10km, 43:36
Beautiful weather ~18 degrees, 9pm at night - no wind - great to be alive.
I've gone back to thai training (3 times a week) (did the old Dyke Rd route from 2011 again before training last friday night (on my own - no show from Toby), a bit of nostalga... in 19:12, so that was a bit of a run I suppose) so that's helped my fitness it seems... been really gassed at the sessions towards the last few rounds on the pads so I thought my fitness had taken a hit... with a time like I put in earlier tonight, not necessarily it seems.
dunno how it ended up being "fast" tonight as my TC1 was 3:07 & felt awful sluggish... but somehow I managed it... I was 11:20 & was 14:58 @ the 2nd gas station & 17:18 @ the turn, then 20:20 at the turn onto ballymoneen Rd & 22:30 at the highest point on that hilly road. missed the time check at the turn onto western distributor as Conor, a friend from college, greeted me on the bend which threw me, but I was 27:03 at the turn then, 29:48 & 31:03 at the turn, & 35:40 at the top of threadneedle...
At no stage in the run tonight did I ever feel I was travelling even remotely fast. Normally I feel like I've a bit of an edge when I run sub 44. Not tonight. The entire run felt very slow, not really all that laboured but I could tell I hadn't this done in a while as my chest took a while to adjust to the exertion - always a good sign!
I can do sub 40 on this route easily if I put my mind to it.
slight twinge on the right inside knee on occasion (particularly on the downhill section on western distributor (you'd think it'd be coming down threadneedle, especially as I run that road twice as part of the route...) just letting me know the famous discomfort is there & reminding me that each run is a bit of a luxury really....
I've been so tired the last week or so, so I'm happy with this outing - it's encouraging. I guess the weather is a possible cause for this & my contrasting fast time too. It's easiest to hit these PBs this time of year I reckon.
great to hear the great Manchester run is still going ahead as planned on sunday. Thankfully the organisers havn't been phased by this weeks terror attacks. Let's hope they don't decide to do another Boston bombing. 30 thousand plus people running - I just hope it's gonna be OK, as it's unfortunately extremely likely that there'll be another attack - I really hope I'm completely wrong.
gonna go for a long slow bike ride 2moro, then thai run & train on friday night. Might end up moving to Holland for a job, who knows. Best to do these things when you're young & malleable - no family no kids. At 22, I've no excuse really - do I?!? at 35, a big move is less likely - kids morgage, etc... Regardless, things are looking good overall & keeping fit is all part of it.
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Friday, 21 April 2017
doesn't cut the mustard
6.7km loop 28:31
easy run that got awful hard towards the end, I was tightening up even before the roundabout this time! 3:06 (now checking at the traffic lights - so would've been just under 3 mins), 4:25, 6:02, 7:10 (across the road) 10:01, 11:49 (very good - that's more like it!) 13:30 well past the turn at the other side of the road - from here I began to lose it though (lack of fitness in general - hadn't been biking it the last few days either)
19:10 @ roundabout & struggling! 25:03 at the top of the hill (normally 24:30 ish, & have been sub 24 here before mind you...) so knew I was only hanging on...
a number of things explain the slow time - given this weeks extreme lack of motivation to do ANYTHING however, the run was Ok. Was absolutely knackered though at the end of it. Cycle for 2 weeks straight & 2 runs a week with a couple of 10kms & a race or 2 will cure that however.
gotta lose the weight aswell though - 78kgs all the time & I ain't getting any lighter... have a well defined spare tire now & over the last month it's really beginning to bother me. not enough to do anything about it of course, but enough to make me whinge about it to myself...
I gotta get rid of it though... even just losing those 5kgs would make me run about a minute faster tonight I reckon - imagine how I'd be then if I had even some half decent training under me - I'd be running 25's easy...
Someday. - but my overall general lack of motivation is the biggest factor -which holds the key to all the other factors that hold me back from success - Eating right, 7-8hrs sleep a night at the right time of night (sleeping before midnight & up before 7am), water intake - 25 miles a week running & cycling every day. etc, etc, etc. all do able things even if you've a full time job.
