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.

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.

A Busy Week

From a running point of view I got a lot in last week. From my training side I did my biggest week ever in 75 Miles and not all where easy miles. Tuesday was interval session of 6*1K @ 5K pace off 75% recovery. Aimed for 4:02 for each but the last one my legs where gone ended up been 4:05 even with me pushing it. The next day was a 12 mile run which I sometimes do in lees road. Anyone who runs or has ran in there will know the undulating nature of the trails. Again another very tough session on the legs. This followed with a 2-3 miles with the C25K group that evening. Recovery day on Friday and Saturday started with the inaugural lees road parkrun which I was acting as one of the timekeepers and was followed later that evening by a 8 mile General Aerobic Run. I have started to make this a fartlek in Ballybeg Woods with and one minute get up as fast as I can climb on a slope of over 45°. Overall the session is not hard but the hills add the reminder of what it is like to be flat out without battering the legs to death. Sunday saw me finish the week with the small job of pacing the Tralee Marathon for the 5 hour bus.

parkrun comes to Ennis

I had been asked to have a look at a suitable course for the parkrun in Lee’s road Ennis. The run was to take place as much as possible in the wooded section and we could not use the cross country track as it crossed the entrance road. This would mean the course would be very undulating and no mater what way it went would have some tough short climbs. The finalised course had some reservations regarding the finish area so on Friday Night we changed it to allow it finish and start in a wide area but this meant 2 loops up a very steep hill. On the day we had 130 runners which was very good considering the 2 largest Primary schools had Confirmation that morning. No major issues on the day and I was well impressed by the concept, and hopefully this will go from strength to strength in the future. The course lived up to its billing only one runner under 20 minutes.

In Kerry again

My second year to pace this at 5 hours. Between 50 miles in the legs and only 3 hours sleep on Saturday as I was gigging to say the least I was not fresh. Recently with the C25K group if I don't wear 2 pairs of gloves my hands get numb. Several times when getting ready one of our pacing team tried to relive me of a pair but I was having none of it. The wind factor today would mean I was in for a long cold day. Got to the start and noted numbers where down on last year. My starting group consisted of 5-6 Kerry Crusaders ladies and a few lads willing to take a risk running with them. Soon we where off and moving along nicely. Mile One no marker not to worry, Mile two none again by the time I heard Garmin's beeping around me for the third time there still was no sign of a marker. Final saw the three mile marker but it was way out, now starting to worry as 11:25 pace is not anywhere near a natural pace for me. The fourth Mile marker appeared to be correct but we where now close to a minute up. Group was going along nicely plenty of chat. Got to the turn in Banna a nice section but on the day the wind was now in our face so I gave back the minute hear and in the climb back up to Ardfert. At this point I had noticed my group of Crusaders had got noticeable quieter and over the next 2-3 miles they fell away. Coming out of Ardfert there now was only two left in the group. Paul and Donie, Donie was chatting away but Paul had got noticeably quieter. The pull up to Chruch Hill would see him fall off the back. At this point we had caught a cork native with plenty of support. Even managed to snag me a Cork flag as they passed cheering in the car. The two guys where going well and picked up a bit as we entered Fenit. This left me on my own. From here to Tralee it was a lonesome run with a cold headwind and I was now glad my fellow pacer didn't snag my gloves as at least my hands where warm. Passed Donie at 23 his race was done. He had mentioned several time that he always fades at this point. Again proves if you believe its going to happen you will always be correct. I was at this point the most hated runner on the course. There was maybe 7-8 runners ahead of me dreading my approach, stealing the odd glance behind to see if I was catching them. For some reason all but one stayed ahead. I caught 4 of them but three passed me again on the way into Tralee determined not to let me catch them again. Pretty soon the finish was there and I crossed 4:59:20. The lack of a 26 Mile marker had me in a bit of a panic but Once I saw the finish I knew my pace was okay. Thought I was good snagging myself 2 chocolate Santa’s only to discover later some intrepid young lad got his hands on Ten of them.

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.

Stress and Recovery

Don't Break it

I had originally planned to Race the Marathon in Charleville next Sunday October 12th with a good block of training laid out for September but I correctly choose to let me body recover from the 3 consecutive Marathons in August as well as the half baked race in Doonbeg. So the last 3 weeks there has be no hard or long runs done with the exception of pacing the Half Marathon in both Charleville and The Human Race in Limerick. Outside of this I have just 4-5 Mile recovery runs with some stretching and foam rolling thrown in. This has brought my legs back to life so last Wednesday night I decided to do a short interval session 16 * 200m @ 1 Mile Pace with 200m jog recovery. I was worried at how the legs may hold up to this or more particularly the lungs as speed sessions normally entail me needing a brown paper bag. Well the session went extremely well I hit 44 seconds per 200 no problem and I even managed to tack on an extra 4 * 200m which came in under 44 seconds with the last one @ 41. This just shows that recovery is probably the most overlooked session in any training plan and I feel that I am ready to tackle some 5K workouts with a view to racing all the Clare Athletics Winter 5K/4 mile series.  I will tack on another 3-4 Marathons before the year end but these will be spread apart by 3-4 weeks and done at a very easy pace.

