Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Doherty 8th in 100K European Championships 2013.

Dan Doherty & Keith Whyte, Seregno 2012.

Dan Doherty finished an excellent 8th in the European 100k championships in Belves, France on Sunday 28th April. Dan’s time of 7.05.58 was less than a minute outside the Irish record for the distance. Dan paced himself well and finished strongly, picking off a number of competitors in the closing stages. This displays incredible consistency as he recently recorded a time of 7.05.23 when winning the Self Transcendence (Anglo Celtic Plate)100k in Scotland. Dan will now turn his attention to the World and European 24H championships to be held in the Netherlands in May.
Ireland’s other competitor Keith Whyte unfortunately had to withdraw due to injury at 80k. Keith was also performing strongly up to this point and was disappointed not to post a result. He also demonstrated good form recently when he won the Connemara Ultra.
Special mention must also go to John Collins, Kevin Belton and Jeff Fitsimons. The support crew travelled the 100k course on bikes to provide hydration, nutrition and encouragement to the runners.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Training Diary 15-21st April 2013


Monday Apr 15th. HRV= 75 White.

John O'Regan HRVBetter than yesterday but feel like I’m playing catch up and I’m unsure as to what I should do over the next few days.  The weekend just gone should have been the peak of my training but now I feel like I need to extend the peak into this week.  Lunchtime 10K in my aerobic zone followed by a running commute home at my 24-hr Race Pace.  Took a lot of effort to keep the pace slow especially during those moments when another runner passes by at a pace just slightly faster.
Plan for tomorrow is an early Gym session and a lunchtime Recovery run.  Will add in a second run if time allows and I feel able for it.

Tuesday Apr 16th. HRV=80 White.

John O'Regan HRVA good result and I’m now glad that I took the weekend off as it’s better to miss 2 days training when needed than to miss a week of training recovering from illness or overtraining.  Early Gym session testing my 1 Rep Max for the back squat, lost concentration and stopped at 75kg before finishing the session with 3 sets of walking lunges with Dumbbells.  Easy Lunchtime 10K with legs feeling tired and heavy and a similar evening run of 10K with tired legs.  Looking forward to starting the Taper.
Plan for tomorrow is an evening run of 20K +.

Wednesday Apr 17th. HRV=68  White.

John O'Regan HRVA bit lower than expected and I have the DOMS so the plan changes ever so slightly.  Didn’t feel like I maxed on the squats yesterday but I’m now glad I stopped when I did.  Lunchtime run to loosen my legs out and started to move well after 2K and finished with 11k in just under 50 mins.  Much better than expected but legs started to stiffen up again in the afternoon although I still felt I’d be ok for an interval session in the evening which I went and set up.  Plan changed again after getting home and changed to run.  On my way to the track I knew my legs just didn’t have it in them for a fast turnover and the interval session was then changed to an easy / steady paced road run.  Session became 13K over a hilly route and into a cross or headwind for the most of it.  Not the most enjoyable run and if I didn’t have company it wouldn’t have happened.
Plan for tomorrow is an early Gym session plus a lunchtime 10K and hopefully a second run if time allows.

Thursday Apr 18th. HRV=73 White.

John O'Regan HRVEarly Gym session of Power Clean with 40Kg and 5 sets of 3*5 Strict Press @ 30Kg + 4 chin ups.  Shorter than planned run of 8K as my legs are still feeling tired and I’m still recovering from the DOMS and don’t want to slow the recovery too much.
Plan for tomorrow is medium effort 30-40K run.

Friday Apr 19th. HRV= 65 White.

John O'Regan HRVMy plan for today has slightly changed and instead of the longer run I opt for a shorter but faster session of just under 20K with 14K at Tempo Pace which included a 10K split of under 38 mins.  Added in a second recovery recovery run a few hours later of 6K.  A good day.
Plan for tomorrow is 15-25K.

Saturday Apr 20th. HRV= 61 Amber.

John O'Regan HRVExpected and rather than run early I postpone the run until the afternoon to extend my recovery.  Went out at my planned race pace over a hilly route and picked the pace up halfway through even though I knew I shouldn’t.
Plan for tomorrow is a 20K + Run at my planned race pace.

Sunday Apr 21th. HRV= 62 Red.

John O'Regan HRVNot what I wanted but knew it was possible.  Today is the end of my peak week and tomorrow is a rest day so my plan for today stands but I limit the distance to 20K and keep my HR at lower end of Aerobic and my pace will be no faster than race pace.  This is planned over reaching.
Plan for tomorrow is a rest day and coaching.

Weekly HRV Summary

John O'Regan HRVA good comeback from last weekend and overall a good week with a mix of sessions / distances & intensities.  Tomorrow is a rest / recovery day and the Taper begins.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Training Diary 8-14th April 2013


Monday Apr 08th. HRV= 70 White.

