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. 

Winter and Spring 2015 - rebirth?? ... maybe....

So it appears that this blog is destined to be updated on a 6 monthly basis.  Since the start of the year I've been training on and off, probably more off than on to be honest, largely as a result of those 'real world issues'.

 

Recently, things have begun to settle down so I'm once again on the road to a comeback....  don't hold your breath I've been here before!

 

Today I took part in my first track and field meet since 1993 or there abouts....it's been a while!  The event was the County Masters Championships so I'm also now officially part of the "old man club".  Apart from the intrigue of seeing just how slow I am now at 43 compared to me at 21 today was a demonstration for my children that I'm also prepared to run races on the track - just like them! 

 

It was also probably the first time in a long number of years (if ever) that our Club entered an 'adult' event.  Up until recently only juvenile members competed in events and that adults coached so, I suppose, if we expect our kids to compete then I suppose we should lead by example.

 

Today I entered the 400m, 800m and Shot Putt - the same events that I would typically have entered as a schoolboy when competing at the County Champs.  It was nice to be back on the track - my only concern was that by running fast I might do some damage and further delay my 'comeback'.  But the risk was worth it!

 

My first event was the 400m - after a warmup routine I checked in and collected my starting blocks (could I remember how to set them up I wonder!) and once allocated lane 6 I got set up and waited for the start.  From the gun I went out like a bat out of hell mainly because I knew that my biggest competition would be coming from the lanes inside of me and I had no idea about what pace to run!  So by the 200m mark I was in the lead and going well - too well!  By 250-300m I wanted the race to be over - QUICKLY!  Lactic Acid was filling every pore of my body and my body was reacting by seizing up!  I was running in treacle and getting slower with every stride.  Coming into the home straight at the end of the stagger I was in 3rd and fighting to hang on.  Finally I crossed the line in 63.5sec - 3rd in the race and 2nd in my category (O-40).  The following photos show the aftermath..... 

 

 

 





Next up it was the 800m (after approx. 1 hour of me trying my hardest to regain control of my legs and arms).  After the gun I settled into 3rd position - trying hard not to make the same mistake twice in one day by going off too fast.  I soon realised that the leader was going to be too far ahead for me to challenge today so I focused on the leading female (directly ahead of me) and not getting passed from behind.  With 250m to go I made my move and moved into 2nd position.  I could hear that I was being chased down from behind so 150m to go I moved up a gear (obviously I was running too slowly as I still had another gear!).  I crossed the line in 2:28.51....2nd again.  The race in pictures .....

 

 

 

 

Finally, I ran straight from the 800m finish line across the infield to the Shot Putt circle, took 2 quick practice throws (with the wrong weight shot putt!),  and I was straight in.  My lack of practice (ever) with a 16lb shot showed with a 1st round foul (putted out side of the sector).  I took a more conservative style for the second round a got a mark.  Third round I pushed the boat out as far as I could and putted 7.27m.  2nd again!  My style in pics....

 

 

 



 

So it's onwards and upwards .... I wonder what event I should specialise in???  There is also a possible marathon in Dingle at the end of August....  Let's see what happens..

 

2013 - so far

Well, at least the overall trend is up for 2013!  .... And all going well July 2013 may even be the best month of the last 12.... fingers crossed!

At the moment I'm just focusing on base and routine and trying to stay injury free.  I'm becoming increasingly jealous of all those other bloggers and dailymilers who've been completing their target events, running longer and running faster than ever before!!  I sense that it's almost time for me to decide on some targets of my own and put a plan together.....

Wintertime resolutions...

I can't believe that the summer is over (it never really started did it??) and it's nearly the middle of October already!  Wow where has this year gone.  It only seems like yesterday that we were planning a family holiday in Boston - and that was last Thanksgiving!  Now, I'm beginning to think of Christmas and some goals (running wise) for 2013.

 

The last 6 months have been a write off from a running point of view.  At Easter I had a different perspective and I was hopeful that 2012 was going to be a good year; after all 2010 and 2011 were total disasters too!  The sorry truth about how bad the recent months have been was really brought home to me when I looked at my Dailymile training log earlier tonight....