It's called discipline. Someday I'll grasp the concept. I hope... otherwise I'll live a life of gradually getting more heavy & miserable simultaneously. Live or die - make your choice.
easy run that got awful hard towards the end, I was tightening up even before the roundabout this time! 3:06 (now checking at the traffic lights - so would've been just under 3 mins), 4:25, 6:02, 7:10 (across the road) 10:01, 11:49 (very good - that's more like it!) 13:30 well past the turn at the other side of the road - from here I began to lose it though (lack of fitness in general - hadn't been biking it the last few days either)
19:10 @ roundabout & struggling! 25:03 at the top of the hill (normally 24:30 ish, & have been sub 24 here before mind you...) so knew I was only hanging on...
a number of things explain the slow time - given this weeks extreme lack of motivation to do ANYTHING however, the run was Ok. Was absolutely knackered though at the end of it. Cycle for 2 weeks straight & 2 runs a week with a couple of 10kms & a race or 2 will cure that however.
gotta lose the weight aswell though - 78kgs all the time & I ain't getting any lighter... have a well defined spare tire now & over the last month it's really beginning to bother me. not enough to do anything about it of course, but enough to make me whinge about it to myself...
I gotta get rid of it though... even just losing those 5kgs would make me run about a minute faster tonight I reckon - imagine how I'd be then if I had even some half decent training under me - I'd be running 25's easy...
Someday. - but my overall general lack of motivation is the biggest factor -which holds the key to all the other factors that hold me back from success - Eating right, 7-8hrs sleep a night at the right time of night (sleeping before midnight & up before 7am), water intake - 25 miles a week running & cycling every day. etc, etc, etc. all do able things even if you've a full time job.
It's called discipline. Someday I'll grasp the concept. I hope... otherwise I'll live a life of gradually getting more heavy & miserable simultaneously. Live or die - make your choice.
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Back in motion
6.7km - 28:07
Happy to get back into it. Was giving the knee a rest as well as having no real motivation for running. I think I just needed a break really...
cycling everyday now between work & a course I'm doing during the week, so I'm quite fit on the bike now - sometimes have to commute from the course to work (as I work some evenings too) also so that's 4 cycles per day in some cases.
Was tough last week but I'm getting used to it. I had a night off tonight, so I decided to get a run in, I felt it was time for it. I felt really good on the way back from work on the bike last night & felt that the run would take things up a notch.
so yeah, 3:10 on 1st time check, & then got faster from there, 6:02 where I'm normally 6 mins & 7:18 at mile 1 (once across the road) was 11:52 at Joyces so already an improvement from where I left off about a month ago (12;15 would be a usual time at this point although the goal is normally to be under 12 mins)
then 13:15 at the turn & 18:52 (all the way up to this point the run felt effortless & I was very aware of how slow I was actually moving (even though overall I was going sub 7min/mile pace) - once again a good sign) at the roundabout - back to where I was in December at that rate - but at that point I was beginning to suffer, "big time" (not really, just a little out of breath - I knew I really wasn't tired, the body was just a bit shocked/stressed) - total lack of conditioning on my part beyond the 5-6km mark really - I could do with a few 10kms in the next few weeks to rectify this... throw an 8 miler in there in early May to soften my cough too.
21:55 at the hill & 24:36 at the top before descending onto Kellaghers petrol station. then could've easily gone in under 27:30 if I pushed it but I was well & truly gassed so tried to get in under 28 which I could've done but I did the sensible thing (I don't have a race coming up so fuck it) & pulled up & then slow jogged it in (once past the halting site - so lost 25-30 secs easily).
Was absolutely shattered at the end - I wasn't really I just hadn't done that intensity for about 5 weeks so the body protested, the usual protective mechanism we all have, the body tries everything to conserve energy/takes the path of least resistance for survival/longevity purposes - live to fight another day type thing...
This always happens when you havn't ran in a while, just goes to show that there really is no comparison than a good run. It's just such a tough sport. It always humbles me.
what I'm doing currently is great. might try & get a second run in each week but I'll stick with 1 run for now as I am currently exceptionally busy. It would be grand if I had a car, it's just that I have no choice but to bike it everywhere, which I honestly don't mind as it's marvelous for fitness & the weather has been so kind in recent weeks -have only gotten wet twice in the last 3 weeks (& I cycle multiple times everyday now like I say, so that's amazing really, given the fact that we're on the west coast!).
I could certainly run again friday, as I have the time, but I might leave it - don't wanna overdo it...
felt a little bit of a sore throat coming on afterwards but it went away about an hour or so later, another reason why I'm glad I didn't max out at the end or I could've increased the risk of developing a head cold.
