Friday 31 January 2020

week ended 02 Feb serious training

Short entry- last week of proper training- serious stuff - even if the mileage was low- 47 miles in the week. 7.3 miles Tuesday (8.05 pace) 7.4 miles Wednesday (8.20 pace) in Mayfield 6 miles on Thursday morning (8.35 pace) with a 26.27 (9.15 pace) long run on the Sunday, all solo. Epic stuff even if I say so myself. I am writing this 5 days later on Friday with only 3 miles clocked up since. The bathrooms in the house are out of action , being redone. Just as well I got the running in.

I got a 6 mile run completed on Saturday morning. Left achilles a bit twingy. Rest day today.

Sunday 19 January 2020

Week ended 19th Jan 2020 - A funeral, a removal and a christening.

Sunday morning. I ran for a hour this tomorrow. Definitely on the chilly side with some of the paths less than safe. Busy old week with running so so. Monday I had do a presentation as part of this course I am doing so no run there.

 Tuesday morning I was up at 6.15am to do six miles in a relaxed 9 minute pace. Wednesday was a good workout. 9 miles at 8.05 pace, a good strong run. Thursday and Friday were write offs having to go to a family funeral on one day and working late on the other with a removal to go too as well. Saturday I was feeling a bit under the weather. I had planned to do the long run up in Cork but was feeling pretty gamy on the Friday (upset stomach, migranes) so came home thinking I would feel better on the Saturday. Anyway I wasn't not helped by Iseult deciding it was time for breakfast at 6.20 am.
I did try to get out at 9am but the paths outside the house and down by the town park were a tad slippery so mixture of pitiful self preservation, illness and tiredness saw me come back after 10 minutes. That only made my mood worse though I did manage to trot out for a laboured 4 mile jog at 2pm. I was sweating heavily during and after it and the old tummy wasn't too happy afterwards. That brings me up to todays effort - 7 miles.We have a christening to go too later, I would be happier lying down on the couch. That 26 miles for the week and 3 weeks to the 50km in Donadea. I will have to try to fit some sort of long run/time on feet by next week. That once soft looking cut off of 5 hours is looking a bit harder now.

Sunday 12 January 2020

Training report week ended 12th January

A good running week, Tried to get a bit more "pace" into the running this week partly as a reaction to last Sundays slogfest which saw me petering out badly over 17 mls and dying on my feet on 21 mls. Anyway I was back in work this week and the running helped in me getting over a difficult week on a professional front. It was also a culture shock to my daughter Iseult as well realizing Santa was well and truly over. . Tuesday I was up and out the door by 6.15 am and a handy recovery pace run at 9.20. The legs felt good, a situation confirmed by me running 7.5 miles at 8.02 pace on Wednesday evening, a pace which these days is speedy Gonzales. I was up again Thursday morning at 5.30 am (Parent teacher meeting in the evening) running 7mls at 8.20 am. Again I was very happy with the run though it was early bed for me at 9.15 that evening, a price to be paid for getting so early for running. No chance of a run Friday, in work until 7pm and home by 8.30 pm. Aoiffe was up in Dublin all day Saturday so no run there either.

Sunday was a good run. My best of this training cycle. Storm Brendan is due to arrive tomorrow morning but while out running the weather was lovely - hints of a lovely Spring to come. I decided to run 2 hours at MP pace, currently at 8.30 pace. 15 miles in total. I could have done around 5 mls extra but decided against as I had stuff to do at home. Big week next week in terms of training. Maybe the storm might affect me. We will see.My running is limited , I know that and there is a lot of important real life stuff on the horizon

Yeah it was good. A plan (fingers crossed ) is forming.

Thursday 2 January 2020

Running log 5thJanuary 2020

Last Wednesday 5.5 MLS. Last Friday 6 MLS and Sunday 6 MLS. That marked 40 miles for the week, the first time I have probably managed it during this training cycle. Wednesday (2020) 4 mls. Thursday no run or Friday minding the little one all day while Aoiffe goes back to work. I ran 7.5 miles on Saturday morning feeling a bit chesty while out there but a nice hack up of phelgm after 3.5 miles did the trick. It was the kind of hack up that had a fair bit of substance to it. Quite satisfying. I had considered heading to Blackrock in Cork city running the MCI marathon out there but I don't really have the confidence in my fitness to attempt it. I did something similar when I was training for the Connemara ultra in 2015 but the fitness and hunger was way off the scale back then.

I ran the long run today. The plan was to 3 X 8 mls around Charleville. Namely down from my house and up Love Lane, in and at out of Manor Hill (our old estate) and in and out of Broomscourt and back up and down Love Lane ( long drag) and then down to the Railway Road and back home via town. Time for a slug of water and then do it all again. I had hoped to spend around 3hrs 45 - 50 mins on the feet, 9.15 pace, slow but steady. I was up and out the door by 6.30 am. I was doing ok by 16 miles with one of two little stops but the pace was beginning to drag by mile 13, the legs draining a bit. Maybe it was the blood donation, the headcold, the early start or nothing at all but I was dreading the third loop at mile 16. I decided to run out Smiths Rd and back again and a couple of loops around the town park but it was all getting pretty horrible. Mile 20 passed in a very slow time of 3hrs09mins. Normally I would expect to be comfortable under 3 hours but not today. I was reduced to a jog, a hobble and eventually stopping at 21 miles and 3hrs24mins on the clock.

I tried to be philosophical about it. Bad runs can happen to anybody but this was very poor.  The cut off for Donedea is 5 hours a time with any bit of decent training should be very manageable. I ran 31 miles in 4hrs 38mins back in 2015, a time I was disappointed with at the time. These days I know my training cycle is very limited so I looking for somewhere around 4hrs50 minutes. Essentially I need to be around 4hours with 26 miles under my belt and feeling reasonably comfortable.