 

In other words the 6 months can be summed up as:

• April - some long runs
• May -  groin strain
• June - marathon & recovery runs
• July - back injury
• August - some recovery runs & progress
• September - calf injury. 

Finally, this week & for the first time in a very long time, my runs have been pain free - all I need to do now is find some time in the real world for running!

So what do I hope to do for the remainder of the year and early 2013.  Well, given my low base I think I'll have to spend some time building my mileage (and loose some weight!).  Hopefully by mid November I'll be back in the 30-40+ mpw range.  December and January will see some interval / tempo running and increased mileage.   For the third year in a row I'll try to complete the Spring 10 mile series.  There may be a half marathon in early December but I'll not have any expectations from that if it happens and assuming things work out I'll revisit the marathon in about 6 months.

So new plan hatched - now it's time to put it into action....

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!!!!!

Only 5 weeks to go.....

Since the last post I've taken the leap and entered the Cork City Marathon.  So I suppose now I've got to get serious!!

Training has generally been going well but true to form soon after I spent my money on the entry I got a slight groin injury.  This happened last week and threatened to end my marathon career before it ever really started.  The last time I got a similar injury it took over a month to heal but this time it turned out that a few days rest and some TLC in the form of ice and light stretching was enough to put things right.  This week things are back on track.  So hopefully no major harm done.

Since I missed my planned long run last weekend I was all the more determined to go 20+ miles today.  It was just as well that I was determined because when I woke up at 06:30 I was less than motivated.  But the sun was shining and I knew that the weather was due to turn later on so off I went.  

My plan was to head out at a comfortable 7:30 min/mile pace matching my 20mile run of a couple of weeks ago and again carrying no fuel or water.  I was banking on the three weetabix and the glass of apple juice that I had just before I left the house to carry me through!   The run went reasonably well despite a slight calf cramp from miles 9 to 11, a stomach cramp at mile 21 and sore feet by mile 22, not to mention the the obligatory chafing .  It's encouraging to think that if I could keep today's pace going it would be a 3:15 marathon; respectable enough for a first attempt wouldn't you think!? 

Pace Splits (min/mile)

Miles 1 to 5       7:34, 7:25, 7:32, 7:31, 7:26    (Avg 7:30)

Miles 6 to 10     7:17, 7:16, 7:18, 7:24, 7:25    (Avg 7:20)

Miles 11 to 15   7:31, 7:26, 7:25, 7:25, 7:27    (Avg 7:27)

Miles 16 to 20   7:23, 7:27, 7:30, 7:34, 7:23    (Avg 7:28)

Miles 21 to 22   7:47, 7:15                              (Avg 7:32)

Today's long run (22.32miles in 2:46:17, avg 7:27min/mile) around Cork City....

Running Long...

Although it's probably the kiss of death my training since Mallow10 has gone reasonably well. My weekly mileage has been 62 (6 runs), 37 (5 runs), 44 (5 runs) and 51 (6 runs).  All very good (for me).

Each week I've tried to put in at least one tempo/progression session but my main workout has been the weekly long run.  This long run has increased from 11 to 13 to 18 to 20 over the last 4 weeks.  I wouldn't call these run "long slow runs" but they have been long.  I've run these based on a perceived 'easy' effort which means a pace of approx 7:30.

Today was my most successful long run ever.  Way back in August 2009 I'd attempted a 20 mile run from Ardmore to Dungarvan and back but due to a number of reasons it wasn't very successful and it gave me a new found respect to running long.  I haven't tried running 20+ miles since!  However, now that I'm older and a bit (but not much) wiser my run from Ardmore to near Midleton today went much better. 


Ardmore to Ballintotis (Midleton) Sunday 15th April 2012

I set out from Ardmore at 8am in bright sunshine with a clear blue sky and an icy NE wind.  The plan was to leave with a 2 hour head start on the rest of my family who would pick me up (hopefully alive) at some point along the road. My planned pace was a repeat of last weeks 'easy' long run and go 17 miles at 7:30 pace or better.  Mile splits were 7:28; 7:18; 7:35; 7:17; 7:20; 7:18; 7:31; 7:19; 7:34; 7:25; 7:08; 7:21; 7:17; 7:23; 7:22; 7:20; 7:18; 7:35; 7:46; 7:45.  That's 20 miles at an average of 7:25 min/mile.

