new post 2022 and 10 years in review

 The blog is 10 years old this year. I started writing it as a way to record my plan to get a sub 3.30 marathon. The title of the blog was orginally called getunderthat210minutes and attracted a nice little following at the time. 2012 was a big running year for me. I joined Mallow AC running club at a time when the running boom in this country was at it's peak (I have not rejoined in over a year). Joining the club was the biggest reason why I did manage to acheive my sub 3.30 goal in the Dublin marathon that year. It also happened to be my marathon PB. The running thing was a intregal part of my life from 2010 to 2017. It occupied my life to such a degree that I now look back on it wondering - why was I so taken up with running long distances at the age of 37 years in a life where I showed no enthusiam for participation in sport at all?

That enthusiam dimmed some what alarmingly after 2017. I for what ever reason just went into a DECLINE failing to make 4 marathons from 2018 to 2019 and my speed and endurance just melted away. I did complete a 50k race in 2020 but ran very poorly on the day and in Autumn of that year I had to pull out of a virtual marathon after 20 miles. Ever since then I have still managed to clock up a average of 20 miles a week and completed a few half marathons but the hunger of those "glory years" has never returned and probably never will. Maybe it's a age thing or a burn out thing or maybe it's part of the natural cycle of things. 

At times I think I have made my peace with it and have accepted it and just move on.  Sometimes I get a return of that old hunger and drive and I am back in action. It goes in cycles. I think it's better to operate in between both worlds than on either end of the sprectrum.

Thankfully the last number of weeks has seen the hunger. return I logged 53/54 miles last week. 23 miles Monday 7.3 miles on Tuesday 7.2 miles  Friday 7.3 miles Saturday and 10.2 miles Sunday.  This week I logged another 7 miles on Monday and a decent 8 miles today (7.45 pace with a number of 7.30 splits). I think the lie in bed over the holidays and the rich food has helped me. Not driving 2 hours a day is always a positive.

Back to work tomorrow. We will see how it goes.