There are a couple of holes in my running resume,one of which is a sub 17 minute 5k.
Actually there is one a 16.44 set way back in 1990,my best masters 5k time is 17.09 set 2 years ago,time to put that right.
5k has always been an awkward distance for me,as a road runner up to 06 I always found 5k too much of a sprint preferring 10k,10miles,half marathons,when I switched to track in fall 06 I thought 5,000m would be my distance b4 realizing that the 800m,1,500m,mile were my better distances,but w/ my mile speed I always believed I was capable of running a decent 5k on the road or 5,000m on the track providing I had time to prepare for it.......
The Masters 5k road race c'ships are coming up in Syracuse in 6 weeks time,time for me to get 6 weeks of 5x1,000m repeats under my belt in the hope I can at the very least return from Syracuse w/ a 16.59 5k,preferably a 16.43, a pr and masters record also.
I had no real idea what to expect this evening,in some some respects it was a trial run to get an idea what to expect over the coming weeks.
1,000m#1,1.12,1.25,36-3.03.10.it would've been nice to keep that pace throughout but I knew that was wishful thinking.
1,000m#2,1.18,1.18,37-3.13.33.w/ hindsight this is the pace I needed tonite,something to ponder when I return next Friday.
1,000m#3,1.20,1.20,38-3.18.51.had I have gone in to today looking for 3.20.pace this would've been almost ideal.
1,000m#4,1.20,1.25,41-3.26.80,no bones about it I was feeling the pace now,the 1.20. to open surprised me,I thought I was running slower,mentally I had a let down on the second lap,ergo the session slowest 1.25. split,something to work on next week.
1,000m#5,1.21,1.23,34,-3.16.20.always good to finish strong,a combined time of 16.19.
I can fine tune things a little now,I really didn't know what to expect today,now that I know what to expect from myself,#2 would be a fine blueprint.
As the nation and the world mourns the loss of Senator Ted Kennedy and another chapter in Irish American gets written my memory of his legacy will be his role in the peace process in Northern Ireland,God bless Ted Kennedy.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Melancholy & Infinite Sadness
''But there are long long nites when I lay awake and I think of what I've done,of how I've thrown my sweetest dreams away and what I've really become
And however hard I try I will always feel regret,however hard I try I will never forget,I will never forget"
Bare The Cure
On to phase two of my training,after four weeks of getting my feet back under me w/ either solo miles or mile repeats it was now time to get some speed under my belt w/ 6 weeks of in and out 400m repeats and 5x1,000m and mile repeats b4 hopefully kicking on to phase three in early October,but let's not get too carried away w/ the future until the present has been taken care of.
This evening was my first in and out 400s in almost a year,coming hard on the heals of Fridays dramatic collapse in the mile repeats I was anxious to put that behind me and get off to a good start on my return to speed work.
After my stretches and half mile warm up it was into my flats for the first time since June 2nd for my 150s and 400s.
21.00.for my opening 150m,a pleasant surprise as I hadn't given any thought to what I might run,off my 250m jog I then clocked a 22.34. second 150m,last year in my opening in and out 400 repeat my opening 150s were 23.28-20.49.
Off of 3 mins recovery it was 400m time,again I hadn't given any real thought to the kind of splits I was shooting for it really was a case of throwing linguine at the wall and seeing what stuck.
400#1 60.83.w/150/100/150/splits of 22/12/26/
400#2 60.64.w/splits of 23/12/25/ almost identical splits.
400#3 62.00 w/ splits of 23/13/26/my arms were starting to feel tired,not only had I not worn flats since June 2nd but I had done short repeats either and my arms were feeling it.
400#4 64.93 w/ splits of 25/12/27/not earth shattering but I had to start somewhere and next Monday when I come back I'll have a legit target to chase after today,not that it's a fair comparison but last year my 400s were 58,59,59,60.
Now for the dreaded mile off of 7 mins recovery{last year I took 8 mins maybe I should've checked this b4 I ran??!!}
My splits were nothing to write home about but this mile was always meant to be about being able to dredge up a final lap faster than the first three laps,to that end I was successful as I went
1.40,1.31,1.35,1.25 to clock 6.11.26.again it's not really fair to compare this to last years opener which was 5.29.but like last year I had to start somewhere and come next Monday over 150,400 and the mile I'll look to build upon today.
