Bark At The Moon

hi thomas. looking for a training plan specifically designed to cover the connemara ultra. doing dublin in 2 weeks (my 3rd) and hope to commence training within a week of it for connemara. any ideas?

Quick answer, there is no training plan specifically designed for the Connemara Ultra, at least none that I am aware of. Slow answer, and I know this sounds weird, but look at Connemara as a long marathon. There have been countless discussions about this on boards.ie and some people disagree, but basically if you can run a marathon, then you can run Connemara as well as long as you run slower from the very start of the race (that second part of the advice is where a lot of people, especially men, get it wrong). My own experience is that you can take a bog standard marathon run and replace some of the long runs by back-to-back long runs, i.e. instead of running 20 miles on Sunday, run 20 miles on Saturday and again on Sunday. Do this 3 or 4 times, and you will be in great shape. Good Luck in Dublin, btw.

Then again, I know that Mick Rice does not do back-to-back long runs, and since he has been in the top 3 more often than anyone else he must be doing something right. My own plan this time round is to run high mileage (ok, nothing new here) and do a long race (marathon to 50k) on a few occasions at training effort, not race pace. The Dublin marathon will be the first of these, there is a 30 miler in Sixmilebridge in November, I may do the Clonakilty marathon in December if recovery from the first 2 long runs goes well (I will make a late decision) and I have signed up for a 50k in February already. To build up my aerobic conditioning, I will not do any races between now and New Year at least (which sadly means skipping the 5k series in Killarney this year [I actually feel guilty about that]), but might do some actual races in 2012 (Mallow or Ballycotton spring to mind, but I haven't decided anything yet). If this works better than the plan I followed 2 years ago will become apparent on 1 April 2012.

Having finally overcome my particularly nasty shin problem, I immediately had to deal with yet another issue. On Monday and Tuesday I had an awful metallic taste in my mouth. Niamh dryly remarked that this used to be one of her early signs of pregnancy, but I think we can rule that out in my case. I was not surprised to have a sore throat on Wednesday, but that's as far as it went. I still have a sore throat today, but my running is not affected and I sure don't feel ill. I guess my immune system is fighting off whatever is trying to invade my body and since my immune system has an excellent track record of getting on top of these things without confining me to rest, I am not worried.

October is the time of the year when I become interested in the Moon phases again, That's not because of a keen interest in astronomy (though there is that as well), but because the Moon is a very handy light source early in the morning. I got a nice surprise on Thursday when a bright Moon provided a huge contrast to the pitch dark, rainy morning of the previous days. No wind, no rain, just a stunning star-lit sky and then an explosion of pink and orange as the sun rose. Unfortunately, the rain had returned by Friday.

Saturday was the one day of the week when I allowed myself to run faster, though still very much in control. This used to be Fast Friday under the coach's guidance and it still works the same way, with the heart rate no higher than 155. I enjoyed the faster pace so much that I did not even notice the driving rain, except when I stepped into a 2-inch deep puddle a mile away from home.

Sunday morning was beautiful again; I regretted not bringing my sun glasses early on as the sun shone right into my face, but it stopped me from looking like a right tool when running in the rain an hour later. It was bright and sunny again by the time I got home - this is Kerry, after all. I spent much of the first half slowing myself down, but let the autopilot take over during the second half and cruised home in a meditative trance. One thing I noticed was that I automatically ran on my toes on the long, fairly steep climbs around Caragh Lake. If that was due to the slightly faster pace or if I'm adapting to the hill runs, I'm not sure.

I almost averaged 7:30 pace on a very hilly run and would easily have run faster had I not reigned myself in so much. The last time I was in similar shape I ran 2:59 in Vienna, and the 1:23 I ran on the brutally hilly Valentia course 2 weeks ago points the same way, though I am not entirely convinced that I would have the stamina to hold the effort for 26 miles right now. My real hope is to be able to build on that over the winter. Connemara is still over 5 months away.

13 Oct

12 miles, 1:34:55, 7:55 pace, HR 138

14 Oct

10 miles, 1:17:27, 7:45 pace, HR 146

15 Oct

8 miles, 55:55, 6:59 pace, HR 154

16 Oct

16.6 miles, 2:05:50, 7:35 pace, HR 146

Weekly Mileage: 75+

Looking Ahead

I should not have been surprised, but I was. The quads were rather sore on Monday, following my little mountain run, and the pace was fairly slow. As is generally the case with DOMS, it was a good bit worse again the next day. For some reason, the left leg always seems to be more affected than the right one, and this time was no exception. What was far more important to me was the fact that my shin did not hurt at all, for the first time in well over a month. After carrying this for so long, recovery was amazingly quickly. I guess putting the Kinvaras to rest really was the right thing to do. It's a shame, I loved their light weight and the 525 miles I wore them for is not excessive by my standards, I generally expect to get at least 650 miles out of a pair. I might still get another pair, but will obviously have to be careful once they reach a certain mileage.

I'm surprised nobody called me out on the last paragraph of the previous entry (that's assuming that there are still some readers out there, of course). I do not want to put myself through yet another gruelling marathon training cycle, but have no qualms targeting an ambitious ultra time. I just like the slower pace of the ultras; it was the long marathon-pace and faster-than-marathon-pace workouts that I found really challenging in the build-up for Vienna. On the other hand, I have always loved the slower long runs and never worried much about the distance.

I will try and put a few things into place that I learned from last year's Dingle training cycle. There won't be back-to-back 5 hour runs this time; they undoubtedly built up my endurance but cost me a lot of speed, and my easy cruising pace in Dingle was 30 seconds per mile slower than in Connemara. That won't do.

What I will do is run a couple of long races around the 50k mark for training purposes. I've already signed up for 2 and I might throw in another marathon, depending on how recovery goes.

The pace for a 5 hour Connemara is 7:38. It does sound eminently doable, but I will have to build up a cushion over the first 26 miles because of the 2 tough climbs over the last third. If I can cruise through the marathon at 7:30 pace while still feeling good, sub-5 will be on the cards.

Actually, I'm getting way ahead of myself here. There is the small matter of Dublin yet to come. With my shin now healed, that doesn't worry me, though.

10 Oct

10 miles, 1:19:17, 7:55 pace, HR 142

11 Oct

8 miles, 1:03:55, 7:59 pace, HR 143

12 Oct

10 miles, 1:17:33, 7:45 pace, HR 145

Over The Hills And Far Away

I was agonising all week if I should add yet another race to my already extended racing season, namely the Kerry Athletics cross country in Kenmare on Sunday. I was worried about my shin, but cross-country running would probably be a lot better for it due to the reduced impact off the road. I even had a chat with a team mate on Saturday, and he told me I could wait pretty much until the last minute to make up my mind.

In the end, I decided against it, but I'm not sure if I chickened out of the challenge, did not fancy the long drive to Kenmare or simply tried to nurse my leg. Whatever the reason, I was not there at the start line. Maybe next year, but that's exactly what I said last year and the year before that. I suppose Grellan had it right when he said I really was a road runner.

Having said that, in order to get 2 hours of running without the pounding on the road I headed for the Kerry way this morning, crossed Windy Gap (it was a very windy day, no prizes for guessing what the conditions up on the saddle were like), dropped down all the way into Glenbeigh and then turned around and did it all again. The double crossing of Windy Gap gave the legs quite some workout, I think it's the ideal way to build up some leg strength without running yourself into the ground. The shin behaved itself fairly well; I could notice some discomfort but no more than that.

It had been a bit worse yesterday, when I decided to put in a slightly higher effort than the recovery runs that had marked the rest of the week after the Valentia race. The quads told me early on that they didn't really feel like working and the shin started protesting last into the run as well, so it was not an unqualified success.

One question: what's the next challenge? will be going for another of sub 3?

Excellent question. In one way, I do want to have another go at the marathon because I know I didn't quite reach my potential in Vienna. On the other hand, I still don't really feel putting myself through a gruelling marathon training cycle again. Instead I'll aim for sub-5 in the Connemara Ultra instead, and if everything goes to plan, this will be a stepping stone for my big goal race later in 2012. But you know what they say about men and plans and all that.

8 Oct

8 miles, 58:07, 7:15 pace, HR 151

9 Oct

12.2 miles, 1:50:27, 9:03 pace, HR 148

Recovery

The numbers from the last 3 days shows a very straightforward recovery from the Valentia half marathon. Each run was at the same easy effort, which is borne out by the virtually identical heart rate, but I got faster by a few seconds per mile each day. I'm not far off where I was before the race, so everything is going very well on that count.

What’s going merely ok is my shin. I can still feel a certain amount of discomfort, but get solace from the fact that it is definitely on the “acceptable” part of the scale. I experimented with the shoes and there is a noticeable difference between wearing a heavier, cushioning pair and a lighter pair like the Kinvaras. As much as the Kinvaras have become my favourite trainer, they do seem to aggravate the shin. They are nearing the end of their useful life anyway with well over 500 miles on them, but I haven’t quite got the heart to throw them out just yet. Luckily there is a pair of Lunar Swifts in my cupboard, which will now be taken into regular rotation. I might keep the Kinvaras for the odd run once my shin has recovered, but I'm not rushing to buy another pair, which had been the initial plan when I had started falling head over heels in love with them.

