Plantar Fasciitis

Week ending 31^st May

This has been my longest gap between updates. My last race was of course has been the Connemara ultra where I didn’t get under the 6 hour mark but was glad to get the race covered and to get under 6hrs20mins. The problem (as I feared) has been one of recovery. I took 2 weeks off running and then eased into running (lots of slow Maffetone type jogging) and then into one modest speed session with the club (4 X 6 minutes). On the Sunday I joined the club for a 10 mile jog where I ran the last 3 miles at marathon pace (7.40 per mile). The problems started when the plantar fasciitis started to flare up.

The PF first flared up in 2010 when I first started training for my first marathon. It required some rigorous (painful) physiotheraphy at the hands of the now sadly departed Rob Savage but I was back in training after 2 weeks. It just meant little or no speedwork over the summer. It also acted up a couple of years later but was sorted within a week.

This time I headed down to John O’Sullivan in Mallow and he said I was lucky I started dealing with it early. He worked on the calves, hamstrings and Achilles as well as the heel spur.After 3 visits and another 2 weeks off the feet I headed back running doing lots of slow short jogging (4 miles during the week with Sunday long runs of 7 and 10 miles). On the positive side the HR side of things has been very positive. If I run slower than 8.45 pace the Hr levels out at under 145 so I am happy to keep it there. Hillwork and speedwork isn’t still viable nor is participation in any races. The PF hasn’t completely cleared up either but I am religiously icing and treating the afflicted area a number of times a day as well as stretching the calves and breaking up the spur. This month I have covered a modest 98 miles which says it all.

Injuries are becoming a issue in the last few years. 2013 I exhausted the body after the Cork City marathon and gave my quads a nasty pull. After the 2014 Amsterdam marathon I had to withdraw from the Sixmilebridge marathon with tight calves and a sore hip flexor. After the Tralee marathon and in the leadup to Connemara I had issues with my left kneecap which was related to a ITBS issue. It’s all part and parcel of the running game but injury preventation may be required as part of training. In regard to upcoming challenges I won’t be making any plans yet.

Connemara ultra April 2015 (It's a long one)

Monday 13^th April.

Completed my first ultra in Connemara yesterday. My overall plan was to simply complete it and ideally get in under 6hrs 20mins (9.30 pace). My dream time was to get in under 6 hours (8.55 pace). While it wasn’t the fastest pace plan in the world in comparison to a marathon time goal, the nature of the course (very tough and hilly) and the distance (the effort required for the last 13.1 miles was the equivalent to a marathon) called for a cautious strategy.

For most runners with a decent experience of marathons it was clear many of the runners were hoping for a sub 6 hour time. In the end only 50 runners out of 164 runners achieved it. My finishing time was 6.17.49, so at least I finished it and achieved my B time.

Even at 6 hours with the wheels having truly fallen off at that stage I was still only a mile from the finish so in many ways I am not that far off a better improvement next year.

However from a more critical point of view the training I put in since January never really paid off. I clocked up nearly 720 miles in the last few months running back to back’s, midweek long runs and was very comfortable over 10 miles,  running a marathon and 6 20 mile plus Sunday runs. This has been a feature of many races I have ran since 2012 where the training has not lead to the performance I hoped for.

We were bussed from the Cathedral carpark on the Sunday morning at 7 am. The rain was sheeting down at that stage in keeping with the monsoon like predictions for the rest of the day. The weather was expected to create havoc for the runners especially those out tackling the longer distances but had cleared up by the time we arrived at  Peacocke’s Hotel in Maam’s Cross for the pre race briefing and the gear change. In fact the weather was to be glorious for the whole day- sunny blue skies, no wind, warm temperatures with snow capped mountains adding to the whole back to nature vibe.

I chatted to my clubmate Adrian Ryder before the start. He ran this 2 years ago in a excellent time of 5hrs48mins and was hopeful of doing well again. He shot off after a mile never to be seen by me until I crossed the finish line. My neighbour John O’Connor was also running as well, this was his second Connemara ultra and hoped to improve on last year’s time of 5hrs53mins.

I ran my own race. The plan was to run the first 26.2 miles in around 3hrs50mins (8.45 to 8.50 pace) walking through the aid stations for 90 seconds at a time. I hoped then I would have enough in the legs for the last 13.1 miles to get me around in 9.05 pace for a sub 6 finish. That was the “A” plan. The “B” plan was to get around in the last 13.1 miles with what ever I had left and try to get under 6hrs20minutes. The time of 6hrs20mins I picked on the basis that was  a achievable gap that I could make up in the following year.

