Final Ballycotton Thoughts

Right, all you smart arses, how can you possibly tell from that photo that she was overtaking me, and not the other way round? In case you really want to know, there were 13 out of 698 women ahead of me at the finish, but I can't tell if the one in the photo is amongst them. So there.

I still can't quite work out why Ballycotton is so popular. It's great for the elites because of the incredibly strong field, and it's great for the once-a-year crowd because of the atmosphere created by the sheer number of runners. However, for the ones in-between like me it's less than ideal. You can't warm up, and the number of idiots who insist at starting near the front even though they have no business there makes the first 2 miles a complete pain, and completely wastes the downhill bonus. That doesn't take anything away from the incredibly well run organisation. How they managed to get well over 2000 people in and out of such a tiny place without any congestion is astounding, and the race went off without a glitch, like every year. Amazing. Still, I'm not sure if I'll go there again. I probably prefer smaller races.

Just like last week's tempo runs, the race is taking me a bit longer to recover from than I'm used to. On Wednesday my legs were still tired and heavy, and I made sure to take it really easy. It was only a short run, which was great because it meant I could catch up on sleep a little bit. It was still rather windy, but nowhere near the conditions like the previous two days. Mind you, I still got wet from one of those passing showers. The problem with those is that you stay wet even after they have passed over. Don't I know it!

I had toyed with the idea of running 20 miles today, but since I am planning a really long run on the weekend I cut it to 17, which also meant an extra 25 minutes of sleep. Sleep has been getting rather rare in the last week or two. I have tried sleeping about 8 hours on average since the New Year, and while I didn't quite get there, I wasn't too far off either. Somehow this has slipped, but I'll have to get it right again. I don't want to feel tired all the time.

Anyway, today's run. The wind had finally stopped, but I didn't trust the elements and in an attempt to avoid getting too wet I decided to run two loops around the Devil's Elbow instead, which would give me the option of getting changed half way through if needs be. As a water-avoiding plan this backfired spectacularly, because less than two miles into the run I came across a flooded section, and since it was still very dark (well before 6 am) I couldn't see where I was going and promptly ended up with my right foot in ankle-deep, icy cold water. I knew the next 15 miles wouldn't feel overly comfortably on that foot, but actually I managed to ignore the clammy feeling in my toes for most of the run. Of course I came across the same section again on my second loop, but by then it was much brighter, I could see where I was going and “only” ended up in an inch-deep foot bath. The rest of the run was pretty uneventful; I'm surprised how easy 17 miles are these days, even over very hilly terrain. For the most time I was happy enough to just plod along, but I did manage around 7:30 pace for the last 3 or 4 miles, even if that section is slightly net downhill.

I got permission from Niamh to run long on the weekend, probably Sunday because I have got a few chores to do on Saturday, and the weather forecast is pretty much the same for both days. I expect to get wet. I haven't decided how far exactly I'm going to run yet. Early today I thought that 4 hours might be too long because I haven't gone past 2:45 during my entire training, and maybe I should just run 3:30 at my planned race pace. Then I realised that this would mean running an entire marathon at quite some pace, which mightn't be the best idea if I want to be recovered come the actual race day. I still don't know. I tend to recover amazingly quickly from a long run, but this is new territory.

12 Mar

8.5 miles, 1:10:51, 8:20 pace, HR 141

13 Mar

17 miles, 2:19:13, 8:11 pace, HR 143

After the Race

Thanks everyone for the nice comments, they are all very much appreciated. The more I think about the race the happier I am with it. McMillan's running calculator has this as my best race ever, but the WAVA calculator rates it slightly less than the 10k I ran last year in Adare. When I crossed the finishing line I was disappointed to miss 65 minutes, but I have come to the conclusion that it was never on the cards. It all comes back to the pneumonia.6 weeks is not a lot of training by any means, and taking that into account I think I ran as well as I could. I have been wondering if I could have kept up with Grellan and Brendan when they pulled away from me at 3.5 miles, but looking at my heart rate chart tells me that my heart rate was already way too high. It had gone all the way up to 187 on the second mile, 97% of my max, and so far higher than is recommended for a 10 miler, it's off the scale. In light of that I'm surprised I managed to hold on as well as I did.

Grellan pointed out that I am on one of the race photos after all, a rather dark one though. I'm the one in the yellow singlet, Brendan is two steps in front of me. It must have been taken around the 3 mile marker, probably just as I was realising that I was falling apart.

Since this was only a preparation race for Connemara, I didn't hang around for recovery either. My first plan was to run a long run on Monday, following the possibly dumb theory that running on tired legs is good ultra training. However, the weather forecast had left no doubts, there were storms of serious magnitude on the way, and I wondered if I would be able to run at all. I woke at 5:30m which would have been enough time for 15 miles and turned around straight away, the wind and rain sounded just brutal. I did get up about an hour later and braved the elements for 7.5 miles. The legs were just as stiff as expected, but I managed ok. So much so, in fact, that I added 4 miles at lunchtime on the treadmill in the gym, while watching the world almost get blown apart outside.

The wind was even worse today, but I was determined to get my workout done anyway. The sound of the rain was discouraging as I was about to venture out, so I waited 5 minutes, and luck was on my side as the rain gradually lessened, enough to be able to go out. By some miracle I managed to avoid all puddles on our driveway and went on my way relatively dry. Unfortunately by mile 5 a torrential downpour started, and within half a minute I was soaked to the bones. I contemplated turning back home after the first loop, but just as I reached the junction in question the rain stopped again, and I headed towards the second loop. The wind never ceased, and it was bad, no doubts about it. I looked up the data in the weather pages afterwards, and it reported gusts of up to 100km/h (62mph). I don't think I had to face gales quite as bad as that, but it was challenging all the same. It seemed to brighten up later on and I cycled to work, but in the afternoon Niamh called me and basically forbade me to cycle home, it was too dangerous. She gave me a lift instead. The conditions are finally supposed to improve during the day tomorrow.

I'm planning a long training run on Saturday, or maybe Sunday. One of those runs only ultra runners do, 4 hours or so, slowly, just spending time on the feet. First I need to convince Niamh, and then I have to hope for better weather. The forecast is unsure, it depends on who you believe.

The heart rate for the runs since the race has been really low. I have noticed that phenomenon before; after each race my heart rate drops a level. I think that's a good thing. I would race more often if there were more races available.

10 Mar

am: 7.5 miles, 1:05:47, 8:46 pace, HR 140
pm: 4 miles, 34:40, 8:40 pace, treadmill

11 Mar

14.1 miles, 2:00:31, 8:32 pace, HR 138

Cork 1 - Kerry 0

Ewen can relax, Mike will have to give up Guinness for Keith's Red Amber for an unspecified period - sorry, Mike. I've got plenty of excuses, but Grellan was unbeatable today.

I set off at about 8:50, a bit later than planned, at nice sunny weather. Within 20 miles it was raining heavily, and when crossing a small mountain on the Kerry-Cork border I ran into a snow storm. I tried not to think about what the conditions at the race would be like and pressed on. And wouldn't you believe it, by the time I was in Cork to pick up Grellan, the sun was shining again, though it was still rather cold with the unforgiving wind.

We got to Ballycotton in good time where we met Grellan's colleague, Brendan. All three of us had similar expectations for the race. It took me a while to make up my mind if I should wear a t-shirt or a singlet, and eventually ended up opting for the later. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, while most of the country was experiencing heavy rain we stood there in nice sunshine, albeit freezing in our flimsy outfits. Unfortunately you can't really warm up for the event. There were over 2200 people at the start, and Ballycotton is a tiny place with a narrow street, and if you weren't at your position 30 minutes before time you either need very sharp elbows or you are going to start behind everyone else. Thus the first miles would have to do for a warm-up.

As always, there were plenty of slower runners near the front who should have started well behind, and the first mile involved a lot of weaving. A guy helpfully shouted out splits at the 1 mile marker, and I was shocked to hear that almost 7 minutes had passed. I need to run faster than that, and accelerated. Only after the race did Grellan point out to me that I had forgotten to take the 15 seconds into account that it had taken us to cross the start line. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that I could have been such an idiot, but at the time all I could think was to run faster. What followed were two rather quick miles, where my HR went up all the way to 180, which should have been warning enough to slow down. At the 3 mile marker (19:45) it became apparent that 65 minutes were not on the menu today, I was behind time and the last two miles had sapped all strength out of my legs. Grellan caught up with me shortly afterwards, and he and Brendan continued to pull away from me, slowly but steadily, and I could not follow. The next three miles were really tough. I was gone, the race effort was getting to me, I wished it were all over and I could hardly keep my position in the field. Each climb, even hardly noticeable ones, took too much out of me, and it just wasn't my day. Then, around the 10k marker (41:06) a miracle happened, the fatigue left my legs, I could pull away from the runners around me, and apart from one very fast guy I was not passed any more. I kept looking out, more in hope than expectation, that Grellan and/or Brendan would turn up on the radar screen, but expected them to be too far ahead. The first two miles had been downhill, though that had been rather wasted because of all the weaving we had to do around the slow folks, which meant that the last two miles would be a very, very tough uphill finish. By mile 8 I finally managed to spot Brendan, but did not expect to be able to catch up, he was too far ahead. However, he was suffering badly, and the climb just about killed him; within half a mile I was level, and even though I tried to encourage him he could not keep up. I felt good, and against all logic I ran the two uphill miles towards the finish faster than the first two downhill miles from the start. However, in the end I ran out of road. The longer the race went on the better I felt, and I would have run a very good half marathon, but this was a 10 miler, and not even the final sprint could get me under 66 minutes, and I finished in 66:01, a minute slower than my target. Grellan won the direct contest by almost a minute, even though he was very gracious in victory. Congratulations, mate.

