Training Log Archive: ColmM

decent group

Curragh - 2nd

Started steady, clean enough into 1. 2 was easy, trying to keep moving along. Clean through the first section and working well enough. No real miss until 7 when I went right which was a bit slower, and overshot the turn into the green as well (15s or so).
Tried to move well across 8 & 9, and looks like I was alright up the hill.
To 10, I toyed with the idea of doing wide right to the path and avoiding the sharp hills, but in the end I went straight and saw out the tough hill. Worked hard over the crest and felt in control of the navigation coming towards it, but drifted right towards some people at the last second, and faffed there for a little, before running back towards it and not seeing it (60-75s).
Moved on well enough from here. Was worried Ruairi would catch me, but never saw him. Ran hard & clean the to be safe.

Ducked in on a left route to 14, and right route to 15 up the path. Worked from here to the finish, but making sure to read the map enough and particularly conscious that 18 was the last real tricky control. All g though.

Pretty happy overall. Was too far behind Colm to have been up there with a clean run even. But looks like I was moving 2nd best so can’t complain.

C • 46kg 2

Long - Splits

Commute

Last minute change of plans. Always sad to miss bridge, but still got a nice run in at least. Lovely evening, maybe a bit too much sun in the eyes.
Wildly overestimated the run home from the American embassy and had to loop back to get more. Then ran into Nicola on the Luas lines. How lovely.

Longish run with roar, c.hill, cillín, and lorrieq.
Good times, very chill which was much appreciated as I'm still far from my freshest.

20min xc tempo in bushy.
Went down hoping to link in with one or two others, but most lads had finished their session and one or two others were going later. Not at my freshest this morning, and going solo pre-brekkie, so not the prettiest session, but got something done anyway.
Pretty confident on a better day I’d be moving nicer. Did similar session here in Nov at 3’49”/km I think, and think the shape is similar but maybe not as in-tune. More of these so.

commute - very hungover, and a little late.

out for a quick vote and a few grassy miles. chilling.
Proper fasted on this, a real fat-burner.

Lunch run. Legs stiff & tired.

C • How fancy 2

commute.
legs a bit stiff and tired after last night. I am tired. Wasn't minding mornings initially, but have been very busy recently and the mornings are becoming a little more of a struggle.
settling nicely into the disillusionment with the 9-5 I suppose.

Checking out the first bit.

IMRA Glasnamullen - 4th
Was conscious that this race shouldn’t suit me as much as bray or Scalp, but who knows. Started very steady up the fire-road, sitting back in 8th or 9th, but on ruairi’s shoulder which worried me slightly.
As we got higher up it was still feeling pretty chilled, so I moved through with Ruairi into 3rd & 4th in the later sections of the forest, with Diarmuid Collins & Brian Furey up the road.

Coming into the open Furey looked to be struggling a little, and Ruairi and I both went by, with me a little back. Not long later it flattened out and I ended up going by Ruairi too. Knee this wouldn’t be lasting, but was grand to have a little gap on the inevitable chasers for the moment.

As it got steeper, a few came by 1 by 1, first Ruairi, then Furey. A couple of others too, but they stayed around my level. On the next flat bit before the boardwalk I moved ahead of them again to 4th. Only to surrender 2 places back on the boardwalk as Flannely and another went by, and then another 2 on the very last steep section. But I kept it strong enough, put a little effort on the last bit to stay in touch and summited at the back of the pack. 8th, but maybe 10-15s off 4th.

Made quick work of the trickiest descent at the start and was on my own in 4th all of a sudden. Struggled a little along the climb back the Wicklow way, but was working hard so reckoned I was alright. Knew I had a gap and furey was too far ahead, so started cruising a bit on the grassy descent, and after the final little climb I knew the gap was big, so I could cruise down the fire-road at a tempo without worries.

Happy with that. Climbing legs improving, so must be getting back to shape. Definitely stronger than recently. Legs a bit sore after 2 hard days, but couple easy now. Good stuff.