Doing the 'Pana -Cork Half Marathon report

Cork Half Marathon Report 4^th June 2012-

Still waiting for my official result but I clocked it at 1.36.14 which it is a 60 second (ish) improvement on  the Bandon half marathon. I suppose I could grouse and have wished for a sub 1.35 and a number of runners killed me at the end but all in all still a very satisfying time. Really enjoyed the day-met loads of people, the usual gang of mates Dermot and Don and their wives but also a few old school mates as well as a few aunts and uncles and a couple of people from Charleville. I watched the marathon set off at 9.00 am and I really enjoyed it as a spectacle. I enjoyed not just watching the top runners take off but also watched the ordinary joes and the club runners go about their business too. Hats off to Don Golden’s father Paddy who was walking the marathon with his mate- walking 26.2 miles is a very tough undertaking. See Grellan’s Mc Grath’s blog if you don’t believe me. Met my buddy Aidan McGee at 9.15 and after we dropped our bags to city hall proceeded to Ringmahon. Aidan was a club runner with Leevale AC in his youth running in the same training group as Mark Carroll and his brother James McGee.I was nagging him for years to get back into it and despite a IT band issue was now at the start line with me.

I knew the route backwards having lived in Cork but also having ran the full and relay events the last two years. I was thinking a 7.12 average would get me under 1.35 but was also happy to just  improve on Bandon. After all while it was a race it was still in many ways a long run so no  point in killing myself either. Miles 1 to 7 whizzed by in 51 minutes but I was a small bit outside my target of 1.35. Unlike previous years it was very hot and while it was obvious the marathon runners were suffering especially by Glasheen the crowds were giving great gusto to the runners. I hit mile 8 in 7.10 and mile 9 in 7.10 and I was hoping I might turn things around. Negotiated the long drag at Model  Farm rd pretty easily and even got a water bottle off one my students !!! In fact the number of pupils around the place was gas and they were very helpful with shouts and cheers. Hit mile 10 under 1.13 but the effort and the heat going up the “straight” road was taking it’s toll not just on me but on other runners. Time and time again this stretch while flat is long and monotonous and reduces many runners to jogging pace. This was no different. This mile 11 was completed in 7.45 pace and I was getting worried. I managed to recover somewhat by the millrace and ran mile 12 in another flat time of 7.35. Hit the North Mall with a mile to go and when I crossed Patricks Bridge it was the best part of the race. Spotted Aidan’s family cheering me on and my Dad just by the Moderne. High fived another bloke I knew and crossed the last mile in 7.35.

I was pretty wrecked crossing the line and I was glad to get my water and banana. If I wore my heart strap god knows what my heart rate would have been measured at!!! McGee finished in 1.38 for his first half marathon and did the last mile in 6.45 which is savage running. Then onwards for tea and toasties for us in the Long Valley.In retrospect I was happy with my time but disappointed with running out of steam over the last 3 miles but probably was more to do with my lack of core fitness than anything else. Anyway rest time this evening and a few easy slow miles tomorrow