Annual update - Autumn 2019

Has is really been over 12 months since I last posted about my latest attempts to restart a running habit??  Wow - time flies!  In my defence it has been a very busy year - just not on the running front for me!

However, my children's sporting careers have gone from strength to strength with one of them even getting to compete for Ireland in Wales last July.  So I've spent a lot of time at the track (waiting for training to end) but I really should use that time more productively!

The summer months and my expanding waistline have spurned me on to getting my own act in gear again.  So since the end of July I've managed to run every week and twice most weeks.  Not much but its a start..

I feel like I should be on a couch-to-5K programme.  But the programme I've adopted isn't that dissimilar.  Each run is easy, with the focus being on covering the distance and plenty of recovery between runs. 

In the beginning I wasn't too concerned about the number of walking breaks that I needed to take but from this week I'm trying to minimise the number of breaks (when I started I couldn't get past the 1 mile mark without a break).  Runs have been a minimum of 4 miles at an easy pace - just under 9 min / mile pace and on grass at the UCC Farm - avoiding hills and hopefully the risk of calf injury..

Today was a bit of a breakthrough day - so that's why I decided to write this brief post.

I got to the 3 mile mark at 8:20min/ml pace and without a break!  I think it's been over 2 years since I last managed that.  I also finished my run with only 2 walking breaks (@3 miles and @4 miles).  It seems like there's a base building.

Let's wait and see where it leads but there are green shouts of a running habit reforming..

All I need do now is to introduce 1-2 more runs per week and hopefully the gains will continue. 

2014 - the year that never was!

So 2014 is nearly over and, as John Walshe reminded me today, it's about time that I updated this blog.  As the chart below indicates this year was a bit of a nonstarter from a running perspective with monthly mileage that would look average on a weekly mileage log. In summary I suffer from being 'ill' in 2014 - Injury, Life & Laziness.

• Injury was in the form of my own persistent calf weakness and old age, my children's broken bones and my wife's broken bones.....
• Life was life - work, family, children, work, friends, socialising, work, children .....
• Laziness from general life fatigue and low motivation - a flaw of my human condition

Suffice it to say that all my running goals were put on hold.  But now was 2014 is drawing to a close a sense of Zen is returning to my world and running is coming back on the agenda.  I even ran my first race in over 18months (first solo race in over 2 years) earlier today and there don't appear to be any ill effects.

 

It's great to see that other bloggers/friends have not suffered from the same ills and many bloggers, both here and on Dailymile, have achieved/exceeded their targets and excelled at their preferred distances.  Well done.

 

Roll on 2015 and keep the dreaded ills away from me too!!



 

 

 

Belgooly AC 4 mile - St Stephen's Day 2014

 

Although I have been aware of this traditional race since I first began running in the early 1980's, today was my first time running this event.  The race is organised by my children's athletic club (Belgooly AC) and being the season of goodwill 50% of the €10 entry fee is donated to a local bowel cancer charity.  This charity has particular relevance to me as sadly this was the disease that my father died from 9 years ago. 

 

There was also another first today in that I ran this race as a registered member of Belgooly AC. All my running life I have been associated with either Midleton AC or East Cork AC but since my regular contact these days (through my children and where I help out as a part-time coach) is with Belgooly AC I thought that it was only right that changed allegiances and registered with Belgooly.  Belgooly doesn't have a strong adult membership but maybe we can change this over the coming years.

 

As well as running today my wife and I also helped the club with the organisation of the race by digitising the entries - so it was a busy afternoon in front of a computer!!

 

The race itself went reasonably well despite my best efforts and overindulgences yesterday (Christmas Day). I wasn't ideally prepared for a quick run with all my runs over the past year or so being 7:30min/mile or slower.  So I was not hopeful of getting too close to my most recent (5 years ago!) 4 mile PB of 23minutes. However I was hopeful, but not certain, of being able to sustain a sub 7:30 pace and break 30mins for the 4 miles.  At best I thought that I could run sub-28 minutes.

