Back in the swing of things

Monday, 27th January 2014 – 7.4km Distance (5:38/km)

Met with Anto once again and we went for a short recovery run after both racing PBs this weekend – Anto at a marathon(!) on Saturday and my own 5 miler. Legs were feeling pretty perfect this evening, probably as a result of the quality cool-down after yesterday’s race.

Tuesday, 28th January 2014 – 17.2km MLR with 10.75km @ MTP (4:38/km)

Splits.

I went to Clontarf with the intention of doing my Interval session but after my first km of warm-up I felt pretty lethargic and put it down to Sunday’s race. So, I changed my plan to do Thursday’s MLR run with tonights session. During the second km I upped the pace to the required range and hit 4:51/km, however when the following km came in at 4:40 I decided to throw in a heap of MTP kms and see how it went.

I ditched the jacket around this point as I was beginning to overheat and as expected I began to move even more freely after that. The effort felt very controlled and without over exertion. I kept this pace up all the way to the end of the Coastal path near Sutton and turned for home into the breeze. Thankfully this was gentle enough to just keep me cool without slowing me down by more than a few seconds per km. After 10.75km of MTP I arrived back at my jacket and called it quits with the faster stuff at that stage and after throwing the jacket back on I had an easy 3.5km left back to the car at 5:14/km. Very happy with this run.

HR Data - Never went above 150bpm.

Wednesday, 29th January 2014 – 7.4km Distance (5:19/km)

After 10pm this evening before I went out and I was feeling generally knackered. Due to the late start I truncated the run from the big loop to the 7.4k loop instead. Took it nice and handy and the HR never really went above 130 bpm yet the pace was actually not bad for that effort.

Week 4 Summary (so far):

RTW: 3 from 3 days

DTW: 32.0km

DTY: 403.6km

Raheny 2 miler and 5 miler races

Monday, 20th January 2014 – 25.6km with (20+10) mins @ MTP (4:31/km)

Met up with Anto for this run again. He was interested in a bit of faster running and this was in my plan so we headed off together. Intended to do just relaxing 5:30 kms all the way to Clontarf but in general these came in around 5:15/km (or quicker) instead. Just before we began the faster stuff we met Jamie (Fellow 1:40 pacer from Clontarf HM in November) at a set of traffic lights. I thought the fast pace might suit him but he declined and we parted company again.

The first 20mins of MTP were from the wind monument to the main entrance to Bull Island. Pace for the first km was 4:35/km but Anto started to push it a little around here and the rest of the kms came in around 4:30/km. Towards the last km Anto began to find it tougher maintaining pace so I took over the lead from here til the end of our 20 mins. A very easy jog to recover before we gradually got back to easy pace. The recovery allowed us 7 mins but we simply took off when the 1km was up (more like 6:10 recovery).

The second fast section of 10mins was feeling easy-ish for the first 5 mins but I think the GPS may have been slightly in error/too quick. The last 5 mins were a bit tougher but still managed to see it out easily enough. Another recovery period and we were jogging back up the Tonlegee Road towards home. Still felt grand along here and after realising I had been responsible for Anto running twice as far as he’d planned I felt it my duty to jog back to Ballymun with him. Plus, this conveniently pushed me across the threshold of a long run, finishing with 25.6km.

Very happy with this as I got the long aspect as well as the MTP aspect out of the way in this run, after misfiring at the end of last week! Great to have the distance on the clock too with it only being Monday.

Tuesday, 21st January 2014 – Rest Day

Felt a bit tired this evening and after doing a few jobs around the house I decided to take my first Rest Day in about 23 days.

Wednesday, 22nd January 2014 – 7.7km with Raheny 2 miler Race (3:57/km)

Raheny Winter League resumed with a 2 miler this evening on a perfect night for running. Did the usual lap warm-up before toeing the line. The start ended up being about 10 minutes late which seems to be a trend this Winter.

