The Biggest Smile - Part 1

So here I was a little disappointed but relived as I approached the finish line. Marathon number 50 done, my first official Ultra but the wheels had come off big time over the final 6K that I missed my secondary target of 4:10 which I felt was well within my scope. This feeling didn’t last long as once I crossed the line it turned to sheer joy, I suddenly had as Seb put it “the Biggest Smile in Portumna”

The night before

On receipt of an Email prior to the event I soon realised that we could pitch tents the night before the event. This appealed to me as there would be less stress involved in trying to get to the 7AM start if I went the night before. Went to Limerick on Thursday and picked up on of these pop-up tents. As not to look stupid I did a trial run on setting it up. Popup tent does what it says on the tin, but getting it back into the bag took an half an hour to figure out. Arrived in Portumna on Friday evening to see several hotels already pitched there. So I set my minion tent besides Finns minion tent in the shadow of Hotel MacKessy fitted with its own elevator and en suite bathrooms. What a way to relax the night before an event burgers, wine both red and yellow, Mo produced a guitar so a sing-song started. Only downside was the midgets where having a field day on us. Pretty soon we all retired to our respective abodes for the night. Didn’t sleep to well but never do before a goal race any way.

Race Time

Courtesy of Mary Mockett

Up at 5 am got my number, breakfast. Alan Gorski joined me at the table and he was bemused that I could eat so close to a race. Luckily that has always been the case my issues seem to be on other side of that particular equation. Vincent Gutherie had the kettle on and I got a coffee which moved the necessary, a quick warm up and off to the start.
I had initial after a strong finish in The Burren thought that sub 4 was a possibility but the recent heat/humidity had raised doubts on this. I decided not to wear a GPS watch and wear a HRM for the first few laps to ensure I didn’t overdo the effort early. Took off at the start and found myself a bit to close to the front HR showed the effort to be a bit too high ignored it for 1K. It was however still rising so I dropped the pace back. This left me running comfortably with Mark who I meet in Ballyvaughan for the first two laps. Both came in over 25 minutes so I decided that 4:10 would be more likely time. Discarded the HR Strap and picked up the pace from here and try and hold the effort till the end.
My original plan was to bring my Son Christopher with me to act as crew, he neither had the inclination of getting up at 3 AM or coming camping with me for the pleasure of watching his dad run around in circles for the day. So on Lap 3 as I rummaged through my supplies under the MCI table Brenda Barrett Dunphy immediately volunteered to take over the roll. Nutrition for the day was going to be a mix of Jaffa’s and Pringles every second lap. It worked very well, I would tell Brenda what I needed for the next lap and it was available on arrival.

Courtesy of Mary Mockett

Not much to say about the race, laps flew by, the half marathoners soon joined us and the course was now busy. As they passed me it didn’t bother me as I was well in tune with my pace and moving nicely. Briefly spoke with CM from boards where we discussed which was worse been dead or injured, I think we concurred that death was the better option. At around 38K I passed Alan Gorski he was struggling, I was motoring. Passed the 40K mark and I was about a minute up on 4:10 pace but from here on things started to get difficult. Once we passed the 2K marker I really had to grind. My legs were starting to feel dead as doorknobs. Antos friend gave me a lift after this which got me going again until I hit 44K. The cool breeze we had in the morning on the long last kilometre of the loop had suddenly turned into a Calima. This knocked the stuffing out of me. Kept running, I was not going to walk just keep in moving. Hit 45K 3:45:xx on the clock, this meant I needed a sub 25 final 5K, spurred on by the crowd I lifted the pace but once I hit the climb at 1K the pace dropped again to I kept going but the pace was gone from my legs 4:10 was gone at this point. Got to the turnaround looking for coke or anything to lift me. No coke took an orange instead. Started to walk for a bit. Saw Alan coming against me and decided there and then right he is not passing me out so I started running again. Combination of the Orange and the downhill I got up to a reasonable pace but once we hit the 4K again it was a death march to the finish. In my head just keep running while trying to listen for footsteps behind, they never came I crossed the line in 4:12:24.

You can’t be serious

Courtesy of Mary Mockett

I then heard Seb announce over the microphone 3rd place finisher in the 50K. What I initially thought there is a mistake here, but then slowly remembered who was doing the timing. My God the sensation of going from the dejection of missing a target to finishing 3rd from 100 runners in the race was some buzz. Immediately returned to the MCI table and gave my stand-in crew a massive hug. Sheer joy Seb was right I had the biggest smile on my face. Cracked open a can of 95.7% water for rehydration and took my rightful place on the Podium.

Results

Courtesy of Trish Carey

On looking at the results I gained places troughout the race. My last lap was not as slow as I thought on the course and everyone seemed to to suffer to the same degree. I was only 2 minutes outside 2nd place but those 2 minutes where outside my reach. The winner Rory Mooney was of course a country mile ahead and the closest I got to him all day was on the podium.
 
 

 

 

 

Splits for the nerds
0:25:54,0:25:43,0:24:45,0:24:28,0:23:57,0:24:33,0:24:28,0:24:58,0:25:37,0:28:02 4:12:24 3/97

Dumb and Dumber

That’s me when will I learn that I am not made of Titanium. Mile 23 in the lovely surroundings of the Demense of the National Park in Killarney and I am on the floor literally. I have done some hard races before but this is a pacing gig and its meant to be easy. Well it wasn’t and whose fault was that, mine of course. Roll back 2 days earlier, I had overnight accommodation lined up for a change which meant not having to drive down early before hand, that soon change as we picked up an early gig in Carrigaholt for 70th Anniversary of O’Currys GAA Football club the night before the race. Well the early gig turned out to be a late one which meant me home at 4 AM and still having to face into a 2 hour drive to Killarney. A bit more planning and I could have cut my drive in half If I somehow could read ferry timetables correctly. Arrived in Killarney at the appointed time of 8 AM after picking up two hours sleep in the car on the way down. Sure I’ll be grand have done this before. Set of with my pacing partner Norman whos always seemed to be in front of me by about a half a minute. The trick to paciong this race having done it before is to ignore the GPS watch and pace of the mile markers. Memory was a bit fuzzy but it soon came back that some markers would be out and they duelly where. Again don’t press the panic button and I trusted my pace. Ran with Eamon and Cathy and a few more for the first two laps. All seemed to be struggling with the warm conditions and the truth be known I wasn’t finding this to be easy at all. It was only on our third lap when myself and Norman hooked up again and we soon discovered our pacing bands differed which is why he thought I was behind pace and I thought he was ahead.  Third lap however both the heat and warm summer sunshine where finally got to me. Once we came out of Ross Castle loop for the third time I told Norman to hit away as I really didn’t think I could hold the pace any longer. Mile 23 came and I was just basically spent. Considered stopping but then realised I would be left here for a while and most likely have to walk/struggle to the finish anyway. So I just kept going, I could not hold the prescribed pace any longer and wasn’t even bothered either. Luckily we had no pacess at this point and Norman was going to get home on time anyway. Struggle to Mile 25 and discovered I was only down 30 seconds on 3:59:30 band, this lifted me and I managed to get my rhythm going again. We hit 26 where I had caught back up with Norman but suddenly we were down by more than a minute, panic stations, so we both picked up the pace which briefly made me experience a bout of dizziness, then I suddenly remembered that this marker was out last year so I dropped back again and fell literally over the finish line in 3:59:24. Chris clearly seeing I was in some distress helped me to where I could lie down, finally started to come around and a mug of Coffee with some chocolate soon revived the spirits. Quick shower afterwards and I said my goodbyes, still had to face a 2 hour drive home. Got to Farenfore and pulled in, slept for 3 hours in the car best sleep ever.

