Dublin marathon 3.28.23- Go figure

Go figure.... 5 weeks ago I ran the Berlin marathon, flat course, big occasion, months of great training, on target at mile 20 for a sub 3.20 time only to blow up and scrape in at 3.31.22. I ran the Dublin marathon yesterday...hilly course..crowded field...very little decent training...slow pace and I came in at 3.28.23.

I'm still trying to get my head around it. Obviously I am chuffed. The search for a PB goes on (and on and on) but to get a sub 3.30 (third time with two close calls) is a feeling of immense satisfaction. The difference lay in simply selecting the correct pace. I went into Dublin with a very relaxed attitude. I had no notions of running even close to a 3.28. When asked I simply told people a sub 4 marathon was the plan and that was the truth. Even during the preliminaries I met a number of club runners - John Collins, Darragh Wiley, John Paul Buckley and so on, and it was the same answer every time "A sub 4 finish, relaxed run".

The first couple of miles I didn't even look at the watch. I just kind of sauntered along with the crowd. By 10k we were well into the Phoenix Park and about to enter Castleknock and I looked at my watch for the first time. It read around 50.25 and I suddenly realized I was doing pretty alright. The pacer ballons weren't all that far in front of me, around 30 seconds or so. At that stage I resolved to just tip away, dont force the pace and see what happens after that, the complete opposite to Berlin.

Mile 7/8/9/10 all continued in the same vein.7.45/7.28 (rapid downhill)/7.35/7.50. Time at that stage was 1hr20mins (course time) which meant I was on the shoulder of the pacer balloons as were John Collins, Dan Collins, Jim O'Mahony. Jim said his calf was giving him a bit of gip and figured he would be doing well to hang on for a few miles. John and Dan were in good fettle as was Barry O'Callaghan who wasn't too far behind. I felt pretty good but was anxious not to get over excited and kept it all very lowkey.

I pushed on a bit after Portobello ,namely to get near the water station and before I knew it I was creeping ahead of the pacers, a mirror image of previous Dublin marathons in 2010, 2011, 2012. My splits at mile 11 were 7.58/ mile 12 7.47 and the half way point in Walkinstown was around 7.45. I was around 30 seconds ahead of the pacers and while I would hardly say I was confident I was happy with my form.

And so it went - slow but steady, not fast, not too slow, all even pace running. I was thinking if I kept it around 7.50 - 7.55 I might have enough to keep me going for a while yet. A couple of seconds faster and I could have been cooked. My endurance from Berlin and the two long runs I did in the previous weeks (fast MP 17 miles and a slow LSR 18 miles) were also helping. By mile 16 I was pretty determined to give the sub 3.30 a shot. However it was this very point that I started to get into trouble.

The breathing was getting laboured and the tiredness started to kick in. 10 miles was a hell of a long way to go. Time really started to drag and the head began to go through the mental agonies. Again I kept telling myself, keep at it, you have nothing to lose here. I also poured the entire contents of a water bottle over the head, arms and legs. The cooling effect helped dramatically. I was obviously suffering from heat loss. The other factor was I was also started to run with two young runners from the Brothers Pearse club. They both looked as if they knew what they were doing. One guy was pacing the other guy and they were keeping a excellent beat. I just kept abreast or behind them and followed their lead. It was that simple. No heroics this time. By mile 17 I was feeling good and with the two lads doing all the hard work in front of me I was happier. At mile 18 I timed myself at 2hrs22mins30seconds, a full 90 seconds ahead of the pacers. Less than 8 miles to go. Down to single digits.

As I say the marathon was a slow steady crawl. It was wasn't very dramatic, fast or much different in terms of pace from mile 8 to mile 26. At mile 20 I was beginning to figure this was going to be my day jogging past a number of familar faces, including my buddy Aidan McGee. He was having a rare rough day at the office and I was disappointed to see him struggle.

I had banked nearly 2 minutes at this stage and I was wondering could I push the pace a bit more but when I tried at mile 21 the legs didn't like it at all. It was back to the conservative, park the bus style after that.

The hill at mile 22 didn't provide much problems at all. It never does. In fact it is the downhill afterwards all the way to the Stillorgan flyover that does the most damage to the legs. It's those miles 22 - 24 that are the toughest. Nearly there but plenty of work, I only had 70-90 seconds in the bank at this stage.A couple of bad miles where I am forced to stop or walk and I was done for. I was hanging in here at this stage even getting cranky at some clown who ran across the route with his bike.

Mile 25 took me past the RDS. I checked my watch, the time was around 3hr19mins maybe slightly faster...Just one mile to go running  down Lower Mount street. The legs were beginning to buckle at this stage and it was a mile that dragged on for ever. 800 metres to go and everyone started to pick up the pace. I was going a bit mental at this stage determined to milk it for all it was worth. I knew it wasn't a PB but it was probably the best marathon I have run in many years. 26 miles were up and the clock read 3.26.45. The last 200 metres seemed to go for another mile and the legs were completely packing in before I crossed under the clock at 3.28.23. After that it was completely overwhelming...a mixture of delight, exhaustion, emotion and disbelief. Where the hell did that run come from? I hadn't even backed myself.

Thankfully I managed to compose myself bumping into Aoife Caroll on the way to get my medal before meeting with my clubmates and my friend Aidan. We hung around for a few hours around Dublin with Emer (Aidans wife) and their son Declan before I drove back to Cork via Portarlington.

A great day. No need to think much more beyond that. Lets soak it up.

Comparison of my Garmin splits between the Berlin and Dublin marathons. Amazing how a slow steady pace can yield a 3 minute faster finish despite a 5 minute difference at mile 20 between Berlin and Dublin.

Berlin                       Dublin

Mile 1     8.28            Mile 1    8.32

Mile 5     38.30          Mile 5    40.34

Mile 10    1.15.42      Mile 10  1.19.00

Mile 15     1.53.10     Mile 15  1.58.16

Mile 20     2.32.38     Mile 20  2.37.20

Mile 25    3.18.43      Mile 25   3.17.21

Mile 26.2   3.31.22   Mile 26.2   3.28.23

Treading carefully

Week ended 22nd October

I got a lucky break on Tuesday when I was informed my place of employment would be closed on Tuesday but the creche was reopening. That allowed me to drop Iseult into the creche and me to run 18 miles without worrying about getting the time to do so. The run itself was pretty average, 8.35 pace and the legs felt heavy for all of it. I considered tacking on another 2 miles but at this stage it may do me little good. On Wednesday I tacked on another 4 miles (recovery pace), resting Thursday and running 7 miles with a 5 mile tempo at 7.10 pace on Friday.

The latter run reaffirmed my faith that my legs weren't totally dead. I ran during my lunch break going out towards the Straight road and back. That run felt great. Rest day Saturday and a 13 mile run on Sunday in Charleville (8.25 pace). The legs were still finding it tough going.

Thats pretty much it now. A couple of short snappier runs during the week and then its up to Dublin for the marathon on Sunday week. No expectations.

Miles for the week 42 miles

Ophelia, Ophelia, Ofuckit!!!

Monday morning here in the house at 10 am waiting for the worst of Ophelia to hit us. Obviously no chance of a run this morn not because of the impending ex-hurricane but because the schools and creches were closed today and the wife is up in Dublin so parenting responsibilities come first. Adult maturity has very little to do with it.

It has been 3 weeks since Berlin and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. First off I was delighted to get around and get finished but there was no hiding I left a great chance of PB'ing a marathon behind me. It's probably unlikely I will get such a good training cycle up on my legs again. I should have stuck to a more conservative plan. Maybe it may not have made a difference I don't know. I won't be stopping running marathons though I have signed up for one in April and have my eyes on a fun marathon in early summer with ideas to take on another serious one next year.