Unfortunately about 50m into the race I realised I’d never reset my watch and so the race was just being lobbed onto the warm-up. As I tried to figure out should I reset it or not I found myself getting caught up with faster runner’s pace so that by 400m into the race I was running much too fast and decided to ease off. I ran the remainder of the km on the watch independent of its data and it was only when it reset itself for the new km split that I started to believe the information. By now there was one or two going past me including the lady winner from the previous race. I think next time I’ll have to try and start with her and ease myself into the race gently like she does.

As I came around for the halfway mark my time of 6:25 for the first mile was shouted out to me by a marshall so I knew I was on target for sub 13mins. I just had to keep it together for the second lap but that was easier said than done. I started to feel Sunday’s effort in the final 1km and as I turned for home with 400m to go a young lad shot past me like as if it was a 100m sprint! There was simply no stopping him so I kept it honest all the way to the finish line to record a 12:56 which I was happy with. Still 8 seconds outside my PB but I’d be pretty positive that will fall in a month’s time when the 2 miler is held again.

Ran into Jamie/Killerz after the race and did another lap cool down with him before heading home.

Thursday, 23rd January 2014 – 11.9km Distance (5:28/km)

Felt a little tired after last night but no niggles whatsoever so did the usual loop at a very relaxed pace. Couldn't help thinking that these type of runs are quickly becoming my least favourite simply because they are so boring. Shows how much I am enjoying all the sessions and races where there’s a bit to think about in each run.

Friday, 24th January 2014 – 24.0km LSR (5:22/km)

Stopped off into the Phoenix Park this afternoon for an LSR. With yet another race on Sunday coming up the plan was to do the lower end of the range at a very easy pace which is what I did! Weather turned a bit crappy towards the end but it was another boring run for much the same reasons as last night. I did spot Alan/AMK but it was only after I passed him that I thought I should have ran with him for a few miles to ease the boredom. Next time!

Saturday, 25th January 2014 – 7.4km Distance (5:28/km)

It was evening time before I got out for this run and it was a real ‘tick the box’ type run. Short and slow in advance of tomorrow. Nothing else to report.

Sunday, 26th January 2014 – 17.6km with Raheny 5 Miler Race (4:08/km)

This was my first time doing the Raheny 5 miler – a race I’d heard about for many years (Even as far back as the time before I ran!) so was happy to use it as a bit of a bookend for my shorter focussed training in December and January. As it turns out I really am enjoying the faster stuff so will probably do a few more races over the next few weeks.

Did 2km of a warm-up before the race and lined up where I thought I should be. Unfortunately there were still plenty to join the crowd and by the time I saw the Sub 35min marker about 20m further up the road it was too late to change position! So, I started the race back with those looking to break 42mins or thereabouts which was far from ideal.

I used this hindrance to keep me relatively slow for the first few kms but in reality I ended up veering around slow runners and parked cars so much I would have used just as much energy regardless! By the time we got out onto the Howth Road things had settled down somewhat and now we were facing into a stiff cold breeze. I tried to shelter where possible but it was an awkward direction and it never really benefited me.

Early days...

Soon though we were turning left and down Sybil Hill Rd. Immediately things felt so much better with no wind to consider. Kept effort consistent through here and around the 2.5 mile mark I ditched my gloves as I was beginning to get too hot. Just before 3 miles I got a shout out from Niall/Meno which was a nice boost and then we were down onto the Coast Road. I just noticed Kate/CM at this point, about 100m ahead and on the Coast Rd as opposed to me just dropping down the hill to it. I had passed Helen/HA (who’d come in about 5 seconds after me in Wednesday night’s run) a little while back but she was now passing me again with just over a mile to go.

Race splits - Split 7 included most of the hill.