Miles 1- 5 went pretty well passing through the first aid station in around 43 minutes taking on a gel and a few bottles of water.  The ultra marathon group were all bunched very close to each other and I fell in  with this lad from Dundalk who reckoned if we kept up this pace we should get in for 5hrs30mins!!!! I started to get a bit startled and was glad to let him off. By the time I came to my first bag drop at mile 10 I took on some Jaffa cakes, a banana and left the rest to the kids manning the table. At that stage I had being running for under1hr26mins so I was hitting my target pace. I felt comfortable and very relaxed as did most of the field.

At mile 12 I stopped for a toilet break bumping into John O’Connor and we stayed close enough to each other with me stopping at the aid stations and catching up with him later on as he ran on. The first 13.1 miles passed in around 1.53 around a minute of two ahead of schedule. This was the point where the marathon runners started their race and we ultra’s started to overtook a lot of the slower runners.

The miles up to mile 18 started to get a lot tougher as we were running not only into a progressive climb but the wind started to funnel a bit. It wasn’t as windy as last year, thankfully, but it was a tricky spot. Mile 17 and Mile 18 passed in 8.56 and 9.06 respectively and I for one was glad to get to my drop station at mile 19. A lot of early pace setting ultra runners were beginning to wilt as well with another hill to negotiate just after the aid station. Again I took on another banana but left the Jaffa cakes behind. I also brought a bottle of flat coke with me but after a few sips I dumped it into a bin. It was pretty revolting and the bottle (500ml) was too heavy to carry. A lesson learned.

At mile 20 I was feeling ambitious. I was well  past this point in under 3hrs and while I wasn’t hitting 8.30-ish pace I felt I was doing well enough at this stage.  I should have learned my lesson because by mile 22 I was beginning to get a little strained. Thankfully these miles all the way to Leenane (mile 26) were downhill but I was careful not to push too hard because the calves were under pressure. I was also mindful of the IT band which was beginning to tighten ever so slightly.

I was passed by a small but stocky ultra female runner who was hammering out the miles at a handy rate. She appeared to be in good form, me less so. I was glad to get into the village on flatter ground reaching the 26 mile aid station in around 3hrs48mins. There was no official 26.2 marker for the ultra runners but I estimate I reached the distance in around 3hrs50minutes. So far so good, now with 13.1 miles of uphill and downhill running to go the real race begin, everything before this was shadow boxing.

The hill out of Leenane goes for around 1.5 miles and the damage brought on by the last 4 miles into Killary harbour kicked in around down. I had planned to walk it but tried to hold off until the garmin read 4hours which took me past 27 miles. It still meant I was in a good place timewise. “Stocky” was pretty crocked herself and managed a few half hearted jogs before walking herself.

I walked for 90 second before jogging again. I wasn’t feeling 100%  with the brain urging to me walk again. I reached mile 29 in 4hrs16mins coming to my drop table. I was f****d at this stage and I was not in a happy place. John jogged past me in that relaxed ultra fashion. He was sympathetic but he had a race to run (finishing in a new PB of 5.50 or so). I worked out that with 10 miles to go I needed to run at 10 minute pace to get me under 6 hours. That on the face seemed easy but the mind was pretty foggy at that stage.

This was where the true ultra grit kicks in as the key to ultra running is mental more than physical. Every runner out there even the sub 3 marathon runners are well and truly nackered at this stage but it’s all about having the where with all to keep going.

I ran mile 30 in 9mins46seconds giving me 4hrs25mins41secs on the Garmin, a respectable landmark time. I would have gladly have stopped there and then. I was wrecked having to discard a half digested banana, passing on the flat coke. I really didn’t like it.

I ran beside another ultra runner who was moving at a solid pace. Truth be known he was a bit of a headbanger ranting away to himself but you could see he was feeling confident and was also physically very strong. Mile 31 passed in 8.50 and mile 32 passed in another walk run effort of 10mins13secs, my slowest mile of the lot.

The course of this stage was marked by various pulls, inclines and little hills but from here on the course was to drop downhill until the dreaded “Hell of the West” at mile 35.