For the present moment I am entered in for Dublin in a few weeks. Training was going ok enough the last 2 weeks but hit a bump this weeek. First week back after Berlin I ran 2 X 5 miles and a handy 11 miler on the Sunday (8.38 pace). The massage off John O Sullivan did the trick. That week was all about recovery running. The second week back was very good indeed. 3 miles recovery on Monday, 8 miles at 7.30 pace on Tues in Cork, 7 miles handy on Wednesday (hilly Mayfield run - 8.10 pace), 7 miles at 7.30 pace in Blackrock on Friday and a a great 16 miles run at 7.37 pace on Sunday. The last run was a key workout. I ran it at the same pace I ran the first 20 miles in Berlin. The intention was to train the legs to run at a faster pace but run the marathon at a slower pace. Intensity over endurance especially with a short turn around.

The third week back (last week) started off well enough. 3 mile recovery jog, 7 miles on Tuesday with sprints (6mins/5mins/4mins/3mins/2mins/1mins/4mins/3mins/2mins/1mins). By Wednesday I wasn't feeling great. The small one had a tummy bug all week and Aoiffe had a chest infection so it was my turn this time. It was essentially a mini flu, a viral infection, achey limbs, headaches, ear ringing, lack of appetite. I've got it before (for years). Just one of those things but no running for the rest of the week. Managed a strained 7 miles on Saturday before feeling wiped out again on Sunday and Ophelia today so no run either today.

It's the way it goes. Aoiffe is away for the week so no evening runs this week either. Next run will be Wednesday (babysitters required) and then Friday (between lunch) and Sunday. One of those will have to be a long run. Then it's a week to the marathon.

Don Ryan Ironman 2017 - 11Hours00minutes05seconds

Ironman – A Year in the making!

Background:

I started running in 2009 with the intention of getting fit, faster and maybe

completing a Marathon or two in the future. Honestly at that stage I had no idea that by 2017 I would complete 8 individual marathons, start doing Triathlon’s and complete an Ironman distance event.

My Ironman journey started in 2016 when my Wife entered me into the Half Ironman in Dublin. For those that do not know, the half Ironman is a 1.9K swim, 90K bike and a 21K run. I remember having sleepless nights even in January worrying about the swim distance. I knew I would be fine on dry land but I had only learned to swim in 2015 when I took up Triathlon. Every swim at that point filled me with dread. Even training swims worried me. I worked hard at it and lined up with everyone else in Dublin August 2016 to complete my very first Ironman 70.3. Instantly I fell in love with the concept of Ironman. These guys really know how to put on an event. I completed the event in 5 hours 15 minutes.

Within two weeks I had entered the full distance event for Barcelona 2017. The full distance is exactly double the IM 70.3. It’s a 3.8K swim, 180K bike and a full marathon at the end. There was a bunch of us entered from Cork, some from my own club South Coast Triathlon Club, a number from Midleton CTC and a number of friends in Cork Tri Club. Some of the guys were completing their second or third Ironman. We started training immediately in October 2016.

The Training:

I read all round about Ironman race plans and came up with a plan that would involve three runs, three bikes and three swims every week. The runs would be intervals, tempo and a long run at the weekend. The bike would involve some turbo sessions during the week with a long bike at the weekend. The swims followed Don Finks plan. Training would start with about 8 hours and build up to about 20 hours a week over the year. Some of my friends thought it was a good plan, others were less optimistic about it feeling I was doing too much too soon. In order to fit training around an extremely busy job and family life, I would swim early in the mornings, run during lunch hours, bike to work (I live 36KM from work), and do the long stuff as early as possible on weekends to free up the rest of the day for everything else.

By April I was biking up to 145KM, running 28Km and swimming 3KM in the pool. I was way ahead of targets but felt that I would need the buffer in case I got injured. It was around that time that I came across a review about IM Barcelona and about a coach in Waterford called Martin Kirwin. I liked what I read. How the entire race was about the way you ran the marathon at the end. This coach was training his athletes to work to power and heart rate on the bike, maximizing their potential while leaving them enough in the tank to run well off the bike. He is a serious athlete with incredible marathon times and lots of sub 10 hour Ironman races. I contacted Martin and arranged a meeting.

Martin looked at my plan and what I was doing and felt I was doing way too much. He suggested I complete the double Olympic race in Athy and we would look at the numbers after that.  He also felt that my expectations of a 12 hour Ironman were a little low. His view was a 10 and half hour was very possible but to work towards 11 hours for my first attempt at the distance.

For the next 4 months I trained under Martins plan. Every week the plan would go up on line and he would mark my homework afterwards telling me to put more or less effort in on each discipline. Martin introduced me to the concept of power on the bike and with a power meter we were able to come up with zones that I could maintain over various distances. I still had 9 workouts a week (three per discipline) but every one had a purpose now. There were no junk miles.

Three weeks out from the event I developed a pain in the arch of my foot after a speed running session. I thought initially it was just a phantom pain, but the next day I could hardly walk. Physio was called for and I was advised that it was an overload strain to the Planter ligament, to not run on it, keep it strapped up and there was every chance it would be fine on the day. Martin immediately changed all the workouts for me to accommodate this.

The week before:

A week before the event I dropped my bike to Ship My Tri Bike for transport to Spain. I cannot recommend this service enough, as they take your bike fully assembled and transport it to and from your race. The stress of disassembling and reassembling your tri bike is taken out of things and you can concentrate on getting ready without any distractions. We travelled out four days before the race to acclimatize and I could not recommend this enough.

Martin called and could not make the race. He had raced the previous month at the world championships 70.3 in preparation for the full IM Chattanooga where he came 4^th in his category and qualified for the world championships in Hawaii 2018. His Ryan air flight had been cancelled like so many others. We had a long discussion around pacing and power numbers and agreed to pull back the run pace by 15 seconds due to my injury. I have to say I felt ready and really well prepared.

Race day:

Race day arrived a 6AM. A quick bowl of porridge and two coffees and I was on my way to transition to make final preparations on my bike setup. The race started at 8 but due to the rolling start I did not enter the water until 8:30. Martin had suggested going out with the 1 hour 20 swimmers. I had never swum faster than 1:30 but followed the advice. The swim was tough, lots of pulling and dragging, which I did not expect. Goggles and hats were flying to the bottom of the sea. On top of this there was a strong current flowing against us, which made the first part of the swim feel like forever. On the way back though, it was heaven. We were flying back to the finish.

Swim Completed: 1:21.  Expected swim time 1:30 – 1:40. I was ecstatic.

The 180K bike is over 2 ½ loops out toward Barcelona and back to Calella. The first 15K is rolling hills followed by 40K flat. There was a strong headwind coming from Barcelona on the way out but I stuck to my numbers and didn’t worry about the speed. The pace really picked up on the way back to Calella with the wind behind me. The second loop led to an unusual incident where I rolled over some sticky paper which lodged in my brake. Took a few minutes to get it out but the glue residue got all over the brakes and wheel rim and caused my brakes to lock on when I used them next. I needed help from a mechanic at the next water stop to help free them using a can of wd40. In total I was stopped for 9 minutes with this incident but still managed to close out the bike leg in 5:35. It could have been worse like a crash or a puncture. Over 180K anything can and will go wrong, its how you deal with it on the day that counts. Now just a matter of a marathon to run!

Bike: 5:35. Expected bike time: 5:15.

The run, we had agreed should start out with 5:15 pace per KM for at least 22K. I could not slow down. I was running 4:20 per KM and ended up stopping at the 8K mark to get my heart rate down and restart running at the agreed pace. The support was just amazing. Far better than any marathon I had ever done with the exception of NY in 2013. I walked through the water stations to pour water over myself and take on fluids. The run was a three-loop course of 13K plus a bit at the start and end. The first and second loop went by quickly. The final loop I decided to push a little to try to get under the 11 hour mark. I upped the pace and ran through a couple of the water stations. The final 5K went by very quickly and before I knew it I was crossing the red carpet to the finish. It was touch and go to get under 11 hours so I didn’t do the typical crowd-pleasing stuff but sprinted for the line. I stopped my watch at 11:00:00 dead and turned to look at the clock, which registered my name and 11:00:05. I could just hear the announcer saying the immortal words “Don Ryan You are an Ironman!”