 

Luckily the rain cleared and running conditions were ideal.  Over 650 runners took part, slightly down on last year, but still large enough to ensure that the club can make a donation of over €3000 to charity.

 

I positioned myself mid field and ran at a reasonably steady/even pace.  I was a bit surprised by the hilly nature of the course and from the end of the first mile I could feel the lactic burn, heavy breathing and an overwhelming urge to stop or at least slow down!  I also ran in racing flats (Asics DS racers) for the first time since 2012 and the lack of cushioning combined with my added weight/fat had a noticeable 'impact' in my legs.  I kept going...

 

The 2 mile marker came a bit early though - either that or I ran that mile split in 5:34 !! :) but the downhill finish was more than welcome!

 

My official time was 27:00 (slightly quicker than my watch time!) and I finished within the top 100 (15%).  Well down on past performances but well ahead of my target/goal for today.  Onwards and upwards I say....

 

Also, I must say well done to the other Belgooly AC (junior and senior) runners who took part including, Robert, Gavin, Frank, Sarah, Marc, Alex to name but a few who achieved their own goals today. 

 

Happy New Year, roll on 2015 and may all your dreams come through.

 

Near the top of the first hill...   





 

400m to go....



It's time for an update....

Yes once again I've been remiss in updating this blog.  Since the Cork City Marathon my recovery had been going well.  I took it relatively easy for the first week or two.  But because I really feel that I didn't push myself over the full 26 miles I think that it didn't take as much out of me as a 'proper' marathon would.  (if you can follow me!)

I immediately started planning my next 'target' race.  Obviously a marathon was going to be on the agenda but I also wanted to give the local Cork to Cobh (15 mile) race a proper go once again and possibly challenge my PB set back in 2009.  So how could I do both???   Then I realised the the Dingle Marathon will be held on the 1st September which would leave enough recovery time before the Cork to Cobh race on the 7th October. 

I also realised that the Dingle course is a hilly one so a really fast time wouldn't be on the cards but something around 3:15 to 3:20 should be an achievable target.

So......Plan hatched!!

Or ..... so I thought!

After a respectable 15mile run on the 1st July my training schedule was off to a flying start.  Plenty of time to fit in some longer runs and long interval sessions.  Or so I thought.  On the 2nd July real world issues struck with a bang and running took a back seat.  I did manage a comfortable 8 mile run last weekend but on Friday last, as I was heading out for another comfortable lunchtime run, the wheels came off my plan.

For some reason my back went into spasm which turned out to be a herniated disc in the L4-L5 region.  As there was no obvious cause it is likely (in my opinion) to be due to a progressive issue of sustained poor sitting posture combined with a 'soft' core.  The 'core' issue is one which I've suspected for a while but not done anything about!

Visit #1 to the Doctor on Friday evening 50mg difene, 5mg diazepam and 500mg paramol (all 3 times daily) plus bed rest!

By Sunday pain hadn't eased so Visit #2 to the Doctor reconfirmed diagnosis but replaced the paramol with the stronger painkiller solpadol (i.e. more codeine).  More bed rest prescribed plus up to a week off work (not something I'd planned for!!).

The drugs seemed to do the trick as there is no longer any pain (providing I don't move my back too much!).. maybe the muscle relaxants have also relaxed my brain!!! :)

So today I also went to the physio (it must be serious 3 medics in 5 days ... that's unheard of for me!) who (just in case I was in any doubt) reconfirmed the diagnosis but she thinks that it isn't as serious as first feared.  Limited mobility is now the order of the day but sitting is limited to 15minutes (not good when my job involves sitting at a desk most of the time!).  Things do feel alot better tonight (I can even reach my feet to tie my shoe laces and walk to the toilet unaided) so there is hope!  Apparently, I can do some light swimming too and more physio is planned for early Friday morning so I'll have to take it from there!  I wonder if this disc issue and my recent groin issue could be related????  That's one for the professionals!

