Part 1 of 2

Week beginning 16^th March,

A very good running week. 15 miles @ 8.38 pace Monday, 10 Miles Tuesday with 6 miles  @ 7 minute pace, 10 miles Wednesday @ 7.17 pace, 10 miles @ 8.15 pace Thursday, 4 miles Saturday @ 8.20 pace and 26.2 mile marathon in Tralee in 3.42.30.

This morning consisted of a 15 mile @ 8.32 pace. I was pretty chuffed to get the back to back long runs in as it marks a second time in three weeks I managed to cover the ultra distance over two days. Hopefully I will get to do it again next weekend. After that I will begin my taper.

The 15 mile run last week was a real dog of a run. It was lashing from the very start when I headed out the door early in the morning and it got progressively wetter and windier as it went on. The run was a wobbly one and as I lapped past my house a second time I even contemplated quitting after a hour but in the tru tradition of “relentless forward progress” I managed to get through the whole exercise. The Tuesday tempo run wasn’t too hot either as the legs were paying the price for ignoringspeed workouts for a few weeks. At mile 4 of the tempo I was averaging 7.05 pace but the speed reasserted itself for the last two miles  (6.57 and 6.40) allowing me to come in on 41.57 minutes. It wasn’t as fast a tempo as 3 weeks ago (5 miles @ 6.52 pace) but I was glad to have it done.

It must have had a sharpening effect as I ran 10 miles @ 7.17 pace the next day. I felt I could have continued for another 3 miles it felt that good. By Thursday the appetite for running was back and I allowed myself a nice relaxed 10 mile as a reward for the harder efforts earlier in the week.

Despite all the good midweek training it’s the work done on the long runs that really counts. Running a marathon in Tralee on the Sunday and a 15 mile run the next morning was always going to see if I hadwhat it takes. You will have to wait for that report tomorrow….

Some Mug !!!!

Week ending 8^th March

It wasn’t a easy decision I had to make during the week when I decided not to run the Ballycotton 10. It’s probably the most iconic road race in the country and from a personal point of view it would have marked 5 years since I first ran my first ever road race. However the Connemara ultra is my  prime target and I felt I hadn’t enough speed work in my legs to nearly do my race justice. It was a long coach journey to end up jogging 10 miles down the back for a mug . That said best of luck to all runners who ran today.

 It was also  nearly 3 weeks since my last tempo (5 miles at 6.52 pace) but I haven’t had the where with all to do one since. I was told speed and ultra’s (especially ultra novices) don’t mix too well and that has seemed to be the case. The back to back long runs mean that the rest of the running week is about recovery running or at very best running long medium distances at most marathon or slow 13.1 pace. Ah well maybe next year for the 10 mile race, it’s going no where fast whereas I’m not sure if I will be doing another ultra any time soon.

Since Tuesday I expected there would be only small mileage to be completed for the rest of the week and so it proved. A few real life responsibilities intruded on Wednesday and Thursday and I really didn’t feel like running at all Friday ( I rarely do). At least it meant I was getting plenty of rest in and I felt pretty fresh on the Saturday for a routine 10.2 mile run around Cooleens and Pike’s Cross. I had toyed with the idea of doing a tempo but again the legs weren't up for it (or maybe it was the head?) so I ran at a solid enough steady pace of 7.50 per mile doing another 10.5 miles on the Sunday morning at a pace of 7.54. I do seem to be harbouring  a slight cough and the tummy has been a bit unhappy since Friday but nothing to stop me in my tracks. I won’t talk too much about feeling light headed going to work on Thursday. I blame dehydration.

So that’s the update for the week. I was happy enough to take it easier this week nothing wrong with a cutback week. 2 weeks of training left and then the 3 week taper.

Total mileage for week ended 8^th March. 40.7 miles. Monday 15.3 miles, Tuesday 4.7 miles, Saturday 10.2 miles, Sunday 10.5 miles.

Slogfests and snow flurries

Week ending March 1^st

Too lazy or too tired to write much. Anyway I didn’t get out for a jog until Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday was taken up with after school activities – namely family vists and parent teacher meetings. Well that’s not entirely true. I slept out Monday morning and by the time I got back home in the evening , a howling gale and the smell of a home cooked meal was enough to send me scurrying to the chair. Very nice it was too but ooh the guilt. This worsened after getting home late on Tuesday.

