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.