As you can imagine my Dingle marathon plans are currently on hold.  If I do get to do it I will treat it as a just a long run and any time sub 4 hours would be great.  Cork to Cobh in October is still on my target list though!!!

I did sneak out to the International Cork City Sports earlier tonight though.... my girls were running in the U9 300m so I couldn't miss that!  They did OK, not quite on the podium but a nice run all the same; they got to run a lap with Sonia O'Sullivan with the Olympic Torch and they got her autograph too.  It was great to see the event well supported with many of the big named former Irish Athletes / Olympians there e.g. Sonia, Eamon Coughlan, John Tracey, Mark Carroll, Liam O'Brien etc etc and some of the current names too Rob Heffernan, Ciaran O'Lionaird, Olive Loughnane, Joanne Cuddihy, Maria McCambridge (who missed out on marathon selection despite running the 'A' standard) etc.  This is a great event and long may it continue ... I can still clearly remember Yuri Sedyhk settling the world hammer record there on July 3, 1984!

Roll on the Olympics!!!!!

First Family honours!!

Since I can't write about my own running due to a current groin issue(!) which hopefully will resolve itself in time for me to at least make the start line of the Cork City Marathon I thought I'd sing the praises of my daughters who yesterday competed for the first time in the Cork County T&F Championships.

The U-9 Long Jump and 200m were the only events on offer.

Although neither girl had ever before competed in either a long jump or a 200m competition their long winter of training certainly paid off!

Both girls kept running hard all the way to the line and came a respectable 5th in their respective 200m (middle distance) events with 10+ competitors in each heat!

Eva jumped 2.98m in the Long Jump which was good enough to take the bronze for her first podium.  Despite one no-jump Una recovered well and jumped 2.59m to come 7th out of 22 competitors!  (the winner jumped a fantastic 3.43m and second was 3.07m).  Full results here

Nothing like winning / not-winning your first medal for added motivation!

Olympics 2028 here they come..... :)

Back from holiday

Having successfully avoided the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud by spending an extra hour in the air and flying at least 500miles further east we landed back in Cork this today from our mid-term holiday in Gran Canaria. It wasn't until we landed in Cork that I realised how close we came to spending an extra week (or more!!) in the sun.... it turns out that our plane was the last one to leave the island before the airport was shut down!! Just as well we got up at 4am for the early flight! Still, I'm not complaining 7 days of 28-30+ degC was just what the doctor ordered. :)

So now it’s back to reality.. :)

On the running front and with my physio’s consent I brought my trainers complete with new orthothics on the holiday. But although there was a lot of ‘pool time’ I only got to run twice. Both runs consisted of approx 4 ‘hilly’early morning miles at circa. 8 minute pace from which I learnt (a) that it is impossible to find a flat route (as per physio advice) from our apartment and; (b) that my fitness level is through the floor! Although it was nice to be running again it generally felt like I was learning to run for the first time... maybe now is the time to learn how to run properly and forget a lifetime of bad habits?

The bad news from the holiday was that my Garmin went 'missing' during the week. So, I’m going to have to live without stats for the time being. This may be a good thing as I’m sure my stats will be pretty bad and would only serve to depress me but it may give me a opportunity to upgrade from the Forerunner 305 to 405... :)

As I've no running shots to post, here are some holiday snaps for anyone who may be interested...

So that is what the sun looks like...

Now that's a view I thought I'd never see...

Call the ISPCA...that man just kicked a dolphin...

(Eva) Well hello there...

(Joe) Just keep holding on...

(Eva) This is how you do it...

Who are all the strangers looking at us?...

Lets play some ball..

(Una) I'm so coool..

(Joe) I want to climb...

(Una) Am I too young to drink this?...

(Eva) I don't care. That was nice and refreshing...

(Joe) I just like water...

