Out with the old and in with the new...

(Hear Jimi play in the new year from 1:00 into this video!)

Monday, 30th December 2013 - 14.0km with Intervals: 3 x 2km @ 10km pace (4:13/km)

Nice lie-in this morning meant that it was early afternoon before I got out for this run. With my intention to do the 5km race on Wednesday I decided to move the Interval session for the week forward to today, so I drove to the Phoenix Park. After a 3km warm-up I decided to do these intervals along the roads of Wednesday's race for a little extra familiarity. I really love this loop as it's pretty much flat and at about 2.6km it's not too long.

The first 2km interval was probably a little tougher than I'd expected. I'd planned on 4:15/km as my target pace (10km PB is 42:22 = 4:14/km) and found the little bit of wind to be making the run just that extra bit tough. Managed to claim paces of 4:18/4:11 for these 2km. At this stage I ran back towards my car to dispatch my cap and jacket.

This seemed to do the trick as my next Interval was a little more manageable with splits of 4:08/4:13/km. I was meant to take 3 mins between reps but on the first rest period I ended up taking a little extra as I had to reach my car and throw my stuff into it, so that this was more like 4mins. The second rest period was kept to 3 mins however. The final interval began well with a 4:15 first km, but the second split was fading a way a little before I had to rally somewhat towards the end to grab a 4:14 split. For one of the first times in a long, long time I had to slow to a walk for 45 seconds just to regain breath. A final 3.5km meant I tagged on 14km for the day with a very satisfying session in the middle.

Tuesday, 31st December 2013 - 11.9km Distance run (5:01/km)

Another very relaxed day of hols meant that it was early evening before I got out for this Distance run. The perfect run for recovery from yesterday's session and the race tomorrow, I kept things easy and did the 11.9km route at a comfortable enough 5:01/km. With 3k to go I eased off to 5:25/km in order to avoid weariness for tomorrow, before picking it up again over the last 800m.

Under pressure for a few pints tonight with it being NYE and all but will hopefully be reasonably good with tomorrow's race on the horizon. I've dodged a couple of short races already over the holiday season but really intend running this regardless as it could be a real marker for me for the new year.

Week 52 Summary (so far):

RTW: 2 from 2 days

DTW: 25.9km

DTY: 3,835.8km

...and a Happy New Year!

Friday, 27th December 2013 - 9.0km Marathon Tempo Pace (4:39/km)

After the race yesterday and several hours in the pub afterwards (although I was good and home by 11pm!!) I was surprised to find my pace on this run being so brisk. I'm thinking it's a result of all my running being quite a bit faster due to the new plan that I find it less fearsome to run at Marathon Tempo pace even when I don't need to. I'm sure in a few weeks time I'll be crying out for a 5min+ pace but for the time being it's pretty nice to be able to go for an 'easy' run at this pace!

Saturday, 28th December 2013 - 16.0km Distance (5:12/km)
Met up with my mate Kieran for this run. He's not a runner but is pretty fit from playing football continuously. He struggled over the early mile or two but settled into it afterwards. Thankfully he managed to stay out for 16km which was his second longest run ever (only ever ran longer on a similar run with myself about 18 months ago!). He is someone who was always much faster and fitter than me when we were younger but it's gratifying to see how much the roles have reversed these days. The regular conversation now is over what distance would he beat me these days and I've managed to whittle down his estimations to 800m-1,500m range. To be honest I'd be pretty confident even down to 400m although the kick he managed to hand out to me with 100m to go means that he'll always have the sprint distances! An enjoyable run.

Sunday, 29th December 2013 - Rest Day
I got a bit lazy today and failed to get myself out the door. A combination of a slightly sore throat, driving to Dublin and then a night out combined to consign this run to the bin. Anything I would have done would be extra bonus territory anyways so a rest day is probably just as advantageous considering the upped pace and a solid 6 days under my belt already.

