Last week saw the commencement of my latest training block heading towards the USATF Masters track 10k at the end of July. I was able to get all my workouts in which is as much as you can ask with the current oppressive weather conditions we’re facing. The weather isn’t going anywhere for a few months now most likely so I’ll try not to mention it again! Hat’s off to Meagan though who won the latest 13.1 race in Chicago in the face of ridiculously hot and humid conditions.
Monday I did my long run for the week. It was 15 miles and I felt really good, consciously having to hold myself back even though I was running 6:20s towards the end. I think there is something about the greenway at McMullen that just makes you run fast!
Tuesday that pretty hard run came back to bite me in the mile at the track series where I was handed a spanking by track speedster Aaron. I was feeling awful in the warm up, really heavy legged and an insect bite I had received the night before while cutting the yard had swollen my ankle up to the point where I could barely fit it into my spike! I stumbled out of the blocks trying to get into a good early pace but never really felt comfortable and after three laps of 71-72 seconds Aaron came tearing past me with 150 to go to take the race in 4:41 to my 4:46. I am hoping that that time is good enough to qualify me for the final in a couple of weeks I’ll just have to check the next few races. I definitely want to run faster than that next time! Literally straight after the mile I changed into my flats and jogged the half mile to the other track in the area and did a few 400m intervals to turn the evening into a productive workout.
Wednesday am I was able to get 7 very sore recovery miles in, definitely helped by running with a huge group from the Dowd (I would never have got 7 in solo!)
Thursday the legs were still tired but I got a good solid fartlek workout in on the cross country course in my trainers
Friday was a short recovery/pre race shakeout and Saturday I took advantage of John Compton’s absence to record a long awaited GP victory. I ran a solid race taking it out and running pretty much solo after the first mile taking the race in 16:08 which again was a big improvement on previous times on this course. It was great to see Jay back out there racing (he placed second) and Chad, Billy and Spada had a great race for third too! We did catch a nice break with the weather actually on Saturday morning so that helped. Similar conditions at the Summer Breeze race in a couple of weeks should see me dipping under the 16 minute barrier again on a course I have run 15:51 on before
I had a shakeout run on Saturday afternoon and then just another easy 5 on the Sunday to get to the planned 60 for the week and a good first week in the books
Tonight should be fun as Jay, Aaron and I are heading to the second week of the track series to race in the 3200 meters. We’re hoping to share the workload for the first 6 laps in 75s and then see what we have in the tank for the last two laps. I definitely feel more suited to this distance than the mile! Straight after the race we are going to head to the other track again to try and bash out 2 1k repeats so I’ll be a tired man tonight! Tim has designed my mid week workouts around the summer track series so hopefully that will work out nicely.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
The hard work restarts today
With a 6am start looming for my Memorial Day run I was just about to hit the sack early when a message popped up in my inbox. It was from Tim and yes it contained the new schedules taking me through to the Masters 10k in July. Early night plans were scuppered as I excitedly scanned down what was in store for me for the next couple of months. I've enjoyed being 'rudderless' and doing whatever seems appropriate week to week since the Richmond 10k but it was definitely time to get some focus back in my training and 'get back on the horse'. Thanks Tim! 15 mile 'long run' to get me kickstarted this morning followed by a mile race and some kilometer repeats on Tuesday evening...
M- Off
T- 11
W- 7 (strides)
Th- 10
F- 7.5 (including 1k at 5k pace)
S- 11 (including 5k xc race in 16:31)
Su- 5
A second successive 'down week' with the mileage and workouts light. I enjoyed running all these runs apart from Sunday's with different friends each day. Saturday's race was a 5k in Mcalpine that I jumped in hoping I could win without killing myself with the added bonus that I could jog to and from the start line. All boxes were ticked and as a bonus I picked up a new pair of shoes. A bride this week.
The only 'down' part of the week was watching my beloved Man U getting absolutely murdered by Barcelona in the Champions League Final. What a team Guardiola has, Man U light years behind and plenty to ponder over the Summer.
Happy Memorial Day all. Remember to take a moment to thank and remember all those who have fought and continue to fight for us to protect our freedoms. Amen
M- Off
T- 11
W- 7 (strides)
Th- 10
F- 7.5 (including 1k at 5k pace)
S- 11 (including 5k xc race in 16:31)
Su- 5
A second successive 'down week' with the mileage and workouts light. I enjoyed running all these runs apart from Sunday's with different friends each day. Saturday's race was a 5k in Mcalpine that I jumped in hoping I could win without killing myself with the added bonus that I could jog to and from the start line. All boxes were ticked and as a bonus I picked up a new pair of shoes. A bride this week.
