December update

 Blog update.....running pretty well since the virtual marathon..doing roughly 20 miles a week...3 to 4 runs a week but mostly 3..monday rest , tuesday 4 miles recovery, thursday 5 milles , saturday 5 miles, sunday 10-11 miles long run. I have started doing some speed work and I'm enjoying it to be fair. a few 3 x 1 mile repeats at around 7.10 per mile and a couple 4 mile tempos at around 7.27 pace. Not massively speedy but enough to wish I could train for a few 10 mile or 10k races, which obviously aren't going to go ahead. I do think if the usual Dungarvan 10 mile race and Adare 10k were going ahead I could build up a pretty good head of steam. 

I'm not going to be doing more than 10 mile to 13 miles on the long runs as there really isn't any point and I will capping the weekly mileage at 25 - 30 miles a week, At least that's the plan.Donadea 50k isn't going happen in February either (I reckon) but I am hopeful that we will see some resumpation of racing and races later in 2021.

this week was a 4 mile run and 6 miles with a 4 mile tempo (7.36, 7.23, 7.17, 7.31). HR peaked at 176 which is pretty good. I only got 2 done as I am caught up with corrections, tests and other school work not to mention the Christmas house decorations!!!!

not this time but always next time

 short story....did 2 miles out and back out Smiths rd and then 2 X 8 mile loops for a total of 18. I had one more loop of 8 miles to go and I was done for the virtual marathon. The offical  app was around a mile out compared to my Garmin. However while the groin was fine, the legs were getting heavier and the head started to go a bit. I had resorted to walking at this stage (it had started at mile 16 when the left leg started to go numb and i needed to walk/run on it) and the thoughts of another 2 mile walk down the Railway Road did me in. I walked home and my wife suggested I simply change my clothes , eat some food and walk the remaining 6 miles. I probably should have but I had enough and pressed stop on the app. Game over, DNF. Disappointed but I was over it after a hour.  My 3 year decline is complete and currently without any seeming chance of recovery. 

Now a week later I am not sure. Ok perhaps I won't be getting close to PB times and perhaps even a sub 4 marathon mght be a struggle but I am know I am good enough to get over this. I suppose the failure to make the starting line of 4 marathons in 2 years (Manchester 2017, Dublin 2018, Connemara 2019 and Dublin 2019) all have their own reasons. The first two were releated to burnout plain and simple and what was in mental health terms a difficult time for me. Connemara I didn't have the courage to give it a shot and run badly (I suspect I may have been out for around 4hr30mins) and Dublin 2019 is my bigest regret where I alowed myself to be talked out of it on.. I did run a solo marathon in Jan 2020 and did finish the Donadea 50km where many others dropped out (in a poor time though). The virtual marathon DNF was down to poor conditioning and a preoccupation and worry with the groin and hamstring issue. I should have walked it out but I suspect with the groin and hamstring being quite sore this week maybe that would have been foolish.

Therefore in conclusion my biggest enemy the last two years has been myself and my mental state. I always prided myself on being strong in that area but it's taken a battering these 2 years. I am talking myself out of races and challenges before anyone else does. I do accept that I might be a bit slower and not as able to churn out 60 mile a weeks as before and run those 7 mile tempos at my old pace but let's put that in the past and define new goals for myself. 

In the COVID world marathons and races might be on halt but that doesn't mean I can't create new areas to explore. 

I do need from a athletic point of view to work on a few things - namely my conditioning. I have lost something there in a aerobic sense so it's something worth investigating. I also need more variety in my running

So yeah I flunked a virtual marathon lets move on...

groin, groans and grimace

 The groin was giving me gip for the last couple of weeks. I spent a lot of the last couple of weeks icing, streching and trying to rest. That said the pain which started as itch, evolved in a nagging pain and escalated into a sharp pain to the point that even walking into work (15 minutes from where I parked the car) was becoming a problem. I popped into a local physio in Cork at lunchtime and he said I was close to tearing it and under no cirumstances not to run "as something as stupid as a virtual marathon". So accordingly I had pretty much ruled out the virtual marathon by last week. However this week I felt a gradual improvement and noticed the walk into work was becoming less of a problem and the awkwardness from getting up from the workdesk wasn't too bad. This encouraged me to go for a 6 mile jog on Wednesday and I felt fine afterwards. A couple of days afterwards the leg started to get sore again as did the back of my hamstrings. Cue another rest day this Saturday. Sunday (today) I felt a lot better again  and jogged 2 X 7.5 miles around town (8.57 pace). I felt good running around town and in fact found the whole running quite mediatative - very zen. I felt 15 miles was plenty as with a week to go running more mileage would make little difference.