Run: 3:46

What an experience. I will definitely do one again and I really believe 10:30 is in me by getting the bike right and upping the pace a little on the run. After that it will get a lot tougher to get the times down.

Berlin marathon 3.31.22

And so it goes on and on....5 years and counting since a marathon PB. I left it all there on the course but erred badly in my race tactics, more about that later.

I resolved to go for a time of 3hr 22min based on my Clonmel time (half marathon) of 1hr33min27sec and also that I ran a (solo) 15 mile marathon pace effort at 7.32 pace with my training tempos peaking at 8.41 miles in a hour (7.08 pace.) Also with it being a flat course and that this was the first marathon in years where I wasn't injured or sick I was pretty hopeful of reaching or getting close to my target.

The one factor that was unsettling me a bit was bringing Iseult over with us and her staying in the same hotel room with us. I felt she wouldn't settle very well in the hotel room and that because the burden of minding her would fall on my wife (feds, bottles, food and so on) it was better to bring Aoiffe's parents with us as well. It was either that or go on my own. Thankfully they came over and I was pretty much left to my own devices going to the expo and getting naps in during the day while they had a ball doing the tourist thing. Nevertheless I was beginning to feel the pressure in the few days leading up to it organizing cover for my classes double checking and treble checking hotel reservations, flight numbers, parking in the airport, directions to the expo and the start line and all that. Yeah things were getting terse at times. We got into Berlin Friday evening and Iseult konked out as soon as she hit the cot so all good and while on the Saturday night she cried for around a hour at 1am it didn't bother me too much. The poor little mite was doing her best but probably missed her bed. I know Aoiffe was wondering what had I talked them into at that stage. These things weigh heavily on me.

The Sunday morning of the race I left the hotel at 7 am and got into the U Bahn at Alexander Platz getting off at Potsdamer Platz walking with the multitudes to the tented area in the Tier garden. The place resembled a mini village but the organisation was faultless and I was enjoying myself now. As usual the phone was full of best of luck texts from people and Aoiffe sent a lovely photo of herself and Iseult having breakfast which was of great reassurance to me.

I lined up in the E starting pen with about 55 minutes to go and the efficiency of the whole thing was so good you would hardly think there was 40,000 runners taking part in a marathon and a general election on the same day. Even with 15 minutes to go people were still coming in and there was plenty of room in the pens. The giant video screens announced the leading elite runners and I must admit the buzz was infectious. This was great stuff and the race hadn't even started. 12 months ago I was nursing a broken arm and a twisted ankle awaiting the arrival of our daughter and now I was ready to go in one of the biggest marathons in the world.

Running a marathon in KM as distinct from MILES is a different kettle alright especially if you are aiming for a time that is some way between the cutoff (eg 3.30, 3.15, 3,00). It means the splits have to be judged carefully and that a second faster or slower over a number of kilometers can ruin things for you. In this case the kilometer pace was 4.47 per KM. I was slow enough the first 5 km and was probably 45 seconds slower than my pace band but that was fine.

After a hour I had run 12.5 km I was motoring. The course was v flat alright with a few little downhills and this time I made sure to follow the famous blue line. The water stations were busy and while it was cups only, drinking out of them wasn't a problem. It was very wet(heavy rain) for the first hour but the crowds were great and the buzz was excellent. At this stage I was around 50 seconds ahead of my 3.22 schedule and I did notice my mile splits were in the 7.35 per mile range. This was obviously a bad idea but it seemed there was so much energy in my legs I couldn't make them stop. It was also the first time I ever attacked a marathon like this.

At the half way stage I was 1hour 39minutes 50 seconds when in fact I had planned to be 1.41. Again I was feeling good and the good vibes continued up to 30 km. At this stage I could feel the legs begin to drag but i was determined not to give into it. The pace was getting slower too, mile splits had dropped to 8 minute pace but i was confident I could gut it out and hang in there for 3.25. By 32 km it was beginning to hit hard and I had to stop and walk for 10-15 seconds before I ran again before walk running again at 33 km. A pile of runners were dropping out , getting sick and walking so I was in good company. The mile splits were now down to 9min to 9.15 pace but I knew I would finish and get the medal. Even still after 3hours02minutes I was on 23 miles, 2 minutes ahead of a sub 3.30 finish but it was getting messy. More walking than running at this stage and the spirits were sinking.

What did get me running for mile 24 was the sight of the 3.30 pacers behind me and I ran that mile in 7minute 49seconds but by 40.5 kmI had lost them with the long straight down to Brandenburg Tur in front of us. It looked amazing and I got another surge of running but the chest was getting very heavy and running was becoming difficult. I did the old man shuffle to get in at 3.31.22 with 42.48 km on the garmin. I was slightly emotional crossing the line but I was ok again after a minute and I was delighted to get my medal and goodie bag. My feelings were a mix of "Shit I messed that up" and "I did ok to finish with a solid enough time".

It was great chatting to so many runners afterwards and I was feeling the buzz of the occasion. I had given it my all and left it all out there. I obviously would have been better (perhaps ) to have aimed for a 3.25 but hindsight is easy, running a marathon isn't. I got back to the hotel delighted to meet Aoiffe and Iseult and my in laws. They really enjoyed their day and it was nice getting messages of goodwill from friends and family.

What's next? I probably won't give up on the marathon thing but as to weather I will train as hard for a PB I don't know. Who knows?

Taper 2

Week ending 17th September

Getting there...getting there

Sunday 10th September

...marked the last big workout of this marathon cycle - a 15 mile marathon pace run around Charleville. I was in little form for it on the Saturday before settling instead for a 4 mile recovery jog the day after running a good 8.5 mile in Cork during my work break. Anyway after the first mile at 7.54 pace I warmed well to the task running the other 14 miles between 7.36 and 7.28 pace (7.32 average) I was delighted with the workout. Running 15 miles at marathon pace on your own isn't easy and I was glad to have done it as well as I could.

Monday was a 4 mile recovery jog in Cork again during my lunchbreak. Rest Tuesday. Wednesday 8 miles at 7.20 pace. Rest Thursday. Friday 8 miles in Cork at 7.45 pace. Rest Saturday. 11.5 miles on Sunday courtesy of a nice run around Charleville. The half marathon was on at the time and I watched the runners coming in at 1hr15min to 1hr30min. I was delighted to see Aidan coming in under 1hr30 again. Hopefully next year,,,;-)

Nearly there now. This week was tough from a family and work point of view but the running was excellent.

1 week to go. Persistent tiredness is still a problem.

taper time 1

Taper time was officially supposed to start last Sunday after my last big planned long run -22 miles. I only managed 7 miles instead. The plan went awry as I was feeling a bit drained and running a another long run around Charleville didn't do much for my head. The previous few days were a mixture of the good and the average. Monday I ran a 4 mile recovery jog, Tuesday 10 miles with 8.41 miles at 7.08 pace, Wednesday a dog of a 10 mile run up in Cork (8.25 pace) a very poor effort, Thursday and Friday no running and 10 miles on Saturday at planned marathon pace (7.32 pace). That run went well. I had planned to head down to Waterford for the Greenway half marathon but getting up at 5.45am to get down for 8am just wasn't going to happen so I opted for the MP run instead. I should have tacked on another 5 miles but I was under pressure with real life stuff so no chance.

