Navan 6k

With the stormy weather of late, I wasn't sure if the Navan 6k would even take place. Thursday I did a few easy miles and the day was quite calm at that stage. The storm was forecast to hit late evening, and it didn't disappoint in its ferocity. I was hoping it would ease by morning, but by 10pm it was raging so I guessed I would likely give the race a miss, so the wine was opened and just a few glasses consumed, along with the obligatory Ferrero Roche, after eights, roses.....

While the winds hadn't eased much Friday morning, it was at least a lot brighter. I had only gotten about four hours sleep, entirely my own fault, that much sugar so late in the evening had me staring at the ceiling for hours. But, surprisingly, I felt pretty good, and even though everyone else had pulled out of going to the run, mostly due to the weather, I thought, sure how bad could it be? Besides, I really wanted to take part in a race again.

I arrived at the stadium in plenty of time, and it was clear from the outset that this was going to be a small field of mostly serious athletes, the weather having deterred all but the hardiest. I didn't know anyone, and I was the only club member. The start was delayed by 10 minutes. I had planned and set the garmin for a 5.55 mile pace. I had never run a 6k before, so this was about 5 seconds slower than my pb 5k pace. I was quickly towards the front, and there was a big group of  young athletes from Dunboyne just ahead of me. The first mile was 5.43, and felt quite easy, and it was mostly into the strong wind. I eased back slightly, and the young group went well ahead, and I was on my own. Mile two turned a corner and the wind on the back helped me along although I could hear some runners closing in from behind. The tucked in behind me, and I slowed to let them pass, better I used them to pace me than they use me for a windbreaker!

Mile two was 5.46, and again we turned into the crosswind, at one stage I nearly got blown off my feet ,and the pace got significantly harder. The small group of three stretched out ahead slightly, but I had to let them go as I was really feeling the pace. As we turned again, straight into the wind, the watch signalled mile 3 at 5.58. That annoyed me, although the conditions were tough, I knew I had gone off too fast, and was paying the price now. I really started to struggle at this stage, the last 1.2k or so, and not knowing the course, I didn't know where the finish was. As we came into the stadium, the finish in sight, a runner who had been right behind me for some time passed me, and I had nothing left to chase him down. He finish 3 seconds ahead of me, and took second place in category to my third. Finish time 22.29.

You know you have paced it wrong when you are only passed in a race, and pass nobody yourself. I think I overestimated by fitness going into the race judging by the time, although I do take some comfort from the fact that the weather played a big part. I am glad I went and did it, it has renewed my hunger for racing, and will give me a new determination heading into the new year.

3pm Slump

Not much out of the ordinary since I last posted, hence no recent blog. As the title suggests, the last few weeks have seen me lack any serious motivation. I have been very busy at work, and that, coupled with trying to get some runs in either before or after 10 or 11 hour working days meant I came down with a cold for a week or so. I found it difficult to shift, and I was forced to pare back the mileage significantly in order to give my body a chance to recover. I didn't run for 3 consecutive days, and only managed 3 in that particular week. This meant that my total mileage for the month of December is unlikely to be much more than 130. I take some comfort from the fact that it is the last month of the year, and psychologically a month for a bit of a wind down, in preparation for the new year and a renewed enthusiasm for the hard training ahead.

One of the features of my weeks this month was tempo Thursday. I have completed a 10k tempo each Thursday, trying to keep the times below 40 mins. Each has been on target, with the best at 38.32. This gives me some confidence going forward for my targets listed before. This past Thursday I only completed 4 miles of the 10k session with a few of the lads from the club, but the pace was good. I haven't done any long runs of more than 9 miles for a while now, and I dug out the heart rate monitor again to try to do some Maff type training. I also did a resting HR reading, which was 46, and tried to get a max HR reading which on the day was 197, but I have seen it at 209. Maff says, roughly, that aerobic training should be done at 180 - age, and depending on circumstances, maybe plus 5. Given that I am 40 that means 145 for me. I did a 9 mile at 150 average, and the pace varied from 8.05 to 7.30 depending on the terrain which was quite hilly. This felt very easy, which I suppose is the point, but had the effect of giving me some knee and shin pain afterwards, as I am not really used to running that slow. Most of the calculators online say that given my HR readings, my aerobic zone should be about 155 - 165 depending on which it is, so maybe a happy medium would work best for me. Going on 'feel' 155 to 160 seems a very easy effort for me, but I suppose the monitor can be seen as an impartial auditor.

Again, the weight issue. I was reading Mick Rice's blog earlier, and I found one of his many great observations very funny, yet so true. He said that the easiest way to make a runner happy was to enquire as to his well being, and ask him had he lost some weight. So true I think! Anyway, I haven't worried about the weight much at the moment, I have been doing some light weight training and core work for strength while the mileage has been low, and its Christmas, so bring on the cake!

I will be doing the Navan 6k this Friday, with a few of us heading over from the club. I am working on 26th and then off for a few days up to new years eve, the cheek of people wanting to fly all over the place at Christmas, keeping me busy! I don't expect a very good time for the 6k given my lack of recent racing and slower short distance pace, but I am looking forward to the race atmosphere again, having not done anything since the Dublin marathon. The weather isn't looking very good for Friday, but sure I wont get blown away just yet. A few easy miles Christmas day and Thursday are on the cards, maybe even a glass of wine at some stage. Happy Christmas.

Saddle Sore

As I wasn't going to run on Sunday due to the spin on the bike, I did a 13 mile run on Friday at an average pace of 7.33. The pace was tough at the start, and the middle few miles were easier, with the going getting tough again towards the end.

Saturday morning Brian C text, with the offer of doing 'a few 'miles on the bike for an hour, to learn the basics of riding in a group, which turns out is not that simple and there is quite a bit of etiquette to be observed. The few miles started with some steep hills, and then a short round trip to Skerries for a coffee, and back. At least Brian bought me some cake! By the time we got back, we had done 22 miles, and my legs were shot. I was really considering pulling out of the cycle the next day, but Brian said I would be fine, turns out he is not to be trusted!

The Sunday morning was cold and damp, myself Glen and Brian met with John from the running club at the start point. There were about 40 or so cyclists, and the pace at the start was quite manageable, felt easy even, in the same way the first 15 miles of a marathon are easy it turns out! I kept with the group until 38 miles, but they had upped the pace a bit and we met some pretty steep hills, so eventually I got left behind. I stopped and took a gel, turns out the GU chocolate gels are delicious, and don't make me sick, might be related to the chocolate element. Anyway, I just kept on pedalling, not very hard, but fast, I could keep spinning in the easy gear and that kept me going until the end. I picked up two other guys towards the end, and we finished together, last.

After the two days cycling, my legs were surprisingly fresh for running on Monday, but my butt was a different story! I likened the Saturday and Sunday cycle distances to someone who had never run more than 10k, doing a half marathon as practice for a full marathon the next day.

Monday was 7 miles at 7.07 average pace, Tuesday I was working late, so I did my speed work on my own. I did 4 reps of 6 minute miles, with 3 min jog rest between, again with 7 miles for the session.

Wednesday was a nice easy session of 5 miles at 7.45 pace.

Thursday was tempo day, 6 miles at 6.25 pace, with 1 mile warm up and cool down.

So far this month I have done 150 miles, and by the end I should have about 170 done, which is more than I did in either June or July. I still feel the marathon in my legs, I would be doubtful of a quick time in a 10k or half at this point, but I am doing more than double the miles I did this time last year, so hopefully that will stand to me when next season comes around.

28 Sweet Teeth

So, most people have 32 teeth, or there abouts, but I've had all my wisdom teeth out (and some might say it shows), so thankfully I only have 28 left to be sweet. I am convinced I am a naturally fat man in a relatively thin body, at the moment, but that battle is constantly raging. I have a ferocious appetite, love food, and have a particular weakness for cake and chocolate. I know that these things are an issue for many people, and I am lucky not to have an eating disorder, but it doesn't help that I find it so difficult to deal with the lure of the sugar. I try to get my fix from the natural sugars in fruit, and I love the grapes and apples and pineapples etc, but I am just an easy target for the marketing companies when it comes to the cheap deals on tins of biscuits and sweets. I don't buy them for myself of course, I think the wife and kids might like a treat, or its no harm to have a nice biscuit to offer if someone comes for a cup of tea. And then, when I have been good all day, had my run, eaten a good quality meal, sure an oul biscuit or two is no harm with a cup of tea. Then, in the evenings, after a day off, and a long week at work, a glass of wine or two, and sure a few peanut m&m's won't hurt. A cream bun on a Friday, a breakfast bar on an early with a coffee to keep the sugar levels up, and it all starts to add up.