Anyway that's the story. I still hope to get the virtual marathon done next week but that depends on how I feel on the day. In terms of upcoming COVID restrictions it will probably have to be a solo effort (I hope  though I can run with a few friends) and in terms of time I have no expectations of anything under 4 hours. I just want to get to the (imagined start line) and get in finished without undue pressure. We are a nation and a world under pressure so I plan this to be my own little bolthole from a increasingly sad and difficult situation.

now comes the crash and a kick in the groin

 ....as I feared the crash....after the 20 miler a few weeks ago I was doing pretty well running around 20 miles during the week and a easy 10 miler on the Sunday around Charleville. During the week just gone I was doing ok too, running 22 miles over 4 sessions but when it came to the planned 22 miler on Sunday I had to turn back after 15 minutes. Two problems - one was a groin strain which I had being trying to manage for a few weeks but which was very sore by the end of the week (I was running with a strap around the leg). Walking more than 20 minutes is now becoming a issue. The other problem is that I am drained, flat out tired but I suspect if the groin pull wasn't a issue I would be ok. I am stretching and icing the affected area 2/3 times a day but it isn't getting quicker quickly. I haven't run since last Saturday

Mallow AC in light of the COVID level 3 restrictions have (wisely) decided to postpone their planned marathon long run around Ballyhass lakes. It means essentially I have two options (if I run) run locally around Charleville by myself and cover the 26.2 miles or simply just put the whole thing to one side and just cover the distance in my own time before Christmas. It means I may miss out on the virtual marathon weekend but I'm not really missing out on a whole lot in real terms bar a medal and a beanie hat. I already ran a solo marathon in February and I have added that as a marathon to my sidebar. The cancellation of the Mallow Ac event has taken the buzz out of the whole thing, now I wonder is it better to simply keep working on the groin and look to the future. It doesn't appear that we will be seeing any races in the next 12 months.

finally a 20 miler.....

 finally a 20 miler...completed this morning...the same route as the 18 miler two weeks ago but I managed to get the final two miles in this time...the run from Corbett Court to Charleville, long pull as they say..The pace was very slow at the end 9.23 per mile and I was cream crackered for the rest of the day but job done.Overall pace was 8.48 per mile.

It was a funny old running week. 4 miles (8 laps) around the town park but I feel more tired than refreshed after it and sure enough I was on the couch all evening the next night. Wednesday I ran around Charleville instead rather than Mayfield and the pace was good, 8.04 average but again wiped out Thursday. I  overdid the sugar intake (something I have been trying to get a handle on since August) and paid the price for it Friday where I was in pretty shitty form and again spent the evening on the couch panned out. Saturday I was feeling much better knocking out a solid 6 milers at 8.15 pace and suddenly the thought of running 20 miler didn't feel so daunting and so it proved. It also helped today that the weather was glorious, ideal Autumal evening and the rest of the day in terms of weather and famly time proved very nice indeed.

I didn't knock out 40 miles as I hoped but considering the ups and down of the running week I did ok.

In terms of the week ahead I'm taking a day off Monday and will aim for 26 miles. After that one more big running week and then taper for the virtual marathon.

September update

 I'm overdue a blog update. Sitting here on a Friday evening at 6.30 pm in supervised study with 3 students and glorious Autumnal sunshine outside. I'm clocking off at 7 pm and should be home by 8.15 pm looking forward to getting home to see my gang. I probably haven't updated in a while probably becuase I was pre occupied getting into a new school / COVID era routine. Seeing all the pupils especially the 1st year's wearing face masks proved a bit disconcerting at first but the new normal has become  (somewhat) normal).

I had resolved last month to get training for the Mallow Ac virtual marathon on October 25th and training is going reasonably well. I say reasonably in the context of how my running form has declined in the last 3 years. Ideally in the period 2010 to 2017 not withstanding injury I would be hitting 50 - 60 miles a week clocking up some handy PB's on the way and well on my way with the high mileage long runs. These days things are different but hopefully I am learning to live with it. Last week was my higest mileage in a single week - 43 miles.

This consisted of 5 miles Monday, 6.5 miles at 7.50 pace on Tuesday, 6 miles up in Mayfield on Wednesday (first run up there since March - had to walk twice) with a 24/26 minute split. I was a beaten docket on Thursday. I ran 7 miles on Saturday with 18 miles on Sunday on the Charleville-Churchtown road. The long run was going ok-ish enough but the legs cramped up at mile 18.07 and I had to walk the remaining 3 miles home. That is something which rarely happened before but is now a feature of the last 3 years. Also true to form I picked up a headcold (from Iseult and running) on Tuesday which has ruled me ut of any running since then. I'm a lot better now.

Accordingly consistency has still become a issue but unlike the last 2 years (2018 and 2019) the resolve to get to the starting line is a lot better. I have 5 weeks to get to the starting line and while a sub 4 hour marathon may be looking unlikely I hope to get a couple of 20 milers done yet even if it won't be pretty.

On the positive note the calorie counting is paying off combined with the running and 3 mile walk to and from the car every day. The kilo's have dropped from a 91.5 kg to a morning standing weight of 87.5 kg. That feels a lot better. It involves a fairly disciplined healthy eating regime and with the running (the good weather helps) I should be hopeful of further drop over the next 5 weeks.

So anyway one week at a time. I would be delighted to get back into the 40 mile range.

Green shoots or a false dawn?

