Brendan's Running Diary

Race #2 for 2012...

2011-12-20T22:58:00.001Z

So race number 2 of 2012 ... The Dungarvan 10 at the end of January. At least I'll still be 39 ... just about!! And it'll probably be my slowest race ever given my recent lack of training.So, I'm off now to contemplate me plans for the new year by testing out the wine we bought for Christmas... Just to make sure it isn't corked.... You know what I mean !!! :)

they say life begins at 40...

2011-11-29T22:07:00.001Z

Thanks to an entry form landing on my desk this afternoon I posted my entry to the 2012 Ballyotton10 today. The most noteworty point is that, assuming that my entry is accepted, it'll be the first race that I'll run as Master - being less than 2 weeks after my 40th birthday!!)

No running since last Saturday - jetlag.

Now that I've a focus it's time to start training...

Thanksgiving in Chelmsford, MA

2011-11-27T21:36:00.001Z

Once again I've been remiss in updating this blog but the simple fact is that apart from some regular running there hasn't been too much of 'special interest' to report on. My full running diary is regularly updated on my dailymile.com but suffice it to say that most weeks I've been running regularly, typically putting in runs of 5 to 10 miles with the pace in and around 7 min/mile. Apart from a few exceptions weekly totals have been 30-40 miles. I've also tried to fit in a steady-tempo progression run at least once a week. My two eldest children have also recently joined an athletics club, Belgooly AC, so that has meant that I've been at the CIT track at least 1 evening a week, generally doing 800m reps. Other than the fact that I haven't been putting in enough long runs (>10miles) - this training has been generally in accordance with 'the plan'.

BTW my girls have been really enjoying their Tuesday / Thursday sessions so hopefully the enthusiasm will continue and in 30-40 years time they too will be running regularly for the fun of it.

I also just came from a weeks holiday near Boston with my family. It was my first time in the US for Thanksgiving (i.e. an excuse for meeting family, eating too much, watching football (not the FAI or GAA type) and preparing for the infamous Black Friday shopping frenzy!). A great time was had by all!!

The jetlag meant that I woke up early (5-6am) every day.  This was generally before the rest of the family woke up so I got a chance to fit in an early morning run along an old railway line in Chelmsford, MA. Luckily the weather was unseasonably warm (apart from Thursday & Friday) so I didn't have to run in the snow.

I also took the opportunity to run in a local Thanksgiving day charity run in Lowell last Thursday morning. The 8am race start time was early enough not to interrupt the rest of the festivities but it also meant that the air temperature was still below freezing as noted by my shivering legs on the start line.

The race was a 5km run/walk combined with a 10km run. There were approx 270No. competitors in the 10km and 900No. competitors in the 5km. The race was over 2 laps of approx 5km which led to an 'interesting' (chaotic) finish when there were still some runners just starting their second lap while the 10km leaders were finishing in the midst of the 5km 'walkers'.

After getting there early, as usual, I registered for the 10km for the sum of $30 and ran a lap of the course in my new Asics Nimbus trainers to warmup, i.e. defrost. I then 'arrogantly' toed the line in the front row. All the 'locals' were well wrapped up for the weather wearing long sleeved t-shirts, leggings, gloves, hats etc; I on the other hand went for the light weight racing look i.e. shorts and singlet (mad!!).

Since this was my first race in over 2 years I had no real expectations. Last time I raced 'seriously' I was capable of a sub-38 (maybe sub-37) 10km so I hoped to at least break 40mins. On the basis of previous results this time might even give me a top 10 finish! My runs in the few days leading up to the race suggested that this should be 'easily' achievable. I planned to head out at a 6:20 to 6:25 pace and hopefully finish strongly.

This seemed like a good plan.... if only I stuck to it!  When the gun went I headed out just behind with the leaders - I had forgotten that some of these would only be running 5km so I think I got pulled along too quickly over the first mile. The cold air and slightly tired legs meant that I paid for this early pace in the second half of the 10km. My pace splits based on the mile markers were 6:05, 6:19, 6:29, 6:23, 6:16, 6:17. I went through the 5km in 19:51 just ahead of schedule and finished in 39:45.... almost event splits.

Overall I finished in 8th position and 3rd in the 30-39 age category. If only I was a few months older I'd have easily won the 40-49 category!!!

This graph shows how my race went.....

The full results are on the CoolRunning.com website here

It's now time to increase the long runs and get ready for some 10-mile races after Christmas....

Entry into the Ballycotton-10 opens tomorrow!!! :)

2 month update

2011-09-14T00:39:00.002+01:00

July was going just fine (from a running persepective anyway) despite the lack of summer weather. I was even looking at potential races. The first was to be a 5 mile race in Ardmore Co. Waterford on the 12th August. A local run that would be a good benchmark of my fitness. But... that was before I went for a very easy lunchtime run in early August and ended up limping back to the office with a groin strain type injury. I initially rested it for 2 weeks but it wasn't cured until the start of September. Looking back I think that it was caused by a muscle imbalance that was agrivated by running 16 miles in one day a few days previous. Too much too soon (you think that I'd learn the simple lessons!) That injury wrote off August and any chance of me being in any sort of reasonable shape to tackle the road races in September/early October. But as of the 3rd September I'm making comeback number 567. I'm trying to be sensible - generally keeping the pace in the high 7 minutes and distanced of 5 to 6 miles. But I did manage a 10+mile run on Saturday last and a total of more than 30 miles for the week. Also my two eldest have joined a local running club (Belgooly AC) at the tender age of 7. So far (week 2) they're really enjoying going to the track on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In fact, each night they can't wait to go back! Hopefully it will turn into a life long passion but, since going back to school their timetable has exploded into the something that even an Outlook Calendar couldn't take control of, so it remains to be seen if they'll stick the pace. You know the scene.. I'm sure everyone with kids has been through it.. school, homework, birthday parties (2 last Saturday for a start!), music lessons, Irish Dancing lessons, Track training, hockey training, sleepovers etc etc .... and that's just Monday (you should see what they do on Tuesday). One of the fringe benefits of the girls going to the track every Tuesday/Thursday is that I get an opportunity to fit in a track session too! (That reminds me that I must pay Eagle AC for the pleasure of using their track time!!) It's nice to run on tarten again. The last time I set foot on a track was a lunchtime training run with Aberdeen AC in 1998... so it's been a while. At the moment I'm working on 800m intervals currently at 3min pace which based on this evenings workout feel pretty good. My plan is to increase the reps in number and pace and reduce the recovery over the coming months. Race plans... No definite target races just yet. But at this stage it may well be the Munster 10 mile series after Christmas. Hopefully I'll fit in 1 or 2 shorter races before then though. Training... Over the past few years I've found that having 2 'speed' sessions combined with at least 1 long run is the perfect mix for me. Since I'll be at the track twice a week this should work. Hopefully the second workout will be tempo/longer interval run and this wil be combined with a regular long run over the weekend. On the other days I'll put in my normal 'easy' 5-8 mile runs. But over the next month I'll primarily concentrate on building up a base of steady / consistent running (35-45 miles per week) and hopefully avoid any injuries (fingers crossed!) As usual my training will be logged on DailyMile which I'm finding a really useful resource. Updates will also be included on the Twitter ticker on the siderbar and if I've anything noteworthy to post I'll be back here. Happy running.....

Still going

2011-07-03T23:14:00.003+01:00

After 4 weeks of my 'get back to running plan' I'm still going! In total I've run 113.5 miles in 18 runs (14.05 hours). So this is my most consistent period of running since 2009! I've been enjoying it and not an injury in sight either. Most of the runs could be classed as 'easy' which is fine for now but as my fitness has begun to return I'm finding that my easy pace is getting ever closer to 7:00 min per mile!

Details of all my runs were tweeted using dailymile.com which gives some interesting (and useless) stats including that my runs to date are equivalent to almost 62 donuts or 22 cheese burgers. I'm not sure which I would prefer???

My target was to be at 40 miles per week at this stage. Not quite there yet but I'm getting there!

Week 1 - 5 runs - 28.03 miles
Week 2 - 2 runs - 12.45 miles
Week 3 - 6 runs - 36.95 miles
Week 4 - 5 runs - 36.16 miles

I was asked recently when I'd be pinning a number to my chest again... not sure but I'll let you know - maybe August?? My thought is that I don't want to race too soon and risk another injury and given that I don't see the point in 'racing easy' I'm not going to rush back just yet.

Recovery over..

2011-06-06T22:54:00.003+01:00

Bless me reader, it's been 2 weeks since my last run.... so I thought yesterday would be a good day to check out my calf. 5+ easy (really) miles at the seaside over a course that included some hills, some beach and some undulating trails. A good test I'd say ... and if my calf did bomb I'd at least have had a nice walk home.

Luckily it didn't and despite some hamstring twinges it was pretty good (42mins). So I now reckon a 2 week recovery is the minimum for calf injuries. Hopefully I won't need to use this bit of new found knowledge again in the near future.

This morning I repeated the run at 7am when the sun was shining, the sky and sea were blue and the waves were calm. Definitely a run for the soul and not one for a fast pace. This time the pace was slower (44+mins) partly due to the early hour and partly due to DOMS. I need to run more often!

Also today I purchased a new Garmin 305 - a real sign of intent. It's been over 12 months since my old one was stolen while on holidays and I've been running by feel ever since. It's time to get a bit more scientific! I'll wait patiently for Amazon to deliver it in a week or so.

I've also been playing around with DailyMile and Map-My-Run & Twitter - there are too many social network site combinations!!! I still haven't decided which is the best to log & post my runs - possibly Daily Mile & Twitter as Map-My-Run has too much advertising getting in the way! ... but ... only time will tell which combination eventually wins out.

Well done to all those who ran the Cork City Marathon, Half & Relay today - some very impressive times/performances!

2011 update

2011-05-22T22:22:00.009+01:00

Some ways in which the World has changed...

The Queen came to Ireland;

Dr. Garrett Fitzgerald passed away;

Eamon Coughlan became a Senator;

Portugal joined Ireland in bankruptcy;

Leinster joined Munster as two time winners of the Heineken Cup!

It's always an ominous sign when New Year's resolutions are put down in text. In my case, at least, it usually means that the exact opposite will happen - a bit like making a doctors appointment - by the time I get to the surgery the symptoms have cleared up!

This is certainly true of my last post which, as I was recently reminded, is over 4 months old!

Let's examine this in a bit more detail. Two resolutions were stated:
1. To run 'lots' more;
2. To post more often on this blog.

A reasonable person might consider these to be relatively easy and attainable goals for 2011 but I've failed misearably on both counts.

On the running front - I have run 'some' more but not 'lots' more and certainly not as much as I'd intended. During January, February & March, mainly due to other demands on my personal time, I only managed 'infrequent' slow/short runs. This certainly put paid to any chance of me following in the footsteps of others and running 39 miles on my 39th birthday in February (I'll have to aim for the 40 @ 40 target instead!). It also caused me to DNS the Ballycotton-10 on March 6th for fear of doing myself an injury. Unfortunately, I went for a 6 mile lunchtime run on March 7th only to seriously pull my left calf at mile 4.5. Maybe I should have run the Ballycotton-10 anyway - at least then I'd have got a mug instead of looking like a mug. (luckily Grellan passed by in his car and gave me a lift back to the office which saved me some of the walk/limp of shame)

However, since April I've had a bit more available personal time so I've tried to redress my family/running/work-life balance. Running has been a bit more frequent and for a short while I managed 4+ runs per week (20-30 miles 7:45-8:15mpm pace). My plan was to get a few solid weeks in the bag as 'conditioning' and then to set some goals for the rest of the year. Maybe even a marathon in the autumn... But since the start of May things have not been good. My calf problems are back. I've been resting and icing but I probably need to do some more massaging and strengthening. Last week I got more than 5 miles into my run before my calf cramped but today (after a 7 day rest) I pulled up after less than 1 mile. I think that the source of the problem is a general tightness/weakness in my left hip/leg. This is now getting a bit frustrating as, obviously, my self-treatment isn't working so I may have to resort to seeking professional advice!

On the blogging front - I think that no post in almost 5 months speaks for itself! There's just not been too much to talk about, really. In my defence, I have tweeted (see the sidebar across...) about my infrequent runs/injuries etc. So if you are part of my small band of followers you'll know know what's happening.

The Cork City Marathon is only around the corner so I hope all your training is going well. Next year I may be availing of your pacer skills ....

2011 Resolutions

2010-12-31T21:52:00.004Z

It's that time of year again. Time to reflect on what is no more and time to plan what is yet to be.

My first resolution is to run 'lots' more. 2010 was disasterous in that respect! My second resolution is that I'll post on this blog more often. Hopefully the first resolution will give me something worthwhile to write about.

At least I've ended 2010 on a positive note with some nice (altough tough) runs. Let's see how much easier it can get...

Happy New Year to all and thanks for stopping by.....

Recovery

2010-10-10T22:26:00.004+01:00

There wasn't too much running in my calendar this week... I'm putting it down to a 'recovery' but really it was more due to lack of time.

On the recovery front - all went reasonably well and there were no post-race issues with my ankle. So I don't intend on posting about 'anklegate' again and I'm moving on....

Before the race my left calf was a bit sore. Plenty of deepheat and massage beforehand made sure that I didn't feel anything during the run but now it's taking time to heel. I reckon it's a symptom of needing to rebuild muscle strength and a reminder not to push too hard too soon!

On Thursday I finally managed to fit in a lunchtime run - steady 7:10 pace 5.6 miles around Ballincollig. Earlier tonight having recovered from today's hangover I went for an easy 5.5 miles @ 7:45 pace. The said calf is now being iced so hopefully all will be well tomorrow. That's a 'massive' 11 miles for this week excluding my Guinness & Lennox's chips fueled walk home from town last night. Next week will have to be better...

System Check

2010-10-03T22:52:00.004+01:00

Going into today's Cork to Cobh 15-mile race I wasn't sure how it would go. My last race was Cork to Cobh last year so today gave me a real chance to benchmark my current fitness.

I realise that I've only a few short weeks of 'low level' training (2 runs this week including today!) and so I was never going to emulate my 1:38 performance of last year. I settled on 7:30 pace with a 'see how it goes' race strategy. This would bring me home in approx 1:52:30. Richard was also planning a marathon pace run at approx 7:30 so it made sense to hook.

I arrived at the Race HQ a little after 8am for the 9am start (or so I thought) and after registering I went for a short (1.5mile) warmup. It was only while stretching at 8:45am, when everything was very calm at Race HQ, that I realised something was wrong - the race wasn't due to start until 9:30! At least I was early! So, what should I do with the extra 30 minutes??.... I went for another 2 mile warmup run with Grellan and Derek.

Richard and I started pretty far back and there was a lot of traffic over the first couple of miles. After a very slow start (7:45 first mile) we reached the 2 mile mark bang on schedule at 15:00. The pace continued to be in the low 7:20's and we passed through 5 miles in 37:10. Despite this being my fastest 5 miles in months I felt very comfortable. I guess it helped having someone to chat to to take my mind off the effort! At this point Richard pointed out that we were going a bit too quick for his marathon pace so he decided to ease up a little. I, on the other hand, wanted to test myself so I thought I'd kick on. I passed through the next mile in 7:05 (felt easy but probably a bit too quick) and I then settled into a 7:15 pace. It all felt good.

The time at the halfway point was 55:00 minutes. This gave me a hope that I may get to Cobh in 1:4x but this was dashed by last 3-4 miles!

I crossed Mile 11 at 80 minutes just over 7:15 pace. At this point it felt good but it was shortly after that the wheels came off. I remember that I struggled over the same section last year albeit at 6:30 pace rather than 7:30+ pace. This year my lack of training really showed over the last 4 uphill miles. My pace dropped significantly. So much so that my average pace was down to 7:25 at the Half Marathon Mark (1:37). The uphill seemed never-ending and it was only the fear that my 'support team' may drive past at any moment that kept me from walking.

Shortly after the 14 mile mark Richard passed me looking good (he had warned me that he may put in a quick last mile) but I had nothing in the tank to react. So I took his last drop of water and left him strike for home. However, I did manage a bit of a sprint finish (during which my hamstrings nearly ceased up) over the last quarter just to show cause and I stopped my watch, wrecked but satisfied, at 1:52:40 (7:31 average).

With over 18 miles in the legs for the day no warmdown was on the cards... I'd had enough!

So what did I learn?....

I'm over 14 minutes slower than last year and I need to do more training.

The good news is that my ankle gave me no trouble so hopefully this issue is now in the past.

I gave it everything I had today (so much so that I had to go to bed for an hour once I came home) and I'm glad to be back on the right road. Now it's time to build up some fitness and identify some goals...

It's time to start some 'real' training..

2010-09-19T20:51:00.004+01:00

Today saw the 30th running of the Great North Run - probably one of the greatest mass participation races in the world! Looking at it on television it made me wish I was there again. Although I must admit that based on my recent training I don't think Haile Gebreselassie would have been too worried! Maybe next year??

I first entered the GNR in 2007 and I used it as my motivation to get fit. Three years on I'm in a very similar position - trying to get fit..

I see that Sonia O'Sullivan was the last person to cross the start line today and finished the GNR in 1:34:53. When I first ran the GNR I started close to the back of the field and finished in 1:34:51. For most of that race I was passing runners, running on the footpath, crossing the road from side to side and constantly looking for the 'gap' ahead. It was both mentally and physically exhausting! Sonia, I know what you went through today. There are easier ways to run 13.1 miles!

Since my last post I've been getting out approx 4 times per week and I'm now up to approx 20-30 miles per week. Nothing spectacular but for me the most important indicator has been that my ankle is holding up.

Last week I went for a 'slow' 12.6mile run (1:45) on Saturday morning and followed it by a 'steady' (i.e. low 7min/mile pace) 10k on Sunday morning. Despite the fatigue everything else seemed to hold up.... a good sign!

This week my long run was 11.7 miles (1:28) i.e. Douglas to City Centre to Sundays Well down the Mardyke back to the City Centre and home to Douglas. I could class it as an 'easy' run (i.e. possible conversational pace) but it'd be more correct to refer to it as a 'comfortable' pace run i.e. a bit harder than 'easy'. :) I passed the 10 mile mark at approx 73mins and feeling good. Interestingly, I last ran this route on 3rd January (4 days before I broke my ankle). The time on that day was 1:31 .. the slower time being more a function of the icey conditions rather than a measure of my fitness!

Today I followed yesterday's run with a 6.5 mile run (47mins) - Douglas to Bishopstown. This felt good and was 13 minutes quicker than the last time I ran this route .. sign of progress??

So now that I've some base training done and I know that the screws in my ankle are holding it's time to start some real training. I guess I need to formulate a plan... but what plan and can I stick to it??

It's time to put my thinking hat on.....

Back again

2010-08-18T22:28:00.005+01:00

Since it's been over 2 months since I last posted I thought this blog, and it's limited readership, deserved an update!

After my last post my training went well for a week or so. Then I decided to go for what would ordinarily have been an easy 12 miler. Despite it being a little tougher than I'd hoped the run itself was uneventful but afterwards my ankle became very stiff & sore. The pain was different to the usual aches and pain of a middle aged runner in that it felt like a joint pain. So my 'semi-mature' brain told me to give my body more time and take a rest. So that's what I did. At the same time 'real life' became very busy so it's just as well that I hadn't planned any big races!

Until last week my running has been curtailed to one 60-70min run per week at 8:30+ pace by the sea side.

Last week I extended this run to 90 minutes and the following day I put in a 45minute 'steady' (i.e. 7:30 pace) run. So this week I've decided that it's time to lose the 6kg that my broken ankle has given me, stop eating junk and start training again. Hopefully this time my body will hold up and I'll be back to where I was by Christmas....

A picture of pain...

2010-06-10T20:59:00.005+01:00

Some shots of the my 'pain' at the Marathon (10 mile mark) i.e approx 5 miles into my relay leg. Based on the times it seems that I lost 30sec per mile on the 3:00 hour pace group between miles 8 and 10. That means I was over 7:20 pace at the end! A lot slower than the 6:30 pace that I started out at!!! BTW the pics look much better than it felt!!.....

Due to other commitments I'm currently having an unplanned 'recovery' but hopefully this weekend will mark my first steps into a serious return to training. Afterall Cork to Cobh is less than 4 months away!!

Cork Marathon

2010-06-07T15:55:00.010+01:00

When the opportunity to run a leg of today's marathon as part of a team made up of old college clubmates I was delighted. It was an opportunity to benchmark my condition!

Today was wet and windy but not too cold - nice running conditions (when not running into the wind!) but what was best for me was just to be there! To be honest there have been times over the past 6 months when I doubted that I'd be able to run but mostly I doubted if I'd be able to run so soon!

The team was made up of:

Leg 1: Ian O'Sullivan (middle/long distance)
Leg 2: me
Leg 3: Sean Mulvihill (800m)
Leg 4: Brid Ni Chonnail (middle/long distance)
Leg 5: Ray Shannahan (Coach / former 800m)

Tactics were decided late last night outside of a pub (long story!). Ian would run the first leg as he was planning on running the full marathon, I would do the second as my sister-in-law was also doing that leg and that made life simpler for the support crew. Sean and Brid decided among themselves their leg and Ray was nominated to take the last and 'glory' leg! For one reason or another none of us were in great shape so the consensus opinion was to enjoy the event and not race for a time.....

So here's how it went....

I went to City Hall at 8am to collect my number from Sean but I met everyone else, including Richard, Thomas and others, except Sean. I also thought that I'd see Grellan but he must have been setting his metronome!

Sean arrived just after 8:30 which meant that I missed the shuttle to the start of my relay leg so I had to run. I suppose it wasn't a bad way to put in a 2.5mile warmup, unfortunately it was raining so I got soaked!

Ian's plan was to run the marathon at 6:50min/mile pace so I thought I'd tag on to him. When I suggested this plan at the hand over he beckoned/pushed me on. I guessed that either he wasn't feeling too good or he thought that I was in better shape than I actually am! Then the race day adrenalin went to my head and I headed off at something like 6:30 pace. Although I was feeling great it was not a good idea, I don't have the fitness. This realisation dawned when I hit the first uphill section before entering the Lee tunnel and after the tunnel it was uphill all the way. Ian, tagged on the end of the 3hour pace group, caught up and passed me as we climbed out from the tunnel.

Fatigue, headwind, and hills all took their toll!

I passed my support crew (Pam, Eva, Una, Joe, Eva & Don) at approx 3 mile mark. That raised my spirits but unfortunately not my pace.

