What are you listening to

Hello folks! Another solid weeks training for me with 55 miles in total with 1 key session and a 14 mile long run! Been purposefully keeping the volume and intensity where it has been for the last few weeks before pushing on gradually when I move into another block of training! I’ve probably mentioned the word “Consistency” in every blog I’ve penned but its really the mantra I’m following at the moment. I don’t need to overdo it in terms of quantity or necessarily quality at the moment but I do need to put together solid consistent weeks back to back!

So nothing too spectacular to report in terms of sessions, the only real faster session I completed this week was a 4 x 2k session with 2 mins jog recovery in Phoenix Park on Wednesday morning! A lot of my sessions have been done at tempo or lets say Half Marathon pace lately so wanted to get some 10k type pace in the legs but still wanted to this over some longer reps. The aim was to complete the 2k reps in 6.30 pace or slightly faster but Surprise Surprise the legs really didn’t want to run any faster than the pace they’ve been used to over the last few weeks. Anyway completed the following 2k splits:

· 6.39

· 6.41

· 6.32

· 6.34

Not the best of times and to be honest I really had to work hard to even hit the above times! Now conditions weren’t great and I didn’t complete this on the flattest loop and blah blah loads of other excuses etc. 😉 Look we can always find an excuse for a session but the sessions are there to test you and show you where you are. Having had my usual post session debrief call with my brother who was completing the same session at home he made me realise that sessions like this will stand to you and basically stop being so hard on yourself! As he said onto the next one 😊 Ran a really enjoyable 14 miler on Saturday which was one of those runs where you remind yourself why you actually enjoy running! There must have been something in the air on Saturday because a number of people I spoke to felt the same about their Saturday morning run!

I touched last week on listening to podcasts whilst out running briefly and I wanted to talk about it a bit more this week. On Friday whilst out running I listened to the Second Captains tribute show to Jerry Kiernan who sadly passed away last week. Ciara Mageean spoke beautifully and emotionally on the mark he had left on her, the athletes he coached and the running community as a whole. I was running through Crumlin whilst listening to it and anyone who saw me probably noticed tears in my eyes and probably wondered what’s wrong with that fella but anyone who has listened to this episode will agree it was really hard to not get caught up in the emotion of it. Funnily earlier in the podcast I found myself laughing away at a clip where Jerry was fighting athletics corner and taking no prisoners along the way!

I bring all this up because I’ve been asked a few times lately by those new to running is it ok to listen to something while your running? I touched on this last week briefly and my answer always is the same do whatever you’re comfortable with 😊 Depending on the type of run I generally have different approaches to what I’ll listen to and when I don’t listen to anything at all. This is just my way and my opinion and others have different approaches which are not wrong but what I would say is do what you want to do and what works for you!

SESSIONS/ RACE PACE

So for faster sessions and the likes of races I never listen to anything. For instance for the 2k session last Wednesday I didn’t listen to anything, all I could hear was my heavy breathing 😉 I know I need to be tuned in on runs like these and to be honest when you are running eyeballs out as many of you will know if there was music playing in the background you wouldn’t even know as you are so enveloped with the session or race! I watched a video from a 5k race I competed in last July and there was music blaring in the background but whilst running the race I can’t even remember what was being played or honestly that there was music in the background at all. I love when you get so enveloped in a race that nothing else matters at that moment in time bar the race you are in and that this is the most important thing in the world ever up to that point 😊 God I badly miss racing. Hopefully soon!!

EASY RUNS

On easy runs I typically like listening to podcasts. I mentioned last week I love listening to Podcasts, its one of my favourite hobbies, so I find easy runs a great way of getting an extra podcast in. I generally enjoy listening to podcasts relating to sports but do enjoy non sport podcasts also, I’ve actually been listening to true crime ones lately which I enjoy. I would stress that to take in the information from a podcast whilst running you probably do need to be not exerting much effort so I would only listen to a podcast on an easy run. I find for a recovery run they are great as the purpose of the run is to recover and exert as little energy as possible and thus listening to a podcast works ideally on these type of runs! The below are my go to podcasts and the ones I’ve listened to over the last few months:

· Second Captains

· More than a Runner

· Runnerbeans

· Letsrun.com Track Talk

· 5 live Boxing

· Sleep Eat Perform Repeat

· Potholes and Penguins

· Fake Doctors Real Friends

· Where is George Gibney

· West Cork

There are easy runs that I might not listen to anything at all and just want to take in the environment around me. Again no hard and fast rule I generally just go by what I feel like on that given day!

LONG RUNS/ STEADY RUNS

So on efforts where I’m running slightly faster than easy pace but not necessarily at session or race pace. I generally listen to music. Sometimes I won’t listen to anything on these type of runs. I know in some of longer runs when getting ready for a marathon I might listen to something for the first 45 mins then listen to nothing as the run gets progressively harder. Generally if I listen to music I tend to listen to instrumental type music on these type of runs. I do the same when I’m working and trying to concentrate, I find I’m a lot more clued in and my concentration levels are on point! My go to artist for this is Ludovici Einaudi! My girlfriend will tell you I’m obsessed with his music and always have him on in the background in our apartment. Also really enjoy Hans Zimmer, Max Richter and the Cinematic Orchestra. May not be everyone’s cup of tea but if you need to concentrate try the above, you might be pleasantly surprised 😉

So bit of a different blog this week. Planning a Time Trial later this week all going well so hopefully will have that to report on next week! Keep training away folks and keep working on being consistent, will pay off in the long run 😊

Noel