To keep the fight somewhat even, last week I did 45 miles. I will try to keep the weekly mileage at this level, when I do any less it feels like I have had too easy a week. Monday was rest day and Tuesday was speed training. It was a good session as always, and we did over 4 miles at an average pace for me of 6.05. Wednesday was an easy 7 mile, Thursday easy 5 miles and Friday easy 7 miles all at around 7.30 pace. I didn't push the distance or pace for those days as I am trying to build an aerobic base. Saturday was tempo day,1 mile warmup, with 5 miles at 6.25 pace, which ended up being at 6.27 pace. Gary's instructions are to run the tempo runs at half marathon pace, for me this was 6.30, so I am trying to make this 6.25. The cooldown miles at 7.40 took me to 8.75 for the day, with an easy 10 miles at 7.35 pace on Sunday.

Again,this Monday was a rest day, did the speed session on Tuesday, and it was bitterly cold. Gary couldn't make it but left instructions for 4x6 min reps at 10k pace, with 3 min jog recovery between each rep. It was a good session, for the last rep I increased the pace to do a 5.50 mile within the 6 minutes, which felt pretty comfortable. Again, Wednesday was some recovery miles, and yesterday was tempo day, with the 5 miles at a solid 6.23 pace after a mile warmup followed by 2 cooldown.

I am doubtful now if I will do a spring marathon. The recent cold weather has reminded me of how difficult it can be to train in January and February in the wind rain and sometimes snow. I might feel different after Christmas, but I would like to work on getting my times for the shorter distances down. I would like to knock my 5k from 18.10 to 17.30, 10k from 39.00 to 38.00, and half marathon from 1.25 to 1.23. If I concentrate on these goals, and  try for a sub3 marathon at Dublin next year, these would be goals enough. Now that I have written them down, there is motivation to achieve them. Of course, it could all change at any time.

I have a few duathlons targeted in the new year, so I need to get on my bike, literally and metaphorically, and I mentioned this to Brian C from the club the other day. Before I had time to realise what I had said yes to, I agreed to do an 80k cycle this Sunday, in aid of the philipines disaster. Having then thought about the distance, I am not looking forward to it now, and expect to have an interesting walk for a while afterwards. Ah well, you have to start somewhere.    

Recovery

After the high of the Dublin marathon comes the cold weather, and the weight gain! Surprisingly, while the legs were of course sore the next day after the marathon, they were in far better shape than after any other. I even ventured over to speed training the next night, just for a gentle run, and also to congratulate Gary on his fantastic performance. Myself and Brian m, who also ran the marathon did about 2 miles of very easy laps, and I couldn't resist joining in with the main group for their last rep of fast 400's, just to see. I managed the run pretty well, although in actual fact, I suspect the full after effects of the marathon had not even impacted on the legs at that stage.

Garys advice for recovery was just very easy 15 minute runs every second day. Thursday I did 3 miles at 7.30 pace, and Sunday was 5 miles at the same pace. Monday was 6 miles slightly faster at 7.15 and I was at speed training that Tuesday, where although not back to normal the legs felt well on the way back to recovery, although the percieved effort for the pace was much harder.

Over the next few days I did 29 miles, mostly around the 7.15 pace, but the tempo I ran at 6.15 for 5 miles, which due to being away with work, had to be done on a treadmill in the hotel gym, so that may not have been very accurate. I don't like treadmill's very much. Sunday was the longest run so far at 10.5 miles with an average of  7.15 pace, although I met up with Glen for the last few miles, and he pushed me to a 6.50 for the last mile. Rest day Monday, and back to a tough speed training session on Tuesday night with Gary. We did timed runs, alternating between 5k and half marathon pace, with the faster timed portion increasing in intervals of 20 seconds up to 2 minutes and back down again, with the recovery being the half marathon pace at 1 minute. My garmin gave me 4 miles at average 6.05 minute miles, and I felt pretty good after, and would have happily done another few slower miles.

Yesterday, I headed out for an easy 6 miles, and because they were supposed to be run at an easy pace, I decided to incorperate some pretty steep hills. Of course, once I had warmed up, the 'easy' pace went out the window, and I ended up trying to run flat out up the hills, and tempo down and the flats, and did a total of 7 miles. About 2 hours after I had been home, the legs got very sore, and for the rest of the evening I realised I had definately pushed it too hard. The stairs became an unexpected challenge, and I was definately paying the price for two hard workouts so close together. I guess the body has a way of letting you know when you are being stupid!

My appetite has gone through the roof since the marathon, and I am finding it more and more difficult to stop rewarding myself for the great job I have done with cake and chocolate. The combination of this, and the reduction in miles per week has resulted in the inevitable weight gain. I have accepted that I will put a few pounds on, and am up to 10st 4lbs now, so from here I will have to be carefull, half a stone is alot to try to have to loose again.

I have no races planned between now and the end of Febuary. The next one will probably be the Bohermeen half marathon, but if there was a race at a weekend I was off I would probably give it a go. There is a possibility of the Manchester marathon in April, its flat and fast, one or two others in the club might give it a go also. I intend to keep the weekly mileage about 35 or so and try to work on speed for 10k's etc for the next few months, and trying to get some consistant sub 6 minute mile workouts. In the meantime, christmas is coming, and the runner is getting fat!

The Beyond.

As the guy in the A-team used to say, 'I love it when a plan comes together'.

The forecast for Monday morning of the race was initially poor. Somehow, it changed about 12 hours before, and on the morning conditions were almost perfect.  No rain, temp about 11 degrees, and a fresh breeze. I had gone to bed the night before at 9.30 having not slept very well the night before.
I drifted off to sleep pretty much straight away, and aside from a few toilet breaks during the night due water loading that day, I slept very well, being woken by the alarm clock.
Had the breakfast, did the required morning routine, off for the bus.

We got there in good time and made our way to the bag drop. We headed to the start area mostly together, but found our own places among the masses of eager runners. I made my way to the 3.10 pacers to say hello to Thomas Bubendofer as i said I would. I had been expecting to pace a 7.15 but Thomas told me the garmin measures long, so it would be a 7.10 pace on the watch, and i reset my virtual partner. The virtual partner is pretty much the only thing I use now, set it and forget it, follow it and you are on pace.

At the start, there was the usual bottle necks and the first mile was very slow at 7.40. Over the next few miles, once the crowd had thinned out a bit, the pacers made up the time with 3 6.50 pace minutes. I didn't really mind the faster pace, although it was noticeable, and it was probably a bit challenging for some of the fellow 3.10 group.  Once the time had been recouped, the pace then settled again towards 7.10 or so.

I made sure to follow Gary's advice, and drank water from the very first station, and every one there after. My plan was just water and sports drinks provided, no gels, so it was important that I got my drink at every station.  The miles ticked by beautifully for the most part, and at times up to about 15 miles as I was amongst the group, it was almost that I could forget I was even running, the pace being very comfortable. There were a few sections where the breeze was quite stiff and that woke me up pretty well.  As we got into the high teens, and started to drop some people, I started to think about the wall. Would I fall apart at 18 to 20 like I had done at the other 3 marathons?

Mile 18, 19 and 20 went by, and I still felt really good.  I spotted a fellow club runner, Brian C, would had gone off with the 3 hour group, but had fallen off the pace, up ahead and I went ahead of the 3.10 group to pick him up and maybe encourage him to join with me, but he was suffering with a recurring injury, and he knew he couldn't maintain the pace so I kept going.

