Mallow 10 report

Near Mile 6 - in pain
& I need a haircut!

The week after Ballycotton went very well for me.  No sign of post race niggles so I took that as a sign that the 6:30min/mile pace for 10-miles was well within my range and I began thinking that 6:20min/mile or quicker could be on the cards for today's 10 mile race in Mallow.

Unfortunately, I got sick which meant a very steep and unplanned taper!  Not very sick but enough to keep me out of work last Monday and no running for the last 10 days .

I thought that the rest would do me good but based on today's big fat failed performance it obviously didn't!

Today started out on a bad note with me realising when I was on route to Mallow that I'd forgotten my watch. "That's not so bad - it will be good to run a race by feel!", I told myself beforehand.  And yes it was.  I even managed to run the first half of the race to plan and reached the 5 mile marker in 31:55. 

Shortly afterwards the wheels came off.  By mile 6, just before the course became a bit undulating, I was in trouble.  Physically I was tired but that was to be expected.  What got to me more was that I couldn't be arsed digging in a bit more and pushing on like I had done only 2 short weeks ago in Ballycotton.  I just wanted to get to the end, collect my t-shirt (2XL is what they gave me!) and get home.  Miles 7, 8 & 9 were all writeoffs with periods of 'reasonable' running followed by periods of walking.  At least I got a chance to admire to scenery!  By mile 9 even the "1 mile to go" calls from the crowd weren't enough to lift my game.  In fact, it wasn't until about 400m to go that I was able to muster a finishing kick (a good one too if I must say so myself!) but it was too little too late.

I finished in 68:11 (212th place out of 1088).  Full results can be found .... HERE


Still, another race done.  Hopefully, apart from stubbing my big toe on a short downhill section before mile 8 there will be no recovery issues and training can resume next week.

Well done to all in Mallow AC for organising a great race and making sure, by moving the date from early January to mid March, that the race wouldn't have to be cancelled this year by snow or ice.  Personally, for what it's worth, I'd prefer the date in early January as it would fit in nicely with the other 10-mile races.  Also hopefully the road works will be finished by next year which should remove the 'obstacle course' aspect to the race!

Racing as a Vet!

So my plan to complete 40 days of consecutive training ended last week on the 23rd of February.  It was an interesting 'experiment' that saw me run 254 miles at an average pace on 7:29min/mile.  The consistent training also brought my typical average 'steady' pace heart rate from the low/min 160's to the high 150's.  So I think it's fair to say that I'm now in my best shape for 2 years.  But I think that the greatest benefit was an overall increase in my endurance, something I badly needed during today's Ballycotton-10 race!

After a late night in the pub last night (probably not the best idea before a race but one that doesn't come around too often so I couldn't turn it down) and a child who decided to have a raging temperature during the night I wasn't too bright eyed when the alarm went off at 8am.  But today was Ballycotton-10 day so I soon brightened up!

I left home early at 10am so as to avoid the rush.  The sun was shining which made it look like a summers day until I got out of the car and felt the chilling wind.  Still though it was dry so the conditions were almost ideal.

After a short recci of the village and a warm-up jog I made my way to the baggage drop area and found a 'sheltered' spot to await the appointed time.  Interestingly, and probably uniquely to the Ballycotton-10, as I walked through the village the local radio station was being broadcast over the loudspeakers.  "Nothing strange about this", I hear you say, but what was being broadcast were the daily "obituary notices" so I can now tell you who died in the area over the past few days and when and where there will be requiem mass and burial..... a bit surreal .... only in Ballycotton! 

I knew if I hung around the baggage area long enough I'd meet some familiar faces and sure enough along came Thomas and a little while later Grellan.

Disregarding my 10k Thanksgiving Day race in Lowell, MA last year it's been over 2 years since my last 'proper' race.  So, not being sure of exactly how it would go, my race-plan was (a) to get to the finish; (b) hopefully to break 70 minutes; and (c) break 65 minutes if everything went well.  I tentatively thought I'd head out at 6:30-6:45 pace to give me a chance of breaking 65 (not having broken 7mins for 10 miles in over 2 years this seemed a bit ambitious).  This was also close to Grellan's starting pace so by keeping a close ear on his "flipflops" I would have a ready made experienced pacer (for the early stages at least!).

After standing at the start in the 58-65 bay for 20minutes the first couple of miles were generally on pace.  It was frustrating to have to keep adjusting my stride to avoid slower runners who thought that they were capable of running sub-60 by starting off at 9minute pace!  Despite this I passed through miles 1 & 2 in 6:36 and 6:10(downhill).  Miles 3 & 4 were 6:23 and 6:24 respectively.  By this time my left quad wasn't feeling too good (much like a dead leg) and as Grellan pointed out my breathing was getting heavy i.e. I was beginning to suffer.  To be expected during a race but what surprised me was how early this set in - obviously I need to more speed endurance.

