Photos of the Amsterdam marathon 2014

Some photos of the Amsterdam marathon. Most of them are taken as I am running the last 200 metres to finish line. The second last photo is me throwing my hand up in disgust as I know the clock has ticked past 3hrs29mins59seconds.

Moving on and getting on with it

Week ending 26^th October

It’s not a bad old life really. Back from Amsterdam on Sunday and now heading off a 4 day trip abroad tomorrow. The schools are on their mid term break so like a lot of teachers I will be taking advantage of the free time and heading off for a few days.

The Dublin marathon is on tomorrow and were I around I probably would give it a lash, not because I expect to PB but simply because I always enjoyed doing it and the legs have been in very good shape since last Sunday. Getting back to Cork on Sunday night with Aoiffe and some of the club members the disappointment amongst some of us was obvious.  A lot of us, me included, expected to PB but it just didn’t happen. Some people blamed the weather, others the hassle at water stations but I simply feel in my case I didn’t push hard enough in the last 5k. I attempted to manage the race in order to slip under the 3.30 but had left it too late with 500 metres to go. Anyway it’s all done now. Best of luck to all runners tomorrow in Dublin in particular to all Mallow club runners and also to  my friend Aidan McGee and cousin Don Ryan.

There are  two marathons I will like to have a lash off next year but all in good time.

I headed back into work on Monday and was surprised to see I had little or no stiffness in the legs. My resting heart rate was 56 on Monday morning but by Thursday was back to normal levels of 48 beats per minute. Therefore I ran 5 miles up in Mayfield doing 5 X 1 miles of the estate.I checked the Garmin afterwards and the overall pace was 8.13 but the HR was nice and low 143. This encouraged me to venture out on Friday and Saturday running six miles each day, the pace was very solid 7.48 and 7.53 with the Hr reading 153 and 148 respectivately. In neither case did I push the pace , I simply ran as I felt. On Sunday I met up with the gang from Mallow Ac for the usual long run. We had a good chat postmorteming the Amsterdam marathon and by the time we finished running it was for me a case of putting the whole thing firmly in the past. Running is therapeutic  that way..... We covered 10.5 miles, I took it very easy spending the required 90 minutes on my feet.

I hope get a few miles up on my feet tomorrow before I fly off. It’s unlikely I won’t get any more running completed until Friday but I am hoping the occasional opportunity might present itself. Ideally I would try to get out every day but it may not be possible. Therefore maybe next week I will try to get out Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Total mileage for the week 27.5 miles

Amsterdam marathon - 3.30.06

Week ending 19^th October – Amsterdam marathon

For those people who like to get to the point...... Three hours:thirty minutes:six seconds. To put it another way – 3.30.06.  Coming into the Olympic Stadium for the final 500 metres I was pretty sure I had done enough to sneak other the 3.30 barrier by a few seconds or so. Then I started to panic when I realised with 200 metres I was going to fall short by a few seconds. I gave it a mighty lash on the astro turf track, sprinting full out, nearly bowling over a guy in front of me.  The axe fell with only a few feet to spare and I crossed the line pretty upset. I stopped the garmin with a reading of 3.30.14 with the course measuring 26.54 miles. So what happened?

In the week leading up to the marathon I had done very little running, a six miler on Tuesday and a 4 mile run up in Mayfield on Thursday. In terms of a goal time I had started the training cycle in June with a ambition of sub 3.20 but I had realised by August that was a tad ambitious. By October i had now revised my ambition to 3hrs25mins or failing that a sub 3.30. Training had gone well despite the absence of any PB’s over 5 miles and 13.1 miles. In fact in most of the races I entered I achieved a lot of second fastest times. Perhaps a portent of things to come?

There was a big gang from Mallow Ac going most of us doing the full marathon others doing the half marathon. The main organiser Darragh Wiley had it all sussed out right from the beginning from hiring a bus to the airport, directions to the expo, booking a dinner the night before in Amsterdam, even getting a club flag and organising a photo shoot right before race time. Most of the club runners were heading over on the Saturday morning but I had booked my flights on the Friday instead figuring that the extra days rest would be of benefit to me. Aoiffe, my wife, came along as well determined to fit in a few art galleries and get a few bargains in the flower market’s while we were there. Sharon, Caroline and Neil were on the same flight. Everyone was in good form. I tucked into Roy Keanes new book on the flight – a cracking read from a fellow Mayfield man. I appreciated his humour.

Meeting up for dinner on the Saturday night was a excellent idea- a very good social occasion with everyone chatting away, drinking plenty of water and eating enough pasta. Sunday – the morning of the race- was all business.