The family...

Child minding...

I'm playing lone parent this weekend while my wife enjoys a break to Iceland with some girlfriends. So it looks like my running is finished for the week as it would be frowned upon to leave the 3 kids home alone so that I could fit in a run (even a quick one!!) - or would it ?? :)

This week I'll have to be content with a fartlek and a long run as being the quality sessions. Hopefully next week I'll be able to fit in the third quality session.

While the kids were at school / child minder this morning I took the opportunity to go for my long run. Since the Cork to Cobh race my long run have been a maximum of 12 miles. Today I wanted to push it out to 15+ miles.

It went well enough. It was cold - the first time since last winter that I resorted to wearing gloves but it was dry (for a change!!). I wanted to run in the 7:15 to 7:45 pace overall. The first half was typically faster than the second half. Some day I'll manage an even paced run. I think mental fatigue was beginning to creep in today as from 7 miles onwards my mind certainly drifted from the job at hand. Still though I completed the 15.60 miles in 1:55:48. That's an average pace of 7:25 min/mile and 158 bpm. My first half pace was approx. 7:15 min/mile. It was nice to put in a real long run and hopefully some more of these will stand me in good stead later in the year.

Today's run..

New School New Routine

Our two girls started school last Thursday and became mini celebrities along the way!! I suppose it helps being identical twins on the opening day of a new school.... Our mornings won't ever be the same with the school run, school lunches, uniforms etc etc. I'm sure it'll be an interesting and enjoyable journey and you never know this recession might even be over by the time they'll be looking for a job!!

After last Monday's run, as promised, I took it easy on Tuesday with a 7:20min/mile 5.6mile run. But on Wednesday I took it really easy and didn't run at all!! Looking back through my diary Wednesday is my most consistent 'day off' having run on only 6 of the 17 Wednesdays since the start of May!! The start of school for the girls meant that Thursday and Friday were no running days also!!

On Saturday I wasn't too confident (correctly as it turned out) that I'd fit in my long run on Sunday so while Joe took his morning nap I snuck out for an 11.33mile steady progression run.

The first 4 miles were uphill from Ardmore to Kiely's Cross so I took them handy enough at an average of 7:25min/mile pace. Once I reached the main road and the 7 mile 'downhill' home stretch I picked up the pace to under 7min/mile and progressed from there!! By the 10 mile mark I was at 6:30min/mile (166bpm). I had covered the first 10 miles in 70:39 minutes and at this point I thought I'd done enough so I contemplated easing off which I did for about 10 seconds before I continued to the end at a steady 6:40 pace. In all 11.33 miles 1:19:31 (7:01min/mile @ 161bpm & 77.4rpm). It was an encouraging run before the half marathon on the 13th Sept. and given that the first 6 miles of the HM are uphill I suppose Saturdays run also counts as a dress rehearsal!! With only one race all summer, in fact only one race since last March, the Half Marathon on 13th September will be a bit of a journey into the unknown...

Week Total (24/08/09 to 30/08/09) - 3 runs
22.54miles - 2:39:37 - 7:05min/mile - 158bpm - 76.6rpm

Today my legs were recovered so after I couple of easy miles (7:15-7:30 min/mile) I upped the tempo to 6:40, 6:26 and 6:08 pace. In all covering the 5.64 miles in a 'comfortable' 39:16 (6:58min/mile).

Although I'm happy with my current condition, on reflection, I don't think I'm back to where I was last March (probably roughly equivalent to mid January) but if I do decide to take the plunge and loose my virginity at the Dublin Marathon at the end of October things are probably right where they should be... I'll reassess my plans in a few weeks..

Consistently inconsistent

Hello there. I'm back....

The weather has been fine and life has been too hectic over the past few weeks to make the time for posting but at least I've been fitting in runs when I can - not as regularly as I'd like but I'm making some progress.