Winding it up

Mileage that is in preperation for the 50K in Portumna. Started once I cleared the 7 days antibiotic prescription with 65 Miles and two key sessions. 7 miles at HMP and a planned 4 * 5K MP loops on the Royal Canal Marathon. I only managed top complete 3 as the legs go very tired on the fourth rep. Needing to be in good shape for pacing Limerick the next week I backed off the last rep early. The run in Longford was another good event but you would expect no less from Brendan Doyle.

Going Solo

Due to unforseen circumstances my fellow pacer Paul was unable to be my partner in crime pacing 4 hours in Limerick and it ended up me doing the gig solo. I would be lying if I was a little bit nervous doing this for the 4 hour band but clearly the boss had the utmost confidence in me. I had this band last year and it was my third time pacing Limerick. At the start meet with Lizzie again, I think it was her third time in my pace group for Limerick. We had quite a big group form the start and lost a good chunk of time at the start, i didnt panic as the section from Limerick to UL is downhill so its easy to pick back up the time. Went through halfway in 1:59:41. The second half was a new course again but finally I think they have this part of the course got right. I thought that the congection of half coming against us on the out and back along Rosbrien road would be an issue but it wasnt in the slightest. We meet the the start of the half on this section and runners kept to there own sides. Shortly after this we hit the drag up to punches at which point the group discentigrated. I had taken it very easy to try and get as many up as the city section is normally quicker. We passed the 20 mile marker down 30 second but I stil only had a handful of runners. From there to the finish it was a matter of getting those home. Five of the group managed it. Some had hit for home early and where not seen again while others got caught and passed. Nothing you can do as a pacer other then a small bit of gentle encouragment and keep the pace as steady as possible. Crossed the line in 3:59:25 one second slower then last year. Job done.

Number 25

Celebration time in the Geogre for Paula and Desmond recieving their 25th Marathon medals. Not only that but time to congragulate Paula on smashing her PB the week before in Dusseldorf. I quered her about the guy with the balloon who finished with her, so she told me the tale of the 4 Hour Pacer cutting the course and finishing just behind her in 3:56 ish.

Back to Ballybeg

Hill trainig Ballybeg Woods, I do a 1 mile loop with three hills, One long one 400m and 2 very short steep ones (with hand rails). Six reps at 10K effort was the plan, on the last short one of the fourth loop my legs where like jelly so I canned the last 2. Didnt feel disappointed in not finishing the last 2 as this is always a toughie and with 2 marathons in the previous 2 weeks in the legs its best not to totally trash them. Took it easy over the weekend with 9 & 13 at steady pace. Sunday run was harder due to the unexpected clammy day and tempatures in the low 20’s and the hills around Thurles while the young fella and his mates watched the Banner rob Waterford of the League title. Intention was to do it at 8:15 (planned pace for 50K)but under the conditions it ended up been a little over 8:30. Mileage for the week 81 biggest week ever.

Twenty Cents

All things considered running Galway Bay Marathon was always going to carry a big risk of flaring my recent knee issue. What the issue was I still don't know but the prescribed Define did the trick however it did aggravate my bowel. I was still mindful of this not getting done but as the course is six loops, two short one miles and four of 6 miles, the furthest I would be from the finish was 3 miles if anything went pear shape. Plan was first loop easy with 3 * 4 mile at Marathon Effort of 1 Mile recovery. Set this up on the watch as I was trying to line up the recovery mile with the start finish area to avail of the Porto potty and half way up the Prom is a public toilet. On the first loop I discovered I would need a 20c coin to enter but luckily the MCI support crew in Vincent was able to provide me with one. Race went to plan and pretty much as expected. Marathon effort was 7:40 pace which is way off where I would like it to be. Also 4 potty stops as expected added 6 minutes to my time on the day 3:51:26. With this in mind I still don't have a target set for Frankfurt yet. Unless the bowel calms down its unlikely that I will get anywhere near a crack at 3:15 regardless of whether my fitness level improves.

The Final Week

Last week was the final week to try and get any sort of sessions in. Planned midweek 10 Mile with 2 * 3 mile off 1 mile recovery went well and I finally hit the 2000 mark during that run.
Saturday was a rest day and a long awaited trip to Amphibian King in Oranmore to get deck out in a new pair of running shoes. Nice flashy pair of Munzio Inspires which on first impressions are very comfortable. May even be the shoe for Frankfurt but again decision to be made next week on this.
Sunday was the last session before the taper, 14 mile with 2 * 4 mile Marathon Efforts of 1 mile recovery. Very hard as it followed the celebration of my Daughter Lorraine's 18th Birthday. Shots and marathon training are definitely not compatible. I got through this in 7:35 pace so at least the fitness is coming back and even the new scud missiles from the doctor are having a positive effect on the bowel. Only one potty stop on this one.
Two weeks of Taper madness started as per usual, everyone at home has some flu/bug and I am getting the usual craps/tightness/niggles everywhere. Wont have it any other way. Frankfurt –12 Days

Holiday Time

While most people tend to struggle to get runs in over the holiday period, I am the opposite. The time that the Donohue clan don't hit the Algarve means a stay at home vacation. This normally involves at some point me running a marathon. I had managed to convince the clan this year to head for West Cork namely Clonakility and by chance it coincided with the Keith Whyte Ultra. The cat was let out of the bag about four days before hand when one of the offspring came across one of the many Team Hoyt posts on Facebook. Anyway a beautiful day, in a beautiful location surrounded by beautiful people. Marathon number 36 in 3:50 with two miles cool down one pushing a chair.

It was great to see Fozzy win the 100K much deserved and his club mate David had a great race coming back from a close DNF to get second. Loads of Marathon club Members got their medals and the highlight been Leo on his 100th as well as the Cake.

Afterwards while waiting 20 minutes for a plate of chips after the race in the Courtmacsherry Hotel, I noticed Team Hoyt in a side room out of the glare of the media. Dick was changing, feeding and generally looking after Rick. Personally I think Eimear Hurley summed this up correctly when she called him a remarkable Father.

Next phase

I have been loosely following a program form Italian coach Renato Canova. There is really no set program like HH or P&D and most of his online posts on sessions relate to elite runners with not very good English. So looking at various internet resources I have based them against time. A Two hour session for an elite is a Two hour session for me, mileage and paces will vary. My recent 5K time puts me able to at least train at sub 3:10 pace for an Autumn Marathon. Hopefully the gods will shine on me and that will be the result but I won't say no to a sub 3:15 if that's what pans out. So I downloaded an excel spread sheet courtesy  of T_Runner on Boards or whatever he is called now. My aim for the next Six weeks is to do a mix of shorter faster session midweek with the longer slower ones on the weekend. In between will be 5 mile or 4 & 7 Mile recovery days.

First up in Clon on the Wednesday was 7* 1K @ 6:35 pace with 1K recovery @ 8 minute pace. All Recovery intervals in this phase will be ran at 8 minute pace. On paper this looked hard but I nailed it and was really pleased that this was done given the race on Saturday. The following Saturday I did 3 * 5K @ 21:49 with 1K recovery again at 8 minute pace. Horrible wet and windy day but nailed it again. These 2 sessions really gave me confidence about the remaining sessions in the coming weeks. 22:00 was my 5K PB only 3 years ago now I was stringing 3 of them together in a session. Tougher ones to come but I feel I have step up to the plate and will get through them.

