10km Progression

A rest day today. Hopefully I feel a bit better tomorrow but currently I'm not getting the race vibe.

I just had a quick look at my progression in 10km times. I've run 14 PB's at the distance:



Just looking through that list, I don't recall all the races. But here are some I do remember:

Mosman (25/06/00). My race debut over the distance. I had a shocking hangover and ran with my mate. I got in front in the last km and stopped to encourage him as we approached the finish line. My mate then proceeded to drop in a sprint finish and beat me...

Berowra (04/09/00). Billed as the toughest 10km in Sydney. I was running sub 4 minute clicks up until the hill at 7km. Then the wheels came off. I was struggling to walk up this steep hill and it all got very ugly. I think this was the last running of this race which was a shame.

Bridge Run (28/10/01). This was the old course starting at North Sydney and finishing out at Fox Studios. I smashed through the 40 minute barrier for the first time running 37:03. At the time I thought that's it, I can't get any quicker...

Bridge Run (14/09/03). I thought I had a chance of a sub 35. I recall I picked up an injury midway through the race and was limping the last couple of kms as we finished down by the Opera House.

Lane Cove (05/06/04). I was feeling sick and I wasn't going to run. I felt terrible in the warm-up but this all disappeared during the race. This was a tough course and the time of 35:46 would be worth maybe 30 seconds quicker on a flatter course.

North Head (01/03/08). I was never a fan of this course but that opinion changed a little when I posted my first sub 35. I remember feeling strong at the finish and was being cheered home by Paul Arthur who I think won that day. He went on to say that I'd break 32 if I stuck with it...

Homebush (03/05/08). I ran a few weeks after the Canberra Marathon. I was going well at halfway but really struggled home. This race was the NSW champs and I was chicked by Eliza Stewart in the last couple of kms. She beat me again by a few seconds in the Sydney Half Marathon a couple of weeks later...

North Head (07/06/08). A breakthrough race. Out of nowhere I suddenly found a minute. I had a great battle with Keith Bateman, Vlad Shatrov and Timmy Cochrane and managed to hold them all off. I still was some 30 seconds behind Tom though...

The last 3 races I have my race reports here on this blog:

Homebush

Clarinbridge

Annaghdown

Hopefully PB number 15 is just around the corner...

More on tempo running

I'm still not feeling great - cold and sore throat. I headed out for a short run and ran to the river and back adding on an extra bit on the way out. All up 9.9km in 41:18 (4:10's).

In relation to my earlier post on tempo running, Kanser recently added the comment below which I'm sure he wouldn't mind me posting here for everyone's benefit:

In relation to a question you asked about tempo pace, Daniel's in the 2nd edition of the running formula covers this topic. Based on a 10k time of 32:11, your V02 = 67 and your tempo pace = 3.21. This is the pace you should run at for 20 mins. There's been loads of tests completed to show that 20 mins at tempo pace provides significant benefits.If you want to run longer then 25 mins - 3.24 pace, 30 mins - 3.27 pace, etc. Keep adding 2-3 secs...for every 5 mins.

Very useful and many thanks. I don't have a copy of the table but I'm sure it's out there somewhere on the web so you can look up other tempo paces for differing 10k times. Please let me know if anyone has a link and I'll post it.

An hour and five

I developed a sore throat so rather than do some speedwork, it's probably sensible I take it easy for a few days. Instead I went out for an hour at lunchtime and ran some of the local loops. I ran for exactly 65 minutes and covered 16.1km in the process (4:02's). The legs still feel tired and heavy - I suppose that's a hangover from the half last Sunday.

I'll do an easy 40 minutes tomorrow followed by a rest day on Saturday and I should be good to go on Sunday. A 10km PB is the target...time to break 32:30...

Bridge Gone

Back in Galway and the weather is still wet. I headed out early evening and was going to run my local loop only to find that the bridge has finally been knocked down so there was nowhere to cross the river. Doubling back I added in part of the Rock Road to get me up to 9.9km in 41:59 (4:14's). Legs tired and generally not feeling great.

Schoolboy Error

Today it was time for some intervals. No track to use so I had to use my imagination. Initially I thought about using the long straight road up and down the Quay towards Roman Island but the wind was so strong it wasn't practical. So instead I decided on part of the Westport 5km course inside the grounds of Westport House (more sheltered from wind and rain, plus some give in the ground).

The start point was the large gate at the start of the trail near Hotel Westport. The end was the metal gate outside the part of the park where you can go zorbing. I estimate it was around 650m and the terrain is about 2/3rds trail/gravel and 1/3 footpath. Heading out of town was more downhill, but it was into the wind. Coming back you had the wind on the back but with some uphill drags. In terms of effort, each direction was very similar.