We turned left onto Watermill Road and there it was - the hill! It’s nothing when out for a jog but when you are beginning to redline it’s the last thing in the World you need! Helen started pulling away from me going up this hill and I just dug in trying to do my best. Eventually the incline levelled off and there was half a mile remaining. When we took the left hand turn I noticed Kate a little ahead at this stage and over the course of the next 100m I managed to drift past her. I offered the quick line about being ‘almost there now’ but in those circumstances I don’t know if it lends one iota of help! Another few turns and at last we were in the finishing straight where I tried to nail a few more places but there wasn't a whole pile left in the legs. Eventually I crossed the line for a 33:49 time and pretty much on a par with last weekend’s 8k race in Tuam. Reasonably happy with this as it’s a 5 mile PB by a minute. No doubt there was a bit of lag in the legs from a week of lots of speed so hopefully there is a lot more to come off that time over the course of the year.

Finish line (in orange).

Afterwards I met up with the Dunnes, Niall, Kate, MK, POM, Helen and a bunch of others for a very sociable after race experience. A group of us ran the course in reverse for a warm down before grabbing a cup of tea and several chocolate bars! Then it was off home to lounge for the evening!!

Week 3 Summary:

RTW: 6 from 7 days

DTW: 94.2km

DTY: 371.6km

Tuam 8k Race...and the PBs continue to tumble!

Friday, 17th January 2014 – 12.6km Distance (5:38/km)

Today was intended to be my LSR but after doing a few jobs around the apartment it was 4pm before I managed to start my run in the PP. I ran til it got dark and that allowed me half my distance so when I drove home my intention was to do another 12km loop to bring up the total to about 24km. However, once I got out of the car at home I just made up my mind that I was done for the evening (Even fitting in the remaining 12km would have left me tight with time for something else that evening) so I called it quits at that.

Probably a wise decision anyways as I was trudging a fair bit in the PP and the legs were still heavy from last night’s MLR. Not sure would there have been a huge benefit in persisting with the extra distance as it would no doubt slow me down for the 8k race on Sunday.

Saturday, 18th January 2014 – 9.9km Distance (5:18/km)

I drove home to the West this morning and when I arrived I rushed out for a relaxed 10k. Lovely evening for a run with barely a hint of wind and dry all the way around. The final 2km presented a glowing orange sunset encapsulating Croagh Patrick’s summit in the distance. There was also a strong dew falling in the fields which all made for a very pleasant end to the run. Much better than eyeballing scobes on Dublin’s Northside!!

Sunday, 19th January 2014 – 8.1km Tuam 8k Race – 33:30 (4:09/km) with 3.8km W/U (5:09/km) and 7.0km C/D (5:21/km)

Today’s race was like a mini test for the Raheny 5 miler next Sunday, which will mark the end of my 6 week focus on trying to get quicker at shorter stuff. The plan was to get familiar with the feel of 8km pace today and then fine tune that next week. I ran this race 2 years ago and although I took it handy for the first 2km I ended up just shy of 36 minutes so I knew all going well I should be much quicker today. My 8k PB is from my local village race (Belcarra 8k – 34:00) and so the aim today was to beat that at least.

I met Philip and his wife Edel beforehand and we went on a bit of a warm-up. 3.8km in total (That felt like nothing!) with a few strides thrown in for good measure. We were chatting about how conditions were near perfect for a fast time and that we really would have no excuses if PBs failed to fall today! A few minutes later we were lining up for the start and after a delay of about 5 mins we were set away.

I had ended up about 3 rows back from the front so I was across the line in no time. However, for the first km there was a steady stream of people passing me which I found a little strange. I guess I was further to the front than I should have been but at least it had thinned out pretty quickly so I wasn't a hindrance to anyone. Things settled down after the first km though and my efforts at holding back weren't working that well when I went through the first km in 3:43! The course is a pretty flat route with just a few drags none of which are too severe. Probably the toughest sections are going over the railway bridge in the 2nd km and then again with 800m to go.

By midway I was well settled in to the race and maintaining the effort around 4:10/km. I had passed a guy after 3km who was wearing tracksuit bottoms an old pair of dodgy runners and a COAT! Not a simple running jacket but an actual thick, heavy coat!! He was moving pretty steadily so I can just imagine he’d be a pretty decent runner if he just managed to sort out his race day attire!!