My family eventually caught up with me at Ballintotis (near Midleton) and proceeded to drive past!  Apparently my wife had her own plan that no matter where she passed me she would drive to and park at the 20 mile point.  There she would wait for me to arrive (who needs a tough coach!!).  Luckily I was nearly there when she arrived!

Most of the run felt easy (7:21 pace to 17 miles) but I had to work hard on the long uphill section around Youghal (mile 9). Miles 19 & 20 were also a bit harder than the rest as I ran out of fuel & water; neither of which I carried with me.  I must start experimenting with some gels to see if there's any benefit to be had..... ???

Given that the long runs are going so well I'm also seriously considering making a Marathon debut in Cork at the start of June.  All I have to do now is to take the plunge and enter!   I also need to increase the length of these long runs.  I'd like to get a few 22+ mile runs in over the next few weeks and then taper back for the second half of May.  BTW how should someone 'taper'???  Any advice?

The rest of the today was spent supporting these two girls from team Little Panda :) at the Leevale Open Sports.....

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... 

40 day streak to 40

So its 2012 already.  And, of course, I've missed my first planned race of the year.  It wasn't entirely my fault but the end result was that I didn't make it to the startline of the Dungarvan 10 last week. So the Ballycotton 10 will now become my first race.

This is the year that I'll officially become a veteran.  Some may say 'old', others would say just 'older than last year'.  Either way 40 seems like an age that should be 'marked' in a special way.  If I was 10 years older I would have been 40 during the height of the Celtic Tiger era so I'd probably have bought a sportscar or 3 villas in the south of France.  But, alas it is not 2002 and the world is a different place.  So I decided to mark the midlife-40 in a more modest way and go for a run.  More dedicated runners manage to run their age in miles on their birthday but as I've not been that dedciated lately I thought that a more realistic, benefical and possibly difficult challenage would be to run for 40 days in a row.

In fact, I set myself 2 main targets for these 40 days:

1. To run every day for 40 days; and,
2. To run at least 40 miles per week.

There are also some secondary targets, in case the wheels fall off, but I'm not thinking about these at present....

So far, I'm on Day 20/40 and my streak is still going.  Last week there were a few time-poor days which meant that I could only fit in my runs late at night.  In general, my runs are 5-6 miles and I've been trying to put in 1 or 2 'longer' runs per week.  The nett effect is that my pace has increased and my average heartrate has come down significantly, nearly 20bpm at an easy pace, and I'm feeling a lot fitter than a month ago.  This can only be good for the future!

So, I'm half way there and in 20 days time I'll not only be officially 'old' in the eyes of the 'younger' generation but I'll also be able to evaluate how the rest of 2012 can go...

I'll summarise how it went at the end but for now all the details are on Dailymile.com

Thanksgiving in Chelmsford, MA

Once again I've been remiss in updating this blog but the simple fact is that apart from some regular running there hasn't been too much of 'special interest' to report on.  My full running diary is regularly updated on my dailymile.com but suffice it to say that most weeks I've been running regularly, typically putting in runs of 5 to 10 miles with the pace in and around 7 min/mile.  Apart from a few exceptions weekly totals have been 30-40 miles.  I've also tried to fit in a steady-tempo progression run at least once a week. My two eldest children have also recently joined an athletics club, Belgooly AC, so that has meant that I've been at the CIT track at least 1 evening a week, generally doing 800m reps.  Other than the fact that I haven't been putting in enough long runs (>10miles) - this training has been generally in accordance with 'the plan'.

BTW my girls have been really enjoying their Tuesday / Thursday sessions so hopefully the enthusiasm will continue and in 30-40 years time they too will be running regularly for the fun of it.  

I also just came from a weeks holiday near Boston with my family.  It was my first time in the US for Thanksgiving (i.e. an excuse for meeting family, eating too much, watching football (not the FAI or GAA type) and preparing for the infamous Black Friday shopping frenzy!).  A great time was had by all!!

