Sunday, 28 August 2011

Big Heart

Abina always said I had a big heart, or was that mouth, I can never tell. However according to this article (when you read past the section on sudden death in athletes) a larger than normal heart explains why my heart beats more slowly than it would had I maintained a sedentary life. When it comes to pumping more oxygenated blood around the body to supply energy to muscles during exercise the heart can either beat faster or pump more with each beat. As there is a limit on how fast your heart can beat, no matter how fit you are (an elite athlete has the same maximum heart rate as his/her equivalent couch potato) the only adaptation the heart can make in response to the constant pressure of training is to pump more during each beat (stroke volume), which requires a bigger chamber, 33% bigger and more. The surprising thing is that the heart adapts very quickly - within a few weeks of commencing a sustained training regime. Likewise the adaptation reverses quite quickly once we stop exercising regularly - a bit like any muscle really. So for those that train intermittently it would appear that the main thing that changes is the size of their heart. A low resting heart rate and a larger than normal heart in an average person is an indication of a probable heart block, hypertension or heart failure, so if your are in the middle of endurance training it is probably a good idea to say so when visiting the doctor - although if you suffer from any of the above and are in the middle of endurance training................
.
While my resting heart rate is at an all time low of 34 to 35 bpm (I manually measured 172 beats in 5 minutes two weeks ago = 34.4 bpm - taken before rising) and my training HR is quite low, I have also noticed that my racing HR has come down since I started running, with last weeks 10k averaging 158 bpm and a max of 166 over the closing stages - can my heart not beat faster than that in a race. My 10k PB in April 2008 (38:15 - 6:09 pace) had an average HR of 168, which maxed out at 177 over the closing stages (10 bpm higher). Maybe I'm not pushing myself hard enough, although increasing age does account for some of the reduction (roughly 3 bpm over 3 years). So while I am getting more bang for my buck I have less bucks than I used to have. Still I am encouraged by my best ever race result, my 10 mile PB last year, where my HR averaged 161 for the 6:16 average pace.
.
.
Training
.
I have spent the last 2 weeks in West Cork, where training has gone pretty well. I followed the Shannonvale 10k with a Sunday long run of 20 miles covering miles 5 to 24 of the Clonakilty Marathon route, topping the week with 64 miles (highest since ultra training in May)
.
This week I was just shy of 60 miles as I cut back today's long run to 15 miles, which is all I need for my next key race, the Charleville HM on 18th September. It also doubled as a taper for the Dingle Marathon, which I am pacing next Saturday. I did however up the pace to provide some training challenge and averaged 7:25 pace over the partially hilly course, stopping sporadically to take photos, which explains the suppressed Avg HR of 126.
.
McMillian gives me a 1:29:07 half marathon (6:48 pace) for my 40:03 10k last week, which, to be quite honest, is an easy target. Without the hill I reckon I would have covered the 10k in about 39:30, which still gives me a relatively soft HM target of 1:27:54 (6:43 pace). Maybe that's where my fitness is at, but i'll surely improve over the next few weeks, how much will the Dingle Marathon blunt my speed? - too many unknowns so I settled on 6:40 pace as my HM training pace (1:27:24) for this weeks specific endurance run - secretly hoping to get under it.
.
I had planned on 4 x 2 miles @ HM pace (with about 2 or 3 minute active recoveries - hadn't really thought it out, maybe 90 seconds would do as this is likely to be my penultimate specific endurance session before the race). The day before I had completed an "easy" 12 miler where everything felt relatively effortless for the 7:31 pace. This "flow" continued into the warmup for the 4 x 2 mile session where the pace came down to 7:10 without too much effort. I had picked the flat road around Clonakilty Bay for the session running from Inchydoney to Ring Village (lower) and back. I settled into a pace just below 6:40 which felt relatively comfortable to maintain and, approaching the two mile mark, decided to run on to 3 or 4 miles before taking a break. I ended up running for about 28 minutes (27:56) before running out of (flat) road and turned back with an average pace of 6:34 on the Garmin. The initial headwind on the return leg kept the pace in the 6:40's but it eventually came down to 6:36 - covering the return leg in 28:09. I decided to round the session up to an hour and ran on for another 4:30 before cooling down on the mile home. I covered 9.21 miles in 1:00:37 with an average 6:35 pace which is more encouraging than my visit to McMillian. Could I have maintained the pace for another 3.9 miles? More than likely. Will the Charleville course be as flat? It's billed as a flat course - well then at 6:35 pace I would come home in 1:26:18. Getting that bit closer to my PB all the time.
.
.
One of the benefits of running the back roads of West Cork for the last two weeks, apart from the scenery, is that you get to spot where all the blackberries are - so I returned later for a bit of foraging.
Finally some photos form this morning run. It will be difficult to return to suburban running. If the sun come out for Dingle next Saturday it will be a spectacular run.