Shortly after this I caught up to a guy who I intended passing immediately but once he noticed me he seemed to up the effort and stuck with me for the next 1,500m. I ended up falling into is pace because anytime I tried pushing a little to move away he matched my effort. This was getting annoying as it became clear we were racing for god knows what position with 3km to go! Eventually I put in a sustained spurt of effort and made a little distance on him. Thankfully that broke the link and I was free once more.

Photo courtesy of Tri Lakes Triathlon Club

The final 3km are a straight road back into town and just before I took the turn onto that road I ditched my gloves at a house. As expected I felt a little fresher immediately but unfortunately that only lasted a few hundred metres. My effort and pace was remaining steady so I was reasonably pleased so far. I got passed by another GCH guy over the closing 2km but eventually we passed over the final railway bridge and tried legging it for the 800m run-in to the finish. This section is slightly uphill – just enough to make you work – so the pace failed to pick up too quickly and with the final bridge actually shows up as my slowest km of the day. The reality was the effort was there though. At last I turned the corner and saw the clock ticking away towards 33:30 so a last dash effort got me there with bang on 33:30 on my watch, making for a 30 second PB and 2:23 course best for me.

Afterwards, pleased with my time and performance I went for a warm-down jog back out to collect my gloves. Unfortunately though the rain came while I was at the turnaround point so for the second half of my 7km cool-down I got saturated wet. Still though, almost 19km for the day and I still felt relatively fresh after it all so, as I have been thinking all along, this training programme seems to be really working for me. Pity I'm still unsure of what marathon to actually strike for in order to get the pay-off!

Week 2 Summary:

RTW: 7 from 7 days

DTW: 96.7km

DTY: 277.4km

Migrating from Kayanos to Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s

Monday, 13th January 2014 – 11.9km Distance (5:22/km)

Today I received my new Mizunos today along with a pair of gloves and two pairs of socks so that should keep me going through the rest of the Winter!

New Mizuno Wave Inspire 9's

Met up with Anto again for this run. Was planning to take my first rest day in 15 days but decided a slow recovery run might be just as beneficial. The first km was rather nasty until the body loosened out and the remainder went fine. Didn’t look at the watch once on this run and just ran at a pace I was happy with, which turned out to be 5:22/km. Pleasantly surprised with the outcome and glad I ran it now.

Tuesday, 14th January 2014 – 16.8km Interval with 7km @ MTP - 4:33/km (Overall: 4:46/km)

I received my new pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s on Monday and decided to use them on this evening’s run. This was the second time I have looked to move away from the Kayanos (Due to their cost and weight) but my first effort with Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12s was far from a success! This is a pair that I had tried on back in Chicago 3 months ago and felt they were very comfortable. I managed to get these in an online sale for €90 along with a couple of other bits n pieces. As I put them on for the first time I noticed they were pretty firm around the edges so I threw on a second pair of socks to avoid too many friction issues. My first few steps around the apartment were comfortable but I was raring to get outside and truly test them.

As it was an MTP run I drove to the Coast Road and parked up beside the Elphin pub near Baldoyle. The plan was to run an out and back along the coast path from Sutton to the wind monument in Clontarf. The Southern direction was into a stiff wind which was creating its own challenge. I started off gradually but by the third km I was running at sub 5:00/km pace. I decided to keep this effort up all the way to the turnaround point (@ 9km) where I would then need to up further to 4:36/km. This resulted in more than a decent effort as far as halfway and my HR was around 147bpm for this section, so almost MP effort already!

Once I turned around it was noticeable that the wind was no longer an opposing factor. I knew I’d start to overheat when I upped the pace and with no breeze to cool me down I decided to discard my jacket and gloves under a tree for collection afterwards. I soon managed to hit the required pace and was very thankful I had ditched the jacket in no time. The pace was maintained around 4:33/km for the remainder of the 7km of MT Pace. Well, with the exception of the final km where I pushed the effort for the final 500m to come in at 4:23 for the full km. Just because I could really and shows that I was well in control by the finish.