The only 'down' part of the week was watching my beloved Man U getting absolutely murdered by Barcelona in the Champions League Final. What a team Guardiola has, Man U light years behind and plenty to ponder over the Summer.
Happy Memorial Day all. Remember to take a moment to thank and remember all those who have fought and continue to fight for us to protect our freedoms. Amen
Monday, May 23, 2011
Week in review
M- off
T- 10.5 including 4*1600,4*200
W- 8
Th- 7.5
F- 5
S- 8.5 including 5k in 16:20 am/4 pm
Su- 6.5
Total- 50 miles
This week called for a down week and the legs appreciated it. I’m actually taking another very low key this week too. It is a long season and it is important not to just hammer it all summer as there is only one thing that is going to lead to! With my new Training Plan leading up to the Masters track 10k due to start next week Ithought it would be an ideal time to kick back for another week and be ready to hit it hard when I get the new schedules next week
T- 10.5 including 4*1600,4*200
W- 8
Th- 7.5
F- 5
S- 8.5 including 5k in 16:20 am/4 pm
Su- 6.5
Total- 50 miles
This week called for a down week and the legs appreciated it. I’m actually taking another very low key this week too. It is a long season and it is important not to just hammer it all summer as there is only one thing that is going to lead to! With my new Training Plan leading up to the Masters track 10k due to start next week Ithought it would be an ideal time to kick back for another week and be ready to hit it hard when I get the new schedules next week
Great Harvest Bread 5k
Another GP race, another runners up placing. After 4 events (3 2nds and a 3rd- could I have come second in that race had I not raced a 5k the night before? Probably) I am currently top of the standings (as John Compton kindly decided to forego the Skyline 5k) and running faster times than this time last year. This is promising as last year I was able to kick on and run a 2:35 marathon in the fall.
Having said all that I must admit that I felt kind of blah after Saturday’s race. I ended up being 50 seconds behind the winner and over 40 seconds in front of 3rd place- that’s a pretty lonely 5k! Most of the same protagonists were present for this race as at Twilight. There were two key differences at this race though. Firstly, it was clear from the outset that John was on a mission to run fast as he shot up the hill out of the gate at a sub 5 minute pace- at least at Twilight I had been able to keep him company for half a mile. Secondly at Twilight I felt Aaron was breathing down my neck the whole race and I was running scared, whereas on Saturday I looked around after 200 meters and no one was near me. Chad (who went on to finish another solid third place) had said to me as the gun went off, “have a good race”, I responded with a “you too” and that was that, I was in for just over 16 minutes of solo running!
I eventually finished in a time of 16:20 which on paper is a little disappointing but seeing as my Garmin had an average pace for me of 5:09 (compared to the official 5:14- for some reason the race organizers deem it necessary to finish this race with a sharp left uphill turn into a parking lot instead of finishing the race on the main straightaway) and that I ran solo on a hilly course, I’ll take it I guess.
Afterwards I had fun warming down and hanging out with friends and notching some nice bread and cookies as prizes. Nice start to the weekend!
Having said all that I must admit that I felt kind of blah after Saturday’s race. I ended up being 50 seconds behind the winner and over 40 seconds in front of 3rd place- that’s a pretty lonely 5k! Most of the same protagonists were present for this race as at Twilight. There were two key differences at this race though. Firstly, it was clear from the outset that John was on a mission to run fast as he shot up the hill out of the gate at a sub 5 minute pace- at least at Twilight I had been able to keep him company for half a mile. Secondly at Twilight I felt Aaron was breathing down my neck the whole race and I was running scared, whereas on Saturday I looked around after 200 meters and no one was near me. Chad (who went on to finish another solid third place) had said to me as the gun went off, “have a good race”, I responded with a “you too” and that was that, I was in for just over 16 minutes of solo running!
I eventually finished in a time of 16:20 which on paper is a little disappointing but seeing as my Garmin had an average pace for me of 5:09 (compared to the official 5:14- for some reason the race organizers deem it necessary to finish this race with a sharp left uphill turn into a parking lot instead of finishing the race on the main straightaway) and that I ran solo on a hilly course, I’ll take it I guess.