Great to be back running - always refreshing, but didn't feel like I was gone anywhere at all! happy days. ^& of course no knee problems so that's great. Mind you, on my time off, I've had various knee discomforts anyway, so maybe I have dodgy knees to begin with - I'll perhaps never know, all I know is that the cycling is phenomenal - everyone should do it regularly, & it's so easy, once you've got a good bike & decent gears to get you up those hills on days when you're not feeling 100% - which is quite often. Cycling gets easier, master your commute to the point where you arrive not tired at all then add extra distance into the ride for the craic & build from there with an extended commute on the way home & a long sunday cruise (50-60k for endurance - & even that's quite short when you get used to it...)
it's April & the fine weather is upon us - It's gonna be another good year.
Happy to get back into it. Was giving the knee a rest as well as having no real motivation for running. I think I just needed a break really...
cycling everyday now between work & a course I'm doing during the week, so I'm quite fit on the bike now - sometimes have to commute from the course to work (as I work some evenings too) also so that's 4 cycles per day in some cases.
Was tough last week but I'm getting used to it. I had a night off tonight, so I decided to get a run in, I felt it was time for it. I felt really good on the way back from work on the bike last night & felt that the run would take things up a notch.
so yeah, 3:10 on 1st time check, & then got faster from there, 6:02 where I'm normally 6 mins & 7:18 at mile 1 (once across the road) was 11:52 at Joyces so already an improvement from where I left off about a month ago (12;15 would be a usual time at this point although the goal is normally to be under 12 mins)
then 13:15 at the turn & 18:52 (all the way up to this point the run felt effortless & I was very aware of how slow I was actually moving (even though overall I was going sub 7min/mile pace) - once again a good sign) at the roundabout - back to where I was in December at that rate - but at that point I was beginning to suffer, "big time" (not really, just a little out of breath - I knew I really wasn't tired, the body was just a bit shocked/stressed) - total lack of conditioning on my part beyond the 5-6km mark really - I could do with a few 10kms in the next few weeks to rectify this... throw an 8 miler in there in early May to soften my cough too.
21:55 at the hill & 24:36 at the top before descending onto Kellaghers petrol station. then could've easily gone in under 27:30 if I pushed it but I was well & truly gassed so tried to get in under 28 which I could've done but I did the sensible thing (I don't have a race coming up so fuck it) & pulled up & then slow jogged it in (once past the halting site - so lost 25-30 secs easily).
Was absolutely shattered at the end - I wasn't really I just hadn't done that intensity for about 5 weeks so the body protested, the usual protective mechanism we all have, the body tries everything to conserve energy/takes the path of least resistance for survival/longevity purposes - live to fight another day type thing...
This always happens when you havn't ran in a while, just goes to show that there really is no comparison than a good run. It's just such a tough sport. It always humbles me.
what I'm doing currently is great. might try & get a second run in each week but I'll stick with 1 run for now as I am currently exceptionally busy. It would be grand if I had a car, it's just that I have no choice but to bike it everywhere, which I honestly don't mind as it's marvelous for fitness & the weather has been so kind in recent weeks -have only gotten wet twice in the last 3 weeks (& I cycle multiple times everyday now like I say, so that's amazing really, given the fact that we're on the west coast!).
I could certainly run again friday, as I have the time, but I might leave it - don't wanna overdo it...
felt a little bit of a sore throat coming on afterwards but it went away about an hour or so later, another reason why I'm glad I didn't max out at the end or I could've increased the risk of developing a head cold.
Great to be back running - always refreshing, but didn't feel like I was gone anywhere at all! happy days. ^& of course no knee problems so that's great. Mind you, on my time off, I've had various knee discomforts anyway, so maybe I have dodgy knees to begin with - I'll perhaps never know, all I know is that the cycling is phenomenal - everyone should do it regularly, & it's so easy, once you've got a good bike & decent gears to get you up those hills on days when you're not feeling 100% - which is quite often. Cycling gets easier, master your commute to the point where you arrive not tired at all then add extra distance into the ride for the craic & build from there with an extended commute on the way home & a long sunday cruise (50-60k for endurance - & even that's quite short when you get used to it...)
it's April & the fine weather is upon us - It's gonna be another good year.
Friday, 24 February 2017
Chasing Shadows
6.7km loop like I promised myself, 28:15.
Not bad, can feel the old form coming back a bit, the key difference was that run on wednesday under my belt as well as having a bit more of a purpose, mentally tonight.
Happy out, 3 mins flat TC1, 7:15 TC2, 12:16 TC3, 13:40 TC4, & 19:40 at roundabout & 24:57 before decending the final hill before the pharmacy. Right there or there abouts.
Lost at least 2 mins tonight through lack of agility & not having any moxie etc..
yeah, was on 60-70% effort tonight but had the foot down all the time -or at least I was attentive enough not to let the foot off the gas too much...