The new runners were remarkably comfortable throughout and felt much, much lighter than the Kayanos which I never thought I’d notice as much. The footfall felt cleaner and the cushioning was top notch. I felt no niggles whatsoever either, and if anything was probably feeling a little less achy after the run! All in all a very successful run on both the hardware and the data front!

Wednesday, 15th January 2014 – 8.6km Distance (5:19/km)

One thing I failed to mention about the runners were a couple of friction points on my ankles, specifically the inside of the ankle joint on my left foot and just under the outside of the ankle on my right foot. I had worn two pairs of socks last night so I went with the same tactic again tonight. However even just walking around the apartment I could feel the chafing so I was prepared for a little irritation on the run.

When I got outside the plan was to do my MLR at about 4:50/km. I did an easy first km (5:20) and was about halfway through the first km at the faster pace when I decided ‘not tonight’! A combination of tired legs from last night, tender ankles, slight breeze and mental weakness led me to packing in the session to settle for an easy 5:19/km run instead. By the end of the run I was very happy with my decision as the legs were very heavy by that stage, still though I figure they benefited well from this recovery run.

Thursday, 16th January 2014 – 18.0km MLR (4:49/km)

This was last night’s postponed MLR run. It called for a tasty pace for a long duration so I was a bit anxious before I eventually headed out at 8pm. I needn’t have worried though as by the first few steps I could feel the benefit of yesterdays recovery run and was running much stronger from the beginning this evening. After a wam-up km the remainder managed to stay very close to my goal pace and although I was beginning to put in a bit more work over the closing 5km my HR still made for good reading. By the time I was finished this I was very happy with my evening’s work and feeling good after a disheartening run yesterday.

Splits for the MLR - Nice consistency across the board!

Also while on my run I had the first inkling of perhaps deferring the 24 hr race in Belfast to next Summer. The way I’m progressing I feel would deliver a good Summer of faster races and PBs with a shot of doing some real damage to the marathon PB in Autumn. If I persist with the 24hr race though it is likely to set me back for Autumn and there will be very few PBs arising over the Summer. I will wait until after Barcelona in March though before firming up any decision.

Week 2 Summary (so far):

RTW: 4 from 4 days

DTW: 55.3km

DTY: 236.0km

St. Anne's Parkrun

Thursday, 9th January 2014 – 7.4km Distance (5:45/km)

This was just a short distance run as the past couple of evenings were pretty intense so glad of the chance to take it easy tonight. It probably helped that the Garmin was very low on battery (stupid thing switched on while it was meant to be charging and then instead of charging properly it actually drained the battery instead!) and so I ran with it as simply a stopwatch. ‘Lapped’ splits at known points but never really bothered with the pace, hence nice and relaxed 5:45/km!

Friday, 10th January 2014 – 14.5km Distance (5:30/km)

Only got out in the evening for this and wasn’t particularly in the mood for it! After yesterdays shorter than recommended run I decided to add a couple of extra kms to todays run. Could feel a little more life in the legs but still kept it easy for tomorrows run…

Saturday, 11th January 2014 – 10.2km St. Anne’s Parkrun (4:04/km) with WU & CD

A long threatening comes at last and after wanting to get a Parkrun in for nearly every of the past 4 weekends I eventually managed to get down for the St. Anne’s run this morning. A short warm-up found me at the starting line area with 5 mins to spare. The run itself was probably about 5 mins late getting started though. I lined up about 25-30 people from the front and in no time we were away!

I settled into a 3:55/km pace as I wasn’t quite so fresh as Wed night. The first lap went smoothly and there was little passing happening. I may have been passed by a couple of people but then passed a couple of others to maintain position. Kept it strong for the 900m avenue run before starting into the second lap. At this point I discarded my cap as I was beginning to overheat by now. The second lap was quite similar with the pace now closer to 4:10/km so things were slowing a bit but I was passing a few people now who were obviously suffering with maintaining to keep the speed til the line. The run-in saw me pass a couple of more people but with about 20m remaining some guy came thundering through to pass about 10 of us – not sure where he came out of but you’d have to think he was taking it handy for the remainder of the race!