21 miles alert on the watch, I was still feeling good, no wall yet, ok now or never, if I wanted to run for negative splits I had to try now, so I went ahead of the pacers. At 22, there were some fellow club members out to support the runners and it gave me a great lift. I felt like I was flying along, the adrenaline was pumping, and I felt strong.  23, 24, more club members cheering me on, I was maintaining a 7 min pace. The finish was in reach, and although the effort was definitely much harder at this stage, I knew I was not stopping and was confident I could maintain it.

The support in the final stages of the Dublin marathon is nothing short of mind bending.  My last mile was exactly a 7 min mile, and I was passing out runners at a huge rate, alot walking, I even passed the 3 hour pacer who had obviously fallen off pace. The energy I was drawing from the crowds, as I ran at what felt like 100 miles an hour to me, was massive, with my arm raised coming around the last bend, shouting "come on", probably looking like a raving looney, but absolutely savouring and enjoying every last second off it! I had done it, I had ran, non stop, at my target pace, or faster, for 26.2 miles, and finished strong and excited and amazed, and every other emotion that every other finisher felt on that day, at that finish line, and I loved it!

My time was 3:08:51, a new pb by almost a full 30 minutes.
Almost every one of us in the club who had trained under Gary's plan and coaching sessions achieved massive pbs, and the others were as good as their previous pbs.

When I started writing this blog I said, I would either have to adjust my ability to match my expectations, or vice versa.  Each and every one of our club members who achieved their pbs under Gary's training, also would not have done so without putting in the massive amount of work required. I think for previous marathons  I may have felt that i was putting in sufficient training, but probably wasn't doing enough for what I wanted to achieve. Well done to all my club mates, and particularly the supporters who came in on the day.


Now I just need to shave off  another 9 minutes or so... GGARYYYY.....

To Infinity.. And Beyond!

I havn't posted for a while, there has not been alot to say.

Training has been going well since Athlone. Last week, before the taper began, I covered 62 miles in total, which was pretty much up there with the most miles covered in a week.
On the Sunday, I wanted to test myself a bit after not having a great run in Athlone, so I headed out for a 20 mile run. Gary's plan said 17,so I figured it wasn't too much over, and his pace was 20-30 seconds slower than marathon pace. I decided to aim for a 7.20 pace.Before I went out, I placed some  drinks along the route, in similar positions to where they would be for the marathon itself, and the route was very similar to the marathon course in terms of terrain, mostly flat, but with a couple of fairly steep drags in places.
I had been up for work at 5.30am that morning, and it was about 4.30 when I headed out. I was tierd, but I figured that was a good thing, as I probably won't sleep much before the marathon.
The run went very well, and the pace was very comfortable, so at 17 miles I upped it to a 7.10 pace for the last 3. The last mile dropped back a bit, it was hilly towards home. I felt really strong finishing, and that particular run gave me a bit of confidence back.
I took no gels for the run, and it confirmed to me that I am better off without them.

Athlone and that 20 miles were the two longest runs I have done for this marathon. Gary's plan didn't even require 20 miles at any stage, his longest being 19. I am glad I have done them. I suspect however, they may be a bit like a fighter pilot and an ejection seat. He is glad to have it there, but if he finds he needs to use it, it has probably all gone horribly wrong already, and the chances of it saving him are not great.

The taper started this week, and strangely, I am missing the long runs, I think its a bit like stolkhom syndrome! Carb, salt and water loading start tomorrow, bring on the Christmas cake, 67% carbs!

This is my third marathon, and one every other one, I have gone out too fast and fallen apart. The training I have done for this one has been far greater, in both quality and quantity. I started writing this blog after the last one, which was only in May of this year, where I achieved my PB of 3.37. Now, with the pain still fresh, I am heading out targeting a 3.10. That would be a massive jump for anyone to make, and if I finish anywhere close to it I would be delighted.

My wife says I do a great buzz lightyear impression. Anyone with no kids might not know who buzz is. Anyway, his catch phrase is "to infinity, and beyond". The marathons I have run before have reminded me of this. 20 miles is the infinity, and the beyond is the last 6.2 miles. At 20 miles, my body has invariably screamed 'stop you idiot', and I have listened. This time, I intend to go beyond!

The sincerest best of luck to all those running on Monday, whatever their expectations are. Also a thought for anyone who would love to be there but can't.

Next update, the result!

Murphy's Law

All week I had been looking forward to the Athlone 3/4 marathon. Thursday I did a mile warm-up and a 6 mile tempo at 6.40 pace with a short cool down. Friday was rest, and Saturday I did 4 miles at 7 min pace. I was working on lates all week, which meant finishing and getting home after midnight every night, so I was pretty tired as the week came to a finish. I got home about half past midnight on Saturday night and bed just after 1. I didn't pack my bag with my gear for Sunday morning, sure I could do it while my breakfast settled before collecting the lads.

As usual before a race I am nervous about, I didn't sleep very well. I kept having dreams about waking late and missing the race, so when I woke up at one stage I looked at the clock. 8.19. Shiiiiit, I was supposed to collect the lads in one minute, I slept in. Well that will happen when you forget to set the feckin alarm! So, no bag packed, no breakfast, not a great start. Phoned the lads, eh, running a bit late! Raced around, packed back, porridge in microwave, took bowl and spoon and into the car. Going out I took my sports drink, and, even though I don't use them, I reckoned I might just take a spare gel I had in the press, 'just in case'.

We swapped about half way and Brian drove so I could eat my breakfast. 8.20 was already a tight time schedule, and now we were 15 mins behind that. Got there, found registration, got changed. Couldn't find guy who would place my sports drink at the 8 mile point for me. So, to be delicate, normally in the morning, I have a certain 'routine' which the body likes, and this did not happen at home due to the hasty departure! So the rest of the time before the race was spent looking for a facility, of course anyone who has been to any race knows there are always queues, so when I eventually got a portaloo, no toilet paper! So off I had to go with a 'full load' as it were. This was not going well. Brian C could not run the race due injury, but was marshalling. When I came out of the hotel looking for a toilet, everyone had gone! Off they went to the start line and I had to try and pass hundreds to get near the start, then GO!

Off I went, gel in one hand, 500ml bottle of lucozade in other. The weather was good for running, when we started it was calm and overcast and about 15 degrees. I had planned a 6.55 pace.

Mile 1 @ 6.45
Mile 2 @ 6.52
Mile 3 @ 7.04
Mile 4 @ 6.41
Mile 5 @ 7.06
Mile 6 @ 6.54
Mile 7 @ 6.48

So the timings were not too bad, the slower miles were generally on the uphill segments, and I banked a small bit for the hilly miles on the downhills. What was really annoying was carrying the lucozade. Those big bottles are pretty heavy, and throw your form out a lot, so I decided to drink as much as I could from about 4 miles on to get rid of the bottle.

Mile 8 @ 7.10 (hill)
Mile 9 @ 6.49

I had drank 3/4 of the bottle and decided to throw the rest away. I wanted to free up both my hands, so I decided it would be a good time to take the gel.

Mile 10 @ 6.39
Mile 11 @ 6.57

To this point, only about two runners had passed me, and I had passed quite a few. I was feeling strong and thought I was going well. It had started to rain quite heavily at about mile 7 and I was soaked through, but that's the joys of running and we were all in the same boat. At about this time I began to get a bit of a stitch in my side and tried to ignore it. I needed to burp badly but couldn't, and when I did, I got sick lucozade sport in my mouth. The stitch began to get worse, much worse.

Mile 12 @ 6.47
Mile 13 @ 7.20

On mile 13, I had to stop with the pain of the stitch. I bent over touching my toes to try and get rid of it, and it helped a bit.

Mile 14 @ 6.58

I was really struggling with major stitches and pain, and trying my best to shuffle through. The legs wanted to go, but the pain under my ribcage and lower abdomen was killing me. I really felt like crying, I wanted to run but couldn't. I stopped again, bent over in agony, and I could see some concerned faces running up from behind me, the phoenix park tragedy probably still fresh in everyone's mind, and I waved them on to keep going saying it was just a stitch.