Saturday, 20 August 2011

Shannonvale 10k - Real Evaluation

Ok so my recent evaluation shows that I am running pretty efficiently, getting more miles per gallon, but that means nothing unless I can translate it in to a pretty decent race - after all I train so that I can race, don't I? and being able to run 5 miles in 34:17 at 140 HR tells me nothing about how fast I could race 5 miles - other than it is somewhere under 34:17, but how far under?

.

So that is why I was toeing the line last night with about 60 other hopefuls at the start of the Shannonvale 10k, a low key race just outside Clonakilty in West Cork. I met up with Diarmaid at the start line, both of us aiming for somewhere around the 40 minute mark. Based on recent training I would expect to break 40 minutes for 10k - on a flat course, no problem - but there was a hill thrown into the mix on this course shortly after the 2k mark to make it more interesting and the 40 minute target that bit more elusive.

.

Ready, steady go! and we were off down the hill through the village and up the incline at the far side. 1 minute in and the Garmin showed an average pace of 5:37 per mile. I counted 14 in front of me but passed a few going up the incline, turn left and I'm somewhere in the top 10 with Diarmaid at my side. A guy in blue I had passed on the hill passed me out going down a slight incline as the field settles into their respective race paces. 1k in 3:55 - on target, but early days yet. 2k in 7:58 with Diarmaid at my side, steady pace all the way.

.
Shortly after the 2.5k mark the hill was upon us and our pace plummeted towards 8 minute miles and beyond as the grade steepened. With the twists and turns we could not see the top and Diarmaid began to pull a yard or 2 ahead of me. Passing the 3k mark close to the top, the Garmin read 12:35 - the hill had knocked me 35 seconds on the wrong side of my target.

.

As we crested the hill I caught up with Diarmaid and we coasted down the other side passing the 4k mark in 16:34 - back on target pace but unable to claw back the deficit left by the hill. We could only see 2 runners in front, the guy in blue and a guy in black compression socks he had passed going up the hill. We didn't look behind. We picked up the pace slightly to the 5k mark over a very gradual downhill passing it in 20:26 - halfway with a 26 second deficit on our target - it was going to be a tough ask to claw that back over the last 5k.

.
The distance to the two guys in front had remained constant since the 3k mark as we all appeared to be maintaining a steady pace, passing the 6k mark in 24:24 (another 2 seconds off the deficit) as the course changed to a very gradual uphill. The guy in the compression socks was slowly coming back to us and he looked behind to see how far back we were - "He's suffering" I said to Darimaid "we're gaining on him". I was feeling reasonably strong at this point and as I gained on the guy in front Diarmaid fell off the pace and dropped a few yards behind. I passed the 7k mark in 28:23 hot on the heels of the guy in front but just maintaining target pace, unable to eat enough into the deficit, now at 23 seconds. I passed the guy in front and gradually pulled ahead, still maintaining a pretty constant pace as opposed to putting in a surge - the 8k mark came in 32:22, another second chipped off the deficit, but not enough to get me near 40 minutes with 2k to go.
.
My central governor was telling me that 40 minutes was unachievable at this stage and that there was no point in pushing any harder - the legs are already beginning to feel very heavy and there's no point in killing yourself. I pushed on regardless repeating to myself that this was not the time to throw in the towel - push on as hard as you can, regardless of the outcome - weakness at this stage could lose you a place - the 9km mark came in 36:14. I'll need a 3:45 last km to get under 40 minutes - my breathing at this stage was pretty laboured and my legs leaden. The guy in blue was anywhere between 50 to 100 yards in front. I pushed on as hard as I could, turned right onto the main road and down the hill to the village - surely the downhill will get me the extra few seconds I need - push hard - cross the bridge - downhill gone - still a 100 yards to the finish - up a slight incline - directed to the left over the finish line as the guy calls out "40:03". "Fuck!" was all I could utter with my last breath - so close.
.
Diarmaid came in about half a minute later behind the guy in the compression socks. We all shook hands on a job well done. The guy in blue introduced himself as Stephen O'Mahony, a fellow M45 runner from Skibbereen AC (although there were no category prizes in this race). Having come in about 15 seconds behind him I didn't feel too bad about my time as Stephen regularly places in the Category results in local races. The results place me 6th overall, with the field well spread out.
.
I had set out to evaluate my racing form ahead on my HM in 4 weeks time. Job done, although there's more to do, if i'm to get anywhere my HM PB.
.
.