Here are some more views of the headland in Ardmore. As I'm sure you'll agree running along this route at 7am in weather like this and with no one else around is just great for the soul....

The 'cup and saucer'...

The "Samson"...

St. Declan's Oratory...

Also my daughters celebrated their 5th birthday on the 14th June...
by dressing up like Hannah Montana....
and Joe too...

(He has a tough life ahead of him!!)

Anyway on to the running which has been a bit inconsistent...

Week (8/6/09 to 14/6/09) - 3 Sessions (25.54miles) including 5.63 miles @ 6:45 min/mile (165/185 bpm), 5.61miles @ 6:53min/mile (164/180bpm) and 14.30miles @ 7:57 min/mile (162/175bpm). The long run was a bit unplanned. We intended on going to the beach (Ardmore) so there wasn't going to be enough time for a run. So Pamela says "why don't you run from Killeagh to Ardmore" i.e the last few miles of the journey. I say "why not" thinking that it only about 10 miles.. unfortunately it wasn't and with the temperature approx 25 degC, no water and the fact that I headed out too fast.... I suffered.. my own stupidity but at least I got to do my Sunday long run.

Week (15/6/09 to 21/6/09) - 4 sessions (31.92miles) including 4.74 miles @ 7:09 (155/169bpm), 6.46 mile progression 7:01 to 6:02 min/mile (162/184bpm), 6.55miles @ 7:46 (cliff run, avg 154bpm) and 11.32miles @ 7:25 min/mile (161/174bpm)

So far this week I've taken it relatively 'easy' running approx 5.6 miles on both Monday (7:17min/mile 155/170bpm) and Tuesday 7:53min/mile (150/173bpm).

On the injury front my achilles are still sore (hopefully regular stretching will eventually be of some benefit) and a strange pain has appeared in my left hip (hopefully a temporary hiccup).

I had planned on running a 5 mile race tomorrow night but I think I'll defer my 'comeback' until the Corkbeg 5 on July 9th - no point in rushing things now is there.

Rising Sun 4mile

First of all HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY to all. As you can imagine Ireland was green today, recession was nowhere in sight (maybe St Patrick has banished it as he did the snakes!!) and the sun was shining.

Since my last post it's been a busy weekend for my family on the athletics front. My niece Patricia was running in the NCAA Championship in Houston, TX with her college UMass Lowell. The event was the Distance Medley Relay (1200m, 400m, 800m, Mile). An unusual event to us Irish as it's not one in which we compete but it seems to be very popular with college teams in the US. Patrica did very well completing her 400m leg in 58secs and the team came 6th overall. Apparently they were in 3rd with 600m to go but couldn't hold that position. Still though 6th in the US Nationals is a great result and Patrica got All American status for the second year in a row - way to go Tricia!!

For me I didn't run on Saturday or Sunday - feeling tired and thought I deserved the weekend off. I did make an attempt to run on Monday at lunchtime but I turned around when I got to my car and worked through lunch instead (a bad habit I know!!). I went to bed early(ish) last night with a sore throat and generally not feeling too well.

So suffice it to say that I was well 'rested' for today's 4mile race in Ballinhassig (just outside of Cork). This race is organised by a local club Rising Sun AC and I really enjoyed the event last year so I was looking forward to today. The sun was shining and the weather warm (11-13degC) - almost Mediterranean!!

After registering I completed a 2 mile warmup with Grellan and Pat - out to the 1 mile marker and back - just to check out the killer hill start!! As an indication of how bad this hill is, last year I found myself close to the leaders (doesn't happen too often) running at close to 7min pace for the first half mile!!