The World Jog

I have been following Tony Mangan’s World jog on and off since he started it in October 2010 and on Thursday evening I had the pleasure of running 0.0002% (10K) of his 50,000K journey. I ran out to Crusheen after work and met up with him. Really enjoyed the run in to Ennis and we where soon joined by Keith Wythe as well. So here I was in the company of two of Irelands Ultra Running legends sharing thoughts, jokes and memories. You could not have asked for any better company on an evenings run. On Friday I accompanied Tony to the outskirts of Ennis on a wet morning until we meet up with some runners from Newmarket-on-Fergus and I bid farewell to him as he travelled closer to the finish of his journey in Dublin on the Bank Holiday Monday Marathon. If any runners want to run with him please contact Siobhan Clifford on siobhan.theworldjog@gmail.com and details of his run are on his blog.

Need for Speed

Its a bit short

Nothing to do with the measurement of the course but several comments from runners surprised to see me lining out at the start of a 5K race. After a 2 mile warm-up with some strides thrown in for good measure just to bring the legs up to speed I was lined up pretty much near the start to get a clean get away. Pretty soon we are off, the undulating nature of the course pretty much summed up an over reliance on a watch to pace oneself. I went out too quick realised it on one of the sharp climbs at about the 1K, then eased off too much when Siobhan from Ennis Track breezed past me. As she is in and about 20 Min 5K runner I had to latch on to her coat tails by picking up the pace again. The climb up to 2K say me drop maybe 5-10 seconds of her but on the downhill section I was catching her back. We hit the flat at 3K where my breathing was pretty much in hyperventilation mode as she began opening a gap here, then I could hear the footsteps of another runner catching me fast he passed me at 3.5K, I dug in and latched on and hung on for dear life for the next 1K before he finally dropped me. With only 500M to go and only that hill to negotiate I just kept the head down and pushed through as best I could. Crested the hill with the finish in sight Siobhan had just crossed and I could make out 19 on the clock. I put the hammer down but several seconds later it turned to 20, I kept the hammer down to fall gracefully over the line clock at 20:15 20:23 (see comment). In reflection I don't think I could have gone any faster today. Positives to be taken from this race where the only two runners to pass me after 1K only beat me by less the 15 seconds so I didn't fade too much in the later stages. Chopping 60 seconds off your PB in six months without speed work shows that there is potential for even greater improvements.

What can you expect

You cannot expect results without putting in the work. Since Seville I have ran very little miles @ 5K pace or faster. Actually it has been none existent. Tonight my legs never gave me any cause for concern, its just I could not get enough O₂ into them. In hindsight the aerobic base is there in my legs big time I just need to start putting it to good use. I should break 20 for 5K and possible get a sub 40 for 10K, times that where dreams 2 years ago but there is some work to be done to get there.

Adjusting Focus slightly

While my main ambition since getting my Boston Qualifier is to run 50 Marathons before My 50th Birthday, I now have got the racing bug so I should be able to mix in some shorter/harder races if I am wise with my training. I will leave this off until my return from a long earned break (got none last year with exams and unwell wife) in the Algarve in Mid June.

Tik Tok

Your most accurate Watch ?

Most of us runners possess at least one if not two watches. Well I own two a polar RX3000 which I use for Heart Rate Training/Monitoring and Soleus GPS for measure new training routes and pacing. To my surprise I now own Three, my body/mind.
After finishing Craughwell I had completed 6 Months of Base building long runs with some Lactate Tempo Runs Thrown in here and there, loosely structured around Hadd Training. With Seville approaching before Christmas I switched to the Race Prep section of P&D 55 mile program. I used this program 3 years ago in prep for a crack at 3:30 qualifier for Boston. I never got to the start line as I was not able at the time for this program. This section of the program starts to introduce PMP runs, Planned Marathon Pace runs. I have an issue with Planned Marathon Pace, it most likely is never your true current Marathon Pace. If your Marathon Pace is faster than you are only running at the high end of your Aerobic Threshold and not gaining any real benefit. When you Marathon Pace is slower than PMP then you are doing a long LT training session while it does have a benefit it ends up been a harder session which ultimately may cause an injury or worse still end up overtraining. I tend to do these type of runs at what I feel my actual Marathon Pace is at the time not what I would like it to be. So how do you determine your Marathon pace, that opens up another can of worms altogether, as I have wrote about before this depending on what online calculator/resources you use, it can vary by close to ten minutes or 20 seconds/mile. Having come across this article on Runners World (yes I know not the best source for material) I decided to give it a shot and run it blind. So my first session was 15 Miles with 12 at Marathon Pace. I ran a 5 mile loop which is reasonably flat with the exception of One mile which is undulating. Put on the Polar and Heart Rate monitor and covered over with the sleeve of my body armor. One feature of the polar is you can bring the watch to the chest strap and it will record a lap which I took every 3 miles. Two mile warm up and off I went to try and judge a pace that was not slack but one I felt I could maintain for the duration of a Marathon. The first segments went rather easily and I felt I may have gone a bit too fast from miles 3 to 6. Mile 6 to 9 things where a bit harder but still very manageable. The last Three where tough mentally but the legs where still flying around. On finishing I felt that I may have overcooked miles 3 to 6 which may have made the last three miles that bit tougher and probably slower. Well the results shown below where in stark contrast.