Mile 15 @ 7.09
Mile 16 @ 7.16
Mile 17 @ 7.31

The stitch had started to subside at about 17 miles, but at that stage, I was spent. Whether it was the stitch or I had gone out too fast or a combination of both did not matter. I was NOT enjoying this. My feet were squelching with wet and I was fed up. I just plodded along praying for the finish, but with the dreaded 18 mile hill to go. And so I met the hill, which is at 18.5 miles. I put the head down and kept running. I passed a few guys who were walking, but I just kept thinking, a slow run is faster than a fast walk. ( unless you are Robert Heffernan ).

Mile 18 @ 7.34
Mile 19 @ 8.15
Last .7 @ 5.24 to finish at 2.20.20. A nice even time.

It was a really tough race for me, the hills were killers. After a hot shower and a coffee on the way home, I felt pretty good, with not much soreness in the legs after a stretch out. The run reminded me of why I don't like marathon's, or runs over 15 miles. I don't enjoy them and I am not good over the longer distances. having said that, my target for the run was 2.20, and I achieved that, so its not all bad. I knew before the run that gels didn't agree with me, but of course, I just don't learn that quickly!

Well done to my fellow club mate Glen, who came in two minutes behind me with a very solid run, steady as always. And of course our coach, Gary O'Hanlon, who won the event in fine style!

Steady as she goes..

Much of the same old story for marathon preparation for the last week or so, building miles and stamina. The club cross country meet was a great success with my daughter coming 35th out of 35 in her race. She was disappointed, and although I was immensely proud of her for taking part in her first ever race and finishing, I could tell she was a bit upset although she put on a brave face. We had a long chat, and thankfully she hasn't been deterred. She is even more determined to practice and train with her dad to improve for the next time. The club has it's underage training on a Monday and she is really enjoying it, the last few weeks have been varied, not just running, and there is a massive amount of kids taking part which is great for both their health and the future of the club. looking at them I often wish there was such a facility when I was younger in my area.

I am still unsure at this late stage what time to aim for in the marathon. A few months ago my target was a sub 3.30 at best, bearing in mind my PB is 3.37. That moved a few weeks ago to hope for a 3.15. I am currently running my tempo runs at 6.45, given that Gary says they should be run 10 seconds faster than marathon pace, and while they are not 'easy' nor are they difficult given my 13 miles at 6.30 or so pace. My long runs, 18.5 last Sunday, are at 7.25 pace and I ran the last 4 at negative splits of 5 seconds faster at 715 -7.20. This is 30 seconds slower than goal marathon pace as per Gary, which again, would indicate a 6.55 to 7.00 pace. I really enjoyed the speedwork session this week, which although tough, was a great workout, and when I went for my slow 6 miles yesterday I had to really make an effort to 'slow' the pace to a 7.20 min mile, which I suppose is what I am running my LSR at.

All this would indicate a possible sub 3.00 marathon, and a few people I have spoken to have suggested that they feel this would be very achievable for me, but I honestly never ever considered that this would even be a remote possibility for me, and it scares the shit out of me. Do I go for it and make a balls of it and ruin my marathon, or play it 'safe' for say a 3.10 (again, more than I ever considered I would ever be able for), and then finish strong and always wonder if I had pushed myself, did I waste the chance of a sub 3? Given that the wife says no marathon next year, and I am happy to agree, this very well might be my best and last chance to ever achieve a sub 3.

I have entered the Athlone 3/4 marathon this Sunday and I am planning to run it at 6.55 to 7.00 pace. I say planning, as apparently the course is quite hilly, so I might have to adjust my expectations as I go. Peter made a very good comment at speed training on Tuesday, "don't leave your marathon in Athlone", so I won't push it too hard, but I would like to see how I feel after the pace and distance in an event atmosphere.

Mileage for the last few weeks has been steady at between 55 to 60, with 250 for September in total. I feel really strong, no colds, no injuries, fast running etc. Dr Phil Maffetone reckons that an athlete will show his peak performance when he has just passed the point of being over trained, and will start to show signs of this overtraining shortly after peaking and suffer a rapid decline in performance and be prone to injury and illness as a result. Hopefully my good form lately is not following this pattern.

Running or Racing?

There was a nice feel of familiarity today as we set off for the Dublin half marathon. The banter was good as the four of us chatted about strategy as went drove in. I hadn't slept well, about 4 or 5 hours at most, and the effects were showing as we performed a rapid lane change to make the motorway exit I almost missed. On arrival the park was much busier than it had been for the 10 miler, there was about 6000 participants registered.

We had come up with a 'foolproof' master plan on the way in. After alot of thought, we decided that the four of us would stick together and run as a unit at a 6.30 pace for as long as possible. There weren't alot of club runners doing the event for a number of reasons, injury mostly, and the passing and funeral of the father of a senior club member. The warmup was a bit short, and we did it over grass which didn't suit me, and we headed for the start line, positioning ourselves well forward.

When the start klaxon sounded we were all together, and the master plan quickly went out the window! Away went Brian C like the proverbial hare, and me chasing after him. I quickly realised (again), that the pace was too fast and slowed up. Glen caught up and I settled into the 6.30 pace. It was about 3 miles I caught Brian C again and we ran together pretty much for the rest of the distance. I felt really strong and comfortable, and Brian kept urging me to go ahead, but I preferred to stay with him, and after a bit of back and froward, Brian crossed the finish 8 seconds ahead of my time of 1.26.06, a new PB for me by 4 full minutes. We met Gary o'Hanlon along the course and towards the end his words of encouragement really spurred me on.

And so to the title of this post. I am a runner because I run. Many people run for a variety of reasons, each unique to themselves. For me, enjoying myself, and the experience, is one of the most important things. Of course I like to improve my times, do my best, and compare my performance to others, but  to race is to try to win. Everyone who ran today, and every day, is a winner in their own personal challenge. I believe I could have ran today's run maybe a minute or two faster had I gone ahead a few miles earlier, but I would certainly not have enjoyed the experience half as much. I doubt if I will ever be good enough to win a race, but when I started to run that was never my aim, so what difference does it make if I am one minute faster or slower? Enjoy the journey, that is whats important. At my level, run, don't race. Victory will still be yours, and it will be all the sweeter when you have enjoyed the journey.

The sentiment in part was inspired by the very sad news that a fellow participant in the event died today. We are all lucky, no matter what time we achieved, to able to go home to the people we care about, and tell them our stories of victory, of the great event on a beautiful day, and run another day, PB's or not. Well done to all my fellow club members, great running by all. Star of the sea cross country event tomorrow, good luck to all participants.

Slow week

This week felt very slow, after the high of a good time for the 5k I struggled to get motivated. I think it is because I have missed two weeks of speed training, and the pace seems slow and difficult. The day after the 5k I did a slow run and on the Thursday was the 10 mile tempo with a mile warm up and cool down. The pace was 6.53 average, and I was a bit disappointed with that, as I had been using this run as a tester for the half in the park this Saturday where I am looking for a 6.30 pace, which was the pace for the 10 miler a few weeks ago. I am putting the slow pace down to work this week, I have been putting in pretty much 12 hour days, getting up early before work to run, and not finishing until midnight, combined with the runs really took its toll.

Saturday was my long run, again up early before work, and it was a nice day for running. 18.6 miles at a 7.29 pace, again was faster than it needed to be for the marathon training pace, but I was using this run as a tester for the 3/4 marathon in athlone in two weeks time. 50.5 miles for the week was probably a bit short, I took my rest day on Sunday instead of the Wednesday.

Monday was 7 miles of hills and Tuesday was 8 miles of the same, 7.20 and 7.15 pace respectively. Wednesday, 5.5 at 6.58, and we are tapering for Saturday over the next two days with a short two mile tempo today, and some strides only tomorrow. As I said at the start, I think I am getting a cold or something, I have no energy, and worse, I am finding it difficult to get motivated to go running.
It could be the long week at work, the change in the weather, a cold, the cumulative effects of the long weekly milage, or all of this combined. Whatever it is, I am not hopeful of a good time on Saturday, and I hope it passes soon.

Sunday is the club cross country race in Greenanstown, the weather is forecast good, and I am excited to be helping out with the organisation. I doubt if I will run it myself, cross country is not really my thing and I hope to put a few hours on the legs afterwards on Sunday, I will need it to recover the lack of miles this week.