Heading through Shanagarry (mile 4 approx) there was a small drag and this was when I decided to let Grellan run his own race solo! He didn't need me to help him keep pace anyway.  He was well able to listen to his own flipflops!

Despite the onset of fatigue I managed to keep to my plan fairly well with mile splits of 6:32, 6:31, 6:29 and 6:30.  But by mile 8 (where I blew up on my first Ballycotton-10 in 2008 and Thomas left me for dust) I was seriously contemplating walking but I think the benefit of running 40 consecutive days was finally beginning to pay off.  I dug deep and ran the hardest 9th mile in 6:44.  I could now smell the finish and my pace picked up to 6:20.  I even managed a good kick to hold off a rear guard attack at the finish! :)

My official time at the finish was 65:08 and my chip time was 64:47 - all plans met - no lifetime PB's today but job done!  Average heart rate 168bpm.

Overall Placing 244 / 2608.  O40 placing 44 / 316.

(Full results can be found here)

Also today was my first race as a Vet - so technically I did set an O40 PB today... hopefully it's a soft one!  :)

Well done to all who ran today and more importantly well done to John Walshe / Liam O'Brien and all the team at Ballycotton Running Promotions for once again, for the 35th year, hosting "A Classic Race at a Classic Distance"!

I must now go away and put together a 'plan' for the Mallow 10 in 2 weeks time!!!

Ballycotton-10 race history... 

they say life begins at 40...

Thanks to an entry form landing on my desk this afternoon I posted my entry to the 2012 Ballyotton10 today.  The most noteworty point is that, assuming that my entry is accepted, it'll be the first race that I'll run as Master - being less than 2 weeks after my 40th birthday!!)

No running since last Saturday - jetlag. 

Now that I've a focus it's time to start training...

10 mile race report

I'll start at the end and in reasonable condition too!! Photo above shows Richard, Grellan, me and Thomas afterwards as proof!!

It was cold today. Very cold and windy. I got to Ballycotton early, probably too early, at 10:30am for a 1:30pm race but at least that allowed me to get a good parking spot at the 9 mile mark. After an hour or so of walking around and looking at the views...

.. it was time for a 3.28 mile warm-up.

When I got back to the baggage area Thomas and Grellan were already getting prepared but I needed to answer a call of nature and the 15-minute queue for the port-a-loo nearly caused me to miss the start (slight exaggeration for effect here!!). I got to the start at 1:15 which was about 15 minutes behind schedule and the throng that greeted me was evidence enough that I was late. I then, not so patiently, worked my way to a position about 20m back from the start line and, content to see that Grellan wasn't too far away, I decided that I was far enough forward.

As always the race started on time and we were off. Well nearly - it took me 12 seconds at 32min/mile pace for me to reach the start line!! My race plan was simple, 6:15 pace and see what happened....

Mile 1 lasted 6:11 min @ 160bpm. Surprisingly quick given that I spent most of the mile weaving around joggers and runners who certainly should not have started ahead of the sub-65 zone.

Mile 2 was a bit quicker (5:55 mins @ 172bpm). Slightly too quick but it was downhill and I needed to make up for the 12 second deficit at the start!! The pace settled down for the next two miles 6:08 and 6:07 and I found myself in a good group. At the Mile 4 marker the course headed west and slightly uphill and into a biting wind. I found myself leading a group with a 10-15m gap to the next runner ahead - not a smart place to be but so be it. Mile 5 took me 6:20 mins and my heartrate was now at 176bpm. The first 5 miles had taken 30:43min - quick but manageably so.

My fan club (Pam, the kids and her parents) were waiting patiently to cheer for me at about the 5.5mile mark... my thoughts swung between a) you can stop now and they'll give you a spin home to b) keep the pace going and try not to look in 'too' much pain (you might scare the kids!!). Suffice it to say, I kept going and I was still leading a group (almost like I was winning) - good example for the kids! I even managed a big wave as I passed!!

Shortly afterwards I found myself at the back of the group of 10 that I was previously leading and the wind was behind us. Oh no, had I worked too hard over the first half? Mile 6 took me 6:14mins @ 176bpm. Shortly afterwards I crossed the 10K mark in 38:18mins (corrected).