Miles	Time	Average HR	Pace
1-3	0:24:01.1	151	08:00.4
3-6	0:24:06.2	158	08:02.1
6-9	0:23:57.3	157	07:59.1
9-12	0:23:56.9	161	07:59.0

Turns out mile 3-6 felt easy because it was the slowest and the last 3 felt the hardest as they were the fastest. The real surprise is that if I was pacing in a race using my GPS watch and constantly looking at it to make sure I was on target I would have been extremely happy to have hit those splits. The HR readings were about right for my Marathon Pace if not a little on the soft side. My final PMP session is this weekend and I will again run it blind just to see if it was a fluke or not.

PB's and Hills

Tempo Running !!

I decided to venture down and see what kinda tempo run the boss does on a Tuesday Night. On arrival Richie's clock has been transported to the complex so we could keep track of our times. This should have set off alarm bells but when the boss says we are running a 5K time trial and you can run it at any pace you want. This code for flatout as fast as you can, and there are no prizes for guessing the course either. My PB for 5K is old and stands at 22:01. I decided that I would have a go at sub 21:00. We set off and I tried to pace myself off someone but no one was at my pace. Anthony went off in front was clearly sub 20 and then there was me. I had a discussion with Gary post DCM about not using a watch in races and trying to judge it by effort. While I did have my watch, but trying to hit the light button and run 5K pace was not working out. Pretty much time to put my idea into practice, so all I did was hit the lap button at each mile. Well it was a disaster in terms of pacing, I went out too fast 6:34 for the first mile and fell apart going up the hill on mile 2. 6:56 & 7:01 for mile 2 and 3 with 21:17 as the overall time. A bit disappointed and the HR figures where low so maybe I just didn't push it hard enough. There will be other days where having some other runners around in these sharp end races might make me shove on that extra bit. A new PB coming home was a little bit unexpected.

Finding Yourself

My first trip to West Cork to pace the Clonakilty Waterfront Half Marathon. Tom had asked me several weeks before hand about this but it wasn't until I got the pacer email with Mr Desmond's attachment about pacing the hills when it suddenly dawned on me to check the course profile. I had wrongly assumed that because it was on the waterfront we would be at sea level for most of this. I should have read the course blob, scenic views, the only time you get thoses is at the top of hills.This was going to be a tricky pacing gig, I was pacing 2:15 half and doing it solo to the pressure was on. Normally the pace would be 10:17 per mile but the course was not anywhere near flat,so I made up a pace band based on the following, 9:30 for downhill miles, 10:00 on the flat and 11:15 on the climbs, initially this landed at 2:13:30, so I added the spare minute to mile nines climb.

Printed off the band and made my way down south with Clubmate and novice pacer Brendan. Arrived and meet up with the usual suspects, and hit to the hotel after 10:30 looking for grub. The hotel obliged at this late hour one or two well maybe even three glass of hydration before getting the head down. Woke the next morning early with Tom in a bit of a fluff trying to make sure we were already to go before 8.I got my fryup this time unlike Dublin but the Coffee took too long to deliver (must have been coming from Java). Back to the room to get kitted out when Tom informs us that key to today's operation is getting the balloons home BANG, no sooner are the words out of his mouth but he burst one, balloon carrying duties are handed over to the novice pacer as no one else was stepping up to the mark. Off to the start where we meet up with the Eagle AC contingent, photos, loos breaks and soon its time to make our way to the start. The half is starting out the road a bit so all three of us make our way out. I lined up at the back and it looked like there was a small crowd, however this was not the case as most runners had left it late getting here and where all lining up behind us. I thought about moving back but already a group of about 50 were around me, so  to hell with it, the faster runners have no else to blame but themselves when they get held up by us as they got to the start late. The gun went off on time and pretty soon there is a bit off shoving as faster runners come through us. The first 3 miles are pancake flat and in the still of the morning running along the waterfront sure where else would you be. The first climb at 3 miles was quite steep and I lost a lot of the group here, I even dropped the pace to 11:30 in spots but a lot gave up and walked. From here to Mile 9 is up and down but mostly down and some managed to catch up again. Had about Twelve on the climb at mile 9 and all made it up with me. However for some this exertion would catch them on the last three miles. I lost one on the downhill, knee gave up I think. Two more dropped out on the flat before mile 11. Two more tried to stop with a half a mile to go but a trick I learnt in Limerick was to place my hand on their backs which got them going again. A lot of runners who were struggling in the last mile came back to me but I told them that they had 30 seconds and keep going and not to stop. Most of the group had gone ahead and 5 or 6 had just dropped of me slightly. Got in in 2:14:28 just 2 seconds off requirement and spent the next bit roaring at the few stragglers coming in behind. Looking at the results later, any runner that finished 30 seconds after me got a sub 2:15 nett time and there was a gap of over a Minute to the next runner.Safe to say I don't think I could have paced it any better if it was a flat course and I still had my balloon so job done. 