Cycling to work 2moro morning early so conserved my sprint at the end too, really felt it in my chest as I pushed hard for the 1st time genuinely in I'd say the last month.
Only 1 problem however, I've an ache under m right kneecap now, tender to touch, my other knee was perfect tonight, the slight twinge but that subsided as it usually has done for me in recent times
I hope they're just niggles & will sort themselves out, aside from that I've nothing stopping me except for a load of excuses & procrastination.
Weather was kind tonight, ideal for running, maybe 11 degrees, dry with little wind. more or less perfect really.
No complaints, no excuses, it's on!
despite the good attitude however, I may not run the craughwell 10 miler this year (in late march) as my knee could mess me up we'll wait & see, I might do a few 8 milers in the next fortnight & see how I respond to that, all I know is that I must do at least 2-3 runs a week & ramp up the cycling intensity for me to get back to where I was at in December, whilst not doing myself an injury...
The mental side of running is underrated though, it's as much a mind game than anything else...
Not bad, can feel the old form coming back a bit, the key difference was that run on wednesday under my belt as well as having a bit more of a purpose, mentally tonight.
Happy out, 3 mins flat TC1, 7:15 TC2, 12:16 TC3, 13:40 TC4, & 19:40 at roundabout & 24:57 before decending the final hill before the pharmacy. Right there or there abouts.
Lost at least 2 mins tonight through lack of agility & not having any moxie etc..
yeah, was on 60-70% effort tonight but had the foot down all the time -or at least I was attentive enough not to let the foot off the gas too much...
Cycling to work 2moro morning early so conserved my sprint at the end too, really felt it in my chest as I pushed hard for the 1st time genuinely in I'd say the last month.
Only 1 problem however, I've an ache under m right kneecap now, tender to touch, my other knee was perfect tonight, the slight twinge but that subsided as it usually has done for me in recent times
I hope they're just niggles & will sort themselves out, aside from that I've nothing stopping me except for a load of excuses & procrastination.
Weather was kind tonight, ideal for running, maybe 11 degrees, dry with little wind. more or less perfect really.
No complaints, no excuses, it's on!
despite the good attitude however, I may not run the craughwell 10 miler this year (in late march) as my knee could mess me up we'll wait & see, I might do a few 8 milers in the next fortnight & see how I respond to that, all I know is that I must do at least 2-3 runs a week & ramp up the cycling intensity for me to get back to where I was at in December, whilst not doing myself an injury...
The mental side of running is underrated though, it's as much a mind game than anything else...
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Back to the Grindstone
10km run, or rather a 7km run with the last 3km walk/jog/sprint...
Cruel conditions out there tonight, especially around the prom (for obvious reasons) TC1 3:08, 12:15 & 18:30, 22:05 & 26:10, 29:05, 32 & 32:42 & either 38 or 39 something at turn but doesn't matter as I'd to stop due to my knee.
had 2 weeks holidays from work so that was nice, & got a new road bike, carerra Zelos - a nice change from my old creaky Hybrid... get's me in to work now in 15 mins & 12 mins out (7km journey) - happy days.
had cycled friday (29.5km - house to moycullen (12km) to barna to home), cycled to work sat & sun & run tonight (wed)
Just really tired today, had to stop the run at 7km as my knee wasn't letting up & instead of getting better during the run (as it used to do for me), it actually got worse, so to avoid injury - I'd to walk for minute or so, then run again, I walked then for another minute then at dr mannix I went full leather for home only to end up pulling up just before the last bend home due to the knee again...
Very frustrating, but I wasn't terribly bothered as I wasn't in the mindframe for hard running this evening, the bad weather didn't even bother me really, I'm just not that motivated to run these days as I have a lot of very important decisions to make in my life away from the track...
will do a fast 6.7km on friday & see how the body feels & perhaps a cycle tomorrow, my folks are in the middle of buying property so I'm gonna see if I can sneak in a cycle before we head out to view it in the afternoon..
Cruel conditions out there tonight, especially around the prom (for obvious reasons) TC1 3:08, 12:15 & 18:30, 22:05 & 26:10, 29:05, 32 & 32:42 & either 38 or 39 something at turn but doesn't matter as I'd to stop due to my knee.
had 2 weeks holidays from work so that was nice, & got a new road bike, carerra Zelos - a nice change from my old creaky Hybrid... get's me in to work now in 15 mins & 12 mins out (7km journey) - happy days.
had cycled friday (29.5km - house to moycullen (12km) to barna to home), cycled to work sat & sun & run tonight (wed)
Just really tired today, had to stop the run at 7km as my knee wasn't letting up & instead of getting better during the run (as it used to do for me), it actually got worse, so to avoid injury - I'd to walk for minute or so, then run again, I walked then for another minute then at dr mannix I went full leather for home only to end up pulling up just before the last bend home due to the knee again...