And so on it went …mile 33 – 9.53, mile 34 – 9.58. That left with me 5 miles to go with 5hr06mins30seconds up on the official clock. The garmin was out by 90 seconds for every marked mile- caused by the fact that I was veering around other runners. That meant I had 5.5 garmin miles to go , 5.3 course miles. This meant I had to run/ jog each mile in 9mins30seconds. It seemed easy on the face of it but the calves were completely seized up meaning every time I attempted a light jog I would cramp very severely. Jogging was out of the question and with 2 steep hills ahead of me (the “Hell”) and 2 steep descents I was running out of luck.

There were a number of other ultra runners going up the “Hell”. Some were sprinting up it, some were jogging it, many others were walking it. I caught up with two other walking ultra runners. and we estimated that our walking pace was around 15mins per mile uphill and that hopefully we could jog the downhill’s at 9 to 10 minute pace. I was now aiming for my B target.

Mile 35 passed in 10mins35seconds and Mile 36 passed in 12.43. The steepest part of the Hell passed in a morale crippling 15mins28seconds. (It feels even hard to type these splits).

At the top of the Hell it was a steep 2.3 descent to the finish. I tried to jog down the hill but the cramps were a sharp reminder not to be getting any notions. I nearly fell over at one stage the cramping got so strong. Even the breathing was getting laboured especially the diaphragm and I started wheezing badly. Another ultra runner was power walking past me (Tracey) and she gave me a shot of her inhaler. That did the trick and on we power walked together like two middle aged women going for a walk around the local park.

Mile 38 passed in 15.19 minutes. At 6 hours I only had a distance of 1.3 miles to go. I took heart from this. As hopeless as I was I was still only a mile off from a sub 6, something to take heart from if I ever try this again next year.

We started to jog again as we came closer to the finish line and Tracey pulled ahead of me. I was wheezing badly again and the pain in my ribs was getting very sharp. I crossed the line in 6hrs17mins49seconds.

I wasn’t too downhearted when I crossed the line. I wasn’t particularly elated either. It was more a case of a hard job done reasonably well neither very good but not completely crap either. Plenty to work on. It was my first ultra.

 I chatted to Adrian and John after the race. They did very well. Adrian’s marathon PB of 3.36 is a soft one indeed.

As for me I would depending on my circumstances next year might give the ultra a shot again next year. I definitely can improve on this showing but I don’t think I will ever see myself dipping my toe in the ultra game on a regular basis. I need to work on shorter distances and improve my times and performances in those distances first. For the moment though I will take a break from running and recover instead.

Connemara ultra 39.3 miles. 6hrs17mins49seconds. 9mins35sec pace.

Miles 1-26.2 – 3hrs50mins approx., Miles 26.2 -39.3 – 2hrs27mins49seconds

Last post before Sunday.

Friday 10^th April.

We are heading up to Galway city tomorrow. Race is on Sunday. The buses collect the ultra participants at 7 am and the race starts at 9 am with a race briefing beforehand in Peacocks hotel. The last 5 days have dragged interminably but I am getting plenty of rest and power naps during the day. Being a part time paid teacher has it’s advantages, namely the Easter break lasts two weeks which is a great aid to the tapering process. It would be even better to get paid for it.

Running wise,  as you would expect, I did very little. 8 miles on Monday at 8.30 pace, Wednesday 6 miles at conversational pace with my friend Don Golden. I ran 2 miles this morning as I had to drop the car to the mechanic. The last week of the taper is just about keeping the legs fresh and keeping things ticking over.

I popped into Lidl this morning to pick up a few bits and pieces for the drop bags during the race. Aoiffe wondered was I running 100 miles rather than 39.3 miles as I had picked up so much stuff. Sure it will be all put to good use one way or the other.

Weather doesn’t look great on Sunday – rain with wind- the runners nightmare. Of course the nice sunshine of the last 5 days wouldn’t be great either but rain with wind is a real pain. Just have to suck it up and dress accordingly.

Anyway that’s it. Talk soon. All excited now.

Monday 8 miles, Wednesday 6 miles, Friday 2 miles.

Second week of the taper for the ultra

Week ending 5^th April

Second week of the taper done and dusted. It means that this time next week  I will be nearly 4 hours in the race. As to what mileage I will have run at that stage I don’t know but a race strategy is something worth thinking about over the next week. I do envision a walk run strategy every hour or so, maybe walk 3 minutes and use that time to get some gels and food inside me. As to what pace I will run I will keep that to myself. The main objective though is to ideally finish the 39.3 miles under 6.5 hours and recover reasonably quickly over a few weeks.