Why the melancholy and mournful Cure lyrics?tomorrow is another Erica anniversary,on Aug 11th 1985 I came to Philly for the first time ever and on the 25th I reluctantly flew back to London knowing I was faced w/ another 7 months of being apart from my first love Erica,ours was a fairytale romance w/out a happy ending as we've been divorced for coming up on 21 years this November and as is often the case some years Erica anniversaries roll by w/out the blink of an eye,other years I shed a tear for a lost love,I guess this year it's the latter not the former.
And however hard I try I will always feel regret,however hard I try I will never forget,I will never forget"
Bare The Cure
On to phase two of my training,after four weeks of getting my feet back under me w/ either solo miles or mile repeats it was now time to get some speed under my belt w/ 6 weeks of in and out 400m repeats and 5x1,000m and mile repeats b4 hopefully kicking on to phase three in early October,but let's not get too carried away w/ the future until the present has been taken care of.
This evening was my first in and out 400s in almost a year,coming hard on the heals of Fridays dramatic collapse in the mile repeats I was anxious to put that behind me and get off to a good start on my return to speed work.
After my stretches and half mile warm up it was into my flats for the first time since June 2nd for my 150s and 400s.
21.00.for my opening 150m,a pleasant surprise as I hadn't given any thought to what I might run,off my 250m jog I then clocked a 22.34. second 150m,last year in my opening in and out 400 repeat my opening 150s were 23.28-20.49.
Off of 3 mins recovery it was 400m time,again I hadn't given any real thought to the kind of splits I was shooting for it really was a case of throwing linguine at the wall and seeing what stuck.
400#1 60.83.w/150/100/150/splits of 22/12/26/
400#2 60.64.w/splits of 23/12/25/ almost identical splits.
400#3 62.00 w/ splits of 23/13/26/my arms were starting to feel tired,not only had I not worn flats since June 2nd but I had done short repeats either and my arms were feeling it.
400#4 64.93 w/ splits of 25/12/27/not earth shattering but I had to start somewhere and next Monday when I come back I'll have a legit target to chase after today,not that it's a fair comparison but last year my 400s were 58,59,59,60.
Now for the dreaded mile off of 7 mins recovery{last year I took 8 mins maybe I should've checked this b4 I ran??!!}
My splits were nothing to write home about but this mile was always meant to be about being able to dredge up a final lap faster than the first three laps,to that end I was successful as I went
1.40,1.31,1.35,1.25 to clock 6.11.26.again it's not really fair to compare this to last years opener which was 5.29.but like last year I had to start somewhere and come next Monday over 150,400 and the mile I'll look to build upon today.
Why the melancholy and mournful Cure lyrics?tomorrow is another Erica anniversary,on Aug 11th 1985 I came to Philly for the first time ever and on the 25th I reluctantly flew back to London knowing I was faced w/ another 7 months of being apart from my first love Erica,ours was a fairytale romance w/out a happy ending as we've been divorced for coming up on 21 years this November and as is often the case some years Erica anniversaries roll by w/out the blink of an eye,other years I shed a tear for a lost love,I guess this year it's the latter not the former.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Dancing In Berlin
''One,there's no time for this,two grant me just one wish,Please there's no wall in front of you
Dancing In Berlin,I want to see you Dancing In Berlin"
Dancing In Berlin. Berlin
Originally the plan was blog yesterday's 36 mile bike ride then write my World C'Ship Top Ten moments today.....................frankly after yesterdays 36 miler on the bike I was to put it mildly shagged out,not to mention a tad saddle sore,I hope the Team Ireland bike shorts I ordered online show up b4 next Saturdays 36 miler!!!
All that aside I'm pleased to report that I stuck to my guns and compleated the 36 miler yesterday,I don't think I've ever rode that far on a bike b4 and while it was a grind towards the end and a real "grit my teeth"performance I saw it through to the bitter end,hopefully come next week when I do it again it'll be a little easier.
