Mundee bloos

6 miles, 41:54

Had to run in the early morning as I was testing all day and struggled to get out of bed to get the week started. Once I was going though, the body felt good and ready to go. Definitely sucked trying to get motivated for work knowing that those that bow to the queen had the day off today. And sweet feck all else to report!

Sunday run/Week In Review

14.67 miles, 97:50

The run wasn't bad, the humidity was high, but starting out the easy week had put a nice spring in my step. But probably ran a bit too quick as a result, and the 2nd half of the run was into the wind and kinda took it out of me a bit. Other than that, all's good.

For the week: 6 runs, 49.82 miles

Easy week, the legs felt a little flat for the most part, but today had a bit of spark back in the legs. 12 weeks into the 20 week program and well on target. Next 3 weeks sees the bulk of the hard work being done, so have to make sure to do the proper things right.

Seriously? No one is questioning this

8 miles, 53:46

The run was fine. What I can't get over is that everyone is all about Ritz in Zurich. I can't buy that just 10 weeks in an altitude tent and being coached by Salazar means that he can all of a sudden go from a PB of 13:16 and a seasons best of 13:34 to 12:56. The last time this type of improvement was seen was with Cathal Lombard, and we all know how that ended. I mean, his last mile has got to be the same as his PB. Call me a hater, but I'm now skeptical of anything happening with Salazar's group.

Need some excitement in life

5 miles, Gym, 1.15 miles home

Ran to and from the gym with some miles on the pristene surface of the college green. The run was fine, but there was a massive drop in temperature and it was noticeably cold, with the thermopolis donned for the first time in August.

Otherwise, I literally have nothing exciting to report. Life is dull. Possibly not a bad thing, except for the content of this blog.

Morning jaunt

8 miles, no time

Ran early, weather was joyous. JOYOUS I tell ya. Felt good although there is still some tiredness in the legs. Am absolutely shattered now, its been a long week. And I shouldn't but I will:

When Caster Semenya was told she would have to undergo gender testing, apparently she replied, I will on my bollocks! I'm going to hell for that one.

Raisin in the sun

8 miles, no time

Gym

Crimmin reckons that's what I must look like these days given the HUGE miles I'm knockin out. It was actually a point of discussion this weekend, and when the maths were done, I have dropped over 20lbs in the old money since I started training well, and about 10 since commencement. Losing the 20lbs didnt surprise me that much, what did was the realisation that I'd been a huge 175lbs. Thats a huge bitch. The not as fat guy is below (the one on the left, before you ask).

The run was great, the legs were better than expected, but some tiredness was there. The weather was great. Given the easy nature of the week, dropped the gym work to 3 sets of 8. Off tomorrow.

Also gettin very excited for the Chewy-Danielle wedding festivities. 3 weeks from Friday I hit the US once more.

Beginning of an easy week

5 miles, no time

HR 144-54

This week is the down week in this month's cycle, so nothing but easy running. Left the watch at home, but threw on the HR monitor just to make sure I kept it easy. Was in the 140's for 90% of the run, but on a few occasions I let the mind wander and when I came to I'd let the pace quicken and the HR had climbed into the 150s. Legs felt very good after yesterday's longer effort, with no soreness at all. Happy days.

Week in Review/Catch Up

Behind on blogging due to hosting Erik and Enda this weekend in Dublin and Dundalk. Erik is now the 4th non-Irish Brown grad to visit me here in the homeland. The rest of you should now bow your heads in shame.

Thursday: Hit the Phoenix Park for a long run intended to be done at marathon pace. Instead I ran too hard despite feeling pretty crappy, and was at tempo effort. Warmed up for a half mile, then did 2 loops of the park for 12.25 miles in 73:52 (37:34 first lap, 36:18 second). Annoyed with myself for the faster 2nd loop as the pace on the first was good, and I rigged pretty hard on the 11th mile into the wind which was not the aim for this run. Cooled down for 10 mins for a 14 mile total.

Friday: 5.1 miles, 37:31 + Gym. Slow easy run. Thankfully no soreness in the legs but are a bit flat. Dropped the weights on the upper body as the arms felt very heavy and tired on the tempo yesterday.

Sat: Hit the Pats fields at home with Churchill. Ran 8 miles easy, no time. Was a beautiful morning and a really enjoyable run. Easy pace meant I was feeling good about the long run on tap for Sunday.

Sunday: 19 miles, 128:58. Oops, thought this was 20. Ran with Enda and despite a slightly late night out which cost me a car window we both felt great until about a mile to go, and with 800m left I definitely got a little lightheaded, so was happy to wrap it up. Good success with gels/liquids on board, and legs feel good now.