Up and Over

Marathon De Escargot’s in Portarlington was the destination for my latest Marathon. Having meet Mark chief bottle washer for the day on the course in Dublin twice, once as a runner and secondly as a DJ I felt it was time to participate in his event. This event’s funds go 100% to charity so I was happy enough to part with the few €’s and once I got an accurately measured course with a bit of grub afterwards was all I was looking for and that's what I got.

Pre Race

Unfortunately this race coincided with Willie week. This normally means gigs in Milltown Malbay into the early hours. This was the case on Friday night got home at 4am so the decision to get the train to this race was a safer option then driving as I could very well fall asleep at the wheel on the return leg. Train from Ennis would get me to the start with 20 minutes to spare. That's if Irish rail play ball. They didn't, I had to change and Vaseline up in the bog of the train, which was a new experience. Train arrived in Portarlington @ 9:15 and even with the short walk to number pickup it was 9:20, ten minutes before the start. This still left enough time to meet with some old friends, Eamon who I had not meet since his Dalmatian Run in November was about to try a Marathon again as well Frank, John, Dipak, Leo and Patrick the Belgium.

Race Time

Soon we set off. Water was in short supply for the first 3 or 4 miles and of course it was the one time I was thirsty. Plenty of water and fruit, jellies etc. after that. Todays race plan was, 4.5 Miles Warm Up followed by 4 sets of 7:10 min pace for 2 miles and 8:00 min pace for 2.5 miles. Race went pretty much to plan expect the third set was into the wind and when we turned out of it, I was expecting a cross/tail wind, but it was still in my face, a bit demoralising but toughed through it. The marshals where great along the way and passing/catching runners makes this type of session easier to do in a race then on ones own. Finished the set and after 1-2 miles easy picked up the pace to roughly 8 minute pace again to finish in 3:36:34. Medal is class acts as a bottle opener as well. T-Shirt was cotton, in fairness the organisers where trying to do something different with this, I would prefer none and give more funds to the charity.

Tea Party

Got my cuppa tea and several (packets) of Custard Creams. The girl doing the tea/food was solo which didn't help things but it turned out there was a valid enough reason for this. Having been involved in organising club races I get what happened. Traffic on the course meant runners safety was far more important then the speed of tea pouring. I still got a good feed so no complaints here. Not a photograph of me to be found must start wearing a pink running gear again.

Travelled home in the company of Club mate Antonio who failed again to go sub 3:30, but as he said he was in a better state afterwards this time. His time will come in Dublin.

Pretty in Pink

Another pacing gig this time at the Viking Waterford Marathon. I was a bit nervous on this one as the distance was not correct on the two previous years of this event. A quick look at the course showed it had changed again and had a very windy twisty start to it. I would be worried if I was the 3:00 pacer but seen as I was 4:15 it was a case of follow those in front. Arrived on Saturday morning a bit frazzled. Parking meters don't take €50 notes and it took me a good 15 minutes to get an open shop to get change. Made my way to the Meeting point in the Tower Hotel to collect my balloons. Also in the bag was a lovely pink singlet with our time all over it. To be fair to the organisers there would be no complaints about the visibility of the pacers.

Jump might as well jump

Down to the start where we had to line up several times for photos. There was loads and we had to jump each time, well at least it was at the start and not a requested for a Dargan jump at the finish. Finally we where on our way myself and Paul for the day along with a small group of warriors. Goal for today was to bring home the balloon for some eager nieces and nephews of my pacing partner.

Different Folks Different Strokes

A couple of lads from Balbriggan, Pat the Belgium from MCI, Paula, Fidelma and several others including some half runners set out at the start. Plenty of banter in the opening half with everyone in good spirits. New requirement for pacers is to shave our legs, the female of the species need something nice to look at while they run. The miles flew by as usual meet with the normal mad people who do this every week along the way. Then there is the first timers worried they wont get there, one such person was Louise. In Tramore she said to us when we get to 18 she would walk, next thing at 20 there she is ahead of us, we catch her at 24 she stays with us before that nasty hill in the last mile finally got her to walk. Look around coming into the track there she is again on our shoulders powering home for the finish.  We crossed the line and the final task of handed over my Balloon was all that was left to do. Jogged back to the hotel to change and hit home pretty much straight away so didn't get to meet any of the usual gang afterwards. Tramore surf drew me back and my legs got some well deserved love and attention

Feeling good or so I thought

The sea water of Tramore did my legs pretty good and I was nearly tempted to go for a loosen out on Sunday. I wisely didn't break my routine. Monday an easy 6 miles and the really felt good. Plan to run Thursdays 5K race looking good. Tuesday night however put doubts in my mind if it was going to happen. 5 * 600 @ 5K pace was a lot harder then it should have been. Wednesday legs felt like I had weights tied on to them. With that in mind I canned the idea of a 5K race on Thursday night, M45 prize is not worth getting injured for, did 3-4 miles easy instead. Nothing easy about it, but a bit better then the previous day.This evening set out at an easy pace but suddenly there was a spring in the step so I did 2 * 2 mile tempo @ 7 minute pace with 1 mile recovery. Delighted to have the legs back again. This week has proved or brought home to me that regardless of the pace running 26 miles, it does have an effect on the body. Thankfully I am wiser to allowing how I feel to dictate my training as apposed to blindly following a laid out training plan. This week was my first under 50 miles in a while but honestly it was probably needed.

Overdue

A little guilty of not writing here in a while. Have been meaning to post but things like work have got in the way. After the initial disappointment in Boston I have now come full circle and realised (with the help of some respected runners) that it was a pretty good showing. Buoyed by this I have now got the bug for racing back big time and have every intention of improving over all distances and ultimately an Autumn Marathon. This will preferably be Frankfurt but work situation may dictate Dublin. Regardless of which one to achieve the times I want I have to put in the work. I am going to take a new approach instead of P&D this time. P&D has got me in fabulous shape aerobically but on the last 2 marathon cycles my leg strength was my downfall. This could be due to tired legs or not enough sessions that are specific to the race itself. The basic outline between now and October will be as follows. Between now and end of June I am doing long slow with some very fast short work. Will attack 4 mile and 5K races in this period. July and August I will up the pace of the long runs and increase the distance of the intervals. A few 10K, 10 Miles races thrown in. At the end of August I hope to race a half fresh and then 6 weeks of mainly Marathon Paced workouts and long runs. A Canova type program but I will have to water down the sessions somewhat to suit my ability.

GPS Accuracy

Since Boston I have paced 2 Marathons @ 4 hour pace Limerick and Killarney National Park. Limerick was a straight  forward pacing job but Killarney required me to dust down my good old foot pod as the race has a good section of it covered in trees. Anyway both races paced to the usual standard even though I did get a slap on the wrist for losing my balloon in Killarney. I had brought my cheap Soleus GPS as a backup to Killarney but was mostly ignoring it as I was sure it would come up short. At the end to my surprise it showed roughly the same distance as Limerick while all the more expensive Garmin's all came up short. As can be seen below both Limerick (left) and Killarney came up roughly the same maybe the Soleus GPS range is a bit more reliably in not losing satellite connection even in wooded areas.

Step up

Mileage has really come up since I started to concentrate on P&D 55-70 Plan. Even with only 28 Days in February I still managed to equal my largest monthly mileage of 220 Miles. While some runs have been very hard due to fatigue this week saw a pencilled in recovery week. By Friday morning I was really feeling fresh. So much so I decided that the 4 miles Easy/Recovery where not going to serve any purpose other then add miles to a total so I decided not to run but do 40 or so lengths of the local pool instead.