I was very nervous on the morning, not so much about the race but getting the right train and metro to the stadium. I need not have worried – all the marathon runners were heading in the same direction. The bag drop in the stadium was slightly confusing with some of the bags that were dropped in being passed out again by the stewards. Apparently they didn’t have enough stickers to go around!!!!

I completely forgot about the photo shot outside the stadium and headed in with Dermot, Sharon and Caroline. The setting was lovely and the organisation (provided you got there in time – race started at 9.30 am but you needed to be in there at 8.20 am) was good with people being guided to their correct pens. Maybe a few more portaloos would have helped. Standing around with Dermot we did note there was no sign of the pacers, this was to be a problem later on as many of them  did a poor job of keeping time.

Anyway the gun sounded and once the elites went off we followed suit. As we jogged to the start line I started my garmin a tad early which meant my time was slightly fast. By how much I had no idea but I wasn’t unduly worried. I was hopeful of doing well. My plan was pretty simple. Run the first 15 miles at 8 minute pace and push on for the last 11.2 miles. It was all on my shoulders now.

The first 5 km were a bit slow though. We seemed to be directed by the stewards in all sorts of odd ways – some of us to the left and some of us to the right at various points. Running through the Vondel park was nice and while the sun was coming out  the craic was good and the locals were giving good gusto. I garmined the first 5 miles at 8.10,8.03,7.45,7.56,7.50 which meant I was under 8 minute pace so all good. John Paul was motoring ahead as was Dermot – they were looking good for a PB. Another variable on the course apart from the markers being in km were the water stations. Rather than handing out bottles the organisers decided to hand out cups. Apart from being totally inadequate to serve runners needs it meant time was lost walking through the stations or in my case refilling the water bottle I carried. The sponges were a good idea though and they were a aid to myself and other runners. To make it clear I am not looking for excuses – after all it was the same for all other runners but the water stations and the time lost there was a issue for me..

By mile 10 or 16 km we were running along the canal. This was going to the case for the next 5 miles and crowd support was pretty sparse. The sun had thankfully disappeared but the sky became overcast and the wind was  beginning to whip up, nothing major but unexpected  never the less. I stopped for a pitstop  behind a tree and refilled my water bottle for the second time at the water station The splits from 5 to 10 were as follows 7.40,8.07,7.37,7.43,8.38. The last mile was as a result of the piss and the water refilling at the station. My garmin was reading 1.19.33 so I was ok keeping in touch and feeling very comfortable. I was fit and I knew it. Was I fast though?

The splits at mile 11, 12 read 7.43 and 7.50. I was a minute ahead of schedule according to the garmin. The problems begin when I hit the half way split. I was pretty sure i was a minute or so ahead of schedule but the clock read 1hr45mins12seconds which meant i was actually  a minute behind schedule. This threw me slightly – obviously me reading my garmin distance in miles and racing in kilometres wasn’t completely accurate. There was nothing left for it but to push on. A PB wasn’t so much in the balance as was a sub 3.30.

By mile 15 we were back on the road again. I spotted Paudie cheering us on as was Brian O’Callaghan.My watch read the time as 1.58.25 but given the problems with accurate reading of the course and me starting the watch early meant this time could not be relied on.

The field was beginning to thin out quite a bit by mile 18 as many runners were reduced to walking or in some cases completely pulling up. I felt very solid not in the least bit troubled but at the same time I wasn’t  able to push on as fast as I hoped. Mile 16 to 18 passed in 7.46,8.02 (water station),7.45. That said I was two minutes ahead of 8 minute pace which probably meant I had made up the time lost at the half way stage. Mile 19 and mile 20 passed in 7.41 and  7.55. Mile 20 on the course was particularly important – this was 32km and my time at that point would tell me a lot. When I reached 32 km the garmin read 20.2 miles and my time was 2hrs39minutes. It was obvious now that for one reason or another I had made a bad job of racing the course line but on the positive side I was just ahead of a sub 3.30 finish.

The wind started to whip up a bit and to my surprise we started to encounter a number of pulls and dips. So much for a flat course, it was nothing major but it was unexpected. I know all this may sound negative but i was enjoying myself, some of the bands and the crowds while small were a real delight.Mile 21, 22 and 23 passed in 7.55,7.55 and 8.14. Mile 23 was the toughest of the lot with a pretty crappy bridge to deal with and a sharp drop down under a underpass. I spotted Paudie and Brian again and I was delighted to see Aoiffe by the Rijksmuseum . She shouted I looked very fresh. I wasn’t too sure about that and I indicated thing s were beginning to look tight especially as the garmin now read the course as 23.35 miles. I simply couldn’t get my head around it and as the mile passed in 8.14, it was beginning to look tough.

