Need that sleep

Week ending 26^th March

Continuing where I left off on Monday , I went back running on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday all early in the morning with a disappointed aborted effort on Saturday. Wednesday I ran 7.5 miles with 8 X 3 minute efforts in the middle. I ran using the stopwatch so all distances were approximate. This was run at 5.50 am back home by 7.05 and then into work for a pretty straightforward day. Thursday morning was a strong effort, 8 miles again with the last 4 miles run at 7.45, 7.28, 7.27 and 7.35 pace. I felt good in work and when I came home to my Daddy role I was feeling fresh. It appeared the morning runs were working well for me. However by Friday evenings I was beginning to feel the effort practically nodding off during supervised study that evening. The students thought this was hilarious.

 I then met Derm and Tim for the Ireland – Wales soccer game and drove home that night at 11. 30 pm. The plan was then to drive back up to Cork the next day after minding Iseult during the night (Aoiffe’s night off) and give Nana Chris a bit of time with her while I went for a 13 mile run. This was a foolish plan ignoring the rule that you can’t without a decent amount of sleep. I had painted myself into a corner and I was shattered Saturday when I got up to Cork. I simply handed Iseult to Nana and went upstairs for a 2 hour snoozefest. I still wasn’t great all day with my stomach rebelling against me a few times in the day too. (eating too much chocolate lately ).Sunday morning I was a lot better , not withstanding Iseult’s new sleep transition and managed a 8.5 mile jog at 7 am before heading down to Mallow to help with their plans for the 10 mile race. As I say I would have preferred a longer effort but it was the best I could manage.

32 miles for the week. Monday 8.5 miles with strides. Tuesday 7.5 miles, Thursday 8miles, Sunday 8.5 miles.

Below a photo receiving stewarding instructions from club chairman Ger Buckley. I actually hadn’t a clue where I was supposed to be going !!!! Thankfully all figured out in the end.

Early morning running

March 20^th

Monday evening. Last week started off pretty slow but ended pretty well. I didn’t run the day after Ballycotton as I was pretty much squeezed for time when I got in the door, It was evident the rest of the week was going to be the same so I decided to try a few early morning runs instead. I have run a few 5.50 am runs in the past but they could be a more regular feature in the future. The Tuesday morning was a case in point. I was up at 5.35 am and was out the front door by 5.55 am.I planned to run a hour, anymore and I would have been cutting it tight for work. I didn’t use the garmin (takes too long to get a signal) but ran using a stopwatch. I ran deliberately conservatively as the legs and head were pretty foggy and rather than risk something silly, slow and steady was order of the day. The pace was roughly 8.30 pace with maybe 7.3 miles covered. Then it was straight into the shower, change of clothes and a be line out the door and into the car. I had the car parked by 8.15 am with the 15 minute walk to work on Wellington Road, a bowl of porridge in work and into class by 8.40.  Essentially I don’t have a minute to spare in the morning but the rest of the day went fine. I was home by 5pm that evening giving me plenty of time to get dinner ready, lunch made and what ever was required to help out Aoiffe and Iseult.  As I don’t get to bed until 12 pm most nights any lost sleep is made up on the couch form 8pm to 12 pm that evening. Iseult is in bed at that stage and I forfeit television rights to Aoiffe.

As I said it will take a while to get used to it but the benefits outweigh the negatives. I was back out for a A.M run again on Thursday morning and I was happy with the effort this time. I ran 4 miles slow with another 4 miles at a reasonably faster pace (around 7.50 pace). I really would like the pace of these longer aerobic runs to come down without me having to force it. For me it’s a ideal way of measuring my fitness as hopefully it will be the pace I hope to run a marathon at.  Saturday morning was a later 10 am run running 8 miles with a 5 mile tempo insert of 7.20 pace. It wasn’t a especially fast tempo but a solid run nevertheless. The wind was strong in parts and it gave my legs food for thought. Sunday morning was a solid 13 mile run, my longest long run in quite a while. The pace was 8.30 but the last mile was tough going. Getting there though….