And so to my Top Ten moments from Berlin:
10.Nerius & Harting win Golds for the hosts
Firstly mad props to Steffi Nerius,37 and still winning Gold medals at a World Championship in the women's Javelin.
Props to Robert Harding to pull out all the stops on the final throw in the men's Discus and capture the Gold,we've seen it b4 and will again how the home crowd can lift an athlete,it never gets old.
9. Blanka Vlasic.After a shock upset in Beijing last year in the Women's High Jump the lovable and leggy Croatian defended her Osaka 07 title,good to see her doing her victory dance again!
8.Steve Hooker.Fighting through an obvious pain barrier the Olympic Pole Vault Gold medal winner added World C'ship Gold to his resume by taking as few jumps as possible to first reach the finals then win the final...fair dinkum!!!
7.Allyson Felix,I can still remember her World C'ship debut in Paris 03,since then she's won 200m Gold in Helsinki in 05 and Osaka 07 and now Berlin 09.
6.Jessica Ennis,Britain's first Gold medalist at Berlin,an inspiration to all injured athletes,last year she missed the Olympics w/ two stress fractures in her ankle,12 months later she's World Champion.
5. Derval O Rourke,while 4th is probably the one place no athlete wants to finish Leesider Derval O Rourke was the highlight for Ireland in Berlin{props to Paul Hession a semi finalist in the men's 200m and David Gillick 6th in the 400m final}setting a Irish National record in the final,if she can steer clear of injuries maybe she'll claim Gold next Summer in Barcelona at the European C'ships.
4.Shannon Rowbury Do we finally have an American women's middle distance runner in the mold of the great Mary Decker?
After a dramatic opening round fall Shannon made into the semis via an appeal,left it late in the semis to make her move and reach the final where her gutsy 4th place finish was later upgraded to third and bronze after the rightful dq of the winner Natalia Rodriguez.
3.Bernard Lagat,at 34 this guy is still picking up medals at major c'ships,following his bronze in the 1,500m where his finishing kick was blunted by being boxed in he then gave the great Kenenisa Bekele all he could handle up the home straight in the 5,000m final,and all this w/ 4 stitches in a gash on his ankle from the semis.
2. Kenenisa Bekele,the first ever double 5,000m/10,000m Gold medalist in the history of the World C'ships....oh and the Gold in the 10,000m...his 4th in a row since 05.
1......................Usain Bolt.............who else??!!!
3 Golds,2 World Records and he just turned 23,9.58-19.19.....nuff said,mad props,much love,big ups to "The Lightning Bolt"
Dancing In Berlin,I want to see you Dancing In Berlin"
Dancing In Berlin. Berlin
Originally the plan was blog yesterday's 36 mile bike ride then write my World C'Ship Top Ten moments today.....................frankly after yesterdays 36 miler on the bike I was to put it mildly shagged out,not to mention a tad saddle sore,I hope the Team Ireland bike shorts I ordered online show up b4 next Saturdays 36 miler!!!
All that aside I'm pleased to report that I stuck to my guns and compleated the 36 miler yesterday,I don't think I've ever rode that far on a bike b4 and while it was a grind towards the end and a real "grit my teeth"performance I saw it through to the bitter end,hopefully come next week when I do it again it'll be a little easier.
And so to my Top Ten moments from Berlin:
10.Nerius & Harting win Golds for the hosts
Firstly mad props to Steffi Nerius,37 and still winning Gold medals at a World Championship in the women's Javelin.
Props to Robert Harding to pull out all the stops on the final throw in the men's Discus and capture the Gold,we've seen it b4 and will again how the home crowd can lift an athlete,it never gets old.
9. Blanka Vlasic.After a shock upset in Beijing last year in the Women's High Jump the lovable and leggy Croatian defended her Osaka 07 title,good to see her doing her victory dance again!
8.Steve Hooker.Fighting through an obvious pain barrier the Olympic Pole Vault Gold medal winner added World C'ship Gold to his resume by taking as few jumps as possible to first reach the finals then win the final...fair dinkum!!!