The jetlag meant that I woke up early (5-6am) every day.  This was generally before the rest of the family woke up so I got a chance to fit in an early morning run along an old railway line in Chelmsford, MA.  Luckily the weather was unseasonably warm (apart from Thursday & Friday) so I didn't have to run in the snow.

I also took the opportunity to run in a local Thanksgiving day charity run in Lowell last Thursday morning.  The 8am race start time was early enough not to interrupt the rest of the festivities but it also meant that the air temperature was still below freezing as noted by my shivering legs on the start line.

The race was a 5km run/walk combined with a 10km run.  There were approx 270No. competitors in the 10km and 900No. competitors in the 5km.  The race was over 2 laps of approx 5km which led to an 'interesting' (chaotic) finish when there were still some runners just starting their second lap while the 10km leaders were finishing in the midst of the 5km 'walkers'.

After getting there early, as usual, I registered for the 10km for the sum of $30 and ran a lap of the course  in my new Asics Nimbus trainers to warmup, i.e. defrost.  I then 'arrogantly' toed the line in the front row.  All the 'locals' were well wrapped up for the weather wearing long sleeved t-shirts, leggings, gloves, hats etc; I on the other hand went for the light weight racing look i.e. shorts and singlet (mad!!).

Since this was my first race in over 2 years I had no real expectations.  Last time I raced 'seriously'  I was capable of a sub-38 (maybe sub-37) 10km so I hoped to at least break 40mins.  On the basis of previous results this time might even give me a top 10 finish!  My runs in the few days leading up to the race suggested that this should be 'easily' achievable.  I planned to head out at a 6:20 to 6:25 pace and hopefully finish strongly.

This seemed like a good plan.... if only I stuck to it!  When the gun went I headed out just behind with the leaders - I had forgotten that some of these would only be running 5km so I think I got pulled along too quickly over the first mile.  The cold air and slightly tired legs meant that I paid for this early pace in the second half of the 10km.  My pace splits based on the mile markers were 6:05, 6:19, 6:29, 6:23, 6:16, 6:17.  I went through the 5km in 19:51 just ahead of schedule and finished in 39:45.... almost event splits.

Overall I finished in 8th position and 3rd in the 30-39 age category.  If only I was a few months older I'd have easily won the 40-49 category!!!

This graph shows how my race went.....

The full results are on the CoolRunning.com website here

It's now time to increase the long runs and get ready for some 10-mile races after Christmas....

Entry into the Ballycotton-10 opens tomorrow!!! :)

2 month update

July was going just fine (from a running persepective anyway) despite the lack of summer weather. I was even looking at potential races. The first was to be a 5 mile race in Ardmore Co. Waterford on the 12th August. A local run that would be a good benchmark of my fitness. But... that was before I went for a very easy lunchtime run in early August and ended up limping back to the office with a groin strain type injury. I initially rested it for 2 weeks but it wasn't cured until the start of September. Looking back I think that it was caused by a muscle imbalance that was agrivated by running 16 miles in one day a few days previous. Too much too soon (you think that I'd learn the simple lessons!) That injury wrote off August and any chance of me being in any sort of reasonable shape to tackle the road races in September/early October. But as of the 3rd September I'm making comeback number 567. I'm trying to be sensible - generally keeping the pace in the high 7 minutes and distanced of 5 to 6 miles. But I did manage a 10+mile run on Saturday last and a total of more than 30 miles for the week. Also my two eldest have joined a local running club (Belgooly AC) at the tender age of 7. So far (week 2) they're really enjoying going to the track on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In fact, each night they can't wait to go back! Hopefully it will turn into a life long passion but, since going back to school their timetable has exploded into the something that even an Outlook Calendar couldn't take control of, so it remains to be seen if they'll stick the pace. You know the scene.. I'm sure everyone with kids has been through it.. school, homework, birthday parties (2 last Saturday for a start!), music lessons, Irish Dancing lessons, Track training, hockey training, sleepovers etc etc .... and that's just Monday (you should see what they do on Tuesday). One of the fringe benefits of the girls going to the track every Tuesday/Thursday is that I get an opportunity to fit in a track session too! (That reminds me that I must pay Eagle AC for the pleasure of using their track time!!) It's nice to run on tarten again. The last time I set foot on a track was a lunchtime training run with Aberdeen AC in 1998... so it's been a while. At the moment I'm working on 800m intervals currently at 3min pace which based on this evenings workout feel pretty good. My plan is to increase the reps in number and pace and reduce the recovery over the coming months. Race plans... No definite target races just yet. But at this stage it may well be the Munster 10 mile series after Christmas. Hopefully I'll fit in 1 or 2 shorter races before then though. Training... Over the past few years I've found that having 2 'speed' sessions combined with at least 1 long run is the perfect mix for me. Since I'll be at the track twice a week this should work. Hopefully the second workout will be tempo/longer interval run and this wil be combined with a regular long run over the weekend. On the other days I'll put in my normal 'easy' 5-8 mile runs. But over the next month I'll primarily concentrate on building up a base of steady / consistent running (35-45 miles per week) and hopefully avoid any injuries (fingers crossed!) As usual my training will be logged on DailyMile which I'm finding a really useful resource. Updates will also be included on the Twitter ticker on the siderbar and if I've anything noteworthy to post I'll be back here. Happy running.....