By the time I got up on Sunday the head and heart weren't up for it at all so I cut my losses after a hour. I opted instead for a long run up in Cork instead after work, starting at 4 pm. The evening was lovely as September evenings tend to be and I enjoyed the run, starting by my parked car by work heading up to Mayfield via Montenotte with 2 laps of the estate and then onto Banduff, Spring Lane, Old Mallow Road, Commons rd, Blackpool (bumping into Aunt Mary), North Mall, Sundays Well, Mardyke, Straight Road and turning back by the Anglers Rest and back to the car via Lee Felds, Kingsley hotel, Mardyke and North Mall up to Wellington Road. The pace was slow , deliberately slow (8.51 Pace/ 3 hours 15 minutes). I never felt troubled on the route enjoying it and the people watching that went with it. Wednesday - 8 miles in Charleville, heavy legs for that one. Shagged again, very little proper sleep since Monday night. Onwards but need to watch it, things could get messy.

Lazy post

Too lazy to write much:

Monday nothing

Tuesday Ditched a planned interval session, did 10 miles at a pace around 8.10 pace

Wednesday 11 miles at 8.05 pace, attacked and bitten by a Jack Russell dog but no harm done, only a nip on the heel of the trainer. Still though little f%^er.

Thursday 5 mile race on a long journey to Ballycotton - first time since 2014- same time as then - 33.45. Happy enough. 1st mile 6.27 2nd mile 6.35 3rd mile (hilly) 7.05, 4th and 5th mile (hanging in there) 6.45 each. Short warm up. Long drive home. The little one cries from 12.15 to 2.30 in the morning for no apparent reason. Eeek

Friday Attended a wedding in Kerry. Hopeless company. Slipped out during the speeches for a hour kip. Good time after that. 1 pint of beer

Saturday Slow 4 mile jog, walk

Sunday 22.5 miles at 8.47 pace with Mallow ac on the Buttevent/Doneraileroute. 3 hours 15 minutes on my feet. Last 1.5 miles were tough.

Back to work tomorrow. Iseult is starting in creche on Wednesday. Hope it goes well

53 miles for week

Clonmel redemption

Week beginning 21^st August

Last Thursday was a 9 mile run up in hilly Mayfield.Tried to keep the pace steady enough coming at around 8.03 pace. Saturday was a easy 4 miler the night after having a 4 course meal out with Aoiffe.

Sunday I ran the Clonmel half marathon. I have run this race twice before usually as a means to kick start my legs into action following a 2 week holiday. It was always a struggle so it was interesting as to how I would get on with a good block of training under my belt. It’s a course that I never liked but this time (urged by the pacing efforts of Pa Daly) I surprised myself with a PB – coming in at 1.33.27. That's 7.08 pace with the first 2 miles clocking in at 7.30 pace so it was obvious I picked it up from mile 3 onwards. My last 13.1 PB was in Limerick in 2013 (1.34.16). Ok it’s not exactly massive improvement but I’ll take it. I wouldn’t have even tried it without Pa’s encouragement and I did deliberately slow down coming to the hill at mile 10 which in hindsight was uncalled for. In fact from mile 7 onwards I felt strong enough to push on ahead of Pa but not confident enough at the same time. It doesn’t matter though I’m chuffed.

Today though was a rest day. Back to the grindstone tomorrow. Ideally get some running (and maybe some racing) in on Tues, Wednesday, Thursday,  wedding Friday, rest Saturday, long run Sunday.

another midweek post

15^th August

No running on Thursday having left my running shorts in Charleville when I drove up to Mayfield. I ran a 8K race in Mitchelstown (strange distance 4.97 miles) in what was obviously a new PB for me in 33.17 (33.33 for 5 miles). The course was mostly downhill and flat so one has to be sensible in regarding this time. Still though I was delighted to have goe out and raced. It broke the cycle of running solo and had me in good form for a 21- 22 mile long run with Mallow clubmates – Aidan, Pa, Barry and Colm on Sunday. I took it pretty hand running for 3hours08minutes. It was a tough route and it was challenging but it was a excellent training run.

55 miles for the week

Monday I was pretty wrecked and went for a simple 4 mile walk around the town pondering how the runners in Connemara managed to get through 100 miles on Sunday. Tuesday was a tempo run – 2 mile warm up and ½ mile cool down with 7 miles at 7.10 pace. I had hoped to hit around 7.03-7.05 pace but it didn’t happen today, the last mile through the park (not with standing having to stop for pedestrians and buggies) was a tough 7.19 mile. Cream crackered but happy to have it out of the way before 12 mid day. The little one kept me busy enough for the rest of the day. The sleep patterns at night could be changing, hopefully I’m wrong. Busy week ahead on all fronts.

Todays run (Wednesday) was a good run. I ran 5 miles to Bally hea and 5 miles back up to Charleville. First 5 miles downhill was at 8.12 pace, the last 5 miles uphill were covered at 7.48 pace tacking a last mile and a half around the town at 7.40 pace. Very happy with that.

midweek post

Week ended 9^th August

The running has ground to a halt a bit this weekend. The reason was because of a headcold  picked up on Friday. The week started off pretty well, 2.5 jog on Monday to clear up a niggly hip and a 8 miles with a 6 mile tempo portion at 7.05 pace. Off the top of my head I think the splits were 7.09, 7.08, 7.07 , 7.06, 7.01, 6.58 or so. I was pretty happy with the run and had plenty more in the tank. It was when I double checked old tempo runs I realised it was the same pace as when I ran good tempos in the marathon training summers of 2012, 2014 and 2015 so essentially I’m get any faster at all !!!

Wednesday I ran 10 miles at a good pace of 7.40. I hadn’t planned to run that pace at all, it just sort of happened. I should have doubled back for another couple of miles but time was against me as I had a few jobs to do at home. My mistake however was not stretching or foam rolling afterwards as the legs were like lead on Thursday up in Cork. After 10k I had enough and called it quits.I was a bit annoyed with myself over it.

Friday I met up with Don, Derm and Tim with me being the designated driver. It suited me to the ground fitting in another run in Mayfield this time a better 7.5 miles at solid 8 minute pace. The headcold started to make it’s presence felt in the afternoon, so stuffed nose and stuffed head made for a no show on Sunday. I had planned a marathon pace run of around 14 miles so that was put aside for the moment. Monday things improved with another solid 8 mile run in Charleville (7.53 pace), a leg sapping interval session on Tuesday (9 mls with 8 x 800 between 3.18 to 3.20 pace) and a deliberately slow 11 miles Ballyhea run on Wednesday.

Plenty more running left in the week. 3.5 weeks training before the taper. I hardly feel as I if I have got going.

Teething babies and avoiding trouble. (I even ran 20 miles)

Week ending 30^th July

My first 20 mile run yesterday since the Frankfurt marathon in 2015. I had to do this one solo. My humour going out the door wasn't up for it but then I copped myself on and realized this was my choice no one else's (no point in being like a little girl about it). All I had to do was run for 2hrs 50mins and/or get 20 miles up on the legs. No other brain power needed. Stopped for water after 1 and 2 hour and for a stretch at mile 16. Not perfect but job done. (Dog boring route though;-) )

The running week in general was ok enough but I had to bail out of doing the Churchtown South 5 mile race on Thursday. The little angel was suffering with her teeth all day and it wouldn’t have been fair to have the babysitter to deal with gummsy by herself for more than a hour while I hightailed it to east Cork. Aoiffe was burning the midnight oil at a work thing so I stayed at home and squeezed in a 8mile to 9 mile run in with 8 X 3 mins. I wasn’t too sure of the actual distance I covered as the garmin wasn’t charged. When I did get  back sure enough Iseult was in the throes of a tooth induced moment. In fairness the babysitter had managed for the hour or so she had with her but I knew she was glad I arrived, so quick she legged it out the door. 

It’s at times like this a good relaxing baby stroke and a there- there ain’t going to do the trick so it was time for the Calpol. It did help Iseult relax a bit but there was further issues later during the night. A tough night for all concerned but she is ok now.

From a running point of view it means I haven’t done a shorter 5miles to 10miles race since the end of May. I know at best my short racing pace is about 7mins to 7.05mins but it would be nice to get out there and shake the cobwebs off. If I trained for the distance I would be confident of getting close to sub 33 minutes.