I was initially planning on 12 intervals (off 1 minute recovery); this was quickly revised down to 10 as I approached the halfway mark of the session. Then as I was getting close to finishing I started feeling guilty so reverted back to 12. Upon completing what I thought was my 12th rep, I then had a brain snap and couldn't remember which gate I had started the session at. I quickly decided I had only ran 11 reps so had 1 more to do. Off I set but upon finishing I realised I had in fact done 13. Bad luck to finish on an odd number and all that, especially 13, but I was knackered so I called it a day...

The quickest was a 2:02 and my slowest a 2:09 with the average around 2:05 (so approx 3:12/km pace). With my 3.2km warm-up and down, all up I estimate 14.9kms for the day.

Later that night I headed into town finishing up in Matt Molloys. A great pub with good Guinness and excellent traditional music. Needless to say I was in there until closing time...

Drowned rat

Today's rain made yesterday look tee-total. Hammering down most of the day. I eventually headed out around 5pm and had reached saturation point about 5 minutes later. I did 2 laps of the Westport 5km course to give the legs a shake out and didn't see any other runners. Funny that. Total 10km in 41:58 (4:12's). Then I jumped straight into the jacuzzi to try and dry out a bit....

Coastal Charity Challenge Half Marathon

I headed down to registration which was only about a minute down the road from where we were staying. I picked up my number and being a point-to-point race we were bussed to the start at Louisburgh. The weather wasn't looking good, lots of rain and a bit of a wind to deal with.

I did a couple of kms warm-up and lined up at the start. We could drop bags at the start line which were then transported back to the finish. I was trying to think of other point-to-point races I had done and the only one I could think of was the Bay to Bay in Gosford. I don't have fond memories of that race as I got stung by a bee as I crossed the finish line and then managed to injure my Achilles in the warm-down but I digress...

The race started and I went straight to the front. The race was basically along the coastal road and the road wasn't closed which made for a few interesting moments as we were running on the left hand side of the road (dodging large puddles) with cars overtaking from behind. I was fortunate as I had the lead vehicle to follow but with very little traffic it was safe enough. The first mile had a lot of downhill and with the plan being to start slow and build the pace - I had started way too quickly. It seemed like what breeze there was was coming straight at you and with persistent rain, heavy in places, it wasn't that pleasant.

The scenery was pretty spectacular. Croagh Patrick on your right and the coast on your left. The race plan had gone out of the window and I decided to try and maintain around 5:40 per mile pace, and lift in a few spots on the run for home. The miles kept clicking by and I was overtaking walkers who had started 45 minutes before the main race. I had opened up a large gap and was feeling fine. After 11 miles it was time to take a turn off the main road to follow a smaller coastal road into Westport. Still very wet but I was still feeling strong and I really tried to push the last couple of miles. There were a few ups and downs but in general this was a fairly flat course. Soon I was running down the finishing straight crossing the line in 1st place in 1:13:30.

A good hit-out and although I wanted to run the last 5 miles hard, this was never going to happen running into the rain and wind. I felt comfortable all the way and the groin behaved so all in all a good day. I got back to the apartment to the news that Mo had won the 5,000m. The icing on the cake.

All up 23.1km today and 84.5km for the week. The race today left me thinking about the marathon and whether I could maintain that pace. Umm, when's Dublin?

Here are the splits:

1m 5:15
2m 5:41
3m 5:37
4m 5:47
5m 5:36
6m 5:49
7m 5:40
8m 5:33
9m 5:40
10m 5:40
11m 5:46
12m 5:24
13.1m 6:02

Total 1:13:30

Westport

No running today. The family travelled to Westport and we are staying in a really nice apartment overlooking the quay. I would post a photo but I forgot my camera....

Coincidentally, our apartment is overlooking the exact spot where I got dropped in the Westport 5km race (report here). Which is nice.

I've entered the half marathon tomorrow. The plan is to use it as a training run and attempt to finish strong running the last 5 miles at target half marathon pace (3:19/km). That could all go out of the window if it turns into a race from the gun...

Still a problem in the down below region. Fingers (legs) crossed I'll be okay tomorrow...

Friday

I did a one lap version of the long run I did last Sunday. Total 11.1kms in 45:28. A few niggles still. Guinness will fix it...

Tempo Running

A quick 15 minutes warm-up, then 20 minutes tempo running, finishing with a similar warm-down. All up 13.3kms in 52:18 (ave 3:56's).

I'm never quite sure what pace you should run these tempo runs at. According to McMillan, based on my target 10km pace (32 mins), it gives a range of 3:14 to 3:23 per km for tempo running. I guess the wide range is dependent on the length of the tempo effort. I reckon I covered about 6km today in my 20 minutes so that works out to 3:20 per km which is nicely inside that range. You hear people say that tempo runs should be completed at a pace slower than your race pace. That's not very scientific/accurate as race pace varies greatly dependent on the distance. Today illustrates this - I was basically running at my target half marathon race pace but approx 15 seconds per km slower than my 5km race pace. If you're confused then have a look at the pacing charts and McMillan is a good place to start.