Still going

After 4 weeks of my 'get back to running plan' I'm still going! In total I've run 113.5 miles in 18 runs (14.05 hours). So this is my most consistent period of running since 2009! I've been enjoying it and not an injury in sight either. Most of the runs could be classed as 'easy' which is fine for now but as my fitness has begun to return I'm finding that my easy pace is getting ever closer to 7:00 min per mile!

Details of all my runs were tweeted using dailymile.com which gives some interesting (and useless) stats including that my runs to date are equivalent to almost 62 donuts or 22 cheese burgers. I'm not sure which I would prefer???

My target was to be at 40 miles per week at this stage. Not quite there yet but I'm getting there!

Week 1 - 5 runs - 28.03 miles
Week 2 - 2 runs - 12.45 miles
Week 3 - 6 runs - 36.95 miles
Week 4 - 5 runs - 36.16 miles

I was asked recently when I'd be pinning a number to my chest again... not sure but I'll let you know - maybe August?? My thought is that I don't want to race too soon and risk another injury and given that I don't see the point in 'racing easy' I'm not going to rush back just yet.

Recovery over..

Bless me reader, it's been 2 weeks since my last run.... so I thought yesterday would be a good day to check out my calf. 5+ easy (really) miles at the seaside over a course that included some hills, some beach and some undulating trails. A good test I'd say ... and if my calf did bomb I'd at least have had a nice walk home.

Luckily it didn't and despite some hamstring twinges it was pretty good (42mins). So I now reckon a 2 week recovery is the minimum for calf injuries. Hopefully I won't need to use this bit of new found knowledge again in the near future.

This morning I repeated the run at 7am when the sun was shining, the sky and sea were blue and the waves were calm. Definitely a run for the soul and not one for a fast pace. This time the pace was slower (44+mins) partly due to the early hour and partly due to DOMS. I need to run more often!

Also today I purchased a new Garmin 305 - a real sign of intent. It's been over 12 months since my old one was stolen while on holidays and I've been running by feel ever since. It's time to get a bit more scientific! I'll wait patiently for Amazon to deliver it in a week or so.

I've also been playing around with DailyMile and Map-My-Run & Twitter - there are too many social network site combinations!!! I still haven't decided which is the best to log & post my runs - possibly Daily Mile & Twitter as Map-My-Run has too much advertising getting in the way! ... but ... only time will tell which combination eventually wins out.

Well done to all those who ran the Cork City Marathon, Half & Relay today - some very impressive times/performances!

2011 update

Some ways in which the World has changed...

• The Queen came to Ireland;


• Dr. Garrett Fitzgerald passed away;


• Eamon Coughlan became a Senator;


• Portugal joined Ireland in bankruptcy;


• Leinster joined Munster as two time winners of the Heineken Cup!

It's always an ominous sign when New Year's resolutions are put down in text. In my case, at least, it usually means that the exact opposite will happen - a bit like making a doctors appointment - by the time I get to the surgery the symptoms have cleared up!

This is certainly true of my last post which, as I was recently reminded, is over 4 months old!