Monday was the usual 3 mile walk / jog/ walk with Iseult in the pram around the town park. Tuesday a 8.5 mile run up in Mayfield at 8.06 pace, again very laboured and a slog 10 mile effort on the Wednesday afternoon in Charleville.

50 miles up on the feet but all a bit dull really. I have no chance if ever of making the Mallow AC sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. My last session there was at the end of the May. The start time has changed to a earlier time and no hope of Aoiffe getting home earlier to relive me. When school starts up again at the end of August and Iseult goes to the creche that will be another adjustment to get used to too.. I was a poor attendee at training anyway and the new time has lead to increased numbers showing up. Mallow are a big club but training attendance was poor lately. 

The club are lucky to have excellent people there who put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into keeping things going but it was beginning to fall on the same shoulders time and time again. I have little interest in the moment in even considering joining a new club. My local club is North Cork and it would make more sense to probably train there but I will put off any ideas in that regard off for a while yet. Like changing your job it just seems more trouble than it is worth. 

Keying in...

July 23^rd 2017

The last week was a pretty good one on the running front. It was more about the quality of running than the quantity. I hope I have pretty much keyed into what is the best running strategy for me given my responsibilities at home and the changes in other areas. Last Sunday I ran a 18 miler in the company of Adrian and Pa. Adrian Fitch is running Berlin as well and is going great guns sticking strictly to a rigid and aggressive training plan. It seems to be paying off in spades.

My plan is more general but I hope the benefits will be apparent in a while. The 18 mile (18.5 miles to be exact was a slow one and very relaxed- time on the feet,2hrs40mins. Monday was the usual 45 jog, walk, stroll, jog, walk, stroll with Bubs in the buggy around the town park. Tuesday a 5 mile tempo at 7.06 pace with a 2 mile tempo and 1 mile cooldown. Splits were 7.12, 7.08, 7.07, 7.06 and 6.53. Wednesday a 90 , 9.5 slow run in Charleville and Thursday a controlled 7.57 paced run up in Cork covering 7.6 miles or 1 hour. No running Friday and a excellent 90 minute run on Saturday at 7.32 pace, again on my own before heading up to a wedding in Clare. The last run is always a tough one, the last mile was a slow one (something to remember) but the rest were all in the 7.25 to 7.35 range. Wouldn’t it be great to manage that for 26.2 miles?

P.S The week before I ran 45 miles so again a good few weeks of consistent running. The speedwork session for the week was 9 miles with 6 X 800's in the 3.18 to 3.23 range.

Cahir half marathon

Week ending 9^th July

I have just watched the Cork hurlers pull off the most unlikely Munster Championship win in many a long year. The campaign will only get tougher from here on in now. Similarly with 11 weeks to the Berlin marathon I find myself with a lot of work to do if I want to get a PB. I know fully well I’m probably not actually improving a whole lot these days and haven’t really being improving a whole yet in the 4 years. At best I am running races looking for different motivations each time.

Today the Cahir half marathon was one of those situations. I was looking for a solid marathon pace type effort or a extended slower paced tempo run. This was in light of a poor half marathon in Waterford.I was running very well within myself for the first 11 miles all at 7.30 pace but started to struggle badly after that having to slow down to a walk on a number of occasions. Whether it was the heat (it was very warm), the elevation or just poor form on my part or a combination of all 3 I don’t know. Maybe my “marathon pace” is in reality my true half marathon pace but only 5 weeks ago I was well able to push a better time in Cork. Thankfully the niggly ankle seems to be better.

I think the down turn is probably down to me not getting a few basics sorted – sleep, diet, consistency, speedwork. 

Some are probably easier to fix that others but they have all become issues in the last 5 weeks. Not getting enough sleep will have a big impact on all the others and I am trying to remedy that within the limits of being a S.A.H.D (Stay at home Dad). In the old days being a teacher and being off for the summer meant sleep was never a issue. Diet is also within my own compass, I am consuming way too many sweets and sugars. I was working out I must be eating 2-3 chocolate bars a week plus 2- 3 cakes and one packet of biscuits a week not to mention 3 bags of crisps and 3 ice creams. I don’t smoke and I don’t drink but the sweets thing has to change.

 Consistency is a bit harder, trying to get out for a run at the same time 5 days a week is more dependent on people being able to juggle their own incredibly busy  lifestyle as well around me and that isn’t fair on Aoiffe.

I had hoped to be able to make Mallow speed sessions at least once a week but that has proved impossible and given the new start times of training that will make things worse. I can still make the Sunday long runs but everything else during the week will be a solo affair. That’s why more than anything I never have really made much progress in the last 3 years in terms of times, the inability to make club sessions. My attendance from April to May was reasonably good and was reflected in a number of promising runs.

All is not lost, not by a long shot – I have the power to turn it around.

Tuesday – 8.5 miles at 7.34 pace, Wednesday – 3 mile pram jog/walk, Thursday 8.5 miles in Cork at 7.50 pace, Saturday 5 miles at 8.16 pace, Sunday Cahir half marathon plus 1 mile warmup at 7.34 and 8.16 pace each. 39 miles or so

Just a niggle

Week beginning 3^rd July

Nursing a slight strain on the left ankle (the one I fell and twisted last year). A bit of ice and rest should sort it out but it means I have had to rule out a 4 mile race in Dromcollogher tonight. In the light of a disappointing Waterford half marathon the emphasis was on getting miles up on the legs. I succeeded well enough on that score, logging 3 easy miles on Monday, 8.5 miles at 8.10 pace on Tuesday, 8 miles at 7.34 pace on Wednesday, 8.5 miles at 8.06 pace on Thursday, 6.5 miles at 7.32 pace on Saturday and a very satisfying 18 miles with the club in Mallow at 8.39 pace on Sunday.

It’s unlikely I will get anywhere like that mileage up on the legs this week but that’s ok with me. I’m happy just to be getting out of the door as it is unlikely I will be getting to too many short races or speed club sessions over the summer. (I have two races in mind this month but one of those may be not be the most sensible idea- more about that some other time) The missus is in a new role in her company and is working long hours and with me doing the S.A.H.D.T with the small one I will have to do the best I can. I knew months ago this would be the case.

Coming into July the plan is to improve on the long runs (upping the distance and pace) and get a good handle on the tempo runs (improve the intensity) with hopefully a couple of decent marathon pace efforts. The rest will be easy mileage with rest days where I see fit.

Hopefully by August I can start getting a good indication of where I stand in terms of Berlin.

At the mo’ I will keep applying the ice to the ankle, just a niggle.

Heavy legs

Week beginning 26^th June,

A good running week diminished somewhat by a poor half marathon in Waterford on Saturday. I ran 8 mls on Tuesday at 5 am with a 5 mile tempo insert. The pace was down on previous efforts but still a good effort when you consider the heat that morning (18 degrees) and a few baby led trips into Mallow- 7.10 pace with splits coming in at 7.15, 7.13, 7.13,7.09 and 7.00. I was happy enough with the effort but I was feeling somewhat crappy the rest of the day and I didn’t sleep a wink that night getting up at 5am next day to get the run out of the way.. I jogged 7 miles in a hour but the legs were heavy enough. I had a busy day with Iseult that day and headed to Cork city that night with Aoiffe to see Elbow play in the Marquee. A excellent gig but I was standing for 2 hours that night before I was up again at 6 am in order to get organised to bring Iseult up to Cork City  to see Nana. I ran 8 miles at a good solid pace (8 mins) up in the city but curiously enough I struggled at the hill by the Montenotte hotel before motoring on. Then it was home again that evening before another early start on Friday morning before driving down to Waterford on Friday night.

Writing this now it was obvious I was shattered from lack of rest and decent sleep. Even heading down Friday night to the hotel I knew if I didn’t take it handy I would suffer on the Saturday. I wasn’t sleeping a lot that week having had appointments of one kind or another every day. I was - simply put – shagged.