7.Allyson Felix,I can still remember her World C'ship debut in Paris 03,since then she's won 200m Gold in Helsinki in 05 and Osaka 07 and now Berlin 09.
6.Jessica Ennis,Britain's first Gold medalist at Berlin,an inspiration to all injured athletes,last year she missed the Olympics w/ two stress fractures in her ankle,12 months later she's World Champion.
5. Derval O Rourke,while 4th is probably the one place no athlete wants to finish Leesider Derval O Rourke was the highlight for Ireland in Berlin{props to Paul Hession a semi finalist in the men's 200m and David Gillick 6th in the 400m final}setting a Irish National record in the final,if she can steer clear of injuries maybe she'll claim Gold next Summer in Barcelona at the European C'ships.
4.Shannon Rowbury Do we finally have an American women's middle distance runner in the mold of the great Mary Decker?
After a dramatic opening round fall Shannon made into the semis via an appeal,left it late in the semis to make her move and reach the final where her gutsy 4th place finish was later upgraded to third and bronze after the rightful dq of the winner Natalia Rodriguez.
3.Bernard Lagat,at 34 this guy is still picking up medals at major c'ships,following his bronze in the 1,500m where his finishing kick was blunted by being boxed in he then gave the great Kenenisa Bekele all he could handle up the home straight in the 5,000m final,and all this w/ 4 stitches in a gash on his ankle from the semis.
2. Kenenisa Bekele,the first ever double 5,000m/10,000m Gold medalist in the history of the World C'ships....oh and the Gold in the 10,000m...his 4th in a row since 05.
1......................Usain Bolt.............who else??!!!
3 Golds,2 World Records and he just turned 23,9.58-19.19.....nuff said,mad props,much love,big ups to "The Lightning Bolt"
Friday, August 21, 2009
Triple H
Not so much Hazy,Hot and Humid,more Hurt,Humbled and Humiliated.
After 11 good workouts I guess I was due a clunker,it would've been nice if it hadn't been today on my first 4x1 mile repeat since May 2nd not to mention the transitional repeat leading out of phase one of my training and into phase two beginning Monday,but shit happens.
It all began well enough,unlike last week I made sure to be up at a reasonable time and on the track by 11.10am,given the heat and humidity today that proved to be prudent.....though by the time mile 3 rolled around I was wishing I'd stayed in bed!!!
Having walked to Franklin Field in order to take care of a personal matter I had a flashback to "the old days" of walking from 46th and Hazel to Franklin Field to conduct 4x1 mile repeats,for the past three years in mid to late August I've been coming off of Nationals and gearing for 5th Avenue Mile,this year I'm coming off of my achilles tendon injury.
Stretched and did my mile warm up,now to build on last weeks 3x1 mile repeats of 5.29.06,5.22.25,5.05.54.
Mile#1
1.17. for the opening lap,pretty much what I was looking for.
1.22.split2.39.at 800m,ok for an opening mile of 4 x1 miles but not earth shattering.
4.04.at the bell a 1.25.split.
5.25.25.and a 1.21.split,a good start.
Mile #2
1.18.to open a good start.....however
2.42.at 800m off of a 1.24.split,little did I know the rot was setting in
4.07.at the bell and a 1.25.split
5.20.40.thanks to a 73 second closing lap
Mile#3
1.23.to open and the writing was very much on the wall
2.52.at 800m,no knee lift or leg turnover...^&!@ a 1.29.split
4.25.at the bell a 1.33.split,the words hell and hand basket sprung to mind.....and a few unprintable ones also!!
6.01.23. a 1.36.split
At this point there was a temptation to step off the track and say I'd blown it,instead I used the last two minutes of my 5 minute recovery on my back w/ my legs up against the wall in the hope of draining the lactated acid out of my legs.
Mile#4
1.30.to open,this was going to get ugly....
3.09.at 800m a 1.39.split,at this point I was reminded of an old David Moorcroft quote"when things are going well I hum "Zorba The Greek"to myself,when they're going bad I hum"The Funeral March"
4.49.at the bell,a 1.40. split,trust me it's as painful to blog as it was to run
6.31.98.a 1.42. split.