Let's examine this in a bit more detail. Two resolutions were stated:
1. To run 'lots' more;
2. To post more often on this blog.

A reasonable person might consider these to be relatively easy and attainable goals for 2011 but I've failed misearably on both counts.

On the running front - I have run 'some' more but not 'lots' more and certainly not as much as I'd intended. During January, February & March, mainly due to other demands on my personal time, I only managed 'infrequent' slow/short runs. This certainly put paid to any chance of me following in the footsteps of others and running 39 miles on my 39th birthday in February (I'll have to aim for the 40 @ 40 target instead!). It also caused me to DNS the Ballycotton-10 on March 6th for fear of doing myself an injury. Unfortunately, I went for a 6 mile lunchtime run on March 7th only to seriously pull my left calf at mile 4.5. Maybe I should have run the Ballycotton-10 anyway - at least then I'd have got a mug instead of looking like a mug. (luckily Grellan passed by in his car and gave me a lift back to the office which saved me some of the walk/limp of shame)

However, since April I've had a bit more available personal time so I've tried to redress my family/running/work-life balance. Running has been a bit more frequent and for a short while I managed 4+ runs per week (20-30 miles 7:45-8:15mpm pace). My plan was to get a few solid weeks in the bag as 'conditioning' and then to set some goals for the rest of the year. Maybe even a marathon in the autumn... But since the start of May things have not been good. My calf problems are back. I've been resting and icing but I probably need to do some more massaging and strengthening. Last week I got more than 5 miles into my run before my calf cramped but today (after a 7 day rest) I pulled up after less than 1 mile. I think that the source of the problem is a general tightness/weakness in my left hip/leg. This is now getting a bit frustrating as, obviously, my self-treatment isn't working so I may have to resort to seeking professional advice!

On the blogging front - I think that no post in almost 5 months speaks for itself! There's just not been too much to talk about, really. In my defence, I have tweeted (see the sidebar across...) about my infrequent runs/injuries etc. So if you are part of my small band of followers you'll know know what's happening.

The Cork City Marathon is only around the corner so I hope all your training is going well. Next year I may be availing of your pacer skills ....

2011 Resolutions

It's that time of year again. Time to reflect on what is no more and time to plan what is yet to be.

My first resolution is to run 'lots' more. 2010 was disasterous in that respect! My second resolution is that I'll post on this blog more often. Hopefully the first resolution will give me something worthwhile to write about.

At least I've ended 2010 on a positive note with some nice (altough tough) runs. Let's see how much easier it can get...

Happy New Year to all and thanks for stopping by.....

Recovery

There wasn't too much running in my calendar this week... I'm putting it down to a 'recovery' but really it was more due to lack of time.

On the recovery front - all went reasonably well and there were no post-race issues with my ankle. So I don't intend on posting about 'anklegate' again and I'm moving on....

Before the race my left calf was a bit sore. Plenty of deepheat and massage beforehand made sure that I didn't feel anything during the run but now it's taking time to heel. I reckon it's a symptom of needing to rebuild muscle strength and a reminder not to push too hard too soon!

On Thursday I finally managed to fit in a lunchtime run - steady 7:10 pace 5.6 miles around Ballincollig. Earlier tonight having recovered from today's hangover I went for an easy 5.5 miles @ 7:45 pace. The said calf is now being iced so hopefully all will be well tomorrow. That's a 'massive' 11 miles for this week excluding my Guinness & Lennox's chips fueled walk home from town last night. Next week will have to be better...

It's time to start some 'real' training..

Today saw the 30th running of the Great North Run - probably one of the greatest mass participation races in the world! Looking at it on television it made me wish I was there again. Although I must admit that based on my recent training I don't think Haile Gebreselassie would have been too worried! Maybe next year??

I first entered the GNR in 2007 and I used it as my motivation to get fit. Three years on I'm in a very similar position - trying to get fit..

I see that Sonia O'Sullivan was the last person to cross the start line today and finished the GNR in 1:34:53. When I first ran the GNR I started close to the back of the field and finished in 1:34:51. For most of that race I was passing runners, running on the footpath, crossing the road from side to side and constantly looking for the 'gap' ahead. It was both mentally and physically exhausting! Sonia, I know what you went through today. There are easier ways to run 13.1 miles!