Ended up with 20:35 – a course PB – and 27th position out of almost 320 runners/walkers. I reckon I’m not far off a sub 20 performance by now if I ran relatively fresh. Finished things off by going for a recovery run around the park. Even though the plan had included a set of Intervals for the week I replaced it with this race and the 3 mile race on Wed night. I think that was enough 5k paced stuff for the week!

Sunday, 12th January 2014 – 30.8km LSR (5:13/km)

Today called for a LSR of between 31-35km with the final 6km @ MTP (4:36/km). However, after a late night last night I was skeptical about the fast 6km to say the least. The nature of my route meant the final 10km would be into the breeze and net uphill most of the way. This allied with me being tired before I ever set off meant I’d already pretty much scrapped the faster section in my head.

The first 10km were net downhill and into the breeze, so I was relatively pleased to manage to keep the average pace close to 5:00/km around here. The middle 10km came along the coast road and the breeze was now on my back and the route flat. Early in this section I maintained my sub 5min pace but about halfway along here my energy levels were clearly beginning to suffer and the average lap pace was dropping by a few seconds, yet nothing dramatic.

Finally I was heading for home but this helped me nothing! Once I hit the Kilbarrack Road the effort required became so much tougher! The final 10km was like a death march. When I got to Coolock at 25km I had to do the unthinkable and pause for about a minute. My HR was remaining low but my breathing had become very shallow so a few deep breaths and stretches got me back on track a little bit but I was really running off fumes by now! Eventually I made it back to home having covered almost 31km which I was very accepting of, all things considered!

Pretty sure it was mainly down to very poor nutrition throughout the day – I was intending to go ‘any minute now’ for several hours so never planned/managed to eat a sufficient meal. A good reminder to prepare properly for all future LSRs!

Week 1 Summary:

RTW: 7 from 7 days

DTW: 97.9km

DTY: 180.7km

Return to Raheny Winter League

Monday, 6th January 2014 – 11.9km Distance run (5:11/km)

I was a little tired after work and would probably have taken the day as a complete Rest day had I not already arranged to meet Anto for a run directly after work. As it was we took the first fewkms relatively easy and things started to come together. It was a pretty windy evening so we decided to throw in 3km of faster running which Anto was seeking along Collins Avenue and up the Swords Road. These came in at 4:48/4:47/4:37 and I think both of us were pretty happy when the time came that we could slow down again!

A good run which I may otherwise have missed out on.

Tuesday, 7th January 2014 – 13.4km MPT run with 3x15mins @ 4:36/km

I changed the sessions around this week as, with the Raheny 3 miler tomorrow evening, I hope to be able to recover a little better from this MT pace run than the alternative Interval session which was originally planned.

The run itself called for a 16-20km total with 3 reps of 15mins at marathon tempo pace (4:36/km). The pace itself didn’t worry me too much, rather it is the current, seemingly endless windy conditions that I dreaded. I knew conditions would make the run tougher and that by running this pace my actual effort would be several bpm higher. However, this training plan is all about paces so I was going to have to match what was required.

I did the usual 1km warm-up but as I was about to start into my first rep I noticed the signal still hadn’t been located so I decided to stop and wait for it to register, which it did after about 60 seconds. With that I started into the first 15mins of MP. This went pretty well and I ended up clocking in at an average of 4:31/km, so a bit ahead of plan but it was a favourable segment. For the second rep I was faced with the uphill section along the Ballymun road so for the first km which was all uphill to register in 4:39 I was pretty happy. I maintained the effort before managing to close out the rep in an average of 4:35/km. The final rep was into the wind for a decent section but again I mnaged to get around in an average of 4:34/km. Thankfully most of the last 1.5km was downwind so the tiring legs didn’t have to work quite so hard!

So, I beat the goal pace for all three segments which I was delighted with as conditions weren’t really helping in the main. Almost 10km @ MPT overall even if I did come short of the recommended distance for the evening. Not really bothered about that though as I already have last night’s run in the bank!