 43 miles this week so that is a positive . Probably my highest weekly mileage since Janruary. 4mls recovery on Monday at 9.20 pace. 6.2 miles at a good 7.50 pace up and down to Pikes Cross on Tuesday evening. 7.5 miles at 8.20 pace on Wednesday again in the evening. No run Thursday - two reasons - storm Helen and I was tired. Friday morning 7.5 miles at a slow pace around 8.35 pace, that run was tough but getting through the mentally tough patches stood to me. Saturday no run, up to Cork with the family. 

Sunday I ran 18 miles with the Mallow gang. I ran the last 7 miles on my own and while the last 3 miles were a bit messy it was a case of mission accomplished. I was delighted with the run overall pace was 8.45 per mile. Hopefully this week can serve as a turning point. Weight wise I am very heavy these days - 14stone 4 pounds but trying to get a handle on the calorie intake. I have taken to calorie counting. it's not easy and requires a fair bit of discipline so I am hoping the counting with the running and the motivation to train for a marathon will have the desired effect. I am back in school/work next week and in this COVID world it will be interesting to see how it all ties to life and running. The reality is it's all interconnected - eating well, losing weight, staying fit, good running, positive mental outlook, happy personal and work life. They all feed into each other but one must keep it all in perspective. 

August update

 The long run last Sunday went better than I hoped. It wasn't fast at all (16 miles at 8.50 pace) but what made it encouraging was I went out and did it on my own. It was my longest long run since February and I was happy with my effort and solid pace. The Sunday previously I just did a easy 5 mile effort, the legs were very tired after a Thursday trip up to Mangerton mountain with the lads and I also had a fair bit of power washing to do on the house using the 62 foot cherrypicker to get up to the chimney breast.  The mileage for that week  was 23 miles.The mileage for last week was high too , 34 miles (4mls + 7mls +7mls + 16 mls) so I finally felt I was getting somewhere, This week started off slow . No run Monday (family trip to Fota). 4 miles Tuesday (family trip to Granagh pet farm). No run Wednesday as we headed to Ballyheigue beach, 7 miles on Thursday evening (very humid) and 7.2 miles today (very humid again). The weather has been great but my sleep has been very broken due to high humidity at the night meaning I am running in the afternoon. Hopefully I will get a few more miles in over the weekend though I might just take it easier on the Sunday run.

.....the Sunday run had it's good and bad points. The bad points were that I was too wrecked to arise to head down to Mallow for the club run heading out myself for a planned 10 mile "8.30" pace run, up and down to Ballyhea. Mission accomplished but the humidity proved difficult and the extra stone on the belly limits me a lot. 28 miles for the week ok i suppose should be better.

down the line

To be fair in the last few weeks  the long runs were going reasonably well  - 11 mls with Mallow, 12 mls solo, 13 miles with Mallow last week. Nevertheless heading down to Mallow yesterday morning I felt I probably might have benefited from a shorter run this time rather than a 14 mile effort. During the week I ran a 5 mile easy effort on Tuesday and a faster 6 mile effort on Wednesday (7.57 pace) but managed nothing on Thursday. I was very tired and quite cranky with it all the week. It was obvious to me I was on the tired side of things and needed to pull back for the week. I took a rest day Friday as we had to head down to the garage to get the car sorted. That meant my next run was  a  Saturday. Again it was good 6 mile run (8.10 pace). By Saturday evening I was feeling tired again and I knew fully well it was better to opt for a  shorter Sunday long run. I met up with the usual gang on Sunday morning and I was doing pretty well after 7 miles but as soon as I hit the Caherduggan hill the energy drained out of me. I struggled on for another 3 miles before leaving the group off at 10 miles and I walked in by myself for the last 3 miles. I knew after 8 miles the problem was not helped by the fact that I was dehydrated. A sip of water would have sorted me out and I would have made the last 4 miles so a lesson learned there.

Anyway this week is a busy one on a number of fronts. Aoiffe is back in the office this week so it will mean a earlier start for me if I want to get the running in. I am also popping down to Killarney for a few nights for a spot of hill walking and then at the weekend I am undertaking a bit of  outside maintenance work on the house. It shouldn't stop me from getting the long run in. My focus will be completing the virtual marathon organised by the club in October.

two long runs in a week

I can't remember too much about the weekend before last running wise but I didn't do a long run last Sunday as we had to attend my sister's 40th lunch up in her house around 40 miles away. I took the easier option of postponing the long  run until Monday morning running 12 miles at 8.46 pace. It felt fine.I ran 4 miles on Tuesday and 10 km on Wednesday resting Thursday and another 6 miles on Friday with 4.5 miles on Saturday. I ran with Mallow Ac on Sunday (today) in glorious sunshine. We ran 13 miles including a tough 2 mile climb up to Dromahane. I thought at one stage I was going to heave up - it was that tough. The miles from 7 to 10 were downhill and while I struggled at the end , doing a lap of the park to make up the 13 miles I was very happy with the effort. The splits and over all pace was solid enough - 8.37 per mile. I wouldn't have managed it on my own that's for sure.

Anyway I entered the virtual Dublin marathon and Mallow are organizing a lowkey marathon on the scheduled day on the 26th October. It's a great idea and gives me massive incentive.