I was a little bit disappointed, but overall I'm ok. 6 weeks ago I was just getting out of the house for the first time after my pneumonia, and there just wasn't enough time to get into peak fitness. It is still the fastest time I have ever managed over 10 miles, and I think by the time Connemara comes along I will be in better shape than last year. Plus, I had run 20 miles only three days ago, Grellan wore racers compared to my trainers, and apart from Monday I hadn't done any tempo training, Those are all really stupid excuses, of course. I ran as fast as I could, and it was a minute slower than anticipated. End of story. I'll take the positives (i.e. I had a very enjoyable day), and the rest is just pointless whining. The race was incredibly well organised, we were extremely lucky with the weather, and a PR is a PR.

My mile splits were 6:42, 6:27, 6:39, 6:35, 6:48 (oh dear), 6:35, 6:30, 6:26 (oh yeah), 6:40 (uphill), 6:27(still uphill), plus another 11 seconds after that because the Garmin reported 10.03 miles, which, if you take the weaving into account, is pretty damn accurate.

9 Mar

12.4 miles, including
Ballycotton 10 miler, 66:01, 6:36 pace, avg. HR 174

Weekly mileage: 78.5

Official results are up already (that's incredibly fast), Grellan came 188th, I was 218th, Brendan 225th out of 2204. Photos are here, but I'm not on any of them as far as I can tell.

Race Preview

I’m flabbergasted, but tomorrow will really be my first race in over 5 months! I don’t know how I managed to leave such a gap. Well, I do know, actually. You can’t run a race if you’re suffering from pneumonia. This had ended my chances of participation in the Mallow 10 miler, and last week’s 10k in Adare had to be sacrificed for Mother’s Day. Well, it’s been a very long wait, and I’m all the more anticipating my return.

Yesterday was yet another easy 10 mile recovery effort. It was very windy, and I chose two loops of the Ard-na-Sidhe road rather than face the elements head-on on the exposed side of Caragh Lake. There’s nothing to report. The legs felt heavy, which isn’t newsworthy the day after a 20 miler.

Today, on the other hand, provided quite some contrast. For the first time since Monday’s pair of tempo runs the legs felt good. My one training compromise for tomorrow’s race was that I constrained myself to 5 miles today. I ran nice and easy again, expecting something like 8:30 pace, but was rather surprised at the turnaround point, when I looked at my Garmin and I was doing 8:00 pace. I didn’t complain, take the good days when they come along, as long as I don’t have to pay for it tomorrow. On the way home I added three accelerations to my supposed race pace (6:30), but got it a bit wrong and ended up doing around 6:00 instead. I’m sure I won’t repeat that tomorrow. In any case, that was the easiest 7:46 pace I’ve run in a very long time.

According to Mike and Ewen tomorrow will be the long-anticipated face off between Grellan and myself. In fact, it will be the first meeting of a three-race series, with the half marathon in Bantry and the Cork City marathon to follow. Since Bantry will be just 4 weeks after my ultra, Grellan will be the overwhelming favourite for that one. Which means I’ll have to beat him tomorrow, or it will be all over even before we get to the start line in Cork. Of course he’s bluffing in his blog, pretending to be slower than me. Who does he think he’s fooling? Actually, slightly more serious, the best outcome for tomorrow would be for us both to drag each other to a time that neither of us would be able to accomplish on our own. I’ll settle for that, no matter who crosses the line first.

It will be a PR of some sorts in any case, because I’ve never run a 10 mile race before. My best effort had come in last year’s Half marathon in Blarney, when I ran the first 10 miles in about 67:45. I sure hope to beat that time tomorrow. 65 minutes would be my A goal. We’ll see.

7 Mar

10 miles, 1:25:50, 8:35 pace, HR 142

8 Mar

5 miles, 38:54, 7:46 pace, HR 146

Tired Legs

There’s no doubt about it, Monday’s two tough tempo runs took a lot out of me. I am used to recover quickly from workouts. It usually only takes two days to feel fully recovered from a long run, and I guess I expected the same to happen after a tempo run. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Yesterday, Wednesday, the legs were just as tired and heavy as on Tuesday, maybe even more so. This was a classic case of DOMS at work. Luckily, only 10 miles were on the cards and I made sure to take it easy. Taking it easy seems to be around 8:30 pace at the moment, and since I’ve long given up on the idea of running every run under 8:00 pace I was completely fine with it. I added two or three pickups into the run when I sped up to maybe 7:00 pace for a minute or two. This usually has a beneficial effect on my legs, and eventually I did feel better towards the end of the run. Mind you, I was still glad to be home.

This might be a cutback week, and I’m running a race on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean I want to neglect my endurance build up. I made the conscious decision last week not to compromise my ultra training for the sake of a faster 10-mile time, and I’m sticking to that. Hence the alarm clock went off again at 4:45 today, and off I went for another 20 miler. The first thing I noticed were still less than fresh legs. I was surprised by that, I had expected the DOMS to have gone away by now. The next problem was my headlamp. I might have forgotten to turn it off after the last use, though I don’t know how that could possibly have happened. Whatever the case, it only provided a truly pathetic minimal light that barely managed to reach the ground. I did manage to get out of our driveway, and then I could just about make out the outlines of the road, and decided that I would be ok even without light. I did wear a reflecting vest, so I wasn’t worried about being in danger from passing cars, and as it turned I didn’t come across any for over two hours, and by then it was bright anyway. I didn’t fall apart on the run, but I would have liked to run faster. After 11 miles the last of the big hills was behind me and I tried to speed up, but it wasn’t to be. I found it almost impossible to run faster than 8:00 pace. At about 16 miles my right foot developed the same pain I had suffered from during my 2 long runs last week, but it definitely wasn’t as painful as back then, and I presume that problem is about to go away. I finally managed to speed up on the last mile, when I could almost smell the sweet smell of home, and overall the time isn’t too shabby, it’s pretty much in line with recent long runs. I felt more tired than even after the second of last week’s 20/20 runs, though.

I’m sure running 20 miles 3 days before a race isn’t the best preparation, but I’m reasonably confident that I will have more or less recovered by then. Two easy days will not only give me the opportunity to recover the legs but also to catch on much needed sleep. As for the race itself, I’m very much looking forward to it.

5 Mar

10 miles, 1:25:27, 8:33 pace, HR 139

6 Mar

20 miles, 2:44:21, 8:13 pace, HR 144

Double Tempo

I had been taking it fairly easy over the weekend, which meant that I felt fully recovered from my 20/20 double header by Monday. Unfortunately, driving my Dad to Cork airport for a 7:45 am flight meant getting up shortly after 4 am and still not being able to run. Actually I could have slept a bit longer, the drive didn’t take as long as anticipated. On the plus side it meant I was able to go shopping and still be home in time for the school run. The weather at lunchtime was foul indeed, and I went to the gym to run 5 miles on the treadmill. This was a tempo run, and I started out at 13 km/h, and gradually increased the pace until I was doing 16 km/h towards the end, almost 6:00 pace. I had set the incline to 1 percent, but I’m sure I would not have been able to sustain constantly faster paces like that on the road. Treadmill running is different. The biggest plus of the fast pace was that I could get off that infernal machine a little bit quicker.

5 miles isn’t exactly my normal daily range, and after coming home from work I threw on my runners and headed out for another quick 5 miles. The kids were behaving, and Niamh gave permission. This turned into another tempo run, slightly slower than the treadmill one, but faster than expected all the same. I haven’t got time to do another tempo effort before Sunday’s 10-mile race in Ballycotton, but I’m very happy with the way my pace has developed in the short period of time since I’ve returned to training. A fortnight ago I would have been happy with anything under 70 minutes for the race, now I’m back to my original, pre-sickness target of 65 minutes, sufficient training or not. That race-day adrenaline has given me a significant boost before, and I’m hoping for more of the same.

The one thing that had been lacking from my training the last week was sufficient sleep. I knew I was operating on a sleep deficit, but I still set the alarm for 5:30 this morning, in time for 15 miles. However, when the alarm clock went off I reset it. I guess I must have decided that this is indeed a cutback week, both to catch up on sleep and recovery, and to have the legs in slightly better shape for Sunday. It was a good decision anyway, the legs felt the heaviest they have for a long time, and the 11 miles that I managed to churn out were mostly at a rather pedestrian pace. After 2 tough tempo runs on Monday, this was always on the card, I suppose.

There’s one weird thing my Dad told me. He’s got one son, Richard, from an early relationship who is 15 years older than me. He grew up away from us, and we’ve met no more than 4 or 5 times, but always got on very well on those occasions. On Sunday my Dad told me that Richard not only runs marathons, he trains an average of 18 kilometers a day. I was stunned. Not only have the two of us, completely independent of each other, taken up the same hobby, we are both pursuing it in the same obsessive manner. If you think there must me some shared genes responsible, they must have skipped a generation. Our dad hasn’t run 26 miles if you add all the runs he’s ever done over his entire life, I think. It’s just bizarre!