I purchased around 10 gels in Cork during the week and while I don’t have a running belt it may be better to get one rather than stuffing them all into my pockets. My drop bags will carry a few more gels, some bananas, flat coke and probably jaffa cakes. Best to get the nutrition in early though I suspect I won’t be needing half the stuff I will bring with me. The other consideration is what clothes to wear though I think a long sleeved top and a light singlet should suffice as well as compression socks. Gloves will probably be a prerequisite and possibly a hat. I’ll consider the need for leggings closer the time.

Running wise things were fine. I went to the physio on Monday and while the knee structure was fine (bar a light click- I’ve had that 20 years) it was the IT band and the quads that were the cause of the tracking issue on the outside of the knee. I’ve had that problem before (2011) and have been doing the prescribed stretches and exercises with religious devotion. There was been a definite improvement.

Anyway on we go. Less than a week to go. Very excited and nervous at the same time. I hoped not to have to do much driving this week coming but will have a few trips to attend to. Probably no harm to keep some what busy.

Mileage for the week – 41 miles. Monday 10 miles @8.06 pace, Wednesday 10 miles @ 7.36 pace, Friday 10 miles @ 8.04, Sunday 11 miles @8.34

First week of the taper and the training breakdown

Week ending 29^th March.

Week one of the taper has just passed and all things considered it went reasonably well. I’m still a bit disappointed about picking up the knee injury last Saturday and not getting a chance to take part in the Mallow 10 .  I am also disappointed about not getting a chance to hike up the mileage in the mid 70’s in my last week of training.

Anyway it’s all done now so move on and keep the legs fresh and keep on a eye on the knee thing. Monday morning the knee was sore , now it just feels stiff though only intermittedly. Walking up and down stairs isn’t as much of a issue as it was Monday and Tuesday so that I will take that as a positive sign. The school stairs was tricky at times. Much of the week has been spent applying a ice pack to the afflicted area and performing leg raises and reverse knee squats.

Running wise I ran 4 recovery miles on Monday – jog a mile , walk 2 minutes and repeat 4 times. There was a bit of a reaction on Tuesday so I rested up and spent the day doing the DIY – physio thing. Wednesday was a bit of a risky one , running 7 miles up and down the hills in Mayfield but again it went well and I ran at a nice clip at 7.45 pace. Were I at full fitness I would have liked to go faster but it had to do.

No chance of running a planned tempo run on the Thursday but ran 10 miles in Charleville at 7.50 pace. I was happy with how the run went ,very comfortable and cruising along.

Friday I took another day off purely as a precautionary measure. I would have liked to knocked out another 10 miles but completed another 10 miles on Saturday morning instead at a slower relaxed pace of 8.30 per mile. Again the legs were nice and loose. The knee was ok enough but I was always constantly conscious of it especially on the downhills on Love Lane and Manor Hill.

 Saturday was a busy day spending a further 3 hours digging out a new bed in the garden, it probably wasn’t the cleverest idea but it was a job that was long overdue.

Sunday was a long run in the company of my Mallow clubmates. We ran the traditional Ballyclough loop and I tacked a few miles beforehand giving me 16 miles in total. I deliberately ran at a very slow pace mindful of the 3 mile descent from Newtownpothouse into Annabella. Again the knee felt ok but I was very conscious of it. I’ve a physio appointment tomorrow. I booked it a while back with the aim of getting a rub down on the legs but maybe John (O’Sullivan) can take a look at the knee as well. However all things considered I am in 80% shape. During the week of the Tralee marathon I would have said I was closer to 95 % fit and ready. Time will tell.

Mileage for the week – 47 miles. Monday 4 miles, Wednesday 7 miles, Thursday 10 miles, Saturday 10 miles, Sunday 16 miles.

The training breakdown.

Training started on the 29^th December. 12 weeks not including taper. Total mileage 653 miles.

Average mileage 54.41 miles. Highest mileage weeks 75 miles and 70 miles.

I ran 6 X 20 mile runs-  - 21 miles, 22.8 miles, 21 miles, 24 miles, 26.2 miles, 20 miles.

In terms of back to back runs I covered the race distance twice- 24 miles/15.3 miles and 26.2 miles / 15 miles. The most pleasing aspect of the training was my willingness to go out and tackle a second shorter long run the day after a long run. The only forced exception was last week.

No PB’s. I entered 2 races – Dungarvan 10 miles and Tralee marathon.

Two more weeks of tapering left.