By mile 24 we were reaching the Vondelpark again and I was hanging on a bit. I started to count backwards from a 100 to 50 in order to keep my mind off the dark stuff. A lot of runners were well beaten at this stage. I wasn’t far off it myself but after seeing Aoiffe cheer me on I was determined to continue. Mile 24 passed in 8.07 and the garmin read 3hrs10seconds but because of the vagaries of the course it probably meant I was closer to 3hrs12minutes in real terms. In other words I had lost the minute I thought i had gained at mile 20. To be honest It was a right fucking dose at this stage, the course wasn’t going to suit a runner with such a tight PB.

At 40 km we were beginning to leave the Vondelpark. It was guts or bust time. I had no idea as to how i would get on. It was time to stop clock watching and get racing. At mile 26 I turned  back into the road towards the stadium. I knew I was in trouble at this stage as the 26^th mile in the course read as 26.40 on the garmin and my time was 3.28.20. I started yelling like a demented lunatic on the final finish on the track going over the line in a garmin reading of 3.30.14. I was as they say, in soccer parlance, sick as a parrot. Absolutely livid. The garmin measured the course as 26.54 but because of me starting the garmin early I had no idea as to how I had really got on.

I chatted to Dermot and John Paul as i left the stadium and they disappointed with their times. Neither had Pb’ed but they are very good runners and they will bounce back, Sharon was the best of the lot of us coming in under 3.15 but she too felt it was a tough day at the office.

I headed back to the hotel in slightly better form. My official time was 3.30.06. It was my second fastest marathon run but six seconds away from a sub 3.30 was hard to take. I had felt this was my last chance of a PB instead it was another second fastest time.

I wonder what would Roy Keane would make of it? Fail to prepare or to hell with the prawn sandwich brigade?

Last week of taper

I haven't done a lot of running this week. I did 6 miles on Tuesday with 5 miles at 7.45 pace. The HR was 151 for the marathon pace run. I skipped running on Wednesday and plan to do 4 miles on Thursday. I will be working late in Cork that night so it means it will be late enough when I get home for packing. Friday I  will catch the flight to Amsterdam, visit the expo on Saturday and collect my number. Then it's rock and roll on Sunday. Nothing more to say .......

The 1st week of taper and the training breakdown

Week ending 5^th October

This was the first week of the taper. Always a tricky thing to get the first week right. I like to undertake a small reduction in mileage, small enough to allow for recovery but not pronounced enough to lose fitness. The second and third weeks sees the reduction become more pronounced. Realistically it’s unlikely I will gain any more in fitness over the two weeks so it’s best to just keep the legs fresh and the pace ticking over.

Tuesday I ran 11 miles up in Mayfield. I hadn’t run up there since last April but this was my third run up there since last Friday. I kept the pace steady enough erring on the slow side but I still managed to cover the pace in 8.04 pace and probably could have pushed the workout to a sub 8 pace had I tried. The last 3 miles are as always testing but the Hr on average remained very steady – 144Hr. It was more of the same on Wednesday, a 7.5 mile run up in Mayfield again- run exactly at 8 minute pace. Again I didn’t feel under too much pressure and was happy with how things went. It was good to know that I could still manage a decent turn up here but the calves were twinging afterwards. The day itself was one of the busier days in work finishing up at 9 pm that evening and getting back to Charleville after 10 that evening.

Thursday evening i was felling tired and i wasn’t sleeping all that well since the Tuesday. I had one big speed workout left to do and that was a 10 mile run at a fast pace, closer to half marathon race pace. I was surprisingly fresh this time, getting around 10.2 miles completed  in 75 minutes  or 7.20 pace. I was very happy afterwards – speed and endurance. I have no doubt were I doing this kind of training in a group I would have been a lot faster. Again though I found it difficult to sleep that night though- obviously the body was a bit wired which meant a rest day Friday and a mundane 4 mile recovery run on the Saturday.

That left Sunday – the last proper long run of the schedule. I met up with the Mallow gang at 8 am, running 7 miles in the first hour before looping around again to meet up with the main group for a further 10 miles around the same route. There was a big crowd for the run.  To be honest i was pretty sluggish for the first hour and it was obvious the Autumn had arrived this time – no sunny skies, no heat but plenty of wind with spatters of rain. I was happy to finish up with Tony after 17 miles, the rest of the group ran for a further 13 minutes. The pace was 8.26, Hr 144. A lot of the lads and ladies heading over from the club are probably all going for PB’s. Mileage for the week 50 miles.