My previous PB for the half distance is 1.30, so hopefully the next report will show something better.

Old news- another PB !

Slightly less miles this week, 55 in total as I stuck to Gary's plan more rigidly for distance although not times. The tempo run on Thursday was 9 miles, with a mile warm up and cool down and was run at 6.45 pace. It was also serving as a tester for planned pace for the upcoming Dublin race series half marathon in the phoenix park on the 21st of this month. The pace was comfortable enough, and alot of the miles were 6.30 or so.  The test will be whether I can sustain the pace over the 13 miles.

I did my long run on Saturday, 16 miles at 7.45 pace, which was alot easier than last week.  I am still only using water and sports drink, although the body has not been tested for carb exhaustion on any time over 2.20 with this programme. That worries me a bit. 17 miles are planned for this weekend at almost race pace again, and Thursdays tempo is 10 miles at 20 seconds faster than race pace.

Saturday night were the birthday celebrations, and I consumed very little alcohol and was fresh on Sunday for an easy enough 9 miles, although I was glad it wasn't the long run.  I was back to work flying on earlies on Monday morning, up at 4.30 for a 12 hour day due to some delays, and back up on Tuesday for another early shift, although I finished at 2pm. I was due to run the Grant Thornton corporate challenge race in Dublin city Tuesday evening and I tried in vain to get a nap in the afternoon. The event was huge, almost 3000 runners, and the course was very flat around the keys         in the city centre. I picked  up two work colleagues, and we headed in. We met our third team member, 4 a team and headed to the start line after a warm up. I did the usual survey of fellow runners, trying to asses where I might fit in and eventually finish, and it was evident that there were some pretty good runners present.  The current world champion 50k walker, Rob Heffernan was also taking part.

As usual at the start there were runners too far towards the front out of line with their  ability, and there was alot of weaving to be done to pass them. It was clear from the start though that there were some really good runners taking an early lead. At the first mile the garmin showed a 5.35 mile and I was worried that this was too fast, although I felt really strong, so I eased back.  There were a few out and back segments which allowed me to see the front runners and the people behind. The second mile was a 5.49 which I figured was just about right. The third mile was a 5.55 and I cursed myself for dropping the pace so much as I still felt really strong so I upped the pace towards the finish line, getting stuck behind two guys who had nothing left as I tried to pass them to the line to finish at 18.10, a new pb (again ) by 35 seconds.

After the race comes the post run analysis. Could I have done more, well on this occasion I think I could and even though I am VERY happy with the time, I think the sub 18 was defo on the cards for the taking. Even though I had 55 miles on the legs for the week, it is very obvious that Garys training is paying off in spades.  When the marathon training is finished, I hope to concentrate more on the speedwork and 5 and 10k's. Today I also signed up for the athlone 20 mile run on October 6th. That will be a real test of  distance and Brian C is running it, which is real pressure, although I don't think I will be able to run his pace, he is a sub 3 runner after all. 10 mile tempo and 17 miles for the long one this week.  I am flying on lates, which means getting up early, running and working until well after midnight. Bring it on !!!       

Building miles

When I started Gary O'Hanlon's marathon training plan, I felt it was a bit tame, and didn't count on the cumulative effect of the mileage building, but then, I suppose that is the idea. This week I did 58 miles, which is more than required by the schedule, but not by much. The workload has increased significantly this week, with a 9 mile tempo, 15 miles long run at 30 seconds slower than marathon pace and the short runs are 7 miles approx. Its the long runs at the end of the week that I find difficult at the moment. Yesterday I did 18 instead of 15, but the last 3 miles were very slow and up some pretty steep hills on the way home. I am hoping the slow miles at the end will slightly increase my endurance and teach my body to start to burn fat as well as carbs for energy. This should help with energy requirements as I am not planning on using gels on marathon day. Since I stopped using the gels on the long runs, I don't have any of the sickness I was feeling after using them.

Obviously Gary knows his stuff, that was never in doubt, maybe I felt the plan was easier at the start as I was already doing 40 miles a week when we started. My mileage for the month was 216, which was a new record for me, and it shows me that while I thought I was doing alot of mileage for other marathons, obviously I wasn't!

My weight is still dropping a bit, I am now 10st 2lbs, before runs, and I am happy with that. A few more pounds should see me at my ideal race weight, just in time to start increasing my carb intake for the marathon. I do look a bit different than I did when I was 12 st 8lbs, and it is getting slightly tedious with all the comments about my weight loss. I am probably fitter and eating healthier than at any other time in my life.

Its my 40th this weekend, so I will probably be well carb loaded for my long run this week, I might even hydrate on Saturday night, although I don't think bulmers is the prefered fuel of many runners!

In the Park with Frank.

Tuesdays speedwork session went well this week, even though I had been up for work at 5am that morning and flying earlies all week, the fact that I had two rest days in a row definately helped. We did 3 sets of 3x600's at 5k pace. I ran them comfortable pace and was happy with steady 124 second pace for the laps.

Wednesday was a 9 mile run at an easy 7.45 pace and thursday I jogged down and back to the track which was 3 miles and 2x600's at 630 pace. Friday I didn't run, and the weather wasn't great anyway so I was kind of glad of an excuse not to go out in the rain.

I was driving up to the run on Saturday morning, and I got a reasonably good night sleep on friday night which I find is very important to do well. I also had some chips from the chipper soaked in salt and vinegar as a combined carb and salt loading meal. It was a real treat as I havn't had fast food for a long time, but I have to say, I wouldn't be sorry not to have it again for a while.
Anyway, had the usual porridge banana and almond with honey breakfast, and went and collected Glen and the two Brians. It was great to all go together for a bit of a chat and some banter. We got there n hour before the race and the place was still quiet enough. We met up with the other club members as they arrived and shared some sweets, got the photos done and dropped the bags. We went for a warmup run as per Garys instructions for about 10 minutes, and Brian C ran us up a cul de sac, so there was a bit of panic as to wether we would get back to the start in time! We made it ok and joined the crowd pretty close to the start.

Brian C was not going to wear a garmin, but run on feel. Brian M was looking to run a 6.30 pace. Brian M is a lovely steady runner who knows his stuff, so I figured I would do well to try and stick with him. At the off we all got seperated. I could see Brian C ahead, and I was going to stick with him, but when I looked at the Garmin it showed a 5.45 pace. I knew that was way too fast so I let him go and waited for the others. I picked up with Brian M and we settled into a nice steady 6.30 pace, although the first mile was a 6.02 for me, I wasn't worried. We maintained a very nice pace and Brian reeled me back quite a few times as I was running too fast. This was fantastic for me as I need to learn to pace correctly and not burn out too early. We caught Brian C at 5 miles, and passed him. I gave him a nudge as we came alongside and some 'friendly' words of encouragement and we went ahead. I did't know it, but he kept pace with us from there and was on our heels pretty much all the way to the finish. At 8 miles I was keen to up the pace as I was feeling good still, but I didn't want to leave Brian and was afraid of pushing too early. We stayed together until 9 miles and I went for a faster pace for the last mile. I crossed the line in 1.04.33 and the two Brians were just seconds behind. I was very happy with the run, and doubt I would have made that time without Brian M's help.

Today was a long 14 mile run at an easy pace. I really struggled from the off. I was sweating very hard after 2 miles and wanted to give up at 7. I pushed on to finish the full 14 at a 7.45 average pace, although quite a few were at the 8 min pace towards the end. I know there was no pace required just an easy pace, but I think no matter what pace it was, it would have been difficult. It wasn't made any easier by the fact I only finished work at 2am the night before, due to a broken window which required us to change aircraft and we got very delayed. 46 miles for the week, and two good sessions. I am not sure now if I am going to do the Dublin marathon, I will decide closer to the time. I will do the half though, and there is a 5k in two weeks on a flat course in the city which I am running as part of a team from work which I will target for a PB.

Almost 60 !!

Well, miles that is, this week. A steady increase in the weekly miles as I work towards the Dublin marathon and some fairly good tempo runs. This week I was working on Tuesday, so Gary O gave me the speedwork session on facebook and I did it in the morning before I went flying. 5x800's and I did them at a steady 2.45 pace, with a easy 5k run cool down.