3 Mar

am: 5 miles, 32:42, 6:32 pace, HR 163, treadmill
pm: 5 miles, 33:44, 6:44 pace, HR 164

4 Mar

11 miles, 1:33:51, 8:31 pace, HR 136

Sandwiched

Getting up at 4:45 am two days in a row isn’t the easiest thing to do, and in a way it was the most difficult part of my sandwich. As soon as my feet touched the ground I could feel the heavy legs from Thursday’s 20 mile run, and the thought of repeating the entire exercise wasn’t overly appealing. However, as soon as I stepped out of the house, I felt fine. The legs weren’t exactly fresh, but they were entirely adequate, and for the entire distance I never felt out of my depth. The one problem area was my right foot again. Just like the day before, it started hurting at mile 15, was rather sore for a while, but subsided with a mile or two to go. I had a similar pain last year when thoughts of a neuroma entered my head, but that had gone away after a few days. I’m hoping for a repeat. I wore a different pair of shoes, so it’s definitely not the Vomeros that are to blame. It could be just one of those niggles that are part of running. It could definitely be an injury brought on by my aggressive increase in mileage, who knows. I checked my feet last night. The balls of my right foot are definitely swollen (noticeable when compared to my left one), but the two shorter runs over the weekend were both fine. It seems like the problem only appears after about 2 hours on the road. I expect it to go away again. I sure don’t want to get into trouble 15 miles into the ultra, when there’s almost a marathon still left to do.

My Dad is here for a short visit, he’ll fly back from Cork on Monday. The drive to collect him was a bit of a nightmare, I got stuck behind an accident that had completely blocked the road, and had no choice but to sit there for almost an hour until the road was cleared. I can always feel long hours in the car in my hamstrings, and this time was no exception.

After that tasty sandwich, a couple of recovery efforts were all that was on the menu for the weekend. I duly started out slowly on Saturday, and ran the first half of my run comfortably at about 8:15 pace. The legs then had different ideas and took off, so much so that the average pace for the run had dropped below 8:00 by the time I was back home. That’s definitely not my recovery pace, and when the first 3 miles today flew by at 8:06 pace I decided to make two changes. I slowed down noticeably, and I decided to cut the run at 8 miles. I felt perfectly fine, but after a couple of high mileage efforts the general consensus is to take it easy. With 5 weeks to go to Connemara I really don’t want to invite a serious problem.

I’ll have to get up at 4:15 am on Monday, not to run but to drive my Dad to Cork to catch his plane back home. Of course I won’t be able to run. I might sneak in a few miles at lunchtime, and maybe a second run back home from work, but the weather forecast doesn’t look promising. In combination with next week’s race this might turn into a cutback week as far as mileage is concerned. We’ll see.

29 Feb

20 miles, 2:47:12, 8:21 pace, HR 143

1 Mar

10 miles, 1:19:58, 7:59 pace, HR 146

2 Mar

8 miles, 1:06:05, 8:15 pace, HR 142

Weekly mileage: 100+ in 9 runs
Monthly mileage: 327.6

Long Run, Part I

Good God, I’m busy at the moment. Who would have thought that four young children would be so much work (kidding)? Plus, my dad is coming tomorrow for a visit, he only told us yesterday, and that adds to the stress.

I’ll keep it reasonably short. On Wednesday I had my blood tested in the morning, and had to go there on an empty stomach, which meant running long beforehand was out of the question. I settled for 6 miles, but added 2 faster miles at 6:45 pace into the middle. When choosing which pair of shoes I should wear, I impulsively decided on my racing shoes. I’ll wear them in Ballycotton next week, and this was the first time for them on the road since the Loch Ness marathon, I think. It was time to blow off the dust. The run went well, and I wasn’t as starved as I thought I would be by the time my appointment came along. I’ll have the results in about 10 days. I also ran home from work to give me a few more miles for the day, and the legs felt really great. I was surprised this was sub-8 pace, because I really had taken it easy. I’ve read somewhere that one automatically runs faster in the evenings, and my experience bears this out.

Since I’ve just had two easy days it was time to go long again today. The weather was nice enough for a proper loop around Caragh Lake, this time including the extra detour around a hill called the Devil’s Elbow, which is my preferred long run route. It turned out to be about 16.6 miles, a bit shorter than the 17 I used to write into the log. I added an out-and-back section to get me to 20 miles, but from mile 15 on it was pretty hard going because my right foot was getting really sore. It felt like my right shoe wasn’t fitting properly (the left one was perfect), I felt “something” underneath the balls of the foot, and my toes felt like they were ramming into the front of the shoe. Then, after 19 miles, the pain went away on a slight downhill stretch. I don’t know if it’s an issue with the Nike Vomeros, they’re still quite new and have about 75 miles on them, but up to today they had felt really comfortable. The other thing that bothered me was the drinks bottle I had been carrying with me. I noticed in the fancy Garmin charts that my heart rate has a tendency to creep up as the run goes on, and though that dehydration might be an issue. However, I found that I hate carrying a bottle all the time, and might do without in future, just like I’ve done all along.

I’m planning another 20 miler tomorrow to make this a sandwich. I know how much they drag towards the end, but I think they gave my endurance such a boost last year that I definitely want to do them again. Those ultras are awfully long, even the short 39 mile ones.

27 Feb

am: 6 miles, 46:00, 7:40 pace, HR 150 incl. 2 @ 6:45
pm: 5 miles, 37:58, 7:35 pace, HR 146

28 Feb

20 miles, 2:43:13, 8:09 pace, HR 147

The Best Laid Plans

Sometimes things just don’t go the way you planned. Sunday had, against all forecasts, turned into a stunningly beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. I had proudly taken my new bike for a spin (ok, not so proudly. It had been one of the cheapest bikes in the shop), and grandly announced that from Monday I’d be cycling to work again. Instead the weather turned decidedly nasty overnight, and on Monday morning I was once again battling gale force winds on my run. It meant shelving the Caragh Lake loop yet another time and settling for the Devil’s Elbow, but I guess those climbs will be good for me in the long term. It was rather hard going, and after 12 miles I definitely felt the effort in my legs. That was the low point though; somehow I started feeling better for the rest of the way. Since I had asked Niamh to once again drive me into work (it was much too windy for cycling), I ran home again in the evening, all 5 miles against a nasty headwind.

The conditions weren’t much better today, and my legs felt decidedly heavy. Initially I had left myself enough time for 13 miles, but with the sluggish pace I had to shorten the distance if I wanted to be home in time, and I eventually decided to cut it earlier than strictly necessary after 11 miles, because by then I had enough of the torture. Bad days are part of running, and I’m bound to feel the effect of all those recent miles in my legs. The main reason why I had wanted to do 13 miles today is that tomorrow is an enforced easy day. I have a doctor’s appointment to check my blood, and I’m not allowed to eat after midnight. Since running a lot of miles is not advisable if you can’t fuel up again afterwards, I’ll probably settle for something like 6 miles, which I think I’ll be able to survive. Niamh suggested not running at all, and when I mentioned my desire for 5 or 6 miles, she wryly suggested that I’ve got an addiction problem. Still, I reckon it’s not a bad addiction to have.

Coming Sunday there would be a nice race, the 10k in Adare where I broke sub-40 last year. I would have loved to go there again, but I realised that it coincides with Mother’s Day. Back in December I struck a deal with Niamh, if she lets me go she can have a night out with her friends in return. I subsequently got a bad conscience about leaving Niamh alone with 4 children on Mother’s Day when she should be pampered instead, and I told her I’d forget about the race. She’s still allowed to have her night out. Yes, I’m a lousy negotiator. Of course, this all happened before I got sick, and now the race would come too early for me anyway. I don’t think I have run faster than 7:00 pace at all this year, at least not on even grounds.

But at least the postman delivered my race number for the 10 miler in Ballycotton, which is on the Sunday after that. It’s still too early to run a fast race, but it might provide an excellent training stimulus to my rusted legs. I’ve been thinking about cutting the mileage before the race, but decided against it. It would be silly to compromise the ultra training for a preparation race.

Since I had been feeling much more optimistic over the last few days, I’ve signed up for 2 more races. One is the Bantry Bay half marathon, 4 weeks after the ultra, and the other one is the Cork City marathon, another 4 weeks later. I have no idea how the legs will take the punishment of running a marathon just 8 weeks after an ultra, but I’m keen to find out. I know at least one runner who has run his marathon PR shortly after an ultra, and while this might not happen to me, I think it’s worth a try.

25 Feb

am:15 miles, 2:03:54, 8:15 pace, HR 148
pm: 5 miles, 42:06, 8:25 pace, HR 146

26 Feb

11.1 miles, 1:36:30, 8:41 pace, HR 143 incl. 10x100 strides

The Long Run

Friday night did not go well. I had gone to bed early, and by 10 o’clock I had been sleeping like a baby. Unfortunately, by 2 am I was awake and could not fall back asleep. The noise didn’t help, from my right came the sound of the wind howling outside, and from my left came the sounds of Maia sleeping rather noisily. But I think the main reason was the nearly Full Moon, I often have troubles sleeping around that time. I kept watching the minutes on the clock tick by, and no position in bed would result in sleep. The alarm was set for 5:15, because I wanted to run 17 miles, but after 2 and a half hours of lying awake I had enough and got up to run at 4:30 in the morning. Despite a heavy cloud cover it was fairly bright outside, but the strong winds made a loop around the lake a bad option and I chose to run the Devil’s Elbow loop, my usual fall-back option. It includes a murderous climb up to a ridge (as can be seen on the chart), but has a much gentler gradient on the descent, which is why I always run it the same counter-clockwise direction. I wanted to take it reasonably easy but the legs started out at sub-8:00 pace, and never let up. During the first loop I had a little voice whisper in my ear “you have enough time for 20 miles!”, but I ignored it. It became louder during the second loop, and when I got back home after the planned 17 miles I automatically turned around again for an out-and-back section to make up 20 miles. I thought I would feel completely shattered afterwards, but actually I felt great. I was not exhausted during the day, just extremely hungry, and I continued to eat every single piece of fruit I could get my hands on.

