Burning

Wednesday 28th April 2021 - 21 mins run total (circa 3 miles).

Since the sprint session on Friday I've had some tendonitis flare up in my right leg - bloody nuisance - I can't seem to run on it at all.

Went out for this run last night just to see how it would go. I came off the grass after 8 mins as it was getting dark but more so because that pitch is f***ing shit - I cannot wait to move to the UK so I can find some better running spots around the immediate area.

I then did a 1 lap on the road - I knew it was going to be a short one so I pushed a bit harder than necessary but I enjoyed it. 

Walking up the stairs this morning I can't really put any weight on my right leg without my leg buckling from under me (going dead/giving way) - this always goes away after rest but at this rate it'll be a week before I can run again really...

Thankfully I've been on the bike every night this week so it's been great - it really helped me on the run as my chest was completely loosened out & I found the run real easy - if only my legs could follow suit.

I have no solution for fixing this problem as it doesn't seem to matter what mileage I do, I seem to get these stupid "overuse" injuries whether I'm on 10 miles a week or 30 - what a joke!!! It must be something to do with my gait - I have no idea.

Only solution now is cross training with the bike - a good week off running entirely & get back to running when I am 100% confident this heals.

I've had this so many times before where I know the only solution is complete rest.

What an absolute nuisance - but that's running & that's what makes posting those great times (when you get the opportunity) to be so special. 

Attack

Friday 23rd April 2021 - 5x1k repeats alll up 10k

All good - went well 

Had a cycle yesterday (27:40) & before this I had what ended up being 3 rest days (due to not wanting to run & also had a slight injury (tender lower right calf - I genuinely couldn't have run on it even if I wanted to on Mon or Tues - I knew - ah crap - it won't be till later in the week now until I can run again!) 

run to the road 6:40mins (slow jogging)

Return jog - real slow & really enjoyed it!! 14:30

Splits:

3:45 (real easy)

3:55 (very easy)

3:56 (fairly easy)

3:59 (quite difficult)

3:55 (quite easy)

I think it's time to aim for 3:50 splits from now on as this session tonight was very very easy overall (thankfully!)

Before I do this though I ought to decrease the rest period between the reps to 90 secs & see how hot I am then! as taking the 3 min rests I have been taking is completely cheating/taking the biscuit.

running at this pace 4min/kms I find now to be very easy really - it's just stringing them together then as I have done now at 19:30 5k PB.

I am ready for sub 19 5k running absolutely no problem - I am a bit of a better runner than I perhaps realise at this moment in time, so I need to step this up.

I ought to try to do some all out sprints too for 1k & see how fast my 1k time is!! try to go for 3:30 - I can certainly do this as I have done this during 8k races before so lets try to go sub 3:20?

Who knows - as long as we continue to have fun with it that's all that matters :-) 

I'm doing 19:30 5k's off of 10-15 miles a week training - this is rather impressive - as I noted previously raising my mileage to 30/week doesn't seem to improve my overall performance really - imagine the pace I could go at with 40+ miles (following the general consensus that higher mileage yields better results etc - I could be alot better really (i.e. easily sub 18 mins etc).

However, perhaps it's just me but I notice I am getting fatter - not in terms of overall weight - I am hovering about 83kgs (& have been the past 2 years - (I was around 86-88kgs in Sweden when I couldn't run due to the adverse weather & excessive eating & high stress etc)) - so the weight is consistent however I really feel I have a full proper spare tyre around my gut now - it really bothers me but not enough to go the hard intensity workouts to cut the weight & get really fit. I'd rather be fat I suppose - but I would love to lose it but I guess I love them carbs more... Good god, when will I learn the real value in discipline - I go through stages of having excellent discipline but it tends to be temporary enough. As I get older I am getting better though I think - & certainly alot stronger as a runner every year!!! 

It will be interesting to see how my running goes when I start teaching in the fall.

On with the Show

18th April 2021 - 6.5k - 28:25.

Went through 5k split in 21:02 - really cushy & specifically decided to just jog round - that was fun - I put absolutely no pressure on myself & let the splits be what they will be (ran without the watch almost if you like). Went through 2 laps in 23:13 so that was fine but certainly still a big drop of pace from lap 1 to lap 2 i.e. I still need to work on even pacing. 

Had planned (again!!) for this to be a 10k but I felt quite hammered so I called it a day with 2 laps.

Could easily have gone on but the heart/the desire wasn't there to do so.

Went out real slow & really enjoyed the 1st lap in 11:08 & I was going really easy. I seemed to be laboring a good bit (i.e. seeming to having to be working) harder than I had wanted to work for the pace but what made me decide to throw in the towel was the muscle soreness on my calves etc - I have to watch that - thankfully the shoes were perfect (after about 15 mins running the initial discomfort went away - always seems to be my right big toe).

So nothing new - me just deciding to take it on easy street & enjoy the process instead of fast times - this is still new to me... I hope now this pays dividends on Thursday with the 5x1k sprints! 

I also went out at about 20:35 so it was getting dark. I think if I went out at a reasonable time I might have kept going but alas...