Afterwards hung around for a good bit as the atmosphere was great and endless Tea/Coffee and Biscuits and of course the famous Clonakilty Black Pudding and Sausages on offer. Soon it was time to head back to clean up and head home to Clare again. I didn't get to meet a lot of the Marathon runners as I was gone by the time they finished especially Thomas who was doing his 50th, glad to say he completed it and got his Silver Medal from Pat O'Keeffe afterwards. The weekend itself was top notch from what I could see. I would not have expected anything less from Bob and his team.

The Big One

Pacer Stand/Expo

Picking up numbers at the expo was extremely efficient so hats off to all the volunteers  Pacer stand was mayhem not really helped by its size or location. Really busy handing out pace bands, explaining the role of pacers etc. It still really surprises me how some people can have goal times in their head the day before a race that differs by 30 or more minutes.

Post Race Knees up

Not really what's on the horizon for the other 14,600 runners, but the pacer meal was a great social event. Meet up with many old friends and even some new ones. The sport at our table was especially good when you have two corkonians trading punches across the table. We retired to the lounge where we finished off the vino. There were suggestions of a trip to the residents bar but that idea didn't float so we all got to bed at a civilised hour and everyone was ready for the job ahead tomorrow.

The race

As I had no salt tablets my plan was to eat a good auld Full Irish for Breakfast, unfortunately I had to make do with the more carb/healthy option as the fry did not materialise until after Seven. I did however seek out a banana or two for my mid run snack. I was really surprised that the backpacks which held the pacer flags/sails were quite lightweight and easy to secure. At first fitting they came across the nipple area but a little adjustment moved them away. Large quantities of vaseline applied to prevent chaffing and down to the lobby to meet up with the others. We set off at a little before Eight for the start for a quick photo shot and dropped off my bag with towel and dry top for the finish. Weather was a bit nippy at this point but at least it was dry. We took up our positions at the start and slowly but surely a large enough group started to assemble around us. Plenty of questions about pace and other things, loads of banter. Tom even had to show one runner how to operate her Garmin. At 9:20 we got the off, for some reason my GPS watch failed to pick up a satellite  so it ended up been a dumb stopwatch for the day. No worries as I had a foot-pod polar as backup and two other able bodies with me in the shape of Tom and Dipak. Turns out we had well in excess of 200 marathons ran between us and as my tally only accounted for Ten so I and our pacees were in safe hands.
The first few miles we found that the mile markers were a little longer so we ended up been down about 30 seconds  Once we got into the park we were back on target though. Certain ladies in the group who had difficulties in the bladder department found that there was queues at the first set portaloos we met at mile Three. My suggestion of what they should do did not go down too well, it certainly got a reaction from some of the ladies.  At this stage we had got to know some of our group, there was a good gang with us from West Waterford AC and 4-5 ladies from Dunleer running for Team Carrie of whom some had made an early request for a fag break, turns out they were still 20 a day smokers. There was even one lady looking for a date for some social event or another around mile 8. I will not forget the lady from New Zealand who took a shine to me especially in the finish area. Once we left the park things start to get that little bit harder for those around us as we hit the climbs around Inchicore, South Circular Road and the Crumlin Road. We hit half-way with 2:24:46 on the watches very much on target. Over the next few miles it was pretty difficult to keep the pace as it was downhill and with a tail wind. The time gained allowed us to give back some time on the climb out of Miltown and Roebuck Hill itself. It was just a matter of getting people up the two climbs without stopping. Once that was done most of the group still with us where with us till the end. We picked up other runners dropping back from the 4:40 pacers, who we just kept encouraging them to get a move on and start running with us. At Grand Canal Street we told the fresher runners around us to hit for home. From here to the finish we pretty much hit every mile on time but the congestion on Mile 25 cost us about 20 Seconds so we just had to pick it up a bit around Trinity College  Great support around the finish and three of the West Waterford Girls and the smokers from Dunleer were still there with us at the end as we crossed the line.

The aftermath

Walked back to the hotel with Tom for a quick shower, and then to McGrattan's for the usual post race recovery drink, pints of the Black Stuff. Meet up with some fellow pacers  and boardies, but as per usual at the end of the night putting names to handles was a bit beyond me. A great buzz about as Orna not only broke but destroyed sub 3 hour to finish 9th Lady. It showed with a lot of work it can be done, I was really delighted for her as were many others. The photo call with an ex RTE newsreader was probably the best bit of fun for the night. Rolled back to the hotel slightly after midnight happy in the knowledge that another one done. Following morning was a different matter, could not talk and had the usual post marathon pains, one especially in the head but as herself says self inflicted so just get on with it.

This is a man's ???

Man Flu

Having resigned myself to not getting near 3:25 this year or in time for Boston 2014, I have entered a spring marathon in Seville for early next year. This may be a better option than trying to deal with the the unpredictable Irish weather. Anyone targeting times this year during the summer months had to contend with unusually high temperatures which for us Vitamin D lacking redheads really impairs on our performances. I have gone back to base training and with no major injury issues this year have managed 35-40 miles a week, I am going to try and get back slowly to 6-7 days a week and bring the mileage up 50+ miles a week. So first two weeks of September went very well with 40 and 45 miles respectfully, then the dreaded Man Flu hits me. I have not suffered this from with 2 years so herself indoors is not quite up to speed as to what is required in this situation.
It also has made a mess of my plans to get Marathon number ten done in September. Struck me down the day before Athlone and still suffering so that ruled out Carlow to Kilkenny yesterday. My symptoms are getting better and hopefully I can make the start line in Galway on Saturday Morning.