My immediate goal is still the same. Get to the start line fit and ready and take it from there

Les Miserables

Week ending 22^nd March

This week was to mark the last full week of training before the taper begins. I have to admit I was disappointed with how the week went as I expected to hit around 70 miles. In the end I only managed 47 miles getting out only 3 days this week, rather than the usual 5/6 days a week. I like to finish with a strong week as it confirms I am on the right track.

As mentioned last time out I ran a back to back long run of 26.2 miles and 15 miles taking a rest day on Paddy’s day. I expected to run another 10 miles on the Wednesday but the energy just wasn’t there. Part of the problem stemmed from the fact that I didn’t run during my normal window at lunchtime leaving it instead until the evening at 6pm. I had a bad few nights sleep and a busy day in work and the will had completely evaporated. It does happen occasionally but this time I was well and truly wrecked.

On Thursday morning though I made amends running 12 miles at a comfortable 8.03 pace and all appeared to be on track. By Thursday night I started to feel totally maxed out again and hit the stratcher very early. Again I slept poorly and had real problems finding the energy to lift myself out of the bed. I feared the onset of flu and the resting heart rate was above 55 beats, lately it has been around 47 beats, so the elevation was surprising. I didn’t feel at all comfortable until the afternoon but really didn’t feel great. I postponed plans to attend the school musical that night , appropriately “Les Miserables” and  drove home.

The schedule called for a back to back effort of a combined 40 miles and I had originally planned to run 23 miles on Saturday and 17 miles on Sunday (including 10 miles of the Mallow 10 which I had entered before Christmas). I joined the Mallow gang for a long run on the Saturday. We ran 2 X 10 miles of wider Mallow area. The first loop went fine but the energy started to drop again after mile 17 and by mile 18 the knee started to get sore. I walked for a few minutes letting Darragh, Clive and Peadar run off ahead and I finished up after 20 miles. The pace was modest enough – 8.39 pace but the effort felt tougher than the marathon last week or any training run I completed since January. The rest of the day I headed up to Mayfield doing some household chores for my Mum.

The knee didn’t feel any better that evening and I had decided to shelve my plans to run the Mallow 10.

The Mallow 10 is the biggest day in the club calendar and I have to admit I wasn’t actively involved in the preparations as I was in previous years. This was mostly down to training for the ultra and work commitments in the evening. To be fair the organizing committee (Denis, Paudie, Sharon, Ger, John, Aidan, George and so on) do a cracking job and they had plenty of foot soldiers to help out. My buddy Aidan McGee was down from Offaly so I was playing host for the day. I did manage to get down for the start and did some stewarding at the finish line so I guess that was something. All went well with the race.

I have nothing left to do now but to simply hope the knee sorts itself out and that the energy returns. As I say a disappointing weeks running.

Mileage for the week – 47 miles

Monday 15 miles, Thursday 12 miles, Saturday 20 miles.

Tralee marathon report, part 2 of 2.

Tralee marathon report and the next day……. (it's a long one)

You have probably read a few of these reports at this stage, in particular that of a certain Austrian superman living in Kerry , so I hope to keep this reasonably interesting.

When I decided on Christmas to start training for the ultra I was thinking the Tralee marathon would be the ideal training run- measured course, hilly terrain, water stations and a good tester as to how the legs would feel after 26.2 miles. It was also 4 weeks out from the ultra so recovery wouldn’t be such a issue either. If nothing else it would offer a alternative to slogging it out by myself or with clubmates on the Cork roads.

I headed down to the HQ at the Brandon hotel at around 7.30 am, a good 90 minutes before the start. I had to collect my number and the whole thing was very relaxed and lowkey. So unfortunately  was the fact there was no t shirt to collect either, a shame considering I forked out 60 euro to enter. If it was 40 quid or something I wouldn’t have minded so much but it did irk me somewhat. I had a cup of tea in the breakfast lounge of the hotel chatting to clubmate Sharon Woods and her husband. She was running in the half marathon and ended up being first lady home. Well done Sharon.