The race started a few minutes late when the started shouted (not too loudly) 'GO' and we were off. Again the start was slow so I settled into the pack about 20-30 runners back. Once we crested the summit at about the 0.5mile mark the race proper started. At this stage I think I was about 20th with a clear view of the lone leader way way in the distance. I passed through Mile 1 in 5:45min. Wow, I thought, I must certainly have picked up the pace in the second half!!
At this stage I group I was running which had thinned to about 6 or 7 others. Mile 2 is largely downhill and my split was 5:34min. Holy S***. I only meant to run at just under 6min pace (my target was sub-24 today)!! I was now in a group of 4 which included a guy named Austin from EAgle AC. Grellan had pointed him out to me before the race as a sub-1:20 half marathon runner and suggested that he may be a good target to gauge my current form.

After mile 2 the downhill was over and the route was now into a head/crosswind. I think that I was still in shock from the 5:34 mile so unsurprisingly the pace slowed to 6:03min for Mile 3 but the whole group slowed so I maintained my position.

Only one mile to go was the overriding thought that crossed my mind at the 3 mile marker!! This running into the wind is tough - especially when your a tall, heavy, broad and awkward guy like me!! But I've recently read Daniel's book and the advice to run faster when your feeling tired crossed my mind so I gave it a try. It worked because I managed to pass one or two in the last mile and by the time I reached the crest of the climb I was comfortably clear of the guys behind. Unfortunately Austin was too far ahead to catch - so maybe I'm not quite in sub-1:20 form yet!! I finished the last mile in 5:52min. Giving a finishing time according to my watch of 23:15min for the 4 miles at 12th place out of 194 competitors (top 6%). Today's time was a PB so the rest obviously worked and the 10 days has been sufficient to recover from Ballycotton. Time to start training again!!


This photo shows me in the background with 100m to go chasing Austin in the foreground...

A 2 mile warmdown with Grellan and Paul afterwards ended the day nicely. Just enough time for a quick change and trip into town to catch some of the parade - it is St Patrick's Day after all!!

So here's how my race today progressed....
Note the steady deceleration in the middle of the race. Probably due to the wind but may be something to work on over the coming months??

Interestingly, with the benefit of Mr Garmin I have a benchmark from last years race (2 weeks after Ballycotton) for comparison...
Last year my mile splits last year were 6:06, 5:57, 6:12, 6:11 giving a total of 24:29mins and that was good enough for 15th position. Note how the pace varied in a similar manner in the 2 races - slow start, quick to 1.5mile or so, slow deceleration except for downhill at the end!!

Also well done to Grellan who posted yet another PB today and smashing the 25min barrier. I'm sure that over the coming months he will view today's time as a 'soft' PB to be taken out of the record books!!

My achilles are sore now and I've strange cramping pain in my left hip so maybe next week will be another recovery week. We'll see.....

Going for a run?

...that was the question that Grellan asked me at lunchtime earlier today. After a few late nights and early mornings I was feeling a bit tired so I really was looking for an excuse not to run today but I'd already missed a few days this week so the 'question' was all the motivation I needed.

Since Ballycotton I've been taking it easy. On Monday I managed 5.63miles @ 7:33 pace 150bpm (42:30mins). That was my 'recovery' run and to be honest even if I wanted to my legs wouldn't go any faster. Tired legs are OK, Sore legs are bad. No soreness so that's OK.

Tuesday was a day off running i.e. a real recovery!!

On Wednesday Grellan and I managed an easy 8.06 miles at lunchtime in 1:00:01 (avg 7:27, 153bpm). That's the longest run I've ever fitted in at lunchtime and it felt good to break the hour mark!! The mile split pace started at 7:53 and increased to 7:15 during the run.

Thursday was another 'recovery' day!!

So today, despite being a bit sleep deprived and almost bailing I think I needed to run. It was probably a bit soon after Ballycotton to put in a 'proper' workout so the plan in mind was a 'steady' pace slightly quicker than last Wednesday. In the end the run turned into a bit of a progression steady/tempo pace and I felt comfortable all the way. We started out at 7:41 mins for the first mile and the pace accelerated from there!! The splits were 7:41 (139bpm); 7:13 (154); 6:56 (161); 6:35 (167); 6:32 (168); 6:15 (172); 6:25 (174). So despite my best intentions I completed 7.06miles in 48:00 (avg 6:48min/mile, 161bpm)!!