I planned to run rather than race the Waterford half marathon. I was thinking to come in around 1.40-1.42 pace but there was little enthusiasm in my legs or head for it. I capitulated by mile 7 walking up the Mount Cosgrave hill and then walked / ran at various points around the course. I was miserable for most of it and eventually was glad to come in at 1.47.17. To be honest I was glad to get back home and stay off the roads for a few days. Sunday morning my resting heart rate was 55 beats , always a bad sign as it is normally 50 beats or under. Cue further rest days. 3 weeks ago I was able to run a half marathon in under 1.36 on a tougher course.

We will take it handy for a while.

A frustrating end to what has been a frustrating few weeks. The quality of training has been mixed.

Week ending 25^th June, 40 miles

S.A.H.D.T (Stay at home Dad thing)

Week beginning 19^th June

New job for the summer. Stay at home Dad.

 Aoiffe is back in work and as I am off for the summer, it’s my job to pick up the reins and be daddy day care. I have only been at it 2 weeks and I think I am getting the hang of it, Iseult is patient enough with me anyway. I tell you thing though if more men did the whole say at home Dad thing (S.A.H.D.T) I reckon the world’s population would half in a hundred years, so slow would the rush be to have kids. Even the simple notions of getting to the shops to get a bottle or bread is like a planned military expedition never mind making the journey to see public health nurses, physio’s, chemist’s, Nana, Granny and so on. I have had to postpone a number of social outings (baby free) with friends as I am wrecked.  Iseult is a pet though, she still has a few hurdles to surmount but she’s getting there.

The day itself is pretty regimented. Iseult wakes at 7.15 am, breakfast, change clothes, tummytime, nap, snack, play time, buggy time, nap, lunch, playtime, nap, snack, reading time and bed time 12 hours later. That doesn’t include the prepping of dinners, breakfast, lunches, changing nappies, changing bins, making dinner for myself and Aoiffe, errands around town, cleaning the house etc. The days of vegging on the couch watching boxsets is gone for a long time. Ok ok I know women have been doing the baby thing  for thousands of year but it’s a hard job. On top of that you are always wondering , am I doing this right? Iseult as I say is a very tolerant baby. Hopefully she will continue to offer me plenty of smiles.

So how does running fit into all this? The answer is that at the moment the routine is a bit all over the place. I am logging 40 miles a week and I try to get the running done early in the morning rather than leaving it too late. That has meant a couple of 5 am rises during the week and also a couple of skipped  workouts due to appointments for Iseult but hopefully once Aoiffe settles into a more regular work routine I can plan a more sensible  schedule. I also started  joining Mallow ac for the long runs on the Sunday (15.7 miles last Sunday), there was only so much running solo around Charleville I could take. The club sessions on a Tuesday have taken a hit though caught between Iseult duties and early AM scheduled workouts. One such workout was this morning was a 8 mile run with a 5 mile tempo at 7.10 pace.  I was up at 5 am in order to avoid the heat and also because I knew I wouldnt get down to the club in time tonight. That’s a shame as I do enjoy running with the club in Mallow. I do try to support the club sessions by doing the Doneraile workouts on a Saturday and now the Sunday long runs.

My personal form since last Wednesday has been poor enough. Donating a pint of blood really saps the legs for a while and is especially noticeable on the hills,. Last Friday evening was a case in point where I struggled to run 8 miles at what should have been a manageable 7.40 pace and again on the hill repeats session on the Saturday in Doneraile. Outside of all that I can see that despite what ever extra speedwork or new sessions I do the pace isn't improving a lot, perhaps it's a case of enjoying it for what it is,

Hopefully the legs will start picking up now again this week. In terms of schedules I am sticking as much as possible to the old Pftzinger 18 week/55 mile plan, it generally works for me. As to what “works out” will actually mean in terms of hours:minutes:seconds, time will tell……

Mileage for week ended June 11^th and June 18th– 40 miles each. Long runs 13 miles and 15.7 miles.

Cork city half marathon 2017

Week ending 4^th June

Well actually it’s the bank holiday Monday and I jogged 4 easy miles this morning but the big run of the week was on Sunday – the Cork city half marathon. The week leading up to was ok recovery run on Monday (4 miles) , tough hill session in Doneraile with Eamonn and Helena ( 8miles), too busy with correcting to do anything on Wednesday or Thursday and 9 miles at a laboured pace (7.57) on Friday. Jogged a few easy miles Saturday and then down to Cork city on Sunday.

I was hopeful of getting at least a course PB (under1.36.05 in 2012) and I felt confident of getting a PB (under 1.34.15 limerick 2013) but as is the way these days I had to make do with a course PB coming in at 1.35.43. This was my first half marathon in over 12 months and I suppose if nothing else it serves as a starting off point (my wife’s words) for the next few months. Either way it’s definitely a improvement on last years DNF effort.

Looking at the splits I was cooked myself in the first few miles. Mile one was my fastest mile of the lot (6.51) which probably was a bit thick but by mile 8 I was running at a good solid 7.10 pace. My splits were up and down 7.07 – 7.17 -7.27 -7.10 but that was probably due to the nature of the course. Flat as far as mile 4 and then a series of ups and downs until a hell of a climb from mile 8 to 9 and a gradual drop down to mile 10 before a flat 3 miles towards the finish. The course was tough in parts (Tory Top road and Farranlea park) but it is a exciting race what with the marathon runners, relay runners and the good sprinkling of locals out along the course.  I never felt wrecked or tired at any stage along the race but the legs just weren’t able to push any harder than I hoped. That was probably the disappointing aspect of my run where I thought I was doing well at mile 11 and mile 12 the splits would say other otherwise – 7.27 and 7.28.  The finish up North Main Street was a excellent idea and as always the finishing straight up Pana was a great buzz. My good friend Aidan McGee had a very good marathon coming in comfortably at 3.29.11, he didn’t look in the least bit troubled post race as we chatted over a bit of food in Perry Street Café. I would have been panned out - he probably didn't run hard enough ;-)

I headed home afterwards a bit tired out and having to drink plenty of water for the rest of the evening - I was a bit dehydrated. As I say a solid effort but not exactly progressive either. It is what it is and let’s be honest in light of what happened in London and Manchester and Kabul it ain’t worth a breath….

Miles for the week

Monday 4 miles, Tuesday 8 miles, Friday 9 miles, Saturday 2 miles, Sunday 13 miles.

36 miles

Up the Rebels.

Week ending 28^th May

The last Sunday of May. Another overdue blog update. It’s also 18 weeks to the Berlin marathon so this week marks the beginning of marathon training. I’ll ease into it but I have noticed there isn’t much time to hang around either. I have a few ideas regarding training. Monday recovery run/easy run. Tuesday solo tempo session/Mallow training session. Wednesday easy run. Thursday faster, longish, marathon pace type run. Saturday Doneraile, club session where I can fit it in. Sunday long run.  Hopefully I can get a few races in there as well.

Last Friday week I raced in Killmallock Limerick. I have been attending 1 to 2 club sessions a week and the pace and stamina has improved. My time was 33mins57 seconds. The course is a fast one but I lost a bit of time around the 4^th mile and I was disappointed to be struggling to get under the 34 minutes but the last mile was a strong one (6.45 mins). I’ll probably be running mostly local races given my new found family commitments but the quality of races in North Cork and South Limerick are very good so no fear on that score.

The week past was a good running week. I had hoped to get out 5 days a week but could only manage 4 runs this week but from a personal point of view the quality was good. Tuesday was a 8 mile run with 4 miles at a tempo pace of 7 minutes. Thursday was 9 miles at 7.27 pace. Friday was a 8 mile run up in Mayfield (rare enough these days) at 7.50 pace. Sunday was a 17.5 mile jog towards Churchtown and back at a relaxed pace of 8.23 per mile spending around 2hrs25minutes on my feet. All good stuff.