To be honest I’m also going for a good time.  A Sub 3.15 is out of the question, a sub 3.20 would be exceptional, a sub 3.22 would be a very good time indeed. I wouldn’t fall out with a 3.29.59 either. Marathons can go pear shaped on the slightest thing so I will keep my plans to myself for a while yet. I did note with interest that on the marathon course the water is in the form of cups rather than bottles. I’m not a fan of the paper cups in marathons but as the stations are 5 km apart and there is 10 of them i should be ok for water. I’ll just have to slow down getting through them making sure I get plenty of liquid inside me on the day.

Anyway here’s the breakdown.

Weeks of training (not including taper) 17. Total mileage 748. Average mileage 44 miles. Highest mileage weeks 62.3 mls, 63 mls, 60 mls.

Long runs over 20 miles. 1) 20 miles,2) 20 miles,3) 21.5 mls, 4) 23 mls and 5) 20 mls (with 15 miles at 7.38 pace).

PB’s in races. Cork to Cobh 15 miles – 1.54.51. Ballincollig 5K – 20.35

Other races entered- Shannagarry 5, Dromcolloger 4,Churchtown 5, Clonmel 13.1, Ballycotton 5, Tullamore 13.1, Charleville 13.1.

A lot of races this time around but only two PB’s. That said though I achieved a lot of course PB’s in the above races and used the Clonmel  race a as marathon pace run, 17.5 miles with 13.1 miles at 8.05 pace. In the other two 13.1 races I achieved a improved second fastest time. I also ran plenty of tempos' in training improving each time.

I can’t fault my training cycle. This is very little I would change- the weight has dropped from 13stone 8pounds to 12stone 10pounds over the 17 weeks too . This is the best training cycle I have ever undertaken, without at the same time ever setting the world alight.

Cork Cobh race 2014

Week ending 28^th September

And on it goes.  3 weeks to the Amsterdam marathon. Clocked up another 60 mile week, this week was a tougher effort in terms of getting out there and getting the mileage done. Monday was a 3 mile walk with my wife, the desire to even do a recovery run wasn’t particularly appealing so the walk was a good option. On Tuesday morning I had a long day ahead of me but a late start so I ran 10 miles at 7 am in the morning around Charleville. The pace picked up for the second  half of the run with me coming me at 8.03 pace. The HR was 148 so all very solid but by Wednesday that old tired feeling was back again so I did the wisest thing and took a day off.

Thursday was a big workout, a 10 mile run with a 7 mile tempo at 7.05 pace. This was my fastest tempo workout of the present cycle and my 7^th tempo workout since June. In June I ran 3 miles at 7.18 pace so the improvement was obvious, my HR was spot on this time too, 161. That left me running 11 miles up in Mayfield on Friday at 8.16 pace and a 6 mile recovery run on Saturday morning in glorious Autumnal  sunshine.

Sunday was the morning of my last race in training for Amsterdam – the Cork Cobh 15 mile run. I ran this in 2011 and 2012 and it’s a excellent event. Again like in previous years I wanted to use it as a marathon pace run so after collecting Dermot and Kevin from Mallow I ran 5 miles around the north ring road before settling down for the race. I started off at 7.40 pace which wasn’t strictly the plan ( I was thinking 7.55) but decided to stick with it. The sun started to come out at mile 4 so I decided to walk through the water stations and get plenty of water inside me. It’s probably the only way to drink out of paper cups and I made up the lost time quite easily. The first 5 miles passed in 38.13 which put me well under 8 minute pace. I saluted Grellan and Margaret and a few others who like me were running the course as a easier long run. By mile 10 John Holland was there to cheer us on and I hit the clock in 1hr16min33secs. I was beginning to feel slightly light headed as we crossed into Cobh, possibly due to heat loss, the gear i was wearing was probably a bit heavy and I could have done without the t shirt under the singlet. Mile 11 and mile 12 passed in 7mins40seconds and 7mins35seconds so my times were still very solid. However by mile 13 the effort was beginning to tell and going up the hill I was glad to the end of it. My splits were solid enough (7.42) but the Hr was climbing to 163. Mile 14 passed in 7.41 – again a hilly mile and a few runners were reduced to walking. Negative thoughts were soon banished with cheers of support from the locals on the street and I crossed the line in 1.54.45 running the last mile in 7.21. This was about a minute faster than 2 years ago but i was a lot more comfortable that time. Dermot and Kevin had finished well ahead of me and were happily chatting to other finished runners while I was catching my breath before we faced the long hilly walk to the community centre. Peadar dropped us back to Cork where we drove back home.

