits: 9.51, 8.47, 8.56, 8.39 and 8.48. Was delighted with this to be honest.

Weds 7th Feb
Plan: 5 miles easy. Actual: Nothing, as was travelling with work.

Thurs 8th Feb
Had intended on doing the planned session in the gym at the hotel where I was staying, but it being a crappy enough gym, it only had one treadmill which was being hogged by someone else so I ended up doing 30 mins on the cross-trainer instead. It was -5 in Amsterdam, so I didn't venture outside for it either...
Which meant heading out when I landed Thursday evening instead

Plan was 3* 800s, and I actually did it. 2 mile warm up then 800s with 5 mins active recovery between. 800s were 3.47, 3.40 and 3.40. First one was a bit timid, but overall happy enough. Another 1.5 miles to cool down.

Friday 9th Feb
Plan: Rest. Actual: Wednesday's easy 5 miles, did it as a run home from work. Average pace 10.06/m. Really enjoyable. Also did a yoga class before work.

Sat 10th Feb
Plan: 4 easy miles. Actual: Ran parkrun.. hard.
Turned up and just felt like pushing. Average pace for the parkrun was 7.47/m, no PB but happy enough with that.

Sun 11th Feb
Plan: 12 mile long run. Actual: 13.2 miles.
Same as last weekend; ran to club training, did a bit with them and ran home again. Felt great even though I was sure I would feel the harder miles in my legs this week, but again could have kept going for another couple of miles I think. Have been trying a gel the last two weeks, and all good and I don't know if its that which is working or improved fitness.... or both maybe.

Total miles: 35.3

ReeReeG · 19-02-2018 10:15am

Week 7: Marathon Training
Mon 12th Feb: Rest day and food prep. Yoga at lunchtime.

Tues 13th Feb
Plan: 6 steady. Actual: 6.4 not really steady. Hard to judge what steady pace should be with a backpack. Did this as a run home from work as I wanted the evening for pancake making and eating! Average pace was 9.24/m, the effort did feel steady.

Weds 14th Feb
Plan: 5 easy. Actual: 7.8 fartlek. I switched this with the next night's plan as I wasn't sure I'd be able to get anyone in the club to fartlek with me on Thursday. Also had googled fartlek ideas as I haven't done too many of them and saw the idea of the timed ones. So I set it up as 3 mins on, 5 mins off x 5 reps (after a 2 mile warm-up). Went well even though I felt so tired heading out. 3 min paces were: 7.55, 7.50,7.41,7.34 and 7.26. Finished with a 1.3 mile cool down.

Thurs 15th Feb
Plan: 7 fartlek. Actual: 5 easy. Yep did the planned Weds night run. Average pace 9.23. Felt good.
Also did a pilates class at lunchtime.

Fri 16th Feb
Plan: Rest. Actual: 12 miles easy. More switching up! Did Sunday's long run on Friday night as I was due to race on Sunday. God it was so tough. My legs felt so tired and heavy, and I was just dying to stay on the couch. Average pace was 10.31 but there were some really slow miles in there where my legs just could not move any quicker. Glad I got it done though.

Sat 17th Feb
Plan: Speed session (500s & 300s). Actual: Rest before the race. Volunteered at parkrun, followed by some ziplining... hello bruised legs and sore arms.

Sun 18th Feb
Plan: 13 miles easy. Actual: Ras na hEireann cross country 4k.
First attempt at something like this. I hated it. Cross country is so damn hard. Had spikes, but apparently not ones that are long enough? Mine were track length I believe, so that was lesson number one. Lesson number two was it would be a good idea to practice on grass / mud more before such a race. I just had no confidence in the spikes that I wouldn't end up on my ass. Really hard race. Avg pace was 8.06/m.
I did leave saying never again, but now that I've slept on it, I am thinking how to not let it defeat me again...

Found myself tired a lot this week, really feeling the miles now. Have another intense week this week, with planned 6 days running. Will see how it goes.

Total miles: 34.3 (year to date 201!)

Man! I feel like a runner

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