Week 51 Summary:

RTW: 6 from 7 days

DTW: 67.4 km

DTY: 3,809.9 km

Manulla 4 Mile race

Monday, 23rd December, 2013 - 12.2km Intervals 3x(800m/600m/600m) @ 5k pace (5:10/km)

Last weeks intervals were at MTP which I found quite straightforward. It was only later that evening that I discovered all future intervals would be quicker and therefore more difficult! This was the first of these sessions. Each rep consisted of 800m, 90 secs recovery, 600m, 90 secs recovery and 600m before a 4minute recovery in between each rep. The pace was 5k pace which I 'declared' to be between 4:00 and 4:10/km. Having not ran a fast 5k for a long time I knew my current pace was a bit off so I gave myself a decent range to hit.

Before the run I pre-programmed the session into my watch. Unfortunately due to it being my first 'workout' I ended up fiddling with the watch around 1km into my warm-up and accidentally set the session off! I hesitated for a second before realising I had no choice but to dive in and begin! As it turned out I managed the first rep ok - it felt tough but I hit my target ranges, however I wasn't exactly looking forward to the next two reps!

It was a very blustery evening to tie in with my quick session so when my second rep recorded intervals at 4:12, 4:19 & 4:09 I knew conditions were conspiring against me. The 4:19 was primarily uphill also. I was now really struggling to keep pace but given the last rep was mostly back on the flat I managed to eke out 4:10, 4:14 & 4:08.

So, overall a bit of a struggle but am hopeful the numbers will be much improved on a calmer day.

Tuesday, 24th December, 2013 - 6.5km Distance (5:10/km)
This was a short run to pick up my car after being out for a few beers the night before. I took advantage of the South Westerly wind and managed the final few kms at a decent clip. Glad the car wasn't much further away all the same!

Wednesday, 25th December, 2013 - 16.1km MLR (4:53/km)
Christmas Day down West brought a beautiful afternoon for running.I did my usual 10 mile route where I managed to hold a steady clip of 4:53 all the way around. Got a little bit tired around 7 miles but managed to up the effort again over the final 2 miles. Great run and set me up well for the Christmas dinner to follow!

Thursday, 26th December, 2013 - 7.6km Manulla 4 Mile Race (4:13/km)
The by-now traditional Manulla 4mile Stephen's Day race took place at noon at the local Soccer Club. Approximately 200 people turned out for this on what was again almost perfect conditions (a small amount of surface ice at one corner had to be carefully negotiated). I lined up about 3 rows back from the front and after a 10 minute delay for late registrations we were away.

This is a hilly route with about 7 short but steep hills of 10m or more dotted along the course so it's not exactly PB material. My first km came in at 3:57 which considering it included two of those hills was a bit fast so early. I kept a good pace for the next few kms, passing a handful but being passed by a couple of others. Over the course of the final 2 miles there wasn't much changing of places but I did get passed by a couple of guys going over the final hill. An indicator that although my pace was decent I don't have the required strength towards the end of short races yet - hopefully though that will come over the next few weeks.

I kept a decent rate over the final 400m to maintain a wide gap to the guy behind me and ended up coming across the finish line in 27:33 and 31st place. This was a 90sec improvement on last year when I ran even though I was pretty sick at the time. Quite happy at maintaining the 4:13/km pace over a hilly 6.5km course so looking forward to running the Tom Brennan over a flat course in the Phoenix Park next Wednesday.

Week 51 Summary (so far):

RTW: 4 from 4 days

DTW: 42.4 km

DTY: 3,784.9 km

Merry Christmas!

I had planned on following a Jack Daniel's plan for my next marathon cycle but during the week I saw a link to the Boston Marathon advanced training programme which seems to suit what I'm looking for pretty closely. There's much more running at a faster pace and the vast majority of my training will be closer to Marathon Pace. One thing I will need to keep an eye on is the increased effort and try to avoid succumbing to any injuries. Hopefully my pretty good record in the past along with the 2,350 miles I've already ran this year will see me through the plan safely and healthily.