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Focus

Target

At last I have decided to focus on another race as the 100k fades into the memory banks and some speed reluctantly returns to my legs. The 15 mile Maxi marathon in Killarney a few weeks back showed me that I still had some way to go to get back on form. Over the last few weeks I have jumped into the twice weekly speedwork sessions of a club group training for the upcoming national half marathon championships in Waterford on 3rd September. As I will be pacing the Dingle marathon on 3rd September I have signed up for the inaugural Charleville HM two weeks later on 18th September - hopefully the hills of Dingle will be out of my legs by then.

I had the opportunity to cycle the route of the Dingle marathon on Saturday evening as I dropped Ani and Saran to visit their cousin Robert who is on holiday there for a few weeks. An undulating course but more than made up for by the spectacular scenery - leaving the Killarney Maxi marathon (promoted as the worlds most beautiful road race) well in the shade. Similar perhaps to California's Big Sur Marathon, except the road is about 10 foot wide. On the Sunday morning I ran an 18 mile out and back run taking in the last 7 miles of the marathon course and the 1.2 mile brute of a hill at the 21 mile mark - it certainly will be a challenging pacing job, where pace will be based on effort and not speed - banking time on the downhills for the slower uphill sections - looking forward to the challenge. And there's always Thomas to fall back on.

I spent the rest of the day on the beach with the kids getting in my first swim of the summer - the water was surprisingly warm (relatively speaking) and the 15' waves great fun.

Training Pace

As I haven't raced a short distance in a year (my 5 mile PB at Churchtown South 2010) and my training for the ultra wasn't exactly peppered with fast runs I don't know what my training paces should be . Based on peak form in the past these would normally be:-

Repeats @ 5:00/20 (38 second half laps, 80 second laps) - 200s/400 - mile pace

Intervals @ 6:00 (90 second laps) - 400s to 1600s - 5k pace.

Tempo @ 6:20/30 (20 minutes and up) - 10k/HM pace up towards 6:50 MP for 60 minutes.

Steady @ 6:50 to 7:20 pace

Easy @ 7:20 to 8:00 pace

Recovery @ 8:00 to 8:40 pace

Any speedwork on the track up until the past month has been at a slower 6:30 to 6:40 pace for no other reason than I didn't think my ultra training needed anything faster and I didn't want to risk injury by combining high mileage and speedwork. Now that the long slow stuff is behind me (for the moment) and my weekly mileage has reduced considerably, my legs have recovered sufficiently to enable me to concentrate on getting familiar with faster paces again. I had nearly got into the mindset that 6 minute pace was too fast for me but getting pulled along in the group sessions the last few weeks at the track has proved otherwise, with paces varying from 6:13 for 2 miles to 5:44 for 800m.

.

My tempo pace has similarly proved fairly consistent with a 6:23 pace on a 30 minute club session last weekend, similar to the 6:24 pace average for the 25 minute session 2 weeks ago. These group tempo sessions are fairly tough and made more interesting by their split time out and back nature whereby at the 15 minute turnaround those that have covered more distance are chasing down the slower guys on the return leg - if everyone ran an even pace for the 30 minutes we should all end up where we started at the end of the 30 minutes. Of course you could take it relatively easy on the outbound leg and up the pace on the return but you'd only be fooling yourself.

.

Evaluation

.

I hit the track this evening with my HR monitor for a 5 mile evaluation run at a constant HR of 140. I completed 4 of these during my aerobic base training between January and March - progressing from 37:18 (7:28 pace) to 34:24 (6:53 pace) over the 2 months. While I knew my aerobic base was pretty solid I did not know what to expect - hoping to get somewhere close to my last evaluation on 29th March (6:53 pace @ 140.4 HR).

.

After a mile warmup, stretching and a lap to get the HR up to 140 I was on my way:-
Mile 1 - 6:43 (140 HR)
Mile 2 - 6:47 (141 HR)
Mile 3 - 6:53 (142 HR)
Mile 4 - 6:56 (140 HR)
Mile 5 - 6:58 (140 HR)

.