On the Horizon

In the not so distant future I will be pacing Dublin City Marathon again at 4:50. Pacers are every ten minutes this year for the first time and the gap between 4:30 and 5:00 is filled. It will be interesting to see if it splits up the bigger groups and what the uptake will be in the 4:40 and 4:50 groups. Previously there was a lot of enquiries at the expo for a 4:45 band so I am hopeful we will have some company early on. Three weeks later the annual Eddie Murphy Memorial Run takes place on that famous 1 Mile loop of Sixmilebridge. Online entries are now available on eventmaster and it is for a very worthy cause.

Shiny Happy People Laughing

The good the bad and the ugly

Thats what The Forest Marathon in Portumna was on saturday. The good being the spirit and comradeship of the Ultrarunning Community, volunteers, friends and family that had gathered for this event. The bad is despite all the training when something goes wrong on the day it goes very wrong. The ugly (for me anyway) was the cramps I experienced for the last 3 laps.

Race Day

Woke up Saturday Morning raring to go. First stop toilet see if I can pass, no go so some strong coffee followed by a large bowl of porridge. Check everything's pack followed by an hour's drive back. Picked up my number at registration. My bib number is seven, which as this is my seventh marathon is a good omen I tell myself. Urge to use the potty comes so coffee has done its job again. This prep is identical to prep used in all my marathons to date. Set off to the Start which is near the car park in Aldi to get ready. Getting changed in the car park it occurred to me that local housewives were probably getting more than they bargained for with all these athletic bodies togging out before their very eyes. Sun is shining a perfect day lay ahead.

The Start

Courtesy of Peter Mooney

God hates Marathon runners, today convinced me more of this. No sooner had we left the aldi car park to line up for the start but the heavens opened. You would think that maybe some of the ladies would have brought an umbrella for us to stand under no not on your nellie.
Off course there has to be a holdup and just as we get under way the rain subsides. We must run 2.2K from here until the start of the 5K loop. I pick up with the 3:30 pacer into the park and we are all running nicely and the pace is easy enough.
Start to 2.2K 11:00 (8:03/mile)

Early Laps 

Courtesy of Peter Mooney

My plan was to run this at marathon effort and see what splits I could get. I would need 24:15 to contemplate a shot at sub 3:25. First lap was 24:27 so I eased off to 3:30 pace. Was going along quite nicely at this stage until the end of the second lap. Picked up my first bottle of Electrolyte drink 250ml of water with half a Zym tablet. I have used this for the last 3-4 years in racing and training, hits my stomach and straight away my gut just contracts, like there is a fist trying to get out of there. I hold it down but its several minutes before I can get back on pace. After the issue with the Electrolyte I tried to take water at the turnaround on lap 3 but was only able to take a sip when the stomach again tightened up. This pretty much made my mind up as regards taking a gel at the end of this lap. The 3:30 pacer caught me here as well which really surprised me as I thought I had a little more time up on him. End of lap 3 pace is okay but again a small sip of water is all I can really manage.
Lap 1:  24:27(7:52/mile) Lap 2: 24:52(8:00/mile) Lap 3: 24:58(8:02/mile)

Making your Mind up

I now had a dilemma, stick with the 3:30 pacer and hope that the stomach issue resolves. The risk here is if it does not I will hammer the wall pretty hard and probably not finish. Or just easy back into a easy run pace for the remainder of the race. At best I may get some electrolyte on board but I really doubt I would be able to take on a gel at this pace. I decide to ease back about 2K into the fourth lap.  From here on I vary the pace and have a chat with some of the 100K guys along the way. Some can chat, some are facing their own demons and cant, others are walking and suffering but in true ultra fashion are still moving forward. This is the most enjoyable part of the race for me.
Lap 4: 26:08 (8:25/mile) Lap 5: 27:34 (8:52/Mile)