On wednesday I decided to do my tempo run instead of Thursday as per Gary's program. I headed out at what was my easy first mile and didn't look at the pace. It was a 7.05, so I thought I would run the tempo 30 seconds faster, at 6.30 pace and see how long I could maintain it. At 6 miles I was feeling good and the average pace was 6.25. I was sipping from a bottle of water I had with me, I am finding that being hydrated, even from the first few miles of running is improving my performance, even over fairly short mileage runs. I am signed up for the Frank Duffy 10 mile in the park this Saturday, so I kept the pace for the 10 miles to finish at 1.06. I was pretty happy with that, as I have never raced that particular distance before. I know that you would expect to run the race at a faster time than training runs, but if I can repeat that on Saturday I will be very happy.

Thursday evening we had a photo shoot to be included in this Thursday's Irish Independent fit supplement. After, a few of us decided to do a run. We headed out for an 8 mile at about 7.30 pace. At the start I found this easy pace a bit slow and kept speeding the pace, but the lads kept reeling me in. By the end of the 8 miles I was glad they did, as I was feeling the effect of the previous nights fast run on the legs.

Friday was an easy 7 miles at the 7.30 pace. On Saturday I decided to do my long run as I had to be up for work on Sunday at 4.30am and had a pretty long days flying, so i knew i would be in no mood for running big miles on Sunday. I went out not sure what distance I would do, but a minimum of 13 was on Gary's plan at 30 to 45 seconds slower than target race pace. I was doing a loop which passed my house a few times, and extended the first. It rained heavily on the first lap, so after 10 miles I popped into the house and changed my top and shorts and set off again. I am trying to up the distance without using gels, just drinking water and lucozade sport for carbs and salt. I kept well do the 30 secs slower pace and ended up with 20 miles done at the steady 8 min pace, and felt tired after the 56 miles in the 6 days, but surprisingly ok after that particular run.

Sunday, as anticipated, I took as my rest day, which surprised the wife, and today it was my Princess Kayleigh's 8th birthday, so after work it was straight home and then off to the party, home for dinner and cake, and shortly off to bed, so no run today either. I can't remember the last time i didn't run for two days, but it should stand to me at tomorrows speed session, and an easy week in preparation for the 10 miler on Saturday will be no harm.

The gang from the club all did brilliantly at the local Duleek 10k so well doen to them all, I was disappointed to miss it.

New pb, again!

So, another 10k pb today. Annagassan was the venue for a lovely coastal run, with good sunshine and a fresh breeze. I met up with a few other club members before the start and there was some good humoured banter. I had pulled a muscle at work yesterday in my shoulder doing nothing in particular, but the first few minutes of the warmup were very painful and I wasn't sure if I would run the race at all. It seemed to improve as the warmup went on , so I figured I would give it a go, easy pace if need be. Coach Gary O'Hanlon was there, so that was a win out of the question,lol!

At the off I found myself with Gary and the leading 5 or 6 for the first half mile, so I knew I was definately going too fast and slowed up a bit. The first mile was a 5.45, and felt good at that stage, but it was a long way to go. At about 3k there was quite a steep hill, which really hurt, and the second mile was 6.08 followed by 6.17 for the hill, then back to 6.08 again, which is the pace I was aiming for, around 6.10. As we came out along the coast road, there was quite a stiff breeze blowing and it slowed me down quite a bit to 6.36, then 6.37. As we came out of the breeze I picked back up sprint to the finish. I was first home from the club, 14th overall, and a new pb at 39.01.

Training is going well, tomorrow's run will see me at 54 miles for the week, the next race is the frank Duffy 10 mile in Dublin. I am hoping a 6.40 pace for the 10 mile should be realistic, but I have never done that particular distance before. At speedwork training last Tuesday night I broke my mile record at 5.30. The training is paying off, most of my races are new pb' s and I definately think I am improving. As expected, Gary won the race!

Towards Dublin

Fifty miles this week had me feeling pretty good about getting back into the serious marathon training schedule. I ran every day even though I missed Gary's speed work session on Tuesday due to work. I did pretty much a 6 or 7 miler every day, except Tuesday morning which was my own speedwork session, but I never feel I get as much out of doing it on my own.

On Thursday, I did 7 miles tempo, all at 6.35 min miles. Sunday was my long run, which was 2 x 7 mile laps which passed my house. It is quite a hilly lap, so it was good variation training too. It was a pretty consistent 7.25 pace, which is just a little faster than my goal race pace of 7.30 or 3.15 for the marathon. I felt pretty good after the 14 miles, although I did feel the effort towards the end of the run.

I seem to have been picking up more than the usual amount of colds lately, and suspect I may have been over doing it with long days at work and some hard training, so I decided to take Monday off, because I wanted to while I felt good, and not because I had to due fatigue.

Back to speedwork last night which was a gentle two mile warm up, followed by 4x 1200m 5k pace laps, then 2 mile cool down. I really like the speedwork sessions, and could go for alot longer, but the session is only an hour long. Back to work tomorrow on earlies, which are all a 5.20am start, so what enthusiasm I will have for running at 5 pm that evening will be questionable. I also find that the quality of the session after such early starts is not that good, but at least I will cover some distance I suppose.

Fingal 10k

I was very confident going into this race of a good time. Clogherhead was a much tougher course, and a 39.35 there would surely leave me in witha good chance of a sub 39? The morning was perfect for running, not sunny, but nice and warm at 22 degrees, and just a light breeze. I had slept reasonably well the night before, had a good breakfast and arrived at the start nice and early. I met up with some of the club members and had a chat, and we made our way to the start line.

The start was divided into two groups, sub 40 and over 40 min finish times. Looking around, I was a bit annoyed at the masses of people in the sub 40 start group who clearly were not sub 40 runners. As usual, at the start gun, these selfish people just get in the way and slow up the faster runners at the start by having to try and navigate around them and draining much needed energy. It should be a fun day out for everybody, and everyone has different abilities, people should just try and be sensible, and start from a position further back, in line with their expectations. Sorry, rant over.

Anyway, off we went. The course was pretty flat. I spotted a clubmate who I figured had similar ability to myself up ahead, so I caught up to him. While I was feeling pretty good, I didn't really feel that I was settling into a comfortable pace, and found myself working harder than I did in Clogherhead to maintain the pace. I dropped back a bit from Brian, my clubmate, as I didn't want to slow him up if my pace dropped. The miles ticked by quickly enough and I settled in to a good stride eventually. I started to pass e few runners who had gone out to fast from mile 3 onwards. I kept Brian about 100 meters ahead, which I figured would place me ahead on time as I had started after him. Looking at the watch, with an average pace of 6.15 min/mile, I was confident sub 39 was on the cards. At 8k I decided to push the pace and started to overtake some runners who I had been trailing behind. At 9k there was a guy calling out the time, 35.10 he called to me, ok, a 3.45 kilometer would do it, no prob, kick it up a gear. As soon as I increased the pace again, I got a sharp pain on my right side. It was a stitch, ok, keep going, no panic. The stich got worse, rapidly, and was probably the worst I have ever had. I rounded the last corner, and could see the finish line. My pace slowed significantly, the stitch got worse, and runners who I had passed began to stream past me. I could see the clock, 38.35, I would never make it! Despair started to set in, I demanded my body to keep going, I was bent over in pain, I honestly can say it was like someone driving a hot poker into my ribcage. I slowed to a crawl, and as one runner who I had passed early went by, he called out to me  " don't stop, keep going, your nearly there". That encouragement really inspired me, and I pulled my self upright and burst through the pain to stagger over the finish line. 39.14, a new PB by 6 seconds.

I felt the pain of the stich for at least 30 mins after the race finished. I met up with the other club members, and had the post race chat and photo. I was happy enough with the time, although disapointed not to have achieved the sub 39. When I got home, I went straight out for a 9k recovery at 7.45 min pace. The next 10k race is on the 10th of August, which will be the last chance this season for the sub 39. Back to the track !