Niamh had offered to come and collect me after work, but I declined the offer. I could have gotten a lift home from a colleague, but I was too stubborn. For some reason I really wanted to run home, and that’s what I did. I took it easy, but was surprised how easy those extra 5 miles felt. It seems there’s nothing wrong with my endurance.

I took it very easy on Saturday, just 6 relaxed miles, and a lot of rest. On Sunday I expected to feel sore from the long effort, but the legs were fine. I decided to add a few faster miles, not threshold pace, but faster than my usual miles. I picked 7:30 pace as my target, for no particular reason other than that it was achievable without straining too much. The lesson was that while my endurance is in good shape, my stamina needs some improvement. I managed 6 miles at 7:23, which is pretty much the pace I ran the Loch Ness marathon last October. I managed those 6 miles without falling apart, but it was definitely more than marathon pace. In fact, I was amazed that I used to be able to hold that pace for over 3 hours. But, looking back at the last few weeks, I am more than happy with the way things are going. My heart rate has gone down while my mileage has gone up and to top it all up the pace has improved while the effort has remained steady. Things are going splendidly! The downside is that the ultra is only 6 weeks away. I just know that I will feel better with each passing week, and that the race will come a little too soon for me, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I will have to decide how much time I will leave for the taper. Because of the enforced break in January I am tempted to cut it from 3 weeks to 2 to cram in more training, but that may be the wrong thing to do. I’ll think about it some more.

My mileage this week was rather high, but that was because I ran no less than 4 times in the evening (that's 3 times more than ever before). This was a once off.

22 Feb

am: 20 miles, 2:38:23, 7:55 pace, HR 152
pm: 5 miles, 43:23, 8:40 pace, HR 141

23 Feb

6 miles, 49:34, 8:15 pace, HR 142

24 Feb

10.2 miles, 1:19:18, 7:46 pace, HR 157, with 6 miles in 44:17 (7:23 pace)

Weekly mileage: 93.7 miles (in 11 runs)

Quick update

Those evening runs are certainly one way of boosting my mileage, but they will most likely be a temporary thing. Weather permitting, I will start cycling to work from Monday, and that will be the end of me running home. I guess I might be hard pressed next week to even match this week’s mileage, but I’ll see how I will get on.

I wanted a few faster miles on Wednesday, but after getting carried away on the treadmill 12 hours before, I had to deal with some sluggish legs first. After 2 easy warm-up miles I gradually got faster, but never really managed to get under 7:30 consistently. Still, it was the first run of that kind for a very long time, and if past history is anything to go by those runs will get better each week. I could write a mental note to myself not to get into a juvenile treadmill race the evening before a planned tempo run, but I knew that already.

I ran home again after work, which was the third evening run in a row, if you count the 2.5 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday (which I do). Niamh had to drive to Tralee early today, and I had to get up at 6 to just about manage 8.5 miles before helping her to get ready. Afterwards it was left to me to get the older 3 children ready for school, a task made harder by Lola not feeling well. Since she had a ballet exam later today, I decided to get her to school anyway (she herself insisted). When they finally left, another incident, which I really do not want to get into, left me completely stressed for work, and somehow that never left my system, I was still feeling the strain at lunchtime. I did not have a particularly good day.

To everyone's disgust the weather has finally turned, the sun has disappeared behind a big layer of clouds again, and the wind has picked up considerably. Luckily there hasn’t been much rain so far, but that could change. I would like to run my extended loop around Caragh Lake tomorrow, which I always estimated at nearly 17 miles, but I haven’t the chance to do that run with the Garmin yet. This route has always been my long run, and when I wanted to run 20 miles I tacked an out-and-back section from our house to the kids’ school to the end of it. It includes all the hills of the 15-mile Caragh Lake loop, and if the wind is too bad, this part tends to be really exposed and not much fun. I’ll see how the conditions are tomorrow.

20 Feb

am: 8.5 miles, 1:05:37, 7:43 pace, HR 154
pm: 5 miles, 40:32, 8:06 pace, HR 145

21 Feb

8.5 miles, 1:10:17, 8:16 pace, HR 149

Even more mileage

I’m thankful there is an entire ocean between us, otherwise Mike might be tempted to strangle me. If he thought last week’s 73 miles were bad, what would he think about the present one? First of all, I don’t think the 10% rule applies when you’re rebuilding your mileage after a hiatus like the one I’ve had. I’ve been doing around 95 miles per week in December, and I think that makes it ok to up the mileage rather quickly now. Secondly, the additional 5 miles on my run home from work last Friday had not been planned, and that kind of caught me out.

The same thing happened at the start of this week, but like any excuse it isn’t quite as valid the second time round. I didn’t really plan the daily miles in advance, but drew up a rough outline in my head what I should be doing, namely slowly get into a pattern of longer runs on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Accordingly I started the week with 13 miles on a freezing cold Monday morning. What I hadn’t considered is the fact that it’s too cold in the morning to cycle to work, hence I got a lift from Niamh, and ended up running home again on Monday. If the temperatures don’t lift soon, this might become a rather frequent occurrence. I’m able to get a lift on Tuesday when Niamh is coming home from Killarney just at the right time, and on Thursday, which means I might run home 3 days this week, giving me an additional 15 miles. If you add that to the planned increase of my morning runs you’re getting rather close to 100 miles, and not even I think that increasing your mileage from 73 to 100 is a good idea. Therefore, Wednesday’s long run will be cut short, which might be good timing anyway, because after two weeks of nice weather the rain is predicted to return that day.

I felt pretty good on Monday, and the celestial bodies put on a great show. The moon was just about to disappear when I started at 6am, and half an hour later I noticed that half the sky was covered in orange. It was a truly magical display; sunrise was still an hour away, but the first beams of light had clearly penetrated the sky. I kept looking up for the next few minutes as the orange glow started to creep back down towards the eastern horizon, ever decreasing in size but increasing in brightness. The sun was just about to rise when I returned home, and that’s when I realised that once again I hadn’t looked at my watch once, I had been far too enthralled. On days like that I feel blessed living in this part of the world. It makes up for the utter misery of December and January.

After 13 miles on Monday morning and 5 in the evening, the legs felt very stiff today. Maybe cutting today’s mileage down by a few miles would have been the intelligent thing to do, but since I was up already it would have meant a needless sacrifice of precious sleep time, and I’m loath to do that. So I dragged myself over 10 miles, taking it easy, but the heavy feeling in the legs never left. Still, the scenery helped taking my mind off things.

I went to the gym after work before Niamh would come by to collect me, and after my usual core-strengthening routine I still had over 20 minutes left, and I hopped onto the treadmill. I started with 12 km/h (8:00 pace), but seemed to get into a competition with the guy beside me, and we kept on cranking up the pace, until he dropped off at 16 km/h. Only afterwards did I put the number on the calculator, and that’s 6:02 pace? It hadn’t felt that fast, I was still comfortable enough to keep going for quite some time. I guess running on the treadmill really is different, you can’t quite compare the pace with your road running one.

My left foot was hurting in the morning for the last few days. Niggles like that are usually a sign that I need new shoes, and I’ve already got a pair of Nike Vomeros in the cupboard. I bought them at the New Year’s sales, but my enforced rest in January meant they only got their first outing 6 weeks later. Magically enough, my foot was already pain free today.

18 Feb

am: 13 miles, 1:45:23, 8:06 pace, HR 145
pm: 5 miles, 39:35, 7:55 pace, HR 147

19 Feb

am: 10 miles, 1:27:01, 8:42 pace, HR 143
pm: 2.5 miles, 18:34, 7:25 pace, treadmill

Mileage

Honestly, guv, I thought I had increased my mileage really slowly, and I was being good; I did raise my eyebrow when I added this week’s totals, because it was way more than expected. I guess that’s what an extra run does to you, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.

When I left for my run on Friday morning I entertained thought about a faster run. I had awoken in time for 10 miles but the bed felt too nice and warm, and I delayed getting up until I was hard-pressed to finish 8.5. As soon as I did the first few steps I was in for a surprise though, because my quads were rather sore. It must have been a leftover from Wednesday’s 15 mile loop, and a sign that I’m definitely still way off peak shape. 2 months ago 15 miles didn’t even register on my quads (not even 20 miles, really). In the end I sucked it up and didn’t let it affect my miles for the day, but any ideas about a faster run had to be shelved. It went ok, but the soreness in my quads never went away.