The weather was rather wild on Wednesday as yet another ex-hurricane paid a visit to these shores. It sounded so bad at night that I started to wonder if it would be safe to run, but luckily things did quieten down sufficiently to be able to get out and run and still be confident of a safe return. It really is getting dark now. The moonless nights make navigating through our driveway a bit tricky; once I reach the road, I’m fine. I know the road so well I can almost literally run it with my eyes closed, but the reflective gear has obviously become mandatory. That always happens in the month before Dublin. I’ve still got the same dislike for the headlamp that I developed last winter, which is why it has stayed at home so far.

With Dublin only 3 weeks away, I suppose it’s time to start concentrating on that task. While the vast majority of participants would have spent the last few months concentrating on that event, I have hardly wasted a single thought on it. I know I can run 3:30 pace without having to train for it specifically (Dingle has proven that beyond a doubt) and my shin won’t be an issue, I'm sure of that. I guess the thing I'm most looking forward to is staying in the 5-star Conrad hotel beforehand; incidentally, Niamh feels the same way, funny that.

5 Oct

8 miles, 1:03:08, 7:53 pace, HR 145

6 Oct

8 miles, 1:02:04, 7:46 pace, HR 146

7 Oct

10 miles, 1:16:34, 7:39 pace, HR 146

Random Post-Race Thoughts Again

My shin hurt like hell on Saturday, felt fine for 5 easy miles on Sunday morning and was really painful again later that day. I pondered if I should go running on Monday, but of course I was awake early and I'm not one to stare at the ceiling for hours, so off I went. In order to protect my shin, I ran back and forwards on the old, disused, overgrown railway line behind our house, but running a series of completely straight 0.8 mile stretches isn’t exactly ideal. The footing was bad enough in the dim early morning light and now that the road is no longer being used to transport vehicles to illegal building sites (the recession has its plus points), the gorse is taking over and I have the scratches to prove it.

I'm perfectly aware that my racing flats need replacing; they probably should have been thrown out at the start of the year, but I could not afford a new pair while the old one is still holding together somewhat (yes, money is tight). Niamh already agreed to your suggestion of using the prize money for new shoes, albeit shoes for the boys. Daddy’s feet will have to wait, but the racing season is over anyway and I won’t need flats for a good while.

I entered Saturday’s time and my age into the WMA age-grading calculator, and it gave me an age-equivalent time of 1:19:37 – wow, though I’d much rather run a sub-80 half marathon in reality rather than in an algorithm.

I was probably slightly exuberant when I said it may have been my best racing performance ever. My 61:51 10-miler in Ballycotton back in March was a better performance, but Valentia was much more satisfying. Ballycotton was basically a time trial. Valentia was a real race. I went out hard in order to keep up with Pat and it took until mile 9 or so for him to finally pull away from me. Luckily, it was enough to get me an age-group win (by a nice margin, too). Former marathon world record holder Steve Jones once said that they should knock him over if he was still standing at the finish line because it would mean he did not run hard enough. Not that I can compare myself to the likes of him, but in Valentia I managed the rare feat of passing that particular test – I basically collapsed after the line, entirely spent. Knowing that I had left everything out there just feels really good (well ... it felt good once I had recovered).

Just a minute after the start some spectator at the sideline shouted out loud “hey, look at that old man there”, meaning Pat of course (I didn’t look old enough at that point yet to qualify). While in one way it was a compliment, pointing out that the “old guy” was right there at the front, it really was an exceptionally stupid thing to blurt out loud. Whoever you are, consider yourself filed under “idiot”. The rest of the spectators were a different class though – they all knew Pat by name and gave him plenty of encouragement to drop me.

The shin was so bad on Sunday that I could not even dorsiflex it. It was significantly improved on Monday and better still today. I know how to nurse it, and teh short, very easy 5-mile runs of the last few days are part of that. My quads are quite sore as well, which is the price you pay for running all those downhill miles hard, but that will be gone soon.

3 Oct

5 miles, 45:24, 9:04 pace, HR 131

4 Oct

5 miles, 41:24, 8:17 pace, HR 136

In My Own Backyard

When Niamh dropped me off to the Valentia ferry on Friday night, I jokingly remarked that I was going to my running camp. There was nothing in the holiday house, all I could do was eat, sleep and run, and that's exactly what I was going for, but of course only for half a day. But it was handy to have a house a quarter of a mile away from the start and finish line.

My shin had been hurting all week but had definitely improved and I knew it would not slow me down. In fact, when I got up on Saturday, I did not feel it at all.

Quite unusually for Kerry, we started almost on time; it would have been bang on time had the starter not waited for one Seamus M, but I don't think anyone minded.



I had told Pat O'Shea beforehand that I would let him pull me to a fast time, so it seemed perfectly obvious to stay with him at the start. It was only a quarter mile later that I started wondering why I was right up there in the leading group, hanging on to the likes of Ed and Cian Murphy. A look at the Garmin told me that yes, I had started at 5:30 pace, nice and conservative – NOT! Right there the hill started, and if you look at the elevation profile you know what I'm talking about. I counted the runners and had myself in eighth place, but at least the top guys started to move away and I was right on Pat's shoulder.

Did I mention that Pat is 60 years old? He used to be a 2:26 marathon runner and his age group ratings are always close to world class level, and I'm well used to being beaten by him. In fact, I have never managed to finish ahead of him in any race (and there have been quite a few).

Running uphill was never my strength and I reckoned that if I managed to hang on until the top, at the slate quarry, I would be right in the mix. I was actually surprised that I managed to stick with Pat. I felt he surged on several occasions, possibly trying to drop me, but maybe that was just my impression. What was noteworthy was that 3 guys caught up with us, going past, but they were only a couple of steps ahead when we finally reached the top. This was at the end of an out-and-back section, where it would have been handy to check out the opposition but 3 miles into a half marathon is a bit early for that and anyway, I was too exhausted to pay much notice.

I got an unpleasant surprise. I had expected to be able to keep up fairly easily once we had reached the top but was quickly proven wrong. I had to pull out all the stops to keep up and only just about managed it.

Then we turned right, up a short but very sharp climb. I was glad that I knew the road so well, otherwise I would have fallen away here, but knowing that the top was so close meant I knew I could push hard enough to keep up.

The next few miles were easier because the road very gradually drops as we neared Bray Head at the other end of the island. A look at the Garmin told me that I had averaged 6:33 miles up to here, but that included climbing over 400 feet. A new PB would require 6:30 pace and that was very much on the cards. So far so good, but unfortunately it turned out that Pat is an excellent downhill runner, and for the first time in my running history I was unable to keep pace with someone on a downhill stretch. Somewhere between miles 4 and 5 I lost contact and fell about 20 steps behind. Pat caught up to a group and there were now 4 runners 20 steps in front of me but I was unable to close the gap, no matter how hard I tried.

I started calculating how many miles there were left before the finish, much too early to do so and not a good sign. At that stage, my race was on the verge of falling down.

Of course the road was not uniformly going down, there were a couple of rollers and each time my legs felt like jelly, but at least I did not lose any further ground. I took a gel somewhere around here. Maybe it gave me a genuine boost, maybe it was just psychological, maybe the sharp drop in the road did me some favours, but much to my surprise the entire group came back to me and I finally caught up, after being on my own for almost 3 miles.

I passed one runner in a black singlet and later on another one in a grey t-shirt, which brought me right back onto Pat's shoulder. He shot me a look, but didn't say anything.

There were a couple more hills on the way, and things were really getting tough. I started wheezing on the uphills, which always sounds as if I'm going to collapse, but it's just something that always happens when I cross a certain threshold and I'm still able to keep on pace. I realised how exhausted I was when I started looking for the bridge to Portmagee and only realised after looking around that we had already passed the junction.

There was one more hill. I knew it was the final climb, which was probably the only thing that kept me going because I was really right at my limit. I had swapped places with a runner in a white top on a couple of occasions, but on that last climb I was unable to keep up. My breathing went out of control, I started hyperventilating and even started feeling lightheaded. Surely I was not going to faint here, was I? Thank God for the apex! I took a second gel. I wasn't sure if it would help, but I figured it would not do any harm.

Unfortunately, Pat was now well ahead, but the white top was still close enough to catch, which I did on the downhill stretch towards Chapeltown. Then we turned off the main road and onto the shore road, which I am extremely familiar with. In fact, I started running on that very stretch of road in 2004, beginning my training for my first ever marathon in Dublin that year. Four years later, I named one particular stretch “the road of neverending misery”, when a series of weekly 1000 meter repeats started to get out of hand.

Things were not getting any easier, but maybe the second gel started to kick in. A look at the Garmin told me that a new PB was in the bag. The runner in that white top had passed me once more but I was not going to give up my place without a fight. We passed the Marina, we went past the old observatory, and when we went by the old factory I knew there was less than a mile to go and put the hammer down, though I had to be careful as my left calf had gone into spasms on a couple of occasions and was very close to cramping. I caught up to my adversary, but he accelerated when we sensed me coming. He also kept pulling more and more towards the right, into my line. “He's not going to block me, is he?” To be fair, he did not, there was still enough road left and I first drew level and then ahead. I was genuinely surprised to hear his footsteps fading, I had expected a counter-surge and a fight to the very end, which would most likely have ended in defeat for me because of my lack of sprinting speed. But of course if I wanted to keep my place I wasn't able to let up and had no choice but to keep going all out.

