I can't recall the last time I had ''one of those days"at work,as the title states"It's Been A While".
Rather than go all "TMI" on you I,ll say this much because it dictated my day and my workout I walked into a catalogue of cock ups at 6.30am and after sitting down to enter my invoices at 8am I never sat down again till 1.30pm and I knew I had the 4x400m/2,400m repeat on tap this evening.
I also broke out the shorts and tshirt this evening for the first time in eons,it struck me as funny as I laced up my racing flats after removing my warm up bottoms,my legs are holy ghost white,I know I joke about being pale,paddy and proud but dear lord I need to get some sun on my arms and legs in the next few weeks and months!!!
Despite fatigue and the knowledge there was an added 2,400m at the end of my 400s I told myself not to alter the way I approached the 4x400m and promptly opened w/ 61.76.
Proving it was no fluke I then clocked a 62.55. almost identical to my last 4x400m on St Paddy's Day when I opened in 61.42-62.33.
I was feeling the effects of my day on #3, a still respectable 65.52. b4 I suffered my slowest 400m since Feb 10th w/ a 68.70. a bum note to end the 400s on....but I still had a 2,400m to tackle.
''Dib" recommended a 6 to 10 minute recovery b4 the 2,400m,I took 8 minutes,his advice on the 2,400m was go out in 1.38 and hold onto that pace b4 caining the final lap,I had to laugh when he added"knowing you you,ll go out in 1.30".
Opening in 1.33 I then clocked splits of 1.34,1.35,1.29,1.30. b4 closing in 65,take away that 68 at the end of the 400s and it was a good workout,we,ll try again next week and hope my work day is a lot more forgiving.
"It's been a while since I could look at myself straight,it's been a while since I said I'm sorry
It's been a while since I've seen the way the candle lights your face,it's been a while but I can still remember just the way you taste"
''It's Been A While"
Staind
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Me,Tigger And Pooh
While my Eyore days are behind me{dispite being a huge Tigger fan I dubbed myself Eyore at work.....cos till Chris came along I did all the donkey work!!}it felt like a Winnie The Pooh day out there today,it really was a blustery day.
I knew if the track was still soaked I had the option of an out and back along Cobbs Creek,but that'd mean dealing w/ the wind,one of the pluses of the "Top Cat Bowl"dispite it's knack of retaining surface water along the top turn is that it's at the bottom of a bowl so more often than not wind isn,t a factor.
As it turned out the track was alot dryer than yesterday.....which wouldn't be difficult......this just in my flats are dry!!
Post easy 5 miler "Dib"and I caught up,he was pleased w/ the effort I put in yesterday under less than ideal conditions,but that's last week,we need to focus on this week now,tomorrow is a 4x400 w/ deminished recoveries.................plus a 2,400m at the end,having gotten used to the 4x4 I now need to factor in the 2,400m,just like Ireland's World Cup quallifier away to World Champions Italy on Wednesday it,s a challenge and just like Ireland don't believe it,s a done deal yet in Italy on Wednesday I don,t feel the added 2,400m is a factor either,proving yet again....you can always tell an Irishman...........you just can't tell him much!
I knew if the track was still soaked I had the option of an out and back along Cobbs Creek,but that'd mean dealing w/ the wind,one of the pluses of the "Top Cat Bowl"dispite it's knack of retaining surface water along the top turn is that it's at the bottom of a bowl so more often than not wind isn,t a factor.
As it turned out the track was alot dryer than yesterday.....which wouldn't be difficult......this just in my flats are dry!!
Post easy 5 miler "Dib"and I caught up,he was pleased w/ the effort I put in yesterday under less than ideal conditions,but that's last week,we need to focus on this week now,tomorrow is a 4x400 w/ deminished recoveries.................plus a 2,400m at the end,having gotten used to the 4x4 I now need to factor in the 2,400m,just like Ireland's World Cup quallifier away to World Champions Italy on Wednesday it,s a challenge and just like Ireland don't believe it,s a done deal yet in Italy on Wednesday I don,t feel the added 2,400m is a factor either,proving yet again....you can always tell an Irishman...........you just can't tell him much!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Heavy Going At The 12pm At Kempton Park
Well the good news is I got my mile repeats in and notched a 33 mile week,the really good news was today was my scheduled running gear laundry day....just as well!