Parkruns

In Two weeks a new Parkrun will start in Lees Road Ennis. A place I know only too well and I was asked to map out some possible routes for the run, and while the final route is not finished I can say its one of those seanic routes with rolling hills. On Saturday I travelled to the nearest Parkrun in Clarisford, Killaloe just to get a flavour of what the event is about. After a quick race brief course description we went to the start and 123 we are off. Trotted along at an easy pace finishing in 25:06, but still managing 1st in my age category. Luckily Curley Cunningham is older then me yet he manage to pass me twice. Overall it does what it says on the tin. A timed run over 5K Distance in a park. While around 75 ran I would expect initially the numbers to be bigger in Ennis. We just need to get enough volunteers for the first few runs. Anyone interested drop an email to john[at]claresportspartnership[dot]ie.

Spring is in the Air

Definitely not. Sundays return to the Marathon distance was a tough one. An encounter that will some day serve me well At the start of lap 3 in UL at about Mile 14 I got hit with what I can only describe as the hail storm from hell. Nasty ice bullets hopping off me. The easy thing to do was turn left into the start finish area and DNF. Did it enter my head no, I luckily had my head in the right place for these sort of conditions. I soldiered on and after struggling for much of the first half. It seemed to galvanise me to a strong finish. Talking with a certain RD from Clonakilty afterwards I would concur with his assessment that racing is 99% in your head. He is right, if your head is in the right place your body will cope with most anything you ask it to do. Sunday’s run ended up been on paper a stroll at 4:05:00 but in fact it was much more then that, it was the manner in which I finished out the run that gave me as much real satisfaction as if I had done a PB. A special word about a guy who never says much but on Sunday delivered some of the best facilities we could ask for. Together with his family we where really well looked after in the form of a stream of never ending tea/coffee and all sorts of confectionary with the added bonus of a nice hot shower afterwards. Derek and Maryse take a bow.

It just got Better

After the disappointment of not improve my 5K PB. I hit the fairgreen in Ennis for one of my favourite sessions on Wednesday. 1200m repeats of 400m @ 10K pace followed by 800m @ Marathon Pace. No rest/recovery between any legs/sets just one straight up run. As I hadn't done this in a while I decided that 8 repeats would be enough. Set the paces based on the 5K time from Saturday (1:43 and 3:46), and cruised through it. Felt really good and strong throughout and the MP sections normally get very tough towards the end where very manageable so much so I threw in and extra 2 repeats to bring it to ten. I was very delighted with the run and the HR data which I looked at afterwards indicated that I could go much faster/harder. Either I had a bad race on Saturday for whatever reason or it really sharpened me up. Either way things are going in the right direction.

Old Friends

Jack Healy and Larry Rigney are two guys I have great respect for and when I saw that Jack was race director for a  Marathon in their native parish it was first on my list for the year. Never been to the centre of the Universe (Ireland) before and had heard that the course was of a slightly undulating nature neither where every going to put me off going. Plan for the day was decided after I overlaid Seville's Training Program and found that I had ran Craughwell in 2013 with the last loop at Marathon Effort. Was going to give this a whirl today. Friday night family DVD night saw me break out and consume some Chocolate and Coke, I was regretting it on the drive to Killeigh with my co pilot Tom. We got there with plenty of time to spare and time to do some running repairs on an ingrown toenail. This had the effect of taking the heat out of my feet so for the first lap they felt quite numb and took that long to warm up. Myself, Paul Hogan and John set out on the first loop. John had tweaked something in his hamstring during the week and it was still giving him jib after 3 miles. He decided to pull up and call it a day as had bigger fish to fry next week in Donadea. Hopefully he makes it to there. Towards the end of the second lap I saw the error of my ways the night before unfold rather quickly. I had surveyed the first lap and unfortunately there was no adequate concealed area for me to take a dump. This meant making it back to the start area to use modern facilities. Past several people here including Tom and George at somewhere south of 6:30 pace. Hooked up with Paul again shortly afterwards and we where joined by Alan and Cezary. Company was good and miles ticked on nicely until I had another visit to you know where at the end of the 4th Loop. This left me on my own as, and I had no intention of catching the guys back up, saving myself for the last lap. Crossed lap 5 and noted the clock was 3:16 and set about going as hard as I could. It was tough but manageable. Stiff breeze and hills where a lot more noticeable when going that bit harder. Finished out the lap strong to get in under 3:50. Did the last loop 4.4 miles in 33:17 just a little outside 7:30 pace. This combined with my good session on Wednesday Night has convinced me to have another crack at a Marathon PB in Boston.

A New Year a new Me

That is the plan, finally cleared the house of all its Christmas temptations and got back to a good clean diet again. This coupled with my regular Doctor issuing me with NSAID suppositories my UC/Proctics as abated some bit. On the first week I went for one of those talk to myself runs to try and maybe set a goal or target for the year. Its probably something that has been lacking since I ran Seville last February. Okay their is a goal in completing 50 Marathons (24 more) before my 50th Birthday in August 2016. While it is a challenge in itself, in my opinion it doesn't require me to push on to the next level. Really all it requires is that I stay injury free and get the job done. I had looked at tackling the shorter stuff but the faster interval training does leave me open to injuries. To other option is to go longer, I am kind of flirting with the idea of racing 50K in Portumna in June, not fully committed to it yet but a crack at a sub 4 Hour 50K would fit the bill of giving me a goal for the next few months.

Baseline Test

With this in mind I decided to run a Hadd Test just to get an idea at what level my fitness was at. The results showed that I had lost a small bit in comparison to where I was the last time I ran one. The lower/aerobic running was giving me 740 BPM/KM over 2K. Last year I was lower at 710 BPM/KM but I am now 7 lbs heavier. So all in all I feel a little more concentration on steady/ high end aerobic together with keeping my hand out of the cookie jar should leave me in shape come the end of February to consider having a go at a 4 Hour 50K

Loving the Trees

After seeing my workload for January, my intention of running MCI Marathon in Liliput was gone leaving me with the 3 hour drive to the sunny south east. Luckily I had some in car entertainment to shorten the journey in the form of Mr Enright. Oilgate been our destination for the day and Marie Chapman our host as Race Director with the ever reliable Vincent lending a helping hand. Great to catch up with the usual few and 60 or so runners took on a five 5.25 Mile laps for the Day. Each lap had a downhill start with a gradual climb back to the main road, and the obligatory tree hug halfway. The first lap fly by in the company of Tom and Paul, I didn't even notice the climb. Lap 2 saw the standard pit stop, but thankfully it was the only one of the day. Lap 3 things where a bit tougher but for the third Marathon in a row I finished much stronger. Lap 4 I put in some 7:30 miles to catch up with Paul after some running repairs with footwear, and on the final lap I was pretty much feeling very strong and able to keep the pace up to come home in sub 3:57.

Words to the Wise

Meet Thomas afterwards and I queried him re what type of mileage running will he do in preparation for 24 Hour Championship in Turin. His answer while vague is a pretty sound philosophy that everyone should bear in mind with regard to running and training. “I will run whatever mileage my body can recovery from”. Afterwards the usual presentations say Gillian and Oggie Winters received their 100 Marathon awards as well as a special award for Brenda M O’Keeffe to mark her record for most Marathons 74 in a calendar year for a Female. Clearly these guys have much better recovery ability then my old body.

