2022- it’s been a while!

 It’s hard to imagine that so much time has passed.  Not much has happened.  Some runs, frequent calf injuries and lots of inactivity. Pace has slowed and distances shortened but when I run now I seem to enjoy it more … less oxygen debt! 🤣

I’ve been in the USA for the past week visiting family and eating turkey 🦃 but I did take the opportunity run in a Thanksgiving Day 5K race in Nashua New Hampshire (https://greatgobbler.com/).   Cold trail run, -4 degC, Sub 27mins finish time (https://www.secondwindtiming.com/result-page/?id=227072#1_FB507F ), heart rate never hit the ‘red zone’, and no injuries ✅.

It was a strange year

What a year!  Who’d have thought that 2020 would turn out as it has.  Just a few short words sum it up for me

• Lockdown
• Pandemic
• Face masks
• Not enough running

Consistent running hasn’t been easy for me in recent years due to a combination of injury, real world pressures and a good dollop of laziness.  However, early Lockdown did reignite a love for walking but the 

travel restrictions meant that I was initially confined to 2km from home which was a bit limiting..  my world really expanded when this was later relaxed to 5km. 🤣 I think I’ve now walked all the possible streets within this zone!  

As summer came lockdown lifted and the endless zoom table quiz circuit faded.  So too did my desire for a daily walk and laziness took over once more 😉

Although I was being lazy, I did try to go for the odd run to slow the middle age spread.  I have a local 4.5mile route which has a bit of variety and, for now, that distance seems to be my limit.  So I’m trying to get into a routine of running (slowly) that loop a couple of times a week, generally over the weekend.  I can’t say my fitness is improving yet but I haven’t been getting injured which is a plus!

Over the next few weeks, in preparation for the next lockdown, my plan is to try to introduce some more runs during the week and hopefully redevelop a healthy running habit.

I also discovered that my Garmin can give a nice overview of how bad my running is at the moment.  Green is bad btw!   

‘till next time.  Stay safe ...

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. 

Old man & time again

Since I last posted here social media and blogging has moved on.  Most blogs now consist of tweets and it seems like the world doesn’t have any tolerance for ramblings of more than 140 characters!   Given the rambling brain dump that takes place on blogs such as this one I don’t blame them!  In fact, I’d say even the only 2 followers of this blog (my wife and me) who may find its contents mildly interesting have also shortened our attention span!  Too bad, as I’m going to start rambling here again!

In the time since my last post, almost 3 years ago, my running fortunes have taken a major decline. I’ve almost all but stopped running consistently and when I’ve made an attempt to return I’ve generally either stopped soon after (usually for good reason such a time limitations, work, family etc etc) or become injured.  I’ve logged a number of my attempts on my Dailymile microblog page.  Let’s hope this latest attempt will be more significant.

My latest attempt to make a comeback (strong word that for what I’m trying to do!!), was last February when out for an easy 4mile run I pulled my right calf muscle.  It has taken until now to mend ...

But as of last week it seems like my calf is fixed and I’ve put in a few slow & short runs.  By slow I mean really slow (by past standards but probably not that quick by current standards either!!).

What are my plans now I wonder..  not really sure I say ...but...  I’d like to get back running regularly.  Hopefully that can happen and I realize that it is totally within my own control.  I think I’ve gone beyond setting PBs so my ‘A’ goal now is to loose some weight and get back to the ‘head space zone’ that going for a regular run outdoors gives.

Small steps.... 2 x 4mile runs so far this week... let’s see what next week brings.....

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..

 

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....



So what's happened....

Since my 'hopeful' post in August my life and running have taken an unintended course.

Running wise the latter part of 2013 was mixed but by December a plan was hatched (even written down!!) and it could have ended up in running the Cork Marathon in June. I had a few good runs and was on course to build a decent base.

But then the 1st of January 2014 arrived and 5 miles into an easy afternoon run my calf said it had had enough. I suspect, the failure was caused by a weakness aggravated on a sharp decent 2 miles into the run. I spent the next few weeks resting, going for short test runs and some walking.  Finally, I came to the realisation that only complete rest would work for me. Unfortunately, I'm not as disciplined in other sports so finding time for swimming, cycling etc to maintain a base fitness was not going to happen. As a result my fragile base fitness went back to zero and below.