Since my last post I've been getting out approx 4 times per week and I'm now up to approx 20-30 miles per week. Nothing spectacular but for me the most important indicator has been that my ankle is holding up.

Last week I went for a 'slow' 12.6mile run (1:45) on Saturday morning and followed it by a 'steady' (i.e. low 7min/mile pace) 10k on Sunday morning. Despite the fatigue everything else seemed to hold up.... a good sign!

This week my long run was 11.7 miles (1:28) i.e. Douglas to City Centre to Sundays Well down the Mardyke back to the City Centre and home to Douglas. I could class it as an 'easy' run (i.e. possible conversational pace) but it'd be more correct to refer to it as a 'comfortable' pace run i.e. a bit harder than 'easy'. :) I passed the 10 mile mark at approx 73mins and feeling good. Interestingly, I last ran this route on 3rd January (4 days before I broke my ankle). The time on that day was 1:31 .. the slower time being more a function of the icey conditions rather than a measure of my fitness!

Today I followed yesterday's run with a 6.5 mile run (47mins) - Douglas to Bishopstown. This felt good and was 13 minutes quicker than the last time I ran this route .. sign of progress??

So now that I've some base training done and I know that the screws in my ankle are holding it's time to start some real training. I guess I need to formulate a plan... but what plan and can I stick to it??

It's time to put my thinking hat on.....

Back again

Since it's been over 2 months since I last posted I thought this blog, and it's limited readership, deserved an update!

After my last post my training went well for a week or so. Then I decided to go for what would ordinarily have been an easy 12 miler. Despite it being a little tougher than I'd hoped the run itself was uneventful but afterwards my ankle became very stiff & sore. The pain was different to the usual aches and pain of a middle aged runner in that it felt like a joint pain. So my 'semi-mature' brain told me to give my body more time and take a rest. So that's what I did. At the same time 'real life' became very busy so it's just as well that I hadn't planned any big races!

Until last week my running has been curtailed to one 60-70min run per week at 8:30+ pace by the sea side.

Last week I extended this run to 90 minutes and the following day I put in a 45minute 'steady' (i.e. 7:30 pace) run. So this week I've decided that it's time to lose the 6kg that my broken ankle has given me, stop eating junk and start training again. Hopefully this time my body will hold up and I'll be back to where I was by Christmas....

Breaking the hour mark

I missed my planned run yesterday so I got up early this morning to make sure I didn't miss today's run. I was in Ardmore and at 6:30am the sea was full in and dead calm and the sun was shining. (Pity it started to rain later in the morning)

It was an easy morning to go for a long run and 65mins of non-stop running felt good ... even if the pace was very slow!

Some running again...

The good news is that, as of today, my surgeon doesn't want to see me anymore!

Other news is that I ran on two occasions since my last post, Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday I covered approx 2 miles by running 100m, walking 50m repeats. My ankle held up well and there weren't too many ill effects. Interestingly at the start my achilles was sore but by the end it was the front 'inside' of the joint that was in slight pain. Minor bumps and corners were a bit of a problem too! And, my gait has certainly changed. Funnily enough the limited rotation of the right ankle joint is causing me to land harder on my left leg. That's something I'm going to have to monitor carefully. My new orthotics are also something that I'm going to have to get used to.

I felt so good on Tuesday that I decided to ignore the physio's advise and push out the boat a little. I know, I know.... I shouldn't have but after 5 months of no running I couldn't resist the temptation! And despite what my wife thinks I was careful! Don't tell my physio though or I'll be in real trouble!! In total, I ran 2.5miles 'non stop' over a flat course at a 'blistering' 7:40 min/mile pace. Again my achilles was bothering me at the start but this eased off after approx 0.5 miles. Also after about 2 miles I could feel my foot beginning to swell up and again the joint started to niggle so I decided to call it a day. Later on there was some swelling but that settled down overnight and the biggest side effect was some DOM's in the quads..... I'm officially unfit!

Another physio session planned for tomorrow and then it's off to Gran Canaria for a week in the sun. Hopefully I'm allowed being my runners!