I'm delighted.

45.7 miles give or take but that figure is inflated by the 12 run on Monday.

(re) born on the 4th of July - Mallow long run

....went for a long run with Mallow Ac for the first time since April 2019. I was a active member of the club from 2012 to 2016 but was less involved in the club in 2017 with only sporadic runs with the club since then. I don't know how I will get on in the future but I really enjoyed my 11 mile run with the club on Sunday in the company of Kevin and John. Both guys are in their 60's and 70's but I am in total admiration of their fitness and dedication to running. Very fit guys and very good company.

I went for a run on Saturday , 5 miles and this filled me with a lot of confidence before the Mallow run on Sunday.

A good running week for me. Sluggish starting off but ended well. I was tired all day Sunday (but in a good way) and took Monday off. I'm nearly finished a course I am doing. It was/is going ok until the inevitable falling out in the group project. Lesson to be learned : Teachers can't do teamwork  but this crowd I was working with are a right bunch of shits.

Rant over - happier now!!!

in july

Pretty wet month so far...only running 25 miles a week since last month. The last week very little indeed. I was (sorry to say) floored after donating a pint of blood for the week and took a week off running. I went back two days ago and was struggling to even run 4 slow miles the last two days. I am considering running with Mallow on Sunday but i think even a hour never mind 10 miles could be beyond me. I hope this trough ends soon as I do have a running ambition I wouldn't mind fulfilling in September.

in june

First week of June. When the lockdown started in March I had resolved to use running to get me through the days, weeks and months ahead. This proved to be very successful as I really enjoyed getting up in the morning and getting my running in on the morning.I had plans to get up to a level of 30 miles a week but no more than 34 miles in any one week. I also sprinkled this in with a little bit of speed work, a few marathon pace runs and nice solid 10 mile long runs. On the whole this proved quite successful and even though I was beginning to feel a bit stale in the last week in the two I felt very positive about running. In all this period lasted a 11 weeks.  Considering I had no race targeted and I was running the same routes I did pretty well.

Now in the first week of June I am asking myself what to do next. I took it very easy this week - 21 miles, 4 runs (4 miles Monday, 5 miles Tuesday, 6 miles Thursday and 6 miles Friday). No running over the weekend. I had ideas of training for a virtual marathon in September but might just focus on perhaps upping the mileage from 30 miles to 40 miles, maybe up the long run up to 2 hours.

Running in sorchio sorchio

Currently in Ireland we are going through our regular June weekend heat wave. We will enjoy it while we can as the Winter seemed to drag on for ever. It makes for tough running, evidenced by my 2 mile jog yesterday and my easy 7.2 miles today. Yesterday I probably should not have gone out to be honest. I picked up a touch of the sun the day before and wasn't feeling the best when I went out. Heavy legs, queasy stomach, a bit hot headed so I called it quits after 2 miles feeling a bit crap for the rest of the day. The bad mood took a while to lift too a sure sign I was feeling under the weather. Sunday was a bit better but even at 8 am I was beginning to suffer again with the queasy tummy so this time I just stopped after a hour - 7.2 miles up on the legs. This wasn't my original plan during the week but sometimes you have to make down with what you got.

Aside from that a good solid running week, no speedwork. Monday 4 miles recovery at 9.20, Tuesday 6.4 mls at 8.20 , steady but was finding it tough. Wednesday 7 miles at 8.06 pace pushing the pace for the last 4 miles. This was a tough run. Thursday I had a long workday ahead of me so went running Friday instead doing 6.6 mls at 8.16 pace. This was followed by 2 miles on Saturday and 7.2 miles on Sunday.

33 miles for the week. 134 miles for the month of May. Not bad these days but without a target race it's hard to keep motivated.

On a extra note Cork City marathon are now cancelling their race. It would have been originally held today. It was then deferred to Sept 6th (my birthday!!!) but is now postponed until May 2021. Today would have been a tough time to hold a marathon in such heat. I had planned to do Cork in September and Dublin in Oct had they gone ahead but I guess i will just have to run for pleasure now. Connemara is still talking about going ahead but this is hardly credible or sensible.. I might try training for a solo marathon instead but then again I might not 😆😀😀😀

Running in the time of Covid -part 8

I had planned to take a easier week this week as the legs were feeling heavy for the last few sessions last week.  I was consistently hitting 30 miles for the last 4/5 weeks so it was no harm. The other big news of the week was the cancellation of the Dublin City Marathon. It was hardly a surprise and it was the correct decision but now I have a large gap in terms of "what am I training for". The answer is "I don't really know". I could train away to run a personal marathon in August but unless it's officially recognized  and I get a nice chunk of metal for it there seems little point at the moment. We will see what happens down the line. Maybe just keep doing 30-35 a miles a week for the month of June might be enough of a challenge.

Monday - I ran with just a stopwatch at recovery marathon pace. Maybe 5 miles maybe a bit more. Pace was probably 9.20 per mile.

Tuesday - no running. Aoiffe was busy with work meetings in the morning so running wasn't a option. I was happy to avail of the excuse.