What a year for the roses

As I close of 2014 I cant help but look back at probably my best year running. Ran 2170 miles for the year my highest ever. Ran 12 marathons and got personal best at 5K, 10K, 10 Mile, Half and Full Marathons. At the start of the year I would have taken half of that. Haven't decided what the goals are for 2015, I have some options but nothing definite as off yet.

Trial and Error

Going to Portumna on Saturday morning must have been the first time that I really felt I had a greater chance of a non finish then a finish. Fitness was not the issue but I fear that a recurrence of what caused me to get constant injuries a couple of years ago had reared its head again. I need not have worried as the more the run progressed the better my hip/glutes felt, my only issue was that I set a new record for the number of pit stops Three. The other indicator as you can gather is an inflamed bowel which lets go pretty quickly when I run. Luckily there are plenty of hiding places from the grizzly's in Portumna. Had a good day and some craic/chat and banter along the way. Looking forward to running more of these next year. The other reason I ran Portumna is I am contemplating racing the 50K next June. My only other race there before was a disastrous Boston Qualifier attempt. While the course is perceived to be relatively flat it is tough and I found there is two short unnoticeable climbs that can zap the legs over 10 laps with a turnaround it probably not an ideal 50K course, however it does fit my time scale. Not going to make a final decision until maybe February.

Health and Fitness

While my fitness is at its best level in my life my health has taken a dip. A recurrence of Bowel Inflammation had me at the Doctor on Christmas Eve. The last occurrence several years was successfully treated with NSAIDs and a GP who would listen. I asked her to check my Vitamin D levels, which came back extremely low. After treating this the Inflammation cleared without having to resort to the use of steroids. Unfortunately she wasn't available on the day and Fill in Doctor just wanted to script me an 8 week course of Steroids. The Vitamin D test takes a month to come back anyway was his response. I tried to explain that I would prefer to try the NSAIDS first as before and Steroid's would have the side effect of not been able to recover sufficiently from running leading to other complications. He said well then don't run. Doctors differ patients die. I told him I would wait until my regular GP came back and not to bother filling the script. I don't think he was to impressed with me.

The niggles

Pretty much has summed up my running since after Eiddie Murphy. I had hoped to add one more achievement to this years tally in getting a sub 20 5K. Duhallow AC 5K in Newmarket was pencilled in late last October as the target race. Started to do 5K endurance work with some hill and faster intervals from about mid October. Thrown in the middle of this was Eddie Murphy Marathon my 25th for the year. I conceded that a weeks of very easy running would be need after this, an post midnight urge to use the little mans room settled this in no doubt both adductors seized up to such an extend I had to bum shuffle downstairs to relieve myself. At that point a week off was set in stone.

Return again, again and again

Always seems to happen, you take a week off running and every niggle ache seems to get magnified. Each time I tried a session which entailed me running fast the aftermath was some thing giving me grief from my right Achilles, left glutes or both adductors. This had the result in starting to miss/reduce some of the key 5K workouts and faster intervals.

2000 Miles

Along the way somewhere towards the start of the month I passed the 2000th Mile of running for the year. My first time to reach this which shows how consistent my running has been and this year I got through it without having to lay  up due to an injury. What was the difference this year ? When my body said I’m sore or tender I listened and adjusted my goals rather then blindly ploughing ahead with whatever training plan I was following at the time. Unfortunately recently this was becoming a bit too frequent.

Bad, worse and prospective

With the race fast approaching I planned a 6*1K 5K effort on a local track. It was a bit windy when I got there and squally showers where not helping matters. First was 4:06, feck that’s under target, pushed a bit harder on the next 4:11, crap pushed harder again to an extent that it felt unsustainable for 5K 4:16, feck this for a game of cowboys and canned the session. So a crap session 4 days before the race, maybe on race day it would come together. The following few days I got my prospective, My Uncle had a massive heart attack and passed away. He had a good innings and while it was sudden it wasn't unexpected. The day of his burial while bring him into the cemetery I lost my footing while carrying the coffin, in an effort to not drop the coffin I pulled something in my left glutes/hamstring/adductors. This effectively put paid to any thoughts of racing in Cork last Sunday. Having completely rested for the last week I ran 4 miles easy on Christmas eve without any major side effects so I will try and get a few miles in Thursday/Friday and if all goes well I may well give 26.2 a lash in Portumna on Saturday

You spin me right round baby

Practice Loops

Its November, Eddie Murphy run time when Sixmilebridge gets invaded by runners all hell bent on getting dizzy running around the same 1 Mile loop of the village. For the members of BMOH this is a normal experience as we use this circuit and the hill mostly for our Thursday night speed sessions. I hadn't been down in a while but as I had to pick up essentials for Friday and Saturdays Directors run’s, I decided to get the feel of the loop again. Session was 2 loops @ 5K pace. Coming to the end of my second loop, a car pulls along side, a wee Cavan girl is hanging out the window trying to hold a conversation with me. Believe me it was one traffic. Brenda O’Keeffe was the first of the lunatics to arrive in Sixmilebridge. Between now and Sunday evening a few more would drop by. Finished the session in 13:30. Happy enough not to be doing 26 at anywhere near this pace on Sunday.

Directors Runs

This year to accommodate Gerry Forde we ran the directors run on the 10 in 10 course as it would be madness to have him going around the village all day on open roads. It wasn't long before the early starters arrived. Brenda came filled in her registration form, I handed her a number, 100. The significance of this I at the time was totally unaware of. Soon all runners where on the course and the only issue this morning was a flood at of 6-8 inches deep and 50M long but was dealt with before the later starters got to it.

Saturdays race was to say the least a different experience. We had two participants miss turns and ended up getting lost. After finding both them and getting them back on the course the rest of the day passed without incident. We may need to invest in GPS tracking devices for runners next year. Once the day was over I was now free to run the race tomorrow. My 25th Marathon on home turf and I was really looking forward to this. I got home with ever intention of a quick 3 miles to clear the pipes and get an hour or two’s kip, but herself indoors was sick so that idea went out the window. Off to a gig and home by 3 AM herself still sick, finally she settled down and I got to sleep somewhere between 5 and 6.

Dalmatian Day

I woke a 9 with a sore throat dry lips and my own stomach doing flips. If it wasn't for the fact it was my 25th I would have smashed the alarm and gone back to sleep. I got up everything was ready from the night before logged on to Facebook for any updates on the Double, then saw that Don Hannon had let Brenda's cat out of the bag and that she was half way through her hundredth marathon. Got to the start just before the 30 miler start still not feeling great. Decided this was going to be a long slow burner with the objective of just finishing it. Eamon Dargan was present with his 100th Marathon Medal and Singlet just before the start. Pretty soon we where starting and I was with Eamon and Paul for the first few miles. Meet Brenda at the water station, I was scolding her about keeping her 100th quiet when she informed me I gave her the 100 number on Friday morning much to her amusement. Eamon had crowned this his Dalmatian Day Marathon but unfortunately it was not to be. He was struggling for his breathe on the hill the fifth time around and pulled up shortly afterwards. No doubt he will get to run the Dalmatian Day again. Paul had pulled ahead a bit and I was started to catch him but he was heading for pit stop when I caught him. I hooked up with Fozzy for a fast lap or two just to help clear the pipes. And boy did they clear I hope no poor unfortunate soul had to use that toilet for the day. Once I returned to the course I really felt good and started to run about 8 Minute pace very comfortably. Hit 10 Miles with 1:32 on the clock meaning I was on 4 hour pace. Didn't even bother to slow back down I was in a zone, it doesn't happen often but the faster I ran the more comfortable I felt. Passed half way 1:57 on the clock and just kept going passing runners along the way. Only Mick Curley Cunningham had passed me in that period.

