Shins 17, This guy 1?

Mon: 40 mins aquajogging
Tue: Day off
Wed: 8 miles, 55:48
Thu: 2 mile w/u, 12.3 mile tempo. 1.7 mile c/d

Despite the shins feeling pretty decent on Sunday's long run, I was sufficiently concerned by a sore point on the shin when icing afterwards to get back in the pool for Monday's effort. And might actually maintain this routine for a couple of weeks at least as I got a better aerobic effort than running 7:45's for a recovery run and zero pounding.
Moved the day off to Tuesday from Wednesday a) because of the shins and b) I was getting a bone marrow aspiration that morning and didn't feel like attempting to run afterwards.
Wednesday was a test to see how training would progress over the next couple of weeks. A positive result from the shins would mean getting back in the saddle while any pain would mean at least a week of no running and no 10 miler next week. Thankfully the shins were fine; a couple of niggles and barks out of them occasionally during the run but nothing to worry about. Felt pretty happy about this and feel comfortable enough to continue training.
This morning I headed out to the park for a 2-lap tempo. Forgot to steal borrow the HR monitor from the lab on my way out last night but knew the pace I was looking for. Last year did this run in 73:47 which was bang on 6 minute pace, but had a bit of a struggle with it late on (mainly due to pints the night before as Churchill was in Ireland that week). Starting out today I could tell the legs felt good. Felt very relaxed in my running and was clicking off the miles nice and steadily. Passed through the 1st lap in 36:15 (5:55 pace) and felt very good. Probably pushed the 1st two miles of the 2nd lap a bit too hard up the hill as it was the only stage I really had any tiredness in the legs. Picked up 5 seconds on the 1st 2 miles compared to the first lap, another 5 seconds from 2-4 but then lost about 5 on the 5th mile. Finished nice and strong though with a ~5:40 last mile for a 35:58 2nd lap and 72:13 overall. Very pleased with how this felt as it was as relaxed as marathon pace should be, and the shins were fine throughout. They tightened up a bit during the cool down, but since finishing the run and ice-cupping they're feeling fine. Might this be the first time I get it right? Not getting ahead of myself but feeling confident. Going to aquajog again tomorrow just to be safe, but feeling content right now.

In other slightly-running related news, while at the hospital on Tuesday I decided it might be a good idea to get my cholesterol checked along with the other tests I was getting done. Last time I did was 2 years ago just after I got back from Abu Dhabi with a huge beer gut and zero fitness. Then it was on the high side at 5.2, but figured since the diet has improved and I'm back running it should have come down. Uh uh. 5.4. Shitballs, need to revamp the diet as this is pretty shocking (normal range is 3-5). Breakfast fries at the weekend are the first to go, and will be trimming the fat (literally) from the diet over the next few days.

Tempo fun

2.5 mile w/u
8 mile tempo
2.5 mile c/d

Waited till last night before settling on this workout as attempted the same thing last year and sandbagged half way through as the legs hadn't recovered from the Saturday race fully. Wasn't anticipating the same thing happening but would have been annoyed if I hadn't learned the lesson from last year. Those fears were baseless as the run went extremely well. Did the loop in 45:49, with the HR in much better shape than the last tempo a couple of weeks back (avg HR = 179, peak = 186). Didn't get too many splits along the way but ran a consistent pace, always felt strong and in control, and despite a little bit of heaviness in the legs felt like I had another gear or two in reserve. Pretty much how a tempo should feel really. Very pleased with the last couple of week's running; fingers crossed I can keep it going.

The nolongerdrunksobacktoreality post

Mon: 8 miles, 55:04
Tue: 10 miles, 65:38
Wed: 5 miles, 36:30 + Gym
Thu: 11.3 miles total (72:53); 6.15 mile tempo in 35.28