John O'Regan HRV April Mon 8thLower than expected.  Easy lunchtime 10K and feeling slightly fatigued, decided to cancel my run home.  Went to watch my son play a match and then took the opportunity to run a recovery 5K with the Couch to 5K group from my club.  Legs still feeling tired and think this was a good decision as it prevents the temptation to run faster / longer.  Cancelled my Gym session tomorrow as there’s no point in digging the hole any deeper.
Plan for tomorrow is undecided and will depend on my recovery.

Tuesday Apr 09th. HRV= 85 Green.

John O'Regan HRV April Tues 9thStress / Rest / Adapt and this is my highest score in quite a while.  Woke at my usual Gym time and same scenario as last Thursday, if the signs of a recovery were there I’d use the available time productively.  Ran to work taking it nice and easy and added a second recovery run during my lunchtime of 8K.  An unexpected window of opportunity meant I could add in a 3rd session of just under 10K at Recovery pace and this is ideal in the build-up to a 24-hr race as the cumulative fatigue is similar to what I’ll experience during the race.
Plan for tomorrow is an evening run of 20K +.

Wednesday Apr 10th . HRV= 81 White.

John O'Regan HRV April Weds 10thHigher than expected and today’s plan has slightly changed to quality over quantity based on my HRV.  Legs feeling heavy so I skipped the opportunity to run during lunch and instead saved myself for a later session of 3*2K intervals off 90 seconds recovery.  I was aiming for 3:30-3:35 per K but spent most of the first rep warming up and maybe next time I’ll include a throwaway rep of close to planned pace at the start.  Average pace per 2K of: 3:38K, 3:34K & 3:35K and a total distance of 13K with warm up and cool down.
Plan for tomorrow is an early Gym session plus a lunchtime 10K and hopefully a second run if time allows.

Thursday Apr 11th. HRV=73 White.

John O'Regan HRV April Thurs 11thEarly Gym session of mobility work and did 3*5 Back Squats with 60Kg and 3* max chin ups.  Lunchtime easy run of 10K in just under 42 mins and I can feel my right ITB starting to feel the effects of the recent workload.  Think it’s time for a massage.
Plan for tomorrow is medium effort 30-40K run.

Friday Apr 12th. HRV= 69 Amber.

John O'Regan HRV April Fri 12thPlan for today is slightly changed and rather than a tiring long run I opt for a shorter but more intense interval session.  An interval session isn’t as tiring because of the recovery between reps and the reps are short enough that the HR isn’t elevated for too long.  Session was 10*1K at average pace of 3:35K off 60 second recovery.
Plan for tomorrow is a Tempo Run of 15-25K.

Saturday Apr 13th. HRV=61 Red.

John O'Regan HRV April Sat 13thToday is now a rest day so it’s back to bed.
Plan for tomorrow is similar to last week with a long mixed terrain run.

Sunday Apr 14th. HRV=61 Red.

John O'Regan HRV April Sun 14thUnexpected after resting and taking it easy yesterday.  Today is now a rest day and I’m not happy.  Sent a text to my club mates cancelling a planned meet up halfway through my run and then it was back to bed.
Plan for tomorrow will depend on recovery but I’m thinking a lunchtime easy run and a running commute home.

 Weekly Summary

John O'Regan Weekly HRV April 8th to 14th
A bad end to my peak week as I’m close to 100K short of my plan but then again it could be a good end as the double Red show’s that if I’m not coming down with an illness then I may have been training to my max and peaking just in time.  With less than 4 weeks until the 24-hr World & European Championships I’d like to think that it’s the latter.  Tomorrow will tell.
I’m still awaiting the official Team announcement for this event and expect it will be made next week, fingers crossed.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

IAU 100k European Championships 2013



Keith Whyte and Dan Doherty have been selected to compete in the IAU 100K European Championships in Belves, France on April 27th. Dan prepared for this event by recently winning the Self Transcendence 100K (Anglo Celtic Plate) in cold conditions in Perth Scotland.
His winning time of 7.05.23 was a new PB and just short of the Irish record. Keith Whyte had previously won the Anglo Celtic Plate in 2012 hot conditions in a time of 7.16.42.  
Keith Whyte also prepared in style by winning the Connemara Ultra Marathon in a time of 4.25.52 in less than ideal conditions having to run the last 13 miles into a headwind.
The race in Belves will be held on a 100K loop so a strong support team is required. John Collins, Kevin Belton and Jeff Fitzsimons will travel to ensure all requirements are met.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Training Diary 1st-7th April 2013

Kildare Senior Road Race Championships.