Monday, 16th December, 2013 - 6.5km Recovery Run (5:31/km)

This was just a recovery run to get back running after a week off. I expected my legs to be nice and fresh but instead they were pretty annoyed to be called into action!

Tuesday, 17th December, 2013 - 11.9km Easy Run (5:13/km)

I met up with Anto for this run and what was expected to be a relaxed run instead had several 5min kms thrown into the mix. Good that this happened though as I'd have taken it easy had I been on my own.

Wednesday, 18th December, 2013 - 7.6km Distance Run (5:00/km)

Today was the day I got turned on to the new plan so this meant a faster run than normal. Legs are feeling the effort of a faster average pace so far this week but I think it'll be good for them!

Thursday, 19th December, 2013 - 11.9km 5 x 1,000m @ MTP - 4:33/km (4:51/km)

Strangely I liked this run with the Marathon Tempo Pace intervals. I was running at an effort that felt right so I rarely consulted the watch but thankfully I was on target whenever I did!

Friday, 20th December, 2013 - 12.4km Distance Run (5:18/km)

Another meet up with Anto and again we went a bit faster than scheduled. I had allowed myself to take it a bit easier this evening but the actual quicker pace was what was really required so happy with this.

Saturday, 21st and Sunday 22nd December, 2013 - Rest Days.

Christmas season has truly kicked-in and allied with the terrible weather I baled on both days this weekend. One of them was a Rest Day anyways but the other was a short 'Distance' run.
I had planned on doing the Clonliffe Cracker 5k race around my Estate but in the end I decided against paying €20 for running a race in crappy conditions when I was nowhere near PB form myself, and all with a hangover! So, that's 0 from 3 for me and this race. It would be so much better suited to early new year than the last Sunday before Christmas!

Week 50 Summary:

RTW: 5 from 7 days

DTW: 50.3 km

DTY: 3,742.5 km

DNFing in Lanzarote... :-(

Thursday, 5th December, 2013 – 6.5km Recovery Run (5:30/km)

This was just a relaxed run to keep the legs ticking over. Nothing to report.

Friday, 6th December, 2013 – Rest Day

Arrived into Lanzarote around 6pm and spent the evening with family who were already here so kept this as a rest day. Still feeling good for Sunday.

Saturday, 7th December, 2013 – 6.0km Recovery Run (5:23/km)

Went out for a run along the seafront this afternoon. It was pretty breezy out which both helped to cool but also to slow me down a little. Not sure how this will work tomorrow...

Sunday, 8th December, 2013 – 19.3km Lanzarote marathon - DNF

Well that wasn't the way it as supposed to happen! After going for a meal last night where I had Chicken Cordon Bleu I woke this morning with dodgy stomach issues. 2 visits to the toilet pointed towards an eventful race in store! I had to get a taxi from my apt to the race HQ and then get a free bus from there to the start. While waiting around at the start area I had to use the facilities once more and things weren't much improved.

I decided I'd stick to my plan regardless so off we went at 9am. The first 5km were uphill and I had accounted for this with my pacing strategy. By the end of this section I was pretty much on track so it was now meant to flatten out for the next 7km. This never really happened though as it was quite undulating so hard to zone in on a consistent pace. By the 8km marker I was beginning to realise that I simply was not in racing form today so I paused at this water station to take a salt tablet, knowing I'd be especially prone to electrolyte/hydration issues with my stomach the way it was. 

The next 5km was an out and back section to the same water station and this was getting to be more and more difficult. My HR was not especially high but the effort felt much worse than MP effort. I stopped at the same station to take more water and let the body relax. By now all thoughts of a fast marathon were out the window and I was more concentrating on a strategy to simply finish the run. Worse case scenario I thought was I 'd do the HM course and at least finish one of the races.