Spent the first couple of days of this week getting over the weekends festivities. Came back to Dublin on Tuesday after dropping the newlyweds at the airport. Was only out on the run about 5 mins when I ran into Mary Cullen who's working her way back after injury, although you wouldn't know it given the pace she was running. Ran with Mary for about 3 miles before continuing on at a similar pace, although faster than normal. The Monday & Tuesday runs were slightly longer than was scheduled, and just did a few junk miles on Wed to make up for the weekend off instead of the usual day off.
Had the physio work me over Wed night and apparently my IT bands are like bricks and need some serious work over the next couple of weeks to prevent anything developing. Fun.
Last night hit the Phoenix Park for my tempo. The previous time out I'd run 35:45 but had run harder than I should have for a tempo. Brought the HR monitor along this time to keep the effort more under control. Passed through the mile in 5:45 before hitting the uphill 2 miles, which were run in 11:48, before the last 3 and change in 17:56. Was happy with the run as I was in much more control of myself than last time out although the equivalent tempo last year was run slightly faster (35:15) which I was hoping to match.
The HR is causing me some concern due to the effect the meds for the CML are having. One of the side effects of the meds is a slowing of the QT interval of the heartbeat. The result is that my resting BP has dropped from 120/75 to 120/65. I'm not sure what's happening to the BP during the run, but the drop in the diastolic BP means less tension in the arteries which is resulting in the heart beating more frequently to ensure blood flow through the body. My average HR during the tempo was 189bpm, varying between 184-193, compared to 177-189 last year. What surprised me wasn't how high the HR was as I was expecting that, but how little it varied especially on the downhills/uphills section. Usually the HR profile during the run would match the terrain, but not with this one. It wasn't really coming down on the downhills, and I wasn't seeing the usual spike on the uphill. The pretty shitty graph below shows the HR from start to finish.

One of the cooler aspects of the run was the w/u and c/d. It's fawning season for the deer in the park, and the herds (?) were packed together. Grabbed the iphone for the cooldown and took a few pics which aren't all that clear since I can't zoom on the iphone.

1st Workout

Mon: 8 miles, 55:00
Tue: 9.2 miles, 66:30
Wed: Day off
Thu: 2.6 mile w/u, 6.15 mile tempo, 2.25 mile c/d; 70:26 total

Nothing much to note from the early week runs. Today was the first tempo of the marathon program, with which I'm reasonably satisfied. Was a little bit faster than the same tempo last year (35:45 today vs. 36:03 last year). The problem today was I was almost 30 seconds quicker today through two miles. As a result I started to rig pretty bad through the 3rd mile, and had to back off the rest of the run. It took a lot of "You're a f*cking pussy, man up"'s to not stop after 4, but once I had backed off a little I recovered sufficiently by the 5th and 6th mile to feel a little better by the end. Was still pretty spent though. Meant to take the HR monitor from the lab yesterday but forgot, but definitely have the feeling I was pushing too hard early on to call this a legitimate tempo effort. Better pace control and I'm confident I would have been another ~20secs faster than I was today, but such is life. Looking forward to the next one.

Tempo

1.5 miles w/u

14.1 mile @ MP

1.4 mile c/d; 17 mile total

Happy with this workout good workout. Didn't get too many splits, but went through 3 miles in 17:50; the half 'thon in 77:14 and the last 3 miles in 17:46, for a total time of 83:02 (5:54 avg). Felt very easy for the first 8 miles, but had a rough patch from 8.5-11, mainly due to the fact that this stretch was all uphill and into the wind. After the route levelled out for the last 3 recovered nicely and the rest of the run felt very comfortable. The foot was fine, the anti-inflammatories seem to be doing the trick nicely.

The uncle's wedding was a quite unbelievable night. I managed to stay 100% sober, but yet had some amazing times on the dancefloor, in particular doing air guitar with the family as my uncle (a pretty amazing singer; he's been called the songbird of his generation by those that have heard him, that good) belted out House of the Rising Sun. Antics got quite out of hand, pretty typical for an O'Connor wedding, and shall hopefully upload pics tomorrow.

Dilemmas dilemmas

2 mile w/u

12.3 mile @ thon pace (1st lap 36:51, 2nd 36:15; 73:06)

~1.7 mile c/d

This was pleasing.....took occasional splits, passing through 2 miles in 12:13, 6th mile was 6:00, 1st two miles of the 2nd loop in 12:08, and the last mile in 5:45. Did this same workout 3 weeks ago in 73:52 with the difference being pretty much all on the 1st lap, but today was so much easier than that day. Partly due to better conditions, partly because I was coming off the 10 mile race the last time, but overall just felt very smooth and relaxed. Didn't push the last few miles too much as I knew I was running faster than race pace by a few seconds (5:57 average today is not going to be repeated in October) but was happy with the last mile as it didnt feel hard yet was my race pace in that 10 miler from 4 weeks ago. Felt I could have comfortably kept going for another few miles at same tempo. Took on a gel during the run but without water its not to be repeated as it did cause some stomach cramps. Overall though good day.