At this point of the race it was time to dig deep. This was the point where Grellan left me for dead last year and Thomas flew past me shortly after I blew up at the 8 mile mark. My objective was not to let that happen (if at all possible) again this year. So I started to dig deep.

Miles 7 & 8 took 6:06min 6:11min (177bpm) respectively and I was still hanging on to the same group of runners. I even think I remember pulling away from some of the guys who had gone past me at 5.5miles.

In Ballycotton the last 1.5 miles is the toughest with a few significant climbs hence despite me pumping my arms hard Mile 9 took 6:22 mins and my heartrate went up to 180bpm.

A lot of the group that has passed my earlier were still in sight (see below the 5 runners ahead of me) so with only 1 mile to go I thought to myself you can either 'go to the well' again or 'go home'.

The 'well' didn't have much left but I started to gain on those ahead of me. Obviously their wells were also running dry. In the end I got some of them and my split for Mile 10 was 6:00 (185bpm). Strong finish especially given that it was slightly uphill!!

So this is how my race shaped up...

Overall my chip time for this years Ballycotton 10 was 1:01:39 - a 1 second PB!! Happy days particularly as the Ballycotton course isn't the fastest and the weather conditions weren't the best. Also I was 4.5 minutes faster than last year. Officially I came 128th out of approx 2398 finishers. So no top-100 t-shirt this year but I can't complain with a 5.3% finishing position.

Well done to Grellan and Thomas who also had good runs (I'm sure their reports will give all the juicy details!!). Richard set a big PB at 67:38 - he's now off to the Rotterdam Marathon so I wish him well!!

After the 1 mile walk back to the car it was a 2 mile warm down and a drive home in a nice warm car!!

So to wrap up the week. Despite my best efforts thanks to today's 15miles I succeeded in breaking 30 miles this week...

Week Total (02/03/09 to 08/03/09) - 4 sessions

31.29miles - 3:43:28 - 7:08 min/mile - 160bpm

Now that Ballycotton is over I'm not quite sure what my next short/medium term goal will be. I'll have to review this over the coming days. Also I've made some significant improvements in times since last autumn so I'll have to review what I now need to do to take the next step.... more anon...

Dungarvan 10 race report

My training has been a bit erratic and unplanned lately but hey I must be doing something right 'cause the 10mile race in Dungarvan went very well indeed....

The course was flat but the weather was awful. Cold and windy - the worst combination. Apparently we're experiencing some Arctic air at the moment and the east to north easterly winds today certainly confirmed that!!

Dungarvan 10 - COURSE MAP

Grellan and I travelled to the race together arriving at the planned 11am - 2 hours ahead of the start time and allowing enough time to register ahead of the 12:15 deadline and get a parking spot directly outside the race HQ - perfect!!

After a 3.64 mile warm up @ 8:41 min/mile pace it was back to the race HQ for some warmth. That may not have been the best idea as the cold wind seemed all the colder when we emerged 5 minutes before race start. Still though the 500m jog to the start line was enough to allow the acclimatization process to be complete!! I decided to run as if it was a mid summer race i.e shorts and singlet which drew a few comments along the lines of "mad man" etc. from those dressed in thermals and hats!! Grellan had decided to experiment with wearing skins in a race - a tactic I predict cost him 5 secs per mile!!

The start was crowded - approx 1,000 runners and I misjudged the actual start line so I initially lined up towards the back of the field. On realising my mistake I worked my way forward and surprisingly the further forward I walked the more space there was. Was everyone afraid of leading I wonder?? Eventually Grellan and I lined up about 6 or 7 rows back from the front. That was the last we saw of each other...

The first mile was largely uphill but this did not deter a lot of runners from racing off at a pace which was beyond them!! So a lot of weaving was the order of the day. I reached the first mile mark in 6:13 (Mile 1) on target which was tentatively 6:15.

Mile 2 brought us on to the Dungarvan bypass and was also largely uphill. My split was 6:06 (Mile 2) a bit fast but I felt comfortable.

Mile 3 brought us out onto country roads which were very scenic and quiet except for the mass of lunatic runners who had nothing better to do on a Sunday morning!! The course was reported to be a flat one so I was surprised to see the long slightly uphill drags. My split for Mile 3 was 6:12.

Mid way through the fourth mile I tried to kill myself by drowning at the water station!! How do you drink efficiently from a polystyrene cup at 6 minute pace? Despite this my Mile 4 split was 6:01. My quads were beginning to feel fatigued and my breathing was laboured - "why did I run yesterday" was my only thought!!