Slogging on as best I could I managed to pick up the pace over the last half mile. As I approached the changeover zone I spotted Sean chatting! I yelled out and he jumped into action! Apparently he wasn't expecting me so soon.

I completed my 5.5+mile leg in 38:00. Last time I ran this leg in 2008 I completed it in 34:51. But given the weather my fitness and the past 6 months I was more than happy with my time! As a warmdown I ran the 2.5mile back along the course to my fan club (and dry clothes!). So in total I must have run 10 or 11miles today (if only I had my Garmin!) ... the most I've done since Christmas! And although my ankle was a bit sore during and afterwards it held up reasonably well and, as I type this, it's beginning to feel better and better!

Overall our team came home in 3:03 - about half an hour quicker than we predicted last night! Obviously the race adrenaline got to all of us!

Personally, I think that it's a good start to the summer and hopefully by September I'll be much fitter and planning some more races!

Ray bringing our team home (his comment afterwards, looking at me, "it would have been nice to break the 3 hours where did we loose the 3 minutes?" or something similar!!)....

Well done to those who ran the full thing it wasn't comfortable out there and I'm sure that we'll get to hear all about your adventures in your various blogs....

the night before...

2010-06-06T22:35:00.003+01:00

So I'm down to run the second leg (5.5+ miles) of the Cork Marathon tomorrow. Last time I ran this leg (2008) it took me just under 35mins but I suspect that tomorrow will be much slower!! The fact that I haven't run in a week won't help! As a team we're running for 'enjoyment' and not a 'place' this year (or so I'm told) so the pressure is off a bit. phew!! :)

Good luck to all doing the full thing and Grellan.... I hope that you have your metronome set as there are alot of people counting on you!! No pressure then!! :)

Breaking the hour mark

2010-05-30T22:16:00.002+01:00

I missed my planned run yesterday so I got up early this morning to make sure I didn't miss today's run. I was in Ardmore and at 6:30am the sea was full in and dead calm and the sun was shining. (Pity it started to rain later in the morning)

It was an easy morning to go for a long run and 65mins of non-stop running felt good ... even if the pace was very slow!

Progress over four miles..

2010-05-27T21:30:00.005+01:00

I thought it was about time that I updated this blog.

Since my last post I've been doing some running but nothing too serious. Last week I managed three x 4+ mile lunchtime runs at approx 7:30min/mile pace. On Monday I managed to only get 1 mile into the run before my lack of fitness forced me to take a brief (15 secs) walking break. Unfortunately the break wasn't long enough because I also had to walk at the 2 and 3 mile marks!! I suppose that's only to be expect having not done any serious exercise in 5 months!! Tuesday's run showed some progress... I lasted 2 miles before I needed a rest but I also walked at mile 3. I rested on Wednesday and on Thursday I got to just over the 3 mile mark and that was the one and only break! Can fitness really increase overnight?? Interestingly, despite these breaks all three runs were timed at between 32:25 and 32:35.

Injury watch......The range of forward rotation in my ankle seems to be gradually increasing but I suspect that it will be many months yet before it begins to feel 'normal'. I've also been having some issues with my right achilles (broken ankle side) and left hamstring / glutes so hopefully these too will ease with time....

Today, after resting my ankle for a few days, I headed out for another 4+ mile run at lunchtime. It felt comfortable for the first time and I actually completed the run without stopping and knocked a minute off my time too, finishing in 31:40. That equates to approx 7:20 pace. Happy days.....small victory but at least the positive trend continues.

I've my next and hopefully final physio session next Monday so hopefully I'll get to run some more before then.

Have a great weekend.

Back from holiday

2010-05-08T22:34:00.011+01:00

Having successfully avoided the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud by spending an extra hour in the air and flying at least 500miles further east we landed back in Cork this today from our mid-term holiday in Gran Canaria. It wasn't until we landed in Cork that I realised how close we came to spending an extra week (or more!!) in the sun.... it turns out that our plane was the last one to leave the island before the airport was shut down!! Just as well we got up at 4am for the early flight! Still, I'm not complaining 7 days of 28-30+ degC was just what the doctor ordered. :)

So now it’s back to reality.. :)

On the running front and with my physio’s consent I brought my trainers complete with new orthothics on the holiday. But although there was a lot of ‘pool time’ I only got to run twice. Both runs consisted of approx 4 ‘hilly’early morning miles at circa. 8 minute pace from which I learnt (a) that it is impossible to find a flat route (as per physio advice) from our apartment and; (b) that my fitness level is through the floor! Although it was nice to be running again it generally felt like I was learning to run for the first time... maybe now is the time to learn how to run properly and forget a lifetime of bad habits?

The bad news from the holiday was that my Garmin went 'missing' during the week. So, I’m going to have to live without stats for the time being. This may be a good thing as I’m sure my stats will be pretty bad and would only serve to depress me but it may give me a opportunity to upgrade from the Forerunner 305 to 405... :)

As I've no running shots to post, here are some holiday snaps for anyone who may be interested...

So that is what the sun looks like...

Now that's a view I thought I'd never see...

Call the ISPCA...that man just kicked a dolphin...

(Eva) Well hello there...

(Joe) Just keep holding on...

(Eva) This is how you do it...

Who are all the strangers looking at us?...

Lets play some ball..

(Una) I'm so coool..

(Joe) I want to climb...

(Una) Am I too young to drink this?...

(Eva) I don't care. That was nice and refreshing...

(Joe) I just like water...

The family...

Some running again...

2010-04-29T21:46:00.004+01:00

The good news is that, as of today, my surgeon doesn't want to see me anymore!

Other news is that I ran on two occasions since my last post, Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday I covered approx 2 miles by running 100m, walking 50m repeats. My ankle held up well and there weren't too many ill effects. Interestingly at the start my achilles was sore but by the end it was the front 'inside' of the joint that was in slight pain. Minor bumps and corners were a bit of a problem too! And, my gait has certainly changed. Funnily enough the limited rotation of the right ankle joint is causing me to land harder on my left leg. That's something I'm going to have to monitor carefully. My new orthotics are also something that I'm going to have to get used to.

I felt so good on Tuesday that I decided to ignore the physio's advise and push out the boat a little. I know, I know.... I shouldn't have but after 5 months of no running I couldn't resist the temptation! And despite what my wife thinks I was careful! Don't tell my physio though or I'll be in real trouble!! In total, I ran 2.5miles 'non stop' over a flat course at a 'blistering' 7:40 min/mile pace. Again my achilles was bothering me at the start but this eased off after approx 0.5 miles. Also after about 2 miles I could feel my foot beginning to swell up and again the joint started to niggle so I decided to call it a day. Later on there was some swelling but that settled down overnight and the biggest side effect was some DOM's in the quads..... I'm officially unfit!

Another physio session planned for tomorrow and then it's off to Gran Canaria for a week in the sun. Hopefully I'm allowed being my runners!

Is this the end game?

2010-04-19T21:23:00.005+01:00

Cycling used to be the simple matter of taking your bike out from the shed, hopping on and going.

Now it's a matter of putting the bike rack onto the car, filling it up, getting helmets, baby seat, lunch, kids change of clothes, hopping into the car, driving to a nice flat quiet area, unloading the car, waiting for the youngest to wake up, and then doing some cycling. See how things have changed? Still though, I wouldn't change it for the world!

Running has yet to begin but I got some good news earlier today ... the physio says that I can start with some very very light short runs later the week. YIPPEE

Since my last post I've been limited to stretching, some dynamic work and some cycling. Not enough to halt the (significant) weight gain from 5 months of being a couch potato. But all that may change over the coming months!

The emphasis of the weekly physio sessions has also changed. I think I'll have to live with a much restricted rotation on the ankle joint (may be a problem on hilly runs) and now it's all about compensation i.e. the new orthotics I received last week. The joint is still swollen on occasion, mostly at the end of the day, but ice and elevation seems to keep that largely under control. My achilles is also bothering me but hopefully the orthotics will help with that issue.

On the 7th January 2010 I really didn't realise that it would take this long. I've really missed my 'irregular' runs. Amazingly, I don't recall missing running this much when I 'retired' back in 1994.

All in all though an end 'seems' to be in sight and hopefully my next post will include some running!

Exercising again....

2010-04-03T23:34:00.004+01:00

Mostly more of the same this week..... physio x 2, walking, exercises, stretching, ice, etc, etc... No running except on the trampette at the physio clinic.

However, this weekend I did managed to fit in a couple of nice cycles of 9 and 13 miles. Today, I even dusted off Mr Garmin, who last saw daylight on the 6th January, so long ago! Today's effort looked something like this...

Based on the above, as you can see, I don't think I'll be entering the Tour de France any time soon. In my defence, the second half was into a headwind! Neither my sore legs nor the saddle sores played 'any' part in the gradual creep in the pace! :) I was surprised that I could only cycle 13.18miles in 1:09. add 15 to 20 minutes and I could run the same distance!!

I also spent the morning in the pool with the kids. A good excuse to do some non-weight bearing exercise; although having to carry Joe (now 15kg in weight) significantly negated any buoyancy non-weight bearing benefits!!

While I hopped along in the pool, my girls made a new friend who turned out to be the daughter of none other than Robert Heffernan (Ireland's top international 20k walker - 6th 2007 Worlds, 8th 2008 Olympics). As our children became more and more 'competitive' (i.e. adventurous) in the water, we compared ankle injuries and concluded that there is no quick cure. He's still suffering 18months on from an ankle injury. :(

We chatted for a while, then he slipped in that he raced a 50k in Slovakia last week. "How did you do?", I asked kicking myself for not checking the Athletics Ireland website lately! "3rd but I broke the Irish record", he replied. "Congratulations", I said. "Yeah, I went through the Marathon mark in 3:05 but the last 10k was a killer!" ..... yikes !!! .... and he was walking!! The official report is here. His wife Marian Andrews, also a handy athlete, is the current Irish 400m champion - so London 2012 may just be a family holiday!!

I'm off work next week but as I'm childminding I'm not sure how much cycling I'll be able to fit it... but I'll try I need to do something!!!

Three in a row

2010-03-27T21:32:00.003Z

Still no running but I'm gradually getting more active; which is just as well cause my appetite is no different now than when I was running 'regularly'. Surprisingly it's only been during the past few weeks that I've noticed my weight go up. So it's official - it takes 3 months for all my muscles to revert to fat!!

I had three physio sessions this week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday was an unplanned session - I finally got a call from the CUH and although I've been going privately I didn't like to disappoint Mary Harney and the HSE!!!

Progress seems to be on track (or maybe slightly ahead of schedule) as I've now advanced cycling and to running on the spot on a trampoline while playing catch with a ball. (not at same time). BTW she (ie the physio) says the ball is to distract me but I think it's a subtle hint to give up running and take up a less risky sport like rugby!!

St Patrick's Day adventure

2010-03-17T22:23:00.017Z

A belated Happy St Patrick's Day to all.

No running (obviously!!) recently just physio, exercises and some nice walks. The physio says that I've now to start some cycling which should be fun as I live at the top of a big hill. I'll be OK on the downhill but I'm not so sure about the return leg! Luckily I have a mountain bike!!

Since I've not been running I've had some time to experiment with one of my new toys - a digital video camera. And what better day to take it for a test run than St Patrick's Day.

I've never really seen the point or relevance of the whole parade thing. But, I usually watch it anyway. What does a few thousand of people standing by the side of a street watching a series of brass bands, dragons, pirates, underage camogie teams, ethnic minority groups, majoretts, international visitors, environmental activists, catholic prayer groups and the local Credit Union really say about the Irish or St. Patrick?? I'm certainly not sure but it's a bit of craic and as a nation, and possibly an international community, we all seem to enjoy it.

Today I had the pleasure of witnessing (with my camcorder and family in tow) two very different parades....

(Before I go any further apologies for the poor quality of the video footage.... I'm still in training!!)

The first was a small community parade in Sunday's Well. Organised by a few locals and primarily for the children of the area (and a some 'blow-ins' such as us). Today's parade was officially the "2nd Annual Sunday's Well Community Parade". The parade was an 'out and back' and lasted a whole 5-10 minutes (actually it passed by in about 30 seconds) but was great fun for young and old with ages ranging from 1 to 90+. And the after parade party and BBQ in Nuala & John's house with mulled wine (thanks Don!!), hot chocolate, burgers, breakfast rolls, pizza and, of course, lots of tea, sandwiches and cakes was brill. Well done to all.

See for yourself...

We left the party while it was still in full swing to walk the mile or so into town to see the official Cork City parade. A much bigger spectacle but for me the smaller family parade was much more like what it is all about.

Still though it was enjoyable to see the effort that the various participants put in. Groups taking part were from far flung places such Bangladesh, Poland, Kenya (all places full of Irish diaspora??) and the UK. I didn't see a US float but as I was late for the start I could have missed it. After all a St. Patrick's Day parade isn't complete without a representation from our US friends!!

Here are some extracts from the Cork parade....

Let the walking begin

2010-03-04T20:48:00.003Z

It's now 2 weeks since my cast came off and my ankle rehab seems to be coming along quite nicely. My initial attempts at hobbling have now turned into something resembling walking and my ankle joint doesn't mind being rotated - which is a good sign or so I'm told!

I had my first physio session earlier today and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my attempts to flex and rotate the ankle joint as well as some other basic exercises are just what I should be doing. And my drive to New Ross (300km return) earlier this week was just the right kind of exercise - no wonder I felt good the day after!! So at least I haven't been doing any damage.

The muscle wastage isn't too significant and the fact that it was my dominant leg, which has 10% extra muscle, that broke was a good (?) thing. I'm sure my overdeveloped calf muscles also had something to do with it!!

Some static bike work with the possibility of the cross trainer in the not too distant future was even mentioned. But... it seems like it will be June before running will become part of my exercise regime. Well at least it is June '10 and not '11 !!

The glass is definitely half full at the moment and as Westley commented on my last post "Every day is a day nearer your next run rather than another without one". How true....

Progress of sorts..

2010-02-27T12:22:00.005Z

My cast eventually came off last week so at least now I can walk, well...limp actually, and life is beginning to return to normal again. There's no pain in the joint which is a good sign but I only have about 60% of the normal rotation and no strength in my calf muscle so no standing on my toes just yet.

The next phase will involve lots of physio and it look like it will still be a couple of months before I can get back out for a run. At least no one has said that I won't be able to run again and others who have had similar surgery have shown that running afterwards is possible!!

The other fascinating thing for me is the advent of digital x-ray technology. Historically, it was like asking for state secrets if you wanted to keep a copy of your x-rays. Now it a simple matter of paying €10.16 for a CD of all the x-rays you want (assuming that they're yours of course!!).

So here are the before and after shots...

The damage...

And afterwards...

It's amazing how much orthopedic surgery is just like structural engineering.... just don't tell the doctors... something tells me they think it's much more complex!!

Happy running to all ... I'm there with you in spirit.

One month on..

2010-02-07T22:43:00.004Z

Today is one month to the day since my encounter with the ice. In some respects it doesn't seem that long ago but in other ways it feels like an eternity!!

I've less than 2 more weeks to go in the cast and my leg is slowly beginning to feel a bit more normal. I still can't put weight through the joint but I can at least use it for balance if required.

Frustration has well an truly set in!! Frustration that I can't run/exercise but more significantly frustration that I can't pull my weight at home. My poor wife has essentially been a single parent or four (3 kids and me) for the past month. Poor girl!! Family and friends have been great though. Thanks.

The ironic thing about this whole affair (i.e. busting my right ankle) is that my left abductors / calf / achilles have been niggling to varying degrees following my runs over the past couple of months. I'd decided over the Christmas break to start some drills/exercises to strengthen my left leg but I hadn't planned on hopping around on it for six weeks solid!! Maybe this is a good thing??

So far I've missed two of the four 10 mile races that I'd planned. Well done to those who competed in Dungarvan and Mallow. Both races appear to have been very well organised and enjoyed by all. Some quick times were posted so it appears that ye're training wasn't overly affected by the vagaries of the recent Irish weather.

There also appears to be a debate on barefoot running on going in various blogs recently. Some good and sensible views have been posted. This is a debate to which I'd hoped to be contributing to but I think I'll wait until I'm back pounding the roads/fields before I race to any conclusions!! :)

Till next time....

Short update

2010-01-23T00:33:00.007Z

Saw the doctor yesterday - new cast, x-ray & staples removed. Apparently, all looks to be in right place, including the plate and seven screws, so the cast will come off on 18th February (yippee.. I'm counting down the days already!!). Then it'll be time to learn to walk again probably followed by physio. Running will follow much later!!

No running (obviously) so now for something different....

In my free time I've managed to read 3 books (probably a record for me!!). These were:

Eddie O'Sullivan's (Former Ireland Rugby Coach) Autobiography.... basically his attempt to preserve his legacy (what's left of it!!) and get a few digs into his detractors!!

Andy McNab's latest Nick Stone thriller (Exit Wound).... a mindless fast moving and engaging anti-terrorist, Al Qaeda, British Secret Service yarn. If you're into that kind of thing it's an enjoyable easy read.

Dara O Briain's humorous take on England and the English (Tickling the English) based on observations compiled while on tour. Seriously well worth a read ... it's hilarious and insightful!!

Today's good news is that Munster won tonight despite my absence!! Roll on the home quarter final of the Heineken cup at the start of April. I'll be there even if I have to crawl!! :)

Twitter

2010-01-15T09:53:00.008Z

I must have too much time on my hands.....

To date the whole Twitter thing has passed me by so yesterday, as I had nothing better to do, I decided to check it out for the first time. To be honest I was beginning to feel like at tech dinosaur listening to people talking about 'tweets', 're-tweets' etc etc which was worrying as I'm usually fairly tech savvy.

But, the jury is still out in my mind as I'm still not too sure what benefit Twitter is to anyone. Tweets (see I'm even getting into the lingo!!) are limited to 140 characters - so no detailed info can be relayed. Maybe it will help me become more succinct?? Also, my ability to tweet is severely limited as I don't have a mobile phone with twitter capability and twitter is blocked by our firewall at the office so I'll only be able to tweet from home (not a problem for the next while!!!).

Anyway for the time being I'll give it a go. I'm not sure how it will evolve but I've put my Twitter feed on the side bar for anyone that's interested.

2010 and going backwards

2010-01-13T09:17:00.005Z

Up until last Thursday morning 2010 was going pretty well. I really enjoyed the family time over the holidays and my running was beginning to come together. I'd managed to fit in a few longish runs and some solid steady runs. On Wednesday I went for an 8 mile steady run which included 3 x 1000m @ sub-6:20 pace. Things were looking up for the Mallow-10 which was due to be held last Sunday (subsequently cancelled due to ice).

Then came Thursday....the first day back at school / work etc. It was cold outside - very cold (by Irish Standards!!). At 8:30 I was happily walking my son up to his childminder (who lives 4 doors up from ours). One minute Joe was in my arms and the next I was picking both him and me up off the footpath. The dreaded ice!!!

When I was falling a heard a 'click' in my right ankle. When I stood up I heard another - not a good sign but at least I was able to stand. Planning to continue on my journey I then turned around to pick up Joe's bag. Suddenly I was doing a classic cartoon banana skin fall - both legs up in the air. Joe and I were back down on the ground. Once again I picked Joe up but I was winded so I didn't get up as quickly this time. Neighbours who saw the falls were running (carefully) towards us - by their reactions it must have looked bad!! I gave Joe to Pamela and she tried to console him. I then picked myself up and hobbled my way the 20 yards back home. Joe, while distressed seemed OK and all this time I was thinking to myself - "yes, I must go to the hospital but at least I can walk so maybe it's just a sprain"....

Off we go to the hospital. Although worried, the girls were delighted that they'll get another day off school!! Joe was checked out and we were relieved to hear that despite the bruise on his cheek (sustained when he hit my face) he was going to be OK. Then I got the news about myself....

I had broken my ankle in three places and the joint was also dislocated. The worst of the fractures was a spiral fracture of the fibula at the level of the ankle joint. Surgery would be required.

I was scheduled to have the surgery on Friday but because I didn't get a bed until late on Friday afternoon the surgery (involving plates screws etc) was pushed to Saturday morning. So it only took 48 hours for me to be fixed up!! Great.

I wasn't alone. The hospital was full of similar victims. Apparently there were four orthopaedic operating theatres in use - normally there would only be one.

I was eventually discharged on Tuesday afternoon. It's good to be home... but it's hard. Even getting around the house is difficult.

So what's the prognosis.... no weight to be put through the joint for at least 6 weeks then lots of physio and I should be able to walk normally again. As for running..... I should be able to run again but due to the restricted joint movement I'll probably not be able to run to the same standard. But it will be at least 3 or 4 months before I'll be at that stage. For now it's a matter of keeping my leg elevated, not stressing the joint and not doing anything that will prolong this condition.

To be honest while it will be hard for me the next six weeks are going to be hardest for my family and I can't do anything about it!! AHHHHHHHHH.

I'll post an update periodically to record how I'm doing but I can't promise on it being very exciting..

Be careful out there and I look forward to living my running through reading of your achievements.......

Back from the cold

2009-12-30T22:57:00.004Z

Well, hello again.

Firstly, profound apologies to the limited number of running Websters who may be following my blog. I've been on a bit of an unplanned break from blogging and the same has been true of my running. Looking back over my diary since my last post I've been averaging a 'massive' 1 or 2 runs per fortnight which really was nothing to write home about. It has also caused my to rethink my short term goals...

The reason... real world demands which I won't detail here but I'm sure you can guess... work, family, fatigue and the well 'documented' Irish weather.

The result... I haven't raced recently and my fitness level has dropped significantly (the Christmas over indulgences haven't helped either!!)

The future... as of this week I'm back. You could call it an early New Year's resolution but really I realised that unless I get some running in I won't be able to 'complete' never mind run a semi-respectable time in Mallow on the 10th January!! And since I found out today that my entry into the Ballycotton 10 has been successful I really do need to get my arse in gear!!

So I started my comeback on Sunday with a 'traditional' long run. Given my current fitness I could have legitimately claimed anything longer than 3 miles as a 'long' run. But I wanted to test the boundaries and I went for 8 miles at an average of 7:29. It felt surprising good but the heart was beating a bit fast (avg 165bpm) and from 6 miles onwards I really wished I'd set the bar a bit lower!! To compound my misery, when I arrived at my sister-in-laws house (where we were headed for brunch) my clothes etc were still enroute (Pamela was bring them by car) and I decided to tag on a 2 mile warm down.

As I mentioned I felt surprisingly good until 8am on Monday when I went for a 6.5 mile recovery. I could blame the slippy roads but to be honest even if the conditions were perfect I couldn't have gone any quicker than the 7:50 pace that I averaged.