Since I got rid of my car in October and I’m not allowed to cycle by doctor’s orders, Niamh had to drive me to and from work each day. The morning drop-offs were no problem because she had to get the kids to school anyway, but the evening pickup was a major inconvenience, because she had to get 4 kids ready and into the car every time, just for a 10-minute drive. On Friday I told her I’d run home from work instead. Initially she was confused (“what, instead of your morning run” “no, in addition”), and I’m sure I heard her mutter something that sounded suspiciously like “nutcase”, but she didn’t protest. On leaving office I packed my work clothes into a backpack and jogged home. It wasn’t ideal; the pack clearly wasn’t designed for running and started swinging wildly. I had to grab the straps with both hands and run with a slightly awkward pose, but I made it home. I had thought about running home in the evening before, it seems an easy way to boost my mileage, but I’ll probably start cycling again next week instead.

The weekend brought some much-needed rest, well, after my Saturday repeat of the Caragh Lake loop, that is. I usually don’t run long on the weekend to spend more time with the family, but I had gotten to bed really early and was up well before sunrise, so 2 hours out of the house when everyone else was still asleep seemed acceptable. I had fun over the hills with my Garmin toy. I ran the downhills aggressively, and it was great to see 5:30 pace displayed in all its glory. So that’s what the fast guys are doing, albeit on the flat rather than half-falling down a cliff. Admittedly, running downhill aggressively isn’t particularly advisable when your quads are sore to start with, and I promise I’ll stop doing that as soon as I’ve grown up. Until then I’ll have some more fun.

Today, Sunday, was a gorgeous clear day, with temperatures around 0C/32F and without any wind for a change. Caragh Lake was incredibly peaceful; I saw a few ducks, one swan, a family of wild goats with some very small babies, and a fish jumping out of the water for insects, apart from the usual collection of birds, sheep and cats. This is a remote road in a remote part of a remote county, and always very quiet. I usually encounter no more than 2 or 3 cars on a morning run, and maybe twice as many on the weekends when I generally run an hour or two later. The sun rose as I was on my way back home and added to the scenery. When I arrived back home I realised that this was the first time since I purchased the Garmin that I hadn’t looked at it even once during my run. The scenery must have been enough to completely take my mind off the effort. I was all the more pleased to see the low heart rate. Things are definitely going the right way.

15 Feb

am: 8.5 miles, 1:08:26, 8:03 pace, HR 154
pm: 5 miles, 41:28, 8:17 pace, HR 151

16 Feb

15.1 miles, 2:01:36, 8:03 pace, HR 153

17 Feb

10 miles, 1:19:59, 8:00 pace, HR 147

Weekly mileage: 73.7 miles in 8 runs

Back in the Loop

I said I would post another chart as soon as I would manage a run around Caragh Lake, and true to my word here it is. When I kept telling you that there are some serious climbs on the way, I wasn’t lying, and here is the proof. The toughest part are the three climbs in succession up to the highest part of the course, then it drops all the way down only to have another, albeit smaller, hill follow immediately. And the rest of the loop isn’t exactly flat either, but I guess that’s all good for me. Since I’m still recovering from pneumonia I took it easy on the climbs, but that’s a rather relative term. The HR was fairly high, but it didn’t feel as high. Oh, and one loop around the lake is just over 15 miles. I used to log 15.5. Ah well. Let’s say I gave myself a bonus half mile for all those hills.

It felt good to be on my old loop again. I hadn’t been there since that death march a few days before Christmas, when I felt like dying for the last 7 miles. Of course now I know that my lung infection was having a big effect on my body, and I should have been able to read the signs back then, but instead I kept ignoring them. I have resolved never to be so stupid again.

The run was great, the legs were fine, especially considering how long it had been since I had managed a run of that length. I felt some fatigue on the last 2 or 3 miles, but that was to be expected. I could easily have managed a bit extra towards the end, but I have to leave something for another run, don’t I?

And I got a phone call from my doctor, my x-ray results came back, and according to them I’m officially pneumonia-free. Actually, I noticed this morning that if I lie on my left side and take a really deep breath I can still feel “something” inside my chest. Apart from the obvious answer (“then don’t do that!”) it tells me that there is still some residue left, even if it didn’t show up in the x-ray. But, 2 weeks ago I was still in constant discomfort, and that’s definitely gone, so I know that I’m getting better. The weather has been spectacular over the last few days, there is not a cloud in the sky and there is no problem with the “no running in the rain” rule. Clear skies in February mean warm days but cold mornings, and the temperatures are always around the freezing point when I do my runs. I have noticed some icy patches on the road the last few days, but nothing major. I still refuse to set my alarm and instead get up whenever I wake up naturally, but I’ll have to change that next week if I want to do some decent mileage. Considering that the ultra is less than 8 weeks away I guess that’s settled.

13 Feb

15.05 miles, 2:04:37, 8:16 pace, HR 154

14 Feb

10.05 miles, 1:24:57, 8:27 pace, HR 149

Home Alone

Monday’s wake-up call was unusual. I’ve gotten up at 4:50 before, or even earlier, but at least then I got to run. Yesterday I had to get up at so early in order to drive across the entire country and get to work on time. I don’t think a lot of people ever had to commute from Dublin to Kerry, but since I could not possibly miss Gaga’s 75th birthday party on Sunday, and didn’t want to take an extra day off work, it required a very early start. I didn’t mind, after Manchester City’s win over the Old Enemy (also known as Manchester United, or the Filth, or the Scum, or a few slightly less endearing terms) I was so deliriously happy that nothing could possibly upset me. Actually I didn’t head straight to work, I drove via Tralee for my chest x-ray, the results of which I haven’t received yet. Niamh and the kids are still in Dublin, they will arrive tomorrow by train.

Of course I could not run before work, but I made up for it at lunchtime when I did a 5-mile loop in the bright sunshine. The weather was fabulous, so much so that I was definitely overdressed (I’m still overly cautious because of my pneumonia). The bigger problem was that I was anxious not to get back late, and ran a good bit faster than planned. I kept telling myself to slow down, but the legs had other ideas. In the end I was really pleased though, because I didn’t even know that I was still able to run at sub 7:30 pace, even at the expense of a rather high heart rate. To make up for it I ran very slowly today, and only after having a good night’s sleep. This time I was pleased to have the HR well into the 140s, but I know that I used to run that pace at much lower levels. But I can see some progress now, and am reasonably sure that I will be able to finish the Connemara Ultra 8 weeks from now, even though my original target of 5:15 seems to be well out of reach.

Since I don’t have to get the kids ready for school in the morning, I can afford to sleep a few minutes longer because it takes 20 minutes less to get ready. I might run around Caragh Lake tomorrow, for the first time since Christmas. I’ve felt absolutely fine on all of my runs since my latest comeback, and I’m sure I will be ok. I promise to take it easy over the hills, though.

11 Feb

5 miles, 37:05, 7:25 pace, HR 158

12 Feb

5 miles, 44:22, 8:52 pace, HR 146

Old Dublin, New Dublin

We made it to Dublin on Friday, and I have hardly been able to sit down since. Yesterday we were at a wedding all day, at a very posh and surely excruciatingly expensive venue in Central Dublin. We managed to organise child care for the older kids, even though Niamh's sister didn't make herself universally popular by turning up for baby sitting a whopping 5-and-a-half hours late. We took Maia with us, and she pretty much stole the show. I don't think I've ever had so many women smile at me (at least not since I've been walking around with the last baby), and we got tons of remarks how beautiful she is. That's always nice to hear, isn't it?

Even the running seems to go better here. I remarked to Niamh that either the world is shaped differently here or the roads just happen to be a lot flatter than the undulating ones in Kerry, but all of a sudden I'm running a lot faster at the same effort level and with a lower HR. Maybe me whining about all that in my previous post had some effect? Anyway, things are definitely on the up. I had plenty of people yesterday enquiring about how I felt (news of my pneumonia must have travelled far), and I constantly assured them that I feel fully recovered. Maybe it's psychosomatic that I seemed to feel some twinge in my left chest today? Anyway, I'm travelling back to Kerry tomorrow morning (very early morning!) and will have a chest x-ray in Tralee as soon as I get there, and I'm pretty sure I will get the all-clear.

I admit I ran a good bit faster over the last 2 miles yesterday because when the Garmin gave me an average pace of 8:01 I got a bit excited and put down the accelerator to get my first run under 8:00 pace in ages. To make up for that, I took it really easy today. Yesterday was a stunningly beautiful day and I had spotted some gentle green hills in the distance and decided to try and get there today. After a few tries I managed to find a twisty little road that led me out of the suburbs into what was essentially country side; a road that looked like most roads were like in Ireland 20 years ago, small, quaint, accident-prone and somehow very likeable. I couldn't help but notice the big building site whose obvious function is to replace that little country road with a broad, straight major through road, so that whoever wants to get from A to B can do so without the distraction of trees, fields and horses, and I was glad that I had found that little spot before the Celtic Tiger will eat up yet another piece of Old Ireland and replace it with concrete and steel.

The road eventually crossed the M50 motorway on a shiny, expensive, brand-new bridge, only to end 20 meters further at a gate with a mud track. Bizarre. Mary, my mother-in-law, knew what I was talking about when I described it. She's quite sure that there will be further developments soon in that area. Sometimes I really think there is far too much new money in this country.