Mile 1 - 6.05
mile 2 - 6.05
mile 3 - 6.22
mile 4 - 6.22
mile 5 - 6.17
mile 6 - 6.24
last .2 - 1.35

Back to work

So after the high of my new Pb, its back to work. I started back on lates, which was not so bad, and as I had been off for a month, they were all long days planned. Two trips to the canary islands and one to Malta, mixed in with a few uk and Polish flights for good measure.

I have really enjoyed the Tuesday speedwork sessions with Gary O Hanlon, although this week I was suffering with a nasty head cold and had been up since 4.30am for work, so I felt and ran alot slower than I thought I could have. Gary's plan for marathon running training is radically different than any 'conventional' program. Basically, its seems that the longest run will peak at 16 miles. The three cornerstones of the program are the speedwork session on Tuesdays, with a rest day on Wednesday, then gradually increasing tempo runs starting at 6 miles at week one on Thursdays, and then the long runs at weekends, only up to 16 miles. He is advocating training for 6 days a week if possible, and while he hasn't been specific on total weekly mileage yet, I am guessing 50 to 60 min. I would be well up for this type of training, as I enjoy tempo runs and pushing myself. When I started writing this blog, the whole idea was to find a training plan that would work for me, so I will try anything, and to be fair to Gary, he knows what he is talking about.

I have been reading DR Phil Maffetone's big book of endurance training. It is heavy stuff, with alot of detail on nutrition, alot of which I have tried to follow on a daily basis. I have drastically reduced carbs, alot more fresh fruit, no margarine, no potatoes or chips or pasta, no fruit juice or processed ready meals, and reduced salt intake. More eggs, fish and proteins. I can't stick to it 100%, as when I am flying I am a bit limited to what I can take with me, but already I feel I have alot more energy. It makes sense to go back towards a more natural diet, although I have to admit, I still have the odd chocolate bar, but life is for living, and this is a hobby, I am not an elite athlete.

I am running the fingal 10k in swords this Sunday. Hoping for a pb on the course, anything under 39.20. Its forecast for a hot day but the race is at 10 am so here's hoping!

5k PB.

So straight to it, 18.45,  new 5k pb. It was a big field for the south o'hanlon 5k and that time got me a 41st place. I entered the race at the very last minute, only deciding to go at 6pm. We had a pretty tough speedwork session on the Tuesday night with coach Gary, and the legs were pretty tierd, so I wasn't sure it was going to be a great idea, but I love the buzz of a race and it wasn't too far to drive.The course was pretty flat, although I heard others mention that it was too hilly, and the weather was warm and humid. I ran it well, although as three runners made a burst to pass me over the last 500m, I had nothing left in the legs to hold them back. As the finish came into sight and i saw the clock, I tried one last effort at a sprint, but the legs said no, and i was very happy with a new pb.

My speedwork sessions are definately helping improve my times, although I have started to run my longer runs of over 7 miles at a slower 8 min mile pace to compensate the high intensity runs. I am also using a heart rate monitor and reading Dr Phil Maffetones book. His advice for diet is pretty strict, and that unfortunately does not for easy reading given my love of cake! However, things are starting to come together now, and I really believe I can knock at least another 30 seconds of that 5k time. Next race is a 10k. I went back to work this week, and racked up 48 hours in 5 days. They were all late finishes, getting home well after midnight, so I am expecting to feel a bit more strain with the training scheduele from here. marathon training starts son, oh great!!!

10k victory

Well, almost, and  a victory to me. 10th place in the clogherhead 10k on Sunday was a great result for me. It was a tough course and the weather wasn't great. Standing at the start, I could see a few familiar faces from the 5k race in Drogheda the previous week. Just before the start, a huge downpour  associated with a large cloud and strong wind blew into our faces. This was going to be tough going. The rain eased up after the first mile andthings improved. The course was quite hilly, which suited me somewhat, as my training runs are on quite hilly courses. On the Tuesday night, I had done my first speedwork session with the club, coached by Gary O'Hanlon. It was a tough session, and the legs   were quite sore the next morning.

Wednesday was a 5 mile ecovery run, 6 easy miles with the club again on Thursday, and much to  the wifes surprise, no run on friday. Three easy miles on Saturday had me in good shape for Sundays run. In the last surge of 1k, I passed 3 other runners who I had been trailing, but keeping just close enough, to finish 10th overall in a time of 39.32. Not a PB, but then it was never going to be on that course.

Training with Gary again tomorrow night, can't believe I can say that, and asses the legs on Wednesday for a 5k local race which will be hotly contested by some very fast runners. If the legs feel good, I would love to try for a PB as the course is quite fast. Here's hoping.

Eating your cake!

So off we went to sunny Portugal. A nice relaxing break planned in a nice hotel. The weather wasn't that great for the Monday and Tuesday, so I hit the treadmill in the gym. A 5k followed by a light weights session on Monday, then a 10k in 44 mins on the Tuesday. All the while, an all you can eat buffet breakfast, mcdonalds twice for lunch, followed by three course dinners each evening, course three invariably my ultimate weakness, chocolate cake with cream.

Home to Ireland on Thursday and met up with the club members for 6 miles, with 1.5 down and back made 9. I had intended to run a 10k local race on Saturday, but family events dictated otherwise. So, on the spur of the moment I headed to another local 5k tonight. I wanted to play with my new toy, my Garmin 310xt. The plan was for an easy run, I knew a PB was not likely, so I aimed for a 19.30. I watched the pace all the way around. I went up to a 3.30 pace in the first 1k so slowed down to the target 3.55 and kept it pretty constant. The run pace felt pretty comfortable and I crossed the finish in 19.28, placed 11th overall. I was pretty happy with the run, and glad I hadn't pushed all out for this one, and will concentrate on another upcoming 10k next weekend when I am aiming for an official sub 40 10k.

When I got home, after some really excellent tea and cake (again) I jumped on the scales. Oh boy, I had gained 5 pounds!! That's the result of a serious lack for any meaningful distance runs, which I fully intend to rectify this week!

The next first step

So another week done and not alot of miles done. Recovering on Sunday and Monday from the mountain half on Saturday left a 5.5 slow run in 44 mins on Tues and same distance in 42 mins on Weds. Thursday evening I went and joined the local running club, star of the sea. I ran just over a mile to the training ground and did 3x2 mile loops at very easy pace, then jogged home again.
The club has training by Gary O'Hanlon on Tuesday which I am realy looking forward to and am hoping to get a bit out of.

I got a new garmin for fathers day on recommendation from Thomas Bubendofer, a 310xt, and i can't wait to try it out. We are heading to Portugal for a few days on Sunday, and I am allowed, under protest, to take my running gear along with me, although at this stage I have to accept that I am unlikely to register much more than 100 miles for the entire month. Back to work next month, and the training for Dublin begins in ernest.

Mountain Running

So, it turns out that when you lose 32 pounds in weight, your body cannot tolerate the same amount of alcohol consumption that it once could, particularly if you have run two sub 1.35 half marathons over the previous three days. Which left me feeling pretty bad to say the least, last Monday morning.
The night before had been spent at a charity night for a very worthwhile cause, and catching up with some friends and acquaintances whom I hadn't see in some time. I spent quite a while listening to a few of them telling me how I had lost far too much weight, and it wasn't "healthy". This coming from guys who would likely be starting mile 3 as I finished a 10k. And it seems its perfectly acceptable to inform people when you consider that they have become too thin, but not correct to inform people when they are getting too fat!

Anyway, off we went to disney land paris on Tuesday, and the wife informs me that I am not allowed to go running for the four days, but I pack the gear anyway ( just in case ). As expected, disneyland is torture, the weather was up to 30 degrees C, and I eat ALOT of cake. I like to get my value from all you can eat buffets. Before I left I had a quick look to see if there were any races in the local area for the weekend I get back. I noticed a half marathon distance, which seemed to cover a senic route on the mourne coast. A quick call to my running buddy asking him to check it out when I am away as I likely won't have much chance for internet either.