Afterwards I had fun warming down and hanging out with friends and notching some nice bread and cookies as prizes. Nice start to the weekend!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Repeats in the rain
This morning was a reminder of how the simple act of putting on a pair of shoes and running with friends can be so satisfying and enjoyable! The original plan had been for myself, Jay, Billy, Mike and Steve to meet up at 5:30 at Old Bell and head over to the last mile of the cross country course and do some mile repeats. Typically on a Tuesday I run easy on the Miners’ Run and then workout after work but as this week is a down week for me I am not running any doubles.
Jay was planning 5 at 5:20-5:30 pace as his recovery from injury continues apace. I was going to help him through the first three and then take off on the 4th one on my own. With GP race 4 coming up on Saturday there was no need for me to do 5 repeats and the 4th would be a good indicator of my current fitness. I was then going to finish with 4 200s while the others did the 5th repeat, just to get some turnover work in on tired legs.
Well as it happened it rained incessantly here all night and was still raining when we met up. All of a sudden the stuffy 70 degree, 90% humidity morning weather we were becoming accustomed to had been replaced by cold heavy rain. Mcalpine was out of the question as it would have been too muddy, so we had a gametime decision to make. Sack the workout until tomorrow or get it done on the track up the road. We decided to go with the latter, although the former was a close second at the time!
So the five of us headed up to PDS and got it done. It was dark and rainy, our shoes were soaked and the track was waterlogged, but we all met our workout goals and had a good time doing it. Oh for running with friends and a great start to the day!
Jay was planning 5 at 5:20-5:30 pace as his recovery from injury continues apace. I was going to help him through the first three and then take off on the 4th one on my own. With GP race 4 coming up on Saturday there was no need for me to do 5 repeats and the 4th would be a good indicator of my current fitness. I was then going to finish with 4 200s while the others did the 5th repeat, just to get some turnover work in on tired legs.
Well as it happened it rained incessantly here all night and was still raining when we met up. All of a sudden the stuffy 70 degree, 90% humidity morning weather we were becoming accustomed to had been replaced by cold heavy rain. Mcalpine was out of the question as it would have been too muddy, so we had a gametime decision to make. Sack the workout until tomorrow or get it done on the track up the road. We decided to go with the latter, although the former was a close second at the time!
So the five of us headed up to PDS and got it done. It was dark and rainy, our shoes were soaked and the track was waterlogged, but we all met our workout goals and had a good time doing it. Oh for running with friends and a great start to the day!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Week in review
M- off
T- 7/strides am/10 inc. 20*200 pm
W- 5 recovery
T- 9/strides
F- 4.5 am/7 inc. 5k race in 16:09 pm
S- 5 recovery
Su- 15 steady state (6:27 average)
Down week next week hurrah!
T- 7/strides am/10 inc. 20*200 pm
W- 5 recovery
T- 9/strides
F- 4.5 am/7 inc. 5k race in 16:09 pm
S- 5 recovery
Su- 15 steady state (6:27 average)
Down week next week hurrah!
Always the bridesmaid
After taking what seemed like yet another podium position at a GP race without taking the W on Friday night, I decided to take a quick look at my GP race history since moving over.
In 42 races to date I have placed in the top 5 34 times but only crossed the line first ONCE!!!
I have summarized the races below. It is high time I got W number 2, just need to make sure a few key players don't turn up for a race!!