Today I went for a 5.5mile steady/tempo pace run. Overall I averaged 7:07 pace with mile splits being in the range of 6:40 to 6:55. Hopefully I won't be too stiff tomorrow!!

If this continues December may not become the total wipe out that it could have been!!

When I get some time I'll put together a bit of a review of 2009 which overall was a mixed but good running year.

Happy New Year to all and hopefully 2010 will bring nothing but joy and happiness to you and your families. And....hopefully the economy will recover too!!

Pot luck

2009-11-17T22:16:00.003Z

That's what it feels like at the moment. If it's not raining when it's time for a run you're extremely lucky.

Nice fartlek on Monday started the week off well. Overall 5.36 miles in 34:13. That's an average of 6:23 for the run including the recoveries at 7:00 to 7:30. It felt comfortable too - that's a good sign - isn't it??

On Tuesday I planned on taking it easy. But the 5.72 miles ended up being at 6:42 min/mile (159bpm) - it didn't feel that quick!

I was brought back to ground when I stumbled across this clip staring David McCarthy at Providence College. It puts my 5 mile tempo runs in perspective - 5:00min/mile - wow - I've still some work to do!!......

Child minding...

2009-11-13T20:53:00.004Z

I'm playing lone parent this weekend while my wife enjoys a break to Iceland with some girlfriends. So it looks like my running is finished for the week as it would be frowned upon to leave the 3 kids home alone so that I could fit in a run (even a quick one!!) - or would it ?? :)

This week I'll have to be content with a fartlek and a long run as being the quality sessions. Hopefully next week I'll be able to fit in the third quality session.

While the kids were at school / child minder this morning I took the opportunity to go for my long run. Since the Cork to Cobh race my long run have been a maximum of 12 miles. Today I wanted to push it out to 15+ miles.

It went well enough. It was cold - the first time since last winter that I resorted to wearing gloves but it was dry (for a change!!). I wanted to run in the 7:15 to 7:45 pace overall. The first half was typically faster than the second half. Some day I'll manage an even paced run. I think mental fatigue was beginning to creep in today as from 7 miles onwards my mind certainly drifted from the job at hand. Still though I completed the 15.60 miles in 1:55:48. That's an average pace of 7:25 min/mile and 158 bpm. My first half pace was approx. 7:15 min/mile. It was nice to put in a real long run and hopefully some more of these will stand me in good stead later in the year.

Today's run..

On the right track - hopefully!!

2009-11-08T22:10:00.007Z

My plan over the next few weeks is to make sure that I get in 2 good workouts, e.g. tempo, interval or long progression runs, per week with a steady long (i.e. 10+ miles) run over the weekend with some easier recovery runs also thrown into the mix. I think that this will plan set me up well for the half marathon in early December and give a good base for the new year.

So the quick session this week was a 5+ mile fartlek. I hadn't run one of these in ages and it felt good. No pressure to hit particular mile splits and the freedom to increase/decrease the pace as I saw fit. The quicker bits of the session generally ranged from 5:50 - 6:30 min/mile pace for durations of 1 to 4 minutes. Recoveries were 7:00 to 7:30 pace. Overall, I averaged 6:44min/mile for 5.25miles and it felt easier than some of my progression runs which tend to have a similar overall average pace.

I went for my long run yesterday and I decided to repeat last weeks 11.62 mile run - just a bit quicker. This week I passed through 10 miles in 69:32min with an average of 159bpm and an average cadence of 78.6rpm. I felt pretty good and fresher than last week and I was a minute quicker! From 10 miles onwards I took it a bit easier and overall I completed the run in 1:22 (over 2 minutes quicker than last week). Hopefully that progress will continue!!

Also, recently I've been playing around with some of the "Evolution Running" techniques (thanks to an introduction by Rick) so it was nice to see the cadence during yesterday's run increase without any increased effort - maybe I'm perfecting a 'slightly' more efficient technique!!

Yesterday's run..

An easy 6.25 run today nicely rounded off the week.... 5 weeks to go to Waterford.

Have a good week everyone.

Let's start again

2009-11-01T22:05:00.005Z

Unintentionally, I've been a bit more stop/start with my running of late which isn't too much of an issue as I'm only just starting a new training phase. My next targeted race will be the half marathon in Waterford on December 12 but really it's the Munster 10 mile series next spring which is the focus.

This week I started back in earnest with some easy runs and 2No. good sessions. On Wednesday I ran a nice steady/tempo progression 5.66mile lunchtime run increasing from 6:52min/mile / 142bpm (mile 1) to 6:28min/mile / 178bpm (mile 5) and 6:09/183 for the last 0.66miles to the end. My heart rate was a bit higher than normal. In fact, it has been that way since last Sunday morning's 12 mile run. Not sure of the reason so I'll have to keep an eye on it.

Today, I decided to skip the local 4-mile race in favour of a long run. I had planned on taking it 'easy', i.e. >7:15 min/mile, but over the first few miles I found my instantaneous pace being consistently less than 7 min/mile. So I revised the plan and aimed for 7:00 min pace for the first 10 miles with a 1.5 mile very easy finish. I passed through 10 miles 70:30 min (163bpm) feeling a bit tired and certainly more tired than I was a couple of weeks ago when I ran 65mins for the first 10 miles of the Cork to Cobh race. How can that be??!! Overall 11.62 miles in 85mins.

I've also developed a few niggles - tenderness at the bottom of both achilles tendons, left hamstring tightness and some lower back pain.... I must be getting old!! I can only imagine how I'd be feeling if I'd run the Dublin Marathon!! Hopefully the niggles will easy over the coming weeks and not develop into something more serious!!

Also I think I'll introduce some core strengthening exercises into the programme. I used do a lot of this type of work but in recent years I've been a bit neglectful and unfortunately I've gone a bit 'soft in the centre' just like an eclair!! :)

In between runs

2009-10-20T22:53:00.005+01:00

I just realised that it's nearly three weeks since I updated this log but there hasn't been too much to report. I've been running (on and off) but it's mostly easy (low 7min/mile) with some progression runs thrown in for good measure but nothing too exciting. Runs have been generally in the 5 to 7 mile bracket.

Since my last post the final results of the Cork to Cobh race were published. For those who may be interested the results are uploaded here.

Since I missed my window for running the Dublin marathon this year I started to look for an alternative marathon this side of Christmas and I came across this helpful website. I thought about running the Lisbon Marathon in early December but Aer Lingus, in their wisdom, have cancelled the direct flight from Cork and I don't fancy battling Dublin Airport for a weekend away. There's a marathon in a place called Alesund in Norway on the 29th December but given that it would be an epic journey to get there and back and the official website is in Norwegian only (!!) I decided to give that one a miss too. Likewise, I don't fancy running 26miles around Luton in early December either (although the fact that the course consists of three 8+ mile laps was an interesting twist for any 'supporters' who may travel). So it looks like any marathon plans I have will have to wait until 2010.

So what now? Well there's a half marathon in Waterford City on December 12th and that may well be my next short term goal. I say 'may' because I've a ticket for the Munster v Perpignan game on the night of the 11th December which 'may' affect my ability to run a quick 13.1miles!! :) We'll see.... Otherwise it will be the 10-mile series starting with the Mallow 10 in January. I wonder how close to 60-mins I can get??

It's time to start training properly...

Good luck to all those running Dublin. I'm sure it will be a great day and PB's will tumble for all!!

Steady does it...

2009-10-04T21:27:00.008+01:00

Since my last post I've been busy on a number of fronts but not as busy as I'd have liked on the running front. What this means is that I've not put in enough long runs to justify my attempt at my first marathon, so I won't be going to Dublin this year. On the other hand it also means that I could run today's Cork to Cobh (15-mile) race as a true race and not have to restrain myself to MP miles like many others did (well done Grellan - a very controlled run!).

Since Blarney, I managed a total of 32 miles during the week 14/09 to 20/09 and 19miles during the week 21/09 to 28/09. Only one of the runs was more than 12 miles long and the majority were in the 5 to 8 miles range at 6:30 to 7:30 pace. As I said, not enough for marathon training.

On top of that our baby Joe is teething and, just like last night, he has taken to waking at 3am and screaming the house down!! So when the alarm went off at 6:30 today (timed to give me enough time to have a breakfast and get to the start line in fine and early for the 9:30 start) I simply turned over and went back to sleep. Not a good start.... and when I eventually awoke at 7:55am all I could do was grab some toast and rush out of the house. Just enough time to get to race HQ, register, go for a 1 mile warm up and get to the start and try to relax.

The Plan....The Blarney 'blip' combined with the erratic training regime had put some doubts into my mind about my current shape. So I decided that the plan for today would be to head out at 6:45 min/mile and depending on how I felt try to push the pace towards 6:30 over the second half and hopefully finish in the low 1:40's.

The race went to plan and to be honest, despite how I look in the photo below (thanks Paudie) taken near the finish line, it was probably the first time ever that I finished a race thinking that I could have gone further!!

As I said the plan was to start out at 6:45min/mile and see how it went. Well, it went well! But, a 15 mile race is a long way to report on so here is the very much abridged version..

Mile splits were...

Mile 1 - 6:43 - 154bpm (on target)
Mile 2 -6:37 - 164bpm (settling in and feeling good)
Mile 3 - 6:33 - 165bpm (good to see Pam and the kids)
Mile 4 - 6:34 - 166bpm (yippee the water stations give bottles!!)
Mile 5 - 6:32 - 167bpm (steady goes it - concentrate on catching the group ahead)
Mile 6 - 6:29 - 169bpm (Sunday Mass brings out good roadside support!!)
Mile 7 - 6:29 - 170bpm (another 6:30 mile - going well!)
Mile 8 - 6:33 - 170bpm (time to start working here's where it went to crap in Blarney)
Mile 9 - 6:23 - 172bpm (the group ahead is getting away - push on..)
Mile 10 - 6:22 - 173bpm (keep going....much better than Blarney)
Mile 11 - 6:28 - 174bpm (here's the start of the long drag to the finish)
Mile 12 - 6:27 - 175bpm (focus of the guy in front; steep downhill & left hamstring cramps)
Mile 13 - 6:46 - 174bpm (uphill, minding hamstring fortunately can't hear anyone behind)
Mile 14 - 6:46 - 177bpm (when will this 'hill' end??)
Mile 15 - 6:22 - 178bpm (nice downhill 1/4 to the finish but didn't catch the guy in front!!)

The not-so-painful truth...

On crossing the line I stopped my watch on 1:38:11 .... a PB (although as this was my first time to race over 15 miles I suppose it doesn't really count!!). I think that I was in the top 50 finishers but a long way behind the winner (1:16+).

Yet another finish line photo of me looking at my watch...Of more note was that I passed the HM marker (feeling fresh) in 1:25:44 which is a HM PB. Pity I couldn't have done that in Blarney!! :)

This was my first Cork to Cobh run and I can see why it has become a firm fixture in the Cork road running scene. A nice course, well organised with plenty of bottled water. I understand that over 800 ran today that's a big jump from the 670 last year.

So what now... before the race today Grellan asked me if this was the end of my 'season'. Given that my 'season' never really started (only 3 races since last March) it may just be the start but I'll have to see what races come up. Maybe a pre-Christmas marathon?? or maybe just some hard training for the Munster 10-mile series in the New Year?

Time will tell....

A Blarney to forget...

2009-09-13T20:58:00.007+01:00

Firstly, sorry but this is going to be a 'negative' post but I've been kind of frustrated all day.

Today's race in Blarney is certainly one for me to forget! It started well enough. The sun was shining, I got up early, parked near race HQ registered and went for a 3 mile warmup. All good so far....

Then the race started. My plan was to head out at 6:20 to 6:30 pace for the first half and assuming that I'd have something left in the tank push on to the finish hopefully finishing 1:24 or better. That was the plan anyway....unfortunately things didn't quite work out as I'd planned.

I was on target for the first 8 miles or so but then it all seemed to fall apart. My splits up to mile 8 were 6:12, 6:19, 6:25, 6:29, 6:45 (big uphill), 7:18 (beast of an uphill section!!), 6:33 and 6:33. All OK so far...

I don't know if it was the heat (it was very hot 20+degC); the fact that the first 6+ miles were uphill; my lack of endurance training; a hangover from last weeks virus or the lack of sleep during the past week but suddenly if there was a shortcut to the finish I'd have taken it. The rest of my 'journey to the finish' (it could no longer be called a 'race') was decidedly ugly comprising jelly legs, lack of motivation and bouts of walking. Uncharateristically, I even got frustrated (annoyed) by the suporters encouraging calls of "it's all downhill to the finish" and "only just one mile to go" etc...

I could do nothing as runner after runner seemed to cruise past. I think I must have lost 50+ places over the last 5 miles. If it hadn't been for the fact that Pamela and the kids were at the finish I'd have been quite happy to record a DNF but the thought that they might see me struggling pushed my to run most of the last mile at sub 6:10 pace. Unfortunately, the damage was done and I eventually crossed the finish line in 1:31:30 (102nd place out of 550 runners). The official results are here.

Although the time was disappointing I was more frustrated with the manner in which I gave in to the pain. But now that I've had a few hours to compose myself, rehydrate and take on some salts I think that I was 'probably' suffering from dehydration. Although I tried to take on water at each waterstop (2 mile intervals) I think that I spilt much more from the plastic water cups than I drank until I eventually I walked through the last couple of water stations (too little too late!). I also underestimated the impact of the initial uphill section - last year I was much more conservative during the initial miles and I then had reserve energy for the later miles.

I guess I'll just have to put today's 'effort' down to experience...

One last dash to the finish....

The painful truth...

Recovered??

2009-09-09T22:05:00.005+01:00

I was still a bit wiped yesterday so I took another day off running but I'm glad to report that the trials of the weekend have now passed and it was business as usual today.

I wasn't too sure how to approach today's run. I wanted to do a bit more than an 'easy' run as I feel that I haven't really tested my current fitness ahead of Sunday's race. I probably should have taken it easy just to make sure that there were now carryover effects from the weekend but alas I didn't. Instead I choose to go for 2 mile intervals over my usual 5.5mile route at sub 7 minute pace. At least that was the plan anyway....

The first mile was steady enough at 6:56 pace (150bpm) over a combination of grass and track in Ballincollig park. On target I was feeling good so I picked up the pace over the second mile 6:36 min (162bpm). At this stage I was still feeling OK, albeit a bit heavy legged (probably from a sleepless night last night) and I thought to myself maybe I should change my original plan and keep this pace going over 5 miles instead of breaking it into intervals. And that's just what I did. The third mile was an uphill one which I covered in a relaxed 6:42min (165bpm). I was still not stressing so I increased the pace over the last 2 miles taking advantage of the downhill terrain 6:14min (173bpm) and 6:03min (177bpm). In all I passed through 5 miles in 32:29 (average 6:29min) which is respectable enough as I wasn't really trying too hard (although I must admit I did work a bit over the last mile!!) and that a couple of seasons ago I was happy with that time in a race!! After a 0.66mile recover I made it back to the office after 5.66miles in 38:02mins. A nice blow out run!!

So what did today's run tell me? Probably not much except that there don't appear to be any ill effects from last Sundays illness and I'm in reasonable shape over 5 miles. Just before this HM race last year I did the same run completing the 5 miles in 32:16 and splits of 6:57(150bpm), 6:40(163bpm), 6:37(166bpm), 6:06(174bpm) and 5:57(178bpm). I actually remember that run last year and despite what the numbers say I don't think I was working as hard today. So I think I'm probably in a similar shape to where I was at this time last year put not yet back to where I was last March.

But what I haven't been able to gauge is whether I have the endurance required to keep a sub 6:45min pace going for 13+ miles. I suppose I'll find out on Sunday!!

Today's run...

ps... I just realised that today is the anniversary of my first ever blog post. Where has that year gone and how things have changed!!

.....

2009-09-07T09:47:00.004+01:00

Lately I've realised that I'm getting into a bit of a rut in running terms. Looking back though my diary it seems that I think I'm too regularly running about 5.5 miles at lunchtime at 6:30 to 7:10min/mile pace. This programme has served my quite well this year but I think that it's time for a change. I plan to introduce some longer 'easy' runs as well as some long intervals to compliment my regular progression 'tempo' runs and maybe some double sessions also.

So, last Tuesday I thought I'd break the cycle and extend my midday run. I've found that 8 miles is about as much as I can get in during a 'slightly' extended one hour lunch break. So that was the target. As it turned out it was 8.06miles @ 7:00min/mile (160bpm) in 56:21mins. The plan was to run at an even 'steady' pace which worked out quite well (fastest 6:43; slowest 7:09) given the terrain etc.

Surprisingly though my legs were a bit on the tired side on Wednesday so an easy 5.63 miles at 7:08 was all that I had the appetite for - rut firmly established again!! :)

On Thursday and Friday I had to take an early lunch to pick the girls up from school. So no time for running. If only I was as dedicated as some others I could mention and could get up at 5am for a run!!

On Saturday all three kids got sick so nursing duties prevented me from running. It seemed to be a 24 hour thing and by Sunday they were physically exhausted but feeling much better. I wasn't feeling great either on Sunday morning but I put that down to lack of sleep. The forecasted 'sunny day' never materialised (typical!!) so by 4pm I headed out for my long run. This week I decided to take the route around Monkstown - I thought that the run along the waters edge would help take my mind off the relentless rain!! It's a 12.5mile route and the plan was to cover the first 10 miles in 70-71mins and keep it steady to the end. But..... I was feeling good until I got to the 8 mile mark 57:02 at Passage West. Then my body gave in.... I wasn't sick but from that point onwards every step was like hell. My first thought was my lack of fitness and that if I felt like this after 8 miles at 7min pace how will I feel during next weeks half marathon where I'm hoping to run much faster. By mile 12 I was practically crawling all I wanted to do was for it to end and get home. In all I completed 12.63miles in 1:38:05. That's an overall average of 7:46 min/mile @ 158bpm (first 10 miles in 72:09min).

Once home it was clear to my that something else was happening. I'll spare you the details but suffice it to say that I spent much of the evening praying at the toilet bowl. Obviously what the children got was contagious and I didn't avoid it. Now, I'm sure that my work colleagues wouldn't appreciate getting what I got so I'm staying at home today (first sick day in 10 years I think)!! And besides I feel like a train rolled over me so concentration would be nil. As for running I think I'll take today off too!! Hopefully I'll recover before the race next weekend....

Week Total (31/08/09 to 06/09/09) - 4 runs
31.96 miles - 3:53:51 - avg 7:19min/mile - 158bpm - 75.4rpm

New School New Routine

2009-08-31T21:05:00.008+01:00

Our two girls started school last Thursday and became mini celebrities along the way!! I suppose it helps being identical twins on the opening day of a new school.... Our mornings won't ever be the same with the school run, school lunches, uniforms etc etc. I'm sure it'll be an interesting and enjoyable journey and you never know this recession might even be over by the time they'll be looking for a job!!

After last Monday's run, as promised, I took it easy on Tuesday with a 7:20min/mile 5.6mile run. But on Wednesday I took it really easy and didn't run at all!! Looking back through my diary Wednesday is my most consistent 'day off' having run on only 6 of the 17 Wednesdays since the start of May!! The start of school for the girls meant that Thursday and Friday were no running days also!!

On Saturday I wasn't too confident (correctly as it turned out) that I'd fit in my long run on Sunday so while Joe took his morning nap I snuck out for an 11.33mile steady progression run.

The first 4 miles were uphill from Ardmore to Kiely's Cross so I took them handy enough at an average of 7:25min/mile pace. Once I reached the main road and the 7 mile 'downhill' home stretch I picked up the pace to under 7min/mile and progressed from there!! By the 10 mile mark I was at 6:30min/mile (166bpm). I had covered the first 10 miles in 70:39 minutes and at this point I thought I'd done enough so I contemplated easing off which I did for about 10 seconds before I continued to the end at a steady 6:40 pace. In all 11.33 miles 1:19:31 (7:01min/mile @ 161bpm & 77.4rpm). It was an encouraging run before the half marathon on the 13th Sept. and given that the first 6 miles of the HM are uphill I suppose Saturdays run also counts as a dress rehearsal!! With only one race all summer, in fact only one race since last March, the Half Marathon on 13th September will be a bit of a journey into the unknown...

Week Total (24/08/09 to 30/08/09) - 3 runs
22.54miles - 2:39:37 - 7:05min/mile - 158bpm - 76.6rpm

Today my legs were recovered so after I couple of easy miles (7:15-7:30 min/mile) I upped the tempo to 6:40, 6:26 and 6:08 pace. In all covering the 5.64 miles in a 'comfortable' 39:16 (6:58min/mile).

Although I'm happy with my current condition, on reflection, I don't think I'm back to where I was last March (probably roughly equivalent to mid January) but if I do decide to take the plunge and loose my virginity at the Dublin Marathon at the end of October things are probably right where they should be... I'll reassess my plans in a few weeks..

Recovery week

2009-08-24T23:01:00.007+01:00

Last weeks 'recovery' run certainly did the trick. My legs weren't too sore on during the week. I don't think that the 20+ run was 'suicidal' as suggested by Grellan but it certainly has taken longer to recover than from a more normal 15+ mile long run.

On Tuesday with still 'heavy legs' I attempted a progression run over my usual 5.66mile route around Ballincollig. The mile splits pace ranged from 7:16 to 6:42 with a 'sprint' at 6:26min/mile pace for the last 0.66miles!! It all felt a bit too hard really. After the first mile my heartrate was in the mid 170's and I was only just breaking the 7 minute barrier. In all 5.66miles @6:58min/mile (39:24mins @ 169bpm avg).

So, on Wednesday I decided to take a proper 'recovery' and not run.

A lunchtime out of the office meeting on Thursday meant that if I wanted to run it had to be early in the morning. So I set the alarm from 5:30am but ignored it and got up at 6:15am instead!! It almost felt like a lie in!! At least the early start gave me another excuse for having heavy legs (still recovering from last Sunday). I headed into town at a steady 7:05min/mile pace reaching the turn around point in 24:58min and a low average heartrate of 144bpm. The overall 77m elevation drop may have been a factor but I was feeling good so on the return leg I decided to 'up' the pace. In general the average pace was less than 6:45min/mile and including the climb up Maryborough Hill I made it home in an average of 7:01 giving an overall of 49:24 (155bpm) for the 7.04mile early morning jaunt.

I spent the weekend in Ardmore so on Friday afternoon I ran the beach and cliff route. An overall distance of 7.47miles at an average of 7:29min/mile (160bpm) - 55:54 minutes. Interestingly, although the last couple of months have been a bit erratic in running terms they appear to be showing some dividends - when I ran this route at the start of June my average pace was 7:50+ and 164bpm.