Being honest I know a lot can happen between now and September. Breaking my arm last year and getting a stomach bug in the lead up to Frankfurt in 2015 has taught me that but lets keep it positive.

Iseult thinks so. Up the Rebels !!!!

Bweeng and back

Week ending 14^th May

The first blog update in 2 weeks. Just back from a kids birthday party (Aoiffe’s niece Phoebe) so apologies for the fuzzy headed update.  I ran 45 miles this week and a 10k race last Sunday in Bweeng. I did solid enough in the race (that’s code for a slow time and a non PB) coming in around 43:32, mind you ninety second faster than Adare 10k in early March. It was a unusual course 3 miles downhill and 2 miles up hill and 1.2 miles on a flat fast section. I kept it restrained enough for the downhill section which actually paid dividends as I passed around 7/8 runners on the uphill part. I hit 5 miles in around 35.05, I would have preferred quicker but I was happy with my finish taking out 2 runners on the finish line.

The race was in my legs for Monday and Tuesday, slow 6 miles and 7 miles at around 8.30 and 8.04 pace respectively.  Wednesday was the now regular trip up to my Mums’s with Iseult (she is making strange these days – crying at strangers and the not so familiar) and on Thursday I ran 9 miles around town at 7.53 pace. I should have probably gone quicker and probably have been more focused but lesson learned. Saturday I met up in Doneraile running that ‘orrible 6 mile hilly route around the park. No idea what pace I was doing but I well down the pack. Still though it’s always a excellent workout, I’m too bothered about the pace more about the effort I expend in getting around. At the moment it’s still high.

Today was more about time on the feet than anything else. 2hrs 16mins on the feet covering a ok ish distance of 16 miles. I really need to start injecting the odd pace workout into these longruns but perhaps later in the summer. I also need to vary my route in the future. It those get boring.

Anyway around 45 miles this week and 36 miles last week. Hopefully next week will get one speed session and one race in with a cutback long run.

Changing Dynamics?

Week ending 30^th April

Another week up on the legs but marked by a tummy bug on Wednesday which side lined me that day and the Thursday. Not such a big thing but I had hoped to grab 40 miles this week and had to settle for a 33 mile week. Tuesday was a tough workout with the club 6 miles with 6 X 1k loop repeats in Doneraile park. It was a small enough turnout but Mick, Eamonn, Tony and Colman were flying it. Me less so but I enjoyed the workout despite being nearly locked in the park by the caretaker. The tummy wasn’t great that morning but I had hoped to a few miles on the Wednesday but I was not in great shape when I come home that evening – heavy sweats, cramps etc etc. Iseult had a tummy bug during the start of the week so maybe it was one of those things, she’s fine now. I went to bed at 7.30 and sleep straight through till 7.15 the next day. As a result I couldn’t make my A.M run as Aoiffe was busy Thursday night leaving me with having to make do with 6 miles on Friday morning. The legs were wobbly enough probably a lot to do with the fact I had only run once during the week at this stage. Saturday morning was the 10k run in Doneraile run with Tony, Paudie and Catherine. 

This is a tough early workout but I able to pick up the pace the last two miles.

Sunday I ran 15 miles at a relaxed 8.30 pace on Sunday morning but being honest it was a dog of a run. I didn’t enjoy it at all, just didn’t feel comfortable at all. It was also another solo run in Charleville, maybe I need to change the dynamic a bit.

33 miles Tuesday 6 miles, Friday 6 miles, Saturday 6 miles, Sunday 15 miles.

Daft I know.....

April 23^rd

I was mulling over the race in Edenderry and I suppose in some ways I did well. I was able to keep with the 7 minute pace for longer than I expected but I wasn’t able to keept going as a good runner might have hoped.

Tuesday I took a day off from the running, busy calling up to my sisters and taking my 6^th years in for a bit of extra work. Wednesday I was minding Iseult all day and that kept me on my toes. I was feeling weary from the race at this stage and running was the last thing I felt like doing. Minding a baby (even it is your own daughter) is surprisingly both boring and hard work at the same time. Iseult didn’t seem to mind and seemed happy enough with how her disorganised Dad was lurching around the place looking for bibs, nappies or plastic spoons. She’s a lovely baby !!!

Thursday was the day to get back into running, running the standard 8 miles at 7.55 pace. The effort was easier than I thought and I followed this up with a 8 mile marathon pace run at 7.34 pace on the Friday. I had a 3 meal the night before but thankfully it had digested well enough. Saturday morning was a 7 mile run with Doneraile with 4 X 5 minutes at 7.04 pace with the club. I opted out of the fifth repeat, all in good time.

Sunday , the morning of the London marathon and the Connemara marathon, I jogged 2 X7 mile loops around the town. The pace was easy so much so I got to thinking about maybe running the Cork marathon in 5 weeks as a training run. Daft I know…..

Miles for the week – 47 miles, Monday 10 miles, Thursday 8 miles, Friday 8 miles, Saturday 7 miles, Sunday 14 miles

A weeks training and the Edenderry 10 mile race

April 18^th

Tuesday evening. In the excitement of Easter Sunday and paying visits to in laws not to mention the usual baby and gardening stuff I had given the blog a complete miss. The running week had gone very well coming close to a 40 mile week. It did help of course having 2 weeks off work which of course makes training very easy indeed even with the distraction of a 6 month year old baby. Aoiffe is on maternity leave until June so I was determined to make the most of the time off. Monday morning was a relaxed 8 mile effort around town but the pace was still very promising (7.55) with the last 3 miles coming in around the 7.40’s. Tuesday was another excellent session with the club – 6 miles with 7 X 3 minutes. The pace was good here though I was some way down behind the leading pack. I was running at 6.35 pace, nothing hectic but hopefully some day that might improve.

Wednesday we headed up to Cork and I was happy to avail of the day off. Thursday morning was a tough session 3 mile warm up with 4 X 1 miles and 1 mile cooldown. The repeats were in the 6.45 to 6.53 range but I was struggling in the last repeat and was right to wrap it up. The session was tough but I suppose the idea to emulate race pace means it is always going to be tough. 

Friday morning was a lot more mellow but rewarding nevertheless – 10 miles around town at 7.50, the splits were kept even. Again very solid but I do have ambitions to get faster and more comfortable in time. Saturday morning was the club run in Doneraile. I last ran one of these sessions around 12 months and so it was back to the future. I was happy to run down the back with John (he was in taper mode for the Limerick marathon) and unlike last year I was comfortable and happy to run at the slower pace (8.30 pace). I don’t see the point in racing all the time in training.

Sunday was a rest day as mentioned above as Monday I was making the trip to Edenderry, Co Offaly for a 10 miler. It’s a surprisingly involved journey once you come off the M7 to Dublin at junction 14 taking around 35 minutes taking you through Monasterevin, Rathdangan and through various little villages and secondary roads. I got there around 10.45 parked outside the HQ strolled up to the desk and collected my number in around 2 minutes. I was told there would be little more than 240 runners and I was enjoying the low key feel (but friendly) to the whole thing. It was a totally different set up to the Ballycotton/Mallow/Dungarvan races whose numbers are in the 1000 to 2000 range which at times can be a bit overpowering. A fast sub 55 minute runner would clean up in terms of prize money if they were so inclined. My ambitions were a lot more modest. I was thinking a sub 70 would be great but I would taken a sub 72 minute time too.

