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.

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.

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.

Training Log 25th December

Christmas Day. I ran 22.7 mls in Cork yesterday. The whole thing took 3hrs30mins taking me right up to my Mum's house in Mayfield. I could have ran for another 3 minutes to get up to the 23 miles but the lure of the annual Lotabeg Green fry up was a temptation too strong ;-) I ran 7 X 1 miles around Lotabeg and then onto and turn around at the top of the North Mall running back the way I came. Anyway job done delighted. It was a tough especially the last 5 miles, lots of hills and one 3 minute walking spell up Spring Lane past the Glen Rovers hurling club. Lots of slow shuffle running after that , not pretty and it looked demented to one of my old neighbours (he thought I might a lift from the AA !!) but I was very happy with it. Hopefully it will serve me well for future challenges ahead.

The fry up was well worth it. All the family were there and that was great.

No running today. Legs a bit stiff and calves a bit tight but hope to get a few more runs in during the week. Again my weekly totals are on the low side.

P.S

Just forgot I did 5.5 miles last Tuesday, 7.3 miles Thursday and 8 miles Sunday.

Training log week ended 15th December

Tuesday 5 miles in 50 minutes (recovery pace). Wednesday no run , can't remember why. No run Thursday or Friday. Saturday 8 miles at handy enough pace, around 8.20 per mile. Sunday a very enjoyable and relaxed 14 miles in around 2hrs 02 minutes. Felt good for that one. Again the long run was good but need to get more done during the week.

Training log week ended 8th December

All the running was compressed into 4 days - Tuesday a 30 minute walk run around Charleville - 3 mls, lots of stretching on the way. Wednesday around 7.2 mls in a hour and a very slow 7 mls at 9 minute pace followed by a 20 mile epic in Cork on Friday.
 I broke the 20 mile run in to 5 X 1 ml loops  around Mayfield and then 15 mls on the regular "Cork long run route" out towards the long road by the Lee Fields and 2 mls back into the city stopping by the bus stop on Summerhill. If I wanted to jog back to Mayfield that would have meant another 4 mls on very very tough hills, it's unlikely I would have been able to run it without walking. It's something I may come back too in the future. This time I was happy / relived to get the run done. The whole thing took 3 hours.

My splits were very even generally in the 8.45 to 8.55 area. As I waited for the bus I popped into the off licence for the life giving properties of Tanora and a Mars bar !!! I was reasonably comfortable for the rest of the day. It was only my second 20 ml run this year but I was happy enough with it.

Saturday was a busy day - Iseult had a visit to Santa in my wife's workplace and I then drove from Limerick to Cork for my work xmas party. Sunday I had planned to do a easy recovery run but Aoiffe was struck down with a bug so that was that. It would have been great to do the 40 mls for the week. Monday is out of the question too. I'm doing a course on that day.

Training log week ended 1st December

Good week just gone. 5 MLS at 930 pace Tuesday. 1 hour with 7.6 MLS on Wednesday. 1 hour in Mayfield Cork at a lot faster pace than before, 8.10 as distinct from previous 8.30 pace. That was it until Sunday. Shame I can't more consistency in terms of getting out 5 times a week. That would have been my ideal training cycle but it's a lot better than it has  been in a couple of years. On Sunday I ran a MP longish run, 11 miles at 8.20 pace. I know in terms of MP it's around 30 seconds slower than what I used to do but that will do fine for the moment. 30 miles for the week.

Hopefully the Xmas break will give me more time to get he running done in the morning. I was hoping for a regular 4- 5 day running cycle