I passed the entrance to Knightstown, our house, the church and then there was the finish right ahead and crossed the line in 1:23:36, a personal best by almost 2 minutes on a very tough course, but completely spent and basically collapsed over the line. As I was lying on the road catching my breath, the runner in the white top came up to me and very sportingly congratulated me on a strong finish, a volunteer inquired slightly worried if I was ok, but eventually I managed to get up again, if still feeling a bit wobbly.

I could have sworn I was eighth, but the final results had me in ninth place; no idea where that extra runner had come from. But much more important, I had come first in the M40 age group. Never mind that I was 30 seconds behind the first M60, but Pat told me that at some stage he thought he'd never be able to shake me, so at least I had made him work for once.

The kids were reasonably impressed by me being called up at the prize ceremony; Maia liked the medal, Shea liked the box and Niamh liked the money, so everyone was happy. I stumbled through 1.5 miles slow and painful cooldown miles, but probably did more harm than good as my shin was all of a sudden hurting like hell. Maybe running 13 miles at very hard pace on a pair of racing flats (worn out racing flats with well over 500 miles on them, that is) wasn't the best thing, but that result made it all worthwhile. It may well have been my best racing performance ever.

29 Sep

5 miles, 37:57, 7:35 pace, HR 145

30 Sep

5 miles, 37:19, 7:27 pace, HR 147

1 Oct

~17 miles, including:
   Valentia Half Marathon, 1:23:36, 6:23 pace, HR 174
   9th overall, 1st M40, in the money

2 Oct

5 miles, 41:50, 8:20 pace, HR 140

Niggles

I'm not sure if it’s time to get worried about my shin/foot problem or if I should just ignore it. For a while I thought it might be shin splint which I haven’t had in 6 years, but I think the sore area is too close to the foot for that to be the case. The affected area is right at the front of my shin, about 1 - 2 inches above ankle height. Yesterday, Tuesday, it was really sore but today I'm already feeling better. The plan right now is to take it easy tomorrow and Friday, which was always the idea because of Saturday’s half marathon, get through that race in one piece and then pick up the pieces.

It’s funny, in 4 weeks I’m going to pace the 3:30 group in Dublin. That’s my fourth time as a pacer and I had some fairly serious trouble before each and every one of them. Then again, I got through all of the previous attempts perfectly fine and expect the same outcome again. I know Niamh wouldn’t be too happy if I had to bail out on Dublin. That stay in a 5-star hotel before the race was one of the main reasons why she thinks having a runner in the house is a good thing.

It’s rather telling that the one run I did not feel any pain was on Sunday on the trail. I did notice some discomfort on the 2 miles back home, running on road. There are two problems with trails though. One, I need to run a couple of miles each way on the road to get to them, which makes them a rather pointless option for anything but the long run. Two, I cannot run on those trails in the dark; it would not be safe, especially on my own. I can still get onto the trail over the weekend on occasions, but realistically the majority of my miles will always be on the road.

Hurting shin or not, I took it reasonably easy on Monday and Tuesday. I can still tune out completely, which means the problem can’t be THAT bad (at least that’s my theory). I added two faster segments to today’s run. The original idea was to run 4 miles at close to half-marathon effort, but then switched that to 1 + 2 miles at tempo effort with an easy mile in the middle. I just wanted to get a feel for the pace without tiring myself out. Just like last Wednesday, the 20mph wind had an impact, though it didn’t feel as strong as last week (the weather site says otherwise, though. Maybe Caragh Lake is more sheltered than the road to Killorglin). I averaged 6:33 pace into the wind and 6:24 with the wind, which has me reasonably hopeful that I can go under 6:30 on Saturday, maybe even on a tough course like Valentia which starts with a murderous 3 mile climb. I guess I’ll find out.

26 Sep

8 miles, 1:02:49, 7:51 pace, HR 142

27 Sep

10 miles, 1:17:54, 7:47 pace, HR 146

28 Sep

8 miles, 56:35, 7:041 pace, HR 156
   incl. 1 mile @ 6:33 (HR 164), 2 miles @ 6:24 (HR 166)

Playing in the Mud

If you remember back a few days, I did have some troubles with my right foot/shin. The problem disappeared after 2 or 3 days, after I started wearing a compression wrap. Niggles like that come and go, no need to waste any time worrying about it. Well, on Thursday it was back, and it really hurt. I was in quite some discomfort all day, and I'm not talking about the time I was running, it hurt all day in the office. I applied my usual therapy: ice and compression. Elevation isn't that easy in reality, I can't just lie there for hours with my leg up high, and rest is generally my last resort.

Friday's run was more to test the waters than a training run. I felt the discomfort all the way through, but it did not get any worse, which makes it hard to draw any conclusions. Obviously it's a running injury, why else would my shin hurt, but if running 10 miles doesn't make it any worse then can I keep running or not?

Taking away the pain, by the way, I felt very good on Thursday and Friday. 7:40 pace seems to be the pace I tune in automatically if I just cruise along easily, running with minimum mental effort, which is how the coach used to describe Lydiard's “quarter” effort, the effort level you should hold for your easy runs.

There was supposed to be a 5 mile race on Friday evening in Tralee, but that was cancelled. Athletics Kerry seem to be struggling at the moment. The 5k in Killarney was ridiculously long, despite the fact that the course should have been utterly familiar to everyone, and now the cancellation. Something seems to be going on here.

The weekend was very busy, and I was rushed on Saturday morning. It still didn't make much sense to run as fast as I did, the 3 minutes I saved that way did not really make a difference, but I found it impossible to relax when my subconscious was constantly urging me on, and eventually I gave in and went with the faster pace. I was surprised how easy 6:40 pace felt, despite wearing my heavy, clunky trainers, which I take as a good sign for next Saturday's half marathon.

The kids were invited to a birthday party on Sunday, and initially I thought I would have to get up in the middle of the night to run, until I realised on Saturday evening that I could go running when they're away. Looking at the conditions on Sunday made that a really good option, it was really wild outside with the rain coming in horizontally.

Niamh suggested I set up the bike trainer, which sounded a great option as I would be able to watch the coverage of the Berlin marathon at the same time (thank you BBC, even if it's only for Paula). I was highly tempted, but then decided against it. I'm a runner and consistency is very important and getting used to running in the rain may well be vital preparation for Connemara, so I decided to face the conditions.

Then a miracle happened, after hours of truly wild conditions the sun came out just as I was getting ready and the wind seemed to quieten considerably as well. In order to protect my shin (which was already feeling better) I headed for the trails, running loops at the Coillte Caragh Lake Forest Park. There are two routes towards the summit, a muddy trail and a jeep road, and the two together combine to make a good, challenging loop. The summit is a bit off the loop, and for the first loop I made it to the top because it would be a shame to run on the hill for almost 2 hours and not get the view from the top, but for the rest of it I just ran the loop, 2 in one direction and 5 or 6 in the other, because running up the trail made for a much more challenging workout so I opted for more of that.

It's amazing how hard you need to work for 9:20 pace on such a trail! Once I fell and very nearly face planted, and my foot kept disappearing into mud holes until I learned the best options through the worst sections.

Running on that trail was great fun, even if running loops of about 10 minutes each isn't exactly my preferred option. I'll be back, I guess.

I got to watch the Berlin coverage after I got home. Great, exciting stuff, with Haile seemingly pulling out at 25Km and temporarily moving back onto the course, Makau chasing and getting the world record and Paula racing for the first time in years. I didn't catch a glimpse of any of my acquaintances running though.

22 Sep

8 miles, 1:01:30, 7:41 pace, HR 145

23 Sep

10 miles, 1:16:48, 7:41 pace, HR 148

24 Sep

5 miles, 35:01, 7:00 pace, HR 153

25 Sep

13.65 miles, 1:58:50, 8:42 pace, HR 155
   off-road

Equinox

The legs felt surprisingly good on Monday. I expected them to be rather heavy after some hard running over the weekend, but was pleasantly surprised. I still took it easy. Two days easy after back-to-back workouts are an absolute must; recovery takes time, especially when you're well past your 30s. But I felt very good and 7:40 pace has rarely come so easily.

I had another workout in store for Wednesday. When training for Vienna, the coach twice gave me special workouts that he called volume repeats. They work like other repeats, except that you don't really get much recovery, the pace during the slower parts is still on the challenging side. That's a great workout to see what shape you're in because there is no way to fake it. If you're running too fast, it will show.

The idea was to run 2 miles at 6:30, 2 miles at 6:20 and 2 more miles faster still as long as I could maintain full control, with a mile at about 7:15 pace between each effort. Unfortunately, as soon as I left home I knew the 20-25 mph wind would be making the pacing impossible, so I decided I had to run by feel alone. The heart rate would provide some feedback, but I don't like checking the HR too often when running at 6:30 pace or so, I need all my concentration on the effort.

The first repeat was with the wind at the back, so I figured the pace should be in the 6:20s. Well, it was early in the morning and I was not quite awake yet, which is the only way I can explain why I started the first quarter mile at 6:05 pace. The pace was a bit uneven after that but on average ended up right where I wanted it. The second repeat was straight into the gale force. I kept the effort honest, making sure I would not look at the Garmin as I knew the pace figure would be demoralising. Even the slow mile after that was tough, the HR hardly dropped despite the slow pace. The last repeat was still into the wind but at least it was net downhill which compensated a little bit. I ran the final half mile too hard, that was more a race effort than a training effort, but all in all I was reasonably happy with the numbers. I now have 10 days to recover from this before Valentia. That should do. In March, the coach had me do a similar workout 4 days before Ballycotton and I ran an absolute stormer there.