By February some personal / domestic issues took priority and running was not an option as all my free (and not so free) time had to be devoted to domestic duties.

Only now at the end of March is there some small slight light and I'm beginning once again to think about base training. Obviously, the Cork Marathon is no longer on the cards and my focus will be some Autumn races - yet to be identified.

First of all I need to get into a consistent routine once again. Only then can a real plan be once more hatched..... Two days done now and so far so good..... Let's see what happens (again)!!!

Small Steps.....

I took my first small steps back into the racing world last weekend.  It was only a 4km run leg as part of a super sprint triathlon but it was a start.

If triathlons are your thing I'd highly recommend the Dublin City Triathlon.  Good course, great atmosphere, well organised and most importantly... jam packed goodie bags.

We got to Dublin late on Saturday night but there was still just a little time for a quick team 'briefing' in the pub.  We took our hydration strategy really seriously and made sure to sample the local brew.  This didn't make the early start on Sunday morning any easier..

After registering at 7am, checking out the swim course and transition area, watching the early waves starting and meeting up with colleagues who were also taking part it was almost my turn to compete (3+ hours later!!). So, while the swimmers and cyclists did their thing Grellan and I went for a couple of miles warm up.  This was just as well as it gave me a opportunity to see the course in advance.

When we got back to transition our swimmers had finished their 600m swim and the cyclists were well on the road.  It didn't take long for my teammate to finish his 16k cycle and then it was my turn...

The run course was a mixture of road/pavement and cross country roughly in equal measure.  There were some drags (which if tackled at speed will turn your legs jelly) and even the relatively flat cross country section was a bit uneven so it's certainly not a course for a pb.  Which was just as well because I'm nowhere near pb shape at the moment.  So the plan was to go out steady and hang on.  The only problem with that plan was that this was a race and there was interoffice pride at stake!  So I headed out feeling comfortable at 5:30 pace.  After 800m the course went uphill and certainly made sure that my overall mile split would be considerable slower (6:23).  By the time I reached the top of the hill and headed out onto the country my legs were like lead and my breathing was so loud that anyone ahead got plenty warning that I was coming.  But I was passing runners all the way so that was motivation to keep going for the team (and it was only a 4k run so it would be over soon...)

 

 Only one person passed me (a chick but a very fast one!! an Irish international 1500m runner - Orla Drumm) and that was with about 800m to go.  This gave me some motivation to kick for home at sub 6min pace.  I finally crossed the line and stopped my watch with 16:44 on the clock.  It took me 12secs to leave transition so I estimate 16:32 for the leg.  A slow time but respectable enough given the course and probably as fast as I could have hoped for given that I haven't done any real speed work in a very long time.

The full results have yet to be published but one of our 4 teams (not the one I was in!) won the team relay. Congrats to them.

Now it's onwards and upwards to the next race (probably Cork to Cobh 15m at the start of October).  That gives me 5 weeks of serious training time.....

In full flight coming home with 200m to go...

  

Some of our team members looking relaxed beforehand....

Update 27-August
Provisional results published today show my run time as 16:30. That was the 2nd fastest of the relay runners and the 5th quickest of the day!! Our team came 8th of the relays (28th overall) in a time of 1:05:14. That was 13:00 for the swim and 32:30 for the cycle with T1 (1:35) and T2 (1:40). Well done to my teammates Kieran and Robert.

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.....

2012 - a year of two halves...

Dailymile sent me an email yesterday that summed up my running in 2012, literally!

It was definitely a year of two halves. It started with some promise and progress (the first real progress since breaking my ankle in January 2010) and a 40 day streak into my 40th birthday. Things were looking on schedule for a respectable marathon debut but then the wheels (legs actually) came off. The marathon in June turned out to be a learning experience and I still hoped for a late summer or autumn rematch with the historic distance but since then things have gone steadily downhill.