Very frustrating, but I wasn't terribly bothered as I wasn't in the mindframe for hard running this evening, the bad weather didn't even bother me really, I'm just not that motivated to run these days as I have a lot of very important decisions to make in my life away from the track...
will do a fast 6.7km on friday & see how the body feels & perhaps a cycle tomorrow, my folks are in the middle of buying property so I'm gonna see if I can sneak in a cycle before we head out to view it in the afternoon..
Monday, 6 February 2017
Hanging On
10km 44:28
A nice run overall but it was tough as the beginning. An inverted sort of a run in terms of perceived effort - normally I feel great until mid way in then I taper off (slow down) until the last km or so then I ramp it up & kick for home. This time round I started off slow & got progressively faster - this is the proper way to run really if you've any sense...
Anyway I felt surprisingly great good at joyces (normally where I really suffer...) but I was 31:42 instead of my regular time (1 minute faster...) however the difference this time was that I felt strong & fresh going up kingston road - this is interesting as I havn't cycled in over a week so I thought my overall fitness would've decreased- it has but not as much as I thought...
anyways one could analyse these parameters all day - lets not do this.
Weather was dry - I was lucky as it had been making showers all day - I got out when it was dry - round 8:15pm, about 9 degrees & no knee problems as such except at round the 25 min mark for about -2 mins it let me know it was there but I changed my stride up a bit & focused on picking up the pace a bit (one area where I cannot inject decent pace at all is on this western distributor road section...) it went away...
TCs - 2:54, 7:10, 11:38, 16:10, 17:45, 20:30, 24:58, 28 flat, 30:42, 31:42, 36 something & 38:12...
will cycle tomorrow (commute) & a faster 6.7km loop on wednesday & a my new fancy 10km on friday if I can...
A nice run overall but it was tough as the beginning. An inverted sort of a run in terms of perceived effort - normally I feel great until mid way in then I taper off (slow down) until the last km or so then I ramp it up & kick for home. This time round I started off slow & got progressively faster - this is the proper way to run really if you've any sense...
Anyway I felt surprisingly great good at joyces (normally where I really suffer...) but I was 31:42 instead of my regular time (1 minute faster...) however the difference this time was that I felt strong & fresh going up kingston road - this is interesting as I havn't cycled in over a week so I thought my overall fitness would've decreased- it has but not as much as I thought...
anyways one could analyse these parameters all day - lets not do this.
Weather was dry - I was lucky as it had been making showers all day - I got out when it was dry - round 8:15pm, about 9 degrees & no knee problems as such except at round the 25 min mark for about -2 mins it let me know it was there but I changed my stride up a bit & focused on picking up the pace a bit (one area where I cannot inject decent pace at all is on this western distributor road section...) it went away...
TCs - 2:54, 7:10, 11:38, 16:10, 17:45, 20:30, 24:58, 28 flat, 30:42, 31:42, 36 something & 38:12...
will cycle tomorrow (commute) & a faster 6.7km loop on wednesday & a my new fancy 10km on friday if I can...
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Rough Ride
6.7km 28:28
Not such slick moving tonight I tell ya! from the off it went all wrong for a decent sub 27 (that was the plan). The wind was very strong & I went off too fast & tired badly as I was approaching 15 mins - what's new! off the back of 2 days of inactivity that's not surprising at all...
That's it in a nutshell folks.
Not a whole lot else to report only that it was dry, about 12 degrees, TC1 2:53, 7:05 12:20 & 13:40 & 19:30 (gasp!) 22:40, 25:30...
No knee pain as such just the odd twinge at the 23 min mark for about a minute or so - thankfully it's been very managable these days, left calf quite tight.
May run saturday where I might do my new 10km route - trying to not go mad in terms of milage - must do some cycling on friday (& sunday in particular)
Very busy job hunting so gonna get back to it...
Not such slick moving tonight I tell ya! from the off it went all wrong for a decent sub 27 (that was the plan). The wind was very strong & I went off too fast & tired badly as I was approaching 15 mins - what's new! off the back of 2 days of inactivity that's not surprising at all...
That's it in a nutshell folks.