Looking at the stats on the garmin- my average time was 7mins38seconds, my average HR was 158. A high Hr certainly around 5 beats higher than 2 years ago. That said I wouldn’t be getting too hung on the stats too much. I still ran 20 miles with 15 miles at a fast  marathon type pace. The taper awaits....

Monday 3 miles, Tuesday 10 miles, Thursday 10 miles, Friday 11 miles, Saturday 6 miles, Sunday 20 miles with 15 miles at 7.38 pace. Total mileage 60 miles.

Charleville half marathon 2014

Week ending 21^st September

As the time gets closer to the taper the tougher the training gets. As pointed out before, September is the toughest month of the lot with the  big workouts taking place over a long 4 weeks. This week was a bit different to previous week’s 60 mile plus efforts. I logged a modest total of 40 miles, happy to have a cutback week. This was due to us attending a wedding in Monaghan on the Fridaywith us having to undertake  a 4 hour drive up on the Thursday after work and another 4 hour drive down on the Saturday. It was a good wedding and it was interesting driving along the border around Clones, Monaghan town and Fermanagh. In Clones there were grim reminders of previous times with plaques to those killed in the bombing of 1974 and various ditchside plaques to those killed by the paramilitaries. Nevertheless with the peace process promising better times the famous northern hospitality was enjoyed by us revellers from the South though plenty of words were lost in translation !!!!

Monday was a 4 mile run with a 10 mile run at 7.21 pace on Tuesday and a 13 mile run at 8.10 pace on the Wednesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday was the wedding in Monaghan. Sunday was the day of the local half marathon in Charleville. Organised by North Cork Ac I missed out on this race last year due to injury but was looking forward to it this year. It is a PB course and I had notions of pushing for a sub 94 minute time. However the morning of the race despite getting a good nights sleep in after the long drive down I decided it would be better not to push it too much. The wedding celebrations had taken it out of me so it was very much a case of see what happens on the day. The resting heart was around 53 beats rather than the more steady 48 beats of late.

The drive from my house to the start line took around 3 minutes, a nice change from the long journeys to East Cork, Clonmel, Dungarvan and Tullamore. I met as you would expect plenty of familiar faces and the chat as ever was pleasant.. I decided to line up behind the 95 minute pacer and see could I push on for the second half of the race. The first 3 miles of the course are slightly downhill which means the last 3 mile have a slight pull on the way back. Nothing major but enough to take a bit of energy out of your legs when finishing the race. As a result I took it handy enough for the first 3 miles running 7.07, 7.27 and 7.15. Michael Kilmartin, a fellow  club runner tore past me at mile 2. This was his first half marathon and I wondered if he might pay for such pace later on. As it was he didn’t, running a fantastic time of sub 1.30,an amazing time for a debut half marathon.

By mile 5 the sluggishness had left my legs and I ran mile 5 and mile 6 (through Killmallock) at around 7.13 and 7.17 pace. I was gaining ground on the 1.35 pacer. His group was dwindling away as many runners were beginning to take advantage of the downhill 4 miles.  By mile 9 I was on top of the pacer having run a couple of sub 7 minute miles. I hit mile 10 in around 1hr12mins10 seconds. The last 3 miles of the course took it’s toll on me two years ago when i finished in 1.35.50 but I was a lot more solid this time without ever at any stage looking strong enough to pull that far ahead. I ran mile 11, over the small humpback bridge in 7.07, giving me a small increase and a certain sub95 minute finish. Mile 12 was another 7.15 mile and it was the most enjoyable mile of the race with some good crowd participation and good craic with Paudie and his wife who were taking photos. Neverthe less I was feeling a small bit tired at mile 13 which passed in a slower mile of 7.27, rounding the final stretch in less than a minute. My final time crossing the line was 1.34.41 , a small improvement on two years ago and my second sub95 minute half marathon in 3 weeks.

When I crossed the line I recovered pretty quickly but drank around a litre of water such was my thirst. All the Mallow runners were very happy with their times with plenty of PB’s all round. I was happy enough with my efforts. It means I am in good shape for Amsterdam in 4 weeks time as to what kind of shape, we will see at the end of this week. As ever the race organisers put on a excellent race.

In retrospect I could have really pushed harder for a PB but I was happy to keep it steady all the way around the course. The various calculators have me down for a marathon predicted time of somewhere between 3hr19mins and 3hr25mins. Personally I prefer doubling my charleville time and adding a 15 minutes. It proves to be reasonably accurate. We will see....Another week awaits.