July saw a back (disc) injury and since September I've been struggling with a "right calf issue" that now prevents me from running more than 2 miles every 2 weeks (or so).  I stubbornly decided not to seek professional advice in the hope that things would come right in the end.  It didn't!

So last week I finally coughed up some money and went to a physio.  Apparently my calf issue is a hangover from my broken ankle (something that I thought was long in the past!).  A biomechanical imbalance.  In truth and I've had an ongoing series of lower body issues since my initial recovery from my broken my ankle in late 2010/2011.  So this was probably something waiting to happen.  It's time for some massage, dry needling, joint manipulation, calf strengthening exercises and flexibility work.  I last tried to run on the 28th December and it'll probably be a couple more weeks before I'm able to start back.  Hopefully this time things will work out!

In the meantime I'm going to try some aerobic exercise and eat less in an attempt to shift the many pounds added to my person since last June!  Hopefully Spring 2013 will be the time of new beginnings.  I dare to hope that I'll be back to complete some unfinished business in Cork this year but......

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!!!!!

Marathon debut... success or failure??

They say you'll always remember your first marathon.  Although it is really just another race (just a bit longer) I've come to think that this is certainly a fair statement.  The difference being that a marathon is more than just a race.  It is to many a goal and to others a major lifetime achievement.  Of course, because of its history there is a mystic surrounding the distance and the preparation for the task of completing it, regardless of any time goal, is usually the focus of a number (many) of months training.  During this preparation time there is the constant fear that a late injury may end the any chance of making the startline let alone making the finishline.  Just like what happened to me!

I know that the majority of the (very limited) readership of this blog have already completed their first and many subsequent marathons but last Monday 4th June was my first opportunity to complete the distance.  Being a failed track runner, in my youth, I had always viewed the marathon as a something that a runner matured into and many years ago I decided that when I was 40 I would be mature enough.

So 2012 was to be the year and 12 months ago I selected that the Cork City Marathon would be the one!  Being a local race it would certainly remove much of the complexity of having to travel away and my "long suffering" support crew could also join in on the occasion!  Also I was very familiar with all of the roads having run much of the route many many many times!

 

On race day my wife and kids dropped me at Cork City Hall (race HQ) early which gave me some time to change and go for a brief one mile warm up around the city centre - a good opportunity to savour the pre-race atmosphere (tension!).  The sun was shining, despite the weather forecasts, and it looked like it would be a nice day for a run.

I had a pre-race plan but after struggling with a groin injury for the preceding 5-6 weeks I decided not to be too upset if the plan didn't work out.  However, it was a race and I had some objectives....

1. Finish (always good!)
2. Run sub 3:15 (although a bit unrealistic it would be great for a first marathon!) 
3. If the wheels came off run sub 3:30 (a more realistic and still a respectable time!)

So my optimistic plan was to head out at 7:15 and see how things went.  Probably a novice marathoners mistake but one that I'd personally prefer than heading out too conservatively and always wondering what might have been.

So I lined up between the 3:00 and 3:15 pace groups and headed out at a pace that felt comfortably easy.  I kept missing the mile markers (note these could be improved next year) and the first one that I saw was at mile 4 where I discovered that I had just run an average 7:07 min/mile pace - a bit fast but it was still feeling easy!  The huge cheers from my support crew at the 3 mile mark certainly helped to maintain the pace.

Miles 5 brought me up to the first relay changeover point at Tivoli and the pace had eased back to 7:25.  In the past when I've run the relay in this marathon I've run the second leg so for the next 5 miles I was on very familiar roads.  Mile 6, 7 and 8 out to the Dunkettle roundabout and through the Jack Lynch Tunnel averaged 7:12 pace (back on target!).  Once again my support crew appeared on the side of the road to encourage me.... it worked! :)

Miles 9, 10, 11 & 12 passed relatively easily in 7:12, 7:18, 7:16, 7:16.  At this stage all things seemed to be going well and I took on my first gel as an energy insurance policy!

Miles 13 and 14 along river and over the footbridge over the South Ring road took 7:11 and 7:23 min / mile.  