My wife's family had a clan gathering on Saturday so time for running was out of the question - replaced by time on beach and in the pub.

Unfortunately, the rain came in during the night on Saturday so when the alarm went off I turned over. The extra couple of hours sleep helped clear the Guinness out of my system and when I eventually arose I deferred my run until the afternoon. I also changed the plan and instead of the 'easy' 13+ mile run I went for a 2x4mile progression run (Ardmore to Kiely's cross and back). The first 4 miles were 'steady' uphill at 7:11min/mile (158bpm). After a 2 minute recovery I headed back downhill starting out at 6:22 pace increasing steadily to 5:48min/mile (overall average 165bpm). Although the pace was helped by the downhill it felt good to let loose and put in some fast miles.

Week Total (17/08/09 - 23/08/09) - 5 sessions
33.96miles - 4:06:13 - 7:15min/mile - 159bpm - 77rpm

Summer is now officially over, the family is back from Ardmore and the girls start school on Thursday. So today I was back on the roads around Ballincollig for a 5.66mile run. The pace progressed from 7:10min/mile (143bpm) to 6:24min/mile (171bpm) - it was supposed to be an 'easy' run but I think I overcooked it a bit!! I blame the new running shoes...... Tomorrow will be better.....

Back on track and new found respect

2009-08-17T20:31:00.004+01:00

Well the first week of work after the holidays is over and I think it's time to update this blog...

The holidays were great plenty of relaxation, family time and some running too. Probably not as much running as I'd hoped for, opting instead for more time with the family and some extra hours of sleep. Afterall holidays are supposed to give you a chance to recharge the batteries, aren't they??

During the first week of my holidays (27th July to 2nd August) I managed 5 runs each ranging from 7 to 9.5miles. The runs were generally steady and averaging in the low to mid 7min/mile range over a mixture of trails, beach and road. However, I let off the breaks and put in a few low 6min miles towards the end of a few of the runs - just to loosen out the legs!! In all I covered 42.87 miles.

The second week wasn't as productive fitting in just a single 10.58mile beach, cliff top, road run.

So back to work last week and I hoped for a more regular routine conducive to running. On Monday I went for a 5.65mile tempo run at a average 6:52 pace. I started out at 6:38min/mile and finished at 6:34min/mile but the middle was harder than it should have been. Maybe I was paying the price for only 1 run the previous week? True to form Tuesday and Wednesday were no run days (I'm sure I had a 'good' excuse at the time - just can't remember it right now). I made up for it on Thursday and Friday by going for 5.64 and 6.51mile steady runs at an average of 7:00 and 7:01 min/mile. Still though the runs felt tougher than they should. So I took Saturday off.

On Sunday I went for my first 'long' run in a few weeks. This time I decided to push out the boat in terms of distance and go for a very 'easy' 20+ miler!! Afterall I need to start logging some decent weekly mileage!! This would be my longest run EVER. Pamela and the kids went back to Cork so I had a few free hours (and I needed all of them!!) so I left Ardmore and headed for Dungarvan along the N25. My Garmin wouldn't start so I had to rely on my old reliable Casio stopwatch - 15 years old and I've yet to change the battery!! It was nice, if a bit unfamiliar, to run without constant pace feedback. I had run a 15miler last June (Ardmore to the Marine Bar - 28th June) along this route so I had an idea of the terrain i.e. 4 miles uphill (160m climb) followed by 4 miles undulating, followed by a steep 160m drop over 2 miles, turn around and repeat in reverse!! Tough!! I took it easy over the first half reaching the turn around (approx 10 miles) in 78mins (7:35 pace). The next 2 miles uphill were 'hell' as I realised that I'd been running with a tailwind for the first half. No wonder I felt so relaxed!! The picture didn't improve for the rest of the run. It was humid, I was tired and my legs hurt (left hamsting) but my breathing was fine. I must admit (shame on me) that I 'gave in' on a few occassions and walked for my water breaks. By 16miles I took the last of my water and having run for more than 2 hours at that stage fatigue set in and motivation dropped. I just wanted it to be over even the last 4 downhill miles did nothing to help ease the fatigue! I eventually made it back to the caravan park in Ardmore after 2:50:23. Measuring the route on Map My Run I think that I covered approx 20.5miles at an average of 8:19min/mile. I'll have to repeat the run with my Garmin just to be sure!! Although it wasn't my prettiest run ever it was my longest and I've now got a new respect for all marathon runners!! Running for more than 2 hours is hard and not just physically hard. It's mentally hard too.

The long run on Sunday did help my weekly mileage though 38.30miles in 4:54:26 i.e. 7:41min/mile average.

I went for a recovery run today. 5.77 miles in 46:36 (8:05 min/miles average pace). It hurt too!! Mile splits were 8:43, 8:36, 8:15, 7:51, 7:31 and 7:24. Even if I wanted to I couldn't have gone any faster - hopefully tomorrow will feel better.

By the way my Garmin footpod arrived while I was on holidays so I now have lots more numbers to tell me how badly I'm running!! Based on my first few runs it appears that my average cadence is in fact 76-78rpm and if I try and increase my leg speed I just run faster!! When I've recorded a cadence >80rpm on a flat road it seems like my pace is in the low 6min/mile, 77rpm roughly equates to 7:00min/mile pace. Interesting!! I'll monitor the trends over the coming weeks / months and see what happens.

As for races I've decided not to run the Great North Run this year. My 'training' hasn't been focused enough and although my race number came in the post last week I've not booked any flights or accomodation yet so I think that I'll defer my entry until next year. I'll probably opt instead to run the local half marathon here in Cork on Sept 13th instead and hopefully I'll be able to run something similar to last year (i.e. sub 1:27).

More anon....

Holidays are coming...

2009-07-23T13:10:00.006+01:00

Yesterday's 6.5 mile (6:55min/mile avg) was a lot harder than it should have been!! Remind me never to take a 5 day break from running again. (no reason for the break just didn't manage to fit any runs in).

Still though, I'm on 2 weeks holidays from tomorrow so plenty running is planned!!

Today I was due to run a 5-mile race in Churchtown South but since I missed the best part of a weeks training and yesterday's run took a bit out of me so instead I decided to go for a long easy/steady run tonight. In all I covered 15.7miles in 2:01 or an overall average of 7:45 min/mile. The first 13.5miles were at 7:13 min/mile pace (i.e. faster than my first HM race pace!!) with a 2 mile cool down. The good news is that the run went well avg heartrate 157bpm but the bad news is that summer is certainly over it was cold tonight - so cold that my legs began to cramp over the cool down!! Bring back the sun!!

It's time to count...

2009-07-15T19:18:00.008+01:00

I've learned more about cadence and it's role in distance running over the last few days than I ever thought I would thanks to all the advice, links etc after my last post. All really appreciated.

So I spent today's tempo run (5.61miles @ 6:40min/mile [37:25] 161/181bpm) counting my foot strikes!! My mile split pace was 6:48, 6:51, 7:07 (uphill), 6:26, 6:21, 6:20. It felt reasonably comfortable. Next week I'm planning on increasing the length of these runs to approx 6.5 miles.

Today's run...

On cadence I'm told that the target is 90+ but I've never monitored it before today. So today's run established a baseline. Approx once per mile I counted my foot strikes for 30 seconds. Initially I was hitting 78rpm but over the last 2 miles I counted 82 and 84rpm respectively. I noticed that as I concentrated on counting that my speed tended to increase - poor multitasking abilities!! :). I seem to fall short of the target 90+ so I'll try and introduce some regular drills aimed at increasing cadence and maybe that will translate into quicker times!! I'll repeat today's baseline check in a few weeks and see if there's any benefit.

Counting foot strikes every mile is good but wouldn't it be better to use a foot pod for my Garmin 305? Yes it would - lots more numbers to monitor!! Yippee.... Once I finish this post I'm off to try and source a cheap foot pod on the web.....

By the way Monday's lunchtime run (same course as today) was a steady progression with mile pace varying from 7:12 to 6:26 over 5.64miles (avg 6:58min/mile 158 /170 bpm). It went well - nothing too exciting apart from the fact that the elements conspired against me - it stopped raining just long enough for me to get my gear and change and get a half mile into the run.

I'm off shopping.....

.... just back from shopping .... Does anyone know if the foot pod for the Forerunner 305 is suitable for outdoor use and actually measures cadence.... it seems to be marketed as an indoor accessory and I haven't been able to find info on cadence (as this is principally targeted at cyclists?? At approx €70 I want to be sure before I purchase and the Garmin website is no help!!

More Corkbeg...

2009-07-12T23:18:00.012+01:00

800m to go...I'm in the background....

Thanks for all the comments after my last post. I think that the 'irregular' training I've been doing has been showing some limited dividends but I'll have to knuckle down to some proper training if I'm to make any real improvements!! Ohh.... Thomas you'll be able to beat me over a marathon / ultra for a long time to come (don't worry!!)

Also, courtesy of John Desmond's blog I see that there are 2 videos of the Corkbeg race uploaded to YouTube. Thanks to Rob Patterson.

Corkbeg near start (@23sec...)

Corkbeg near finish (@3:40)...

Video footage can be very enlightening... I hadn't realised until now how 'loping' my stride is. Maybe if I can increase my leg turnover I can also increase my speed??

Yesterday there was so much rain I thought that I'd moved to the tropics so - no running. As an aside some family members are in Kenya on voluntary work at the moment and they're praying for the rainy season maybe we can tanker the rainwater and ship it to Kenya!!

In between the showers today I managed to fit in an 8 mile steady run (7.87miles in 55:00 i.e. 6:58 min/mile (160/174bpm). The run was a bit of a progression run starting out at 7:16 pace for the first mile and progressing to 6:41 pace for the last).

This week was a fast but low mileage week. Hopefully I'll fit in some longer runs and more sessions next week ...

Week Total 6/7/09 to 12/7/09 (3 sessions)

22.77miles - 2:42:26 - avg 7:08min/mile - 162bpm

Corkbeg 5mile

2009-07-09T23:15:00.007+01:00

I was a bit unsure about how I'd run tonight. In fact, tonight's race was my first real test since the 4 mile race in Carrignavar last March (which in hindsight I probably should have skipped as I'm now sure that it added to my ITB issues!!). But hindsight is great isn't it!!

Although I've had a few good runs recently I haven't put in any really hard workouts and my training has generally been a bit... erratic. So pre-race I convinced myself that a solid sub-32 would suffice.

The Corkbeg 5 is organised by my club East Cork AC so, since I started running again a few years ago I've always wanted to run in this race but until tonight I didn't get the chance. Also I grew up in the area and I've always thought that it would be nice to run a race there. Thinking back, the last run I raced in the area was a "Milk Run" in the early 80's.... remember those anyone??

The course is generally an out-n-back which starts on a downhill (never good!!) but is mostly flat with a bit of a climb up to the 2 mile mark followed by a short steep descent. Unfortunately, being an out-n-back the start and finish are near each other so the downhill start becomes an uphill finish (also never good!!).

After an early check in, a 3 mile warm up and some chat with those I knew (and some I met for the first time) it was time to line up. The weather was perfect, warm, no wind and there was a good enough crowd (probably 100 or so) which was a reasonable turnout as there was a popular BHAA 5k race in Cork last night which attracted more than 400 runners!!

Despite my resignation that a solid sub-32 would do I intended on going out at 6min pace and hanging on for as long as I could. The downhill start helped me and I passed Mile 1 in 5:45mins a bit quicker than I'd planned. At this stage the field was quite strung out and I was in danger of being lost in no-mans-land so I fixed my eyes on a clubmate (David) who was one or two places ahead.

The climb up to Mile 2 was tough but manageable and cost me a couple of seconds and one place!! Note to self....I must do some more strength work!! I reached the Mile 2 marker in 6:08min still ahead of my average 6min pace target - OK!

Now came the sharp downhill. Should I push hard downhill and pull back lost seconds or maintain my pace and recover from the climb. I could hear footsteps and breathing not too far behind so I sort of did a bit of both. Pushed hard enough not to loose any placing but used the downhill to recover a bit also. Spot the dip in the heart rate in the chart below. I passed the Mile 3 in 6:02min.

I began to falter during the initial stages of mile 4 and my pace dropped to 6:16min for a bit. I could have done with another downhill to help me recover!! I was joined from behind by another runner (unfortunately I couldn't draw enough breath the ask him his name!!) and we ran side by side for a while. I thought to myself he came alongside but he didn't pass me so after about half a mile I began to feel better and I upped the tempo and put some daylight between us. I reached the Mile 4 marker in 6:05mins... that initial dip in form cost me!!

At this stage I could smell the finish line (or was it my sweat!!). My first thought was that I can jog now and still make the sub-32 target...oh how tempting was that when my heart was beating at 187bpm. I didn't give in though, put temptation to the back of my head and started to think of a sub-31 finish!

The last mile was initially flat but the last half was uphill - how cruel!! I concentrated on the runner about 15m ahead determined not to let him get away and also determined not to be passed. I wasn't, but unfortunately, and despite a 1:27 last quarter, I didn't have enough to catch the guy ahead. I crossed the line and stopped my watch a 5:58min last mile giving a total of 30:00min for the race!! A solid PB by almost 30 seconds - happy days!! I only lost 3 places after the first mile and I think I finished in 19th place.

It would have been nice to have made sub-30 (McMillan says I can!!) especially when the guy who finished behind said "well done - did you make sub-30". "No, just 30 flat", I replied. To be honest with my training being so up and down I don't think I deserved a sub-30 tonight and it's good to have something to aim for!! Next time (assuming a fast course!!)

A 1 mile warm down and back to home to my mothers for a nice home cooked dinner!! Happy days!!

My achilles are sore now - I can only imagine what they'll be like in the morning!!!

Update:....

The official results are here. 19th place is confirmed (157 competitors) but look at the pace per mile 5:59.9min/mile....so I did break 30mins!! :)

Running free

2009-07-07T21:10:00.005+01:00

I'm house sitting at the moment Pamela and the gang are enjoying the beach while I stay at home and work. What did I do wrong :(

I rested my heel/achilles yesterday so no running.

Tonight my Garmin battery was low so for a moment I actually thought I'd put off the run until the battery charged. But... I knew that once I sat down on the couch I wouldn't get up again. So I put my need for GPS data to one side and put on my old stopwatch and went for a run. I can't remember the last time I ran without the constant pace and heartrate feedback. It felt good tonight - it felt free.

I felt so good my 'easy' run turned into a 'steady' run. 6.25miles in 44:23 (7:06min/mile). Maybe I should run without the Garmin more often!! Not the quickest I've run the course but it was about a 1:20min faster than the last time I ran the same route in May and only 40seconds slower than the time in March. A sign of some progress but still more to do!! The achilles area was a bit sore to begin with but it seemed to ease out after a few miles and it isn't too sore now.

A real 'easy' run is planned for tomorrow and hopefully the Corkbeg-5 on Thursday....

Another week down..

2009-07-05T22:49:00.006+01:00

So I come to the end of yet another mixed week. On the plus side I managed to fit in four workouts on the negative side none of them were anything to write about (but here I go anyway!!).

The easy run on Monday was a planned 'recovery' run. 5.64 miles at lunchtime in 41:23 mins i.e. 7:23 min/mile average pace (155/171 bpm).

On Tuesday my legs were really heavy after the run on Monday and probably a hangover from Sundays run too. Maybe too much over the weekend. After all, it's been a while since I've run a 15 miler! So I rested...

Likewise on Wednesday.

On Thursday evening I tried to make up for not running on Wednesday and ran twice the planned distance. 11.62 miles in 1:24:54, an average of 7:19min/mile (161/179bpm). The run felt really relaxed from a heartrate point of view but my left calf was very tight. In fact both calves were tight and the pain in my heels at the base of my achilles which usually goes away after a warmup lasted for the full run. I hope it's nothing serious (??) but I rested on Friday anyway.

On Saturday I was torn. Time was limited and I wanted to watch the last test of the Lions v South Africa, go to the Cork City Sports and go for a run. I managed to go to the sports and fit in a quick / short run but unfortunately the Lions had to be recorded and watched later!! The run was 4.33 miles in total. Not having put in any quick runs all week I pushed the pace over the first 3 miles at 6:29 pace. But my legs were like lead, left calf was sore and to be honest I don't think I could have kept the pace going for much longer. All in all it was an 'off day'!!

By the way, the Cork City Sports were great. Some good performances including Rob Heffernan's national record in the 3k Walk (11:14.09) and Paul Hession's 20.45s 200m. It never ceases to amaze me how the 'pros' can make sub-8min 3k pace look like a Sunday morning jog!! It was also nice to see so many of Irelands 'current' and former Olympians were in attendance both as spectators and competitors. Though it was disappointing that more of the Corks public didn't turn up to watch - I reckon a max of 1000 or so spectators. That's a far cry from the heady days of the 1980's when I remember sell out crowds to watch great athletes like Johnny Grey, Steve Ovett, Sydney Maree, Yuri Sedykh (who set a world record at the meet in 1984), Mary Slaney etc etc.

Give the problems with my heel area after last weeks long run I decided that today a steady 8 mile run instead of the planned 15+ miles would be prudent. The run profile was a 4 mile (160m climb) out and back (see below). 7:25 on the way out and 6:34 min/mile average on the way back - running downhill is great for the stats but in my defence there was a strong headwind all the way home so I had to work harder than planned to keep the pace in the mid 6's. Overall 7.92 miles (55:25mins, 7:00min/mile, 162/178bpm)

Week Total (26/06/09 to 05/07/09) - 4 runs
29.51miles - 3:31:55 - 7:11min/mile - 160bpm

End of week update

2009-06-28T23:25:00.005+01:00

As reported previously I started the week well but having logged 5 days in row by Tuesday I decided to give Wednesday a miss and allow some measure of 'recovery'. Unfortunately, Thursday also became a DNS for work reasons. So by Friday it is fair to say that I was fully refreshed and raring to go for a steady/tempo progression type run. The lunchtime run ended up being 5.62 miles at 6:42 min/mile (162/182 bpm). The mile pace splits were 6:57 min/mile (143bpm), 6:43 (158), 7:05 (162), 6:47 (168), 6:24 (172bpm) and 5:59 (179) for the last 0.62miles. It was a nice run and allowing for the uphill mile 3 it was on target. But the ITB injury certainly has set me back a bit and my legs didn't feel as 'free' as they would have back in March but I can't really complain as I'm making progress.

Saturday's run was put on ice (Bulmers cider and ice actually) when I used up all my 'free' time in the pub watching the Lions loose to South Africa...... not a good afternoon.

So, in lieu of yesterdays non-event I extended todays planned long run by a few miles. I was tempted to break the bank and go for a 20 mile run but some sense prevailed and I 'curtailed' the run to 15 miles. The course was an out and back from Ardmore heading towards Dungarvan and consisted of 4 miles uphill, 7 miles gently undulating and 4 miles downhill as shown below.

I took it easy starting out at 8minute pace but gradually increasing to 7:30min/mile approx and eventually ending up at 7:15 approx. In all 15.08 miles (1:54:55) 7:37 min/mile 155 bpm (max 167bpm).

Week Total (22/06/09 to 28/06/08) - 4 sessions

31.97miles - 3:38:03 - avg 7:27min/mile (155/182bpm)

What was most encouraging about this run today was the average heartrate. I know that I wasn't pushing it 'hard' but any run for me that has an average heartrate in the mid 150's is good.

Hopefully I can continue the recent trend so I've also decided on my general plan for the next few months.... The target race will be a half marathon in September, probably the Great North Run. My weekly training will comprise of a mix of tempo/progression runs with easy/steady distance runs. This mix of speed and endurance seemed to work well for the 10 mile runs in January to March so hopefully it will work again!! I'd like to include 2 runs per week of 10 miles or more and 2 'speed' sessions with any other days comprising some easy / recovery runs. These sessions will make the weeks slightly harder than the equivalent weeks at the start of the year but as the target race is now a HM and not a 10 mile I think I'll need to increase the workouts to get me though the last 3 miles!! Time will tell if I'll be successful or not....

Consistently inconsistent

2009-06-24T19:48:00.014+01:00

Hello there. I'm back....

The weather has been fine and life has been too hectic over the past few weeks to make the time for posting but at least I've been fitting in runs when I can - not as regularly as I'd like but I'm making some progress.

Here are some more views of the headland in Ardmore. As I'm sure you'll agree running along this route at 7am in weather like this and with no one else around is just great for the soul....

The 'cup and saucer'...

The "Samson"...

St. Declan's Oratory...

Also my daughters celebrated their 5th birthday on the 14th June...
by dressing up like Hannah Montana....
and Joe too...

(He has a tough life ahead of him!!)

Anyway on to the running which has been a bit inconsistent...

Week (8/6/09 to 14/6/09) - 3 Sessions (25.54miles) including 5.63 miles @ 6:45 min/mile (165/185 bpm), 5.61miles @ 6:53min/mile (164/180bpm) and 14.30miles @ 7:57 min/mile (162/175bpm). The long run was a bit unplanned. We intended on going to the beach (Ardmore) so there wasn't going to be enough time for a run. So Pamela says "why don't you run from Killeagh to Ardmore" i.e the last few miles of the journey. I say "why not" thinking that it only about 10 miles.. unfortunately it wasn't and with the temperature approx 25 degC, no water and the fact that I headed out too fast.... I suffered.. my own stupidity but at least I got to do my Sunday long run.

Week (15/6/09 to 21/6/09) - 4 sessions (31.92miles) including 4.74 miles @ 7:09 (155/169bpm), 6.46 mile progression 7:01 to 6:02 min/mile (162/184bpm), 6.55miles @ 7:46 (cliff run, avg 154bpm) and 11.32miles @ 7:25 min/mile (161/174bpm)

So far this week I've taken it relatively 'easy' running approx 5.6 miles on both Monday (7:17min/mile 155/170bpm) and Tuesday 7:53min/mile (150/173bpm).

On the injury front my achilles are still sore (hopefully regular stretching will eventually be of some benefit) and a strange pain has appeared in my left hip (hopefully a temporary hiccup).

I had planned on running a 5 mile race tomorrow night but I think I'll defer my 'comeback' until the Corkbeg 5 on July 9th - no point in rushing things now is there.

Holiday runs

2009-06-07T15:46:00.008+01:00

Since my last post on 21st May things have been a bit mixed. Other commitments meant that I only fitted in 2 runs during the week of 18th to 24th May. A total of 11.9 easy/steady miles at an average of 7:02min/mile.