Wednesday - 6 miles at a relaxed 8.16 pace

Thursday - 6 miles with 3 X 1 miles . First mile was a bit rusty 7.14 or so but last two a lot better 7.07 and 7.04. I didn't have another one in me but might remedy that in the future

Friday - no plans to go for a run. As it was it was a crazy work day.

Saturday - Probably a disappointing session in a lot of ways. I was thinking maybe 8 miles at a faster MP pace on the Coolens route. First 10 km went well , 7.55 pace but I bonked after that and I called it quits. Just walked home . Mind you I had a good day at home with Aoiffe and Iseult

Sunday - no run. Panned out on the couch for a hour during the day. Feeling a bit miserable not physically ill but just feeling a bit bluesy. Some stuff going on in the background that is affecting me. My best running can only occur if the real life stuff is going ok.

That works out as 23 miles a week. Very low to be fair but I needed the break. The "Kick" was gone out of the running a bit lately.  No harm in that.

Running in the time of COVID part 7

Logged my highest mileage in a long time - 33mls to 34 mls

Monday was ok enough 5 miles at a recovery pace. 9.20 per mile felt very good after it.

Tuesday - 5 mile tempo with 3 mile insert at 7.22 average per mile. It was tough but was as good as the last time I tried something similar 2 weeks ago

Wednesday - a busy day. Had to deal with a few work issues as well as starting a assignment for a course I am doing so it was easier not to run

Thursday - 6.3 mile hilly run around town and its streets. Doesn't compare to running up in Cork but it will have to do.

Friday - MP run at 7.53 pace. A good run.Didn't have to force the pace at all. 6.3 miles

Saturday - wipe out. Zoom chat and beer with the lads.That was way better. I acted as quizmaster.

Sunday - very sluggish 90 minute run. Garmin not working. Stopwatch only. Not a great work out. Hunger wasn't great. had hoped to do 12 miles but it wasn't in me. Around 10.5 miles.

A good weeks mileage but looks like all marathons will be cancelled in 2020 and possibly next year too.

Running in time of COVID part 5 and 6

30 miles this week and the week before.

This week consisted of 4 runs - 7 miles hilly around Charleville. Very sluggish. I ran that on Tuesday. On Wednesday I ran 6 miles at a faster pace but still sluggish. The better run was Thursday's 6 mile run with the last 3 miles at 8 minute pace. Long run Saturday 11 miles at 8.16 pace as fast as last Saturdays marathon pace run of 8 miles so one of those runs was either too fast or not fast enough. That meant 30 miles for the week. Wiped out now on Sunday.

The week before consisted of 30 miles over 5 runs. 5 miles Monday, 6 miles Tuesday with 3 mile tempo insert at 7.23 average pace, faster than the previous tempo pace of 7.38. No run Wedneday with 6 miles on Thursday and Friday. All generally good pace runs 8.20 and 8 minutes. Saturday was a MP run of 8 miles at 8.16. That required more effort than I expected.

Happy enough though even it's only May I think we can forget any marathons in Ireland happening even later in the year maybe next not year either.

Running in the time of COVID part 4

Another good solid weeks running but the weekend was a bit tougher than I expected. The stats are good for me. 31 miles. 5 mls Monday (8.35 pace), 5 mls Tuesday with 3 x 1 miles (7.13, 7.12, 7.11) and 5 miles on Wednesday (8.09) The legs felt good on the Wednesday run. Thursday I pushed on a bit for 6 miles on the Cooleen run but the pace was slower and I was dragging a bit at the end. Friday was a day for cutting the grass and Saturday was given over to painting the walk in wardrobes. That meant the 10 mile run was due for Sunday and from the first mile the whole thing was a real effort. The pace was consistent enough (8.30). I ran the route from my house , down the park (3 laps), the railway run and to Corbett Court and back taking Bakers road on the way home. I was totally out of puff at this point and glad to have it done. It was humid and I should have pre hydrated more. The legs were heavy too. Nevertheless it was job done and sometimes that's ok.

31 miles for the week, (Monday 5 miles, Tuesday 5 miles, Wednesday 5 miles, Thursday 6 miles, Sunday 10 miles.

Running in the time of COVID part 3

The week before last was certainly a good running week. I was taking advantage of the staying at home, no driving into work and resting all day to log  a good running week. The mileage was not particularly high 28 miles but I felt great and really tuned into running. By Sunday morning I wasn't feeling too well, got a throat infection and blisters appearing on the tongue which made eating difficult. I was also feeling pretty crappy. Now while I am 100% positive it wasn't COVID I gave the running a break until I started to feel better and simply went for 3 mile walks instead. The little one was complaining of a sore throat the week previously as was the wife. Therefore it was a matter of time before I picked it up.

It was a nasty bugger too. I was able enough to get the walking in but I was zapped after that so running was out of the question. It disrupted the sleep too and the sore throat was  uncomfortable at times. The mouth blisters were the worst though. Thankfully it had cleared up by Friday allowing me to run a easy 4 miler on Saturday with no ill effects at all.