Immediately after the 13km station we turned right towards Costa Teguise and this signalled the start of a 5km downhill section to the town. Things should be easier here and I felt it was a good stage to ease back and recover somewhat. The truth was far different. About 1km later I had to pull in to the side of the road thinking I was going to throw up but after 10 seconds I knew it wasn't gonna happen so I rejoined the race. This was feeling physically very sore now as well as my stomach issues, so it was no surprise to me that when I hot the 15km marker and there was a tiny uphill section which forced me to walk that my race was over. If I was feeling this bad since almost the start and it was only getting worse then there really was no point in continuing. Not that it was a mental choice - My body was simply saying no!

After making that decision I still had to walk the 4.5km back to race HQ and even this was a real struggle. I couldn't even force myself into a slow jog on the remaining downhills. I was very relieved to be back at HQ when I eventually arrived. The heat had added it's tuppence worth to factors by now so all it took was a small sip of coke to set me off. I had to go off and find a discreet spot to heave my guts up! In the mix I could see the remains of last night's dinner which I cursed as the offending party.

Oh well, nothing to be done now. That evening I went home and slept for 16hrs solid. Definitely not right! To be honest, with the hilly/undulating nature of the first 20km and the ever-present wind on the course I doubt I'd have managed to get the time I was hoping for anyways so not quite as disappointing as Rotterdam DNF earlier in the year but a pain in the guts regardless!

Week 48 Summary:

RTW: 5 from 7 days

DTW: 46.6 km

DTY: 3,692.2 km

The following week I was recovering from the food poisoning and effort before just relaxing and enjoying my hols until I returned to Ireland. Decided to take the rest of the week off too and start afresh on the following Monday.

Week 49 Summary:

RTW: 0 from 7 days

DTW: 0.0 km

DTY: 3,692.2 km

Marathon-3 days

Monday, 2nd December, 2013 – Rest Day

I’d been sleeping really poorly both in terms of quantity & quality the past few nights so I was very tired this evening and decided if you can't take an evening off in taper a week before the big day then when can you?!

Tuesday, 3rd December, 2013 – 7.4km Recovery Run with 2km @ MP (5:10/km)

I found it difficult to motivate myself for this run as it was ‘only’ a recovery paced run but decided to throw in a couple of MP kms. This helped focus the mind and the ran passed by quickly enough in the end. The two MP kms were 4:40/km @ 140bpm and 4:31/km @149bpm so happy enough.

Wednesday, 4th December, 2013 – 7.4km Easy Run (4:41/km)

This evening I took my lead from JD’s plan for final week before a marathon. He suggests a 40-60min run at E pace. So, I started off at my E effort and hit 4:55 for the first km. I got a little indisciplined then though and sped up subconsciously to 4:50, 4:40 & 4:32 over the following kms until I realised I was going too fast. I hadn’t been looking at the watch but it’s comforting to know that I was getting faster without really noticing it a huge amount. Eased back for the next couple of kms before unintentionally going too fast over the last full km again. The final half km I threw in a few strides and this resulted in 4:04/km pace. I really hope I don't end up regretting this on Sunday but it felt like I was in great shape last night anyways!

Week 48 Summary (so far):

RTW: 2 from 3 days

DTW: 14.8 km

DTY: 3,660.4 km

1 week left...

Friday, 29th November, 2013 – 7.4km Recovery Run (5:49/km)

Went out for this run quite late in the evening as I had been busy doing a few small jobs. Nice and relaxed recovery run after last nights big effort.

Saturday, 30th November, 2013 – Rest Day

A late night last night meant I wasn’t really in the mood for a run today and with it being taper a day off was due anyways.

Sunday, 1st December, 2013 – 20.0km Medium Long Run (5:14/km)

I met up with Anto again for this one. We did a big loop of Ballymun Rd., Griffith Avenue, Coast Rd, Raheny, Coolock and home. A nice run where we pushed it a little fast to 5:00/km for the first 10 kms and then eased back for the remainder of our 20km. I was surprisingly a little stiff/tired after this run.

Week 47 Summary:

RTW: 6 from 7 days

DTW: 64.6 km

DTY: 3,645.6 km

So, a good seven days of running in my penultimate week. Mostly this week it will be recovery paced run with a couple of MP kms thrown in.