In dedication to Konstanze Klosterhalfen, Meseret Defar & Mattias Steiner - This one's for you

Friday 16th April 2021 - 5k - 19:35 - PB 

What more is there to say really - I am delighted.

Perfect conditions for fast running tonight though to be fair, went out about 20:20 - just about 30 mins before it would be completely dark.

I felt like shit all days physically but I think the key was the easy 5 miler on Tuesday, I had that in me Re the stamina. This sport never gets any easier - ever. 

I was finding it hard to keep it together for the last 1k or so - I really wanted to let go & ease up. I then actually did so (unfortunately) in the last 1/4 mile too - if this was an actual race with other people this would not have happened...  I'd say overall there is a minute that could come off this time with little change in my overall training (Re base mileage). Now if I wanted to go sub 18 I will need to step it up. Sub 19 is there as I currently am at present, I would just need to push a little harder. Today's run was at about 85-90% effort - it was comfortably hard but nothing special. I went all out & I got lucky, I managed to pull it off. I just wanted it in my mind that was it really... 

Watching alot of Olympic action from the 3 people mentioned in the title. One of them is of course not a runner at all, but rather a weigh lifter - his story is incredible - he lost his wife in a car accident in 2007 & turned round to win gold at Beijing the following year . It's amazing how the human spirit is so strong. There is more to all of us than we think, all of us.

I championed that approach tonight & was rewarded with a decent time. Next goal now is to get this to sub 19. It's very simple really, it's just get used to that pace & drill it in training Re sprints. Before I go to the UK I want to break 19 for the 5k - just need to knock off 30 seconds off - it's not that bad.

Tonight I even eased up considerably in the last 1/4 mile as I mentioned, I wasn't watching the splits all that much I was just happy I was well inside sub 20 - that's all I wanted - I went out to break 20 & I knew at that point I had loads of time left to do that (as I have never managed to do that for this course) so once I knew I had that, I eased up - the result was a 19:35 but it could have been 19:20 very comfortably. I am thrilled with it but at the same time there were patches of the run where I eased up a little where I should have been flooring it instead.

It all comes down to how much you want it, & I wanted my sub 20 tonight - thankfully, I got it, All was set up for it, had some previous runs done, weather favourable, well rested & eating well, very motivated Re college work etc,

I was impressed with how uncomfortable it makes one feel when you push it properly - it's bloody hard going - it's just getting used to a fast pace - I wouldn't call 6:20 min/mile fast but it's uncomfortable if you are not used to it.

I'll take it - I am happy with this, onwards & upwards now - will cycle tomorrow to open the chest out, rest sat & fairly conservative 10k on Sunday - if I don't take this run easier than I would like then the wheels will come off - it's very counter intuitive really I think. Anyways, happy days, smiles all round.

Splits as I can remember them...

TC1 2:48

TC2 5:40 (I think - it may have been 5:20 I simply cannot remember) 

TC3 7:30

TC4 08:XX (no idea - sorry)

TC5 10:29 (I remember this well as my best ever prior to this was 10:48) - on Tues I did the lap in 11:10 - I still used to consider this not bad!

TC6 13:40 (14:05 was my previous best at this point)

TC7 16:47 (I think)

TC8 (18:30 - I remember this vividly being 18:30 at the turn - this was great!!)

I then managed to get to the end in 19:30 - I purposely shuffled in the last 40 meters (I wasn't thinking about the 5k PB at all, I didn't really care I suppose...) so the watch stopped at 19:35 so its good to know I can get there in 60 seconds if required - but you need to be on your A game in order to do this. It's amazing how much faster you can be if you just go into the territory of hurting yourself - badly to the point of heaving after you stop running.

The key thing to do now is not another performance like this now until at least next week - all other runs need to be proper chilled out efforts - I will experiment with this idea for a while & will increase my distance & see how this suits... 

Big difference I noticed was my shoes - I'm running on these light red Karrimor shoes I have - they are brilliant & I will be reserving these for hard runs only going forward - they feel like feathers... 

I didn't care about the splits, I just pushed hard - I was brave & when you run like that with everything on the line the times seem to look after themselves. All I cared about was being sub 20 - I got the 30 secs sub 20 for free as a result of pushing hard.

Tonight was a race (unplanned as I actually scheduled to cycle tonight & run tomorrow but at about 17:00 I decided I fancied a run instead, so I did & boy am I glad I did!)

So it just goes to show, you can get a PB outside of races!! I sure wish we had some races to go after this year, sadly I think it will be 2022 before we see road races returning though...Maybe Hollymount in November, if it's on, I'll fly back out for it from the UK as from September, I will be based out of north London (unless we get yet another lockdown I could be "working from home" & stranded in Ireland - nothing would surprise me...).

Toe the Line

13.04.2021 - 8.1k - 34:56

Scheduled for a 10k - 4 laps (or as I call it, 3 laps then a quick dash to Apache...)

Beautiful evening for it - nicest we've had now for a long time to be fair... Sun beating down, clear blue skies, like something out of Portugal minus the dead heat... 

Did me 3 laps for my 8.1k but couldn't get my dash to Apache in as my right big toe was playing up on me (it was them shoes...) 