Weeks total: 6 runs, 64.1 miles

Very happy with the long run although wish I'd gotten 20 in, messed up the loop. As for lifestyle, not a good week. Had a couple of pints Wed, more than a couple on Thursday, Fri and Sat. Sleep was down. However, was more than happy to give this up in order to spend time with Churchill and Enda. You can sleep when you're dead. Have a down week next week which I intend to take advantage of.

Oh dear god

10 miles, 67:45
Gym

If I was suffering from delayed onset muscle syndrome (DOMS) from Saturday, I'm not anymore. The delay is gone, and boy did I feel like ass today. First ten mins I actually thought my ass cheeks had swapped places with my quads. Then it just felt like each leg was like lifting a passed out drunk for a good 40 mins, before finally starting to come around the last 20 or so. Why not run slower? If I had run any slower I literally would not have been able to lift my legs enough to even run, so this was the only pace I could legitimately get one leg in front of the other. No soreness anywhere, just dead flat.
Looking forward to a day off tomorrow, and then a reunion with Churchill, who I haven't seen in about 5 years. Then Ed's in for the weekend. Will fit running in somewhere.

Catch up post

8 miles, 54:17

Legs felt pretty good today. The pain in the left foot subsided for the most part, although threatened to rear its head around 15 mins in. Did some work on it after which helped. Generally felt that the recovery from Saturday is progressing nicely.
Very pissed off to be unable to find a working internet feed for the World champs, meaning I missed the mens 10k final. Having got a blow by blow account as it happened from Jilane and reading the reports after, I was delighted to see that Tadesse was so happy with his medal. The guy is a legend, and I love watching him run as he just gets after it, but is nearly always beaten by Bekele. Nice to see him truly pleased despite being beaten for gold. "I was not really kicking you know" Showoff.

Seriously?

6.25 miles, 46:05

Seriously, does anyone give a shit about this run when the ridiculousness that is Usain Bolt has just occurred? I thought 9.65 based on his semi-final. That just blew my mind. Even my 'don't have a clue about running' brothers thought that this was one of the most ridiculous things they had ever seen. Unbelievable.

For the week:

6 runs, 55.5 miles

Mileage was a couple of miles down on the target, but largely because I had scheduled too much for today. Ran easy, as I needed the recovery after yesterdays race/mileage. Legs responded ok to yesterday, although the left foot hurt for the first 20 mins (plantar fascia). Otherwise felt pretty good. Felt even better after Spurs beat Liverpool, felt like I was dreaming after seeing Usain Bolt. Crazy.

Somewhere between satisfied and pleased

3 mile w/u

10 mile race, 57:33 (5:33, 5:38, 6:00, 5:58, 11:32 for 5 & 6, 5:40, 5:57, 5:54, 5:18)

6.5 mile c/d

Where to start? If you'd told me beforehand that would be the time I'd run I'd be pissed, but conditions were poor. Took Tarpy's advice and went out slow picking up 2 runners as markers. First guy was a Dundalk runner David Carrie who beat me by 40secs in the 5 mile last month so went out 5-10secs slower at the mile, and Maria McCambridge as a) I didn't want to lose to a chick, b) she ran 58 low here last year and c) she ran 2:36 in the Paris 'thon in May. Was at the back of her group for the first two miles which were very slightly downhill and wind at the back for the first 1.5 miles or so. After the 2 mile marker we hit the uphills and the wind. I ended up leaving the group bar 1 guy and settled into what I thought was a good rhythm for the 3rd mile. Nearly shat myself when I saw the split of 6 mins, and immediately started to hammer. Mistake. I was a little too obsessed with splits and not giving credit to the conditions which were rough as besides the wind, the temp was high (for Ireland) and humidity in the 90s. From 2-4.5 was all uphill and into the wind, but the panic to the slow split led to me getting a side stitch around 5 mile. Had a guy come up on me around this point so latched on through here. 7th mile was a steep downhill for the 1st half, steep up for the 2nd half. Caught a guy at the top of the hill and tucked in for a 1/4 mile despite him running a touch slower as the wind was howling and we were still climbing. This helped a lot as when I got to 8 mile I'd lost the stitch and was ready to try and hammer the last 2. Thought I'd overdone it on the 9th as I was feeling really rough here, so have no clue where the 5:18 came from besides that I was chasing a guy that I eventually got with 250 to go. Despite the strong finish I don't think I left any time out there, and was only 35 seconds behind Carrie today over 10, after being 40 behind over 5 a month ago, and talking to him after he was very pleased, so gave me some perspective.

Did not plan on running so long after. Ran back to the apt, knowing it was 4 mile from the exit of the park, didnt realise it would take me 2.5 miles to get to the exit. At least it means an easy day tomorrow. Despite being 'off the beer', I'm treating myself to a couple of pints tonight. Now for the footie and WCs!