My niece is running later today in the US Collegiate National Championship in Houston so best of luck Tricia!! I look forward to hearing all about it.

Today's run...

Way to go Tricia..

I know this blog is mainly about my running but I couldn't help giving my niece a mention. The following is a report from the Northeast-10 Conference....

Northeast-10 Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Patricia Brice, UMass Lowell (So., Chelmsford, Mass.) - Provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship in two relays at the Boston University St. Valentine's Day Invitational. Ran the 400 meters in 57.4 seconds to lead the UMass Lowell distance medley relay team to second overall and tops among collegiate teams in 11:45.26, currently the second-fastest time in the country. Also ran a 58.6-second split on UML's 4X400 meter relay team which placed third overall (first among Division II-III foursomes) in 3:54.53, which ranks 10th in the country.

Patricia ran in leg 1 of the 4x400

Congrats Tricia !!

New Routine

I'd forgotten how much having a new baby in the house can disrupt your routine!! With little sleep the last week has swung from nappy to bottle and back again but I wouldn't change it for the world....

Hence there hasn't been much time for running or even blogging for that matter. Joe's due another feed soon so I'll keep this post short(ish).

Last week I managed only a single run and that was before Joe was born! It was to be a recovery run after the 4 mile race (6.45miles 51:39 / 8:01min/mile 146bpm). Little did I know at the time that my next run was to be today - 11 days later!! At least I was well recovered for today's easy run.

Even though I wasn't running my joints (knees and ankles) gave me a bit of trouble. Nothing serious and maybe if my legs were sore from running I wouldn't even have noticed the joint pains.

Having eaten nothing but crap over the past week and been fairly sleep deprived (max 6 hours per night) I wasn't too hopeful about today's run but I managed (in between baby feeds) 6.24miles in 45:38 / 7:19min/mile 162bpm. That's OK. I felt good but my generally low energy levels certainly made themselves known from 5miles onwards. Legs felt heavy and no drive from my arms.

Hopefully I'll get out again tomorrow and Sunday so maybe this week won't be a total loss. Next week I'll be back at work so my regular lunchtime running routine should return to normal..

Week Total (03/11/08 - 09/11/08) - 1 session
6.45miles - 51:39 - 8:01min/mile - 146bpm

I was also thinking some more about my future race targets. The Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classic Series starts in Mallow in early January 09.. The other races are in Dungarvan, Ballycotton and Kilnaboy with the last race in April. I had planned to run this series this year but injury meant that I missed the first 2 races. Hopefully I'll make all 4 next year!!

With all the marathon runners talking about training schedules Lydiard, Pfitz, Braintraining etc etc... it got me thinking that I too should try one of the off-the-shelf schedules. To date I've adopted more of the DIY type training philosophy. It seems to have worked to date but maybe I'm missing something?? I stumbled across the Runners World 10-mile schedule. It's an eight week programme so I think I'll try that for Mallow 10 which just so happens to be 8 weeks away. Has anyone used this schedule before? If so any comments...

I'm planning on using a modified version (there I go changing things again) of the suggested 'sub-60' schedule. Even though I don't plan on running a sub-60 10 mile the alternative schedule is for the 60-70min runner and I didn't think that it offered anything new over what I've been doing to date. We'll see how this plan works out......

Joe's awake now and asking for food so I'm off back to my day (and night) job!!!

End of the long wait

Today the long wait ended with the arrival of the latest addition to the Bricey clan -

Baby Joseph Francis Brice entered the world at 9:28am weighing 6lb 13oz.

I wonder if he'll be a runner??

The aftermath

This picture was taken at the 12 mile mark and tells a story all of it's own. I think that it accurately reflects how I was feeling at that stage of the race....