Some great athletics today at Daegu. I really enjoyed watching the mens steeple final, the womens 1,500 final and the mens 400 hurdles final. Fantastic viewing.

Steeplechase

A local run around my bog standard 9.5km route in 38:56. There is work being done on the bridge but you can still cross if you hurdle the barriers...

Then a massage. Very sore. All being well I'll do a tempo run tomorrow.

Pyramid Session

A long warm-up of 6.4km. Then to the track for stretches and strides. It was decided to move from the track to do the session (argghhh!) - so down to the pitches for a pyramid session.

The session was 1 min, 2 mins, 3 mins, 4 mins, 5 mins, 4 mins, 3 mins, 2 mins and 1 min (total 25 mins hard running). Recovery between each effort was always 1 min walk/slow jog. There was a good group at the front and by starting back a little I had people to chase down each rep.

I covered about 8km during the fast bits which wasn't bad considering I'm not a huge fan of running on the grass. I certainly wasn't holding back and gave it my all. I finished up with a 3.2km warm-down so all up 17.6kms for the day.

A few niggles at the moment. Massage booked for tomorrow...

Angel Delight

After being told that my local loop had been closed, I decided that I had to go and investigate. I added a bit on at the beginning (Rock Rd), then ran up to the bridge which was still there and could be crossed. Strange. I decided to double back anyway as to continue on would mean more than 40 minutes and I only wanted to run for that length of time. All up 9.9km in 40:48 (4:07's).

I forgot to mention yesterday that I had my first Angel Delight in at least 20 years. I spotted them in the supermarket recently and thought I'd try the butterscotch flavour. Bloody lovely. I ate the whole thing in one sitting.

As we move in to September the focus will be on some longer training. I have 2 trips planned. The family is going to Westport for a week at the start of September for a change of scene. Then at the end of the month my old man is taking me to Skiathos for a week for my 40th birthday. That means less racing but fear not, I'll still be training hard.

STOP PRESS - I just checked and there is a half marathon in Westport this weekend. This could just work as a nice training run to mark the start of the trip...umm...

Exploring

With the news that my normal 9.5km loop is no longer accessible due to the bridge crossing the river being rebuilt, I had to look for a new long run. I decided to try another of the local country lanes than joins the N17 to Galway Airport. To make it a loop I had to run on the hard shoulder of the main road for about 5km which isn't much fun with cars whizzing by.

Anyway, I completed the first lap in just over 45 minutes, then decided to run a second loop. All up 22.3kms in 1:31:18 (4:06's).

That's 83.9km for the week. Not a bad week with a couple of decent races. The only thing is that I appear to have picked up a slight side strain. Nothing too serious and should be fine in a few days.

A quick mention of the sport on the weekend. England finally beat Ireland at rugby; Spurs get humiliated for the second time in a week; Mo has a fantastic race in the 10,000m getting pipped on the line. No shame in finishing second Mo - and to finish with a 53 second lap just beggars belief....

Claremorris 5 miler

I'd heard mixed reports on the course ranging from "not too bad after the first hill" to "all hills apart from the flat section along the motorway". I'd go with the latter, a very undulating course. Not steep hills, but long drags that really had you working.

I got a taste of the first climb as you exit the town on the warm-up. I bumped into Colm and we jogged a few kms. The weather was mixed, windy and raining one minute, then it would clear the next. Thankfully for the race the weather behaved.

Of the course, it was a P shaped affair. The loop was probably just over a mile, with the balance being made up of the road out and back into town. There seemed to be a decent turn-out and we were soon underway.

I went to the front with Roger Barrett and we ran stride for stride up the first hill. After that, there was a long downhill section where we passed through the first mile. Then more climbing and on a few occasions I threw in a few surges which were all covered off. I think it was somewhere before the second mile that I managed to open up a small gap and feeling good I was again trying to lift the pace.

The section along the motorway was great. Nice flat terrain running with the wind and I felt strong and was opening up a nice lead. That was short lived as I turned off the motorway for the run back into town there were more hills and I started to struggle. That's how it remained for the last couple of miles, just gritting it out. The start of the last mile was the long uphill drag, then a nice descent before a flat section of about 400m to the finish line.

I crossed the line in 26:04 for another win and although the time wasn't particularly quick, it's still the equivalent of a sub 26 minute 8km on a challenging course. Happy enough with that given I've raced 3 times in 8 days.