The Living End

Courtesy of Peter Mooney

Possible the toughest time I have every put down running. I have had bad runs and races before but nothing as hard as this. Still on my sips of water and 2K into Lap 6 bang left calf cramps. Stop try to stretch it (bad move) hamstring goes into spasm. So I start to walk and it dies down. A few minutes later I start running, if tightens up a bit again, but I find the faster I run the better it gets. So I now do an alternate walk/run strategy, 2 mins walk and then run at about 7:30 to 8:00 min pace to the next Km marker. This does not last long as the right hammer brings me to a halt just short of the end of the sixth lap. At the same time whatever ball of gas is in my stomach releases as well, thankfully in the upward direction. I hobble into the finish area contemplating stopping, I go over to my drink stash and I am finally able to take on board electrolyte, probably to little to late. A lady sitting beside my drinks offers me her seat, I was seriously going to go for it when I spot Martin from the Clare Crusaders go through. He is in as bad a shape as me and probably had 10 or 11 more laps to do in the 100K but he wasn't stopping, it spurs me on, I decline the offer and continue. She replied 'I'll mind your drinks for you'. Lap 7 was more of the same walk/run but the run was now dramatically getting slower and slower. At the tail end of the lap, the 4 hour pacers where entering the turnaround section as I was leaving it. The boss gave me a shout, there was no way they where going to pass me. Did the maths as rough as possible and I reckoned 7 min/Km would get me home in front of them. Last lap was pretty much that, kept plugging away and praying not to hear the bosses voice in the background. Finally got to the finish and over the line. Unfortunately I forgot that other runners were still coming through and I think I came close to taking out one of the leading 100K guys when I stopped up too quick at the finish. I hobble to my drinks stash and do take the offer of the chair from the nice lady this time. Her husband is doing his first Marathon and was with the 4 hour guys. Unfortunately he didn't make his time and faded badly on the final lap.
Lap 6: 28:43(9:15) Lap 7: 30:06(9:41) Lap 8: 34:12(11:00/Mile)
Overall Time: 3:52:01 (8:51/Mile)

Taking Positives

On the way back to collect my car in the Aldi car park, I said to the boss would you believe it my knee was never an issue in the race. He retorted 'At least thats a positive from the race'. There was in fact much more positives to be got from this race, the ever helpful volunteers and marshall's, the encouraging waves and words between runners as they meet each other on the course, the mooney clan taking photos and prizes, the lady in the chair, that now famous leap of faith (which I witnessed live for the first time), and the lovely home cooking in the ultra tent. I will take what lessons I need to learn from the last three laps and quickly put the experience to the back of my mind, but the other memories will stay with me for a long time to come.

Cool Runnings Not

Prelude

Normal activity on day before race pacing is to man the pacing stand at the Expo. As I live local it is only fitting that we do it and allow the out of town guys to get their bearings around Limerick. Arrived mid afternoon so that I could have a quick stroll around and pick up a few bits and pieces  A lot of the stands were of no interest to me so I picked up some Zym tubes and headed into the registration area. Meet with Tom who was none the best for wear and tear after his special Birthday Celebrations the night before. Stand was very quiet but we were kept busy sorting out the pacers goodie bags and running gear. There was some errors which we thought we had rectified. Other pacers arrived around five and collected stuff, general bit of chit chat and my duties were finished for the day.

Race Day

Hit in to Limerick early to get parking close to baggage drop area and give Paul his pacing gear. All the other pacers were decked out in their gear except one of the ladies ended up with a male medium  while the vest will make a nice dress for her I don't think she will ever have use for shin length running shorts. Mathew one of my fellow pacers showed his artistic flare on the Pacer balloons but was not so good in holding on to them. He had already lost two and we had not even left the building. 

After a precise pacing strategy briefing from Brianderunner Niall a quick warm up run to the start to take up our allocated positions. Meet three locals at the start Cathy who was borderline 2 Hour, Rosie and her husband Michael.  Rosie should have been with the 1:50 group and this was Michael's first run and I felt he should have dropped back. They all decided that they were going to get on our bus. With a few minutes to go Karen the third member of our team got the the portaloo feeling. Luckily she was able to pull rank and get to the top of the queue. 
All set and we were off, first two miles where not that congested so Nialls work on getting us in the right spot seemed to have worked. By mile two we are bang on pace and the mile markers are 2 for 2 in being where they should be. The run through the Raheen roundabout allowed us to meet the 1:50 group on the way in and the mad 2:15 er's on the way out.
It got a bit tight on the section from St Nessans Church to Raheen and back into town. We lost time here about 40 secs or so and Myself and Matthew were shouting out instruction to watch out for bollards and parked cars and the 5 hour marathon pacers which were on our racing line. Then for the second year running I went flying out over one of them, our third member was uncannyingly less vocal, but still there encouraging people along at the tail of the group. Conditions had got quite humid at this stage which was probably going to catch a lot of our group later on.

Another point where we meet other runners is on Sarsfield Bridge, we cheer on some of the marathon finishers when I notice James Liddane from B.M.O.H flying past on his way to a 74 min 3rd place finish in the half. Quite a good day for the club in that respect as we had three top ten finishers in the race, Keith Lynch in 5th and John Hannon 10th overall.   
We had picked back up the time lost earlier as the crowds in the city gave everyone a bit of a lift. At this stage I noticed I had a shadow on my shoulder, Eugene was motoring along very nicely and was still able to talk. We hit the first climbs around Thomond when I noticed Cathy up ahead, kept her and as many as possible going here but the heat and hills were starting to reduce or group very quickly and we dropped her at Mile 11 or so. Got a nice shout out from menoscemo Brian and Joanna on their way into town here and Conor and family at the back of the GAA Grounds. Nice to see fellow runners out to support us along the way. Once we got turn onto the North Circular Road section we had maybe half a dozen left and were starting to pick up some 1:50 runners. I felt sorry for the Marshall trying to get runners to stay on the left of the cones when clearly it was a lot quicker to cut the corner. When you have 11/24 miles under you in a race you are not going to run the long line. The best section of the race is along the North Circular its flat/downhill for the most part. The locals were out in force and a family had rigged a hose for us at the turn about,which was very welcome and much appreciated by all. From here on in it was a matter of trying to keep people going, me and Matthew vocally encouraging others while Karen seemed to have the hand of God. She would place her hand on a runners back as she past and they would immediately start running with us again. Once we hit the bridge those that were still with us went on ahead.
Even my shadow Eugene flew past us on the Bridge as well as Two Clare Crusaders, Finola and her partner. Once we hit O'Connell Street we were alone all our group where well on the way to the finish so we crossed the line in 1:59:28 happy our job was done. We encouraged a few more runners to put in the effort for another 30 seconds. Got our goodie bags, tin foil and mingled with the crowd afterwards. A lot of thank you's and photo opportunities  Cathy came in about 2 minutes later, even though she didn't get her sub 2 time she was still very happy with her days work.