As a result I ran 5 miles easy pace (8.20) on Monday. I ran a tempo effort on Tuesday, my first in over a year, 3 miles at 7.38 average pace the last mile being the fastest at 7.32 with a mile warmup and cooldown, 5 miles at recovery effort on Wednesday (920 pace). On Thursday I ran a faster run on the Cooleens route covering 5 miles at 7.57 average pace with the last two miles at 7.42 pace. Friday no running and a planned long run over the weekend.The long run was a bit of a effort. The legs were tired and heavy but I was never in any fear of quitting either. I did 10.5 miles at a average pace of 8.25. I was happy with the run.

I think going forward (all going well) I might stick with the 30 -35 miles for a few weeks yet. I'm certainly not that comfortable to run much more than 11 miles on the long run as it is. Anyway all those 2km out and back would drive you twisty.

A good running week - 30.5 miles. The staying at home and not driving in is most definitely paying off. Hopefully there will be races worth entering in the Autumn.

Monday 5 miles Tuesday 5mls with 3 mile tempo at 7.38 average, Wednesday 5 miles, Thursday 5 miles at 7.57 pace, Saturday 10.5 miles at 8.25 pace.

Running in the time of COVID Part 2

Week 3 of the lockdown.

The government have placed restrictions on social mobility. That extends to exercising no more than 2k distance from your home. Before the social restrictions were put in place I was running well - sticking to a schedule of  22 miles and 24 miles in the first two weeks. This meant running 5 miles on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and 7/8 miles on a Saturday. I have adjusted my running since, running early in the morning at around 7 am, running 2k loops near my house.

I don't see anyone in the morning and ran 6 miles Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week all at 7 am..
I leave the running shoes outside the house and basically stay in the house the rest of the day doing the remote teaching thing catching up on a bit of reading and music. It probably sounds boring but we don't mind it all.The running saves me from boredom.

One item of concern is the slight nagging pain in the left ankle, I iced it a lot last week and it did the trick. I can't decide is it tendinitis or ligament strain. The other concern is the strain in my right knee and quad so I am foam rolling that. Hopefully it will sort itself out once I am sensible about it.

The long run went well today. I ran 10 miles today(8.22 pace with last 4 at 8.15 pace) again observing all the social precautions, up early avoiding people, maintaining social distance and observing the 2k radius. I'm not observing the keep it brief rule but (and this is selfish) I  know I am doing no harm. I have seen on Strava runners and cyclists who are really taking the piss including a number of coaches, business leaders and elite runners who should know better. We will see how it goes.

In terms of races (and this is only speculation) I am torn between a few options in Autumn assuming the world hasn't gone into collapse completely.

Stay well, stay safe and stay exercising.

Running in the time of COVID

Yeah seriously surreal stuff these days....From a running point of view I am running at 7 am in the morning , doing 5 miles, back by 7.45 am. Then it's a case of minding Iseult while my wife works in the study. Schools are closed and I suspect they will be until September. I am doing ok with juggling minding Iseult and trying to teach remotely. I do the latter with a mixture of google classroom, email, Zoom and trying to learn as I go along. It's important the young people are kept busy. Hopefully they get to sit their state exams and have some sense of normality in the middle of this weirdness. From a teaching and learning point of view it isn't ideal but we can only commit and do our best.

I did see some moron teachers complaining on twitter about how hard it is to work from home. Maybe they should try unemployment or even try working more than 22 hours a week. Most teachers are great but there is a sense of self entitlement  and self pity in the profession which really gives teachers a bad name.

Anyway back to the running. I assume there won't be a marathon or a race of any description this year at all. I know a lot of marathons have been re-scheduled to September and October but realistically will they go ahead? I'm not sure but for the sake of sanity lets pretend they are and train accordingly. That said we might not be able to leave the house in a few months so I could be reduced to running laps of the back garden. I have taken up skipping as well!!

Currently I am training for a imaginary half marathon in a few weeks. Since last week I try to do 5 miles 3 days a week and 7 miles on a Saturday. I ran 5 miles yesterday and 5.5 miles today. Ideally I would like to be up to 4 X 7 miles a week and a long run of 13 miles on the weekend.  I'm not doing any speed work just simple running. The running I am enjoying. It's gives me a target to aim for and sets me up for the day.

starting point

4 weeks since the Donadea 50km.....I had pondered the crazy notion (for me) of running another marathon at some stage before the Dublin marathon in October. I have since ditched that idea as it's probably better I try to re-learn how to run faster and more consistently. I will have to start working on the latter part first before I even try to undertake the former.

Last week was ok, this week less so. 27 miles last week with 4 runs in the week. The longest run was a pacy 9 miler at 7.50 pace. I was happy with that. This week was 2 X 7 milers in Cork on the Wednesday and Thursday. I had to skip the Kinvara 13.1 on Saturday as a series of late nights on weekdays and a particularly late night on Friday night/ Saturday night (Pub table quiz) had me nackered over the weekend. As a result I was lying on the couch over the weekend feeling pretty gammy and tired. (By the way it was tiredness not that fecking COVID 19 b/s). Any way no run over the weekend.

