I’ve being promising myself to update my blog for some time now but wasn’t until tonight that I realized that it was last November since I last updated it so I need to stop promising and start updating.
Now, on to the last 2 months. Training went really well for me in December. I started on a pretty strict routine.
Mondays - a 6.6 mile tempo run. My target in this was to cut down my times for the 6.6 mile loop I do where I live. Normally it would take me 50+ minutes. I have now got this down to 46+ so I’m well happy with this.
Tuesdays- the first of my speed sessions. This was 30 second sprints with 30 second recovery in between. The aim was to be able to do 15 to 20 of these per session. In the beginning getting past 8 was a problem for me but now I usually get over the 15 and managed the 20 once.
Wednesdays - I pull back a bit. Mileage goes up to around 8 to 10 miles but I bring the pace back to anything between 7:30 to 8:30. This I enjoy and I make sure that I take it easy on these nights. Some nights, I run with the club in Mallow and other nights with some friends from Limerick. Main thing about this is I don’t like to run by myself on this night. I find it great to meet up with people and it breaks up the training. I find the week flies from there.
Thursdays – it’s a hard nights running. The university in Limerick are running a winter series. 3 nights of 5k, 3 nights of 7k and 3 nights of 10k. I use these for training purposes. When they are not on I am trying to run 3 by 10 minutes at 6 min mile pace. I find this really hard and have not achieved the full 3 sessions. That’s the winter target.
Fridays - rest day
Saturdays - I always try a hilly run. Doneraile park is the venue. Usually about 6-7 miles but really tests the lungs.
Sundays - to finish the week is a long run - anything between 13 to 17 miles.
All said it’s usually around 45 miles each week. Not much difference in the mileage than this time last year but the training style is totally different.
This has been my training for December. Well - up to the 25th of December. Then came the frost and snow. Try doing a speed session in ice!! I don’t think so. This lasted up to the 14th of January. Getting out the odd time and making the best of the treadmill. This worried me to be honest. I felt that any gains I had made since November had been lost and during December I had hit a PB for a local 5 mile race so the question was had I done enough to get me through the ice age.
Since the 14th of January normal service has resumed. I had previously targeted the Mallow 10 mile to see how my training was progressing but that was called off due to the weather conditions. (Now rescheduled for February 07th) My target changed to the Dungarvan 10 mile race on the 31st. A friend from work has been advising me with my training and he advised me to run as if I was targeting a 65:XX time. If I burned out then at least I would know where I stand. Anything under 66 would have me happy considering my 10 mile PB was 67:15.
Anyway on to the Dungarvan 10 mile race. Weather was perfect. Preparation I was unsure about but had got a good night’s sleep, so felt good. Targeted time was 6:35 per mile.
A great crowd at the race. Just under 1000. A busy start but I got close to the front and was well happy with the start. It did feel like there was a bit of a pull up in the first mile but I think it was more about cold muscles at the start. By mile 2, I was starting to feel comfortable. Mile 1, 6:18 and mile 2, 6:16.
Miles 3 to 7 went well for me. At no point did I feel I had gone out too fast. My miles were consistent enough for me. 15-20 seconds variation. Mile 3, 6:24. Mile 4, 6:25. Mile 5, 6:33. Mike 6 6:32. Mile 7, 6:25.
Between mile 7 and 8 I started noticing people around me that up to now I have only ever seen the back of. Either they are running slow or I’m running well. When I find myself running with these people – I start to think “You have gone off to fast and will suffer in the last few miles”. Still I continued on up to mile 8. Mile 8, 6:25.
Mile 9 I dread from last year. It a little pull and I suffered a bit last year. This year it did hurt a little but nothing as bad as last year. Mile 9 6:36. My slowest mile but onward to the last mile.
Last mile went well. A guy from Middleton AC was running beside me and he really helped me to keep my pace up. (Thanks) Coming into the last half mile I was feeling tired but really happy with the times I had clocked up. Once I saw the finish line I got the last burst of energy. Finishing time 64:28.
To say I’m happy with that time would be an understatement. 2:47 of my previous PB. Now to enjoy the rest of the day and get back into training. Next race is the Mallow 10 next week so I have no idea yet how to plan the week. I would like to give it my all next week as it is a race organised by my own club.
After that it will be Ballycotton. Now that’s the course I would love to put in a good time on. Fingers crossed.
Till the next time - happy running to you all.
Paudie