Overall 34:17 (6:51 pace @ 140.6 HR) - I won't get much better than that. The effort felt surprisingly comfortable for the paces achieved, although the variation over the 5 miles shows an appreciable reduction in speed.

Saturday, 23 July 2011

It's Official

My 100m PB has finally been ratified by the Cork County Board - 16.53 seconds. My third PB of the year after the 39.3 miles and the 100k, and unlike those races I was back running (racing) within 12 hours. McMillian gives me anything between a 3:03 and a 3:15 marathon for my effort - if only I had practiced using the starting blocks (practiced at all) and broke the tape at 14 seconds I'd be on my way to a 2:40 mara (all for the want of 2.53 seconds) - ah well there's always next time. . As I was toeing the line at the start of the race the MC announced over the PA system that the last race that one of the competitors ran was 100k (leaked from the club chairman). As the rest of the guys appeared to all know each other, they all looked in my direction - all I could do was shrug my shoulders as if to say "why not?". At least the spectators knew the reason for the 2 second gap to the guy with all the struggling slow twitch fibres.
.
I celebrated my new PB by joining some clubmates on a tempo run this morning, most of whom are training for the National Half Marathon Championships in Waterford on 3rd September or one of the other HM's in Blarney/Charleville a week or 2 later.
.
The plan was 25 minutes of fast running sandwiched between 1 or 2 miles of warmup/cooldown. Six of us in all met up in Carrigaline at 8 (Joe, Micháel, Norman, Paul Daly, Paul Hickey - out celebrating the birth of his firstborn - congrats Paul & Myself) for an out and back along the estuary walk to Crosshaven (old rail line) - flat and fast. After the warmup we eased into the faster pace - too fast for me at the start as I slipped to the back with the two Pauls shooting out the front. I maintained a steady pace in the mid 6:20's counting down the minutes to the 12:30 turnaround. Joe had told me on Thursday that the pace was going to be around 6:50 (must have been the salesman in him). with 12:30 on the Garmin we all turned and headed for home (avg pace of 6:24) - some with more ground to cover than others depending on how far they got. The return leg was a battle of mind against body as the rising fatigue in my legs coupled with the slow motion ticking of the clock eroded away at my resolve - yet the pace remained steady @ 6:24 and I ended my 25 minutes within 10 yards of where I started - good solid pacing - any faster on the outbound leg and my pace would almost certainly have suffered on the return.
.
A slow warmdown to the cars and we were all set for the day ahead. Where else would you want to be on a warm summers morning.
.
.
Measured my resting HR this morning at 35 (average over 5 minutes - min/max 33/39) lowest ever - maybe my HR monitor is malfunctioning as during some of my easy runs this week my recorded HR shot up as far as 170.
.

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Speedwork

I took it relatively easy on the running front following the race on Saturday as my quads were sore and achy - downhill running will do that for you. However that changed this evening when I returned to some faster speedwork.
.
I jumped into the middle of the Thursday club session with JP, Joe, Eddie, Rónán, Maura, Pat and a few more who had 1 x 3.2k, 2 x 1.6k and 2 x 800m with 3 minute recoveries on the cards. I missed the opening 2 miles, which was run at about 6:10 pace and therefore was relatively fresh for the 2 x 1 miles @ 6:02 pace each and the 2 x 800 in 2:54/52 (3:00/2:58 in lane 3). My legs felt like jelly for the opening 100m of each of the 800s but they rallied pretty well and I was "relatively" comfortable throughout, even managing a sprint at the end of the final one - I reckoned I covered the last 100m faster than my 100m PB of last Friday.
.
Given that it is a long time since I churned out 6 minute pacework at the track I was very happy with the session. To be quite honest I think I have been slacking over the last 6 to 9 months opting for slower interval paces and avoiding "short" races - perhaps because history has shown that speedwork inevitably leads to injury. Everything in moderation perhaps.
.