Wednesday, 8th January 2014 – 9.7km Raheny 3 mile race (4:07/km)

Tonight was round 4 of the Raheny Winter League Series and my first race in it this season. I was eager to see where I lay in terms of faster races but knew with the elevated ammount of miles recently and last nights tempo session that I wouldn’t be quite up to my potential this evening. These races are very low key, so much so that you simply rock up to the clubhouse about 7:30pm to pay the entry fee of €7, get your number and then head off for a mini warm-up. This usually means an easy lap of the 1 mile course and then a few stretched before gathering for the 8pm start with the 50 or so other runners.

Tonight was a particularly wet night but at least the recent windy weather had ended. The course is 3 laps of a very flat one mile loop beside St. Anne’s Park. It’s run through an estate which means the street lighting illuminates the course if somewhat dimly. I lined up with about 20 people in front of me. Finally, at about 8:05 we were set away.

I got caught up a little in the early melee for positions and by the time I realised where I was I decided to ease back from the 3:45/km pace after 300m towards a more sustainable 4:00/km pace. Things had settled quickly enough but after about 900m the eventual lady winner went past looking very composed. I kept it steady all the way to the finish of the first lap where I went through 1 mile in 6:30. This was a little slower than I’d hoped for but only by a few seconds and I was hoping this was a reasonably sustainable pace.

Around this time a local runner was on my shoulder. We ran the next km next to each other but once we turned the following corner he started to slowly put daylight between us. I felt myself slowing but couldn’t respond. I reasoned this was to be expected given the reasons outlined earlier so just went with it. I trailed ‘Colm’ through the 2 mile marker in 13:25! I couldn’t believe I was that slow as I’d been expecting only a slightly slower mile than the first one but yet it was a 6:55!

With the final mile I decided I’d try emptying the tank altogether. Unfortunately though the body was not in agreement! The legs were heavy and the lungs were tired so it ended up being more of the same with the gap to Colm widening a little more but I was never in serious threat of dropping a further place as I could hear the next guys footsteps on the sprint to the line and I ensured to keep him behind me. Ended up crossing the finish in 20:14 – 18th position (out of 49) and 16 seconds behind Colm with a 3 second gap to the next finisher. Final mile was 6:49. Finished off with a 2km cool-down to bring the distance for the evening up to almost 10km.

Pretty steady HR all the way through shows the effort was there but perhaps the output was lacking.

Not sure exactly what to make of this. Hoped to be closer to an averag pace of 4:00/km but it is a PB (20:27 & 21:10 on the same course last Winter) which is encouraging amongst the current workload. I’ll keep plugging away anyways with the Tuam 8km next weekend before the Raheny 5 miler the following weekend. I’ll try giving myself an easyish lead-in to those races to see if I can do serious damage to my 5 mile PB (34:46 in Terenure 2012). I’d be hoping for sub 33mins if conditions are favourable.

Week 1 Summary (so far):

RTW: 3 from 3 days

DTW: 35.0km

DTY: 117.8km

Year 2...

OK, I think that's enough of the New Year's references!!

Wednesday, 1st January 2014 – 13.0km Distance run (5:25/km)

I awoke to a raw throat and sniffly head this morning and when I looked out the window it was a pretty rotten morning so I debated the merits of running the 5k race. There was no way I would PB today (most likely would be about 40 seconds off PB if I was feeling 100%) and the fact that I had not pre-entered the race (meaning I would have to fork out €25 for the misery!) all resulted in me going for a recovery style Distance run in the park instead.

I was still unsure if I’d enter the race or not even while doing the first couple of kms (I had the entry fee in my pocket just in case!) but running South along Chesterfield Avenue cleared my mind and the strong wind present once and for all made my decision for me. As it was I ran by the start area and had a look out for familiar faces but could see none just yet. So I continued on for a lap of the US Ambassador’s residence/Papal Cross fields. I took this pretty handy as I had been made aware that the 5:00/km Distance pace I’d been targetting on my first few runs was unnecessarily quick. Something got lost in translation and I’d zoned in on hitting a target pace. Instead the plan actually calls for a flexible pace, one that the body is capable of on the day with the main focus being on recovery from tough sessions. So then, pretty much a recovery run as per P&D? Well yes, but with the flexibility to go as fast or as slow as you feel like whereas P&D was a bit more prescriptive about staying pretty slow.

