Oi its freezing!

The weather here in Ireland lately has been absolutely baltic. My nuts have gone into hibernation. Feels as cold as it ever got in PVD, but with the moisture in the air its hard to ever get warm. Plus since we never usually get a snow/ice build up, the gov't doesn't have the facilities to grit/salt the roads/foot paths and now everywhere is a sheet of ice. Managed to make it home without spilling onto the concrete. Score one for this guy.

Quick running update:
Rounded out '09 with a 20 min jog around the football fields at home feeling good. New Years Eve saw me get belligerent, therefore didn't run in 2010/'10 (are we going 20-10/'010/twothousand(and?)ten?) until the 2nd. The run on the 2nd, added an extra lap onto the fields at home for a 24 min outing, before repeating the next day a little slower. Off on the 4th. Yesterday and today ran for a half hour finishing off with weights on the latter and core on the former. Leg has felt decent, not spectacular, but no problems. Been working on my stride and keeping my hips lower to the ground with the pelvis tucked in to keep in line with the shoulders. Feels ok running like this but its mentally pretty taxing, and the gluts/hamstrings get knackered pretty quick since they're not used to doing this due to my previous crappy stride. Found it very difficult to maintain the form today as I was out in a sleet/snow storm without gloves/hat. Pretty miserable stuff. Ok, thats just a running update, nothing quick about it. Sorry.

Catch up post

Thurs: 1hr steady aqua jogging. Nothing really of note, didnt vary the pace much as the legs were a little tired and calves were threatening to cramp.

Fri: 45 mins aqua jogging with 4 x 6 lengths hard, 1 length easy, which boiled down to ~4 mins hard, 1:15 rec. Did the normal gym routine after.

Spent the evening getting various treatments. Spent 45mins at the physio which I didnt find as productive as the ones earlier in the week. Call me sexist if you want but I put it down to the fact that I had a female physio who wasn't strong enough physically to get deep enough into the muscle tissue. After travelling back to Dundalk then I went and saw my bone guy who cracked my hips for me and left me feeling quite a bit looser.

In need of Berg

50 mins aqua jog, inc:

4x2min w/ 30 sec rest, 10 mins easy, 4x1min with 20 sec rest

Gym

Don't know how I used to do some of Bergs workouts in the pool given that this would be a piece of piss in comparison but I was gassed after. Had hoped to get an hour in but the calves refused point blank to allow me to continue due to crampage. Also found the gym a lot harder than normal afterwards, but think that this was just because of the water resistance on the arms.

Being sensible

8 miles, 54:18

Gym

After yesterday's day off, the hip flexor has improved, but not as much as I would like. It's a nuisance, and most noticeable when getting up from sitting. It feels weak, as if the leg doesn't want to take my weight, but once moving its not restrictive. The run didn't aggravate it any worse than before, and the weights if anything seemed to improve it weirdly. Am supposed to workout tomorrow, but unless there's a dramatic improvement by morning I shall be postponing that till the weekend. Left a VM for the physio who I shall hopefully see in the next day or two and nip this in the bud. The work is pretty much done at this stage. Between now and the 26th, the only runs I want to get in are two workouts and 2 runs of medium length. Plenty of time between now and then to get them in and still have a decent taper. It's hard being smart!

Bleh

8 miles, 55:15

Gym

The foot wasn't much better today. While its definitely tolerable, its quite a bit worse than it was at the end of last week. It's at its worst on uneven surfaces and turning left, so did the laps of the park clockwise. Frustrated because if I hadn't had the race I felt like I had it kicked but at the same time, the race was worth a lot more than the couple of days I'm going to take off.

To Martha!

8 miles, 53:27

Gym

Threw on a new pair of kicks for this one, and saw a definite improvement in the condition of the foot. With a day off tomorrow and an easy run on tap for Friday I hope to have this nipped in the bud come the weekend. The run itself was good, started out at the usual pedestrian pace, but got into my running as the lap times around the park dropped from 6:45 to 6:10's over the duration (lap is about 15-20secs short of a mile).

Tomorrow is Arthur's day. 250 years of the best beer in the world. Would love to be able to raise the glass at 17:59 but will be at the hospital, so no joy for me. Still, it will taste all the sweeter on the 26th.

Posting: Jokin Style

5 mile, Gym session, 1.1 mile

43:44 total running.

Going to do these like Jordan and post 4 days in the one go. Nothing of note from this one, easy day after the workout. Flew out to Boston that afternoon. Alls good in the hood.

3 days till Boston

10 miles, 68:54 (35:11 1st 5)

Gym

Expected to be very sore today from Sunday (2 days after etc etc) but wasn't too bad. Started out nice and easy for the run, and was surprised to see I'd dropped to 6:45s for the 2nd half of the run. Had a good session with the weights in the gym, but finishing up I definitely was tired, and am grateful for tomorrow's day off. Have some soreness on the outside of the right foot. Nothing major, but need to keep an eye on it. Icing this evening definitely seemed to help. I think I'll keep doing that.

PS. Very excited for this weekend.

Goals

6 miles, 43:33

Gym

Apparently my attempt at humour in my comment on yesterday's post was lost on poor Jokin. But the reason why I haven't explicitly stated any updated time goals for the race is a) not to get too wrapped up in running a certain time, b) I'm not too sure what that time should be, and c) I'm too used to disappointment to be getting overly worked up about the race when it's still 6.5 weeks away. But to completely contradict everything I've just said, yes I am thinking I can do something around the 2:40-2:42 range but am waiting to get through the half on the 26th before putting it in stone.

For the run today, the legs were surprisingly good. The right hammy was a bit tight again in the first 2 miles or so, but after that was spot on. Taking tomorrow off instead of Wednesday as collage is kicking my ass at the minute. Feck all else to report.

PS Happy Labour day Americanos

Oh No he's pulled a hammy!!

6 miles, 43:22

Gym

For the first time in a while I had to deal with some real discomfort on the early stages of the run. The right hammy and in particular the semi-tendinous insertion were very sore after the first half mile or so. I didn't feel like I was running freely and was having to compensate. Debated cutting it short but around 2 miles in, stopped to fully stretch out the hammy, the calf and the quad before deciding whether or not to continue. Thankfully, the stretch did the trick and was able to continue on. After that it was a totally uneventful run & gym session.

Where's the time going?

~8.9 miles, 58:29

Gym

~1.1 miles, 8:19 (66:48 for 10)

The run was enjoyable, despite being another early morning jaunt. I'd been going most days around lunch time, so not finding it easy to get out of bed to run first thing. Felt strong in the gym which was the first time in a while, as the arms had been feeling pretty tired the last week or two. Having a slight problem with my eye, as sweat has caused the skin on my eyelid to become inflamed/irritated, and in turn, rubbing that is not good for the eye itself. While not a problem for running, its a serious pain in the ass

Today marked 1 year into my PhD program. This thought literally makes me crap myself (figuratively). Can't see myself finishing in time despite the fact I'm busting my ass. Fuck.

In good news today, Spurs snapped up Niko Kranjcar for an absolute steal today (Tarpy take note). Happy days.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.