I finished up with a couple of miles warm-down so that's 13.2km for the day. Another good race in the Mayo league. I'd recommend these races to anyone thinking of giving them a go.

Here are the mile splits:

1m 5:08
2m 5:13
3m 5:16
4m 5:18
5m 5:09

Total 26:04 (3:14/km pace)

Photos and Video

Did nowt today. Give the legs a chance to freshen up and all that.

Okay, I've found some photos from some recent races.

Starting with the Oranmore 5km. This one is approaching the finish line:



And here is a little video clip from the same event:



Here's one from the 5,000m on the track last weekend at Tullamore. It's near the start of the race with the 3 division 1 runners leading the race:



And finally some from the Claregalway 10km (start, finish and top 4 - thanks to edenhill):







Another race tomorrow. A few hills to deal with but I'm in decent shape so should go okay. Looking forward to it.

Tired

During the race yesterday my legs felt fine but today I was struggling. It must be some sort of delayed reaction to back-to-back sessions. Anyway I decided to get out for a bit and covered 12.1kms in 52:14 (4:19's). I was wearing my new technical top from yesterday's race - very nice.

I have to mention the cricket. England finally beat Ireland at something. A close game that could have gone either way. A shame it had so many weather interruptions but that was always going to be a possibility playing the game here!

Rest day tomorrow.

Oranmore 5km

I decided to race so I made the short trip up the road to Oranmore. After collecting my number, I bumped into Brian and we ran a few kms warm-up with a couple of 100m strides thrown in before heading down to the start.

The set-up looked very impressive. A good start/finish area, race announcer, a big crowd (estimate 300+ runners). The countdown was under way and it was time to get moving. Everyone started running but the lead car didn't budge! Thankfully they realised just as the runners were starting to draw level and it whizzed off for us to chase. Through the first km in 3 flat and I was leading with a young guy Paedar right on my heels. The second km was a long uphill drag and the pace slowed but was still running nicely through 2km with a split of 3:17. I was still being chased by Paedar and thankfully there was a downhill section through to the turnaround point at 2.5km (it was an out and back course).

I sensed at this point I had opened up a small gap so I pressed for home. After the initial climb back to 3km (3:15) I put the foot down and was feeling good. The last couple of kms seemed to pass fairly quickly and I went through the downhill 4th km with a 3:04 finishing off with a 3:05 to cross the finish line in first place in a time of 15:41. I won by about 20 seconds and it was pleasing to be able to lift the pace at the business end of the race.

Thanks to the lead cyclist who cleared the return path of oncoming runners. I'm not a fan of the out and back course as I get too easily distracted but on this occasion it worked well.

I finished up with a 3km warm-down so all up 10kms for the day. Here's the best bit, my prize for the day - an 8 week fitness course! Well it made me laugh and was greatly received by the wife. Thanks to all the organisers who put on another decent race. I'm taking it easy now before Saturday...

Combo training

Track night. After a long warm-up (5.6km), it was onto the track. A few strides and then the session was revealed. A 4 lapper, 2 mins recovery, 15 minutes tempo around the grass pitches, 2 minutes recovery, then back to the track for a further 4 lapper. Didn't sound too bad.

I cruised the first mile in 4:59, then jogged down to the pitches and started my 15 minute tempo bang on time. The course I ran was around 3 of the main pitches with an off road section of a couple of hundred metres at the end of each lap. I took my splits each lap and was running at exactly 4:20's which for the approx 1.3km circuit meant nicely under 3:30/km pace. After 3 and (almost) a half laps the 15 minutes was up. Jogged back to the track and knocked out my last mile in 4:56. A good session. After a small recovery I jumped in with another group and did a further lap as they finished their session.

After a 3.2km warm-down it was all over. All up 16.8kms for the day.

I'll be doing more of these longer type sessions in the coming weeks as we move into half marathon season. I have the Galway Bay Half on October 1st, then I may head back to Norwich for the tough half in November. I'll be 40 for both of these races so I'll have moved up an age bracket...

Not sure whether to do the 5km on Wednesday or not. My legs at this stage are saying no!

Deja Vu Week

This will be the fourth week on the trot where I have a Saturday race. And my training will be similar to previous weeks (maybe with a twist).

Today was an easy 9.5kms in 39:37. My legs felt tired today and glad to get it out of the way.

Tomorrow will be track and if I pull up okay I'm considering a 5km race the following evening. That breaks the golden rule of doing back-to-back speed sessions so we shall see. Then easy running on Thursday with a rest on Friday before the 5 miler on Saturday.

As I suspected England won the final test match. India put up a good fight in the first session only to roll over after lunch. That was good.

Watched Spurs get shellacked by Utd in the evening. Spurs were in the game until the first goal then it got a bit embarrassing. That was bad.