PS I beat all the chicks!

Come on already

6 miles, 41:31

I have to admit I'm pretty nervous/excited about tomorrow. The run today was a typical pre-race run; pace was relaxed, felt like I had tons of energy and at the same time a heaviness in the legs solely due to nerves. Not sure why I'm that much more nervous about this one than the 5 miler. Think its primarily because I'm aware how much 10 miles could suck if I get the pace wrong early. Definitely more positive now than I was earlier, and feel like I can crank out a decent run. If not, then there's plenty of time to get things in order, and a lot more on tap for the weekend to look forward to.

Gettin Excited

8 miles, 56:06

Gym (only 2 sets)

Run was great. The legs had some real pop back in them, but managed to control the pace and finish feeling very good. Did 2 sets in the gym partly with Saturday in mind, and partly cos I was going to be late getting out to the Diabetes clinic in the afternoon.

Excited? Absolutely. Not just because of the race, but because it marks the start of possibly the greatest sporting weekend of the year. After the race Saturday morning I'm racing back to Dundalk to get on the couch in time for Soccer Saturday and the return of the Premiership. I'm more excited this year than most for the return of the football cos a) I've managed despite constant failings in the past to convince myself that Spurs are in for a big year, and b) my fantasy football team is dynamite. After that, its all about Berlin. Sunday sees Berlin action including Bolt vs. Gay, GAA action, Spurs vs Liverpool on the telly and (hopefully) Harrington in with a shout at Hazeltine. Needless to say I'll be 'working' from home on Monday as no TV in Dublin means staying in Dundalk Sunday night. Savage.

Half & Half

10 miles - 5 easy, 5 steady

64:29 (34:29, 30:00)

Gym

With the race on Saturday I had been a little overzealous in my training plan and had a 5 mile tempo on tap for today. Quickly ditched that idea given that I was still a little sore from Sunday and want to be as fresh as I can for Saturday. Decided to do the 2nd half at a steady clip figuring I'd be in and around 6 min pace. Can't get much better than that. Also very pleased with how easy 6 min pace felt as I've been nervous about screwing up the early pace on Saturday. Haven't done a great deal of work varying paces, so was nice to be on target here. Hoping to set out at 5:40s on Saturday and see how I am through 5/6 miles. Feeling better about doing that after this today.

Down Day

5.75 miles, 41:04

Ran home from supervising at the gym nice and easy to get a little more out of the day, but would have preferred to do the lot on grass. C'est la vie. Was trying to cram work in as I stayed home last night to to watch Padraig Harrington implode on the 16th to hand Woods the inevitable victory. Should have come back to Dublin.

Wondering what the hell has happened to the Blog brigade?? I figure Jokin is going to do the usual and post 10 days at once, Tarpy's been cutting the same k's for about 3 months now, Coste has yet to give us the Falmouth report, Owen's on the detail lacking long road route (remember the glory days of the misty mountain hop, now that was a blog). WTF??!?!?

Week in Review

6 runs, 61.1 miles

First time in about 5 years that I've cracked the 60 mile barrier, and am very pleased with how the week panned out. Thursday's workout was the best I've done in a few years and the long run today was very comfortable with some practice taking on gels and water. Have the 10 mile road race next Saturday to test where the fitness is at.

Are you gellin'?

18 miles, 122:20

Map

This was a very enjoyable run. The weather was very mild, and the legs felt good. Used the gels during the run for the first time. Took the gel and water on at 9 and 14 miles, and definitely made a huge difference as this run felt no more difficult than the 8 miler yesterday. Compared to the long run last week this was a walk in the park. Only thing I may need to spend more time on is taking on more water during the run, as I drank feck all during the run. Overall very pleased.

Neighbourly run

8 miles, 55:23

Was running along nice and easy when about halfway through the run met a new neighbour running a few laps of the field. Decided to run in tow and despite slowing the pace, was only able to keep the company for about 10 mins before fears the guy would have a heart attack. Got back to normal running for the last 2.5 miles or so. Body felt good, looking forward to the long run tomorrow.

Wecovewee

6 miles, 43:06

Gym

Ran nice and slow today, and the legs weren't sore, but definitely did not have much life in them. By the end of the run though, everything was feeling good and enjoyed the run. Managed to atone for Tuesday's embarrassment in the gym afterward.

Went to the midget horse guy this evening, although he didn't touch the bones this evening. Apparently my quad was 'a little twisted' and he found a wicked knot in the right calf. Altogether I was there for about 5 mins, but everything is feeling good and ready to roll for the weekend.

Ooii that's a good one

Target: 4 x 2 miles, 3 min rec.