We shot off at 12 on the button and I noted there was probably 8 of us running with the sub 70 minute pacer, now that’s what I call nice. My buddy Aidan shot off aiming for a 66 minute time with large gaps appearing in the field after a mile. I didn’t have my garmin on me but the pacer was doing a bang on job of keeping time. The course was pretty flat with on tricky stone bridge at 5.5 miles and I was still right on top of the pacer. By mile 6.5 I could feel the legs start to wobble a bit so I had to pull back a bit leaving the sub 70 crew push on ahead of me. Nevertheless I had made up some ground and by mile 7 I was only 7 seconds off the pace. Unfortunately I was losing more ground and my mile 8 I had to call time on my sub 70 ambitions hitting a tough climb by a industrial estate ( 7.33  mile). This was a mistake on my part as mile 8.5 to mile 9 was a steep downhill with the last mile into town and into a lap of the running track, a flat fast mile. I didn’t run a particularly fast mile here either (7.13) but it was enough to let me sneak under 71 minutes (1.10.53).

To be honest I was a bit annoyed after the race, this was a great opportunity to PB but my lack of racing at sub 7 minute pace told against me here. On the positive side my 10 mile times have improved since last year (1.22, 1.16, 1.12.45, 1.10.53) so that is something to take away and focus on. I never will make big leaps in time anymore. My friend Aidan ran a great time coming under 66 minutes with something to spare. He was understandably chuffed.

So what is the plan now?  Probably run a few 5 milers over the next few weeks and then figure out a plan for Berlin. At the moment I am enjoying the training but I want to avoid the temptation of overdoing it and losing the freshness before Berlin training even begins.

the eternal pessimist

Week ending 9^th April

A genuinely good weeks training up on the legs. Monday morning was the AM run at 6.55. I was short for time this time as I had to head to Mayfield before work to collect two lovely plates of chicken curry for my Mum (spoiled I know). As a result I capped off the running at 7 miles at a good snappy 7.37 pace. Again the effort was easy – I really hope these become a more regular occurrence. Tuesday night I showed my face up at the town park in Mallow for my first midweek session there since July 2015.Pretty hopeless appearance record but it was a very well run session (they always are) but a lot of old familiar faces no longer seem to be going to them. I can’t talk obviously given my poor apperance record but I have treasured memories of training sessions when I first joined the club when runners of all abilities would train and run together. Anyway we covered 6 miles with 5 X 4 minutes in the middle. I was running on grass in to a headwind but the middle speeds were only run at 7.05 to 7.10 pace. The first and last were a lot better 6.53 and 6.46 pace. I enjoyed the session and it was good to be there. Aoiffe, my wife did a great job in cajoling me to go. Hopefully over due course I can start making one or two appearances a week with the club. The standard has really picked up there and the benefits of training with a group are obvious but hopefully (unlike the previous 2 years) I can stick with it (Parent, husband and job responsibilities come first though).

I took a day off Wednesday as I was feeling a bit stale so rather than crash and burn I decided to rest up and focus on a few well needed jobs around work and at home. Thursday morning was another AM run at 6am and this was a workout I was most looking forward to. It was a 2 mile warm up and a 1 mile cooldown with a 5 mile tempo insert. The sunrise came up at around 6.25 just as I was getting into the tempo portion. It was the same old route I always use. The legs felt good and the last two miles were run at 7.05 and 6.57 pace giving me a overall pace of 7.10. I felt energised during the cooldown and was in good form for the rest of the day. Aoiffe headed to yoga that day and I felt no more tired than I would feel had I ran in the evening. As usual with Iseult gone to bed at 7 I took a hour nap on the couch before giving Bubbins her bottle at 11pm and settling down for the night.

No rest for the wicked on Friday morning with a slower AM run at 6 am covering 7.3 miles with a few light strides thrown in. That evening I managed to finish off Iseult’s room and move her cot and bits and pieces into her new room. For the first time in six months our bedroom was our own. Happy days.  Unfortunately I didn’t sleep a wink that night and was sweating a lot confirmed by the fact I had a stuffed nose the next day. The cold was caused by two things – not having a hot shower when coming in from training on Tuesday and also having a cold shower Friday morning (I never turned the hot water on- Doofus).

We were busy Saturday dropping Iseult to Aoiffe’s mum (Granny as distinct from Nana) and then driving to Ballygarvan to collect 300 euro’s worth of flowers in a garden centre. Aoiffe won the prize in a gardening magazine – interview and photo opportunity and the whole lot. Still though the cold wasn’t going away so going for a long run the day after on Sunday morning wasn’t probably the brightest thing. Iseult was up the previous 2 nights with the teeth so there wasn’t much sleep either. I set off at  9am thinking that I felt like crap after a hour I was coming back. What do you know – I ran my best long run in a long time – covering 13 miles in 1.44.30 with the last 7 miles at 7.50 pace. I wasn’t forcing the pace either. It felt very relaxed. I suppose if it were a planned marathon pace run I would hope for something faster but it was enough to be getting on with. The cold lifted too. The rest of the day was good too – Iseult’s bottom teeth cam down and Everton beat Leicester 4.2.

Now I am waiting for it to all go horribly wrong pretty soon.

41 miles for the week. Monday 7 miles, Tuesday 6 miles, Thursday 8 miles, Friday 7.3 miles, Saturday 13 miles.

Nibbins

Week ending 2th April

A poor running week but 3 useful workouts and one abandoned race entry. Very disrupted and disruptive. The 3 workouts I completed were in their own way very good but there wasn’t as much  running this week. Monday I was determined to catch up on some rest given the systems failure of the previous Saturday so no run there. Tuesday I had planned to do a few AM miles but didn’t set the alarm and slept out the 5.40 am call and was lucky to make into work at all. By the time I got out Wednesday the legs were getting cranky not having had any leg movement in a while. I ran 8 miles and what do you know it was the best workout I had a in a while. The first 4 miles were run in 7.45 pace but the next 4 were run at 7.15 pace giving me 8.04 miles for the hour. If I could manage such running while maintaining a relaxed exertion I would be delighted. There was no effort in it at all. This was underlined by the fact when I did get up at 5.40 AM on Thursday I was able to knock a easy paced 11 miles  8.32 pace without any effort. Friday was a non running day as I wasn’t home till 7.15 pm. That’s the norm though.

On Saturday I ran 8 miles (bumping into Ger Vowles at the train station). Again the effort felt easy but the pace was good -7.45. Only 2 months ago I was lucky to manage a 9 minute pace. The big run this week however was the UCC 10k on Sunday. I ran this last year and wanted to improve on last year’s patchy 45mins09seconds. I reckoned I could pull off a sub 44 minutes but I never made it to the start line. I had to turn around by Mallow and go back home. Iseult was in car with me ready to go up to Nana’s in Mayfield for the drop off before she got sick all over the car (both ends) and was obviously not happy about it. I wasn’t too chuffed myself but the poor mite was very upset. Anyway it meant a return trip home with a disgruntled baby and a disgruntled middle aged runner and a non too pleased mother/wife waiting for us. We cleaned Iseult up and she then proceeded to sleep the whole thing off after around 3 hours. She seems ok enough now, no fever and smiling away. These things happen probably caused by getting up a small too early (even though she awoke at 6) and a full breakfast (baby rice and 180 mls of formula milk), teething and a touch of the reflux. A car journey didn’t help.

Anyway lesson learned but a case of the race that got away. I didn’t go out running that evening either keeping a eye on nibbins and allowing my good wife the rest of the time in the garden- a greenfingers if there ever was one. I was annoyed with the whole drama but it was just one of those things. Learning about parenthood on the job.

I stuck to more mundane tasks for the rest of the day like making dinner , changing bins and doing the laundry. Making tea and having some brioche helped too.

Berlin training doesn’t officially start till the end of May but I would like to see a bit more consistency. The general idea is to be able to manage close to 40 miles a week made up of a long run of 2 hours (13-14 miles), 3 X 8 mile runs (with a couple of 5 mile tempos, 7 X 800 metres, marathon paced runs thrown in), one recovery run (4 miles) plus a couple of races (5 miles, 10k, 10 mile, maybe a 13,1 mile). I got there sometimes but this week didn’t quite hit the mark.

Miles for the week 27 miles. Wednesday 8 miles, Thursday 11 miles, Saturday 8 miles