I can only imagine that it rained very hard overnight as the track was heavier than it's been in a while when I arrived at 12pm,as is it's won't the top turn retained a fair amount of surface water leaving me two choices....well three but the third one was no mile repeats and frankly THAT wasn't happening!!!!
The two more viable options were run in the middle of the track to keep a straight line and not zig zag across the track .....or say feck it and plough through the puddles and deal w/ the mud slashes later,in running as is in life I went w/ plan b.
#1,69,79,79,72-4.59.63.It would seem I was still in 1,000m mode on that opening lap!!
Obviously a sub 5 is always welcome but the question was how well could I hold up on a rain sodden cinder track?
#2,75,78,77,74-5.04.82.Not too shabby,I wanted to open in 75 and hold on,as each lap went by and I went through the "water hazzards"on the top turn I felt a new found respect for 3,000m steplechase runners as they negotiate the water jump for 7 laps!!!
#3,76,80,82,77-5.15.28.If I had hoped today was my first set of mile repeats w/out an 80 plus than it wasn't to be,granted the opening lap of #1 may,ve contributed to that but clearly the rain soaked track wasn't helping any either.
#4,74,80,80,74-5.08.59.I don,t think I,ve been as mentally tough on any mile repeat this year as I was on this one,I knew from the get go I had to dig deep mentally as well as physically and opening in 74 was just what I wanted.
Sure I'm disappointed to open in 4.59.63. and then get slower but the conditions were as much to do w/ that,as I write this my flats sit atop the radiator in my room in the hope they'll dry off in time for Tuesdays next repeat!!!
Considering what the weather people were predicting for today I should be happy I was able to get a repeat in,not so much a case of looking at the glass half empty,more a case of looking at the racing flat half full!!
I can only imagine that it rained very hard overnight as the track was heavier than it's been in a while when I arrived at 12pm,as is it's won't the top turn retained a fair amount of surface water leaving me two choices....well three but the third one was no mile repeats and frankly THAT wasn't happening!!!!
The two more viable options were run in the middle of the track to keep a straight line and not zig zag across the track .....or say feck it and plough through the puddles and deal w/ the mud slashes later,in running as is in life I went w/ plan b.
#1,69,79,79,72-4.59.63.It would seem I was still in 1,000m mode on that opening lap!!
Obviously a sub 5 is always welcome but the question was how well could I hold up on a rain sodden cinder track?
#2,75,78,77,74-5.04.82.Not too shabby,I wanted to open in 75 and hold on,as each lap went by and I went through the "water hazzards"on the top turn I felt a new found respect for 3,000m steplechase runners as they negotiate the water jump for 7 laps!!!
#3,76,80,82,77-5.15.28.If I had hoped today was my first set of mile repeats w/out an 80 plus than it wasn't to be,granted the opening lap of #1 may,ve contributed to that but clearly the rain soaked track wasn't helping any either.
#4,74,80,80,74-5.08.59.I don,t think I,ve been as mentally tough on any mile repeat this year as I was on this one,I knew from the get go I had to dig deep mentally as well as physically and opening in 74 was just what I wanted.
Sure I'm disappointed to open in 4.59.63. and then get slower but the conditions were as much to do w/ that,as I write this my flats sit atop the radiator in my room in the hope they'll dry off in time for Tuesdays next repeat!!!
Considering what the weather people were predicting for today I should be happy I was able to get a repeat in,not so much a case of looking at the glass half empty,more a case of looking at the racing flat half full!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Home Is Where The Heart, And The Cat Is.