Not a whole lot else to report only that it was dry, about 12 degrees, TC1 2:53, 7:05 12:20 & 13:40 & 19:30 (gasp!) 22:40, 25:30...
No knee pain as such just the odd twinge at the 23 min mark for about a minute or so - thankfully it's been very managable these days, left calf quite tight.
May run saturday where I might do my new 10km route - trying to not go mad in terms of milage - must do some cycling on friday (& sunday in particular)
Very busy job hunting so gonna get back to it...
Monday, 30 January 2017
Storming through white light
10km 43:52
Went off easy tonight 2:58 1TC, 7:05, 11:20, 16:10 & 17:20 - very pedestrian & I felt it! Only a maintenance run tonight so that's ok...
knee began the usual protests but thankfully they decided to peter out only to return later in the run - the final 2km I'd no problems at all, very strange - when I was done the run no creaking like their has been in recent weeks - maybe it's getting better!
yeah was 30 flat at the turn into Joyces & 30:58 leaving it - I then really slowed on kingston, just a combination of boredom, lack of motivation as there's no races etc
Great to get back into decent territory as I easily threw away at least a minute taking my time all throughout the route. I was never tru;y out of breath - no more than 70% of my max on any part of the route so that's nice going considering...
Lovely weather, although the ground was very wet in parts, no wind or rain & about 11 degrees. did this about 9:30pm...
Planned a morning cycle tomorrow to Oranmore as weather is good to - why the hell not!
Have a week off from work so have time to put down a decent block of training whilst being careful not to overtrain at the same time - when in doubt - cycle!
Life is good.
Went off easy tonight 2:58 1TC, 7:05, 11:20, 16:10 & 17:20 - very pedestrian & I felt it! Only a maintenance run tonight so that's ok...
knee began the usual protests but thankfully they decided to peter out only to return later in the run - the final 2km I'd no problems at all, very strange - when I was done the run no creaking like their has been in recent weeks - maybe it's getting better!
yeah was 30 flat at the turn into Joyces & 30:58 leaving it - I then really slowed on kingston, just a combination of boredom, lack of motivation as there's no races etc
Great to get back into decent territory as I easily threw away at least a minute taking my time all throughout the route. I was never tru;y out of breath - no more than 70% of my max on any part of the route so that's nice going considering...
Lovely weather, although the ground was very wet in parts, no wind or rain & about 11 degrees. did this about 9:30pm...
Planned a morning cycle tomorrow to Oranmore as weather is good to - why the hell not!
Have a week off from work so have time to put down a decent block of training whilst being careful not to overtrain at the same time - when in doubt - cycle!
Life is good.
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Reality
6.7km loop 28:40
tough going. Hadn't ran since the race in Tuam (just the cycling in & out to work) so was always going to be non ideal.
The first half was alright but after kingston road the wheels began to come off.
2:51, 7 mins flat & 11:47 were the benchmark time checks so nothing wrong with that, but then the inevitable fatigue set in - wheezing etc, was reduced to a placid jog at the petrol stations so I knew I was done.
At the garda station I was 22:40 so not terribly slow but significant (I've gone sub 22 here before).
It was obvious that I wasn't gonna break 28 mins tonight, I just knew my average cruising speed was slower & I reached the mini roundabout in 19:30 I've done sub 19 before too.
The maree 8km has been moved to June so now I've no race to run until march so that deflated my motivation - I'm also busy job hunting so running not a terribly high priority at the moment.
Just a bit rusty overall (can be back to running sub 28s within a week if necessary with ease).
Just hoping the 10km I've planned goes well on thursday as my knee was giving me trouble also about 15 mins in - the discomfort subsided along the prom but it's very very annoying to have that niggle present say the least - it makes you doubt yourself...
If the knee behaves itself I'll try & pull off a sub 44 on a brand new 10km route I've devised for myself - us runners are notorious for being creatures of habit so I aim to break this convention.
The route incorporates the quincentennial bridge, the dyke road, that horrendous hill on St Bridget's Terrace (must be one of the steepest in galway) & lough atalia - I'm looking forward to testing this one out. Some of these roads I used to frequent in my thai boxing days - it'll be good to revisit some old roads again.
tough going. Hadn't ran since the race in Tuam (just the cycling in & out to work) so was always going to be non ideal.
The first half was alright but after kingston road the wheels began to come off.
2:51, 7 mins flat & 11:47 were the benchmark time checks so nothing wrong with that, but then the inevitable fatigue set in - wheezing etc, was reduced to a placid jog at the petrol stations so I knew I was done.