8 Feb

8.5 miles, 1:11:47, 8:26 pace, HR 153

9 Feb

11.1 miles, 1:28:27, 7:58 pace, HR 159

10 Feb

13 miles, 1:47:31, 8:16 pace, HR 150

Patience

For the past years I have generally been able to tell the state of my fitness by monitoring my heart rate during my runs, especially my easy runs. Accordingly I've kept a close eye on my HR since I've resumed running after my pneumonia, and the results aren't exactly what I was hoping for. The heart rate did drop by quite a few beats for the first few days, but hasn't really improved since. The situation is slightly complicated by the fact that I have changed from my trusty basic Polar HRM to a more fancy and less reliable Garmin, but I can still track the progress - or lack of it. Maybe I'm just too impatient, and an improvement is just around the corner, but somehow I'm getting doubts about how much those 5-mile easy runs are doing for me. I'm slowly increasing the mileage of my runs in the hope that the situation will improve. I'm still running exclusively easy runs, even though the HR is up to levels that were previously reserved for high tempo runs. I seem to have adopted 8:30 pace as my cruising pace over the last few days, and comparing those workouts to past ones doesn't make pretty reading. On 22 November I ran 10 miles at 8:20 pace with a HR of 139. Yesterday I ran 10 miles over the same course at 8:24 pace with an average HR of 158. Not good. But, as I've said, maybe I'm just too impatient.

The worst thing was running 10 miles alongside Caragh Lake with the Garmin at my wrist and realising that the 5-mile turnaround point was almost 50 seconds further out than previously thought. I'm not going to go back through my running logs and add 10 seconds per mile to the pace for each run on the course, but that would have been the correct pace, I'm afraid. Ah well.

Actually, saying that I'm increasing the mileage of my runs isn't entirely accurate. I'm not setting my alarm in the morning, just get up whenever I wake naturally, and that pretty much determines the miles I have time for (and if Shea wakes up with me I have to sacrifice a mile or two to make him breakfast and have a chat). As it happens, yesterday I got up at 6:10, which left enough time for 10 miles, today I got up 10 minutes later and managed 8.5 miles, which was perfectly fine by me. The weather has improved, I didn't get any rain, even though the dark clouds looked rather ominous this morning. The temperature yesterday had been 0C/32F, today it was balmy 13C/55F, and I was roasting in my two layers.

We're off to Dublin tomorrow for a wedding. My miles will most likely take a slight hit there. And I have to avoid the evil eye of my mother-in-law. For years she has insisted that all that running is very bad for me, and I'm going to make a young widow out of Niamh (she really said that). She was almost triumphant when I developed pneumonia, because it had proved her right. She'll be absolutely disgusted to see me running again.

6 Feb

10 miles, 1:23:55, 8:24 pace, HR 158

7 Feb

8.5 miles, 1:12:02, 8:28 pace, HR 158

Slow Improvements

Thank you everyone who took the time to comment on my strange HR readings, this is really appreciated. You know, the thought of a malfunctioning HRM didn’t even cross my mind. I’ve had a Polar HRM for almost 3 years, and have come to completely trust its readings. I’ve obviously transferred the same trust to the Garmin HRM, which isn’t quite as justified. That toy is brand new, I really don’t think an empty battery is the problem. As for things like wetting the contacts, I always do that anyway; I might try some contact gel as well. Having said all that, the last 2 workouts didn’t repeat the same strange readings. Maybe the aliens in their passing UFOs were still asleep.

Update: Today, after half a mile, I stopped for a moment to redo my strap that felt like slipping off my chest. And guess what? The HRM chart is showing a big spike for those few seconds. It really looks like a bad contact is causing those high readings.

On Monday I had the same conversation twice in the office: “Good morning, Thomas, how are you feeling today?” “Thanks, much better” “Good, because you looked absolutely horrible last week.” (!!!) The second person wasn’t quite as blunt, but the message was the same. Maybe they should have said something last week when I was apparently as pale as a sheet of paper, because I had felt reasonably ok.

I had hoped to run slightly longer than 5 miles either yesterday or today, but it never happened. I deliberately didn’t set the alarm, just got up whenever I woke up, which always seems to happen at 6:20 these days. Both times it took longer than usual to get out of the door. Yesterday I had to make Shea some breakfast, today I waited until that rain shower had passed. It still looked a bit dodgy towards the West, so for the first time ever I wore that rain poncho that I had gotten as a freebie from M&B a few months ago. It looks like a garbage bag with holes, but I was surprised how well it worked. Other waterproofs always left me feeling much too hot, it was like I was steaming in my own sauna, but that sleeveless poncho worked much better. The only drawback is that due to its, well, generous proportions it blows up like a balloon in the wind. Originally the hood kept coming off my head, but then I had a brainwave and used my headlamp on top of the hood to keep it in place. It did start raining again while I was out there on the course, and I expected Niamh to scald me for running in wet conditions against the doctor's orders, but she didn’t seem to mind.

The weather is supposed to improve for the next few days, and I’m keen to add a few miles to my runs. I’ll start leaving out my running gear in the evening to shorten the time it takes to get ready in the morning, and if that’s not sufficient preparation to get more miles I’ll have to give in and start setting my alarm clock again. I just prefer to wake up naturally, but at least I won’t be forced to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning any more.

4 Feb

5 miles, 41:32, 8:18 pace, HR 161

5 Feb

5 miles, 42:25, 8:29 pace, HR 155

Strange Readings

I know I promised not to post any charts, but I think this is a bit extraordinary. Can anyone with some physiological understanding explain to me just what happened during the first 7-or-so minutes of Friday’s workout? That heart rate is just insane, and it’s not like I was sprinting up a hill, I was running along relaxed and easily. There’s a drop and then a climb out of our house (the pace chart pretty much conforms to the elevation of the road), but we’re not talking real hills there. The drop is about 35 feet and the subsequent climb about 70 feet and neither is very steep. And the heart rate remained elevated for a few further minutes on relatively flat road, until it suddenly dropped from the 170s into the 140s. I know that the aerobic system takes a few minutes to kick in, is that what happened? Is my anaerobic system shot to shreds while my aerobic engine in relatively decent condition? Any answers are appreciated.

I did those 5 miles on Friday, and remained relaxed and easy until about 1.5 miles before the end when the weather gods sent hail and sleet along my way, and I accelerated a bit to get out of that. Of course the spook had stopped by the time I was back home. The weather forecast for Saturday had predicted a reasonably dry start and rain for the rest of the day, so I set out early while I was still allowed outside. I extended my run from 5 miles to 7, partly because I’m feeling a bit better each day, and partly because I was itching to get a reading of the Caragh Lake road on my new Garmin toy. I had been smug how accurate my distances on the Ard-na-Sidhe road had been, unfortunately the readings on the Caragh Lake road didn’t quite follow. The first 3 miles turned out to be longer than I had always assumed, and if you want to add 10 seconds per mile for each past workout along that route, you can do so. Interestingly, I clawed back some of the inaccuracies on the next half mile, which is where I turned around, but I assume that the 5 mile point, to where I tended to go for my numerous 10 mile runs, is a bit further out than previously thought. I’ll check that out once I’m off the restraint. And I’ll try not to worry about the fact that the Caragh Lake loop might be half a mile shorter. Whatever the case may be, at least my race times in the sidebar won’t be affected.

The weather forecast for Sunday had been rain, rain and more rain, and I fully expected an enforced rest day (the gym is closed on Sundays). This was indeed confirmed when I looked out of the window first thing in the morning, and I eventually got into the shower. However, then the rain stopped and the sky looked reasonably bright towards the west, and I said to Niamh “I know it’s stupid because I just had a shower, but I’ll go for a short run”. “You’ve said it yourself”. I headed out for 5 miles to Ard-na-Sidhe again, making sure to take it exceptionally easy for the first few minutes to avoid a heart rate disaster like on Friday, and managed indeed to get back home before the rain restarted for good.

At some stage they will have to allow me to run in the rain again. I just don’t know when yet. I guess the next chest x-ray will give us some clues.

1 Feb

5 miles, 43:52, 8:46 pace, HR156

2 Feb

7 miles, 1:01:02, 8:43 pace, HR 156

3 Feb

5 miles, 42:25, 8:29 pace, HR 155

My Present

Eric is a genius. I only have to mention that I bought myself a birthday present and within a minute he’s guessed it (ok, he got the number wrong. Who cares). After resisting for years, I have finally joined the weenie brigade and bought myself a geek watch. The price had gone down by half recently, and I gave in to temptation. I’ll try and resist cluttering the blog with too many charts – due to the scaling they always look the same anyway, but I guess once I’m allowed to run around Caragh Lake again, I might post something.

Unfortunately the weather has indeed turned nasty again, and so far I have only managed one run outside, yesterday, and that was already asking for trouble because I got caught out by rain with 10 minutes to go. Nevertheless, I managed to establish that my so-far imaginary one mile marker on the Ard-na-Sidhe road was spot on, but that my usual turn-around, according to the new toy, was about 20 meters too late. Actually, I felt quite smug at the accuracy of my distances. I haven’t managed to go out on the Caragh Lake road yet, and I’ll be interested to know how long a loop around the lake really is (within the accuracy of the toy, of course).

Today was a cold morning just above the freezing point (it still was raining rather than snowing, though), but the gale force wind made running outside an unwise choice for a pneumonia victim, so I brought my running gear into work, and went to the gym at lunchtime for 5 miles on the treadmill. This time I managed to bring my HRM, but forgot the mp3 player. I managed to stay on the damn thing for the entire distance, but with a little bit less than a mile to go I increased the pace from 9-minute miles to 8-minute miles, mainly to get it over and done with, boredom was taking over. The heart rate continues to go down, which was pleasing, but is still way above pre-sickness levels. When I switched to 8-minute pace, it went up by about 10 beats, and I used to run those at much lower levels. I don’t know how long it will take to build up my fitness again – a very long time probably as long as I can’t do more than 5 miles in a row, I guess.

