Tuesday 29 December 2009

Whoopsadaisy!

I have not blogged in a while so I feel a short update is in order. Training has been going really well. Following the race that never was I logged fifty-five miles in my endurance base phase for Boston. Last week I completed fifty-seven miles, which is my highest weekly mileage total ever.
However, that week was a battle against the ice. I was down in Cork for Christmas and managed to log the necessary miles despite travel, other commitments and perhaps most of all ice. It was bitterly cold and the country's bankrupt state as a consequence of individuals' abdication of responsibility and political leadership that facilitated it for electoral reasons, mean the councils have no money to salt or grit roads. Consequently, on Sunday I slipped and landed on my arse. Yes, I am blaming the credit and property crash for my fall ;-)
Before coming a cropper I saw a car do a 360 degree turn in front of a bus coming in the other direction. Thankfully no collision occurred. When I took my fall, the ice was so thick on the pathway that I slid slowly across the pathway's entire width. I thought about packing in it then but decided to proceed with the remaining fourteen miles by going up and down the same one mile stretch of pathway that was largely ice free.

Mileage w/c 21 December: 57

Mileage w/c 14 December: 55

Sunday 13 December 2009

The race that wasn't!

Yesterday I participated in the Aware 10km race. Last year's race took place on a bitterly cold day. The ice almost necessitated its cancellation. This year's race ended in a complete shambles. Just before the race began the race director announced that it the race would only be 9kms. No explanation, just a perfunctory statement that Aware announced it to everyone the previous evening. It subsequently transpired this statement was a line on their own website. Most people did not become aware of the truncated race until they came upon the finish at 9kms!
I completed the 'race' in 34:58, and fancy I would have secured a new PB of 38:?? if chaos has not ensued. Aware has issued no explanation for this nonsense. Rumours suggest that the organisers had positioned the original finish too close to the St. Mary's hospital ambulance entrance and alternative finishes had the same problem. Whatever the reason it is unacceptable. While I acknowledge is it a 'charity run' it does attract a not insignificant number of non 'funrunners' who are happy to raise and/or donate money to a worthy cause because it provides a good opportunity to compete. Henceforth I will no longer participate in this or any other charity organised event. Their attitude to the sport and organisation borders on the disrespectful.

Mileage w/c 7 December: 51

Tuesday 8 December 2009

First week

Last week I completed the first week of my Boston training schedule. It was a big jump to go from thirty-five miles for my last Dublin marathon recovery week to fifty for my first Boston training week. It is certainly more than the ten per cent weekly progression increase that most recommend. However, I did reduce it from fifty-four miles that the Fitzinger and Douglas schedule prescribes. The week went quite well and my efforts to get up early and complete most of my runs in the morning worked surprisingly well. It's certainly an interesting experience to run around the Phoenix park at 06:30am in the pitch black. Thankfully I bring good flashing lights so that the Ninja bicyclists that I cannot see until it is too late see me before it is too late.
The Tuesday morning session was the most challenging, which involved nine miles with four miles at half-marathon pace. I found those miles very tough and felt much more like 10k pace. The mile splits were only just what I would consider half-marathon pace but my HR was primarily in the high 170s. I wonder did Circadian cycles influence this high HR?

Mileage w/c 30 November : 50