February 19th – February 25th
Mon: 40 min easy + 5 x 15 sec strides + 5 min Complete. 8.47km. Seville.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10791735668
Tue: 70 min Complete. 14.81km.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10803572371
Wed: 15 min WU, 20 min @ 3:55 km, 15 min CD. Complete. Treadmill. 3:52 pace. https://www.strava.com/activities/10808511505
Thur: 80 min. Complete. 17.12km (on Friday)
https://www.strava.com/activities/10821670852
Fri: Off (Thursday off)
Sat: 15 min WU, 6 x 600m hills (easy jog back), 15 min CD Complete. Reps between 2:02 and 2:08. 13.35km.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10825121051
Sun: 100 min easy. Complete. 22km. https://www.strava.com/activities/10832350530
The week started with a hangover. Just the right amount of cervezas in Sevile on Sunday night allowed for a bit of a hangover but not enough to deter going for an easy 40 minutes. I set off early with no agenda other than to catch some sights and enjoy the last of the good weather. I had a pain in my foot the previous day that I had attributed to the 5K on Saturday and then walking around Seville after Barry in the marathon. Alas, the pain in my foot was not caused by the race or the spectating, but instead from a new pair of shoes I had been wearing – the Nike Vomero 17. In short; they suck. I have since reverted to my New Balance 1080’s for easy and long runs and I am a happier boy (with no pain) for it.
There is still some latent tiredness in the legs from the 5K but no real tangible pain. It is the textbook ‘I’ve done a hard effort’ feel and the first few days after the race have been relatively light on quality sessions, but a slight uptick in volume. My volume has been pretty low the last couple of weeks after Trim, and leading into Seville, so I am gradually building backup to a decent weekly mileage count. The next few weeks are taking the same shape as the previous few months with (mainly) sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, hills on Saturday, long run Sunday and easy running the other days with Friday off/easy. The easy days are slowly increasing in time on feet, which will stand me in good stead come the marathon block.
Wednesday was the first little bit of turnover in the legs after the race and I found myself on the treadmill in the work gym due to some ferocious weather and awkward timing. Nothing of note here but only to say that it got done and we move on. I moved around my day off and rested on Thursday and ran for 70 minutes in the park and Grangegorman on Friday. The evenings are slowly getting longer and this was the first after work run in months that both started and ended in light.
On Saturday, I had the first bit of quality and was out on Khyber doing 6 x 600m repeats up the hill. The first two felt awful, the second two were too slow to compensate for the first awful two and the final two were fast and felt great. I went straight from the 15 minute warm up into the session and I definitely felt the shock in my legs. Next week I will do some strides up the hill first before starting so the body is primed for the session and I get the most out of it. I did feel good finishing and the last 200 metres, the part that really bites, was a joy on the final rep.
Sunday was the longest time on feet in a while and I was out for 100 minutes with Barry on the bike for shits and giggles. We took a hilly route and my heart rate averaging 153bpm and pace averaged at 4:33 m/km. That is a higher heart rate for that pace than I would usually have but I’m not too concerned considering the race, the higher volume and the session the day before. Over the next few weeks, the long runs are slowly building up in time on feet but they are all at an easy pace. The work for Dunboyne 10K will be done on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
With Dunboyne 4 weeks away, and assuming I make it to the start line, that will be 3 races in 7 weeks and that is much more than I am used to racing. I know I thrive off consistent blocks of training and it is how I’ve felt the fittest and got the best results. There are plenty of things going on in my life right now that could be affecting my training but I do feel the going up and coming down in volume has an overall negative effect on me and I am not really suited to racing all the time. Among many other reasons, I think this is why the marathon is best suited to me as I don’t really get antsy during a 12-16 week build and I can focus in on hitting the sessions and the long runs and be stimulated from that. I do need race practice to work on the nerves and that is what this period of racing is aiming to do, as well as a little jaunt to Italy in April for a half marathon with some friends that I will likely jog around for the craic. In saying all this, though, I am confident of a good result in Dunboyne. The course is great and, barring a catastrophe with the weather, you’re largely sheltered from the wind should there be any. If this changes, though, I’ll still be able to find an excuse.
Buckets of Rain 