19 Sep

8 miles, 1:01:27, 7:40 pace, HR 145

20 Sep

10 miles, 1:18:11, 7:49 pace, HR 143

21 Sep

11 miles, 1:17:03, 7:00 pace, HR 162
   w/u, 2 miles 6:23 (163), 1 mile 7:14 (159), 2 miles 6:48 (170), 1 mile 7:33 (167), 2 miles 6:23 (173), c/d

Roller Coaster

Now that was a topsy turvy weekend from a sporting point of view, with Ireland beating Australia, Alistair Cragg setting a new Irish record over 5000 meters (which was completely ignored by the press), Kerry throwing away the game against Dublin when they should have been out of sight and City doing likewise against Fulham. At least my own training is going well.

I decided to add one last race to the racing season, the Valentia Island half marathon in 2 weeks. I love Valentia, always enjoy staying there, and running a race on the same loop that I have done a number of times in training is too much to resist. The only thing topping that would be for someone to organise a race around Caragh Lake, and I can't see that happen any time soon.

Two weeks is too short to achieve any kind of meaningful physical adaptation, but there is still time for some mental adjustments. Therefore I thought running a few miles at half marathon pace would be a good choice on Saturday. There are a number of ways of doing that and I settled on 3x2 mile repeats. That's not as specific as a tempo run because last time I checked they still don't allow for periodic rest breaks during the race, but it's an easier way to accumulate the faster miles as the next rest period is never far away. I had to deal with the blustery wind, which was on my back for first and a third of the second interval but straight into my face for the rest, which explains the slower pace for each subsequent interval. I was reasonably pleased with the result. I'd love to break 1:25 in Valentia, but the hilly nature of the course (it basically starts with a brutal 3-mile climb) will make that a rather tough challenge.

This morning I ran around the lake again, by far and away my favourite long run route. I expected to be tired after yesterday's tempo intervals but managed to surprise myself. The pace was always a little bit faster than planned, even though I never consciously pushed the effort and I never felt the need to slow down as I was always feeling great. I know the coach generally frowned upon running faster than planned, but some days you just have to let go of the brakes if you're enjoying yourself so much.

17 Sep

10 miles, 1:09:33, 6:57 pace, HR 162
   incl. 3x2 miles @ 6:23 (HR 166), 6:34 (HR 169), 6:36 (HR 172)

18 Sep

15 miles, 1:54:05, 7:36 pace, HR 151

Weekly Mileage: 68+

Change Of Seasons

No doubt about it, autumn has arrived. There is a constant debate in our household on the exact calendar dates of the seasonal changes (“Spring on 1 Feb? You’ve got to be kidding!!!”), but if you go by weather/temperatures/general feel then the summer we’ve never had has now given up even trying and we’ve moved on. It’s pitch dark when I get up, it’s still pretty dark when I start running and I’ll soon be reaching for the despised head lamp on my way out.

As much as I wrote a few flippant sentences regarding the pain in my shin on Wednesday, it actually had me worried a bit as the pain seemed to worsen as the day wore on. I tried icing it when I got home, but the real salvation seemed to arrive via the compression sleeve I wore at night and for my next run. By the morning the increasingly sharp pain had been reduced to a dull ache and right now I can only feel it because I’m actively thinking about it, otherwise I would not even notice it. Another niggle successfully overcome without the need for taking time off.

10 miles easy seems to be the default for me at the moment. In order to shake things up a bit I did something different on Thursday, namely hill sprints, once more of the all-out variety for about 15 seconds each, not that I'm timing them. One thing I noticed is that the HR didn’t want to go up very high, it barely scratched 160. The other thing was that the wave of nausea that hits me about 10 seconds AFTER each repeat seemed worse than usual. Some runners seem to take pride in the fact that they can run repeats until they puke but I am definitely not one of them. I was thankful for the fact that I was running on an empty stomach, and when the nausea became a bit too much I called an end to the workout. The best thing about losing count after only 3 or 4 repeats is that you don’t feel the need to do a certain number of repeats, you can just call it a day any time without feeling guilty.

I also added a few minutes of drills on our lawn when I got home. First I did them in my shoes and then in bare feet. As much as I’ve heard good things about that sort of thing I'm not sure I’ll continue with it, the overwhelming feeling was that my feet were bloody freezing on the cold ground. One thing is for sure, you won’t find me running down the road or trail in pretend barefoot shoes that cost more than my real shoes.

On the subject of shoes, one thing I usually do whenever I get a niggle is to throw out my oldest pair of runners, and as the oldest pair in active rotation had over 800 miles on them, they picked up a one-way ticket to the bin, the same reward they all get after half a year of faithful service.

15 Sep

5 miles, 44:07, 8:49 pace, HR 142
   9 x 15 seconds all-out hill sprints, walking recovery down the hill

16 Sep

10 miles, 1:17:38, 7:45 pace, HR 146

After The Storm

Rather predictably, Ex-Hurricane Katia wasn’t anywhere near as bad as they said, at least here in the South. The weather lady seemed really pleased on Monday that they had correctly predicted wind speeds of over 100 kph in Donegal, so a round of applause to the met office for spotting that hurricane over the Atlantic and subsequently reporting the first reasonably accurate forecast of the year.

I went running on the Ard-na-Sidhe road, which is my usual fallback option when it’s windy, but was a bit hampered by the amount of broken branches on the road, which combined with the low light and my short eyesight made me stumble and trip as if I were on a bear hunt, but I didn’t catch a big one.

Niamh wouldn’t let me cycle to work, though, claiming it to be too dangerous. Maybe it was just another attempt to re-confirm her status as the uncontested ruler of the house, as if that were necessary.

It was still windy on Tuesday, but by Wednesday the calm had returned and I had my most peaceful run in weeks, just me and the road at sunrise, oh, and about a million gnats. I got a good extra helping of protein this morning. I wondered which was the worst fate for these things, drowning in my sweat, being swallowed or being inhaled but didn’t come to any conclusion. Sorry. I didn’t have much else to occupy my mind, apart from suppressing my gag reflex every couple of minutes in order to being able to keep running. The things you learn when running!

The legs felt tired, but more importantly my right shin started hurting with the first step. I expected it to subside soon enough but that never happened. In fact, the area is still sore. It might have been caused by the increased mileage of the last few days. I’ll treat it the same way I always treat those things: I ignore them until they go away, which works for at least 90% of all niggles. Rest? That can wait.

12 Sep

8+ miles, 1:02:37, 7:47 pace, HR 147

13 Sep

10 miles, 1:17:33, 7:45 pace, HR 146

12 Sep

10 miles, 1:18:51, 7:53 pace, HR 147

Before The Storm

I was wrong about the hurricanes - I thought we were already experiencing the remnants of Hurricane Katia this weekend, but the weather lady told me otherwise. Ex-tropical storm Lee must have taken a shortcut and arrived here before the lady, and the gale-force wind driving the rain horizontally at times were his doing. Katia is going to hit us tonight and tomorrow, with wind speed of well over 100 kph. Three ex-hurricanes/tropical storms in 5 days. Interesting.

However, with my first step yesterday I decided I was going to enjoy the conditions instead of moaning about them. Running in those conditions gives a certain feeling of hard-core training. I do get a kick out of the knowledge that 99% of the population will take one look at this and shudder at the mere thought of going outside. Alas, the sun came out halfway through the run and took half the fun away (the gale force wind remained). Never mind, there's plenty more where that weather came from.

Getting out of the door was a bit of a struggle. During the week it takes me only 15 minutes to get from bed to door. Yesterday I was just about to leave when Maia woke and I had to make her breakfast, as well as a little chat. Then I was just about to leave when Shea woke, looking for some books, toys and breakfast. Then I was just about to leave when Cian woke, asking for breakfast as well. When Niamh woke I decided she was old enough to make her own breakfast and left, otherwise I would never have gotten out.

I seem to have overcome that damn cold that had me in its grip for 6 weeks. I did my last cough halfway through the Dingle marathon, and no problems since. Niamh is still a bit afflicted, which means the difference between us must have come from the healing powers of the marathon. Unfortunately, something else has crept up; Shea had a sore tummy yesterday and Maia was coughing heavily all day yesterday as well as last night, which made for another interrupted night of sleep. Real life isn't going away just because you're a runner, I suppose.

I'm still feeling fine, though. The 10 miles this morning were my first double-digits since the marathon last Saturday. I'm not sure how long the deeper effects of 26 mile last but I can't believe how quickly I have recovered from this. Running a marathon used to be tough, you know.

Today is of course the anniversary of 9/11 and the mood is rather sombre. I didn't know anyone personally, though the London office of Castor-Fitzgerald were customer of the company I was working for at the time and they were of course utterly devastated. It's a time to appreciate your own family more than ever.

10 Sep

8 miles, 1:02:20, 7:47 pace, HR 144

11 Sep

10 miles, 1:17:39, 7:45 pace, HR 145

Irene and Katia

The Caribic and the Gulf of Mexico might be far away from Ireland, but their weather does have an influence on ours. Once the hurricanes have finished their business over there they tend to cross the Atlantic, dumping the rest of their load over here. By then the wind strength is down to gale force and the rainfall is variable, but it never makes for great running conditions. A few runs in what used to be Irene were followed by half a day of nice weather and now Katia is paying us a visit. Bring on winter, I say.