Yesterday's race also doubled up as the Munster Inter-Club half marathon championship. Apparently I came 37th in the Senior Men category which according to the Masters results was 22nd in the Masters Category. Just goes to show the the majority of the runners at this distance are oldies (i.e. at least 35 years old)!!

Apart from being a bit tired my legs felt fine today so my 5.62mile recovery run at 7:59 pace (avg 141bpm) was no bother. The sun was even shining!!

Yesterday was also a special day for our family for a totally different, and much more serious, reason. Last night Pamela and I attended a dinner hosted by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) where over 100 people received awards for giving over 50 blood donations and 10 men and women got awards for giving over 100 donations. This is a truly amazing achievement given that you can only donate blood 3 or 4 times a year - truly a lifetime of giving.

Although I'm a donor we weren't at the dinner to receive any award but rather to represent recipients. Pamela and my daughter Una both received multiple transfusions following the birth of the girls and the IBTS felt that it would be good for donors to hear of our success story (both Pamela and Una are now perfectly fine but without receiving the necessary blood transfusions the story may well be very different). It is amazing to think that even in this day of genetic and medical advances the blood transfusion services are still dependent on individuals taking time and effort to donate their own blood to save the life of others.

We were sitting at a table with a Cancer survivor Bernice Glavin who was there to tell her story of survival. Coincidentally, Bernice also ran yesterdays half marathon - it's a small world. In fact Bernice set herself a goal of running 50 marathons by the age of 50. She'll be running her 54th marathon next month in Dublin and she's still 49!!! Well done Bernice.

We awoke this morning to our story being featured in the Irish Examiner newspaper as part of the national campaign for Blood Awareness Week. As I'm sure that the image is illegible I've extracted the text of the article below.

‘We survived because of blood donors’
By Evelyn Ring

Irish Examiner, Monday, September 15, 2008

When Pamela Brice looks into the eyes of her beautiful four-year-old daughter, she sees the generosity of blood donors reflected back. Neither she nor her daughter would have lived without the precious gift of blood they both received. “We are hugely grateful that we survived because of those people who gave blood,” said Pamela, from Douglas in Cork. Pamela, 37, gave birth to identical twins, Eva and Úna, by emergency Caesarean section on June 14, 2004, coincidentally the date of World Blood Donor Day. Both babies, who were born prematurely, were very ill after developing twin to twin transfusion syndrome, a condition that resulted in an imbalance in the blood from one twin to another. Eva, who was overloaded with blood, was in the early stages of heart failure while Úna, the smaller baby, was completely anaemic and required a transfusion as soon as she was born. Pamela received six blood transfusions following the births after doctors at the Erinville Maternity Hospital discovered that she had a rare blood clotting disorder. “I will never forget how cold I was in intensive care and how much better I felt after another transfusion,” she recalled. Pamela, who is expecting her third child, said plans had been made for the birth in Cork University Maternity Hospital and there was a possibility that she will need a further transfusion. Initially very pale, it was only after Úna received another blood transfusion that she blossomed into health, said her mother. “I often think of the people who gave blood and I have met some of them. They are truly humble because they do not expect any thanks for such a precious gift,” said Pamela, a part-time accountant .
During Blood for Life week, which began yesterday and runs until Sunday, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) is hoping stories like Pamela’s will encourage more people to become regular donors. The theme of this year’s Blood for Life Week is “be the type that makes a difference”. “You never know when you, a relative or a friend will be depending on the commitment of donors,” said IBTS chief executive Andrew Kelly. “We need existing donors to give blood regularly and we need new donors to replace those who are no longer able to give blood.”

This afternoon the local radio Red FM interviewed Pamela for their News bulletins. Overnight she's become quite a celebrity. I'd better watch out or the fame will go to her head!!!

Apparently only 5% of the population can donate. In Ireland only 3% donate so my message to all who 'can' would be to "Give blood, Save a life and make a REAL difference".