My next run was almost a week later on the 29th May, a lunchtime 5.6 miles at 6:56min/mile pace and the day I started a weeks holiday at the beach.....the good weather was due too so shorts packed and off we go.....yippee!!

Not only did the holiday give me the chance for some quality family time it also gave me enough free time (mostly early morning!!) to get in some quality runs. Typically, on my runs I headed out across the beach towards Ardmore village approx 1 mile away and completed a couple of loops of the Cliff Walk; a 2.5 mile long historic and scenic route that initially skirts a Round Tower (circa 12th century) and then takes me along a headland with breathtaking scenery and an undulating rough path which is not conducive to fast running! Probably just what I need... :)

So with the help of a Friday, Saturday and Sunday run I logged 18.81 miles for the week of 25th to 31st May. The average pace took a bit of a hit though - I averaged 8:30min/mile for the Saturday and Sunday runs in Ardmore. Interestingly (for me anyway), my heartrate on Saturday was 162bpm but on Sunday it was 151bpm for the same overall average pace. Not sure of the reason why.

Holidays are great....this week I improved on my recent run frequency managing to get out on 5 days, walked one the beach and collected shells with the kids, swam in the sea, cooked on the BBQ, avoided all news reports and had a generally relaxing time. Runs around the cliff varied between 5.7 and 10.1 miles - all easy (7:45 to 8:17 min/mile pace). Average heartrates were typically 146 to 151bpm. Today, I'm back home and my 7 miles on city roads were a bit quicker 7:03 pace (161bpm). That gave a weekly total of 38.32miles in 4:57:56 (average 7:47min/mile 154bpm) - my first week over 38miles since the middle of February last! Hopefully this trend will continue.

On the injury front despite some rubbing of the IT band on a run last Wednesday that problem seems to be 99% cleared (at last!). My left achilles is still very tight and weak so I'll have to work on that one over the coming month or so - regular stretching and strengthening to be done!!

10mile cliff route (6/6/09) including 2 laps of the Cliff Walk (miles 1 to 6)...

Run 6/6/09...

Progression....

2009-05-21T23:49:00.005+01:00

Haven't been too successful at fitting in time for running earlier this week so I made a point to run today. My IT band held up reasonably well during Sunday's run and I'd put on the recommended "compeed" so I was ready to go for a progression run. In all I ran 5.64 miles in 38:06 i.e. 6:45 min/mile and 165 bpm. The progression went OK too with splits of 7:06, 6:58, 6:58 (uphill), 6:39, 6:29 and 6:05 for the last 0.64miles helped by one of the worst rain showers I've run in in years!!

My legs were very heavy and my left achilles was very tight (I've decided that I'm not as rubbery as I used to be i.e. middle age is coming on fast!!) and I was a bit tired over the first couple of miles. But all in all not too bad and I felt OK too. My IT band only niggled at about 3.75miles so I think that it's largely in the past (fingers crossed). I'm now thinking that maybe I should have run the Cheetah Run 4 miles race tonight after all. It's not too often you get a chance to run through a wildlife park!!

End of week update

2009-05-17T19:26:00.007+01:00

Four days in a row this week and a long run today gave a total of 35.90 miles (4:26:16 -avg 7:25min/mile) this week and 'touch wood' my IT Band issue appears to be settling.

On Thursday I ran 5.6 miles @7:13 pace (40:23 mins) and on Friday it was an easy 5.67 miles with Grellan in 44:56mins (7:56 min/mile) - thanks for Grellan for making sure I stuck to my 'easy' plan!!

I decided not to push my luck and rested on Saturday. But...this morning a 6:30am feed for Joe and by 7am my running shoes were on. The sun was shining and the form reasonably good. I think that I must have been still asleep 'cause I decided to start on the Monkstown loop which although it would be a nice run by the waterfront it meant that I would have to complete at least 12 miles - whether my IT band held up or not!! And despite a niggle at around 4 miles (which lasted for the remainder) the run was largely trouble free from the IT band point of view. But.... by 7 miles I could feel a blister growing on my left heel (obviously I haven't run enough lately and my feet have gone soft!!). By mile 10 it had burst (ouch) and was now sore so I took it very easy for the rest of the run. In all an 'easy' 12.64 miles in 1:37:08. That's an average of 7:41mins/mile (the first 10 miles averaged 7:33min/mile). The blister issue is a worry - last time it took 2 weeks of no running to clear it up!! We'll see how next week goes.

Slowly getting there...

2009-05-13T21:36:00.013+01:00

Three steps forward and one step back - That's how things feel right now. But at least it all appears to be going in the right direction!!

I've now been discharged by physio. Not sure how much good it actually did as I never felt that she properly diagnosed the problem. But at least I'm running a bit now and largely without pain too so it must have done some good. I now feel that it is an IT band injury principally because my symptoms are exactly as described on this website. Interestingly the IT band was never mentioned by the physio but I suppose the IT could be symptomatic of a general weakness in the upper thigh area, as diagnosed by the physio.

Anyway, I managed three days in a row last week which contributed to a massive weekly total of 22.70 miles over 4 days. Almost my total mileage for April!! I tried these runs without my orthotics to test a theory posed following one one my previous posts. It seemed to be working until yesterday....

My three-in-row runs were on Wed, Thurs and Friday. I took Sat, Sun and Mon off. So I was fully rested for yesterday's run. Again without orthotics but as if by clockwork the outside of my right knee became sore at the 2 mile mark. Conclusion - my current condition is unaffected by the use or otherwise of my orthotics. So I put them back in today and went for a 'planned' easy run at lunchtime.

This is the summary of my runs over the past week or so...

Despite having nearly a month off I'm finding that anything around 7:30min/mile is a bit pedestrian so I figure that I may have not lost too much fitness.

Looking at the mile by mile splits there is an apparent trend.... I don't know how to run slowly!!

I felt very good today (almost like a runner again!!) so by mile 2 the 'easy' plan was forgotten. All was going well until my knee (ITB) started to get sore at the 2.5 mile mark. I kept the pace going and it appeared to clear up, well at least the pain became more bearable, as the run progressed. Maybe that's why I tend to accelerate - just to get to the end quicker!! :)

Unfortunately I'll miss a few nice races but the plan now is not to do anything too tough, i.e. fast, for the next few weeks just to build mileage and strength. Lots of stretching too. Hopefully, that together with some ice will keep me on the right road to recovery....

April roundup

2009-05-04T22:46:00.002+01:00

Injuries can really kill those monthly stats. For the first time in over a month I uploaded my Garmin data today and it's grim reading...

1-30 April - 8 runs - approx 26 miles!!

I suppose that's not too bad all things considered. I recorded zero miles for the first week of the month. The second week saw 1No. run (3+ miles), the third saw 2No. runs (4+ miles total). During week 3 I managed 3No. runs i.e. 9+ miles and in week 4 (27/4 to 3/5) another 3 runs and 13 miles in total. A progression of sorts....

The first week in May has started out a bit better. I managed 6.42 miles today at an average of 7:40min/mile (49:20min, 160bpm). The first 3 miles were at about 7:20 pace and felt good but my leg gave out at the 3 mile mark and the pace dropped accordingly into the 8+ min/mile category. Running around 'left' corners was a particular issue for my leg (consistent with the pain being on the outside of my right leg) but interestingly running on my toes seemed to relieve the pain?? On the plus side, the sun was shining so I got to try out my new shades and it was warm so I got to use my 'bottle belt' for the first time. Hopefully it won't be the last!!! Physio tomorrow so I'll see how the rest of the week goes.

Rick posted an interesting link on his blog relating to weight. I know that I'm carrying a few too many pounds and even more following the sedentary last month!! but using this calculator together with McMillan it appears that if I was to loose approx 8 pounds it may get me into the sub 1:20 half marathon territory based on my 10 mile PB. Interesting.... but I think I like food too much - maybe I could train harder instead!! Also 8 pounds would put me back to the weight I was when I was 18!! Achievable.... hmmm.... some 'food' for thought.. (apologies for the bad pun!!)

Some more recovery needed

2009-05-02T08:57:00.007+01:00

A brief update...

Physio on Tuesday ... more of the same only one session left (I think).

No time for running but tried to donate blood on Wednesday and found out that acupuncture is an issue. After queuing up for an hour I was told that I had to get a form signed by my physio saying that she only used sterile needles etc. Would have been nice to know this beforehand but I will for next time!!!

On Thursday I was feeling good and optimistic heading out for my lunchtime run. The sun was even shining!! At the 2 mile mark there was no sign of the ache that was apparent on previous runs. In fact, it only started to appear at 4.5 miles. So I managed to complete a pain free 5.25miles over a flat course at an average of 7:10 min/mile (avg 156 bpm). It was great to have completed my first decent run in almost a month but my lack of quality runs has certainly caused my fitness to drop. Hopefully I'll be able to address this over the coming weeks!!

Since Thursday's run was so successful I thought that I was fully cured (??) until my run on Friday. After 2 miles at 7:10 pace the pain was back. A brief stretching break and off I went again at 7:45+ pace in all only completing 4.25 miles and in some pain. Obviously I'm not fully cured yet but (hopefully) nearly....

Now, I'm looking forward to the big rugby game this evening Munster v Leinster in the Heineken Cup Semi Final. Come on Munster!!

Nothing

2009-04-27T22:19:00.004+01:00

It's hard to write about nothing. At least that's what I feel like I'm doing right now. Almost a month since my last real run and progress is slow but I think I may finally be on the long road to recovery.

Last Thursday I had an early morning physio session which involved the usual massage, acupuncture, ultra sound, recommendation to strengthen my abductors etc. I felt good afterwards so at lunchtime I went for a run. My previous runs were less than 3 miles long (at 8+ min pace) and in truth after 2 miles I was essentially walking. So I limited the run to 3 miles but I thought that I'd push the pace a bit. In all I averaged 7:20+ pace and largely without pain too. I wonder will I end up needing physio before every run - maybe...:)

Last weekend was spent at the beach with the family and despite some walks and stretching there was no running.

Today I was feeling good and the sun came out so as I togged off for my run I thought of going longer than 3 miles if there was no pain (obviously!!). Things went well. The ache that started before the 1 mile mark last week didn't come on until after the 2 mile mark and the soreness didn't start until 3.5miles. That's progress. In all I completed 4.25miles @ 7:25+ pace. No records but progress....

More physio tomorrow and hopefully another run beforehand.

No gain without pain...

2009-04-20T22:24:00.004+01:00

...or so they say.

That's what I thought on Friday morning after Thursday's physio session. I had no pain before the visit to the physio but my leg was certainly sore afterwards!! 'That's what sticking needles and an electric current into your leg will do Brendan - serves you right', or so I thought.

I went for my easy run on Friday as planned. A very slow (8:30 pace) 2.86miles. Neither the distance or the pace will set any records but at least I made it to the end, almost in one piece. My knee area was generally OK although pain did begin on the few occasions I ventured into 7:xx pace and when I ran uphill. In particular, the last uphill 200m was particularly painful. :(

Saturday and Sunday were busy at home and to be honest I thought that a bit of recovery after my 'long run' :) on Friday would be good! I did some stretching though.

Today was a lovely sunny day and I felt like a run. Again completion of my almost 3 mile route was the plan but I decided to push the pace into the 7:3x zone just to see if the onset of soreness was a function of distance or speed. Mile 1 was OK - a good start - no pain in my right leg/knee but my left quad, hip, calf and achilles were all sore for some reason (over compensation or maybe I did some damage working in the garden over the weekend??) The pain in my left leg continued for Mile 2 until...... the back of my right knee (top of right calf area) become sore followed by a sudden sharp pain at the top of my knee cap...Ouch - time to slow down. So I hobbled home at 10 minute pace. Walking down stairs later in the afternoon also proved painful.

Right now I've no pain in either leg so I think another 3 miles tomorrow is on the cards.

Physio update

2009-04-16T20:56:00.007+01:00

I went to the physio, handed over €45 and got the good news that the problem doesn't appear to be joint related!! But as I feared the fact that it's been two days since my last attempt at a run and nine days since my last half serious run, there was no obvious evidence of injury so the physio had to work for her money to make a diagnosis.

After much pushing and prodding of my legs the working diagnosis is that it's more than likely related to my (very) tight 'vastus lateralis' muscle which has overstressed the area around the knee. I need to do more stretching and yes, mea culpa, I've been neglecting this muscle group probably for the last 18 years or so!!

So after some massage, ultra sound, and acupuncture (including some tens stimulation) I was told to keep running (very easy and not to the point of pain) and come back next Thursday morning for another consultation.

'Keep Running', I repeated in surprise for confirmation!! 'Yes', I was told, apparently there's nothing more to be gained by more rest. Usually after an injury the advice is 'no running and lots of massage etc for at least 4 to 6 weeks' or something similar so being told I could run (even slowly) was a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure how far I'll get but I think I'll start with my 'treatment' tomorrow....

Oh, in case I forget, good luck to all those running the 113th Boston Marathon; relax and enjoy the weekend and race well on Monday. I'm looking forward to those race reports...who'll be the first to get their post up?? My money is on Thomas...

On my knee...

2009-04-14T21:12:00.007+01:00

Well after last weeks post I've ground to a halt...literally. Last Tuesday I went for the few easy (7:30+) miles as planned but there it ended!! After about 1 mile my knee was a bit uncomfortable, best described as a stiffness not unlike a twisted ankle feeling (if you know what I mean). By mile 2 with every extension and impact on the knee causing pain I had already turned for home. From the 3 mile mark I was resolved to walking home!! Work related travelling on Wednesday and Thursday and the Easter holiday weekend meant that I decided to defer making any physio appointments until today.

Since last Thursday I've had no pain and at this stage I'd find it difficult to explain the symptoms accurately to a physio so today I attempted another run. My naive optimism hoped that a further weeks rest would be enough to right the problem! Unfortunately rest alone will not solve this one. After about 0.5miles of feeling very good a tightness returned initially on the back outside of my right knee. Quickly, I decided to abandon the run and book a physio appointment. The tightness soon turned to soreness on the side and front of my knee and once again I was walking home.

So, 2 weeks later than I should have I've finally come to my senses and I'm seeing the physio on Thursday PM. More anon....

On the plus side I spent last weekend stuffing my face with chocolate and I've probably gained half a stone!! A good incentive to get back out running sooner rather than later.

Zero running

2009-04-06T18:11:00.003+01:00

....that's what I've been doing for the past week!! So I can report

Week 30/03/09 to 05/04/09 - 0 sessions
0 miles - 0:00 mins - 0bpm

Coincidentally looking back through my diary the last Monday to Sunday week when I did absolutely no running was the first week of April 2008. Maybe this is becoming my annual holiday?? Although.... as far as I can recall the reason for my running holiday in 2008 was work related!!

Despite some soreness early on in the week my knee seems to be progressing well and I think I may go for a few very easy miles tomorrow to check - 8 full days recovery should be enough - shouldn't it??

By the way I thought that I'd have a lot of spare time now that I'm not running 4 or 5 hours a week but guess what - I've never been busier. I think I'll need to go for a run just for a rest!!!

4 mile in Carrignavar

2009-03-29T21:52:00.005+01:00

Despite my comment on the last post I decided not to 'test' my knee yesterday in favour of leaving the 'test' to the pre-race warmup. So I did run in the 4 mile race today.

The last time I was in Carrignavar was when I ran schools cross country races i.e. not yesterday!! Carrignavar is a small village just north of Cork City and not too well signposted so I ended up taking the scenic route which ended in me inadvertently driving the race route. In hindsight this may not have been an advantage. The course seemed to be essentially 2.5miles uphill followed by 1.5 mile downhill -ouch!

I went for a 2 mile warmup and my knee felt fine for the first 1.5 miles, but... it started to ache when I ran the 0.5 miles to the start line. Nothing too serious and afterall I made it to the start line so I had to run - didn't I!!

The start was downhill which is never the best from a pacing point of view particularly if you know that a long uphill follows. I tried to take it steady but my instantaneous pace dipped into the low 5:xx over this section. As the route entered the village we took a right hand turn and the uphill began. The pace dropped to more than 6 mins/min on this section. Overall I passed the Mile 1 mark in 5:53mins (169bpm).

A slight downhill allowed the pace to quicken into to 5:4x range but I was struggling to keep pace with those around me and I dropped a couple of places. The next uphill section quickly came around shortly before the 2 mile mark. Mile 2 lasted 6:03mins (177bpm) - a sign of the uphill struggle!!

I ended up in a bit of no-mans-land and at this stage of the race I felt like I was running hard but not racing. Mile 3 was even slower @ 6:16min (182bpm).

Over the latter part of mile 3 I began to slowly close the gap on the runner ahead so as I crossed the mile marker I felt like was beginning to 'race'. With about 1200m to go I caught him and I pushed hard to pass. The finish was steeply downhill so I just left gravity to the work ('cause I couldn't and there was a headwind!!). Mile 4 ended up being the quickest of the race at 5:44min (183bpm).

I stopped my watch at 23:58min (avg 178bpm). My race.....

The results show that I came 24 out of 68 competitors (i.e. top 35%!!) in an official time of 23:59 mins. East Cork AC won the O35 team prize but I was 5th club runner home so I didn't count!! Well done to the guys Frank Hayes (5th), Eric Meade (7th), Denis McCarthy (16th) and David O'Dwyer (18th).

Shortly after the race my knee began to stiffen up. I tried to go for a warm down but within 30sec later I had to call a halt.

Although I was knackered afterwards I now feel that I didn't put myself as hard as I could have today. I don't think my head was right. Interestingly comparing my last 4 mile race where I ran 23:15 I averaged 179bpm and 167, 178, 183 and 188 bpm for each of the miles (generally higher than today). Although I appreciate that there are other variables I wonder is this a sign that I didn't push it today? Maybe my knee issue was in the back of my mind, maybe the cough which is still lingering from the cold last week was a factor, maybe something else... Whatever the reason REST / RECOVERY is now certainly on the cards!! I reckon I'll not run for at least a week or 10 days and hopefully regroup for the summer season targeting a quick autumn half marathon.

Week Total (23-03-09 to 29-03-09) - 3 sessions
12.51 miles - 1:25:45 - 6:51min/mile - 162bpm

Potential disaster...

2009-03-26T17:39:00.006Z

.. but hopefully not.

The pain I felt in my knee yesterday evening could only be described as a 'stiffness'. Strange how during the run I was fine and the pain only appeared 8 hours later!!

So today I tried to go for an easy run at lunchtime. But I was only 100m in when I knew something was wrong. By quarter of a mile I decided to bail. So today I recorded a huge 0.5mile @ 8min/mile pace!!

Sitting here now I've no pain so I think I'll take it easy and rest for a couple of days and hopefully things will settle!!

Update ..

2009-03-25T23:34:00.007Z

Although I'd planned a 12 mile easy run on Sunday I forgot that it was Mother's Day....hence, my available time was severely curtailed!! So my long easy run turned into a shorter faster run early in the morning. Overall it was 6.26miles at 7.00 min/mile average (158bpm). The first 5 miles were steady(ish) 6:59, 6:59, 6:51, 6:40 and 6:41 with a 1+ mile easy. My legs felt heavy - maybe it was the early hour or maybe I was still a bit run down from last weeks head cold. Otherwise the run was uneventful.

The rest of the day was spent on the beach with the family. Almost felt like summer!! So that brought the weeks running total to a 'not so high' mileage of 25 miles!!

Week Total (16/03/09 to 22/03/09) - 4 sessions
25.53miles - 3:04:44 - 7:14min/mile - 156bpm

Monday and Tuesday were write-offs so no running. So today, the sun was shining (even if the wind was a bit strong) and I made sure to run at lunchtime. I joined a colleague Tony for the first 2 miles which I used as a bit of a warmup which was followed by 4 miles at 'tempo' pace. The mile splits were 7:49, 8:10, 6:56, 6:16, 6:03 and 6:11 which gave a total of 6.06miles in 41:51min, an average of 6:54min/mile with 161bpm. I found it tough running into the wind and the pace certainly felt a bit harder than it should have. Still though it was good to get a 'quick' run in ahead of next weekends 4 mile race. On the down side my right knee is very stiff tonight. I hope it turns out to be a thing of nothing but it may also be a sign that I should take it easy for a couple of weeks and maybe go back into a base training phase.

Today's run...

Under the weather...

2009-03-21T21:40:00.005Z

Thanks for all the comments after my last post. Yeah I was happy with the time particularly on the hilly course. I was even happier when I plugged the time in to the 'age grader' and it said that 23:15 for a 37 year old is equivalent to 22:28min run if I was in my prime!! That's faster than the PB I ran back in 1994!! Not sure I fully agree with the science but it does give me a smile !! :)

After the race the sore throat that I had the night before came back (i.e. a bad head cold was brewing) with a vengeance and also a strange darting pain in my left hip/groin area turned up (particularly noticeable when I'm walking down stairs but seems to be settling now). So on Wednesday I went for a 'kill me or cure me' type recovery run. Not necessary at recovery pace but at a relatively even easy pace - 5.64miles in 39:50, i.e. 7:04min/mile avg @ 158bpm.

That run didn't quite kill me but on Thursday the head cold was certainly worse but the sore throat now replaced by coughs / sneezes etc so I thought the better of running and rested with lots of paracetamol, fluids etc.

I took Friday off work but I didn't run. At that stage the coughing had stopped by the sniffles were still bad.

Having skipped 2 days running and with my next race planned for the 29th I was getting a bit anxious about my training. So when I woke up early today with only a slight sniffle I decided to head out and test the water and try a 4 mile 'easy' run. It ended up being 5.08 miles in 37:13mins i.e. 7:20 min/mile @ 151bpm. Maybe it was the fact that I was running at 7:30am or maybe the head cold has taken something out of me but my legs felt a bit too heavy during the run but my breathing was fine and the heartrate doesn't seem to be elevated. On that basis I'll assume nothing too serious and I think I'll try and fit in an 'easy' 12mile run tomorrow.

After this mornings run it was up to my sister-in-laws for a big brunch followed by a trip to the pub to see France hammer Italy and England struggle with (but beat) Scotland in the Six Nations Rugby Championship. 3 hours plus in the pub was more than enough for the children which meant that I got to watch the Ireland v Wales game here at home. What a game (my nails will never be as long again and my children think that I will never be calm again!!) and what a result (17-15 to Ireland) giving Ireland not only the Six Nations Championship title but also a Grand Slam - the first since 1948. How sweet to win the Grand Slam in the last game of the Championship in Cardiff. Ireland is a great place to be tonight - no recession here!!