I'm actually really looking forward to winter – not the potential for weeks of ice on untreated roads like the last 2 years, but the heavy mileage training that will be on the menu. Last year I trained very hard for the Vienna marathon. I achieved my dream target but at the cost of feeling mentally drained. I spent the last 6 months running purely for fun, not following a program, running just enough to keep my fitness level steady and racing for fun. Considering the lack of focus, my results this summer have been astounding, with new PBs in the 5K (which I thought I’d never reach again), 10K and 15 miles. But now my mojo for the marathon and beyond has returned and I'm looking forward to running long hours in the dark again. Some don’t like it, I love it.

A couple of videos From Dingle have appeared on youtube, and I like the embedded one. Grellan and I are 1:30 into it, easily recognisable by the yellow tops and the balloon. Grellan’s balloon is already gone, so the video must have been taken after the 4 mile mark. I have to say I look rather relaxed, obviously just out for a morning jog. But have a look at the runner 4:20 into the video. WTF!



Following the marathon on Saturday I took it very easy this week. The legs felt great on Wednesday and I thought they might already have forgotten about Dingle, but felt a lot more tired on Thursday, so I dialled it back again this morning. My sleep hasn’t exactly been helped by the presence of a certain 3-year old in the house. 3 times this week she woke at 4:xx in the morning to tell us that she needed the toilet and as much as I tried to get across that she can use the toilet without telling me in advance, I haven’t managed to get through yet. Twice she also woke me in the middle of the night because she was hungry and wanted breakfast – I would have gotten 8 hours of sleep without her all week, in reality this never happened. Her big brother was a night old as well at that age – if she follows in his footsteps, there are 3 more years of that to come. And yet her mother sleeps soundly through all that!

7 Sep

6.1 miles, 47:15, 7:45 pace, HR 147

8 Sep

8 miles, 1:03:25, 7:56 pace, HR 146

9 Sep

5 miles, 40:04, 8:02 pace, HR 142

Random Thoughts

I gained 3 pounds between Friday and Monday despite running a marathon on Saturday and then not having much of an appetite for the rest of that day. This is entirely consistent with any marathon I've ever done; I'm perfectly used to it but still baffled about the reason why this is happening. It's not calories, maybe it's water leaking out of damaged muscles fibres and staying there for a few days as someone once suggested.

Talking about weight reminds me of Richard’s comment

I must weigh at least 30 to 35 pounds more than you so my performances are world class with that sort of handicap.

In other words, he thinks I'm crap.

Someone else left a comment, this time regarding pacing in Dingle

I was pacing using the traditional method of a watch and mile markers, used long before Garmins were invented.

... but he forgot to add “and being told to slow down every other mile or so". That said, I could have done with someone telling me to slow down at mile 11. We covered that in 7:30, the fastest mile of the day by far. It was downhill, but we managed to temporarily lose almost the entire group. Sorry about that. Apart from that glitch, I am very happy with our pacing performance.

Dingle was a great event and fantastically organised, it really is a major shame that there was a glitch in the timing, with some people not being registered. I think it was mainly the half marathon runners that were affected. In the morning I had discussed that very detail with Niamh, along the lines of “timing chips integrated in the number are a great idea” “ ... as long as it works”, which was almost prophetic. Apparently that same timing system had had serious problems at a different local race this year as well – time to get rid, I think. For an event that worked so well on just about every other level, this one problem really sucks.

Niamh and I went for a drive later that day, first up Connor Pass and then around Slea Head, which meant Niamh got a very good idea of the ultra course. “I cannot believe you ran all that!” I take it as a compliment.

She also challenged me to run up Connor Pass on Sunday morning. For a second I actually seriously contemplated doing just that, but in the end sanity won out. I did not run at all on Sunday, but went for a walk up to Eask Tower with Niamh. The views there are absolutely jaw-dropping, it’s highly recommended.

I wasn’t sore at all after the marathon, just a little bit stiff on Monday, and by today, Tuesday, even that is gone. It really was just a comfortable long, slow training run for me. I might do more of that kind.

5 Sep

5 miles, 41:03, 8:13 pace, HR 137

6 Sep

5 miles, 39:57, 7:59 pace, HR 140

Over The Hills And Far Away

This one was an easy sell. "Honey, do you want to spend a free weekend in Dingle, just the two of us?" I think she was on the phone to Nana to mind the kids for us before I had even finished my sentence. So we found ourselves in Dingle on Friday evening, in a B&B just 100 meters away from the start line, now that is service.

The weather had been absolutely scary on Friday but we awoke on Saturday to absolutely perfect running conditions, no wind, no rain, cloudy, what more could you ask for. I shared pacing duties for the 3:30 marathon group with Grellan. I had hoped he would help keeping an eye on the pace but his Garmin had given up the ghost and it was up to me to keep us on target.

Wearing the bright yellow pacing tops from the Cork marathon was a good move. They are so distinctive. We shared the first half of the race with the half marathon runners and it subsequently was busy enough. There are other races who are vying for the tag of most scenic road race, and they all have things going for them, but the Dingle course is truly special. I did make sure to point out a few particularly beautiful views, but I don't think our pacees were particularly interested, they were busy enough trying to keep up, fully understandably so. 3 miles into the run, Grellan got a bit too close to the blackberry bushes. From that moment on, I was the only balloon man.

Pacing Dingle is a bit trickier than most marathons; there are no flat bits at all and the 350 feet killer hill awaiting at mile 22 demands some planning. We decided to bank about 2 minutes by mile 20 which meant running all miles between 5 and 10 seconds faster, depending on the hills. Grellan had had a look at previous results and pointed out that last year only 24 runners had broken 3:30; his prediction was that we would finish on our own. We had a decent group with us at first; at mile 9 I looked around and there were about 12 runners. At mile 11 I turned around again and went like "where the f*ck is everyone?", there was just one lady and nobody else. We eased up on the pace a bit and gathered our lost sheep. At mile 12 the half marathoners left us and the obvious joke "Half runners to the left, real men to the right" proved irresistible, but it did get a couple of laughs.

The climb out of Dunquin is challenging, we lost a couple more runners but kept on pace. At mile 17 I chatted with the only lady in our group. She told me she was suffering but agreed that the best thing to do was to hang on for as long as possible. I knew she would be well placed in the ladies' standings. As it turns out she was second, but as she was several minutes behind the leader but several minutes ahead of number three, our pacing did not have an influence on the actual placings.

As was inevitable, we steadily lost runners in our group and by the time we hit the big climb at mile 22 we were down to 3. One went ahead, the other 2 fell behind and Grellan's prediction looked very realistic. We did encourage runners to keep up as we passed them, but nobody took up the offer for long.

As challenging as the course is, running at 8-minute pace was so comfortable I never lost the perception that I was out for a comfortable stroll. At one point I told Grellan that my last long run had been the Cork marathon, prompting him to say I was faking my way to a marathon, but then I remembered a 20-mile run a few weeks ago, so I DID do some training. Anyway, I still felt perfectly comfortable even going up that steep hill. We reached the top with about 30 seconds still in the bank and took it very easy on the way down, which meant we got caught by a few runners we had just passed on the uphill, but nobody of our original group managed to come back.

Coming onto the last stretch it turned out that Grellan had been absolutely correct - we were indeed on our own. As he had already made suggestions about a final 100 meter sprint to determine the winner, I challenged him. He later claimed he let me win. Niamh confirmed that. I like to think he had been psyched out. In any case, it was a fun way to end a great run, milking the applause of the crowd for all it was worth.

The final sprint meant we were a bit quicker than planned, but I had 3:29:06 on my Garmin as I crossed the line, which is a perfectly acceptable time for a 3:30 pacer, and considering the tricky terrain I like to think we had done a good job. It would have felt better to have some runner with us at the line, but I know even so we did help a good few runners for as long as we could.

It definitely was the most fun I've ever had during the marathon. It looks like I've reached the point where I can run a 3:30 marathon at the drop of a hat, even without training specifically for it and even on a course as challenging as Dingle. It's a good place to be.

3 Sep

Dingle Marathon, 3:30 pacer, 3:29:06, 7:58 pace, HR 152

Mental Preparation

I'm just sitting here, mentally preparing for tomorrow's marathon. I've avoided doing so until now, but with 19 hours to go to the start it may be time to focus on the task at hand. Even if you're running slower than you're capable of, a marathon still deserves respect, especially one with a 350 feet killer hill at mile 21.

I'm really looking forward to this now. Anyone reading this is more than welcome to come up and say hello. I will be easy to spot; there will be one really good looking bloke in a yellow top with the balloon for the 3:30 pace group. That's Grellan, of course. The other one will be me.

After all the excitement of the weekend I did nothing but easy running this week, at roughly Dingle pace to get the legs used to that. I got it slightly wrong today and ran a bit too fast without noticing (I don't really check the Garmin during easy runs). I trust Grellan will keep an eye on the pace tomorrow. I've still got a cough and it still sounds a bit scary first thing in the morning but I can tell it's getting better. Niamh confirmed that she is feeling better as well, so I'd say we're all on the mend. It took long enough.

One thing I learned this week is that I need a belt once the weight drops below 145 pounds. My trousers are falling down and I can't afford to buy new ones. Shopping for trousers is a complete pain anyway, half the time they don't cater for my size and I hate the hassle of it all. I guess it's the price I have to pay for being a runner.