The difference in a year

Running improvements are not things that happen overnight, but over a long period of time. Last year I was struggling at the tail of the race when my Friend Thomas passed me cruising at the start of his. Today I rounded the start finish and there was Thomas in the distance, but I was catching him fast. Thought to myself he must be really struggling. I caught him at the bottom of the hill and said Hi and bombed up the hill leaving him in my wake to the tune of “A whole lotta a rosie”. I don't know who was the more shocked him or me at the time. While Thomas appeared to be going slow he still knocked out a 7:05:11 for the double Marathon. This time would have been good enough to win any of the previous running's but again there was a faster runner ahead. Maybe next year he will get that elusive title.

One and One is Three

Doing sums while you are running and even going well just does not add up. Coming to the end of 20th lap, I looked at the clock 2:53:xx so to get home in sub 3:45 in needed to run 10K in 48 Minutes that's six 8 minute miles, so Lewis its Hammer Time. That's the silly conversation I had in my head the reality was 1) I had only 6 miles to go not 10K and 2) I had 51 Minutes to cover them. Lesson you cannot add and run at the same time. I set off for the next 2 laps at under 8 minute pace only to realise my error on the beginning of the third. I slowed up the pace but in doing so for some reason it was the first time today the wee hill was tough. I set about not letting it beat me and I was determined not to walk one inch of the course. Job done and got home in 3:44:02. My third fastest time ever and only my third time under 3:45 so all things considered I was extremely happy.

Medals

The one downer of the whole weekend was when Richie informed me on Friday night that there was an issue with the finishers medals, which would not be resolved in time for the event. This meant runners completing on Sunday would not receive their finishers medal on the day. With respect to everyone not one person was put out by it. I did not have that issue as I would receive my 25th Marathon Medal. On my arrival that morning I had one important job to do, ask Tom if he would do me the honour of presenting me with my 25th Marathon Medal. In my mind there never was going to be anyone else for this job. Tom has always be a source of support both as a mentor, friend and competitor in recent years and someone I always like to bounce ideas off every now and then. Tom did the honours and Derek Mackessy also picked up his 50th Medal. The bold Dennis however out did us all and got the cake.

Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette

Crouch, Hold and Engage

Since my recent health issue regarding my bowel a trip to the Doctor to get a 2 week course of steroids was needed. The issue with this is as the inflammation reduces my time on the white bowl increases. Coming up to Dublin the last thing I need was to have to Crouch, hold and engage in the Phoenix Park on Monday in front of 14,000 runners. A couple of Miles running normally has a loosening effect so I was worried. So on Sunday evening after having bulked up with loads of fibre in the two days beforehand, I set about clearing the pipes. A quick 4 mile run along the Canal on my return from the Expo did just that. Nearly ran over several Danish runners congregated in the Hotel Lobby on my return.

Fuelling

I woke around 6:15 that morning As I sat opposite Thomas eating his bowel of porridge on race morning I had in front of me a full Irish. Three salty rashers, black pudding and One sausage, my thinking was while not exactly your ideal Glycogen generating food but I felt I had ate enough of that the night before at the pacer meal. This morning was about salt intake and no better way to do this but a good old Full Irish. Later in the day I would conclude that this was indeed a good strategy

Early Race

Soon there are 42 single winged butterflies lined up for photo shoot at the start and we then make our way to the appropriate start area. The change in the start area by placing wave 2 and 3 away from Fitzwilliam Street really worked. Pretty soon it was our turn in Wave 2 to make our way to the start. At exactly 9:10 we the off and after crossing the line together Myself Dave and Mark split up Dave at the front and I was at the rear with Mark in the middle. The course been different this year meant going through the liberties, while there was decent enough support along here, but it was narrow at times and as a result we lost about 30 seconds. Once we got back on the quays it opened up and the time was soon made back up. Hit 10K and from here on the support was excellent especially Castleknock. Overall I liked the new course layout and the first half ticked off without major drama.

Carnage

One single word to describe what was happening around me at 12 noon somewhere around UCD. This been my third time to pace Dublin and this time I was pacing 4:10 or more like running and passing runners who had absolutely no interest in picking up and running with me. Normally some that fall off the pace group ahead mumble profanities as we pass them and make some effort to come home with you, today this never happened. On checking the results later I noted I passed 2500 participants in the second half of the race. This to me was a staggering statistic and the main contributing factor was the weather and runners not adjusting their goal time to reflect this. Anyone who got their time on Monday has more improvement to come, however the majority failed to readjust their goal for the conditions including some very experienced runners. Three of the pace team had DNF for various reasons again another indicator of how tough conditions where out there. For those who feel disheartened by the race the best cure is to go away learn the lesson, target a race in spring and do it again. The marathon is the hardest race to conquer but when you do there is no better felling in the world. At the end of the day I held my end of the bargain and came home in 4:09:41. My 10K, half-way and 30K splits where never more then 10 seconds off what they should have been so I am happy under the circumstances to have had a good day at the office. While my PB would allow me to pace faster I was glad today I wasn't as 4:10 still took an effort greater then I would have expected it to that morning.

Hundreds of Marathons

After breakfast my roommate Brian commented that today Dave Brady would break his record of most Marathons in a Calendar year. Well Dave did just that along with Collete O’Hagan who ran her 300th Marathon. Both of these runners are the most down to earth and honest people you are likely to meet on the roads and great ambassadors for the sport. Also on the Larry Rigney did his 250th but don't tell anyone and Lucy Foley hit the magic 100.

You don't always get what you want

Build-up

Late last August Tom rang to tell me he was going to run the flattest Marathon in Ireland in Mid October in Charleville and have a crack at sub 3:21:20 the club auld man Marathon PB held by yours truly. Armed with this I put together a plan to maybe make a race of it. Unfortunately that plan never came about as I just trashed my legs in August. Feeling much better last week I did a 3 mile MP effort averaging 7:15 per mile which shocked me. Now I was thinking of having a crack if conditions on the day where favourable. What’s the worst that can happen is I crash and burn and hobble home. That all changed on Saturday morning, for the first time in 4 Years my Crohns / Proctitis flared up to an extent I contemplated not even running the race.

Race From Hell

On the morning of the race we get perfect running conditions but I know that racing is not going to happen as I am guaranteed a pit stop if not multiples. I wished Tom all the best and was sure barring a complete disaster he would nail sub 3:20. He ran 10 miles with me the week before at 8:20 pace like he was just out for a stroll. Of we set and I settled in with Valerie, Peter and Derek for the day as we rumbled along at 4:10 pace. As expected first pit stop came around 3 miles and I knew from this point today was going to be a long day. Caught up with the gang again only briefly as another jump the wall was required near 8 miles. This time I got rid of everything and I mean everything both ends, and was looking like a DNF when I got back to halfway. We met Tom coming back against us on target and looking good at 14.5 miles. Got to halfway but I was now feeling much better and for the first time felt I could eat something, scoffed my banana and some mini mars bars. Tom had gone through the Halfway mark in 1:41 pretty much on target. He had discussed this with me last week and the consensuses was to take the first mile easy and ease up to Marathon Pace over the second mile. Was going very well in the second half myself and the pace had picked up. Derek and Peter fell away so just Myself and Valerie until we caught up with Michael a recent MCI member. From here on things got ropey for me, I had no energy, starting to feel dizzy and I really had to concentrate on what I was doing. Now doubt my two companions noted my sudden lack of chat. We got to mile 23 which had a water station, I was hoping maybe there would be some coke but no such luck. Just about to look for a lift back when Valerie shouted back to me to come on its only 3 miles. So the runner in me did just that (us runners are not smart). Now I knew I couldn't hold the pace so I let them off in the distance and concentrated on getting home by doing what Thomas calls the Ultra shuffle. It doesn't look anything like running but at least you are going forward. Got to the finish spent and could only sit down. Got some Coke into me and I was grand again once it hit blood stream. Discovered later that Tom suffered the same fate, unable to take on Gel’s, coming home in 3:28 still a good time but missed his PB by 10 seconds.