At the garda station I was 22:40 so not terribly slow but significant (I've gone sub 22 here before).
It was obvious that I wasn't gonna break 28 mins tonight, I just knew my average cruising speed was slower & I reached the mini roundabout in 19:30 I've done sub 19 before too.
The maree 8km has been moved to June so now I've no race to run until march so that deflated my motivation - I'm also busy job hunting so running not a terribly high priority at the moment.
Just a bit rusty overall (can be back to running sub 28s within a week if necessary with ease).
Just hoping the 10km I've planned goes well on thursday as my knee was giving me trouble also about 15 mins in - the discomfort subsided along the prom but it's very very annoying to have that niggle present say the least - it makes you doubt yourself...
If the knee behaves itself I'll try & pull off a sub 44 on a brand new 10km route I've devised for myself - us runners are notorious for being creatures of habit so I aim to break this convention.
The route incorporates the quincentennial bridge, the dyke road, that horrendous hill on St Bridget's Terrace (must be one of the steepest in galway) & lough atalia - I'm looking forward to testing this one out. Some of these roads I used to frequent in my thai boxing days - it'll be good to revisit some old roads again.
Monday, 16 January 2017
Tuam 8km
Tuam 8km road race - 32:50, Not bad at all...
didn't run all week (since the 3rd of janruary! some neck going to a road race!) as I hadn't planned on going (because I didn't feel my absolute best) so I was dreading this one. I decided to do it on saturday.
Had a fairly decent run actually in near perfect conditions, 11 degrees with an occasional slight drizzle. Some Lithuanian olympic marathon runner won it in 24:47... He's 24 & he's a 2:16 marathon to his name - unbelievable! (He's 6 foot & 69kgs - I knew I was at least 5kgs overweight!!!).
Was with a group of 5 (we were 9-13th on the road at this stage) including my old pal mike from Maree AC for the 1st km, then I saw we went through that in 3:11 (but it's virtually all down hill - a very easy 1st km by most races standards - headfords 1st km is uphill), which honestly felt very easy but I knew the wheels would come off very soon if I didn't back off so I let them go & went into cruise control.
With that 1st km I really felt I was holding back & almost jogging, it was really weird as I'm in no shape to be mixing it at the front with the likes of the company I was keeping in that 1st km but it felt so easy - I felt any slower & I'd be doing myself an injustice so I went with it.
I'm finally learning how to race! It's taking me a while but I'm getting there. My first races were in 2013... Been at this a while now! haha...
Honestly that 1st km pace I reckon I could hold that for most of the race in a few years time when I'm stronger & more cycling running/training thrown in, art least I feel that's where I should be as everton who passed me after that point 35 odd people (I placed 50th out of 309 people - say 120 of those are "serious" runners - the rest of the entries are fun runners/joggers etc (>8 min mile pace)).
Yeah 3:10/km pace is tough & would put you in for a 25:30 8km say sub 26 anyways. Whatever about that I do believe I'm capable of breaking 27 mins for this distance - I suspect that'll be my lifetime goal. Thankfully I've time on my side, break 30 mins 1st, then we'll talk.
Of course what saved me was the cycling on tues eve & sat to work & brisk walking (2-3 miles) every day. I seem to respond well to lots of rest - that's for sure. I just never seemed to be a big trainer, can't do it... after 30 miles a week the body just packs up & I get injured etc, very annoying as the big gains come from say 30-40 miles a week to 50-60 miles a week, those people are 2 very different athletes. In short, my youth is saving me at the moment - wow I love being 22!
race results link: http://www.myrunresults.com/events/tuam_ac_8k_road_race/1983/results
2nd km in 7:10, 3rd km 11;10 also 4th km 15:12 & through 5km in 19:32 - that's 20 secs faster than I've ever been in at this point in an 8km race so that's good... At 6km I saw Zola from Sligo AC (1st woman) pass me & then I really threw in the towel! So yeah I slowed for sure towards the end but it's exactly what I though - I need more endurance. In time my son, in time!
I really gave up (as I did in the streets 2015 when I ran my 32:42 pb) at the 7km mark -could've gotten 32:30 if I pushed but I didn't fancy the suffering - I was just happy to be running a somewhat half decent time with no knee pain.
I knew I was gonna be ok as I went for a mile warm up before the start & I felt good so I knew I was ok. I then went for a 3km cool down with mike around Tuam town after the race - I was fine for the most part but the knee paid for it later in the evening, quite sore to bend, but it's a pain that you know for sure will go away if you give the joint some rest...