Monday Apr 01st. HRV= 78 White
Mon HRVA good recovery since yesterday and better than expected for race day.  Didn’t do my usual pre breakfast race day run in favour of the extra time in bed as I’m still adjusting to the clocks going forward.  Unsure of my form but confident that I’ll go under 38mins has taken my mindset away from racing and that in itself has helped keep the stress levels controlled plus today’s race is hosted by my club and I don’t have far to travel so even with the lie in I arrive in good time to relax and mingle before the start.   When the race started I was conscious of the possible fast pace and tried not to get caught up in an early sprint. The start seemed slow enough but when I checked my watch I soon realised that it was too much too soon and I purposely dropped back to get closer to my planned pace.  The opening stretch went for 3k on the hard shoulder of a featureless road and was made easy by being amongst a group of 5-10.  At the end of this stretch we turned sharp left and went up and over a humpback bridge crossing a canal and the railway and then the race starts.  This short sharp hill is a killer but local knowledge meant I didn’t attack it hard but waited until I’d cleared it before making a break and then I was on my own and chasing down individual runners with the closest being between 60-100M away.  This section went on for less than 2k and was undulating but sheltered and my plan was to get to the end of this stretch on pace before turning left again for less than 500M and into a headwind when I knew I’d need to dig deep and then as I cleared halfway I’d push on.  I started to gain on the runners ahead and was also caught by someone from behind and then I became part of a group of 3 before reaching the 6K marker, I tried to get comfortable running as a group but as we hit a downhill stretch I was gone.  I’m guessing that the effects of the recent trail race meant my legs just couldn’t cope with the high impact from running downhill and rather than the other competitors picking it up I was simply falling back.  A sizeable gap was created as each time they went out of view on a bend made it harder to regain contact as my concentration was starting to go.  I wasn’t feeling any pain but it was an effort to maintain the pace as my legs were feeling heavy and in my head I was trying to work out my finish time if I eased back from here.  Had I done enough to go under 38 mins?  In the distance I could see a house that I knew was close to the 7k mark and that became my new focus and soon enough after passing it I could see that I was starting to make up some ground.  I caught up with the runner just ahead and made some distance on him on him at a hill just after 8K but what goes up must go down and he tore past me on the downhill and it felt like I was running through quicksand as I tried to maintain contact.  Approaching the finish I get a glimpse of the position behind me and do my best to improve on or at least maintain what I’ve got and make a poor attempt at a sprint finish.  Crossing the line in 37:16 it’s over 2 minutes slower than my PB from this time last year but it’s a faster average pace than my last 5K Parkrun on 29/12/12 (18:38).  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/291743355
Finished the day with an evening 10K recovery run and all is good.
Plan for tomorrow is an early gym session and an undecided run.

Tuesday Apr 02nd. HRV= 71 White

Tues HRVA good result and the training can continue as normal.  Early gym session including 5*5 squats with 57.5Kg which felt tough enough but still manageable.  Legs feeling better than they should do after a race but then again this is what I want as these shorter races are part of rather than the focus of my training.  I’m expecting the DOMS tomorrow and with that in mind I scaled back my run to a Recovery effort with my son cycling alongside and we took our time with stops to look over bridges and enjoy the start of the brighter evenings.  Covered 10K in just under 1hr not including stoppage time.
Plan for tomorrow is an evening run of 20K +.

Wednesday Apr 03rd. HRV= 65 White

Slightly lower than expected but I have started to notice a trend with the lower scores after a good lifting session in the Gym.  The recovery run was a good choice last night and I’ll skip the opportunity to do a lunchtime run to be better prepared / recovered for a better quality session this evening.  Legs still feel stiff since yesterday’s gym session and it took a few minutes to warm up.  Didn’t run as far as planned but it was over a hilly route and managed to keep the HR at the upper end of my aerobic zone, finished with 16.1K in just under 70 mins.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/292868318
Plan for tomorrow is an early gym session and 2 runs with intensity depending on recovery.

Thursday Apr 04th. HRV=71 White

Thurs HRVGym session changed to lunchtime and with not having the definite morning session I found it hard getting out of bed and hit the snooze button twice even though I was planning on using the opportunity for an early run to work.  Did a mental deal with myself and if I got an Amber reading it was back to bed for another 30 minutes and based on my session last night this was highly likely.  Better than expected result and a deal’s a deal.  Still have the DOMS so I took it nice and easy and less than 10 minutes later I knew I’d made the right decision.  You seldom regret the runs you do but may regret the ones you don’t do!  Lunchtime Gym session of Power Clean: 3*3 @ 40Kg, Deadlift: 3*3 @ 95Kg and finished with an abs circuit.  A cold evening on the track and when my coaching session finished I took the opportunity to do a 5K recovery run made easier with the brighter evening and extra activity still going on.
Plan for tomorrow is a running commute home with a possible detour to add some distance

Friday Apr 05th. HRV=65 White

Fri HRVNot sure what I was expecting but could be worse.  Legs still feeling the DOMS but not as bad as yesterday
Plan for tomorrow is still being decided and time dependent.  Early morning away match with my son and in the afternoon I’m a guest speaker at the Kildare Marathon open day.  Will try fit in a short fast run of up to 1hr at some stage.