Killarney Finish Line (relief)

Saturday, 16 July 2011

When is a race not a race

It's not every day you get a PB, certainly not a PB where you come last and definitely not a PB where you come last and are only 6 or 7 seconds outside the world record - top class field. Well that was me in the 100m final at the Cork County Junior & Masters 2011 Track & Field Championships last night. Luckily I did not have to go through the heats and semi-final due to my form coming into the event.
.
In summary my warmup strides were faster than my actual race, I couldn't use the starting blocks for fear of falling over 10m into the race and I did not want to DNF, I still had to get down on my knees for the ready, steady, go - flashbacks to racing my brothers on the beach as a kid. I was left standing over the first 20m and never regained my...ahem...lead. There were three in my age group (M45), the rest were older, I think the winner was over 60 - not fair putting the big boys in the same race - still I got a bronze medal for my effort (well I will when they figure out I came third). What possessed me I hear you say - I don't know, unknown territory?
.
Unfortunately I didn't have time to wait around for the medal ceremony as I had to head to a funeral and forgo the possibility of more silverware in the shot and javelin, the other events I had entered for. All I can say is roll on 2012, bring it on!.....and who knows the other 2 guys in my age group may not show up.
.
. I did come out of the championships with a slightly dodgy right quad (this is beginning to sound like Dervla O'Rourkes' Blog) which wasn't the best preparation for this mornings 15 mile "Maxi-marathon" in Killarney which had a substantial downhill section - not good for quads.

.

Question: If a mini-marathon is anywhere from 3.8 (Cork) to 6.22 (Dublin) miles and a maxi-marathon is 15 miles, how long is a marathon?

.
Answer: As long as you want it to be.
.
Although if you favour the logical side of the brain and a "mini" and "maxi" are equidistant from the "normal" marathon you might come up with 10 miles or thereabouts. Either answer will do.
.
Anyways, I was up this morning at the unearthly hour of 4:45 (When Thomas normally returns from his morning run) to travel to Killarney with John D and Donal (thanks for the lift Donal) so that we could catch a bus for the 8 a.m. start of this point to point race taking in the spectacular scenery of the lakes of Killarney.
.
.

Lakes of Killarney (Ladies View)

.

Thomas was at the start line well before us anxiously looking for someone to pace off. As John had a camera for taking pictures en route I suggested he track Pat O'Connor who was in similar shape and also intending to race. I did suggest to John that he run ahead of the two lads and take photos of them crossing the line, which they would appreciate ;)

.

The day was overcast with a threat of rain, after all we were in Kerry - rain capital of the world.

.

Here's how my race went:-.

  • Uphill for the first 1.42 miles at a relatively easy pace - Mile 1 in 7:40
  • Opened it up a little for the downhill miles Miles 2 to 4 in 7:00/6:15/6:40
  • John was lamenting the grey day as he wasn't getting any good photos so I suggested he scoot along to the finish and take finish photos (including mine) - and the fecker did exactly that - releasing the brakes and powering off down the hill, leaving a wake of runners behind him.
  • Levelled off a bit from mile 4 to 5 and more downhill until the 7.5 mile mark, which I passed in 49:57 (15 mile 1:40 pace) - I was feeling pretty good at this stage - Miles 5to 8 in 6:46/05/15/40.
  • Some of the early mile markers were off (we were told that there were no markers as they had been pulled out by pranksters during the night)- the 10k marker came before the 6 mile one. The later markers appeared ok but were 0.1 mile short compared to the Garmin distance - "good, a short maxi is just what I need as I am beginning to feel the pressure".
    • I slowed as the course levelled out - Mile 9 was my last sub 7 minute mile at 6:56. Mile 10 in 7:13 (1:07:38)
    • The remaining miles were confidence bashers as those I had passed now began to pass me back as we moved off the road into Killarney National Park where the normally welcome paths killed my pace with the constant minor grade changes. I suffered on resigned to the fact that my legs were not yet prepared for the "speed/endurance" required for the "shorter" race.
    • I crossed the HM timing mat in 1:29:12 (although the Garmin displayed 12.99 miles). Shortly after I was passed by a runner and again during mile 14. I could hear the footsteps of another runner behind me coming towards the finish but I managed to stay ahead of him before crossing the line - not that there was any increase in effort from me - just a "I hope to fuck he doesn't pass me" prayer. Can't beat the power of a well timed prayer.
    • I finished the 14.91 (Garmin) mile race in 1:43:08 - ahead of my 1:45 target, but had to work harder than I expected - Miles 11 to 14.91 in 7:05/15/16/12/6:38.
    • John was on hand at the finish line to take my photo - although he hasn't sent it on to me yet.

    .

    .
    Thomas and Pat had a right old battle for 2nd and 3rd M40 with Thomas hanging on for the win in a very impressive 1:xx:xx (I can't steal his thunder) - 8th overall.
    .
    My efforts got me 39th out of about 700 starters (although this should be put in context - it was primarily a fun event - borne out by the fact that I saw some runners recovering with cigarettes)
    .