It was shortly after passing the 14 mile marker that the first signs of the wheels coming off occurred - left hamstring cramp!  What the..... this had never happened before and was surprising as the pace so far had felt easy!  Despite a short walking break I managed to cover Miles 15 & 16 at an average 7:25 pace.

Cramps in both hamstrings appeared at Mile 17 (8:06 pace) .... and the first thoughts of going home early crept in... but I was still ahead of the 3:15 pacer group so maybe I could walk out the cramp and salvage something.  So I took on my second gel and walked out the South Link road!. 

The remainder of the race was a series of running, stretching and walking.  The chart below tells the story. with mile splits ranging from 9:01 to 9:18 for miles 18, 19, 20, 12, 22, 23, 24 & 25.  Unfortunately the encouragement from the spectators (each mile I passed someone that I knew!!) couldn't help.  Aerobically I was as fresh as when I started the race but my legs just didn't listen!!

Downhills were the worst as the hamstrings and calf muscles went into spasm and I was in danger of falling over each time I was forced to stop!  Thomas and his 3:15 bus passed by at the 18mile mark and I decided not to hop on.  My focus now was to get to the finish and hopefully get there ahead of Grellan's  3:30 bus!!

Not even the bottle of Coke that my support crew had a mile 21 for me was enough to fully get me going!  The oranges and sweets kindly offered by Kevin Geary and the team from Eagle AC after the final relay change over point were welcome and helped a little but the sharp decent at Inchigaggin Bridge brought back yet more cramps!  However, just like smelling salts, the sight of a fellow runner lying on the pavement on the Straight Road receiving medical attention shortly after Mile 23 was a stark reminder that things could be a lot worse!

The smell of the finishline somehow kept the worst of the hamstring cramps at bay and brought me to the 26 mile mark at 7:48 pace.  And the added motivation from Fergus Wall, the 1:30 half marathon pacer, who shouted "run bricey run just like it says on the website" and the thought that my support crew (wife and kids) would be at the finishline was enough to bring me though the last quarter at 6:40 pace to finish just ahead of Grellan and his crew!

Here's the summary: 

• 03:28:20 (gun)
• 03:28:08 (chip)
• 01:35:17 (1st half)
• 01:53:04 (2nd half)
• 07:53 min/mile (avg)
• 217 (place) / 1406 (finishers)

Overall I'm content with how things went today.  I gave it a shot and I've learnt a few lessons.  My first marathon is now over, I know I'm mature enough to do it again so it's now time to plan my next attack on the hallowed distance.  Next time, with some proper training and a bit of luck I'll have a real target and it won't be just to finish and, if possible, run sub-3:30!

Some pictures that tell a story (thanks to the many photographers out on the course incl. Doug Minihane, Darren Spring, John Quigley, Gearoid O'Laoi & Joe Murphy)...

Mile 2...

Mile 3...

Mile 3...

Mile 10...

Mile 17...

Blind faith ....

So it's finally arrived.... Cork City Marathon Weekend!

I'm now resolved to (at least) make the start line and hopefully the injury issues which have plagued my last month's training will not prevent me from making the finish line too.

As the title of this post suggests the later stages of Monday's run will be real journey into the unknown. I have faith that my body will pull me through but I realise that my fate was sealed a number of weeks ago. I would have liked to have had some more long (20+ mile runs) under my belt by this stage but the single 22 mile run 5 weeks ago will be all I can rely on come approx 11:15 on Monday morning!


It has been pointed out to me (more than once) not to think of a target time for my fuirst marathon.  Unfortunbately this is easier said than done.  I don't have a 'target time' and my No. 1 target is to make it home without a DNF.  I do have a 'nice to have time' in mind so I won't be setting out at 8:30 pace and just hoping to get around before the course closes - it is a race after all!

So here I go.... incomplete training plan (over); carbo loading (well underway); hydration plan sorted (i.e. drink early and often); gel strategy decided (i.e. probably not but will bring some anyway); personal best assured (assuming I don't DNF) .....

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..... :)

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.....

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... 

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