Aftermath

No Chocolate in the goodie bag. Plenty of healthy bars disguising themselves as Chocolate but not the real thing. There was a banana so that's as near a sugar rush as I got. Hung around with Karen and Matthew until the 2:15 pacers came back and we made our way back to the baggage drop off. From there do to the Clarion for some grub and a quick chat with the rest of the crew. Good to see that the 3:30 Marathon Pacers went beyond the call of duty and got one of the gang over as Fourth Lady. 

The Main Man Himself

courtesy of Rory Mooney

Unfortunately I Had to hit away early and didn't even get to meet up with Mr Pat O'Keeffe to congratulate him on his epic achievement of running 100 Marathons. Pat is an inspiration to us all and if we can do a small portion of what he has achieved we will be all the better for it.

99 Red Balloons

Following them Balloons

May Bank Holiday again and I will be lining up at the start of the Great Limerick Run (Half Marathon) with balloon or two on my back. Behind me will be a group of people eager to get under whatever time is on that balloon. Saturday will see me at the Expo Number Pick-up manning the pacer stand and answering questions for runners as to what we actually do on the day. What follows should answer most queries but if it does not then call by the stand tomorrow when collecting your number in the UL Arena and make your enquiry.

• What times are been Paced ?
  For the Marathon Sub 5:00,4:30,4:00,3:45,3:30,3:15 & 3:00
  For the Half Marathon Sub 2:15,2:00,1:50,1:40 & 1:30
  Pacers for each group will aim to finish in 30 or so seconds under their allocated time.
• What Experience do the pacers have ?
  Pacers are drawn from a group of runners on boards.ie, 100 Marathon Club and various Athletics clubs in the Munster region. The majority have paced other events including Dublin Half and Full Marathons, Cork City Marathon, Dingle and Tralee. There will be some virgin pacers but each band will have an experienced pacer running the show.
• How will I find them ?
  The guys and girls in the special commissioned pacer gear with inflatable running aids attached to them (balloons). The faster times will be nearer to the front.
• Where should I start ?
  Very important. Behind the pacer. As times are nett times we set our watches as we cross the start line. Anyone behind us that finishes with a pacer or ahead of a pacer will be guaranteed their time. The same cannot be said for anyone who starts ahead of us.
• Will the pacers bank time early ?
  No. We will endeavour to run every mile at the same pace but this may vary by 10-15 seconds per mile. We will not run fast early to gain time nor would we advise any runner to do this either. Do not worry about the time or pace thats our job. 
• I can't get near the pacer ?
  Certain times will have large groups of runners. The 4 hour Marathon and the 2 hour Half Marathon group can be very big at the start. You do not need to be sitting on our shoulders for the race, the last thing we need to happen is runners to get tripped up and fall which may lead to a DNF. So give one another some space and just stay in the vicinity of the pacer group.
• What will happen at water stations ?
  We will pick up our water and run  through the aid stations. As there will be a group us do not stop/walk at the aid station as it will impede other runners in the group, pick up your water/gel/drink and move on.

Aftermath

At some time on Monday evening you will have got your target time and while your legs hurt you feel good about yourself. Hopefully we will have played a part in making your run one not to forget.

No Smoking Campus

Head Banging

Advised by Lorraine Consultant to apply for a Medical Card for her after he episode last year. Filled out the forms and sent away with Doctors Letter. Some head banger in Finglas decides that I do not meet the financial criteria so refuses it but also cancels Christines Medical Card two weeks before her Breast Reconstruction Surgery. Trying to get the the plonker who signed off on it to reverse it immediately was next to near impossible. Could not even get to talk to him/her on the phone and spent nearly a week ringing up and each day been asked to produce letters from surgeons, doctor etc regarding her condition. So a trip to Pat Breen T.D. was required and in fairness to him he got it resolved within 24 hours but should our elected TD's really have to deal with issues like this. The public service need's a major revamp, if I took this long to acknowledge and rectify a mistake I made with a customer I would quickly go out of business. As for the complaints procedure its a joke, its like another tribunal with the amount of information they want to furnish.