Saturday Apr 06th. HRV=80 Green

Sat HRVA better than expected result and to make the most of it I head to the Track for an uninterrupted Tempo session.  Mentally it was tough to start and I could fell a tiredness in my legs which didn’t help but thinking on my feet I broke it into manageable chunks and completed a good quality Temp session.  Used my Suunto T6D and forgot about pace but instead concentrated on time in zone.
Plan for tomorrow is a long mixed terrain run with the first 2hrs on the road and then hitting the trails.

Sunday Apr 07th. HRV=80 White

Sun HRVBetter than expected, had a quick cup of coffee and off I went as planned.  First 2hrs were fairly uneventful except for a detour and pit stop and was surprised at how well I was running after a tough week.  Met a club mate just before going off road and the pace increased ever so slightly and when we reached the open mountain I started to bonk.  My pace slowed to a walk at times and I knew every step I took from this moment had to be retraced on the return and I was unsure if I was able for it.  Made a judgement call and decided to turn around rather than risk going too far.  There was still snow on the hills and the trails were covered with a layer of ice which meant more care would be needed on the descent and running on tired legs would mean I’d be less responsive and you don’t always get a second chance.  Covered 35K rather than 50K and finished the day with a 5K recovery run.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/294486179
Plan for tomorrow will depend on recovery but I’m thinking a lunchtime easy run and a running commute home.

Weekly HRV Summary

Week HRVThis week went almost as planned and it continues into next week as the peak continues.  The runmute (running commute) gets a mention in the current edition of Men’s Running magazine.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Training Diary 25th-31st March 2013


Monday Mar 25th. HRV= 82 Green.

Mon 25th HRVA good recovery since yesterday but I won’t get carried away because although my engine is showing signs of recovery the chassis might still be a bit fatigued and still under repair.  Started the day with a Recovery run of 5K and all seemed ok and then did a second run of 12K checking out the route for a 10K race next Monday.
Plan for tomorrow is an early gym session and an undecided run.

Tuesday Mar 26th. HRV= 65 White.

Tues 26th HRVMuch lower than expected and maybe I’m still recovering from Saturday.  Gym session went well and increased squat weight to 52.5Kg.  Went for an evening run with the plan being 50 mins @ 145-160bpm and stopped just short but went as planned with an avg HR of 150bpm. Felt really good during this session and didn’t expect to run so well.
Plan for tomorrow is an Interval Session over the 10K Race Route.

Wednesday Mar 27th. HRV=62 White.

Weds 27th HRVLower than expected but the session last night was good quality and the White line means I can continue as normal.  Tonight’s session was 3*1600M aiming for race pace off 3 min run recovery over the race route.  Session went ok but slower than race pace on tired legs.
Plan for tomorrow will depend on my recovery but thinking about an Interval session to waken my legs up.

Thursday Mar 28th. HRV= 79 White.

Thurs 28th HRVA good result and hit the Track for 10*400M off 1 min recovery.  Tough session but once I hit the 6th rep it was manageable.  Finished the day with a second recovery run of 6K just because I could and didn’t really want to!
Plan for tomorrow is undecided but I’ll see if any club mates are out and about and I might join in. and just run


Friday Mar 29th. HRV=67 White.

Fri 29th HRVAs expected.  Took it easy for most of the day and then met a club mate to run the race route once again at an easy pace.  Trying to familiarise myself with the route as much as possible and pick out attack and recovery points.
Plan for tomorrow is my usual pre race Interval Session

Saturday Mar 30th. HRV=68 White.

Sat 30th HRVAn ok score but would have liked higher this close to a race but don’t have the time to taper.  Did my usual pre race session of 6* 1 minute fast and ran slightly faster than planned which made the session a bit more of an effort than I would have liked but it was unavoidable due to a strong wind on one side of the Track.  Finished the session with a total distance of 5K and went for a second 5K recovery run meeting up with some club mates for an excuse to break it up.
Plan for tomorrow is a lie in and then a recovery run of 45 minutes keeping my HR below 130bpm.  Clocks go forward tonight and I won’t be setting the alarm.

Sunday Mar 31st. HRV=68 White.

Sun 31st HRVWoke early and stayed in bed but couldn’t get back asleep. Got up, tested and went back to bed.  Still couldn’t sleep so I got up and went for my recovery run and stopped just short of 45 mins having covered 7K.  Will take it easy for rest of today in preparation for tomorrow’s race.
Plan for tomorrow is a 10K Road Race. Kildare Senior Road Race Championships.

Weekly HRV Summary

Weeks HRVMonth HRV with Training LoadA good week with reduced volume and normal intensity and it feels like I’ve recovered from the Trail Race.  Recovery week is now over and the long runs will start from next weekend.