Rising Sun 4mile

2009-03-17T20:44:00.007Z

First of all HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY to all. As you can imagine Ireland was green today, recession was nowhere in sight (maybe St Patrick has banished it as he did the snakes!!) and the sun was shining.

Since my last post it's been a busy weekend for my family on the athletics front. My niece Patricia was running in the NCAA Championship in Houston, TX with her college UMass Lowell. The event was the Distance Medley Relay (1200m, 400m, 800m, Mile). An unusual event to us Irish as it's not one in which we compete but it seems to be very popular with college teams in the US. Patrica did very well completing her 400m leg in 58secs and the team came 6th overall. Apparently they were in 3rd with 600m to go but couldn't hold that position. Still though 6th in the US Nationals is a great result and Patrica got All American status for the second year in a row - way to go Tricia!!

For me I didn't run on Saturday or Sunday - feeling tired and thought I deserved the weekend off. I did make an attempt to run on Monday at lunchtime but I turned around when I got to my car and worked through lunch instead (a bad habit I know!!). I went to bed early(ish) last night with a sore throat and generally not feeling too well.

So suffice it to say that I was well 'rested' for today's 4mile race in Ballinhassig (just outside of Cork). This race is organised by a local club Rising Sun AC and I really enjoyed the event last year so I was looking forward to today. The sun was shining and the weather warm (11-13degC) - almost Mediterranean!!

After registering I completed a 2 mile warmup with Grellan and Pat - out to the 1 mile marker and back - just to check out the killer hill start!! As an indication of how bad this hill is, last year I found myself close to the leaders (doesn't happen too often) running at close to 7min pace for the first half mile!!

The race started a few minutes late when the started shouted (not too loudly) 'GO' and we were off. Again the start was slow so I settled into the pack about 20-30 runners back. Once we crested the summit at about the 0.5mile mark the race proper started. At this stage I think I was about 20th with a clear view of the lone leader way way in the distance. I passed through Mile 1 in 5:45min. Wow, I thought, I must certainly have picked up the pace in the second half!!
At this stage I group I was running which had thinned to about 6 or 7 others. Mile 2 is largely downhill and my split was 5:34min. Holy S***. I only meant to run at just under 6min pace (my target was sub-24 today)!! I was now in a group of 4 which included a guy named Austin from EAgle AC. Grellan had pointed him out to me before the race as a sub-1:20 half marathon runner and suggested that he may be a good target to gauge my current form.

After mile 2 the downhill was over and the route was now into a head/crosswind. I think that I was still in shock from the 5:34 mile so unsurprisingly the pace slowed to 6:03min for Mile 3 but the whole group slowed so I maintained my position.

Only one mile to go was the overriding thought that crossed my mind at the 3 mile marker!! This running into the wind is tough - especially when your a tall, heavy, broad and awkward guy like me!! But I've recently read Daniel's book and the advice to run faster when your feeling tired crossed my mind so I gave it a try. It worked because I managed to pass one or two in the last mile and by the time I reached the crest of the climb I was comfortably clear of the guys behind. Unfortunately Austin was too far ahead to catch - so maybe I'm not quite in sub-1:20 form yet!! I finished the last mile in 5:52min. Giving a finishing time according to my watch of 23:15min for the 4 miles at 12th place out of 194 competitors (top 6%). Today's time was a PB so the rest obviously worked and the 10 days has been sufficient to recover from Ballycotton. Time to start training again!!

This photo shows me in the background with 100m to go chasing Austin in the foreground...

A 2 mile warmdown with Grellan and Paul afterwards ended the day nicely. Just enough time for a quick change and trip into town to catch some of the parade - it is St Patrick's Day after all!!

So here's how my race today progressed....
Note the steady deceleration in the middle of the race. Probably due to the wind but may be something to work on over the coming months??

Interestingly, with the benefit of Mr Garmin I have a benchmark from last years race (2 weeks after Ballycotton) for comparison...
Last year my mile splits last year were 6:06, 5:57, 6:12, 6:11 giving a total of 24:29mins and that was good enough for 15th position. Note how the pace varied in a similar manner in the 2 races - slow start, quick to 1.5mile or so, slow deceleration except for downhill at the end!!

Also well done to Grellan who posted yet another PB today and smashing the 25min barrier. I'm sure that over the coming months he will view today's time as a 'soft' PB to be taken out of the record books!!

My achilles are sore now and I've strange cramping pain in my left hip so maybe next week will be another recovery week. We'll see.....

Going for a run?

2009-03-13T21:55:00.004Z

...that was the question that Grellan asked me at lunchtime earlier today. After a few late nights and early mornings I was feeling a bit tired so I really was looking for an excuse not to run today but I'd already missed a few days this week so the 'question' was all the motivation I needed.

Since Ballycotton I've been taking it easy. On Monday I managed 5.63miles @ 7:33 pace 150bpm (42:30mins). That was my 'recovery' run and to be honest even if I wanted to my legs wouldn't go any faster. Tired legs are OK, Sore legs are bad. No soreness so that's OK.

Tuesday was a day off running i.e. a real recovery!!

On Wednesday Grellan and I managed an easy 8.06 miles at lunchtime in 1:00:01 (avg 7:27, 153bpm). That's the longest run I've ever fitted in at lunchtime and it felt good to break the hour mark!! The mile split pace started at 7:53 and increased to 7:15 during the run.

Thursday was another 'recovery' day!!

So today, despite being a bit sleep deprived and almost bailing I think I needed to run. It was probably a bit soon after Ballycotton to put in a 'proper' workout so the plan in mind was a 'steady' pace slightly quicker than last Wednesday. In the end the run turned into a bit of a progression steady/tempo pace and I felt comfortable all the way. We started out at 7:41 mins for the first mile and the pace accelerated from there!! The splits were 7:41 (139bpm); 7:13 (154); 6:56 (161); 6:35 (167); 6:32 (168); 6:15 (172); 6:25 (174). So despite my best intentions I completed 7.06miles in 48:00 (avg 6:48min/mile, 161bpm)!!

My niece is running later today in the US Collegiate National Championship in Houston so best of luck Tricia!! I look forward to hearing all about it.

Today's run...

Afterwards....

2009-03-10T23:05:00.008Z

Maybe I should have concentrated on running to the line instead of stopping my watch!!

Thanks for all the comments after last Sundays Ballycotton 10.

Some more stats from the final results. Officially, I came 128th but.... based on my first half (non-chip) time I was in 121st at the 5 mile mark and based on my chip time I was 123rd at the finish!! Still not top-100 but a bit closer!! Just goes to prove how a bad start can be critical.

Yesterday (Monday) I managed 5+ miles easy @ 7:30 approx pace. The legs were heavy but not sore - a good sign!!

No running today (Tuesday)

10 mile race report

2009-03-08T21:43:00.009Z

I'll start at the end and in reasonable condition too!! Photo above shows Richard, Grellan, me and Thomas afterwards as proof!!

It was cold today. Very cold and windy. I got to Ballycotton early, probably too early, at 10:30am for a 1:30pm race but at least that allowed me to get a good parking spot at the 9 mile mark. After an hour or so of walking around and looking at the views...

.. it was time for a 3.28 mile warm-up.

When I got back to the baggage area Thomas and Grellan were already getting prepared but I needed to answer a call of nature and the 15-minute queue for the port-a-loo nearly caused me to miss the start (slight exaggeration for effect here!!). I got to the start at 1:15 which was about 15 minutes behind schedule and the throng that greeted me was evidence enough that I was late. I then, not so patiently, worked my way to a position about 20m back from the start line and, content to see that Grellan wasn't too far away, I decided that I was far enough forward.

As always the race started on time and we were off. Well nearly - it took me 12 seconds at 32min/mile pace for me to reach the start line!! My race plan was simple, 6:15 pace and see what happened....

Mile 1 lasted 6:11 min @ 160bpm. Surprisingly quick given that I spent most of the mile weaving around joggers and runners who certainly should not have started ahead of the sub-65 zone.

Mile 2 was a bit quicker (5:55 mins @ 172bpm). Slightly too quick but it was downhill and I needed to make up for the 12 second deficit at the start!! The pace settled down for the next two miles 6:08 and 6:07 and I found myself in a good group. At the Mile 4 marker the course headed west and slightly uphill and into a biting wind. I found myself leading a group with a 10-15m gap to the next runner ahead - not a smart place to be but so be it. Mile 5 took me 6:20 mins and my heartrate was now at 176bpm. The first 5 miles had taken 30:43min - quick but manageably so.

My fan club (Pam, the kids and her parents) were waiting patiently to cheer for me at about the 5.5mile mark... my thoughts swung between a) you can stop now and they'll give you a spin home to b) keep the pace going and try not to look in 'too' much pain (you might scare the kids!!). Suffice it to say, I kept going and I was still leading a group (almost like I was winning) - good example for the kids! I even managed a big wave as I passed!!

Shortly afterwards I found myself at the back of the group of 10 that I was previously leading and the wind was behind us. Oh no, had I worked too hard over the first half? Mile 6 took me 6:14mins @ 176bpm. Shortly afterwards I crossed the 10K mark in 38:18mins (corrected).

At this point of the race it was time to dig deep. This was the point where Grellan left me for dead last year and Thomas flew past me shortly after I blew up at the 8 mile mark. My objective was not to let that happen (if at all possible) again this year. So I started to dig deep.

Miles 7 & 8 took 6:06min 6:11min (177bpm) respectively and I was still hanging on to the same group of runners. I even think I remember pulling away from some of the guys who had gone past me at 5.5miles.

In Ballycotton the last 1.5 miles is the toughest with a few significant climbs hence despite me pumping my arms hard Mile 9 took 6:22 mins and my heartrate went up to 180bpm.

A lot of the group that has passed my earlier were still in sight (see below the 5 runners ahead of me) so with only 1 mile to go I thought to myself you can either 'go to the well' again or 'go home'.

The 'well' didn't have much left but I started to gain on those ahead of me. Obviously their wells were also running dry. In the end I got some of them and my split for Mile 10 was 6:00 (185bpm). Strong finish especially given that it was slightly uphill!!

So this is how my race shaped up...

Overall my chip time for this years Ballycotton 10 was 1:01:39 - a 1 second PB!! Happy days particularly as the Ballycotton course isn't the fastest and the weather conditions weren't the best. Also I was 4.5 minutes faster than last year. Officially I came 128th out of approx 2398 finishers. So no top-100 t-shirt this year but I can't complain with a 5.3% finishing position.

Well done to Grellan and Thomas who also had good runs (I'm sure their reports will give all the juicy details!!). Richard set a big PB at 67:38 - he's now off to the Rotterdam Marathon so I wish him well!!

After the 1 mile walk back to the car it was a 2 mile warm down and a drive home in a nice warm car!!

So to wrap up the week. Despite my best efforts thanks to today's 15miles I succeeded in breaking 30 miles this week...

Week Total (02/03/09 to 08/03/09) - 4 sessions

31.29miles - 3:43:28 - 7:08 min/mile - 160bpm

Now that Ballycotton is over I'm not quite sure what my next short/medium term goal will be. I'll have to review this over the coming days. Also I've made some significant improvements in times since last autumn so I'll have to review what I now need to do to take the next step.... more anon...

The final run...

2009-03-07T21:32:00.005Z

... before Ballycotton

The cold spell forecast seems to be a bit late arriving i.e. it will arrive tomorrow just in time for the race....nice..... :(

An easy 5 miles @ 7:30 min/mile in relatively mild conditions this morning will help with the weekly mileage. The average heartrate @ 151 bpm was down again so I'm still none the wiser about yesterdays run. I suppose the proof will be

Best of luck to all those competing in Ballycotton tomorrow. Hopefully the westerly headwinds won't slow us all down too much over the first half and the wind behind us will help keep us going over the last half.

Rapid taper....

2009-03-06T20:38:00.005Z

This weeks taper has turned into more of a downhill sprint!! Still I don't think it will do me too much harm as a rest is always good before a race - isn't it?? My legs have been feeling a bit tired lately, another good reason to rest, and a mysterious cramp type feeling has appeared since Wednesday in my left lower calf / Achilles region. No apparent reason and it's most noticeable while sitting / lying. Strange....

So far this week I've only managed to fit in two runs. Both 'easy' approx 5.5 miles on Tuesday and Friday.

Tuesday it was 5.61 miles at lunchtime in 39:54mins (avg. 7:06 min/mile @ 155bpm). The splits ranged from 7:21 to 6:46 min/mile as the run progressed.

On Wednesday I cam home to a surprise. Apparently East Cork AC won the team prize at the last 5 mile race and I made the team. John Walshe had taken the trouble to post my prize a €20 voucher for the local running store John Buckley Sports. Thanks John. Almost a cash prize - so may I should turn pro?? Lets see, €20 for 30 minutes running isn't a bad hourly rate!!!

Today I ran over the same course (5.62 miles this time) in 40:31 (avg. 7:12 min/mile @163bpm). The run today felt laboured especially over the last 2 miles. The splits were more consistent 7:41, 7:09, 7:11, 7:03, 7:02, 7:06. Paul, a colleague from work, who's just coming back from a knee injury which cost him 2 years or so, joined me over the first couple of miles - good to see him back in form.

It's a bit strange how my heart rate was higher today than on Tuesday even though the pace was significantly slower. Mr Garmin tells me that my heartrate was elevated from the first mile (146 today compared with 140 on Tuesday) and that difference was effectively maintained for the run. What this is down to I don't know. The weather was a few degrees higher but I still wore skins and hat etc (i.e. winter gear), so maybe I was just too warm today. Maybe I was concentrating on doing too much talking to Paul or maybe there's some other reason. I just don't know. Hopefully the high heartrate is not a sign of things to come....

I'll go for another easy run tomorrow morning just to keep the legs fresh and then it's off to Ballycotton on Sunday.

Last week before Ballycotton

2009-03-01T21:49:00.008Z

Last Thursday the tempo was fairly uneventful and generally it went well enough. I repeated Tuesdays course - only quicker. 5.62 miles in 35:52 (i.e. 6:23 min/mile @ 165bpm). The mile splits were 6:29 (147bpm), 6:26 (162), 6:38 (166), 6:19 (171), 6:12 (171), 6:05 (178).

A night out on Thursday night was enough to make me too tired on Friday to get motivated enough to run. So no run on Friday - just re-hydration!!

Saturday was a family day so no chance for a run either. This meant that I definitely needed to run today. A long run was planned at an easy/steady pace. But having stayed in bed half an hour to long time was against me. So 12.5miles was 'all' I could fit in!! The course was into Cork City centre, over Sundays Well, out to Bishopstown, back to Turners Cross and back to Douglas. For those unfamiliar with the geography...

The easy bit never really happened and most of the miles were in approx 7 minute pace or less but it felt easy (except for the last mile!!). It's amazing how revitalising a few days rest can be!! In all 12.55miles at an average of 7:09 (156bpm) was the end product (1:29:40).

I'm a bit obsessed with mile splits lately so here's how this run went mile by mile - 7:09 (134bpm), 7:08 (145), 7:04 (154), 7:10 (153), 7:28 (158), 7:02 (156), 7:09 (160), 7:07 (158), 6:58 (159), 6:58 (161), 6:53 (162), 7:42 (168), 7:03 (169).

Week Total (23/02/09 to 01/03/09) - 4 sessions
31.45 miles - 3:35:23 - 6:51 min/mile avg - 158 bpm

Next week will be a taper of sorts in a effort to be 'refreshed' for the race in Ballycotton on Sunday. My diet has been a bit erratic lately so I'll also try and eat a bit healthier!!

Looking at the numbers

2009-02-25T21:23:00.006Z

Despite a sore throat, which has stayed with me all week, I woke up on Monday without any 'pain'. That was probably the first time in recent records that I've not had any stiffness / soreness after a race. On Tuesday it was the same story. Now that's really a first - my legs are always sore 48hours after a race!! This signifies either a) I'm in better shape than I've been for a long time or b) I didn't push myself hard enough on Sunday or c) maybe a combination of both.

I had planned an 'easy' run on Tuesday as a bit of a recovery but as I was feeling good I decided to run a the slightly faster 'steady' pace and turn the recovery run into a proper workout. In the end it ended up being a steady-tempo progression 5.67mile run at lunchtime in a time of 37:36 mins i.e. average 6:38 pace @ 158bpm. The mile splits were 6:48 (146bpm), 6:49 (155), 6:48 (159), 6:39 (163), 6:24 (162), 6:10 (169). Quick but not too quick and it felt surprisingly 'easy'.

Looking back through my diary at similar runs during last October/November I recorded 6:45 min/mile (162bpm) and 7:05 pace (157bpm) respectively over the same course. So based on the numbers I'm in better shape now. I've also recorded my resting heartrate at 49bpm. I think that's the lowest number in 15 or more years.

Today I planned a longer but slightly slower run. 7.61 miles in 52:15 mins (6:52 min/mile @157bpm). Once again I found it hard to stick to the easy pace for the duration and I picked it up a bit over the last few miles. The splits were 7:03 (141), 6:57 (153), 7:05 (154), 6:47 (160), 6:38 (158), 6:48 (164), 6:50 (165), 6:44 (168). The run went well but my left achilles was a bit tight/sore during the run ... must be sure to take care of it.

Also I never thought I'd say it but it's nice having the additional feedback from the heart rate numbers. Whatever did I do without them....

The tentative plan for the rest of the week is another steady/tempo run tomorrow followed by some longer easy runs over the weekend.

Eagle AC 5 Mile report update

2009-02-23T22:21:00.005Z

According to the official results my placing yesterday was 28th out of 264 competitors. My time however was rounded to 30:45. Grellan claims that I stopped my watch too early (see above). I contend that I started it too late (slow reactions on the start line!!).

The summary for last week was ...

Week Total (16/2/09 to 22/2/09) - 5 sessions
38.02 miles - 4:36:00 - 7:16min/mile - No HRM

No running today - it's my birthday so I'm concentrating on eating cake.

Eagle AC 5 Mile Race Report

2009-02-22T14:49:00.008Z

If the conditions were right Grellan had predicted a sub 30 minute time for today. But to be honest that time was never really on the cards for a number of reasons:-

My target pace was 6 min/mile i.e. not much room for error;
I've been suffering from a low grade virus of some sort for the past few days which has meant much time in the bathroom (enough said!!);
The hilly middle portion of the race course.

Despite the above I was hopeful of running a good time and at least bettering my PB of nearly 32minutes. The weather conditions were perfect - sunny, not much wind and not too warm.

I arrived at the race HQ in good time and decided to drive the course to check out the hills. I don't know if that was a good idea or not!! I think that I may have run a bit more conservatively as a result.

Shortly after registering I went for a 3.73 mile warmup @ 8:43 pace. Then it was just a matter of keeping warm and loose until the race started (10 minutes late - not a problem today as the sun was shining and the mood was good!!)

Miles 1 & 2 were generally flat/downhill and the pace was right on target at 5:58 each. Average heart rates were 161 and 174 bpm respectively. I checked my stride a few times in the knowledge of what was to come....

Miles 3 & 4 were beasts!! Mile 3 was uphill all the way (see below). In fact the 2 mile marker was at the very bottom of the hill!! I steadily worked up the hill without pushing too hard and the pace reflected this - a 6:29 (178bpm) for that mile. I did manage to pass a few poor souls who had been a bit overly eager!! Mile 4 was generally uphill the only consolation being that just as I rounded the corner in Shanbally I saw Pamela and the troops - my fan club. They subsequently drove alongside me up the hill in mile 4 which certainly keep me going!! The mile 4 split was 6:19 (180bpm) - a bit of a recovery!!

The last mile was largely downhill but my legs were tired and there was a strong breeze into my face. I was also in no-mans-land and as a result (in hindsight) I may not have pushed myself to the limit. Having said that during the race I thought that I was going as fast as I could!! I managed to pick up the pace to finish on target in 5:57 (183bpm).

I crossed the line and stopped my watch in a time of 30:44 mins. An official PB!! Mr Garmin recorded a course length of 5.09miles so he said I passed the 5 mile mark in 30:11. If only I could go by that!!! Not sure yet of placing or official time. I'll give an update when I know more.

Still I'm happy with my run today particularly given the course topography!! It was a nice test ahead of Ballycotton in 2 weeks...

A 2.05 mile warmdown @ 9:30+ pace rounded off the running for today.

BTW as you'll have gathered I got the battery for my HRM but I didn't get a chance to get the 'go faster' haircut yesterday - maybe that was a factor in me not going sub-30!! :)

The Route
My Race

Easy days

2009-02-21T11:04:00.005Z

I've stuck to the end of week plan for once!!

Thursday and Friday were planned as easy runs at more than 7 minute pace. As it turned out Thursday's run was 6.20 miles in 46:47mins, an average of 7:33. On Friday I managed 6.78 miles in 49:29 an average of 7:18 min/mile.

I knew that both days I'd started out at approx 8 minute pace and finished strongly. But I was a bit surprised with the extent of the 'acceleration' when I uploaded the data today. On Thursday the mile splits ranged from 8:12 to 7:07. Not too bad. My legs were a bit tired from Wednesday's tempo session and in particular there was a tightness in my left hamstring which was still there on Friday. Nothing too serious but enough to make me not want to push things too much. Afterall Ballycotton isn't too far away now!!

On Friday I started out at 7:52 min/mile but I really hadn't realised that after mile 2 my pace was sub 7:05 and my last two miles were in 6:52 & 6:44 respectively. They certainly didn't feel that quick. Still though, I had no shortness of breath at the end and felt very comfortable so the run can still be classed as 'easy'. That's something I wouldn't have said 6 months ago so maybe my recent training regime is beginning to pay off!! But I really must get a battery for my HRM - I'm sure that my heart rate has come down recently.

I cancelled this mornings 4 miles easy run in lieu of getting my hair cut!! Maybe that will help in tomorrows race... :)

I've no fixed plans for the race tomorrow except to improve on my PB which officially is 31:51 even though I've recorded substantially quicker splits in longer races. The course has a few hills so I'll have to see how things work out....

Race week tempo

2009-02-18T21:52:00.007Z

I'm planning on running a 5 mile race on Sunday so the plan is that this week I'll only do one 'quality' workout. The remainder of the week will be relatively easy.

I took a rest yesterday (Tuesday) so no running and today was nominated as the week's quality workout. A lunchtime 7-mile tempo run over varying terrain through the Regional park and roads around Ballincollig. A similar route to last weeks workouts but in contrast to last weeks steady/tempo runs it was all-out tempo from the start today. Last week I was averaging 6:40 to 6:50 overall I hoped to run sub 6:30 today. Weather conditions were perfect and it was the first day all 'winter' that I could run in just shorts and long sleeve.