2005
8/27/2005 Greekfest 5k 11th 16.33
9/24/2005 Hit the Brixx 10k 3rd 34:30
10/22/2005 TJs 15k 3rd 51.24
2006
3/18/2006 Shamrock 4 miler 5th 21.03
4/22/2006 Skyline 5k 3rd 16.21
5/19/2006 Twilight 5k 4th 16.02
7/8/2006 RFYL 4 miler 6th 21.46
8/5/2006 Blue Points 5k 2nd 16.30
8/26/2006 Greek Fest 5k 3rd 15.55
9/30/2006 Hit the Brixx 10k 3rd 33.31
10/21/2006 TJs 15k 3rd 51.26
Grand Prix 2nd overall behind Marchinko
2007
3/17/2007 Shamrock 4 miler 3rd 21.14
4/28/2007 Skyline 5k 4th 15.57
5/12/2007 Twilight 5k 3rd 16.15
6/22/2007 Summer Breeze 5k 4th 15.54
8/4/2007 Blue points 5k 4th 16.22
8/25/2007 Greek fest 5k 7th 16.21
9/29/2007 Hit the Brixx 10k 7th 35.07
10/20/2007 TJs 15k 2nd 51.59
Grand Prix 3rd behind Marchinko and Budic
2008
4/27/2008 Skyline 5k 4th 16.12
5/9/2008 Twilight 5k 1st 16.20
6/7/2008 Tiger 5k 4th 16.32
7/12/2008 RFYL 4 miler 2nd 21.41
8/2/2008 Blue Points 5k 4th 16.22
8/23/2008 Greek Fest 5k 2nd 15.53
10/18/2008 Lungstrong 15k 12th 55.39
Grand Prix 2nd behind Marchinko
2009
3/21/2009 Shamrock 4 miler 5th 21.58
6/6/2009 King Tiger 5k 4th 16:52
10/17/2009 Lungstrong 15k 7th 54:02
Grand Prix DNF
2010
3/20/2010 Shamrock 4 miler 13th 22:38
4/24/2010 Skyline 5k 5th 16.20
5/7/2010 Twilight 5k 4th 16.43
5/22/2010 Great Harvest 5k 3rd 16.36
6/5/2010 King Tiger 5k 3rd 16.35
7/24/2010 RFYL 4 miler 2nd 21.31
8/7/2010 Blue Points 5k 7th 16.13
8/28/2010 GreekFest 5k 4th 16.03
9/25/2010 Hit the Brixx 10k 3rd 34.12
10/16/2010 LungStrong 15k 5th 50.55
Grand Prix 2nd overall behind Kinley
2011
3/19/2011 Shamrock 4 Miler 3rd 21:19
4/30/2011 Skyline 5k 2nd 15:53
5/13/2011 Twilight 5k 2nd 16:09
In 42 races to date I have placed in the top 5 34 times but only crossed the line first ONCE!!!
I have summarized the races below. It is high time I got W number 2, just need to make sure a few key players don't turn up for a race!!
2005
8/27/2005 Greekfest 5k 11th 16.33
9/24/2005 Hit the Brixx 10k 3rd 34:30
10/22/2005 TJs 15k 3rd 51.24
2006
3/18/2006 Shamrock 4 miler 5th 21.03
4/22/2006 Skyline 5k 3rd 16.21
5/19/2006 Twilight 5k 4th 16.02
7/8/2006 RFYL 4 miler 6th 21.46
8/5/2006 Blue Points 5k 2nd 16.30
8/26/2006 Greek Fest 5k 3rd 15.55
9/30/2006 Hit the Brixx 10k 3rd 33.31
10/21/2006 TJs 15k 3rd 51.26
Grand Prix 2nd overall behind Marchinko
2007
3/17/2007 Shamrock 4 miler 3rd 21.14
4/28/2007 Skyline 5k 4th 15.57
5/12/2007 Twilight 5k 3rd 16.15
6/22/2007 Summer Breeze 5k 4th 15.54
8/4/2007 Blue points 5k 4th 16.22
8/25/2007 Greek fest 5k 7th 16.21
9/29/2007 Hit the Brixx 10k 7th 35.07
10/20/2007 TJs 15k 2nd 51.59
Grand Prix 3rd behind Marchinko and Budic
2008
4/27/2008 Skyline 5k 4th 16.12
5/9/2008 Twilight 5k 1st 16.20
6/7/2008 Tiger 5k 4th 16.32
7/12/2008 RFYL 4 miler 2nd 21.41
8/2/2008 Blue Points 5k 4th 16.22
8/23/2008 Greek Fest 5k 2nd 15.53
10/18/2008 Lungstrong 15k 12th 55.39
Grand Prix 2nd behind Marchinko
2009
3/21/2009 Shamrock 4 miler 5th 21.58
6/6/2009 King Tiger 5k 4th 16:52
10/17/2009 Lungstrong 15k 7th 54:02
Grand Prix DNF
2010
3/20/2010 Shamrock 4 miler 13th 22:38
4/24/2010 Skyline 5k 5th 16.20
5/7/2010 Twilight 5k 4th 16.43
5/22/2010 Great Harvest 5k 3rd 16.36
6/5/2010 King Tiger 5k 3rd 16.35
7/24/2010 RFYL 4 miler 2nd 21.31
8/7/2010 Blue Points 5k 7th 16.13
8/28/2010 GreekFest 5k 4th 16.03
9/25/2010 Hit the Brixx 10k 3rd 34.12
10/16/2010 LungStrong 15k 5th 50.55
Grand Prix 2nd overall behind Kinley
2011
3/19/2011 Shamrock 4 Miler 3rd 21:19
4/30/2011 Skyline 5k 2nd 15:53
5/13/2011 Twilight 5k 2nd 16:09
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