I see that a number of Continental marathons are being postponed or deffered so it's best to wait before I commit to any larger local races yet.

I know I have failed to make 4 marathons in the last two years so the target in Dublin will be modest. Get the training done and get to the start line. Then again it may not go ahead anyway.

Donedea 50k race report - 5hrs32mins - Ragged Glory

Glory days, well, they'll pass you by
Glory days, in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days
Glory days, well, they'll pass you by
Glory days, in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days

 (Bruce Springsteen)


Race done and completed. My first marathon distance since Dublin 2017 and my first ultra since April 2015. Therefore I fulfilled my initial aim of getting to the start line and getting to the finish line. It's the stuff that happened in between that proved a bit tricky.

Just to explain about the Donadea 50k. It's held in the forest of the same name in Co Kildare. It's hosted by a guy by the name of Anto Lee, who's way of publicizing the race is somewhat unusual. It's not my cup of tea but leaving that aside it is a well organised race if somewhat pared down compared to a lot of long races  . I entered last October and so began a low key training build up. As ever I was accompanied by my running buddy Aidan McGee. He was training well enough but got injured early in the new year and apart from a couple of 13 ml long runs had done little training of consequence.

My own training focused on the long run with only short mid week runs which at times I didn't complete. I had nevertheless still completed good long runs of 20mls, 23mls, 21mls, 26.2 mls over the last 8 weeks. I had no speed work completed, with weekly mileage averaging under 30 mls peaking at 47 mls in the last 2 weeks. So I suppose the training wasn't particularly great, it was what it was.

Another issue was the weight. I had dropped from 14 stone to 13 stone 8 pounds but I was still carrying a lot of gut and chest fat. This was becoming evident during the long runs with the pace hardly getting above 9.05 pace. All the same I was reasonably happy I got to the start line confident of getting under the cut off of 5 hours.

 I had predicted 4 hours 55 minutes. When I ran Connemara 39.3 mls in 2015 I reached the 31 mls in 4hrs 38mins and had never finished a marathon over 4 hours so I felt reasonably confident. (Duh)

Anyway here is the rough story. You can see the photo below with the splits. I ran the half way point (5 out of 10 laps of 5k ) in 2hrs 25mins. This was a lot slower than my training runs but I felt good and relaxed. Lap 6 went in similar time to the previous 5  and I reached the clock in 2hrs 50 mins . Then by the time I got to mile 19 ml the arse fell out of my day.

I basically ran out of steam and I still don't know why. Maybe running the 26.2 mls two weeks prior to the race caught up with me. Anyway I had to walk / run until I got to the start of lap 8 and did more walking and even less running. I was contemplating quitting at this stage as I feeling pretty low. Then I remembered it was my 1) choice to take part, no one forced me, 2) stop being a moaning dickhead and 3) (most importantly) I was running on behalf of Pieta House so it was a case of suck it up and get on with being alive. So I did.....

At this point I would have loved to have said I ran the remaining 6 miles but I would be lying ... lot's more walk/ running. I got and gave great encouragement on the way and during the course of the race I enjoyed the banter. I was also humbled by great commitment of the runners out there in particular the women who flying around the course. It was also obvious to me that having a few marathons up in the legs rather than relying on old and faded glories was the way to do it. (Note to self).

At the end of lap 9 (4hrs50mins) I knew the cut off was almost up (5 hour cut off). Anto , the RD, informed me that I was on my own now. Maybe it was a attempt at giving me that added extra incentive, it certainly worked.

It got me through some incredible painful spasms that started hitting my calves at this point. The walk running thing finally bit the dust at mile 29 (just walking) and the last of the runners started to drift past me.  I was on my own with two miles to go. Storm Ciara was beginning to make her presence felt and the encouragement of spectators and the P.A was no longer there. The race was in shut down and clear out mode and I realized I was probably the last runner out there, something which was a new experience for me.

Anyway out of pride I shuffled the last 1 km to get over the line in 5 hrs 32mins 28 seconds, third last, no official time up on the clock with little glory to be gained. Mind you I wasn't too despondent. I got the job done and sometimes that's as good as it can be. I didn't let anyone down.

The real story of the day was the performance of my good friend Aidan. The fecker with no training (but with plenty of marathons up on the legs) ran in at 4hrs 55mins. I was chuffed for him and it gave me a real boost. Delighted for him.

Then it was back home to Charleville casting my vote in the general election. Don't know what to do now maybe just rest.

week ended 02 Feb serious training

Short entry- last week of proper training- serious stuff - even if the mileage was low- 47 miles in the week. 7.3 miles Tuesday (8.05 pace) 7.4 miles Wednesday (8.20 pace) in Mayfield 6 miles on Thursday morning (8.35 pace) with a 26.27 (9.15 pace) long run on the Sunday, all solo. Epic stuff even if I say so myself. I am writing this 5 days later on Friday with only 3 miles clocked up since. The bathrooms in the house are out of action , being redone. Just as well I got the running in.

I got a 6 mile run completed on Saturday morning. Left achilles a bit twingy. Rest day today.