Annoying Announcement

Herself indoors finally got the call up for her reconstruction Surgery in Galway in the middle of March. This would mean 7-10 days in Hospital. After about 3 days I was sick of hearing that rather annoying speaker announcement at the entrance to every hospital which is repeated every 30 seconds. You know, the one about this is a non smoking campus. Well I think it would drive you to taking up smoking again. When Christine was released early I was delighted to hopefully not be seeing any Hospital Campus for another while. Unfortunately this was short lived as a bad reaction to Pain Relieving Medication that Christine was sent home with landed her back in A&E unable to hold down food or water in Limerick two days later, (missed Pakie Ryan 10 miler as a result) where she had the pleasure of been in the company Twenty other patients on trolleys. I dread to think how A&E staff would have coped with a major emergency that weekend because you could not swing a cat in there. Another week in Limerick which didn't really resolve the situation. She was discharged on Friday but is looking likely to be readmitted again as her GP is still not happy that she is unable to hold down solids. If she does go in I will be forced to bring a pair of snips and rectify that Announcement.
As a result of all this my training schedule is all over the place. I am getting the major sessions in but my Recovery sessions are hit and miss. I need to address this as my left hip/adductor is acting up a bit again.

Long Runs without Sucrá

After the last two long runs where I came very close to bonking I reviewed my HR stats for both runs. After Two hours of running I had noticed that HR was going up to over 155 bpm. With this in mind I decided to run the next 18 Miler at 9:15 pace and see what happened  Well it went swimmingly well and I really enjoyed it. All done on 500 ml of Electrolyte (Zym tab in Water). Upped the pace to 9:00 mile for next 20 miler and carried a gel just in case. This went just as well and was ironically faster than my first 20 Miler which goes to show going out too fast just burns up Glycogen too quickly.

Eamon Maloney Memorial Run

I remember Eamon not for running but dancing, would regularly meet him and his better half around the pubs in Ennis and he was a bit of a character to say the least, slightly mad but aren't we all especially those of us who tackle the Marathon Distance. Eamon ran several Marathons in his day and given this race was to raise funds for Clare Cancer Center in Kilnamona it was a no brainer to run this. Better still Jason was looking for some pacing balloon carriers so I volunteered for the 60 Minute Slot.
A nice bright day but a crisp easterly breeze kept it on the chilly side. Got my number and balloon and headed for the start. A group had assembled around me which include some ladies who were with me on the Five Hour bus in Dublin 2 years ago. They didn't stay on the bus that day but today would prove more fruitful. Not much of a delay at the start and we were on our way. Course is uphill until about 7-8K and then down hill with the wind at the back from there. I didn't mind tipping along at 6:05 pace for the first half and this kept the group together  There is a climb from 3 to 5 where some of the group fell away but to their credit they kept me in sight and managed to catch back up on the run for home. Once we hit the 7K mark those around me kicked on. One lady stayed with me while the group behind started to reel us in. Got over the line in 59:49 but the chip mat at the start did not work so competitors only got their gun time. Shame really as four ladies who bust a gut to catch me before the line were definitely under 60 nett time as they started with me but all got accredited like myself with 1:00:09.
 The tea ladies laid on a super spread for us all afterwards which means a nett gain in calories even after an hour's running.  Congrats to Jason for putting it together and will no doubt be on the calendar again next year.


March 13th
          10 Miles  8 Miles 1:04:12 @ 8:02 pace,  HR 152 with 1 Mile WU/WD

March 16th  
          18 Miles Long Run 2:46:30, @ 9:15, HR 135. 

March 20th 
          9 Miles 7 Miles 52:45 @ 7:33, HR 156 with 1 Mile WU/WD

March 24th
          12 Miles,10 miles 1:17:09 @ 7:43 pace, HR 154 with 1 Mile WU/WD


March 27th
          20 Miles Long run 2:59:43 @  8:59 pace, HR 141

Easy and Slow

Recovery and Racing

Took all of last week to recover from my efforts in Sixmilebridge, but on Saturday Morning there was a charity 5K to be ran. Only about 30 showed mostly ladies from various meet and train groups around the area and it looked at one stage that I was odds on for the win until one of the hares from Ennis Track appeared. I had to settle for a gallant second but was made to work for it all the way. Course was a bit long 5.3K but 8 min mile pace was enough to take it. It felt tough so clearly the Sixmilebridge race was still in my legs. I also meet with a pacee from Dingle who thanked me for helping her to the finish under the 2 hour mark.

Baby Steps

Another Evaluation done in perfect conditions on Tuesday Evening. I was a bit worried about this because of how the legs felt on Saturday Morning. Results showed a slight improvement but again after three laps @ 180 I was hyperventilating badly and pulled up. This clearly shows that I will need to do some serious track workouts if I am to get 5K times improved. Its is probably my biggest weakness and I will have to bite the bullet and join a club if I want to improve the fast end of my running. The main target is still sub 3:25 in Portumna next June. So I will continue with another cycle of Long,LT and Steady runs before I go into a more specific plan for the Marathon.

Date	Temp	Weight	140	150	160	170	180
17-Sept-2012	12°	169 lbs	8:43 (0:44)	8:10 (1:00)	7:36 (1:30)	6:56 (2:12)	6:40 (N/A)
27-Nov-2012	6°	170 lbs	8:42 (0:39)	8:06 (0:56)	7:29 (1:15)	6:51 (1:47)	6:37 (N/A)