Splits: 10:37 (5:21, 5:16), 10:36 (5:21, 5:15), 10:38 (5:22, 5:16), 10:40 (5:23, 5:17).

This was a good 'un. Was debating between this and 3x3 mile for the workout. Went for this because

a) Didn't trust my pacemaking to do the 3x3 properly

b) Longest workout so far had 6 miles of work, so thought this was a better transition

c) I'm a pussy

Going through the first mile, I thought I'd made a balls of it, and was very surprised to see that I'd negative split. However, the last 2/3 of the loop is a slight downhill, that I was very grateful for later in the workout. Struggled mentally after 2, thinking that I wouldn't get through 4 but the 3rd one was a good strong outing that made starting the 4th easy, and felt great through 3/4 of a mile. However, the wind got up coming to the mile marker, and I was rigging badly on the next half mile. But thankfully the sun went behind some cloud cover and I hit the downhill for the last 1000 or so, and managed to get through it ok.

While I was definitely in the hurt locker by the end of the last one, the workout in general was very solid, and am very pleased. Was much quicker than I was expecting (goal was just sub 11's), and at this stage I can say I'm well ahead of where I was anticipating in training. Am not revising any marathon goals until at least after the half in September, just going to keep taking it day by day. But its easily the best shape I've been in for a number of years, and am just hopeful I can keep it going. Seeing the midget horse guy tomorrow for a hip cracking, and already looking forward to getting a long one in on Sunday.

Like a wheel, I'm tired

10 miles, 66:32

Gym

Wore the new kicks for the first time today and had no idea how beat down the old pair were because these felt like clouds on my feet. Put me in a great mood for the run, which was going swimmingly until about 50mins, when the legs decided they were pretty knackered. I guess Sunday's effort not quite out of the legs yet, but to be expected. Finished up nice and relaxed before hitting the gym. The gym was like freshman year all over, i.e. a bit of an embarrassment. Really struggled with the weights today, managing to put up a set of 3, yes 3, on the final set of bench which is usually pretty easy. That aside, got through it and am happy to have the day off tomorrow to recover for Thursday's workout.

Easy Like Monday Morning

5.6 miles, 40:00

Had a nice easy trot around the fields at home today as it was a bank holiday here in Ireland. Legs felt surprisingly decent after the long haul yesterday, and enjoyed the run quite a bit. Spent the rest of the day watching Kerry tear Dublin apart in the GAA before returning to the big schmoke. Very relaxing weekend comes to an end.

12 Weeks to go

6 runs, 55.1 miles

Pretty easy week the long run aside. Was due to be a down week but given the shenanigans of last weekend made the long run up today. Will be interested to see how the legs respond tomorrow. Feeling pretty good in general, but need to get my hips sorted as left quad is very tight and get twinges in the right hammy going uphill. A visit to the midget horse guy could be on the cards tomorrow evening.

Our Father, who art in heaven

19.1 (ish) miles, 127:02

Map

Fucking GMAPs. A look at the map will show that instead of looping around the roads around 10-11 miles, I doubled back. The reason being is that the road on the map doesn't exist. The hybrid view shows that the so-called road apparently runs through the middle of 10 fields of farmland. The consequence was that this run was quite a bit longer than I had planned on. Also, the hybrid image shows that the roads on the map image don't line up with the roads on the satellite image, meaning that the distances are not quite right. Doesn't necessarily mean that the runs are measuring short, but I've had that suspicion on a few occasions. Using mile markers I know to be accurate, passed through 3 miles in 21:03, 9 miles in 61:10, and ran the last 3 in 19:15.

Around the 1:45 mark I started to feel a little light headed due to dehydration. Lost the shirt which helped cool me down a lot as the humidity was high. But having not taken on any fluids/gels at any stage I was afraid of bonking big time. As if sensing my discomfort, the da magically appeared around 17.5 miles in the car, providing a bottle of cold water. Between drinking some and dousing the head, I felt a ton better finishing up the run. Won't be going this long again without arranging for water/gels enroute. Longest ever run, and the first time over 2 hours. Pretty happy.

Livin for the weekend

Fri: 6 miles + Gym

Sat: 8 miles easy

No time for either run. Going back to the watch tomorrow for the long run. Will either go 16 or 18 tomorrow depending on the condition of the legs. Starting to feel some aches and pains in the left quad/right hammy which suggests my hips need cracking again. Also due to get into a new pair of shoes as having tallied the miles I'm at about 475 and am regretting leaving the new kicks in Dublin. Will have to wait till Tuesday.

Otherwise its a holiday weekend here in Ireland. Nothing to really get excited about. Glad its August as it officially rained every single day during July. August isn't off to a much better start so far.