Under 45 at last

Running on empty

This happened by pure accident but it is one thing I do every so often just to remind myself how the end of a marathon can feel if you get nutrition wrong on the day. It also gives the fat burning system a good workout. I had planned a 15 mile run for Friday night. Plan was big breakfast finish work early @ 4 and have a lunch then start the run 2 hours after that. However herself had said something to me that obviously did not register She was going out to some male stripper show at 8. This meant either abandonment of the run or going straight out on empty. Of course I chose the later option. Glass of water and half a banana stuck the other half in the pocket for emergency purposes, brought 330 ml of water and ditched it at mile 2 to collect later in the run. Run was extremely easy and straight forward for the first 10 miles. Things as expected started to get tough for the next five. I managed to complete the run without having to go for the second half of banana, but  the last mile was really tough to run and is as close as I have ever come to bonking.

Preparation

Switched the focus to tempo runs this week and had in the back of my mind ideas of going for a sub 45 minute 10K in Adare on Sunday. This  is one of the first races in the year and I placed it in the training plan as a tempo run or race. Mondays 5 mile tempo run was done at 7:30 pace and it left me wondering whether I was even near that shape and I was contemplating maybe not running Adare on Sunday. Thursday was a trip to the bridge for another tempo run with the club. Rushing that morning meant I forget essential bits of clothing such as skins, gloves and warm woolly hat. There was as per usual a bit of extreme elements to deal with and tonight it was a southerly breeze that would cut you in three. Then to top it off coach informs us its 5 * 1 mile loops of the town, the loop that goes up that hill, at least tonight there was only 5 to navigate. Had planned to do these easier then Monday but for some reason 7:30 pace felt easy. After 4 miles I decided to see what I could do at what felt like 10K pace. Result was mile 5 in 6:55. Anyway a lot happier with this that I decided to race Adare after all on Sunday and go out @ 7:00 pace and see what happens.

Race Day

Perfect day. For a change running conditions where ideal. Sunny but not warm and not a puff of a breeze. There would be no excuses today for a bad run. Collected my number changed and went for 2 mile slow warm up jog. I noticed that the numbers where going to be big and the start area was not clear of parked cars so congestion was probably going to present problems at the start. I lined up in the 3rd or 4th  row with the faster runners, in an effort to get away as cleanly as possible. There was a five or ten minute wait for the start but it didn't bother me. Once we got going the pace was a bit slower then I was aiming for as there was plenty of people passing me and I was having to pass other slower runners who started ahead of me. I was planning to manually run splits on the watch every 2 KM's. Say the first marker and took no notice to it passed the second and hit the lap button. Looked down 14:09 what ??, it took me 2 seconds to realise the markers where in miles and not km's. This was a bonus as now I was nearly a third through the race and not 2k. Next 2 miles where uphill and passed without incident except avoiding bottles on the road as I skipped passed the water station. Watch split @ 14:05 and well on target. Next two miles where horrible, while it was net downhill I just could not push on here. It hurt and I did not like this place at all. I would push to stay with someone hurt easy back push gain hurt then again wimp out and easy back. This was pretty much how I remember miles 4-6. Watch split for miles 4-6 was 14:16. A quick look at the overall time (brain too addled for sums) was 42:3x (cant remember x.). From here I can hear and see the finish and quickly think 1:30 to there and I would make sub 44. So I push again it hurts, I don't like it but I push through to the finish. As I approached the clock i see 44:54 and I just but the hammer down cross @ 44:58 wrecked and breakfast is on the way up but I manage to hold on to it.

Aftermath

On getting over the line briefly met some club mates turned out Jason Fahy had taken the win. Went for a quick cup of tea and the usual host of sambos and cakes. Had to hit home early so I missed the prize giving where it turned out we took the team title as well. So a good day for B.M.O.H. in Adare. My own performance while I broke sub 45 for the first time and bagged a PB by of over 2 minutes I was a bit disappointed with how I dealt with miles 4 to 6. I am hoping that this was down to lack of races over the last year and I still think there is more improvement there. I have no races penciled in between now and June but I may do some 5K's  a bit nearer June just to get some more speed into the legs.


February 15th
          15 Miles Long run @ 8:47 pace, HR 149

February 18th  
          7.25 Miles 5.25 Miles Tempo 39:41 @ 7:33 pace, HR 160 with 1 Mile WU/WD

February 21st  
          9 Miles 5 Miles Tempo 36:55 @ 7:23 pace, HR 164 with 2 Miles WU/WD

February 24th  
          10K Race 43:56 @ 7:04 pace, HR 174