I made my way up to the startline around ten minutes before the start. There was only 319 or so runners taking part in the full which suited me fine but for those looking for a big feel atmosphere it must have been a bit underwhelming. I was determined to enjoy myself and trotted off at a handy pace. I had thoughts of sticking with the sub 4 hour pacers but after the first few miles the pace was a bit too pedestrian for me so I headed on. I offered some words of encouragement to Jerry Forde (marathon 303) and Dave Brady (running his 469 marathon) and on I pondered. By mile 3 we were out of the town heading towards Ardfert and the scenery took a turn for the better. At mile 5 I fell in talking with Andrew, a northern man living in Tralee running his first marathon and also with Sinead Kane. Sinead is a visually impaired runner who was running with her guide runner. Sinead ran the Donadea 50 K a number of weeks ago and was a inspiring person to talk too. Sinead’s bright and bubbly personality and her ability to overcome the crippling obstacle that is blindness  was seriously humbling.

At mile 7 (61minutes on the clock) we turned off for Banna and into the dunes and wetlands. At this stage the wind started to whip up and a lot of runners were beginning to suffer. I know the feeling and sympathised inwardly. I  felt very chilled out and had to remind myself to hold it back. After all it was a training run and I had a 15 mile run to complete the next day so no need to be getting panicked about time.

By mile ten we were in the heart of the countryside and to be fair the absence of crowds was more than compensated by house dwellers coming and clapping us as we went past. IThe traffic at times was a bit disconcerting but the stewards while bare in some parts were going a good job. That said at times I and other runners had to ask in what direction were we going. I think at mile 12 there was no stewarding at all and one guy in front of me nearly went the wrong way. On a positive note the water stations were numerous though the absence of bins made for terribly unsightly littering. I trust the organisers took note, littering in the Irish countryside is a real problem in the last few years, in fact it’s quite disgusting. I usually held on to my empty bottle until I could pass it to a steward or throw it into a house recycling bin.

The faster half marathon runners joined us around mile 12 or 13 and I hit the half way point in around 1.53.20 (no timing mat or actual halfway marking sign). The next 2 miles were rapid downhill descents and I was around 10 minutes off 3.30 pace. At this point I made my mind up to get in around 3hrs45minutes without at the same time completely exhausting myself. Mile 16 onwards become more difficult heading into a lot of hills and drags. At mile 18 I saw the 3.45 pacers up ahead and I felt well enough to tip up to them. Mile 19 involved a out and back section along the pier. There was one comic moment when a runner on the other side of the road asked me if the pacers in front of me were the 3.30 pacers. When I told him otherwise his face dropped and his running companions dissolved in laughter.

At mile 20 I was on top of the pacers and was chatting briefly to Mallow ‘s multiple marathon veteran and all round good guy, Peader Curtis. Peader was giving it socks but the headwind on the coastline was pretty devastating. Dipak, the pacer, was finding it tough going himself and was probably a minute off schedule when we hit another hill at mile 21 and again at mile 22. I stopped and consumed a gel catching up with the main group again. At this stage there was only 3 people left with Dipak before he started to shot off down the hill at a almighty pace obviously trying to make up on time lost at mile 20 and mile 21.

 I gave pursuit and felt wonderfully comfortable hitting mile 23 in 7.52 pace. The next couple of miles took us off the main roads but they were on the whole reasonably ok hitting mile 24 and 25 in 8.05 and 8.06. I was well past the pacer at this stage, the last mile into town was a gem, a rapid downhill section (7.33) , taking me right into Denny st and through the finish chute. There was some confusion again from the stewards as to where we were going but the reception at the finish line was warm and welcoming. My official finishing time was 3hrs42minutes31seconds. It was a solid effort but the most pleasing aspect was the absence of any muscle soreness or cardiovascular discomfort. I reasoned if I had to run another 13.1 miles I should have been ok to keep going. That doesn’t mean anything of course until I actually have to do it and put my money where my mouth is.

I headed back to the car spent a bit of time stretching and refuelling (3 bananas, 4 sandwiches, 2 chocolate bars, plenty of water and a magnum ice cream). I was ok driving home though I was probably on the slow ponderous side of the speed limit motoring back to Charleville. Aoiffe remarked how fresh I looked and I enjoyed tucking into the steak sandwich and wedges that evening.

It was great having completed another marathon albeit as a training run. If I had tapered and raced it I suspect I might have come close to improving on my Amsterdam time but the job was only half done in Tralee. Next morning I was up at around 6.45 am ready  to run the second half of my back to back run- 15 miles. I was very fresh with no trace of stiffness or soreness and ran the route from Charleville/Ballyhea/Charleville in around 2hrs08minutes.

While I was tired in the evening I wasn’t as bad as I feared I would be but was glad of the lie in bed on Patricks Day.

Nearly there…nearly there….One week of training left.