Ah the recovery run,god bless it,following yesterdays 3x1,000m and hopefully tomorrows mile repeats,I say hopefully because there,s talk of rain, today was a nice easy 5 miler at lunch time.
I,ll whole heartedly take todays grey skies again tomorrow,I know tomorrow is very much a "weather watch'' day,but we'll cross,burn,jump,paint that bridge when I get up in the morning.
Try as I do I looked for the positives in not going to Monmouth yesterday,granted an outdoor race would,ve been nice,and the potential for a fast mile would,ve been even nicer,however that said by not going I,m actually home for the weekend,which given my past four weeks is somewhat of a luxury,two day trips to New York sandwiched between a weekend in Boston and a weekend in Landover in the past four weeks.
Aside from domestic chores I had time to hit center city today b4 reurning home for an afternoon of World Cup Quallifiers,right now my adoptive Turkey are duking it out w/ Spain in what could,ve been the Euro 08 final last summer and following this Holland and Scotland will lock horns,Hobbes is a Holland fan since they,re both orange and my recent foray into my Simple Minds cd collection has stired a sence of"Scotland The Brave"w/in and when that's all taken care of I'll hit the pc to see how "Gio's Green And White Army" made out in Dublin vs Bulgaria,being a track road warrior is great but being home and enjoying some creature comforts isn,t so bad either.
I,ll whole heartedly take todays grey skies again tomorrow,I know tomorrow is very much a "weather watch'' day,but we'll cross,burn,jump,paint that bridge when I get up in the morning.
Try as I do I looked for the positives in not going to Monmouth yesterday,granted an outdoor race would,ve been nice,and the potential for a fast mile would,ve been even nicer,however that said by not going I,m actually home for the weekend,which given my past four weeks is somewhat of a luxury,two day trips to New York sandwiched between a weekend in Boston and a weekend in Landover in the past four weeks.
Aside from domestic chores I had time to hit center city today b4 reurning home for an afternoon of World Cup Quallifiers,right now my adoptive Turkey are duking it out w/ Spain in what could,ve been the Euro 08 final last summer and following this Holland and Scotland will lock horns,Hobbes is a Holland fan since they,re both orange and my recent foray into my Simple Minds cd collection has stired a sence of"Scotland The Brave"w/in and when that's all taken care of I'll hit the pc to see how "Gio's Green And White Army" made out in Dublin vs Bulgaria,being a track road warrior is great but being home and enjoying some creature comforts isn,t so bad either.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Three Isn,t A Crowd
W/ the disappointment of missing this particular repeat yesterday and not going to Monmouth now behind me I was determined to "have at it"this evening w/ my first ever 3x1,000m repeat w/ eight minutes recovery.
''Dib" prefaced the workout by saying "don,t go out too hard....but knowing you you will"my mindset was splits of 70,70,30.
#1,68,74,31-2.53.78.The key was taking the first lap easy and finding a comfortable groove,the opening 68 second split was very comfortable and set me up nicely.
#2,69,72,31-2.52.65. now that,s consistant!when I was doing 2x1,000m w/ 10 minute recovery the plan was to try and get the second 1,000m faster than the first,the question was what was left in the tank for a third 1,000m?
#3,70,72,32-2.54.56.To only be a second off of my opener was pleasing but to have conducted my first ever 3x1,000m and to be this consistant was the icing on the cake.
Following a 6 minute recovery I had 2x150m w/ a 250 jog to complete the workout,I had to eyeball where I thought the 50m mark on the top bend was,it,s not like the cinder track is marked,anyways I clocked 17.86-18.85.to complete a very good workout.
''Dib" prefaced the workout by saying "don,t go out too hard....but knowing you you will"my mindset was splits of 70,70,30.
#1,68,74,31-2.53.78.The key was taking the first lap easy and finding a comfortable groove,the opening 68 second split was very comfortable and set me up nicely.