So,where did it all go wrong?I could probably go back to laps 2&3 on the opening mile much less the second mile where I allowed myself to drop off the 1.20 pace,that 73 second closing lap on mile #2 was probably my undoing.
I stuck it out today even when things had clearly gone pear shaped,it's not in my nature to quit on a workout even when it's going horribly wrong,hopefully next Friday when I return for 4x1 mile repeats I'll be able to get it right and chalk today up as"a bad day at the office"
After 11 good workouts I guess I was due a clunker,it would've been nice if it hadn't been today on my first 4x1 mile repeat since May 2nd not to mention the transitional repeat leading out of phase one of my training and into phase two beginning Monday,but shit happens.
It all began well enough,unlike last week I made sure to be up at a reasonable time and on the track by 11.10am,given the heat and humidity today that proved to be prudent.....though by the time mile 3 rolled around I was wishing I'd stayed in bed!!!
Having walked to Franklin Field in order to take care of a personal matter I had a flashback to "the old days" of walking from 46th and Hazel to Franklin Field to conduct 4x1 mile repeats,for the past three years in mid to late August I've been coming off of Nationals and gearing for 5th Avenue Mile,this year I'm coming off of my achilles tendon injury.
Stretched and did my mile warm up,now to build on last weeks 3x1 mile repeats of 5.29.06,5.22.25,5.05.54.
Mile#1
1.17. for the opening lap,pretty much what I was looking for.
1.22.split2.39.at 800m,ok for an opening mile of 4 x1 miles but not earth shattering.
4.04.at the bell a 1.25.split.
5.25.25.and a 1.21.split,a good start.
Mile #2
1.18.to open a good start.....however
2.42.at 800m off of a 1.24.split,little did I know the rot was setting in
4.07.at the bell and a 1.25.split
5.20.40.thanks to a 73 second closing lap
Mile#3
1.23.to open and the writing was very much on the wall
2.52.at 800m,no knee lift or leg turnover...^&!@ a 1.29.split
4.25.at the bell a 1.33.split,the words hell and hand basket sprung to mind.....and a few unprintable ones also!!
6.01.23. a 1.36.split
At this point there was a temptation to step off the track and say I'd blown it,instead I used the last two minutes of my 5 minute recovery on my back w/ my legs up against the wall in the hope of draining the lactated acid out of my legs.
Mile#4
1.30.to open,this was going to get ugly....
3.09.at 800m a 1.39.split,at this point I was reminded of an old David Moorcroft quote"when things are going well I hum "Zorba The Greek"to myself,when they're going bad I hum"The Funeral March"
4.49.at the bell,a 1.40. split,trust me it's as painful to blog as it was to run
6.31.98.a 1.42. split.
So,where did it all go wrong?I could probably go back to laps 2&3 on the opening mile much less the second mile where I allowed myself to drop off the 1.20 pace,that 73 second closing lap on mile #2 was probably my undoing.
I stuck it out today even when things had clearly gone pear shaped,it's not in my nature to quit on a workout even when it's going horribly wrong,hopefully next Friday when I return for 4x1 mile repeats I'll be able to get it right and chalk today up as"a bad day at the office"
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Close,Not Close Enough
As the first phase of my training winds down this afternoon I took my last solo mile for a while.
After my fiveteen minutes of stretching and easy mile it was time to go for it one last time.
1.12.after 400m,a brisk opening lap given the heat.
2.27.at 800m off a 1.15.split,my best 800m split to date.
3.46.at the bell,somewhat of a benchmark in recent miles,frustratingly a 1.19. split.
68.for the final lap,4.54.79.compared to Monday's 4.54.51.
It felt like it was that third lap today that cost me, on Monday I went,72,77,77,68.today I went
72.75,79,68.
Anytime I can run a 4.54.mile and be disappointed I guess that says something of how high I've set the bar for myself.
Friday sees my first 4x1 mile repeat since May 2nd.
After my fiveteen minutes of stretching and easy mile it was time to go for it one last time.
1.12.after 400m,a brisk opening lap given the heat.