I'm writing this at 8 in the morning the day after & so far my knee is nearly perfect again - such a strange discomfort - monitoring it all the time is a nuisance! it's an achy/creaky discomfort on the side of my left knee. Went to bed at 10:30 last night & wanted to get up at 6. I'm getting healthier now!
Have my old clubs annual 8km to look forward to now on the 5th of feb, so I'm really looking forward to that. Hopefully I can keep myself in some sort of decent shape for it & break 32 (at least!).
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
Boom.
10km 42:28. Great start to the year. A new PB for the course & if my 10km route is in fact 10.00km (I'm certain it is +- 100m or so, then that's my second fastest 10km time ever!)
The only negative is that at about the 5th mile in my knee began to give me a little trouble. I reckon it's just a niggle. I went for a 2km cool down (unlike me but I just felt so good!) & I'd to walk as I was putting too much pressure on the joint.
Splits were unreal! 2:51, 6:55, 11:10, 15:47, 16:54, 19:40, can't recall the top of the hill one (I slowed alot though along this section (ballymoneen to western distributor then picked it up again towards joyces) 29:10, 30:00 35:00, 36:25, Then the left knee started to give me bother (on the outside, side & slighlty below the keecap) so whilst I certainly pushed it, I cruised home rather than go 100% all out.
This is more like it. I'm 22 & have been running for years now. I was just focused on my breathing - ensuring to take in lots of oxygen relaxing the shoulders & watching the running form.
There is no reason as to why I can't be doing this regularly now. I've always had this ability so now I'm finally delivering it, that's great. I'm doing, as you know nothing special training wise. Perhaps that's been it for me - I've never responded well to higher milage My body always buckles under bigger worksloads, so I'm going to stick to what I know, decent training but with plenty of recovery too...
The overall effort was hard but very comfortable. I'd say 80% of my max. In short I just had a very good session, but it was very promising. I always knew I could run like this but it's grreat to actually go out & prove that I can do this too...
I relaxed & acknowledged that I wasn't even pushing it that hard, & many times throughout was able to breath in & out as if I was sitting down, so clearly I'm nowhere near maxing out at all. A great sign.
The weather was absolutely ideal. about 8 degrees, with no wind/rain - perfect for running. Slightly warmer than last night too.
I will cycle tomorrow as a means to increase the cardio for Tuams sake but will be very careful to monitor the knee.
I've a track session planed for thurdsay so am hoping that the knee will respond well to this... let's wait & see...
doing 42's in training is a very good sign for what I could do in a race. sub 40 will happen almost certainly this year maybe even before the summer, we'll have to wait & see.
The only negative is that at about the 5th mile in my knee began to give me a little trouble. I reckon it's just a niggle. I went for a 2km cool down (unlike me but I just felt so good!) & I'd to walk as I was putting too much pressure on the joint.
Splits were unreal! 2:51, 6:55, 11:10, 15:47, 16:54, 19:40, can't recall the top of the hill one (I slowed alot though along this section (ballymoneen to western distributor then picked it up again towards joyces) 29:10, 30:00 35:00, 36:25, Then the left knee started to give me bother (on the outside, side & slighlty below the keecap) so whilst I certainly pushed it, I cruised home rather than go 100% all out.
This is more like it. I'm 22 & have been running for years now. I was just focused on my breathing - ensuring to take in lots of oxygen relaxing the shoulders & watching the running form.
There is no reason as to why I can't be doing this regularly now. I've always had this ability so now I'm finally delivering it, that's great. I'm doing, as you know nothing special training wise. Perhaps that's been it for me - I've never responded well to higher milage My body always buckles under bigger worksloads, so I'm going to stick to what I know, decent training but with plenty of recovery too...
The overall effort was hard but very comfortable. I'd say 80% of my max. In short I just had a very good session, but it was very promising. I always knew I could run like this but it's grreat to actually go out & prove that I can do this too...
I relaxed & acknowledged that I wasn't even pushing it that hard, & many times throughout was able to breath in & out as if I was sitting down, so clearly I'm nowhere near maxing out at all. A great sign.
The weather was absolutely ideal. about 8 degrees, with no wind/rain - perfect for running. Slightly warmer than last night too.
I will cycle tomorrow as a means to increase the cardio for Tuams sake but will be very careful to monitor the knee.
I've a track session planed for thurdsay so am hoping that the knee will respond well to this... let's wait & see...
doing 42's in training is a very good sign for what I could do in a race. sub 40 will happen almost certainly this year maybe even before the summer, we'll have to wait & see.
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