Week ended 19th Jan 2020 - A funeral, a removal and a christening.

Sunday morning. I ran for a hour this tomorrow. Definitely on the chilly side with some of the paths less than safe. Busy old week with running so so. Monday I had do a presentation as part of this course I am doing so no run there.

 Tuesday morning I was up at 6.15am to do six miles in a relaxed 9 minute pace. Wednesday was a good workout. 9 miles at 8.05 pace, a good strong run. Thursday and Friday were write offs having to go to a family funeral on one day and working late on the other with a removal to go too as well. Saturday I was feeling a bit under the weather. I had planned to do the long run up in Cork but was feeling pretty gamy on the Friday (upset stomach, migranes) so came home thinking I would feel better on the Saturday. Anyway I wasn't not helped by Iseult deciding it was time for breakfast at 6.20 am.
I did try to get out at 9am but the paths outside the house and down by the town park were a tad slippery so mixture of pitiful self preservation, illness and tiredness saw me come back after 10 minutes. That only made my mood worse though I did manage to trot out for a laboured 4 mile jog at 2pm. I was sweating heavily during and after it and the old tummy wasn't too happy afterwards. That brings me up to todays effort - 7 miles.We have a christening to go too later, I would be happier lying down on the couch. That 26 miles for the week and 3 weeks to the 50km in Donadea. I will have to try to fit some sort of long run/time on feet by next week. That once soft looking cut off of 5 hours is looking a bit harder now.

Training report week ended 12th January

A good running week, Tried to get a bit more "pace" into the running this week partly as a reaction to last Sundays slogfest which saw me petering out badly over 17 mls and dying on my feet on 21 mls. Anyway I was back in work this week and the running helped in me getting over a difficult week on a professional front. It was also a culture shock to my daughter Iseult as well realizing Santa was well and truly over. . Tuesday I was up and out the door by 6.15 am and a handy recovery pace run at 9.20. The legs felt good, a situation confirmed by me running 7.5 miles at 8.02 pace on Wednesday evening, a pace which these days is speedy Gonzales. I was up again Thursday morning at 5.30 am (Parent teacher meeting in the evening) running 7mls at 8.20 am. Again I was very happy with the run though it was early bed for me at 9.15 that evening, a price to be paid for getting so early for running. No chance of a run Friday, in work until 7pm and home by 8.30 pm. Aoiffe was up in Dublin all day Saturday so no run there either.

Sunday was a good run. My best of this training cycle. Storm Brendan is due to arrive tomorrow morning but while out running the weather was lovely - hints of a lovely Spring to come. I decided to run 2 hours at MP pace, currently at 8.30 pace. 15 miles in total. I could have done around 5 mls extra but decided against as I had stuff to do at home. Big week next week in terms of training. Maybe the storm might affect me. We will see.My running is limited , I know that and there is a lot of important real life stuff on the horizon

Yeah it was good. A plan (fingers crossed ) is forming.

Running log 5thJanuary 2020

Last Wednesday 5.5 MLS. Last Friday 6 MLS and Sunday 6 MLS. That marked 40 miles for the week, the first time I have probably managed it during this training cycle. Wednesday (2020) 4 mls. Thursday no run or Friday minding the little one all day while Aoiffe goes back to work. I ran 7.5 miles on Saturday morning feeling a bit chesty while out there but a nice hack up of phelgm after 3.5 miles did the trick. It was the kind of hack up that had a fair bit of substance to it. Quite satisfying. I had considered heading to Blackrock in Cork city running the MCI marathon out there but I don't really have the confidence in my fitness to attempt it. I did something similar when I was training for the Connemara ultra in 2015 but the fitness and hunger was way off the scale back then.

I ran the long run today. The plan was to 3 X 8 mls around Charleville. Namely down from my house and up Love Lane, in and at out of Manor Hill (our old estate) and in and out of Broomscourt and back up and down Love Lane ( long drag) and then down to the Railway Road and back home via town. Time for a slug of water and then do it all again. I had hoped to spend around 3hrs 45 - 50 mins on the feet, 9.15 pace, slow but steady. I was up and out the door by 6.30 am. I was doing ok by 16 miles with one of two little stops but the pace was beginning to drag by mile 13, the legs draining a bit. Maybe it was the blood donation, the headcold, the early start or nothing at all but I was dreading the third loop at mile 16. I decided to run out Smiths Rd and back again and a couple of loops around the town park but it was all getting pretty horrible. Mile 20 passed in a very slow time of 3hrs09mins. Normally I would expect to be comfortable under 3 hours but not today. I was reduced to a jog, a hobble and eventually stopping at 21 miles and 3hrs24mins on the clock.

I tried to be philosophical about it. Bad runs can happen to anybody but this was very poor.  The cut off for Donedea is 5 hours a time with any bit of decent training should be very manageable. I ran 31 miles in 4hrs 38mins back in 2015, a time I was disappointed with at the time. These days I know my training cycle is very limited so I looking for somewhere around 4hrs50 minutes. Essentially I need to be around 4hours with 26 miles under my belt and feeling reasonably comfortable.