2.27.at 800m off a 1.15.split,my best 800m split to date.
3.46.at the bell,somewhat of a benchmark in recent miles,frustratingly a 1.19. split.
68.for the final lap,4.54.79.compared to Monday's 4.54.51.
It felt like it was that third lap today that cost me, on Monday I went,72,77,77,68.today I went
72.75,79,68.
Anytime I can run a 4.54.mile and be disappointed I guess that says something of how high I've set the bar for myself.
Friday sees my first 4x1 mile repeat since May 2nd.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before.
"I was delayed,I was way laid an emergency stop I smelt the last ten seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar and and the pain was enough to make a shy bald buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder"
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before The Smiths
Another Monday,another 90 degree plus day,another sub 5 minute mile,like I said,stop me if you think you've heard this one b4.
Like last Monday I wasn't phased by the heat, once I arrived at Franklin Field I knew it comfortable enough to go for a fast mile as opposed to an easy 3 miler/5,000m.
After my stretches and easy mile warm it was time to go for it over the mile,having clocked 4.59.01. and 4.55.04. last week I was hopeful of another sub 5 today even w/ the heat.
1.12.after 400m,my fastest opening lap to date,as long as I hadn't gone out too fast I was on for a sub 5 at the very least.
2.29. at 800m a 1.17. split,last Wednesday my opening two splits were 1.13/1.17.
3.46.at the bell,a 1.17.split,on Wednesday I ran a 1.16 split on the third lap to clock 3.46. also.
68.for my final lap to clock 4.54.51.
W/ 300m to go I began to up the pace,in four short weeks I've been able to not only knock out sub 5 minute miles but also lengthen my kick the week b4 last it was at 150m today it was 300m,I'm getting there and based on tonite's time I may well run another mile rather than a 5,000m time trial.
I crashed down on the crossbar and and the pain was enough to make a shy bald buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder"
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before The Smiths
Another Monday,another 90 degree plus day,another sub 5 minute mile,like I said,stop me if you think you've heard this one b4.
Like last Monday I wasn't phased by the heat, once I arrived at Franklin Field I knew it comfortable enough to go for a fast mile as opposed to an easy 3 miler/5,000m.
After my stretches and easy mile warm it was time to go for it over the mile,having clocked 4.59.01. and 4.55.04. last week I was hopeful of another sub 5 today even w/ the heat.
1.12.after 400m,my fastest opening lap to date,as long as I hadn't gone out too fast I was on for a sub 5 at the very least.
2.29. at 800m a 1.17. split,last Wednesday my opening two splits were 1.13/1.17.
3.46.at the bell,a 1.17.split,on Wednesday I ran a 1.16 split on the third lap to clock 3.46. also.
68.for my final lap to clock 4.54.51.
W/ 300m to go I began to up the pace,in four short weeks I've been able to not only knock out sub 5 minute miles but also lengthen my kick the week b4 last it was at 150m today it was 300m,I'm getting there and based on tonite's time I may well run another mile rather than a 5,000m time trial.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Life On The Semi Open Road
Inspite of a hectic weekend between the start of the Premier League soccer season,the World C'ships in Track & Field,plus the love of my life Gina Carano fighting tonite,not to mention domestic chores and episode 4 of"Being Human" on BBC America I found time to somehow squeeze in a 28 mile bike ride this afternoon.
Were it not for the time constraints today would've been a good day to up my milage on the bike,I think I'm ready to tack on an extra 8 miles on my long ride on the weekend,we'll see what next weekend brings.
For the week I logged 11 miles on the track and 28 on the bike,I forsee a slight increase in track milage this coming week,I'm sure I'll draw inspiration from watching the worlds best in Berlin at the World C'ships.
Were it not for the time constraints today would've been a good day to up my milage on the bike,I think I'm ready to tack on an extra 8 miles on my long ride on the weekend,we'll see what next weekend brings.
For the week I logged 11 miles on the track and 28 on the bike,I forsee a slight increase in track milage this coming week,I'm sure I'll draw inspiration from watching the worlds best in Berlin at the World C'ships.
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