The mile splits were encouraging - 6:15 (Mr Garmin went a bit 'funny' during this mile so actual split more like 6:35), 6:42, 6:37, 6:30, 6:14, 6:02, 6:09 & 5:42 (last 0.14 miles). In all 7.14miles in 45:19mins. That's an average of 6:21min/mile!!

Although I was 'reasonably' comfortable throughout I definitely had to work harder than during last weeks sessions and afterwards it took a few minutes for me to catch my breath!! I suppose the 20-25 seconds increase in pace was significant afterall!!

So the plan for the remainder of the week is easy / steady running and definitely nothing sub-7 minute pace until Sunday!! (Famous last words!!)

Way to go Tricia..

2009-02-17T19:41:00.006Z

I know this blog is mainly about my running but I couldn't help giving my niece a mention. The following is a report from the Northeast-10 Conference....

Northeast-10 Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Patricia Brice, UMass Lowell (So., Chelmsford, Mass.) - Provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship in two relays at the Boston University St. Valentine's Day Invitational. Ran the 400 meters in 57.4 seconds to lead the UMass Lowell distance medley relay team to second overall and tops among collegiate teams in 11:45.26, currently the second-fastest time in the country. Also ran a 58.6-second split on UML's 4X400 meter relay team which placed third overall (first among Division II-III foursomes) in 3:54.53, which ranks 10th in the country.

Patricia ran in leg 1 of the 4x400

Congrats Tricia !!

Another week down..

2009-02-16T21:39:00.006Z

Well, I survived Saturday and I made it out for my long run on Sunday. Unfortunately I had to cut it short due to time constraints (had to take my 3 kids to a 4 year olds birthday party). (As an aside... spending time on a kids bouncy castle can do wonders for your leg condition my legs are killing me today!!!). So on Sunday morning it was a 9+mile run into town and back. To be predicted I compensated for the shortened run by running the second half about 10-15 seconds per mile faster on average. In all it was 9.31miles easy in 1:07:54 i.e. average 7:17. My legs felt heavy but to be honest I put that down to residual fatigue from Friday nights session!!

The total for this fast yet low mileage week ended up as follows:

Week Total (9/2/09 to 15/2/09) - 4 sessions
28.25 miles - 3:20:52 - 7:07min/mile - No HRM

Today (Monday) I started the week off on a good note with a 7.02 mile easy/steady run at lunchtime in 51:29 i.e. an average of 7:20min/mile. Instead of simply running easy today I thought that I'd push the pace a bit to compensate for not running the planned 15+ miles yesterday. So the run was an easy/steady progression run with the mile split pace varying as follows 8:24, 7:57, 7:13, 7:06, 6:47, 6:55, 6:58. My legs felt heavy throughout but again I think that this was a hangover from weekend.

Speed and dehydration

2009-02-14T21:46:00.003Z

So far this week I've managed to fit in the quality sessions but I've failed dismally to fit in the easy/recovery runs.

Monday was a planned recovery run after Saturday's long run. Lunchtime again and starting out with Tony. 5.64miles in 43:19minutes. That's an average of 7:41 min/mile. The initial miles were at 8:45 pace accelerating to 7:00 minute pace over the last few.

Tuesday was to be the first quality session a 7+ mile steady to tempo run. I started out easy (Tony joined me for the first mile) which served to be a nice warm-up. In total the run was 7.66miles in 52:06 an average of 6:48 min/mile. The mile pace splits were 8:17, 7:01, 6:54, 6:31, 6:17, 6:22, 6:28, 6:25.

Wednesday and Thursday were write offs.

On Friday it was another of the lunchtime quality runs. Again a steady/tempo run but this time over the shorter distance of 5+ miles and a bit quicker. 5.64miles in 37:33 an average of 6:40 min/mile. Mile pace splits were 6:55, 6:48, 6:51, 6:50, 6:21, 5:58

The second session on Friday was more of the liquid "dehydration" variety. A marathon pace session starting at 8pm and going on until 4am. Numerous water (Guinness and wine actually) stations were involved, generally at an average of 15 to 30 min intervals. Thanks to Grellan for the lift home. Suffice it to say that today was a recovery of the non-athletic variety!! Re-hydration has been the primary focus. Hopefully, I'll be recovered enough for tomorrows long run......

Long runs into the wind

2009-02-08T21:27:00.008Z

The option of a free lunch at a lunchtime presentation at work was enough to convince me that Friday should be a 'recovery' day, so no running.

My regular(ish) Sunday long run was brought forward to Saturday as I felt that my free time would not permit a run on Sunday. I was right!!

So my long 'easy' run this week was 15.74mile in 1:56:47 i.e. an average of 7:25 min/mile. The sun was shining and it wasn't too cold so I got to run without the need to wear heavy lagging!! It was strange that as I ran north the wind was against me, the route then headed west and the wind was into my face; I then turned east and, yes, the wind was not behind me. Finally I ran generally in a south east direction and, yes again, the wind was into my face. Were the gods telling me something?? I covered the first 10 miles in a little over 73mins, an average of 7:19. At that stage my left shin /ankle region started to hurt so I slowed a little and, conscious of not wanting to overdo things, averaged 7:35min/mile over the remainder of the run.

Despite the deliberate slowing over the last third of the run it was the fastest I've ever completed this course. Over the past 12 months I've only completed this distance & route on 4 occasions. Each day I had planned to run 'easy' and the historic distance / time / pace stats were
7/2/09-15.74miles-1:56:47-7:25 min/mile
25/1/09-15.62miles-2:01:49-7:48 min/mile
31/8/08-15.68miles-1:57:36-7:30 min/mile
17/8/08-15.67miles-2:04:31-7:57 min/mile

So Saturday's run tells me that I'm in reasonable shape....at the moment. But having said that the niggle in my shins reminds me that I must not push myself beyond my elastic limit. After all only a few weeks to go to Ballycotton.

Week Total (2/2/09 to 8/2/09) - 4 sessions
33.70 miles - 4:15:37 - 7:35min/mile - No HRM

Easy recovery

2009-02-05T22:32:00.010Z

Thanks to all who left comments following my last post - they're really appreciated and to Thomas I'm looking forward to Ballycotton so that we may push/pull each other and Grellan around to a good time. My final placing in Dungarvan was 65th. Despite having ChampionChip timing, which I thought was to simplify the results process, the organisers managed to find 2 more runners ahead of me and 27 behind me giving a total of 895 finishers.

Well, I woke up on Monday morning not feeling too sore. I had expected to have lots of the usual aches and pains but there were surprisingly few!! A good sign so at lunchtime my recovery began with a very easy 5.54miles in 44:29 in an average of 8:02 min/mile. I joined Tony over the first couple of miles but when left me to my own pace-making I slipped down into the 7:2x's over the last few miles.

On Tuesday the aches got worse - that's to be expected, I suppose, as it's always 48hours afterwards strenuous training / racing that my muscles let me know that I've worked them beyond their elastic limit. Despite the sore calves and left hamstring and the snow I proceeded to tog out at lunchtime again planning to join Tony. Unfortunately when I went to put on my shoes - they weren't there - how hadn't I noticed that sooner. At that moment I knew exactly where they were - on my hall floor - very helpful. I contemplated (for about 1 second) running barefoot and without those fancy slippers that Grellan has, but sense prevailed and Tuesday was an unplanned day off.

On Wednesday, Tony and I actually completed Tuesday's session and this time I brought my shoes. 5.24 miles in 44:56 an 'even' average of 8:34.

Today I was left to my own devices and the lunchtime menu was a 7mile steady/tempo run. I must admit that it was a nice change from the 'easy' running and a good test that there was no residual damage from last Sunday's race. 7.18miles in 49:25, an average of 6:53 min/mile over varying terrain. The mile splits were 7:30, 6:53, 6:50, 6:48, 6:33, 6:48, 6:47 and all felt pretty controlled.

So the current race plan is to run the Carrigaline 5mile on 22nd February and the Ballycotton 10 on March 8th. Ballycotton will be the 3rd in the Munster 10mile 4-race series. I had planned on running all 4 races but it is unlikely that I'll get to the fourth race in Kilnaboy. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the time (2pm on 12th April) clashes with the quarter final of rugby's Heineken Cup (Munster v Ospreys in Thomond Park @ 1pm on April 12th) and I have a ticket!! Secondly getting from Cork to Kilnaboy on the 12th will be next to near impossible due to the Heineken Cup. (For those unfamiliar with the geography - Thomond Park is in Limerick and you have to drive through Limerick to get to Kilnaboy. On big game days the roads through Limerick become a parking lot!!) Maybe the organisers in Kilnaboy will consider rescheduling - unlikely.

Also well done to my niece Patricia who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games last weekend.

Dungarvan 10 race report

2009-02-01T21:46:00.015Z

My training has been a bit erratic and unplanned lately but hey I must be doing something right 'cause the 10mile race in Dungarvan went very well indeed....

The course was flat but the weather was awful. Cold and windy - the worst combination. Apparently we're experiencing some Arctic air at the moment and the east to north easterly winds today certainly confirmed that!!

Dungarvan 10 - COURSE MAP

Grellan and I travelled to the race together arriving at the planned 11am - 2 hours ahead of the start time and allowing enough time to register ahead of the 12:15 deadline and get a parking spot directly outside the race HQ - perfect!!

After a 3.64 mile warm up @ 8:41 min/mile pace it was back to the race HQ for some warmth. That may not have been the best idea as the cold wind seemed all the colder when we emerged 5 minutes before race start. Still though the 500m jog to the start line was enough to allow the acclimatization process to be complete!! I decided to run as if it was a mid summer race i.e shorts and singlet which drew a few comments along the lines of "mad man" etc. from those dressed in thermals and hats!! Grellan had decided to experiment with wearing skins in a race - a tactic I predict cost him 5 secs per mile!!

The start was crowded - approx 1,000 runners and I misjudged the actual start line so I initially lined up towards the back of the field. On realising my mistake I worked my way forward and surprisingly the further forward I walked the more space there was. Was everyone afraid of leading I wonder?? Eventually Grellan and I lined up about 6 or 7 rows back from the front. That was the last we saw of each other...

The first mile was largely uphill but this did not deter a lot of runners from racing off at a pace which was beyond them!! So a lot of weaving was the order of the day. I reached the first mile mark in 6:13 (Mile 1) on target which was tentatively 6:15.

Mile 2 brought us on to the Dungarvan bypass and was also largely uphill. My split was 6:06 (Mile 2) a bit fast but I felt comfortable.

Mile 3 brought us out onto country roads which were very scenic and quiet except for the mass of lunatic runners who had nothing better to do on a Sunday morning!! The course was reported to be a flat one so I was surprised to see the long slightly uphill drags. My split for Mile 3 was 6:12.

Mid way through the fourth mile I tried to kill myself by drowning at the water station!! How do you drink efficiently from a polystyrene cup at 6 minute pace? Despite this my Mile 4 split was 6:01. My quads were beginning to feel fatigued and my breathing was laboured - "why did I run yesterday" was my only thought!!

I had tagged on to a runner (Barry? or so one spectator called him) who I heard say while chatting during the second mile that he was aiming for 62minutes. He was running well so I stayed approx 10 to 20m behind and kept pace. Mile 5 was completed in 6:03. Running through the mile marker I heard the split as 30:4X - wow - I've just run a modern day 5 mile PB (by nearly a minute!!) and ran nearly a minute faster than I had in Mallow a few weeks ago!! Mr Garmin recorded my 5 mile split as 30:36 so I'll take that!!

Mile 6 was more of the same but at this stage the runners were getting sparse so no-mans-land was beckoning. Despite this I kept tracking Barry and the Mile 6 split was 6:13.

Thanks to a steep decent during Mile 7 my legs got to relax a bit and my split was 6:06 which, despite the heavy breathing and tired legs, was beginning to feel comfortable (ish)!!

That was until Mile 8 the mile from hell. We turned directly into the cold easterly wind along a road with no shelter. A tough mile which was completed in 6:24 (Mile 8). The wind was cold and my I'm sure that my lips, cheeks, hands etc were beginning to suffer from early onset frostbite!!

Shortly after the mile mark we left the quiet country roads and were back onto the main Cork - Waterford road. A good running surface but the road was slightly uphill and the easterly wind was now a head/crosswind - I must have looked like I was running like Quasimodo as I fought crosswind!! My only though at this stage was that it had been a good run so far and if I slowed by 30 sec per mile I would still match my Mallow time. Better still I could walk but that would have meant a long cold walk home and depression. So I put my head down and started to work to get back in touch with the group 30-50m ahead. I eventually succeeded at about the 8.5mile mark. Which meant that I reached the Mile 9 mark in 6:21. A tough mile but it seemed that I was suffering (slightly) less than those around me so I drove on. Only one mile to go and the thought that the last bit was downhill into the finish line gave me some solace!!

Mile 10 was a long drive from home. In the middle distance days of my youth I generally had a good finish but that kick started (at most) 200m from the line. Here I was kicking hard one mile out - was I mad - PROBABLY!! I forged to head of the group that I'd just caught (which included Barry and a guy from the Bilboa club who I'd out kicked in Mallow) and was determined not to be passed again (if at all possible) and .... I wasn't. I rounded the 90 deg bend into the 50m long finishing straight in full flight - even running on my toes and driving from my arms (the vigorous motion had thawed them!!). I could hear the announcer calling out my name and my 10 seconds of fame weren't going to be taken by someone passing me!! Mile 10 was completed in 5:55 - my fastest of the race and no-one passed me in the last mile!! Happy days - I stopped my watch on 1:01:40. Another PB - the course was fast despite the weather conditions!! My official time will probably be a couple of seconds slower but I'm sticking with this as my PB as Mr Garmin is never wrong!! :)

Well done to Grellan for finishing on his target time despite wearing long pants and John Meade (world record holder for the 3 legged marathon) for breaking the 60 minute barrier. A jog/walk back to the Race HQ for tea, sandwiches, leg cramps and warmth completed a perfect day. Roll on the next race in Ballycotton in early March...

200m to go...150m to go...100m to go...

My race!!.....

Update - 2/2/09 - Results were published today. Officially my time was rounded to 1:01:43 and I came 63rd (same position as Mallow) out of 866 i.e. top 8%!!!

Week Total (26/01/2009 to 01/02/2009) - 4 sessions

30:05 miles - 3:33:40 - avg. 7:07 min/mile - No HRM

Dungarvan taper...

2009-01-31T22:12:00.005Z

This week was another unsettled week.

Monday was a 5.34 miler easy @ 7:28min avg. pace (39:52). Essentially a recovery run following Sunday's long run. Tuesday was missed - can't remember the reason but I'm sure I had a good excuse.

Wednesday I essentially repeated Monday's run but picking up the pace towards the end i.e. 5.24miles in 37:28 (7:11 min/mile avg) starting out at 7:43 for the first mile and 6:46 for the last. I was going to extend the run to 7+ miles finishing at 6:1x pace but having a eye on tomorrows 10-mile race I decided that there was not going to be any benefit gained from putting in a tough session a few days before a race.

Thursday and Friday were also skipped days - this week was now fast turning into a taper week!! :)

But... yesterday afternoon a sharp pain suddenly appeared in my left calf so I elected to test the legs today ahead of tomorrow. 5:46miles steady in 40:05 mins (an average of 7:20) was how I chose to test the legs (mile splits ranging from 7:01 to 7:40 mins maybe not the smartest but hey if I couldn't run at that pace I certainly wouldn't be able to race tomorrow). No ill effects so yesterdays pain remains a mystery!!

End of another week

2009-01-25T22:00:00.008Z

Choosing a title "good start" for my last post was always going to be a kiss of death for what followed....

Thursday, Friday and Saturday's runs didn't happen for various reasons from work to family to bad weather. So today I was determined not to end the week on a bad note and I made sure to fit in my long run. I must be starting to think like a distance runner 'cause I was 'worried' about my weekly mileage so I decided to extend my planned 12 mile run to 15+ miles. My legs were tired before the run and also it probably wasn't the best idea to run within one hour of finishing my 'large' Sunday lunch, so I took it easy. The first 11 miles went well enough considering averaging just over 7:30 min/mile pace but my stomach started to object for the last 3 miles and overall I finished the run 15.62miles in 2:01:49 (avg 7:48 min/mile) including a couple of stoppages for traffic lights, adjusting my shoe laces and giving a guy directions (even though he chose to ignore my advice and avoid the left hand turn that I'd suggested!)

Week Total (19/01/2008 to 25/01/2008) - 4 sessions
35.81miles - 4:25:32 - avg 7:25min/mile

Also I just came across this photo from last weeks 10-mile race courtesy of the Mallow AC website.... a similar picture to that taken during the Blarney half marathon last September - this is obviously my racing face!! ...enough said....

Good start

2009-01-21T21:07:00.006Z

This week has started well. The plan was an 'easy' run on Monday, steady/tempo run on Tuesday and longish easy run today. So far even though today's run wasn't as long as I hoped (time constraints) I've generally stuck to the plan. So to quote the US President "yes I can"...stick to a plan - well sort of anyway!!! :)

Monday was 5.76 miles in 41:39 that's an average of 7:14 min/mile. Mile splits were generally around 7:30 with a 6:5x last couple. Felt good.

Based on my recent 10mile PB McMillan has revised downwards my pace ranges. Long Runs are 7:14 to 8:14, Easy Runs are 7:14 to 7:44, Steady 6:23 to 6:34 and Tempo 6:07 to 6:14 min/mile. I don't know what to call 6:35 to 7:13 run I suppose I'll have to make up a new pace range!! I've no real problem with the easier end of the scale but the tempo pace seems a bit quick for me. I'll have to psych myself up for those runs!! Tuesday's run was 7.19 miles in an average of 6:48 i.e. 48:57 at lunchtime. I took the first 2 miles easy at 7:15 and 7:11 pace over sloshy/slippy tracks. Mile 3 onwards I concentrated on steady/tempo phase with the next 4 mile splits being 6:44, 6:36, 6:16 and 6:29. Although I was comfortable over the whole run I didn't want to overdo it so I took the foot off the throttle for mile 7 at 7:03 pace. All told a good lunchtime session and the pace was certainly quick enough to avoid frostbite!! I've also now concluded that 7 miles is the max I can fit in at lunchtime....

Today I ran the same route as yesterday but Mr. Garmin measured the run as 7.25 miles. Strange ehh!! Easy was the pace planned and the average pace ended up being 7:20 (on target) in a time of 53:07. Splits were 7:01 to 7:33. A big spread but not too bad given the terrain - hills, tracks and flooded fields!!!

Stormy week

2009-01-18T22:02:00.008Z

Yet again I've followed a good week of high mileage with a week of low mileage and few runs!! I suppose I could call last week a recovery week - at least that would make it sound like it was planned. In all I managed to run on three occasions since the race last Sunday - Monday, Thursday and Saturday. On the other days work and family commitments took precedence. Now, I could also blame the awful weather we're having but that would sound like a lame excuse given that some of you are running in -15 degC.

So on Monday it was a lunchtime 'recovery' run with Tony helping to pace for the first 2 miles. 5.66 miles around Ballincollig in 45:39, an average of 8:04, although in truth the pace varied from 8:52 for the first mile to 7:23 for the last.

Tuesday and Wednesday were no running days and on Thursday it was another 5.64miles over the same route again with Tony for the first 2 miles. I was well recovered from Sunday's race so I decided that I would run at a progressive easy - steady - tempo pace. The pace splits were 8:28, 8:30, 7:02 (uphill), 6:42, 6:25 and 6:11 respectively.

Friday was also a 'no running' day and on Saturday I headed out early AM for an 11.5 miles over the Douglas - Sunday's Well - Mardyke - Douglas route @ 7:17 average (1:23:43). I took the first 3 miles easy at approx 7:30 pace. But then I was passed for another crazy runner braving the elements at 7am on a Saturday morning! He was probably running about 15sec per mile faster so I left him get about 100m ahead and then started matching his pace. About a mile later he headed off in the opposite direction so I was surprised to find him about 100m ahead of me again when I reached Sunday's Well (5 mile mark). At the end of the Mardyke he again headed off in the opposite direction but I couldn't help wonder if our path's would cross again later on the run - they didn't. I passed the 10 mile mark in just under 72mins (7:11 average) feeling pretty good but I still backed off the pace for the last 1.5 miles - no point in pushing it too hard.

Storm force winds, rain and a broken night's sleep appeasing Joe saw to it that my intended 15mile today was put off. Still though, the 3 runs that I did complete this week were the intended important sessions. The day's I missed were the less important so overall no real loss.

Also note to self - remember buy a new battery for my heart rate monitor this week - I'm craving the feedback provided by the additional numbers!!

Week Total (12/01/09 to 18/01/09) - 3 sessions
22.81 miles - 2:50:28 - 7:28 min/mile - no HRM

Mallow 10 - Race Report

2009-01-13T00:29:00.009Z

So I've finally got some time to put together my race report. I looks like both Thomas and Grellan got in first with theirs so apologies for those who are now reading through more of the same!!

The Mallow-10 is the first in a four race series of ten mile road races. Last year I had intended on running this series but I got injured just before Christmas and that was that. In the end I only competed in one of the four races - Ballycotton - my first race over 10k ever. That race went well enough for 7 miles or so but then my lack of endurance training showed and I went through a bad purple patch. I still mananged to finish in 66:15 or so which was satisfying at the time. Until, I ran faster during the first 10 miles of the Great North Run. So this year I decided that I was going to try the 10-mile series again just to see if I could better my Great North Run split. Yesterdays race proved that I could and I'm not injured today so maybe I'll make Race 2 in Dungarvan on Feb 1st. I also found out yesterday that I got a place in Race 3 Ballycotton so assuming no injuries I should make at least 3 of the 4 races!!

So, yesterday I got to the race HQ early, 2 hours ahead of the start time, and I spent the next half hour debating with myself what to wear. The weather was awful outside wet, cold and windy. So the argument was whether to wear long sleves or not - a very serious decision. It's amazing how silly things take over pre-race jitters. I eventally went out for a 2.16 mile jog just to test the weather and find the start line which was about 1 mile from the race HQ. Despite running most of the streets in Mallow I failed to find the start!! Also my achilles had been showing signs of tendonitis during the past few weeks so I was glad not to be in too much pain after the warm up. I think the fact that I rested on Friday and Saturday certainly helped.
When I got back to race HQ I bumped into Grellan and shortly afterwards Thomas. We jogged to the start and a bit beyond together (luckily Grellan knew where it was!!) in all 1.7 miles. There was still a bit of time so I took shelter from the wind and rain under a tree beside a high wall while the other 2 guys continued on their warm-up. (I had decided to race without long sleeves!!).