 Wednesday's run in Mayfield was a mental struggle for the first few miles but it was ok after that and actually turned into a enjoyable run though having to complete 4 laps of the estate to make up the 10^th mile must have looked a bit strange to the neighbors. Thursday was more of the same except this time up in Charleville at a slower pace. I was supposed to do a tempo run but the drive wasn’t there for it. I normally try to do a tempo every two weeks and this was first time I didn’t stick to the planned schedule. I was beginning to fear I was reaching a overtrained induced state but the indicators weren’t present (elevated heart rate, tired legs, colds etc). I am probably however reaching a newer phase of adaptation, after all I am running more miles in the last few months that I ever have before. Also speedwork isn’t necessary for a ultra. Volume is the name of the game.

Nevertheless if I do train for a marathon over the summer it s is useful to know just how far I can push it- I will need to do the speedwork. Races will help in that regard.

 Friday was another tough day – again up in Mayfield, Cork. I had a tough day in work and I had a 40^th to attend that night. I was going to be on the dry for the night and I was looking forward to getting the running job done. It was a good enough run and a excellent night out with the lads and ladies. Mind you I scoffed the party food.

Saturday was a run in the company of my friend Aidan (Mayfield again). We hadn’t met up in a while and the run flew by. We covered 7.2 miles at a handy relaxed pace doing more talking than fast running but that was fine.

The big workouts were to occur on Sunday and Monday. I ran 24 miles at 8.50 pace in the company of my Mallow clubmates. This was my longest run to date, in fact my longest ever training run. I ran 3 miles on my own before the main group met up. I practiced some nutritional strategies – 3 gels and one banana after every 5 miles and power walked after every hour for 3 minutes.  What was most encouraging about the run was that I finished strong and felt good. I could have pushed on for the full 26.2 miles but that may be for another time.  While slower than last weeks 21 mile run I definitely felt a lot fresher. I went hope tired but happy. My good wife had a supply of freshly baked scones waiting for me when I got back allowing me to simply sit across the couch watching the rugby. Class.

Monday morning I was psychologically keyed up for the second half of my back to back run but I was dismayed to see the snow covering the town and it environs. Very un spring like weather and I was worried I would forego another Monday run. Thankfully it cleared when I got back home that evening and off I toddled off for a 2 X 7.5 mile laps of the town. It was a flat enough route , in contrast to yesterdays slogfest, and while I slowed down deliberately  for the last 3 miles (time on the feet) I still managed to run 15.3 miles in a respectable 8.31 average pace. The weather conditions while calm and restful were also very cold evidenced by the hailshowers which erupted as soon I got in the door.

Tuesday consisted of a 4.7 mile recovery run at 9.16 pace which was laboured enough to tell me to take a break for a day at least.

80 miles in the last 7 days, 61.7 miles week ended March 1^st and 20 miles the start of this week.

Wednesday 25^th February: 10 miles at 7.49 pace, Thursday 10 miles at 8.05 pace, Friday 10.5 miles at  8.35 pace, Saturday 7.2 miles at 8.44 pace, Sunday 24 miles at 8.50 pace

Monday 2^nd March : 15.3 miles at 8.31 pace, Tuesday 4.7 miles at 9.16 pace

3 weeks of full training left before the taper kicks in

It's all about the long runs, really.

Week ending 22^nd February 2015.

And on the running goes……. I had targeted this week as being a high mileage week on the account of having the week off work and so it proved. It also meant a extra couple of hours in bed every morning which doesn’t do any harm at all and no 2 hour commute every day either. Accordingly I ran 70 miles this week which amounts to a weekly record for me and still allowed myself the Thursday off running. The only niggle or downside was today’s long run in Mallow. I went out not really mentally geared up for it, always a bad sign and was conflicted as to what mileage I was going to do – 15, 21 or 24 miles (a sure sign of mental fatigue). In the end I opted for the 21 miles. It was tough going evidenced by the fact I hardly said a word to my clubmates on the run. I was feeling the pressure at mile 18 and walked for 3 minutes before setting off again stopping to a halt after 3 hours and 21 miles, a mile away from the car park. I had enough at this stage. Next week I intend to be a lot more clued in as to what has to be done and may actually take the Saturday off before hand in order to give myself a bit of rest. I have 4 weeks of proper training left before the taper.It's all about the long runs really.