Felt like shit on the run A-Z - just that tired + dehydrated feeling but still kept it honest Re the pace - went out super slow & decided to chill out - still managed a 22:56 time for 2 laps - not bad really... & it felt really easy (even though I still felt crap as such) - all the speed is gone out of my legs now due to lack of speedwork as well as lack of stamina due to no long runs taking place for a very long time now...

Had fun with the run though & that was the goal.

Cycle planned now for today - I may actually do it, but I doubt it all the same :-) 

Lets see...

Annihilation

This is a run done on 11.04.2021 - this past Sunday 

5k - 20:15 - suffered a bit here but about 80% max - no activity at all (not even a walk in 48 hrs) but decided to go for it. Wind & rain at about 20:15 - decided eventually to brave it. I decided I "felt good" & went for it - I felt so sluggish & slow throughout despite my best efforts! this is usual.

Provided I stay within the current mileage I am at now I won't get much past sub 20 mins.

At the moment I will experiment with the slower paced stuff for a while then hammer out some hard sessions in between - I do need to up the mileage though to be fair - be it on the bike or otherwise.

I have a new 1k stretch for sprints layed out along the main Gort road - it may be better for Speedwork -

lets see.

patience, slow mileage, targeted  speed sessions & the passing of time is where the gains are seen in running - no exceptions - yet I insist, 11 years on that it works another way - I always end up getting it arse ways... 

Paragon

Thursday 08.04.2021 - 5.5k all up - 23:53 

5k split was 21:04. Another easy one. The run was easier than Sunday but not by much really. Just not fancying the running much - just running on empty really.

I was going to do the 8k (3 loops but I ran out of time - quite literally - so needed to cut the run short).

Hopefully there'll be a few races that I can go to before I return to the UK in September - who knows.

Deuce

Sunday 4th April 2021 - 7k - 30 mins 

5k split @ 21:20

Took this really easy - it's been 4 days since I've shifted my routine, I didn't feel up for the run but went out anyway - glad I did really. It sure regulates my sleep so I can perform optimally at work etc!

Enjoyed the session, but it seems the slower I go, the harder it is.

I am used to pushing it during my training runs so doing the workout at about 50% effort level - this felt way off really... I usually give all my training runs 85%+ effort. Clearly after years of running,I still don't know how to train optimally as I know the advice is widely known as basic advice that a lot of your runs should be done at conversational pace, but for me, on my own, I find that insufferably boring. Running should be hard, always, my view is if you have enough energy to look around etc, you're not pushing it hard enough... Period. It's stupid & wrong thinking this, but it's the way I am & has always been my perspective on the sport.

Original plan was to do a 10k but I left it too late & again went out at after 20:00

11:29 through the 1st lap with no real nor desire or sight of getting any faster either... 

One could say this was my worst run in months but as I specifically targeted going out slow as a leisurely jog, my hope is that I get happier running at this sort of pace so when I need to up the pace to 06:15 min mile pace, I can shift rather easily when needed.

I think the slow runs are perfectly fine so long as I do the following relatively regularly:

• Long run (minimum 6-8 miles weekly)
• fast hard 5k session biweekly & or 5x1k repeats for speed
• Hard tempo 8/10k weekly
• Cycling
• Slow grass running too
• Other runs, slow & relaxed focusing on breathing & form & spending time on feet.

Have a cycle penciled in for tomorrow, lets see.

Desire

Friday 2nd April 2021 - 5k - 20:33 - All up 6.7k

Felt really good going out. As the clocks have gone forward now there is extra light & the weather today was phenomenal - about 16 degrees, clear blue skies - it would have been (relatively) too hot to head out for the run earlier in the day - so I decided to have dinner at 18:30 & risk a late 20:30 run, which worked!

I purposefully went out real easy. I've switched my routine back to the healthy early mornings again so I'm trying to wind down in bed for 21:00 & up for just after 04:00, so running at 20:30 is ridiculous.

Anyway, 6:15 coming off the bend & 08:08 + 1st lap in 11:10 but at the same time I was at the TC 2 for 14:34 (I consider a good run to be 14:25 at this point) so this wasn't at all bad.

The finish time is mental as I'm only 30 secs off the PB for the course, so I think back to when I give this route my all & I think, does it really pay to go off that hard - the idea being you'll hold on but it takes so much more mental effort... 10:47 1st lap - I must rethink this... anyways..

I havn't been this happy in months - from about Oct/Nov until very recently I have been "stuck" I would say mentally Re motivation. But now that April is here, my exams are in 6 weeks & a short summer Re getting the move to the UK orchastrated, I feel really motivated & positive about my life now. I am chuffed that I am making it happen, once again, Re my routine & getting after it.

The running is the icing on the cake - I owe the sport so much - for 11 + years now it's brought me so much joy - here's to another 51 years (Assuming I make it to 76 - doesn't seem that unreasonable does it?) Touch wood.

I am uncertain about a cycle today (Saturday) - think I ought to skip the cycle today & focus on another fun 10k run tomorrow - lets see.

I am in a very good place. I hope my future will be as good as I'm feeling at the moment, if so, My life will be actually worth living, actually worth trying & fighting for. I live with this hope. I live, for today.