    Sunday, 3 July 2011

    Post Mortem

    Reflection
    .
    The results of the Portumna 100k show that my second 50k (4:50:31) took 9.24% longer than my first 50 (4:25:57), which is not too bad considering that out of the 12 finishers I had the smallest positive split (the largest was 56%). However the guy who finished behind me incredibly had the only negative split (4:57:45 + 4:52:21 = 9:50:06) meaning he managed to climb 2 places during the second half of the race. While my pace had reduced to a pedestrian level by the time I had crossed the finish line I could have continued on if I had to, for how long I don't know. However 10 minutes later I could not have walked let alone run.
    .
    .
    Recovery
    .
    My recovery has taken a circuitous route. Naturally my legs were achy and stiff for a few days. My left quad in particular did not function particularly well – to get into bed or a car I had to use both hands to lift my leg from behind the knee. I also had a blister on the side of the base of my right big toe, which I had to lance. All good recovery stuff.
    .
    .
    Pain
    .
    However as the aches and pains subsided on Sunday and Monday a new pain was developing in the big toe of my left foot. I assumed it was a sprain resulting from the race that I had not previously noticed but by Tuesday night the pain had got so bad that I could not sleep and had to hang my foot out over the edge of the bed as I could not tolerate anything touching my toe – water falling on it in the shower was enough to cause pain – it was red and swollen and walking was only possible without shoes and with a distinctive limp.
    .
    .
    Diagnosis
    .
    So on the Wednesday morning I ended up at the Doctor, who promptly proclaimed “that’s Gout” when I revealed the throbbing digit. I had to tell her that the purple toenail was due to an unrelated previous “injury”. Yet she took precautions and prescribed antibiotics in case of infection, an anti-inflammatory for the gout and told me to avoid purine rich foods in my diet (alcohol, read meat – particularly organ meat, mackerel, sardines, tomatoes...)
    .
    All Abina said is "It can't be Gout. Did you tell the doctor the distance you ran? "
    .
    "She didn't ask but I did tell her I ran a very long race. If she though it important she'd have asked"
    .
    "You should have told her" She replied.
    .
    When picking up the drugs she even asked the pharmacist what he thought, filling him in on the details -"How long?" he asked - "no it can't be gout" - I think he just didn't want to contradict her - by the time I hobbled up he was more interested in where I ran and whether or not it was an organised event.
    .
    .
    Science Bit
    .
    To be honest I was surprised with the diagnosis as I understood that gout was associated with a rich diet and copious amounts of alcohol but apparently other factors include a genetic predisposition ( I have a younger brother who suffers from gout) and an under-excretion of uric acid from the kidneys (quite possible given the reduced kidney function associated with endurance events). Also an excessive breakdown of cells (muscle breakdown in this case) can lead to uric acid build-up and uric acid crystals can become deposited in tendons, joints, kidneys, and other organs. This accumulation of uric acid crystals is called gouty arthritis, or simply "gout."
    .
    .
    Recovery # 2
    .
    The meds appeared to work for a while but the pain was nearly as bad on Thursday night, which forced me to consult Dr. Google on Friday morning. After viewing a few sites I was almost resigned to a life crippling pain and no hope for a cure until I happened on this guys site proclaiming the benefit of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), which essentially increases the alkalinity of the body (blood/urine) thereby reducing the production of uric acid. After a day or two of self-medication I was on the road to recovery.
    .
    .
    Running
    .
    I was sufficiently recovered by last Tuesday to venture out in a pair of runners, perhaps unwisely selecting the clubs track session for my first run. However I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to complete a ladder session at a decent enough clip (for me) - between 6:00 and 6:40 mile pace - but I could feel the dull ache in my legs during the 2 minute recoveries. I continued running for the rest of the week culminating in a hilly club run this morning over 11.7 miles @ 8:30 pace and while I can run I’m still a long way from full recovery. Plenty of time.
    .
    .
    Plans
    .
    Apart from being accepted this week to pace the 3:30 group at the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October I have committed to no other race and so my current “training plan” is primarily recovery based – muscle recovery first followed by recovering some of the speed lost over the last 12 months. As Thomas is also pacing the 3:30 group in Dublin it will be our closest race to-date – forced to warmup over 40,095m for a 100m sprint ;)
    .
    .