At the appointed time I took up a position behind Grellan and Thomas about 4 ot 5 rows back from the front. The plan was to run a 6:30 pace and see what happened. This was also Thomas' plan so we were able to pace off each other while having a chat for the first mile or so! During this chat Thomas did comment on how 6:30 pace felt like jogging which I put down to the fact that we were running in a group and not in the dark of the night around Carragh Lake!!

Mile 1 was reached in 6:30 - bang on target. Mile 2 took 6:33. Still reasonably on target given the slight uphill climb during this mile. The race really started after the second mile mark as we turned onto the main Cork to Limerick road. This was a downhill section with a strong tailwind. Just as Thomas pulled level with me a gust of wind pushed me forward - I felt like I was flying (literally!!) for a couple of strides!! Thomas surged past me and I decided to let him go - looking at my watch I was doing 5:30 pace which was more than fast enough for me. I tried not to let the gap get too big keeping Thomas and a group of 5 or 6 others about 20 to 30m ahead. Mile 3 was completed in 5:56. The next 3 miles were along the Killarney road past the Mallow Race Track and into a headwind!! At about the 3.5 mile mark I caught up with Thomas again (although he was surprised to see me there and so was I!!). Not content to run in the middle of a group and as I was feeling relatively OK I thought to myself that I'd try and push the pace for a bit. So I went to the head of the group with a target to catch the next smaller group 30m ahead. Mile 4 was completed in 6:11 and I felt strong. Mile 5 was 6:21 (the wind getting stronger and the gap between runners greater). I was still passing runners so that was a good sign. I passed the 5 mile mark in 31:35. Wow, if I can keep this up it may be a PB but going on past history I'll probably blow up at about the 8 mile mark!!

Mile 6 (6:18) and I managed to pass another couple of runners. Although I couldn't hear him I assumed that Thomas wasn't too far behind so it was time to push on!! Mile 7 was uphill and took 6:28. I see from my Garmin that I passed the 10k mark in 38:59 an unofficial PB. By Mile 8 I was beginning to count down the quarter mile splits on my Gramin to the next mile mark but the my stride was in the groove so I pushed on (Thomas will be up on me soon!!). I ran alot of the race in no-mans-land passing each group / runner that I caught and focusing on the next target ahead. My breathing wasn't too bad either but I kept expecting to blow up!! Mile 8 lasted 6:10. Mile 9 a slightly uphill mile lasted 6:20. Fatigue was certainly beginning to kick in but I knew that the last mile had some downhill stretches so there was hope and I was still catching the odd runner. I passed over the railway line and an official shouted that it was only a mile and a quarter to go. That quarter mile seemed to take an age!! So with 1 mile to go I started my kick to the end. Before the race Grellan had told me that it was only a quarter mile from the bridge to the finish line. You can imagine my surprise when the officals shouted only 'half a mile to go' at the far side of the bridge. But I'd started my finishing kick so it was too late to stop now. Besides, although I hadn't seen him since the fourth mile I suspected that Thomas probably wasn't too far behind! Over the last 800m I passed another two runners and the last 100m felt like a sprint (the last 20 seconds was at 5:07 pace!!). Mile 10 was run in 5:59. Which gave my total time for the 10 miles as 1:02:52 an official PB by more than 3 minutes!! This was later rounded down oficially to 1:02:54 due to my tardiness in starting my watch. Officially 63rd position. The second five mile split was 31:27 a negative split and also an 'unofficial' PB equalling my first 5 mile split in the Great North Run last October. Thomas had almost caught me finishing 7 seconds behind - I knew that he was nearby and I'm glad the race wasn't any longer!!

A 3.16 mile cool down and some tea and sandwiches with Grellan completed a great day of running. Roll on Dungarvan on February 1st!!

Week Total (5/1/09 to 11/1/09) - 5 runs
50:02miles - 6:09:21 - 7:23 min/mile pace

63 in sub-63

2009-01-12T00:29:00.010Z

That was my position and time from today's Mallow 10-mile race. Official time was 62:54 a personal best and well within my time in last year's Ballycotton 10-mile race - yipee!!

Well done to Thomas who also posted a significant PB and to Grellan for achieving his target (even if it was a bit more work than he would have liked).

576 runners braved the elements for this wet and windy race. So I was once more just outside the top 10% but I certainly can't (and won't) complain!! Official Results.

Legs are a bit tired and sore now - only to be expected I suppose.

It's too late now for the full race report but I promise to post it tomorow.

Race week rest(ish)

2009-01-08T23:50:00.005Z

Since Monday I've felt generally 'fatigued' and on top of that both achilles tendons have been giving some trouble, particularly in the morning. Maybe the 15+ mile run wasn't such a good idea!!

Hence I've been taking it 'relatively' easy. On Tuesday a 'recovery' run of just under 5 miles at 8:02 pace (39:40) was followed by a return to work on Wednesday :( and a lunchtime 5.67miles in 41:41 (easy 7:22 pace). Mr Garmin went a bit 'haywire' today and recorded a 0.2mile distance as approx 1.2 miles!! Hence I completed 2No. sub-3:30 miles in the middle of my 6.6mile steady run!! Nice! In reality my run was approx 5.6miles in a time of 40:39 an approx average of 7:15 with a couple of 6:55 minute miles in the middle just to freshen up the legs for the weekend!!

Since I'm not feeling 100% I'm not sure how I'll approach the 10-mile race in Mallow on Sunday. I guess I'll see on the day but at least this year, and not wanting to tempt fate, it looks like I'll make it to the start line which is an improvement over last year!!!

Another year another run

2009-01-05T16:31:00.016Z

As predicted I followed up the high mileage week over Christmas with a not-so-high mileage week last week. I only managed 3 runs in total but at least they were on the last 2 days of 2008 and the first day of 2009. Hence I ended 2008 on a high note and I started 2009 on a the right foot. It's a pity that the second, third and fourth days of 2009 weren't as successful!!

Last Tuesday it was a 6 mile progression / tempo run which started at 7:31 pace and progressed to 6:47 pace over miles 1 to 5 in approx 10 sec per mile jumps. Mile 6 was an uphill 'recovery' at 7:41 pace. Nice session.

Wednesday was a long run 11.5miles at 7:26 pace and Thursday was an easy 5 miles at 7:34 pace.

Tuesday (30/12/08) - 6.26 miles - 45:22 - 7:15 avg pace - no HRM
Wednesday (31/12/08) - 11.58 miles - 1:26:03 - 7:26 avg pace - no HRM
Thursday (01/01/09) - 5.48 miles - 41:27 - 7:34 avg pace - no HRM

Week Total (29/12/2008 to 04/01/2009) - 3 sessions
23.32 miles - 2:52:52 - 7:34min/mile

So on to a summary of 2008....

Started this Blog
Started year injured but (luckily) no serious injury since February
New PB's at all distances from 5k to 13.1miles
1200 miles over 173 running days
Average 6.93miles per running day and 3.33 runs & 22.96 miles per week
All-in-all a good year and a good base for 2009
Ohh - a new baby too!!!

And here's my graph....

Details.....

Month - Miles - Days
January - 37.85 - 11
February - 61.1 - 8
March - 117.32 - 19
April - 69.22 - 9
May - 119.54 - 18
June - 89.33 - 14
July - 122.36 - 15
August - 164.21 - 21
September - 143.24 - 19
October - 95.73 - 14
November - 59.84 - 9
December - 119.97 - 16

And now for 2009...

Today I decided to make up for missing a few runs last week with a single long run. In all I put in 15.71 miles at 7:33 avg pace (1:58:28). Although it was a nice run to begin with the air temperature dropped towards the end of the run and my calf muscles began to cramp over the last few miles. So the legs are a bit tired now and I think I'll take it easy for the rest of the week with a view to the 10 mile race next Sunday....

Christmas week

2008-12-28T21:45:00.005Z

Running this week has gone pretty - well despite the festivities!! Just as well 'cause I've been eating enough food & junk to feed an army!! All running has been at a steady / easy pace. I've also discovered the secret to running at close to 8 minute pace - start early in the morning. Yesterday morning I headed out for a 6+ mile run at 6:30am (I was up at 5:30am feeding Joe so I didn't see the point in going back to bed!!). Well the 'tentative' plan was to run at 7:15-7:30 pace but no matter how I tried the fastest split was 7:45!! Last night I also managed to fit in a 1.5mile uphill stagger at 'walk' pace home from the pub... I wonder does that count towards my weekly total?? - maybe not!! :)

I've skipped all the local races concentrating on my mileage - Thomas you'd be proud!!

Also my HRM has been acting up (i.e. not working) this week. I tried all the usual tricks - spitting on the sensors etc so I concluded that I may need to get a new battery but it's a year old...

Wednesday (24/12/08)
5.60miles - 40:29 (7:14min/mile)

Thursday (25/12/08)
0 miles - Family Day

Friday (26/12/08)
11.52miles - 1:24:52 (7:22min/mile, 151bpm)

Saturday (27/12/08)
6.27miles - 49:59 (7:58min/mile) + 1.5mile stagger/walk home from pub

Sunday (28/12/08)
9.85miles - 1:14:54 (7:36min/mile)

Week Total (22/12/08 to 28/12/08) - 6 sessions
50.87miles - 6:22:19 (7:31min/mile)

Christmas on the way

2008-12-23T08:59:00.011Z

My wife found the comments following the last post 'funny' - she too thinks that I only have one speed but she calls it SLOW!!

I know, I probably run too often at a 'steady' or faster pace. Grellan and Mike both commented on this. In my defence, firstly I blame my coach (Olympic steeplechaser and 47min 10-miler) in school he had the philosophy that a training session isn't a training session unless you're totally wiped out at the end!! It's always good to blame someone else for your own failings!! :)

Secondly, I feel (probably incorrectly) that if you want to race at 6-minute pace or lower running 7-minute pace should feel 'easy'. Hence the majority of my 'easy' runs are in the 7 :00 to 7:30 range as I'm trying to make my body learn to feel easy at this pace. Mind over body and all that!!

Thirdly, I don't run every day so I class my days off as my 'recovery' days. But having said that I do try to introduce some 'recovery' runs but if I'm running alone I get bored with the slow pace and tend give in to the inner demon that wills me to run faster (probably a hang up from my track racing days!!)

However, I don't think that my 'fast' running has affected my consistency - I've plenty other excuses for this!! But it may in the past have contributed to some of my injuries.

On Friday I went out for an 'easy' 5+ mile run at lunchtime (5.20miles 7:36 @ 143bpm).

Saturday and Sunday were wipe outs with a hangover and Christmas shopping respectively taking priority!! That gave the following total for the week:

Week Total (15/12/2008 to 21/12/2008) - 4 runs
23.87 miles - 2:51:26 - 7:11min/mile - 155bpm

Having missed the weekend I went out for my long run yesterday (Monday). This was to be my first run over 10 miles since the end of October and this week I choose a 12.5mile route that I last ran in September. My HRM failed (for some reason - reindeer interference I presume) but I reached the 10-mile mark in just over 73mins (7:18 pace) and felt very comfortable - a good sign. But I did take it easy over the last (uphill) 2.65miles and averaged 7:59 for that bit. Overall 12.65mile in 1:34:10 (avg. 7:27).

Today the legs were a bit tired from yesterday's run (right achilles a bit sore/stiff and both quads tender) but other than that no ill effects. So tonight was another 'easy' 5 miles in 37:51 (average 7:36 pace 143bpm). Just enough to compensate for some of Thursday's turkey!!

Happy Christmas to all and happy running in 2009!!

Back on the road

2008-12-17T23:01:00.007Z

After having had an unplanned week off and not too successful run that morning my post on last Sunday was a bit of a 'downer'. I really didn't believe that the week off could have made me be so much out of shape!! So I reviewed my diary and in truth my running has been a bit erratic since the Great North Run in October. October and November have been very 'infrequent' running months and my monthly mileage has taken a nose dive!! My mileage June to Nov'08 was 89, 122, 164, 143, 95, 59. Spot the trend!! But so far this month I'm at 46 miles and hopefully the mileage will be back up in Dec/Jan.

On Monday I thought I'd recheck my current fitness level and planned a steady 6.5mile run at lunchtime. The run went well enough and I finished the route in 45:21 that's an average 6:59 pace @ 163bpm. I felt good at the end so not too bad overall and a big improvement on Sunday's run. :)

On Tuesday I took it a bit easier with a 5.67mile run in 41:54 i.e. 7:23min pace @ 153bpm.

Today was a bit of a test for me. I decided to repeat Monday's run but at a 'tempo / progressive' pace. Here's how today compares [pace (bpm)] to Monday:-

Monday / Wednesday
Mile 1 7:06 (144) / 7:10 (140)
Mile 2 6:58 (159) / 7:12 (150) (grass/trek & slippy)
Mile 3 7:20 (163) / 7:20 (162) (grass & slippy)
Mile 4 7:06 (165) / 6:57 (158) (uphill)
Mile 5 6:57 (170) / 6:46 (167)
Mile 6 6:47 (172) / 6:21 (173)
Mile 6.5 6:19 (178) / 5:49 (172)

So today's 6.5miler was all good - it lasted 44:39 min i.e 6:52 avg. @ 159 bpm. Although afterwards my body did let me know that I'd pushed the boat out I recovered quickly (a good sign!!).

Point proven I think - Sunday's run can be classed officially as a 'blip' and that's enough fast running for this week. I'll try and put in some easier / longer runs over the remainder.

Revised Plans

2008-12-14T22:27:00.007Z

One of the main reasons why I started this Running Diary was to make sure that I didn't skip sessions without a good excuse. It seemed to me that if I had to put down in writing that I skipped a session that would be enough motivation for me to get out and run!! But despite this added motivation the past couple of weeks haven't been the most successful from a running point of view. Non-running commitments have had to take precedence..

My last post reported a double session day. Just as well that I got in that second session as I only managed two other 'easy' runs that week i.e.
4th December - 5.68miles (44:26) 7:49min/mile avg 150bpm (first half 8:10 to 8:25 pace, second half 7:10 to 7:30 pace)
6th December - 5.48miles (40:46) 7:26min/mile avg 153bpm

That brought my weekly total to a sensational 22miles - not even a marathon in a week!!

Week Total (1/12/08 - 07/12/08) - 4 sessions
22.45miles - 2:53:00 - 7:42min/mile - 150bpm

But the past week went further downhill with an earth shattering total of one session, and that was today!!

I went out this morning determined not to get a duck-egg for the week. Unfortunately I only had a half hour window so 5 miles (max) was on the menu. I thought about running easy but since I hadn't run all week I felt like having a minor 'blow out' so the first 3 miles went as 6:50, 6:45, 6:58 and the last 2 were 7:30 to 8min pace. But I felt wrecked at the end of the run which was was a bit worrying. I definetly couldn't have run for any longer at sub-7min pace. Could I really have lost so much fitness over the past week? Other factors could have contributed such as having only 4 hours sleep last night or maybe I've picked up the virus that has been passed between the various family members over the past couple of weeks.

Whatever the reason I've come to the realisation that I won't be at peak fitness for the first 10 mile race after Christmas. So I've now decided that for the remainder of 2008 I'll concentrate on running regularly and building up the miles - something that I really need to do if my distance running is to improve. I'll now concentrate on peaking for the Ballycotton 10 in early March.

On a positive front I've now got some goals for 2009. I sent off my entry for the Ballycotton 10 - hopefully I'll be in the first 2,500 entries opened!! I also entered the 2009 Great North Run. This year the race will be held on 20th September and will hopefully be my third year running this 'great' half marathon.

Week Total (8/12/08 - 14/12/08) - 1 session
4.94miles - 35:23 - 7:10min/mile - 166bpm

Stars in my eyes

2008-12-03T00:21:00.004Z

Another image of the Venus, Jupiter, Moon occultation just like I saw it!

Star gazing in December

2008-12-01T22:38:00.015Z

Last week ended on Friday - no running on either Saturday or Sunday for differing reasons. But I did have my first turkey dinner on Sunday courtesy of my sister. Thanks Margaret!! So the weekend wasn't a total write-off. I know, I'll probably be sick of turkey by the end of December but for now I'll enjoy it.

Week Total (24/11/08 - 30/11/08) - 4 sessions
26.10miles - 3:14:42 - 7:28min/mile - 160bpm

My lower left leg has been giving me trouble since my stumble last week but I don't think it's too serious and hopefully time will make it better.

Today I went for a lunchtime run, a bit later than usual so I cut it short. It ended up as 5.2 miles in 39:27 @7:35 min/mile @144bpm. My legs felt sluggish and heavy and I was a bit concerned about my leg so I took the second half slower than the first 7:45 vs 7:25. That's me being sensible!!

I wasn't too happy with missing my Saturday and Sunday runs so when I got the opportunity to get in a few extra miles tonight I jumped at it. I needed to drop in some forms to my kids future school (3 miles away) so that meant a 6miles out-'n-back opportunity.

The temperature has dropped again (<2degc)>10bpm higher than lunchtime. I wonder why? Assuming that my fitness hasn't deteriorated since lunchtime all I can presume is that it was the hilly route vs the flat lunchtime that I ran at lunchtime. Interesting though, a significant difference....

BTW... there was a beautiful sight visible in the skies above Ireland tonight - both Venus and Jupiter were visible as two bright stars alongside a crescent moon. The last time that Venus was visible in this way in Ireland was in the early 1980's and the next time will be in the 2040's. So given the probability that the skies won't be clear of clouds next time tonight's view was a true once in a lifetime opportunity!!

Rolling along

2008-11-29T09:00:00.009Z

I'm on a bit of a roll at the moment but perhaps I shouldn't mention it just in case the wheels fall off :) . Yesterday's run made it three days in a row and the fourth day for the week. Not bad considering I've been averaging one to two runs per week for November.

My legs felt fine after Wednesdays 'fartlek' which was encouraging so on Thursday night 6 - 7 miles 'steady' was on the menu. It was an out & back run with a big uphill finish. My pace to the turn around point averaged 7:02 which was a bit quicker than I'd planned but the large uphill finish and a bit more sensible pacing combined to give a second half at approx 7:19 and an overall 6.6 miles (47:27) at an average of 7:11 (167bpm).

I stumbled off a kerb after about 2 miles on Thursday night - the dangers of nighttime running!! It didn't affect my run but my left lower leg was a bit sore yesterday. Luckily it doesn't seem too serious.

Friday was a 6-7 mile progression run at lunch time. The first 3 miles were at 7:15 pace but the splits for the last miles were 7:03, 6:53 and 6:47 respectively giving an overall 6.5 miles (46:31) at 7:09 min/mile (165bpm). No ill effects from the previous nights stumble.

My legs are a bit tired today and my head is a bit sore from multiple pints of Guinness last night so I'll probably rest today before a long run tomorrow.

Structured fartlek??

2008-11-26T21:27:00.006Z

My idea of fartlek training, rightly or wrongly, has always been a 'free' form of running whereby the speed is increased or decreased at will without any real preconceived structure i.e. if you feel like sprinting for 100m or 1000m each are equally valid. However today's run was scheduled as "7miles fartlek with 12x1min bursts". This seemed to introduce a structure strange but hey, I'll try anything once!!

So off I went at lunchtime for my session. The definition of a 'burst' is a bit vague and I interpreted it as generally sub-6min/min but preferably sub-5:45. This seemed to make sense afterall each 'burst' was only to last 1 minute! I also decided that if I was to predefine the length of each 'burst' I should also predefine the 'recovery' which I set as 2 minutes at 7:30 to 8min pace.

The route, shown above, brought me down to the Regional Park and around the playing pitches. A generally flattish grass circuit. I must admit though that planning 12No. intervals was a bit daunting (I usually only count in single digits!!) so I had a Plan B that I would do two sets of 6 with a 4min recovery between sets. There was also a Plan C if the first few 'bursts' didn't go well which consisted of three sets of 4 with a 6min recovery.

The session went reasonably well even if my 'burst' pace was a bit erratic but I stuck to Plan A. In all I covered 6.87miles in 49:37 (avg 7:14min/mile; 170bpm) including 12x1min 'bursts' with 2 min recovery as follows (min/mile ; bpm)

5:50 (168) ; 5:45 (172) ; 5:40 (175) ; 5:45 (177) ; 5:46 (174) ; 5:37 (178)
5:50 (177) ; 5:41 (182) ; 5:31 (183) ; 5:34 (181) ; 5:44 (182) ; 5:46 (181)

'Bursts' 1 to 9 were fine and felt relatively comfortable but I certainly felt like skipping the last 3 (probably influenced by bursts 9 & 10 @ 5:3X pace!!) and my recovery pace dropped accordingly to over 8min/mile. It had been averaging 7:30.

All-in-all a nice & enjoyable session but let's see how the legs are tomorrow!! Maybe putting some structure to fartlek running isn't such a bad thing after all..

Let's start again

2008-11-24T21:14:00.016Z

Emotion over it's back to running this week....
But just to prove that it's not just me that felt the emotion of the Munster game last Tuesday - read here for a New Zealander's perspective, enough said...

Well, last week was successful - NOT... (from a running point of view anyway). Last Monday's 6-mile easy run was to be the start of my preparation for the 10-mile race series after Christmas. Unfortunately (and mostly happily) real life got in the way!! Instead of the run being a start to the week it ended up being an end to the week's running. In a previous comment Thomas had warned me about this by suggesting that I was embarking on an 'ambitious' schedule considering the new arrival to the family. I should have heeded his warning a bit more seriously especially given that he too has twins and has already gone through a similar situation!!

So my summary for last week is as follows:-

Week Total (17/11/08 - 23/11/08) - 1 session
5.68miles - 40:13 - 7:05min/mile - 157bpm

Take-2 this week!! Today I went out for an easy 6 miles at lunchtime.... (sounds familiar ehh!!)

The route was much the same as last week with a bit extra at the end just so that I can legitimately call it a 6 miler! However the pace was much slower run and I ran with a colleague Tony who made sure to keep me sensible on the pace front - my legs were itching to go faster!! We kept the pace slow though with the first 4 miles at over 8:30 and only just dipping under 8's for the last 2 miles. A very easy run like this was probably no harm given that my running hasn't been as regular as I'd like it to be. (In the past erratic training has lead to injuries!!) So, in the end, for today, it was 6.13miles in 51:05. That's an average of 8:20min/mile at 139bpm (I think that's my first run longer than 100m where my heartrate has averaged below 140!!).

Here's hoping that tomorrow will go to plan.....