#2,69,72,31-2.52.65. now that,s consistant!when I was doing 2x1,000m w/ 10 minute recovery the plan was to try and get the second 1,000m faster than the first,the question was what was left in the tank for a third 1,000m?
#3,70,72,32-2.54.56.To only be a second off of my opener was pleasing but to have conducted my first ever 3x1,000m and to be this consistant was the icing on the cake.
Following a 6 minute recovery I had 2x150m w/ a 250 jog to complete the workout,I had to eyeball where I thought the 50m mark on the top bend was,it,s not like the cinder track is marked,anyways I clocked 17.86-18.85.to complete a very good workout.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
By Royal Appointment
Sadly the weather got the upper hand today,it,s been a while since rain stopped play.
Also getting scuppered today was tomorrows mile in Monmouth,w/out getting into specifics there was an issue between Nike and Puma and the mile went up in smoke,ah theses things happen,it would,ve been nice to race in a potentially fast race but I,m confident there,ll be others between now and late July.
I realize over the past few weeks there,ve been no "Queen Of The Slipstream" updates,we haven,t fallen out,her schedule got altered again a few weeks back to Thursdays and it seems I,ve had a bunch of stuff to blog on Thursdays,had I,ve done my 3x1,000m today I would still have given a shout out to my queen,she still keeps me grounded but in the same breath is very quick to give my accomplishments their due,she,s a very good friend and I cherrish our friendship.
So to sum up,it,s all good on the royal front,there's no race tomorrow but the 3x1,000m that fell prey to the rain today will be conducted manana.
Also getting scuppered today was tomorrows mile in Monmouth,w/out getting into specifics there was an issue between Nike and Puma and the mile went up in smoke,ah theses things happen,it would,ve been nice to race in a potentially fast race but I,m confident there,ll be others between now and late July.
I realize over the past few weeks there,ve been no "Queen Of The Slipstream" updates,we haven,t fallen out,her schedule got altered again a few weeks back to Thursdays and it seems I,ve had a bunch of stuff to blog on Thursdays,had I,ve done my 3x1,000m today I would still have given a shout out to my queen,she still keeps me grounded but in the same breath is very quick to give my accomplishments their due,she,s a very good friend and I cherrish our friendship.
So to sum up,it,s all good on the royal front,there's no race tomorrow but the 3x1,000m that fell prey to the rain today will be conducted manana.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Paws For Thought
Another easy out and back 6 miler along Cobbs Creek this evening.
I enjoy the out and backs,the scenery changes and I get to think more freely than when I,m doing miles on the "Top Cat Bowl".
There was alot to think about this evening,w/ Indoor Nationals and the indoor season behind me I looked at air fair to Appleton Wisconsin and Helsinki for this summers Outdoor Nationals and Worlds,it,s never too early to start planning.
While I try never to look too far beyond my next race,Fridays mile at Monmouth I thought about the upcoming Penn Relays,I believe the entry deadline is due this weekend and in between those races is a mile race at the Philadelphia Distance Classic on April 11th,and should something cause either Friday or the PDC meet to fall by the way side I have a fall back at Stockton College on April 4th,probably the 1,500m....ah yes the great outdoor season is about to get under way,gentleman start your engines.
I enjoy the out and backs,the scenery changes and I get to think more freely than when I,m doing miles on the "Top Cat Bowl".
There was alot to think about this evening,w/ Indoor Nationals and the indoor season behind me I looked at air fair to Appleton Wisconsin and Helsinki for this summers Outdoor Nationals and Worlds,it,s never too early to start planning.
While I try never to look too far beyond my next race,Fridays mile at Monmouth I thought about the upcoming Penn Relays,I believe the entry deadline is due this weekend and in between those races is a mile race at the Philadelphia Distance Classic on April 11th,and should something cause either Friday or the PDC meet to fall by the way side I have a fall back at Stockton College on April 4th,probably the 1,500m....ah yes the great outdoor season is about to get under way,gentleman start your engines.
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