Having serious issues with my fantasy football team which is causing my dilemmas. Played the transfer wild card last night but since then the midweek internationals have caused injury havoc with my squad. Will have to continue to tinker between now and Saturday. I love football.

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.

Not what was planned

On tap: 8 mile tempo

Reality: 4 mile tempo, 5 min jog, 8x400 w/ 1 min rec

Splits: 5:35, 5:42, 6:00 (uphill), 5:42 - 22:59
72.96 (59.96), 71.06 (61.2), 73.92 (59.6), 70.5 (59.7), 72.04 (58.3), 70.98 (59.9), 71.69 (58.3), 70.1.

The combination of work, lack of sleep and training caught up to me today. Had a perfect 4 mile loop plotted in the park taking in most of the route from the race on Saturday with the intention of doing 2 loops somewhere between 46-46:20. However, after the uphill 3rd mile my legs were totally gassed. A pity because for the first time in a tempo my breathing was so comfortable and relaxed, but the legs just weren't there. No point trying to force it. So after a few mins jog I did some 400s on the finishing straight for the race last week as the 400 to go and finish line were still on the roadside. All the odd ones were done into the wind, which is pretty evident given they're all 1-2 secs slower. Surprised and pleased with the 400 splits, as I didn't expect them to be this quick at all. Definitely glad I did them as it gave me some pleasure from a poor workout. But had you told me a month or two ago I would have done this I'd probably have thought you were high, so all in all things aren't bad.

Temp-ho

2.5 mile w/u (18:05)
6.15 mile tempo (35:18)
2.4 mile c/d (18:32)

HR during tempo = 177 - 189

Very happy with this workout. Was 53 seconds faster than when I did the same thing two weeks ago. 3 reasons why are a) I had the day off yesterday whereas last time out it was the 8th day in a row out; b) I'm a bit fitter; c) I ran a bit too hard today early on. Was about 20-25 seconds quicker through the 1st two miles which are the hardest two on the run being uphill and today into the wind. As a result I started to rig pretty bad on the 3rd mile, but after about 2.75 the park starts to work downhill and I used the downhills very well to recover from the first couple of miles. Last time out I kept a pretty even pace through 5 but rigged pretty on the last mile. Today after the downhill recovery I felt very strong and would guess that the last mile was the fastest which is encouraging. Recovered very quickly afterwards and the legs have felt good all day since.

Got the race number and course map for the 5 miler in the park Saturday week. Of course the course runs in the opposite direction to what I've been running, with the first 2 miles downhill and from 2-4.5 uphill. Going to be tough going. Also the timing chip is attached to the number which has to be the dumbest thing ever. What the hell is wrong with just lacing it into the shoe like the good old days???

Success

14 miles, 91:23
Map

3.95 miles w/u, 28:26; HR range = 149 - 56
6.1 mile tempo, 36:03; Avg HR = 179, range = 174-187, rec after 1 min =41
3.95 mile c/d, 26:52; HR range = 151-58

Combined the long run with the workout on account of this weekends travelling. Warmed up by running to the park along the Canal, which like the rest of the run, breezed by in no time. I hadn't run in the park since an XC race the winter before I went to Brown, so didn't have too much idea of the lay of the land following the road around the perimeter. The first and last mile were the hardest due to being into the wind and predominantly uphill, with the quicker miles being between 2-4. Think I slowed a bit on the last mile but overall very pleased to average sub 6's. It's a long way from the tempo's of college, but then again, I'm a long way from the fitness of college. Recovered very quickly both in terms of HR and the legs, and was surprised to see that the cooldown home from the park was quicker than the recovery as the pace was pedestrian and the aim was to just let the legs get home in one piece. Also very pleased with the distance covered too as it didn't prove taxing to go 14. A good days running.

Tempo

6+ miles total,

2 w/u, 3 tempo, 1+ c/d

tempo splits: 6:03, 5:58, 5:53

First off, I'm going to say that I am embarrassed that I'm calling this run a tempo, but based on effort and HR it definitely was. I'm also very happy with it, which shows I can now no longer call myself a runner, but a fat bastard jogger. How and ever, it felt like a tempo should, I was working hard, but felt comfortable enough at nearly all stages (running into the strong headwind wasn't easy). I also recovered quickly. I don't have HR data as I think the battery in the transmitter is gone, and was getting readings of anywhere between 99 and 240bpm during the run. However at the end it read 186bpm, which would be about right for a tempo. Overall very happy about this run.