The weather forecast for tomorrow looks a bit dodgy; depending on who you believe we either will get wet or just about avoid it. One thing is for sure, there will be no repeat of the heat wave of the last 2 years (relatively speaking, obviously). It's gonna be good fun.

31 Aug

8 miles, 1:03:55, 7:59 pace, HR 145

1 Sep

6.1 miles, 48:07, 7:53 pace, HR 145

2 Sep

5 miles, 39:00, 7:48 pace, HR 147

Uphill Again

You might remember that last Sunday I had followed up a disastrous 5K with a run up Seefin mountain the next day. Paul took slight exception to me calling that "not real training", and while I can understand that a guy who has represented Ireland in a trail world championship feels that way, I am a road runner and the rule of specificity applies. But it got me thinking, why do I not feel the urge to run up these mountains every day like others would?

As much as I treasure the views from up there, that's not really what I'm looking for. I guess the main thing is that I get the quiet, peaceful me-time on the road at 6 o'clock just as much as I would up on the mountains. There aren't too many people on the Kerry roads at that time. I also like running purely for the sake of running itself. I prefer being able to stride out and not having to wonder what I'm landing on. Running across a boggy field isn't as meditative.

Having said that, I had enjoyed my little mountain trip sufficiently to do it again on Saturday, but this time I extended the route and once I had reached the top of Seefin (via a more direct route and almost 5 minutes faster than last week) I followed the ridge that runs parallel to Caragh Lake on the left and Dingle Bay on the right, basically re-tracing the route of the mountain run stage of the Rás na Ríochta adventure race. When I hit Windy Gap I turned left and followed the Kerry Way back home. All in all it got me over 10 miles and the conviction that I had just completely destroyed the last remnants of hope for a decent race the following day. Little did I know. Maybe the key to a fast 10K is to run a mountain the day before and then cycle 40 minutes to the race start (remember, you heard it here first!).

Interestingly, since yesterday morning I have been feeling much better. I am not sure if I am feeling better because the 10K lifted my spirits or if I had already been recovering and the 38 minutes 10K was merely a sign of that, but I don't care. I spent much of last week feeling sorry for myself, wishing my running were better and worrying about Dingle. All of a sudden I feel like newborn, Dingle will be great fun and I am thinking about adding one or two more races to my racing season (that last point could be a mistake, of course).

27 Aug

10.5 miles, 1:43:15, 9:50 pace, HR 151

29 Aug

6.1 miles, 47:22, 7:45 pace, HR 143

30 Aug

6.1 miles, 46:35, 7:38 pace, HR 146

A Real Surprise

When Niamh went to Dublin for an extended weekend, not only did she take the kids, she also took the car, leaving me rather stranded here in Caragh Lake. There was a race on in Milltown, the next village from Killorglin, but as I was not feeling too well I did not think I'd even attempt to go there.

I also thought I'd successfully sabotaged any hopes of a good run on Sunday by returning to the mountains on Saturday, giving especially the calves a bloody good workout, but that run deserves its own blog post, which I reserve for later this week. When Niamh rang me last night and inquired if I was going to do the race, I said I'd make a late decision on Sunday but expected to stay at home.

Sunday was a beautiful day and while the antibiotics had not cleared my chest as much as I had hoped for, I was feeling better and decided to go ahead. I did not expect anything apart from having fun. I was not exactly well rested. Apart from being up in the mountains on Saturday and not being recovered from my man flu, I also had to cycle the 10 miles from Caragh Lake to Milltown, trying not to kill myself with the effort before I even got to the start line.

I got there in good time and noticed during the warm-up that my legs felt like they had bricks attached to them. I wasn't sure if the mountains or the bike were to blame, but decided just to jog slowly for a mile to shake them out a bit and not tire myself out unnecessarily otherwise.

The usual fast local runners were gathered in force and I started right behind them, as always. The course was a loop of about 9K, so the start was offset by 1 km and the first and last K would be the same. That road was a fairly steep downhill; a fast start and a fast finish were assured.



The field settled very quickly and I found myself around 10th place, behind a group consisting of the leading lady Marie, Phil and one other guy I did not know. About a mile into the race I realised I was running the same pace as that group but 5 meters behind them, so I injected some pace to catch up. It's always easier to run in a group. Just as I caught up, the unknown guy started to falter and I had to pass him to stay with the others.

The next 5K were all about me hanging on desperately to the back of the group. I felt I was going a tiny bit too fast for my abilities but refused to give in. Last week's disastrous race was still vivid in my memory and I wasn't sure if repeating the same tactic, namely trying very hard to stay with the group, was really such a great idea but was unwilling to slow down. I did fall behind a couple of steps on numerous occasions and had to speed up each time to keep contact, but I just about managed it.

The roads were very quiet, typical Kerry country roads, just like I'm used to from training and I really enjoyed it, as much as you can call it enjoyment when running right at the pain threshold. There were some very straight sections where you could see 2 miles ahead and the best thing was not to look ahead. The other feature were a couple of hills, and they sure did drag on.

Shortly after 6K Marie managed to gain about 3 meters on Phil and me and seemed assured to leave us in the dust. I caught a look at the numbers on my Garmin and realised that our pace was slipping and tried to push past Phil. As soon as I drew level he accelerated and I ended up a couple of steps behind him again. Uphill running isn't my forte and I was struggling to keep pace while trying not to kill myself. Shortly before the 8K mark I noticed that the pace had definitely been slipping; the average pace on the Garmin now read 6:18 (minutes per mile, that is), well down on the pace needed for a personal best, and I decided to give it a good go from her on, as the last downhill K would help. I pushed past Phil again. Again he accelerated when I drew level but this time I kept the pressure on. I concentrated on catching Marie and eventually Phil's footsteps started to recede and I was right behind Marie. Tempted as I was to take a break, I pushed on even harder. I thought we were at 9K, where the start line had been, and put the hammer down.

Turns out I was wrong, the 9K marker came about a quarter mile later but there was nothing left to do but keep going. The world shrunk to a bubble, I was hardly aware of anything else, there was just me and the pain and no way out, except to push as hard as I could. Arthur, who had come second, saw me on his cool down and later commented that I must have had a good finish. He was right. I pulled well clear of Marie and came close to catching the fella in front, who had been way ahead of me with a mile to go, but in the end I ran out of road and finished 6 seconds behind him in 9th place.

I was pleased with my race but got a real surprise when I looked at the time, 37:58! To be fair, the course might have been a tiny bit short which would definitely have taken me over the 38 minutes mark, but what the hell, I'll take it anyway. I see it as compensation for suffering the long course last week.

As pleased as I was with my performance, the banter afterwards was even better, everyone seemed to be in a great mood and the lovely weather sure helped. I didn't even mind when it turned out that those 6 seconds had cost me the trophy for the third man over 35 (the age groups were a bit funny, O35 and O50 only), and only swore a little bit when my bike had a flat tyre 6 miles from home on the way back. The positives definitely outshone the negatives today.

28 Aug

~8.5 miles, including:
   Milltown 10K, 37:58, new PB, 9th overall

Man Flu

I can’t quite remember when it was that I started coughing, but I know that it was about 3 days after Niamh, which leaves me in no doubt on who is to blame. The children all got it as well and even though it’s a rather mild form of sickness it turns out to be a very persistent one because we all still have it. I also blame it for last week’s bad race, but that’s beside the point.

As much as I hate going to the doctor I still remember what happened the last time I kept running with a persistent cough, and I really do not fancy catching pneumonia again, so off to the doctor I went. She did not seem overly concerned but because of my history prescribed me some antibiotics.

Maybe it’s just in the head, but after one day of treatment I already felt better this morning. Mind, I ran much too fast as a result and the HR was even higher than on previous days. The cough is still there and I have to take care.

It might still be August, but summer is definitely coming to an end. It’s fairly dark when I get up and the last few mornings have all been really cold. The biting wind does not help in that regard. Today I wished I’d brought some gloves with me. Gloves in August! What’s the world coming to?

I'm still optimistic that all will be resolved in time for me to run Dingle without problems. I haven’t exactly done much training, but with my background I should be able to get through. I remember saying that before all of my previous “pacing” marathons.

Niamh went to Dublin (again!!!!), and this time she took all the kids with her. Unfortunately she also took the car, which leaves me rather confined at home. I might do the 10k in Milltown on Sunday but will make a late decision. No need to point out that I would not expect a spectacular result.

24 Aug

8 miles, 1:02:08, 7:46 pace, HR 150

25 Aug

7 miles, 54:24, 7:46 pace, HR 147

26 Aug

8 miles, 1:00:50, 7:36 pace, HR 151

Should Have Done This AGES Ago

I was spoiled for choice last weekend with no less than 3 races on offer. As you know, I did the “5K” (haha) on Saturday, but there was also another 5K and the IMRA Mangerton race on Sunday, all within easy distance from home. After feeling like being hit by a bus after Saturday, neither was an option, really, but I decided to make up a bit for missing out on Mangerton by running up the nearest mountain from home, Seefin.