Medals

There was however some consolation on the day for Tom as he received his 75th Marathon medal along with Mark Hillard getting his 25th Marathon award. Then the big shock as Tom presented his Father in Law Patsy O’Brien with his 25th Medal.


 

The Marathon

I have always said that this distance is both cruel and rewarding. When all the stars line up and you nail your time its the best feeling in the world. However one small issue on the day and all your work will yield no reward and sometimes a rather horrible experience. I felt gutted for Tom as he has really had put in the work and had nothing to show for it at the end of the day. I have no doubt he will break 3:20 so I am currently only keeping that PB warm for him.

3 in 3

No not days but weeks. I have not yet entered the madness of consecutive days but I am well on my way.

Its not Sixmilebridge

MCI decided to put on a Marathon in Clare that wasn’t in Sixmilebridge. This been a first I couldn't pass up the chance to run a Marathon in My native county. Patrick and Thresa where the race directors and when I saw the original course map I knew it would involve a pretty tough climb out of Ennistymon on the way to Liscannor. We found out on the morning that even though the course was 3 laps we would have to negotiate the climb for a fourth time to make the distance. Day was the usual low key MCI event which is great as their is always plenty of banter and crack before and after. A tough course but my intention was to take it easy. Missed the start and ended up at the rear of the field for the first few miles until we got to the Prom in Lehinch. Had the support from Lisa and Kate from the club who stuck around after the club run in that morning. Shortly after leaving here the usual badly timed bowel movement had me looking for a suitable spot. Unfortunately none where available so I upped the pace to finish the first lap to get a pit stop in. This left me on my own until I again caught up with Jimmy and Ann, some great yarns from Jimmy making the miles fly by but unfortunately I had to kick on again as the pace wasn't keeping me warm enough. I had decided in my ultimate wisdom just to wear my club singlet with no under layer. By lap three the old nipples where complaining so I just picked it up to get home. Finished on 4:11:39 and had a look at Tom’s time. 3:41, if he keeps himself injury free he will most likely smash his PB (and my PB) in October. As per usual the race was well organised as you would expect, course was hard but accurate. Went for a swim with all the surfers later, salt water and nipples do not agree.

AcHILL

When ever Tom rings you and opens with that line “Hey Ger” it is normal to thread with caution. He needed someone to fill his big boots in Achill as 4 Hour Pacer. As I was going I was most likely top of his list. So after a couple of minutes thinking “do I really need a 4 Hour Marathon in my legs” I decided to go for it. My thinking was I would have no one around me for the last few miles and I could let go the balloon if needed. I decided I had better look at the course profile after some comments re the course on boards, The best way to describe it would be rolling Mountains with spectacular scenic views. I also hadn't realised how far away Achill is from anywhere, so I decided best to go up the night before given it was going to be a 3 hour drive in the morning.

The old nipples where still a bit tender from last weeks endeavours but the sun was out this week which would make wearing underlay hot and sweaty. I went with the hot and sweaty option much preferable to running around looking like someone just shot me twice. Pretty soon we where lining up and everyone deciding to line up behind the person with the balloon. Having evaluated the course profile I reckoned that I would need 3-4 minutes on a bank each time before hitting the hard section from Mile 6 to 10 on each lap. This meant the pace of the first few miles was 8:15 to 8:30 pace. Some of those around me noted this so I explained the reason for it. First lap ended and I had a minute in the bank with the group pretty much still together. However the pace increase again at the start of the second lap splintered the group and the only runner with me was Valdimir looking to break 6 Hours for the Ultra. He stayed with me until the top of the last climb before kicking on for home. Passed Bonnie on the last mile, she was suffering but still smiling and stuck with me to get under 4. I crossed in 3:58:49 a bit ahead but its a very hard course to pace. Some courses are for PB’s but Achill is for beauty and testing your resolve. There is now way I would have ran another lap for the Ultra.

Afterwards Brenda picked up the MCI clubs first 75th Marathon medal. She only ran her 50th in Connemara, this time I was here for the presentation but no one made a cake.

Yippy its Dry

Last time I ran in Craughwell we got a miserable day but today was dry but still having tender nipples I wore the under layer. I had decided to do 3-4 laps (3.27 Miles) at Marathon effort just to see what kind of shape I am in. Whether the fourth one happened was going to be down to how the legs felt. I didn't want to trash them just to get the job done. A bit of a disaster for the first one just went too quick (24:08) 2nd (25:18) and 3rd (25:07) where okay but the last one half way through I was suffering with the old legs so I backed off slightly and finished it (25:42). The last 2 laps of the race where a walk fest very similar to Portumna 1:07 for the final 11K. I wasn't alone Ruthann who would normal lap me was struggling along as well. Made me realise there will be some bad days ahead in my journey towards 50.
Back to the start/finish at last in 3:53:05 pretty respectable given how I finished. Plenty of nice homemade goodies, chat and banter. I somehow managed to escape the Ice Bucket Challenge before the presentations to Val (50th), Rita (25th), Jude (25th) and Kathleen Cheshire of DBRC getting her 100th Marathon Medal

Have a Kit Kat

A back to front race

Since the 5K race running has been very shall we saw like a chore. The week after every run just seemed like work. On the Tuesday I did a 8 mile tempo out to the crab tree and back, even though I did it in just over an hour it just felt too much like work. A couple of easy runs after and I felt no better. So here I was at the start of the Clare Burren Marathon not really in the form for running and to add to it my bowel was not in good shape. Was contemplating a DNS but decided to run the first few miles easy and see how I got on. From the off I was going backwards with people passing me. After a mile I look at the watch only to realise I had switched my watch the other night to KM’s to get an idea of the distance the C25K runners where doing in their 28 minute run and had not switched it back. No worries I may not get to the finish anyway and if I do I wont want to see the time. Shortly I heard the news that Jerry Forde had a minor stroke and was in Hospital, this kind of made me HTFU and vowed to finish the race. I ran a few miles with Jim McNeice and we had a nice chat but the sight of the first portoloo I decided to try and sort the bowel out. After 5 minutes I had finally evacuated the problem, I hope that they provided some sort of clean suit to anyone who entered after me. At this point I was 39 minutes for a little over 3 miles. I now felt a lot better and spent the next part of the race passing runners.

Goat Mountain am not I

The terrain of this race is a mix of well everything. So where the underfoot conditions allowed I ran pretty close to Marathon Pace and eased up on the sections that required you to watch your footing. I had done the half in much worse conditions 5 years ago but the full is a lot easier even with the nasty climb for mile 12. I was now really enjoying the race at this point and was starting to cut down on the time. The run down into Fanore say me pass several runners but the beach section into the wind was tough going and two of these passed me again. I was flying on the road section but the off road I was like twinkle toes trying to find a safe spot to but my foot. Mile 19 to 22 is very difficult terrain and this really tests you. I caught both runners here but was passed by John, who I tried to stay with. The final off road section was a very fast downhill section through a field. Difficulty here was avoiding the cow pat’s as placing your foot in one would not be nice.