The pain in my chest may be getting better, but then again, I used to think I was getting better the day before I get 40 degrees temperature, so that’s no reliable indicator. As long as that pain is still there I have a constant reminder of my sickness and the need to take it easy. I’ll better heed it.

30 Jan

5 miles, 44:30, 8:54 pace, HR 156

31 Jan

5 miles, 43:57, 8:47 pace, HR 149

Monthly mileage: 62.5 *sigh*

38

“Hello Thomas, nice to see you back” “Thanks, it’s good to be back” “How are you?” “I’ve been better, but I’ve been a lot worse” “What was wrong with you?” “I had pneumonia. In fact, I’ve still got it” “Oh my” “But the doctor said it’s ok to go back to work” “Running is out, then, of course” “No, the doctor said I’m allowed to run as long as I take it easy and as long as it’s not raining” (shocked look and lost for words).

That scene played itself out at least a dozen times on Monday and Tuesday in the office, and to be honest I was glad to be out of the house. Those walls had seemed to close in on me after three weeks of confinement. As for the running, we had beautiful weather over the weekend; the kids were out playing in the garden and on the climbing frame, and of course I managed to get a short and very easy run every day. On Monday I did not set the alarm but woke at 6:20, and when I was still wide awake at 6:40 and it wasn’t raining I decided to do 5 miles there and then. The most positive thing about that particular run was the fact that the heart rate was 10 beats lower than on Saturday for virtually the same pace. Of course it is still a lot higher than before I got sick, but at least it’s pointing into the right direction. Unfortunately that was it as far as the good weather was concerned, by Monday lunchtime we had that so familiar depressing rain again. As a result I could not run on Tuesday morning (which might explain why I was in a really foul mood), but Niamh had to go to Killarney in the evening, and I managed to go to the gym after work before she came to collect me. I had planned on 5 miles on the treadmill, but only managed 4.5 when I realised that I was out of time. Still, that was by far the longest I had ever been on one of those things. I had remembered to bring an mp3 player, which helped, but I had forgotten the heart rate monitor, so I can’t tell if that was any harder on me than road running, but I don’t think so, not even with the 1% incline that I put on to compensate for the lack of wind resistance, and the fact that I got the pace setting slightly wrong (should have been 9 minute miles).

Anyway, running feels good and easy, and I really really really hope that I will be allowed to continue. I’m lost without my daily fix, as I could not fail to notice while I was confined to home. I know that the pneumonia has not gone away because I have a constant pain in my left chest, but running does not aggravate it. In fact nothing I do or not do seems to have any effect on it, it’s just always there.

Oh, and I had my 38th birthday on Sunday, which was rather low key with me still being sick and the kids not exactly behaving like angels. We did go out for a Thai meal in Killarney for the evening, which was nice. I bought myself a birthday present. I’ll show you in my next entry.

27 Jan

5 miles, 44:51, 8:58 pace, HR 157

28 Jan

5 miles, 46:47, 9:21 pace, HR 146

29 Jan

4.5 miles, 40:15, 8:56 pace

Baby Steps

I met my doctor again on Friday (we’re on first name terms by now), and she gave me the results from the chest x-ray. Most of the pneumonia is gone, but I’ve still got a 2x3 cm area of residue in my left lung. Nevertheless, she gave me the go-ahead to go running, but I had to promise to take it easy. She said something along the lines, “run a distance that would be ridiculously long for me, but is awfully short for you”. I think I like that doctor, she understands. She actually offered to write me a certificate for yet another week off work, but I asked to be allowed to get back to work. I am bored stiff at home, and she didn’t object. But cycling to work is out of the question, Niamh will have to drive me in her car.

Coinciding with me finally being let off the leash is an improvement in the weather, and after lunch, when I knew Niamh had 40 free minutes before she had to collect the twins from school, I asked for permission to go running right there and then. After some negotiations (“Can’t you just run 1 mile?” “NO!”) I went out for three miles. I felt weird at first, almost light headed, but that went away. However, the heart rate was sky high and I decided to cut it short and turned around after just one mile, to make it a very short 2-mile run. I thought I ran so slowly it felt like standing still, but it was 8:21 pace, which was probably a good bit faster than what the doctor had in mind.

I got another chance Saturday morning, and even though a dark cloud was lurking in the background it never rained, so I got away with that. Somehow I managed to run a whole minute per mile slower than the day before, even though it pretty much felt the same. Again I felt a bit strange over the first mile, but I felt better with each and every step and decided to add a bit to my run. I was tempted to run all the way to Ard-na-Sidhe, which would have made it 5 miles, but decided to err on the side of caution and turned around after 2 miles. I was so happy to be back on the road, I can’t describe that feeling. Something was strange though. You would expect that someone who’s still recovering from pneumonia to feel it in the lungs first, wouldn’t you? Instead my heart rate was again sky high, both calves started to stiffen up towards the end, yet my breathing was so slow, calm and relaxed that you would have thought I was walking along at snails pace.

I have no idea how easy I’m supposed to take it, but taking it easy is what’s on the cards. I didn’t feel any ill effects from either run, and if the weather is fine tomorrow (apparently it will be), I’ll be out on the road towards Ard-na-Sidhe again, and I’ll see how I feel. In a few days I’ll have a much better idea how it’s going. I expect the heart rate to drop quickly, and if it doesn’t then I have to rethink things again. I’m still signed up for the Connemara ultra in April, but if I will be able to do it is rather questionable at this moment in time.

25 Jan

2 miles, 16:42, 8:21 pace, HR 162

26 Jan

4 miles, 37:18, 9:19 pace, HR 156

Maia's First Video

Since I'm still not running and I haven't got anything better to do, I might as well post the video Niamh made the other night when Maia simply refused to fall asleep. I know, I know, it's just a baby doing what a baby does, but she's my baby, and I've got the right to be as besotted as I want to be.



The weather out there is simply appalling. I really don't know how I will be able to do some training when I'm not allowed to run in the rain. This could become a real problem.

Recuperating

I went to the doctor again on Friday, and the results were quite promising. Both of my lungs seem to be clear now, but I’ll have another chest x-ray on Monday to confirm that. I’ve stopped coughing, but I still have a pain in my left chest, especially early in the morning. The doc doesn’t know what it is, but she said we must not ignore it.

She’s told me to stay off work for another week; to be honest, I’m not particularly pleased about that. I’m bored stiff being stuck at home, there is only so much reading you can do before you get cabin fever (at least I do). On the other hand, she told me I could maybe run 2 or 3 miles at the end of the week as long as I’m pain free and as long as it’s not raining. That’s much earlier than I thought I would be allowed to run; on the other hand, it has been raining here almost non-stop for the last two weeks, so at the moment saying that I can only run if it’s not raining is almost the same as being told to stay at home, full stop. Then again, the atrocious weather made staying at home easier. It’s not overly tempting to go out for a run when your driveway is completely flooded and you can see the trees being bent over in the gale.

Niamh has already announced she will kill me if I have a relapse, and I don’t think she’s joking. I still don’t know if I will be able to train again anytime soon (I really don’t regard 2 or 3 miles as training). On the other hand I think I’ve learned my lesson, painful as it was.

Sickbay Update

It feels good the be able to breathe again without pain, but I'm definitely still sick. My course of antibiotics is running out today, but the doctor has already prescribed another dose. I'm still coughing, and that's when it hurts most, but not nearly as often as a few days ago. The medicine is definitely working, but it will be yet some time until I can call myself recovered.

I read Dick Beardsley's autobiography a few days ago, and it was weird to read about someone's addiction to pain killers, while at the same time counting down the minutes until I could pop the next little pill myself for an hour or two of relief. It certainly made me understand the book a lot better. Since then I've weaned myself off the pain killers. Apart from when I'm coughing the feeling is down to mere discomfort, and I can take that without aid.

Of the resolutions I had for 2008, reaching 4000 miles is of course already out of question, but the other one, about dropping my weight down to 63.5 kg/140 pounds, well, I'm already there. I've lost 7 pounds in the last 10 days, even though I ate as much as I felt I could swallow. My appetite is slowly returning, but my weight is still going downwards. When I wrote that weight goal I envisaged reaching it towards the end of a year, not within a fortnight, and certainly not the way it happened. Be careful what you wish for. Of course, the pounds may yet return as I get closer to recovery.

I was quite worried about passing my germs on the the kids, especially Maia, but the doctors have reassured us. They have never come across two cases of pneumonia at the same time in the same family. While the bacteria are indeed able to cause sickness in others, it wouldn't be pneumonia, just a normal cold. Just as to prove that theory, Cian got a temperature on Monday, recovered within a day, and is back to pre-school today, Wednesday.

I'm going to see the doctor again on Friday, and I'll have another chest x-ray next week, and then we can say with more certainty how the recovery is going. She's already written another medical certificate for next week, and I guess I might be back at work on the 28th, the day after my birthday. As for when I can go running again, that's still written in the stars.