I had tagged on to a runner (Barry? or so one spectator called him) who I heard say while chatting during the second mile that he was aiming for 62minutes. He was running well so I stayed approx 10 to 20m behind and kept pace. Mile 5 was completed in 6:03. Running through the mile marker I heard the split as 30:4X - wow - I've just run a modern day 5 mile PB (by nearly a minute!!) and ran nearly a minute faster than I had in Mallow a few weeks ago!! Mr Garmin recorded my 5 mile split as 30:36 so I'll take that!!

Mile 6 was more of the same but at this stage the runners were getting sparse so no-mans-land was beckoning. Despite this I kept tracking Barry and the Mile 6 split was 6:13.

Thanks to a steep decent during Mile 7 my legs got to relax a bit and my split was 6:06 which, despite the heavy breathing and tired legs, was beginning to feel comfortable (ish)!!

That was until Mile 8 the mile from hell. We turned directly into the cold easterly wind along a road with no shelter. A tough mile which was completed in 6:24 (Mile 8). The wind was cold and my I'm sure that my lips, cheeks, hands etc were beginning to suffer from early onset frostbite!!

Shortly after the mile mark we left the quiet country roads and were back onto the main Cork - Waterford road. A good running surface but the road was slightly uphill and the easterly wind was now a head/crosswind - I must have looked like I was running like Quasimodo as I fought crosswind!! My only though at this stage was that it had been a good run so far and if I slowed by 30 sec per mile I would still match my Mallow time. Better still I could walk but that would have meant a long cold walk home and depression. So I put my head down and started to work to get back in touch with the group 30-50m ahead. I eventually succeeded at about the 8.5mile mark. Which meant that I reached the Mile 9 mark in 6:21. A tough mile but it seemed that I was suffering (slightly) less than those around me so I drove on. Only one mile to go and the thought that the last bit was downhill into the finish line gave me some solace!!

Mile 10 was a long drive from home. In the middle distance days of my youth I generally had a good finish but that kick started (at most) 200m from the line. Here I was kicking hard one mile out - was I mad - PROBABLY!! I forged to head of the group that I'd just caught (which included Barry and a guy from the Bilboa club who I'd out kicked in Mallow) and was determined not to be passed again (if at all possible) and .... I wasn't. I rounded the 90 deg bend into the 50m long finishing straight in full flight - even running on my toes and driving from my arms (the vigorous motion had thawed them!!). I could hear the announcer calling out my name and my 10 seconds of fame weren't going to be taken by someone passing me!! Mile 10 was completed in 5:55 - my fastest of the race and no-one passed me in the last mile!! Happy days - I stopped my watch on 1:01:40. Another PB - the course was fast despite the weather conditions!! My official time will probably be a couple of seconds slower but I'm sticking with this as my PB as Mr Garmin is never wrong!! :)

Well done to Grellan for finishing on his target time despite wearing long pants and John Meade (world record holder for the 3 legged marathon) for breaking the 60 minute barrier. A jog/walk back to the Race HQ for tea, sandwiches, leg cramps and warmth completed a perfect day. Roll on the next race in Ballycotton in early March...

200m to go...150m to go...100m to go...

My race!!.....

Update - 2/2/09 - Results were published today. Officially my time was rounded to 1:01:43 and I came 63rd (same position as Mallow) out of 866 i.e. top 8%!!!

Week Total (26/01/2009 to 01/02/2009) - 4 sessions

30:05 miles - 3:33:40 - avg. 7:07 min/mile - No HRM

Mallow 10 - Race Report

So I've finally got some time to put together my race report. I looks like both Thomas and Grellan got in first with theirs so apologies for those who are now reading through more of the same!!

The Mallow-10 is the first in a four race series of ten mile road races. Last year I had intended on running this series but I got injured just before Christmas and that was that. In the end I only competed in one of the four races - Ballycotton - my first race over 10k ever. That race went well enough for 7 miles or so but then my lack of endurance training showed and I went through a bad purple patch. I still mananged to finish in 66:15 or so which was satisfying at the time. Until, I ran faster during the first 10 miles of the Great North Run. So this year I decided that I was going to try the 10-mile series again just to see if I could better my Great North Run split. Yesterdays race proved that I could and I'm not injured today so maybe I'll make Race 2 in Dungarvan on Feb 1st. I also found out yesterday that I got a place in Race 3 Ballycotton so assuming no injuries I should make at least 3 of the 4 races!!