The run in

Once back on the road I noted that a sub Four could be possible, but trying to calculate my pace in KM’s was proving beyond me. As John was ahead of me by 20-30 meters so the first task was to try and catch him. It didn't happen as he was going vey well, all I could do was to hold the gap until Mile 25 when with the watch reading 3:52:20 I knew sub 4 wasn't going to happen so I eased up and ran the last mile in the company of Pat Creegan. He tipped on the last 400m but I went meh and finished in 4:01:37. Considering where I was for the first few miles the second half of the race proved I can still string together a lot of Marathon Paced miles.

The Aftermath

Recovery run Tuesday 4 miles crap, ditto Wednesday. Thursday evening myself and Paul double checked the 10K course for the race. We ran it like a progression run, first 5K in 26 minutes second in sub 22. One mile (downhill) was ran in sub 6 pace. A good tough workout but still not giving me any buzz. Decided that once I had 10K paced on Friday night I would take a week or two off and do a few handy runs in Portugal while on Holidays in June. I had planned to run a marathon in Lisbon while on Holidays but I think I will let it slide given how I fell and the fact that every time I have mentioned it to herself indoors I get that look. I even suggested a days shopping in Lisbon and I still got that look.

The Sound of Silence

Getting to the start line.

With a week to go to Connemara it was likely that I may have to skip it. I never looked at the Marathon start time when entering and only realised that it was a 10:30 start on the Monday before the race. As usual I had an afternoon music gig lined up which was to be a 6 PM start in Newcastle-West Co Limerick. All was not lost as I contacted the RD and he agreed to let me start with the walkers at 9:30. Getting there on time would be the next issue. I decided to drive to Maam’s Cross and park at Peacocks and maybe get on the bus if it stopped. First one was full and I missed the second one, so while waiting in the cold James the race starter for the Marathon took pity on me and gave me a lift together with Eileen and Bridget to the start. Finally standing at Lough Inagh and about to do my first run in this part of the world, I understood why Thomas looked of bewildered at the expo yesterday on learning I never had ran the course.

A tale of Two Halves.

Most people say that halfway in a Marathon is at Mile 20 well that's not the case in Connemara it consist of 2 equally measured halves in distance but as regards toughness the first really gives you a false sense of security. We set off with the walkers and walked until we where out of site from the start where myself, Eimear,Colette, Lillian and Brenda (doing her 50th) set off at an nice easy trundle. The girls aim was 5 hours and I was happy with this. The hardest part of the first half was trying to hold my balance in the rocking and rolling portoloo at mile 6 while trying to make myself presentable to the world again. The girls thought they had got away from me but I soon caught up with them with 1-2 8 Minute miles. So far the day was turning out to be very pleasant, great company, fantastic scenery, whether was holding up, wind at our backs course going down hill. Passed the half way spilt on 2:19 dead so the Ladies where well on their way to sub 5. We proceeded to walk up the climb after Leenaun but this is where I had to leave my running buddies. My calves were starting to cramp when walking but okay if I jogged at this point I said my goodbyes to the others, and hit away at a relatively easy pace. On my own with the silence and my own thoughts I really enjoyed the next few miles. The silence was only broken by the sound of feet from odd faster runner overtaking me from behind. Soon pretty much most of the faster half marathon runners had caught and overtaken me and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Gusting wind from all directions with showers one of hail made miles 16 to 20 quite difficult. Luckily this part of the course offers some shelter. At this point most of the half runners around me where running at my pace and I soon found that my pace was picking up so I had to bring it back into check. I recalled Johnny Healy’s advice from yesterday “Hold something in reserve for climbing The Hell”. Very soon we where making the right turn and heading for the Hell of the west. It is a difficult climb mainly because of where it comes in the race and the fact if you look up it seems to go on forever. I just kept my head down and kept on going until I crested the top. I look at my watch @ 24 and thought that with a push I could get a sub 2 second half. Unfortunately @ mile 25 it was not on so I eased backed and finished out the race comfortably for a sub 4:20. Managed a massive negative split of 18 minutes but that was due to the manner in which I ran it. Only 5 other runners did a negative split which just shows how difficult the second half is, it is also an extremely hard Half Marathon course.

After Party

This I missed and judging by the photos floating around Facebook everyone was in good spirits and had a good time. There was the usual presentation of medals to MCI members who had reached completed their Marathon Milestones on the Day so congratulations to Brenda (50), Collette (25) and Eugene (25). Brenda also got a big Chocolate cake and I am hoping that she kept me a slice but its very unlikely given most Ultra/Marathons runners are known for our sweet tooth.

More Races

Its a mugs Game

Believe it or not this was my first time to run the famous Ballycotton 10. After foolishly sticking my name on the list of those wishing to travel last Christmas I suddenly realised that this was two weeks after Seville, well there was no way I was ever going to be racing this. Meet with Tom and Mike in Sixmilebridge to travel down, there was also Seven others traveling from the club as well so a good contingent went down. Considering  the location and the possible numbers travelling we didn't get delayed getting to the Car park Number 2 which was virtually empty. A quick mile warm up followed by a club photo shoot and then off to the start. Plan was to stay with Mike and Tom at Eight minute mile pace. The start is a bit crazy, 3,500 runners barrelling down a narrow street, a fall or trip could result in carnage, luckily we all got away without any major incidents. Ran the first two miles with the lads but could not believe how good the legs felt and how easy I was going. I upped the pace to 7:30 and finished the last 2 miles pretty much close to race pace. Ended up with a time of 75:41 and a Ballycotton Mug for my troubles. We didn't hang around afterwards as I was working later so a quick departure was required. Meet Thomas would had the agony of 101st and no t-shirt yet again. I have no doubt he will get one soon. Finished off the day with a trip to Dinos in Cork for a great traditional feed off Cod and Home made Chips.

The Peoples Race

As Ballycotton had gone so well the next day out was going to be pacing 5 Hours in the Tralee International Marathon. For those interested that's 11:25 minute miles. I had run a trial on the Wednesday and found it slow but I knew once I got into the rhythm on the day it would not be an issue. As I was working on Saturday Night it meant an early rise at 6 to drive to Tralee and get into town about 8:15. Picked up my number when Tom informed me that I was going to have a good group for the day. He wasn't far wrong as I had an absolute ball of a day with all those from the “Born to Run” club in Tralee. The term fun runners has been used to describe runners who take more then 4 hours to complete a marathon. That may be true but god did we have some fun during the day. It probably was the best bit of crack I have had in a race ever and the day and miles just flew by. I had a very big group from the start until we hit the dreaded Barrow Hill. It is steep and had my calves bursting so much so that I announced that we would walk up it. Much to everyone's delight. It and the drag up to Chruchtown scattered the group I had and was left with 7-8 who continued with me until we got to Tralee. The climb back into the wind was much harder then it was at mile 1 while Three of my group kicked on the remaining 4 dropped off leaving me solo, which was disappointing given how close they where to the end. One caught me up again and kicked on for the last half mile and the others to their credit kept running and came in within 2-3 minutes of me.
Meet up with a good gang of MCI afterwards in the Brandon where Dipak celebrated his 200th Marathon (kept that one quiet) and great to see Paul Brunnock back running. Nice bit of grub before I made my way for the ferry for a gig in West Clare later that Afternoon.