In terms of the actual ultra itself I am beginning to get slightly worried. I had hoped to be fresh enough to run 4 hours plus (approx. covering last 26 – 28 miles) before the inevitable struggle kicks for the last 10 -13 miles. Now I am not too sure, what if I completely seize up before mile 26 and find myself to be a walking dead man long before the real challenge kicks in? I suppose the solution will be running slower, taking some walking breaks and stocking up early on the nutrition side of things. Maybe the taper and the race adrenaline will be enough to help me on the day.

They say ultra's are 30 % physical, 70% mental or maybe that's just the profile of the people who undertake them.

As I said though it was nevertheless a good running work being particularly happy with Monday’s and Wednesday’s workout.

Next week’s mileage won’t be as high as I won’t be running on Tuesday and / or Saturday.

Monday 14 miles at 8.33 pace, Tuesday 4 miles recovery at 9.15 pace, Wednesday 10.2 miles at 7.30 pace, Friday 10.5 miles at 7.57 pace, Saturday 10.3 miles at 8.05 pace, Sunday 21 miles at 8.33 pace. Total mileage 70 miles.

P.S - the photo is of me pacing the Mallow Ten last year. All a bit manic...

A lot of miles and a lot of words

Week ending 15^th February and week starting 16^th February

In the interests of neatness and consistency it would probably would have been better to get the blog report completed last night but as the Monday run is the crucial second half of the long run it seems better to wait until now. Last week I wrote that the running is getting more serious, the mileage has certainly increased. Unfortunately so has the risk of injury so I better be careful. (Sore hip again and a queasy stomach)

Nevertheless I would rate this training week as being on the very good scale- hitting a new high for mileage and also my fastest ever tempo run. As reported last time I ran 13 miles at 8.36 pace on the Monday early in the morning before heading to work. By the time I got home that evening I was beginning to have notions of pulling the car in off the road for a power nap. Thankfully though I got home in time to power nap on the couch instead for the hour. These regular power naps are ideal for getting that bit more rest and recovery in. It’s the hunger thing that is harder to deal with.

It certainly paid off as I was able to tag on 10 miles up in Cork at a tasty enough pace of 8.09. I felt very comfortable varying the route for the last 3 miles, it helped freshen the mind up and had I wanted to I could have ran well under sub 8 minute pace.

By Wednesday I wanted to run a 60 minute time trial. Very simple idea- run the first mile at a handy steady pace and see how many more miles could I cover in a single hour. The answer as it turned out happened to be 8.20 miles. I would have liked to have reached say 8.40 or ideally 8.5 miles but not a bad workout all the same.I ran a handy 7 minutes to cooldown. Were I racing in a 10 mile race I probably might have covered close to 8.5 miles (7 minute pace) but we might see about that in due course. Thursday was a more mundane affair running around the town for 7 miles at 8.20 pace.

Friday – my favourite running part of the week – as it is a rest day allowed me the space and strength to run a 5 mile tempo on the Saturday. I warmed up with a mile jog and then covered the 5 mile distance at 6.52 average pace. These tempos while tough are very instructive as I ran the same route all the time. It was also my fastest ever tempo run, in fact it was faster than some 5 mile races I have run over the years. I was helped by the flat(ish) nature of the course.

However as I am training for a ultra run it is the Sunday and Monday training runs that are the number one workouts in the training cycle. Sunday I ran in Mallow. I got down to the car park at 7.55 am running a hour pretty much on my own, covering 7.16 miles  before meeting up with the main gang at 9 am. Their plan was to cover 15 miles which suited me perfectly as I hoped to spend around 190 minutes on my feet.

The starting portion of the run was pretty tough – a uphill mile that lasted probably 1.5 miles but it was pretty flat after that. I found myself up the front with Sharon, Tadgh and Mike and at one stage the pace was hitting close to 7.15 per mile before I got sense slowed down and joined the more “sensible group” down the back. After all the object of the exercise was time on my feet, no point in flogging myself into the ground having run 22 miles in under 3 hours and facing into another 15 minutes of running. Ultra’s are all about time on your feet.

 By mile 18 coming back into Mallow I was finding the “squeeze” was threatening to hit me – you know that horrible feeling when the legs and back start to feel the pressure – but it passed after a few minutes of chat and finished off the run in reasonably comfortable fashion. I did find myself having to make up the mileage by running a few outs and backs on the Killarney run (always a pain) but job done. My garmin said I ran 3hrs 10 mins covering 22.39 miles. However after the water stop at mile mile 15 I failed to restart the watch for around 3- 4 minutes so I may covered close to another half a mile on top of that.