That’s a run I had been planning on doing for ages, but never got round to because there was always some “real” training to be done. The weather was beautiful when I got ready to go out, cloudy when I left home and raining within a mile, but luckily it improved again. I took it easy, especially as the legs felt rather heavy from the race and I took my time. I ran for as long as possible, even on the rougher terrain, but started hiking on the last, very steep bit up to the summit. There are no less than 3 three cairns on top of the mountain, and one of them had a funny circle of white stones around it, which can even be made out on the Google Earth screenshot (if you click on it). I picked up a small stone as memento (and because the boys love collecting “interesting stones”) and headed back home, taking a more direct route down the mountain. It had taken me just over 50 minutes to get from our door to the top and slightly over half an hour to get back home and I think it was the perfect way to get the legs moving that day and to get the painful memories of the race flushed out.

There is yet another race this Sunday. After Saturday’s howler I’d normally be inclined to give it a miss, but as it is in the neighbouring village I may just participate for the fun of it, but then that’s it, my racing season is over, and within hindsight it probably should have been so 3 weeks ago. I have the small matter of two marathons ahead of me, but since I am running both of them at the relatively sedate pace of 3:30, those will count as training runs for next spring, really. I am already looking forward to next year. It might be a bit premature, but I take it as a good sign that the mojo for the longer distances has returned.

I need to get rid of that cold first, though. I have booked a doctor’s appointment.

21 Aug

7.8 miles, 1:25:47, 10:59 pace, HR 143
   mountain run, mostly off-road

22 Aug

5 miles, 38:33, 7:43 pace, HR 143

23 Aug

8 miles, 1:02:46, 7:51 pace, HR 147

So Much For A Downhill Start!

And there was me, really looking forward to today's race. The website still states

Just to make it a bit different, we are starting just inside the gates opposite the Cathedral and finishing at Killarney House, so no uphill finish!

which to me meant a downhill start and the possibility of a very fast race. I wasn't the only one under that impression, as three quarters of the field gathered at Knockreer, only to be ushered towards Killarney House. I was seriously confused, and so was Seamus, because if we started there and finished there, surely that would be well over 5k?

Anyway, I started right up front with the leaders and hung in there. Two guys eventually gapped the rest but there was a sizable pack of at least 6 runners (possibly more but I never looked behind me) sticking together and we made good progress. We went over the little hill at Knockreer, where we SHOULD have started and then followed the usual 5K route that I have raced on at least a dozen times, but in the reverse. After about 1.5 miles I felt the strain of the fast pace but managed to stick with the (by now considerably thinned out) pack for another half mile, but at the prize of seriously hurting lungs and legs and eventually I just could not stay with them any longer and they started inching away from me. The leading lady passed me as well, and even though I tried to hitch a ride, I lost contact soon.

From that point on I was on my own. I thought of my Dad who is at that very moment in the intensive care unit in hospital and thought that pushing through the pain barrier might make him proud of me even though he would never say so, but that soppy romantic image faded as quickly as the rest of me. I knew I had slowed down considerably as the runners ahead disappeared into the distance and was amazed that nobody caught up with me. My breathing was totally haywire, I was wheezing loudly with every breath but could not get enough oxygen into the system. The last mile seemed to last forever, and the fact that the course was way long did not help. Eventually I saw the finish, just as I heard footsteps appear from behind. I upped the pace, trying to hold off the challenger, but natural pace is not something I am blessed with and he easily caught me. I would have been well clear of him at 5k, but the real distance today was 3.33 miles according to my Garmin, as well as three or fours other runners' toys, and the RD later admitted the error.

It didn't really matter, looking at it now I went through 5k in 18:56 which is a lousy time. The mile splits of 5:38, 6:04, 6:34, (6:10 pace for the final 0.33 miles) tell you the entire story. You could of course argue that I started too fast, but in my experience 5Ks don't work like that. All my best times at that distance have been achieved by starting fast and hanging on as best as I can. The times I tried to start in a measured way and keep the pace even have always been slower. It's a painful distance and a painful way of running it but I'd had vague hopes of breaking 18 minutes today and I was worlds away from that.

By the way, after the race I saw a map of the proposed course in the hall, and it clearly showed Knockreer as the start, just like promised at the web site, so why they made us run the extra distance from Killarney House is anyone's guess.

Oh, and apparently I came sixth, though I thought I was about eighth or ninth during the race, not that I was concentrating on counting the runners ahead of me. There were no prizes for age group runners, so I went home empty handed.

I was completely shattered afterwards, I collapsed into the grass beside the finish for a minute and when I tried to get up felt dizzy so I stayed down for a bit longer. When walking back, one woman inquired if I was ok, I must have looked really bad. I've had a cough/cold for the last 10 days or so, the entire family has it and we can't seem to shake it. It never bothered me at all in training, but things may be different at race intensity, especially at 5K race intensity. I don't want to make excuses though, I faded extremely badly today and was well off the pace at the end. The HR was as high as for my PB a few weeks ago, so it's not for lack of trying. My best guess is that as someone who sharpens quickly I cannot hold my peak shape for long and my conditioning is on the downward slide already.

18 Aug

6.1 miles, 47:12, 7:43 pace, HR 143

19 Aug

5 miles, 38:45, 7:44 pace, HR 151
   incl. 5x100 strides

20 Aug

~7 miles, including:
Run Kerry Run "5K" (3.33 miles!)
   20:16, going through 5K in 18:56, avg. HR 181, max. HR 187
   6th overall (?), no M40 prizes

Home Alone

Sometimes Niamh refuses to take responsibility. Isn't there a law that children need to be watched all the time? Instead she trundled off to Dublin for her mum's birthday, and it took several hours of tense negotiations to get her to agree to take two children with her. The other two were abandoned – with me! I even had to take 2 days off work.

It meant a very early start on Tuesday so that I could get a few miles under the belt before driving to Killarney to drop them onto the train. Getting up at 5:45 for mere 5 miles does not sound worthwhile so I spiced things up with a set of hill sprints. I can't tell if they make me a better runner but I can tell that I'm getting better at doing hill sprints. Once more I did not have a set number in mind, but I did 10 before returning home, 2 more than last week. Or so I thought, because when I counted the spikes in the graph afterwards, I got 11. Don't blame me, it's hard to keep count when you're charging up that hill at full belt.

I had accepted the fact that I would not be able to run today, but Niamh suggested taking them to Killarney National Park with their bikes and run alongside. I did not expect them to agree when I suggested it, but they were all for it and off we went. It was a gorgeous day, which helped. I let the kids decide the route and we went from Knockreer to Ross Castle. Cian especially set a ferocious pace and I was just about able to hang on at sub-7 pace at times. We had a long break there and since he was tired on the way back the pace was much more civilised. I got just over 3 miles done; while running like that won't do for marathon training, spending a couple of hours of quality time with the kids more than makes up for that.

15 Aug

6 miles, 48:58, 8:09 pace, HR 137

16 Aug

5+ miles, 46:47, 9:08 pace, HR 144
   incl. 11x15 sec max effort hill sprints

17 Aug

3.2 miles, 23:41, 7:24 pace, HR 144

Sweet

Shea: Dad, why do you sometimes run in the rain?
Dad: I run every day, even when it's raining
Shea: Oh, and if you didn't run that much, would you not be able to race as fast?
Dad: That's exactly it.

I think he's grasped the basics of training. Maybe he'll be able to coach me one day.

Luckily I did not have to deal with rain this weekend. Saturday started cloudy and I had my run in ideal conditions, and when the sun came out in the afternoon it turned into pretty much a perfect day. There's not much to say about my run, just 7 miles at what should have been easy pace, but I kept thinking about Dingle and for whatever reason that made me run faster than planned. Still, I felt good.

My family seem determined to turn me into a fat slob, now even the kids have started baking. They got a cook book and some paraphernalia, and now there's no stopping them. I knew which parent is to blame for that one! Luckily, they are great at making sure Daddy doesn't eat too many of the damn things.

With Dingle only three weeks away I thought I'd better get one long(ish) hilly run under my belt, so I set out around Caragh Lake. For some strange reason, this is my third pacing gig and the third time that I only did one 15 mile "long" run. Still, the other two pacing gig went very well and I should be ok for this one as well.

While I felt a bit tired after only 8 miles, I got over that and the rest of the run went well. The sun came out but I was back home before the heat and dehydration became an issue.

I was a bit worried about my knee as I banged it badly on Saturday. It was slightly swollen and hurt with each step, but it never got any worse during the run and I eventually forgot about it. The achilles issue I mentioned a few days ago seems to have gone away as well. Being un-injured is something you tend to take for granted until injury strikes, so it's good from time to time to remember and appreciate being able to run.

13 Aug

7 miles, 53:01, 7:34 pace, HR 149

14 Aug

15 miles, 1:58:48, 7:55 pace, HR 147

Too Fast

I never thought I'd have that particular problem, but I really wish I'd learn to run slower in my interval workouts. I should know better, the coach had explained how most runners do intervals too fast and do not get the optimal benefits out of this workout, but it's one thing to know that in theory and a different one to implement that in reality.

The idea was to run a small set of quarter mile repeats at 5K pace, 5:50, with short recoveries of 60 seconds. Daniel's running formula had them a little bit faster, but I think he's talking 400s and a quarter mile is a tad longer which may make up the odd second of difference, not that it actually matters as my lack of pacing ability won't let me run them at the exact right pace anyway.

Halfway through the first repeat I glanced at the Garmin and realised I was doing about 5:20 pace, so I relaxed for the second half. Halfway through the second repeat I realised I was doing 5:15 pace, so I relaxed even more during THAT second half. The third was better, if still a tad fast, and I thought I'd cracked it and therefore did not check the Garmin until late into the fourth repeat when I was back on 5:20 pace again. The next 2 repeats were too fast by a significant margin again and at that point I pulled the plug and called it a day (after recovering while leaning against the nearest fence post, trying not to topple over, that is). I need to safe those kind of efforts for race day.