Saturday morning, Glen rings and we agree a 11.30 set off for the half. I was up late, grabbed a quick bowl of cereal and a bar and an apple, and off I go. I throw a gel in the bag, although for half distance  I usually wouldn't consume one. The race starts at 2, and I expect I won't eat before it. Myself and Glen have to travel up separately, so no pre-race chat. The start is from sign-on by bus, which I think is unusual. On the bus Glen says that we start up in the mountains and run back, which is pretty much as I expected. Sure, 7 min miles to take it easy I say, and he laughs, the winner last year was 1 hr 41. Ehhh, huhh? Its over some pretty diverse terrain he says, trail running I thought.

Anyway, off the bus, chatting and end up at the back of the start. Sure it's chipped so no big, but as we all know, trying to get around slower runners can cost valuable time. Off we go, on a lovely mountain road, in glorious sunshine. The first two miles are downhill, mile 1, 6.10, mile 2, 5.51 ! I can't believe it, my first sub 6 minute mile, and by a good margin. 1 hour 41 my arse, this is going to be quick! At the end of mile 2, suddenly we veer off the road and down a steep rocky embankment which requires careful footing. Up the next embankment and off across the mountains we go! Trail, not even a track!! Up sheer vertical climbs with very little footing and guys going down all around me, falling over rocks, shoes coming off in bogs, and a 12 minute mile! I should have picked up on the name I suppose, 26 extreme, and it was a qualifier over the ultra distance for the marathon de sable. After a few miles Glen catches, then passes me. Normally, straight line, flat run, I will be ahead of him every time, but over this terrain he is much stronger in the legs from his cycling and starts to pull away. My legs are like lead weights from the effort and my quads are burning, a mixture of running and walking for much of the way. The last 3 miles are only through forest trails to the finish and I manage to pick up to a 7.30 pace, crossing the line in 1.51. Exhausted, but happy on this beautiful day, medal and water well deserved! It was a good experience, but I don't see myself repeating it soon. The legs are the kind of sore today which I haven't felt in a long time!

Much respect to the marathon and ultra guys competing and finishing a really tough course.

First 5k Race

Tuesday evening I ran my first 5k race. It was of great help that it finished right outside my front door. The weather was pretty good and the race started at 8pm. It was the star of the sea's first event, and there were over 300 entries. There were alot of entries from club runners, and at the start line I felt just a little inadequate. However, there was a great atmosphere, and with every race I have been to anywhere, everyone was smiling and friendly, with some friendly ribbing between the friend who knew each other.

I had run some 8k distances over the previous days at an easy pace, and my legs felt very stiff at the groin and I struggled to get any kind of quick pace, so I was hoping I would come in around the 20 minute mark, and any second below 20 mins would be a bonus. I knew the form of a few local runners, so I figured if I tucked in behind them at the start it would give me a good pace.
We started off and I was looking for about a 4min kilometre pace. Whatever pace I was at with my target runners, it felt comfortable, and it seemed we were quite ahead of the main bunch. The course wasn't exactly flat, but I knew it well so I was able to prepare myself for the hills. At 3k, one of my targets started to fade and I found myself running alongside him. Should I stay with him which felt like an easy pace or go ahead. Go ahead I did passing about four other runners over the next kilometre. My lungs were starting to hurt going up the final straight and I was making the faces of a man with his privates in a vice, but the wife and kids at the finish line cheering me on gave me a lift to the line in 19.05 and 33rd out of a field of 357. I was really pleased with the time, and I think I may be able to improve on it with practise.

I didn't run Wednesday as I was back to work, started at 5.30 am and didn't land until 4pm so that kind of a day pretty much wipes you out. 13.5 miles Thursday at 7.25 pace, rest Friday and 13.5 miles Saturday at 7.15 pace. We are heading to disneyland  paris on Tuesday, and I am wondering is it wrong of me to say I am not looking forward to it as it will interfere with my running? I am aiming for a mountain half marathon next Saturday. I am not looking for a good time, but i Believe the race course is over some truly stunning views so I intend to relax and enjoy this one.

Getting back on track

After putting in 43 miles this week, I am feeling the spring back in the step. I have mostly being doing 10k runs, twice a day some days with a long run on Sunday.

I use ENDOMONDO on my iPhone, and now that I am getting serious about the running I am looking for a gps watch. I have been considering the forerunner 210. Does anyone have any advice for a medium priced watch about 200 euro or so?

The week from hell

So, almost two weeks after the Limerick marathon and I still have not gotten back into training very well. I only managed to run twice this week, and only two 5 milers. My head cold which began last week had me feeling really miserable, and phlem started to work its way down to my chest.
on top of this, I had to work six days this week, and they were all really long days, with two trips to the canary islands and two trips to Poland for good measure.

I am feeling much better today and hope to start putting some serious work in from this weekend onwards. I am flying all earlies this week, which can be tough trying to run after going to work at 4.30 am, but the long evenings are a great help.

Not sure if I am going to have the miles in to do the waterford marathon at the end of June. I have two week long holidays planned with the wife and kids, and I don't know how the long runs would go in Portugal in June weather!

Post race illness

One week on from Limerick and I have been suffering with a really nasty head-cold since Wednesday. I did an easy 2 mile run on the track near the house on Thursday at 6.45 pace and really enjoyed it, although my head was thumping.

Back to work on Saturday, and the pressurisation didn't help my cold much. I had intended to run Saturday and today, but I just didn't feel up to it, so it will have to wait until tomorrow to start fresh. I am tempted to do the Waterford marathon at the end of June, not looking for a time, just try to run it at an easy pace, and try not to stop this time!

3rd Marathon - new plan required!

I am new to this blogging lark, so patience may be required. I ran the Limerick marathon last Sunday and the important thing to note was that I really enjoyed it. The weather was perfect, the crowds were great. The course terrain was a bit dubious, with alot of up and down curbs, uneven lane ways and alot of hills in the last four or five miles.

Anyway, I am starting this blog, even though it may never be read, for as much my own benefit as anything. I started running consistently , i.e. more than twice a week, 18 months ago. Bohermeen half marathon 2012 was my first ever race and I was very pleased with a 1.37 finish. 

I targeted Limerick 2012 for my first marathon, and following the hal higdon novice plan, ran my first marathon in 3.40 which i was delighted with. I don't think I have ever experienced the level of physical pain as i did in the hours after that run! I promised myself 'never again'! I had run a marathon, great achievement, now move on. But it seems running isn't so easy to ditch. As soon as the pain subsided, I was planning the next one. Dublin was the obvious choice.

I felt I trained well for Dublin and was hoping for a sub 3.30, which according to all the calculators and my own long runs should have be achievable. Two weeks before, I ran a local 5k and picked up an injury. I went out ok on the day at Dublin, but at 18 miles the injury started to give me trouble and I had to walk quite a bit after. I was gutted with a 3.44, I felt I could have done much better.

So the revenge run! Limerick 2013 here I come. Bohermeen 2013 half marathon, 1.30. Best 10k time 39.20. 16 miles training run at mp, 1.59. Surely a sub 3.30, and even maybe a 3.20 on the cards? The 'calculators' said no problem.

So to the day. Should I be conservative, go with the 3.30 pacers, and try to make up a few minutes toward the last 4 miles, or go with the 3.15's and expect to slow in the final 4, but come in around 3.20? OK, think positive, go 3.15. I felt really comfortable up to 15 miles and was sure this was going to be a good time. As we headed back into the city, the pace was 'less comfortable' and the pacer started to slip away from me. That was ok, I wasn't really expecting to stick with him for the entire race. 21 miles, on for a 3.25 ? starting to struggle, feeling very sick, didn't drink enough water in case I needed to stop for a toilet break. 23 miles, walking, 24 miles, 3.30 pacers go by me shouting encouragement. I try to run with them, my calfs start to cramp badly. 25 miles, I have taken on about a litre of water and feel alot better. I run the last mile and a bit in under 8 mins to cross the line in 3.37, a PB but disappointing considering my expectations.

So, I have two choices, adjust my expectations to match my ability, or the other way around. I am going with the second option, and am targeting Dublin this year.

I know the classic mistake, going out to fast, fading towards the finish. Its early days in my running career, I am only a young 40 in September. Here's hoping I can stop banging my head off the 'wall' before I get some sense !