By the time I got back to the car park at the finish the feeling was one of tremendous relief and anticipation that the rest of the day would be spent lying the couch recovering and watching TV. The Sunday run also marked my highest mileage in any one week – 68.84 miles.

The recovery always helps as the next day I ran the 14 miles around Charleville in a very relaxed fashion. I started off running 9 minute miles but the legs and head started to wake up by mile 4 and I was well under 8.20 pace for the finish. Of course the mid term week off work should aid my training schedule even further.

Well done also to club mate Adrian Ryder for completing the Donadea 50 K in a very relaxed time of under 4hrs30minutes. Adrian is also training for the Connemara ultra but having run it before (in a time of under 5hrs50minutes) his expectations will be a lot more pronounced than mine.It’s a shame there is no 50K races closer to the taper. That said the Tralee marathon (while pricey) does look tempting.

Mileage for the week 68.84  miles

Monday 13 miles, Tuesday 10 miles at 8.06 pace, Wednesday 9 miles with 8.2 miles in 60 minutes, Thursday 7 miles at 8.20 pace, Saturday 7 miles with 5 miles at 6.52 pace, Sunday 22.84 miles at 8.30 pace. 

Things are getting serious

Week starting 9^th February

After running Dungarvan last Sunday week I deliberately didn’t set foot on the pavement until the Thursday. This week was a designated cutback week but rather than lose out on the weekend run I decided to cutback on the normal Monday Tuesday and Wednesday runs. I ran a nice comfy 10 miles on the Thursday. The pace was  8.11 but I felt like I could have kept running for 20 miles. Friday was the evening of my wife’s birthday dinner so no running there and I ran a snappy 6.2 miler at 7.47 pace on the Saturday.

On Sunday I met up with the Mallow lads for the early morning run. I ran 2.5 miles with Colm before meeting up with a large group at 8.20 am and a even larger group at 9 am. It was a tough run with a serious climb at Dromahane and later on a back road home. In all I covered 21 miles at 8.40 pace with a few water breaks thrown in. Monday morning I ran 13 miles in Charleville at 8.36 pace before heading to work so that meant a really early start. The legs were tired all evening but in a good way.

A back to back long run of 21:13 and 9 weeks to go. Things are getting serious.

Mileage for the training week :50.2 miles. Thursday 10 mls, Saturday 6.2 miles, Sunday 21 miles, Monday 13 miles

Last week of January 2015

Week ending 1^st February

A bit concerned about the long run. I had hoped to get 3 hours/20-21 miles up on the legs but I didn’t get beyond 2hrs55mins and even that was punctuated by 2 X 4 minute walks on the trickier hillier areas on the way home. I didn’t have a garmin with me so I estimated the distance ran, so it may been 19.5-19.7 miles. It’s probably better to opt for a flatter route next time in order to get time up on the legs and confidence in the head. Considering a 20 mile run is only slighter more than half the distance of the race I would need to be comfortable running 20 miles in the same way you need to be comfortable running 13 miles when training for a marathon.

The week day’s running was solid enough – 4 miles on Monday, 9.5 miles on Tuesday (7.40 pace), 9 miles up in Cork on Wednesday (7.53 pace) and most encouragingly of all a 7 mile run with a 5 mile tempo at 7 minute pace with a rest day Friday.

I ran in Dungarvan today using the 10 mile race as a back to back run. Driving down with Tony and Clive we all had different targets. Tony looking for a sub 70 minute time, Clive for a PB and me looking for a marathon pace run. I ran a two mile warm up and then ran the first mile in 8.20 or so. I picked up the pace after that but the legs were certainly heavy for the first 3 miles. The weather was fabulous certainly a improvement on last years deluge. It was nice running in a race not being under pressure. I ran the first half in 42 minutes, the second half in under 38 minutes, the last mile coming in under 7 minutes. All in all a very good workout making some amends for Saturdays laboured effort.Tony got under 70 minutes, Clive under 72 minutes. They were happy and so was I. It was good to run in company and meet up with some clubmates.

Next week will be a easier week in terms of mileage. I have a few things on so it suits me.

Mileage for the week 60.5 miles. Monday 4 mls, Tuesday 9.5 mls, Wednesday 9 mls, Thursday 7 mls, Saturday 19mls, Sunday 12mls with 10mls at 8 minute pace.