Pneumonia

Definitely not what I wanted to hear, but that’s the final diagnosis. I took a turn for the worse on Wednesday. I rang my doctor for the fourth time in five days, and once again she fobbed me off, assuring me that I was getting better, and that she really didn’t need to see me. By that time I had totally lost what little confidence I had in her and on Thursday morning I rang another doctor’s surgery. Within 90 minutes I was in the doctor’s office, what a difference! I spent 25 minutes in there with two major results, firstly she prescribed me another dose of antibiotics because my left lung was definitely not clear, and then she told me to have a chest x-ray as soon as possible. We drove to Tralee on Friday morning, and by the evening I had the results. Pneumonia. Not very severe, but pneumonia all the same.

I am an adult, and there is no doubt that the main responsibility lies with me alone. Each run that I have undertaken since the middle of December I did in the full knowledge that I was not entirely healthy. I also ignored the advice I frequently give out to others, namely to run if the symptoms are above the neck and to stay at home if they are below. My initial cough was so mild that I dismissed it. Of course, in hindsight, a few days of rest back then might have sorted out the problem there and then. However, my old doctor must definitely shoulder some part of the fault. With her constant refusal to see me my treatment got delayed by 6 days, and since I had originally asked for an appointment 4 days before my first turn for the worse, I think that full-blown pneumonia could have been prevented. Her diagnosis over the telephone of a viral infection, finally, must go down as the least professional behaviour by a doctor that I have personally have come across.

But enough of the whining. By trial and error I have developed some survival techniques for the violent cough attacks that come with pneumonia. Lie on your side, with the elbow underneath your chest (the last bit is important, as I found out in one of the error stages of practical research). Coughing is also the second most painful thing you do with pneumonia. Having hiccups is the most painful one (“huckouuuuwwwww!!!”). The third most painful thing is laughing, as I found out when I followed this link from Ewen’s site. Follow it if you want to see it, but don’t if you’ve got pneumonia. Plus, I’ve always fancied Natalie Imbruglia.

You probably think I should be in bed rather than on the computer, and you’re probably right, but my back is so painful from all those hours in bed that I needed to get out of there for a few minutes. Anyway, don’t expect to see me back on the roads for a while. At the moment I’m so miserable that I don’t even care about that.

Downfall

I tell you what happened. I was being sensible and didn’t run in Mallow. Instead I did 10 miles along Caragh Lake, and only two of them at tempo pace, rather than 3 as originally planned. Then I took the Niamh and the kids to Killarney to go ice-skating. They loved it, and I felt good about not driving to Mallow. It's good to be sensible.

I got up at 5:30 Monday morning, feeling pretty good. I had planned another 10 miler, but at slower pace than the day before. I want to build up my mileage, so I didn’t back off, and 10 miles was basically the shortest I used to run when doing high mileage. The weather was quite bad, strong winds rather than the predicted gale force, and no rain originally. High wind always means a trip to Ard-na-Sidhe for a number of 5-mile loops, 2 in that case. I felt good after the first, but then the heavens opened. I hate the combination of wind and rain, and high winds with strong are the bane of my life. I decided to only do 8 miles, because someone who’s still recovering from a chest infection is probably ill advised running in the freezing rain. I was marvelling how sensible I have become recently, though there was that little voice in my head ”if you really want to get top 10 in Connemara you have to stop being sensible at some stage and work you butt off”. Anyway, the rain stopped well before I reached the turnaround point, and I ended up doing 10 miles after all.

6 Jan

10 miles, 1:16:00, 7:36 pace, HR 162
two miles in 6:57. 7:00

7 Jan

10 miles, 1:19:54, 7:59 pace, HR 147

ever since

0

I felt perfectly fine as I came back home. I had my shower and some breakfast, which I had to force down, very unusual. Then I started shivering. Well, it was a cold day, and I turned up the heating. I felt colder. Niamh and the kids got up, had their breakfast and got ready, and by now I was dreading cycling into work, so I asked Niamh for a lift (besides, the weather was turning nasty). At work I immediately knew that I had made a mistake, and after an hour I phoned Niamh to get me back home. By now I was shivering uncontrollably, and when Niamh checked my temperature it was 40C/104F!!! Add to that a splitting headache, pain all over the body, shoulders, chest, legs, they all hurt. During the next few hours the fever sank but I had alternating episodes of being incredibly cold and incredibly hot. During the cold spells I was shivering uncontrollably, during the hot spells I was literally soaking the entire bed with sweat (Niamh slept in the guest room at night, understandably). Taking painkillers gave 2 or 3 hours of relief before the whole thing started again, and I had one of the worst nights of my life. The pattern repeated itself the next day, and only today, Wednesday, I feel some improvement, but I still feel totally crap. Added to all the fun is a cough, and coughing is so painful it makes me want to cry out loud. I surely hope I haven’t cracked a rib or something similar.

The doctor didn’t even want to see me, she immediately recognised the symptoms, apparently there’s a particularly nasty virus doing the rounds presently, and she told us to keep doing what we were doing already, i.e. take some painkillers as often as they allow you on the package, and toughen it out in-between. Our neighbour is a nurse, and when Niamh bumped into her she confirmed that something nasty was indeed doing the rounds, her husband had gotten it over Christmas.

Originally I thought I had been at fault for returning to running too quickly after my chest infection, but hearing all those virus stories makes me think that I would have gotten it regardless, and the timing (coinciding with me running again) might be just coincidence. Nevertheless, I am definitely out of the game for the moment. Yesterday I could hardly turn around in bed because that used up too much energy, and even thinking about running is too strenuous. By now I can feel Connemara slipping away from me. The race is still three months away, but I was supposed to do high mileage around now, not lie in bed moaning in pain. After the “recovery time” over Christmas I have lost two weeks, and I guess there might be two more weeks of that to come. I’m thinking about starting a long build-up to Dublin in October and treat any race in the meantime, including Connemara, as a training run, but we’ll see. At the moment, typing a sorry blog is just about at the edge of what I can do, anything more physically demanding is out of question. And I can feel the next cough coming along. That’s gonna hurt again. Ow! And the painkillers are wearing off again. I hate this.

You Knew This Was Coming

Let’s get the less important things out of the way first, I’ve returned to the world of running, albeit tentatively. I snuck out yesterday morning for an easy 5 mile run, and it would have been slower than 9:00 pace had it not started raining with about three quarters of a mile to go, and I put in an extra gear to avoid to worst of the weather. Today, Saturday, I went out for a bit more, 7 miles, and a bit faster, but again the weather turned, and it started raining just as I was passing the same point as yesterday – spooky. It even started hail stoning, but luckily the beans were small and didn’t hurt, and once again it made me accelerate over the last stretch. Mother Nature seems to want to make sure that I’ll end my runs strongly.

The heart rate was elevated for both runs. In fact, today it was so high that I doubt the accuracy of my HRM. Nevertheless I have decided to forego tomorrow’s race in Mallow. I’m not 100% healthy yet, and I doubt I would be at my best, therefore I don’t see the point in driving 90 minutes each way for a 10-mile run. We’ve got a few things to do with the kids anyway, and Niamh would definitely not be happy if I took the car to go to a race that I’m not really prepared for. I didn’t even argue, I informed her that I wasn’t going, and from her reaction I gather that she wouldn’t have let me go anyway.

4 Jan

5 miles, 44:45, 8:57 pace, HR 147

5 Jan

7 miles, 53:58, 7:42 pace, HR 162(?)

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, Maia Bubendorfer in all her gorgeousness. The 4 pictures are: Maia and her Aunty Cliona, Maia proves once and for all that she's better looking than her daddy, Maia (in white) and her cousin Lilly (who is four weeks older), Maia having a grand old chat with big brother Shea.

Dreaming of a Comeback

I rang my doctor this morning to set up an appointment. The Dublin doctor had told me to do so after a week if I’m not totally clear, and I dutifully flowed her instructions. However, during our short phone conversation today, she told me that she thinks another appointment would be unnecessary. Of course I see that as permission to take up running again. I didn’t actually ask if I could go running again; she might have said no (I’ve learned from past mistakes). The current idea is to run 5 easy miles tomorrow morning, and judge how that goes. It means there’s still an outside chance of me making it to Mallow on Sunday. I guess persuading Niamh will be the biggest obstacle along the way.

The best thing about the enforced rest was definitely catching up on sleep. I managed to sleep between 8 and 9 hours each night, and I feel like I’ve finally caught up on my sleep deficit. The worst thing was reading Running with the Buffaloes, itching on nearly every page to go out running myself and not being able to do so.

Last night Niamh and me had a chat about what times I should run in the morning once I get the green light. We agreed that I should be aiming to come back home around 7 o’clock in the morning, which is when Shea has tended to arise in the last few weeks. It means an extra half an hour of sleep compared to what I used to get in the weeks before Christmas, apart from those 20 milers, which would still require me to rise at 4 o’clock.

I missed a few rainy mornings this week, which is why I wasn’t too downhearted about being grounded, and today is what they call a cold snap in Ireland. The temperature at 9 o’clock was 3C/37F, which probably sounds like a heat wave to some guys out there. Of course, the winds chill makes conditions a lot worse than it sounds, and those very same temperatures are responsible for the fact that I come home drenched to the bones after the majority of my winter workouts, and rain paired with strong wind isn’t the most pleasant of combinations, either. I guess we’ve all got our own justified moans about the weather.

Niamh has got some incredibly cute photos of Maia in her camera, but since it’s a stone-age design (i.e. non-digital) I’ll have to fire up my scanner before I can show them off. I’ll do so for the next post. This should be enough incentive for my readers to return, I guess.