I had returned to the race start area with about 5 mins remaining to the start. Again I failed to spot many people apat from Kate with whom I briefly chatted. I waited fro the field to start their race before continuing on my way for a few more kms. Before long I was back towards the Finish area and managed to catch the lead guys finishing in a great 2 man battle. This is something I rarely get to see as I’m usually further back in the race field istelf so it was entertaining. Afterwards I met Philip and a few of his Celbridge AC teammates who I met in Rotterdam. Also chatted with Medbh briefly before I took off for the closing 2km of my run. When I arrived back at my car I had managed to rack up 13km but it felt like nothing due to all the distractions of the race. Great to get it out of the way so early. As for the race itself, I think I definitely made the correct decision even if the weather got significantly more placid for the runners while they were on course.

Thursday, 2nd January 2014 - 21.4km MLR run (4:58/km)

The plan called for a MLR between 16km - 21km. The worrying part though was the pace required (4:50/km) as it would mean a tough run in what were tough conditions out there this evening. My thinking at the beginning was to warm-up with a few km at 5:00/km and then ramp it up til I hit 4:50 average pace. The reality though was that after 2km I turned Eastwards into the seabreeze and rain and this would continue in my face for the next 8km or so. By then I was happy to allow the conditions to claim 10secs/km so I maintained the pace in around 5:00/km for the duration of the run. Things felt good until the final 5km where I began to feel somewhat tired and it felt like a little extra work was required. But then I guess this is the part that improves us as runners! I upped the pace over the final 2.5km enough to result in an overall average moving pace of 4:58/km which I was very happy with as I went 400m over the upper end of the distance range. So, a very useful MLR which leads me into my LSR this Sunday. With a tempo to come on Saturday I feel like Monday’s Rest Day will not be messed with!

Friday, 3rd January 2014 - 11.9km Distance (5:28/km)

Just an easy 11.9km loop this evening to keep things ticking over. Kept the pace nice and relaxed with a mind to the tough two days to follow.

Saturday, 4th January 2014 - 11.9km MTP with 9km @ 4:34/km

This week asks for a MP run the day before the LSR. I presume this is as an introduction of what is to come next week when we combine the MTP kms into the LSR - Not looking forward to that!! Anyways, I went for the usual 'figure of 8' loop so the Southerly wind and the hills were always set against each other. The first few kms went well but by halfway I was beginning to feel it. Thankfully though I managed to maintain it all the way to the end of 9km, which was actually a little more than the upper limit of 40mins, so that's a good sign!

After the run I lay on the couch smugly watching the Gunners knock the stuffing out of a very poor Spurs team...what a day!

Sunday, 5th January 2014 - 24.6km LSR run (5:07/km)

Met up with Colm from Boards for this run in the Phoenix Park. We started off towards the canal but as we were about to turn left towards Blanch we saw that section was closed off, presumably from the recent wild weather. Instead we turned right, towards Phibsborough before turning around at the Des Kelly shop. We retraced our route for the most part back to the cars where we paused for a drink of water and to ditch our jackets. The day had started off poor enough but we were now pretty warm even if there was still quite a breeze in places.

We went back out tothrow in a large lap of the park and before long we were back at the cars again. I was done with my 24.5km but Colm went out for another loop. With the MTP run yeterday I was quite tired throughout today's run so was glad of the company. If left to my own devices I would surely have gone a bit slower out of mental laziness! As it was it rounded off a big week of training with almost 109km for the week with quite a lot of quality thrown in there too. 

Week 52 Summary (so far):

RTW: 7 from 7 days

DTW: 108.7km

DTY: 82.8km