So, yesterday I got to the race HQ early, 2 hours ahead of the start time, and I spent the next half hour debating with myself what to wear. The weather was awful outside wet, cold and windy. So the argument was whether to wear long sleves or not - a very serious decision. It's amazing how silly things take over pre-race jitters. I eventally went out for a 2.16 mile jog just to test the weather and find the start line which was about 1 mile from the race HQ. Despite running most of the streets in Mallow I failed to find the start!! Also my achilles had been showing signs of tendonitis during the past few weeks so I was glad not to be in too much pain after the warm up. I think the fact that I rested on Friday and Saturday certainly helped.
When I got back to race HQ I bumped into Grellan and shortly afterwards Thomas. We jogged to the start and a bit beyond together (luckily Grellan knew where it was!!) in all 1.7 miles. There was still a bit of time so I took shelter from the wind and rain under a tree beside a high wall while the other 2 guys continued on their warm-up. (I had decided to race without long sleeves!!).

At the appointed time I took up a position behind Grellan and Thomas about 4 ot 5 rows back from the front. The plan was to run a 6:30 pace and see what happened. This was also Thomas' plan so we were able to pace off each other while having a chat for the first mile or so! During this chat Thomas did comment on how 6:30 pace felt like jogging which I put down to the fact that we were running in a group and not in the dark of the night around Carragh Lake!!

Mile 1 was reached in 6:30 - bang on target. Mile 2 took 6:33. Still reasonably on target given the slight uphill climb during this mile. The race really started after the second mile mark as we turned onto the main Cork to Limerick road. This was a downhill section with a strong tailwind. Just as Thomas pulled level with me a gust of wind pushed me forward - I felt like I was flying (literally!!) for a couple of strides!! Thomas surged past me and I decided to let him go - looking at my watch I was doing 5:30 pace which was more than fast enough for me. I tried not to let the gap get too big keeping Thomas and a group of 5 or 6 others about 20 to 30m ahead. Mile 3 was completed in 5:56. The next 3 miles were along the Killarney road past the Mallow Race Track and into a headwind!! At about the 3.5 mile mark I caught up with Thomas again (although he was surprised to see me there and so was I!!). Not content to run in the middle of a group and as I was feeling relatively OK I thought to myself that I'd try and push the pace for a bit. So I went to the head of the group with a target to catch the next smaller group 30m ahead. Mile 4 was completed in 6:11 and I felt strong. Mile 5 was 6:21 (the wind getting stronger and the gap between runners greater). I was still passing runners so that was a good sign. I passed the 5 mile mark in 31:35. Wow, if I can keep this up it may be a PB but going on past history I'll probably blow up at about the 8 mile mark!!

Mile 6 (6:18) and I managed to pass another couple of runners. Although I couldn't hear him I assumed that Thomas wasn't too far behind so it was time to push on!! Mile 7 was uphill and took 6:28. I see from my Garmin that I passed the 10k mark in 38:59 an unofficial PB. By Mile 8 I was beginning to count down the quarter mile splits on my Gramin to the next mile mark but the my stride was in the groove so I pushed on (Thomas will be up on me soon!!). I ran alot of the race in no-mans-land passing each group / runner that I caught and focusing on the next target ahead. My breathing wasn't too bad either but I kept expecting to blow up!! Mile 8 lasted 6:10. Mile 9 a slightly uphill mile lasted 6:20. Fatigue was certainly beginning to kick in but I knew that the last mile had some downhill stretches so there was hope and I was still catching the odd runner. I passed over the railway line and an official shouted that it was only a mile and a quarter to go. That quarter mile seemed to take an age!! So with 1 mile to go I started my kick to the end. Before the race Grellan had told me that it was only a quarter mile from the bridge to the finish line. You can imagine my surprise when the officals shouted only 'half a mile to go' at the far side of the bridge. But I'd started my finishing kick so it was too late to stop now. Besides, although I hadn't seen him since the fourth mile I suspected that Thomas probably wasn't too far behind! Over the last 800m I passed another two runners and the last 100m felt like a sprint (the last 20 seconds was at 5:07 pace!!). Mile 10 was run in 5:59. Which gave my total time for the 10 miles as 1:02:52 an official PB by more than 3 minutes!! This was later rounded down oficially to 1:02:54 due to my tardiness in starting my watch. Officially 63rd position. The second five mile split was 31:27 a negative split and also an 'unofficial' PB equalling my first 5 mile split in the Great North Run last October. Thomas had almost caught me finishing 7 seconds behind - I knew that he was nearby and I'm glad the race wasn't any longer!!

A 3.16 mile cool down and some tea and sandwiches with Grellan completed a great day of running. Roll on Dungarvan on February 1st!!

Week Total (5/1/09 to 11/1/09) - 5 runs
50:02miles - 6:09:21 - 7:23 min/mile pace