Considering how appalling the weather has been the last few days, I have gotten away rather lightly. Thursday's 8 miles were the only ones in pouring rain and I can easily deal with gale force wind, I have experienced that often enough.

Puck Fair was affected by the weather as well, but I managed to spend Thursday's lunch time with the kids, sacrificing myself for a few rides at the fun fair, but it wasn't enough to stop the complaints about not being allowed on this ride or him getting more candy floss or her being unfair ... kids these days, eh? The Caragh Lake road was much busier than usual because it serves as Killorglin's bypass to those in the know, but I survived that as well despite some of the lorry drivers mistaking it for a destruction derby race track.

My left achilles was a bit sore last night, but feels better already. I always seem to get achilles problems right before Dingle. After I even got a mention in Dingle marathon's facebook page, I better not let that get in the way of my pacing duties. But hey, there's always Grellan to fall back on, right?

11 Aug

8 miles, 1:02:35, 7:49 pace, HR 146

12 Aug

6 miles, 44:32, 7:25 pace, HR 156
   6x400 (60 sec rec) @ 5:45, 5:43, 5:45, 5:34, 5:39, 5:38 pace

Insomnia

6 easy miles on Monday were followed by a slow shuffle for the first mile on Tuesday, but the legs came round before I reached the hill. I repeated last week’s all-out hill sprints, once again without a specific number of repeats in mind, but I did hope to go at least one better. I reckoned that last week’s near-fainting must have been caused by hyperventilating and tried to breathe normally after the sprints, at least as normally as you can if you’ve just narrowly escaped the clutches of a sabre-toothed tiger chasing you (that’s how I push myself to all-out efforts – imagination is a wonderful thing). The dizziness stayed away this time but the little wave of nausea started hitting me after the sixth repeat and the legs felt decidedly heavy during the eighth, so that’s when I called it a day.

I never used to have trouble sleeping, not since I started running anyway, but I’ve had quite a few bad nights recently. I'm not sure what the cause is, surely the reduced mileage won’t cause insomnia? Last night was particularly bad, I woke at 2:30 and that was that. Nothing worked and in the end I could just stare at the ceiling, waiting until it was bright enough to go for a run. As I was out so early I did a couple of extra miles and still had times to cut some wood and do the dishes after my return. On the plus side, I should sleep soundly tonight.

The weather turned scary, just in time for Killorglin’s annual dabble with anarchy, Puck Fair. That’s unfortunate, there is usually a great buzz in town, but with a miniature hurricane blowing, most people prefer to huddle indoors instead of participating in the festivities.

8 Aug

6+ miles, 47:56, 7:51 pace, HR 140

9 Aug

5 miles, 43:37, 8:43 pace, HR 143
    incl. 8x15 sec all-out hill sprints

10 Aug

8 miles, 1:01:16, 7:39 pace, HR 47

Worried

With no race this weekend, things are a bit quieter than usual. I even had the luxury of a lie-in both Saturday and Sunday, sleeping till well after 8 o’clock (yes, that counts as a very late morning in our house). Even Niamh commented how unusual it is for her to wake up and having her husband still there.

Friday was a bit unusual due to it being our company’s day out. This year we went to Cappanalea, which seems strange as it is less than 5 miles from home and yet we usually go much further away. I picked kayaking (with an eye on potential future adventure races) and orienteering (as it was the closest thing to running) as my activities and thoroughly enjoyed the day, though the party afterwards was distinctly flat. I think most people were too knackered after a day out to party.

Saturday was yet another easy day, and by then I’d had it with easy days.

MC won’t like it, but I could not stand the never-ending sequence of 5 mile recovery runs any more and took off for a bit of fun this morning. I used to do a lot of tempo runs when training for Vienna and decided to do another one today. As I had no idea what pace I was capable of I paced myself by HR, but switched the display of the Garmin so that I would be able to see the pace, otherwise the ego would have gotten in the way. The plan was to stay between 165 and 170 bpm at all times I stuck to that. Had I seen the pace numbers, I would most likely have accelerated because there is no way I would have been happy with 6:44 pace; I used to do them 20 seconds per mile quicker only 4 months ago. However, that was then and this is now and I’m not in the same shape I was in when I had realistic hopes of running 2:55 for a marathon.

I am getting a bit nervous about pacing Dingle. Funny, I’ve been saying that before every one of my “pacing” marathons. It just seems wrong tohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif run a marathon without having done marathon training beforehand. Dingle is a bit trickier than most when it comes to pacing with the undulating course and especially the massive hill towards the end. I think the best way to achieve a certain time on that course is to bank about 3 minutes by mile 20, which mean running the first 20 miles 10 seconds per mile faster, because you will need some time for that final hill. Normally, banking time is not a very good idea, but the Dingle elevation profile is not a normal one.

Why do I even worry? I’m sure it will be fine. I ran a 15 miler in 1:35, going through the half marathon in 1:23, only 3 weeks ago. That’s not a bad shape to be in.

5 Aug

am: 5 miles, 40:09, 8:02 pace, HR 142
pm: ~3 miles orienteering

6 Aug

6+ miles, 47:35, 7:44 pace, HR 144

7 Aug

10 miles, 1:09:23, 6:56 pace. HR 162
   incl. 7 miles @ 6:44 pace, HR 167

Faint

I'm back on my familiar routes in Caragh Lake, but since I'm still in recovery mode I'm not exactly accumulating a lot of mileage. But it’s enough to keep me from going bananas, which is at least something.

After yet another short, easy run on Monday I added a bit of spice to Tuesday’s workout in the form of hill sprints. These are meant to be short sprints at maximum effort, not enough to get anaerobic but enough to activate your muscle fibres. It’s supposed to train your neuromuscular system and is apparently effective at increasing running efficiency, but I have to take their word for that.

I did not have a specific number of repeats in mind but I ran each effort from the beginning of the road to the gate, which happened to take about 15 seconds, not that I was timing the efforts, and then walked down the hill slowly for recovery. Each sprint is hard enough to raise the HR by 30-40 beats, but the max HR is reached several seconds AFTER the end of the sprint. Another few seconds later I would be hit by a wave of nausea, but by the time I had walked back down the hill I always felt fully recovered. After the fifth repeat the nausea was accompanied by feeling dizzy, which was magnified again after the sixth; I was dizzy, light headed, tunnel vision with stars in front of my eyes. I have fainted on a couple of occasions in my life and that’s exactly what it feels like immediately before the blackout so I left it at that. Running until you faint may be quite some story, but not one I was particularly keen to add to me repertoire that day.

This may sound a bit dramatic, but it only lasted for a couple of seconds. I immediately felt right as rain again and had no issues on my slow jog back home.

Niamh had a girls’ night out on Wednesday and got a taxi back home. In the morning I took the key and ran into town to collect the car and drove it back home. It’s always good to remind your better half that there are advantages to having a runner in your house from time to time.

2 Aug

6.1 miles, 47:48, 7:50 pace, HR 142

3 Aug

5 miles, 44:14, 8:51 pace, HR 144
   incl. 6x15 max. effort sec hill sprints

4 Aug

7 miles, 53:49, 7:41 pace, HR 147

The Long Weekend

I continued being annoyed with myself after Friday's race. Had I run the first 3 miles like I had in Killarney a week before, I could have run a final 6:30 mile and still averaged 6:00, but I didn't. Even with a slower start, I still slowed down with each subsequent mile and I ended up missing a new PR by a few seconds. Since there aren't any other 4 mile races around, that's my chance gone for another year. But it wasn't the missed PB that annoyed me, it was the fact that I did not run as hard as I could have.

I had hoped my legs would feel sharper after last week's race, but if the mind does not play along, a new PB is simply not on the cards.

Anyway, after one final run in Valentia, where I felt surprisingly good, less than 12 hours after the race, we returned back home to Caragh Lake where we can enjoy the trappings of civilization again, like TV, internet, telephone and, this year, drinkable water. I prefer home, but of course I understand that Niamh wanted to spend some time with her parents. The older generation likes being off-grid. I ... don't.

DOMS inevitably hit me on Sunday, as expected, but actually I felt pretty good. Thankfully this was a bank holiday weekend, with Saturday taken up by our return from Valentia I needed the extra day off, and it felt like a normal weekend to me.

It was a good weekend football-wise, for both codes. City beat Inter, Kerry won and Cork provided the comedy factor. It did put a smile on my face, even if it meant they will miss out on the annual footballing lesson at Croker this year.

Back to running, since I have agreed to pace the 3:30 groups both in Dingle and Dublin it means I'm getting my marathon fix without putting myself through a training cycle that I could not face up to a couple of months ago. Hopefully this will then lead straight into training for 2012. I pretty much decided what I'm going to aim for. It won't be a new marathon PB, I'm afraid, but it has me excited all the same. I need to figure out how to convert the Lydiard training for longer distances, but I'll give it a go.

30 Jul

6 miles, 46:53, 7:48 pace, HR 146

31 Jul

5 miles, 39:21, 7:52 pace, HR 141

1 Aug

5 miles, 39:42, 7:56 pace, HR 139

Monthly Mileage: 264+