If there is one thing that’s good about the present weather then it’s the fact that no conditions I will ever encounter during a race will be new to me (apart from bright hot sunshine, maybe). Connemara in April is not exactly know for its benign and sunny spells, but I think I will be well prepared for whatever is in store.
Saturday was the closest I get to a recovery run in my schedule, but I messed that up slightly by choosing another hilly route, the loop around the water witch. I originally planned to do two loops, but my right achilles let me know that it wasn’t hundred percent ok with that, and I changed the course, and rather than running up the hill for a second time I chose a much flatter section of the road. That loop was a bit shorter, and I added a good mile out-and-back on the Caragh Lake road. In the end I called it 10.5 miles, which should be reasonably accurate. The heart rate was satisfyingly low, despite the hills early on. I felt surprisingly tired for the rest of the day, but any signs of fatigue were gone the following morning.
Despite being woken at 8 am I didn’t leave straight away. I felt too lazy to hit the road and spent some time working on the computer. The windy weather wasn’t too inviting either. I got the deserved reward for my slacking, because when I finally decided to head out, it had started raining. I delayed for another 15 minutes, but it became obvious that the rain wasn’t going to ease up, and out I went. As always, the rain wasn’t as bad as it seemed, but the wind was stronger than I would wish for. After not quite hitting the desired heart rate on Thursday I tried another tempo run, and for whatever reason today went better. It was still hard work, especially in the first half against the wind, but I was pleased to see the heart rate consistently in the 160s, and I managed to keep the effort going during the second half, despite being wind-assisted. The last half-mile was a bit of a struggle; I was definitely coming towards the end of my strength and the hamstrings made themselves known, but I got home still in decent shape, and was quite pleased with the results. I didn’t try to race and better Thursday’s time, I just tried to keep the effort at the high end of the aerobic scale. I guess the fact that I managed to keep the pace going for nearly an hour shows that I didn’t overdo it, but I was surprised to see that I had ran the same course 90 seconds faster than 3 days ago. There is definitely some progress being made, and it feels good to see the pace dropping so quickly. I probably should extend the loop for my 60 minutes runs, because recently I’ve started to come home too soon.
Talking about progress, Cian is being toilet trained again (we had to abort our last attempt, a few months back) and in the last few days the washing machine was begging for mercy. Now he finally seems to be getting the hang of it, to the relief of everyone in the house. I bet you all really wanted to know this.
6 Jan: 10.5 miles, 1:29, 8:28 pace, avg. HR 144
7 Jan: 8.25 miles, 58:23, 7:04 pace, avg. HR 163
Weekly mileage: 74
So mcuh for an easy run:) Things change with training!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Cian's potty training.
Go Cian! We all have different goals and I'm sure Cian can conquer this one. Even if it is Mom and Dad's goal.
ReplyDeletePat
Arizona, USA
Good run out there today. You’re bang on about not experiencing race conditions worse then what you have at the moment. Come race day everything will be that much sweeter. It rained again here today, but only during the last 20’, I was lucky.
ReplyDeleteI agree - you have survived the worst of mother nature. Time to head to the South Pole for the only elements that you may not have experienced. I am sure that you would still be progressing well down there.
ReplyDeletelol. i did want to know that! nice running thomas.
ReplyDeletePotty training is my life! You would not believe how many conversations I have every year about this. Just last month, it was the better part of an hour long parent ed discussion. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteIf by "sure" you mean "hopeful," then the answer is definitely YES! Seriously though, if you can do it with 3 kids (Thank god I don't have to toilet train anyone!) and your weather (What is it now? 56 straight days of rain?), then I can manage through a few heavy work weeks. Although if I could get Erin to make treats for me the way your and Mike's wives do, I'm certain I'd manage a little easier. ;)
ReplyDelete"...the rain wasn’t as bad as it seemed..."
ReplyDeleteAfter the weather you have trained through, I doubt there is much that is as bad as it seems.
Great job on the mileage and the progress!
When it rains here in the UK Midlands, I often think how much you must have got soaked as it passed Kerry.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the potty training. We got laminate floors put in before getting started with our youngest!
Andy
yay for cian!!!
ReplyDeleteI listened to a presentation given by a parent educator who asked the question, "How many 16 year olds do you know that wear diapers?" Don't worry Cian will eventually get it right.
ReplyDeleteYour speed work and hard training are begining to pay off. I ran at an 8 min pace for 2 years before starting speed work at the track. I went to a 6 min pace in less than three months.
You can do it!
Eric