This morning consisted of another 5.50 am run. I probably ran longer than I should have – 8.5 miles at 8.15 pace with 6 or 7  X 45 second strides. However getting into work was matter of being very efficient with my time but again I was happy with how the day went. As much as I am enjoying these early morning runs I am careful at the moment to use them sparingly. If I can get out running 4 times a week by May covering around 40 miles a week then I am doing ok. That’s plenty for the moment. After that I need to work on the pace.

Mileage to end of 19^th May – 36 miles. Tuesday 7.3 miles, Thursday 8 miles, Saturday 8 miles with 5 mile tempo, Sunday 13.1 miles.

20^th May 8.5 miles with 7 X 45 second strides.

Ballycotton 10 2017

Week ending 12^th March

If it’s the second Sunday of March then it means the Ballycotton 10 is the race to do so. I entered this last year right in the middle of recovery with the broken arm and damaged ankle and during tough times when Iseult’s reflux was causing her a lot of pain and us a lot of distress. The plan back then was to hopefully get back running and run under 75 minutes. I’m not sure if I will ever see PB’s that often these days. In fact they are very rare these days so I look for other motivation when running. The week leading up to the race was very hectic on a home and work front and in the greater scheme of things running is a very poor third behind family and work. I had Iseult for the usual night feeds Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and she was as good as gold but it does make proper rest difficult. We had a very good day Saturday as Aoiffe was at a course so I was doing the home alone with baby thing and as I pushed the buggy around town it appeared the weather looked promising for the race the next day. My Mum kindly agreed to mind Iseult on the day of the race but it was a panic driving Iseult and all her paraphernalia up so early in the morning and getting things straight before I headed down to East Cork. All part and parcel of parenthood.

I met my good friend Aidan in Ballycotton and saluted a few familiar faces. For the first two miles the legs felt very dead but I was running at around 7.05 pace. That effort was proving too much so I dialled it back and tried to run a comfortable but strong pace. I was doing ok enough hitting mile 5 in 36 minutes but a way off sub 7 minute pace. Mile 6 was solid too and I hit the 10k in the same time I ran Adare 10k two weeks ago. By mile 8 things were proving a bit more difficult and the arse was falling out of things a bit. I reckoned I was barely hitting 7.30 pace at this stage and when I hit the hill at  mile 8.5 it was real slog running at that stage. It was heartening to see John, Shane and Ray with the Mallow Ac banner giving good support. The last 1000 metres is in some ways the toughest part of the race as the end never appears in sight. It’s made all the harder as you are going through the village up the hill and never actually see what’s around the corner. Anyway I got there in the end putting in a little kick to finish in 1.12.47.

While not a great time I would have gladly taken it last November, hell I would have taken it on the way down. I think I finished 729 out of 2300 and around halfway out of Mallow AC runners. It is what is but glad nevertheless to be walking to the car with my souvenir mug in my hand. Not bad so I suppose.

Week miles 32 miles. Monday 7.5 miles at 8.20, Wednesday 7.5 miles with 6 X 800 at 3.15 -3.20, Thursday 5.5 miles at 6 am, Saturday 2 mile walk and Sunday Ballycotton 10 at 7.16 pace.

Adare 10k 2017

Sunday 26^th February

Running has been going well in the last week or so in that I am  completing 4 workouts most weeks with a solid speed session, one long run and two more relaxed aerobic runs. That’s probably as much as I will be able to do until the summer and even then I will be only doing 5 workouts a week but that particular cycle is a while aways yet. I ran 7.25 miles (1 hour) at 8.16 pace. I do hope this casual aerobic pace will eventually improve over time but I know it will take a while to ideally drop down to 7.30 pace by the time September comes around. On the plus sides the legs were pretty fresh after the 6 X 800 intervals the day before. Saturday morning I had hoped to get up at 7.40 am in order to join club members for the Doneraile hill session but I was pinned to the bed. I don’t get a chance to make the Sunday long runs either as I am on night feed duty with Iseult from Thursday to Saturday’s . 

Feeds are generally scheduled at 11.30 pm, 5 am and 9.30 am and considering Aoiffe has her all the rest of the week it would be unfair to change the routine for a club run. I miss the club sessions no doubt about it but family first. It may mean that running times will remain mediocre but that’s the way it goes. If I keep the emphasis on running for enjoyment and being less time obsessed that will hopefully prove a more fruitful approach. I ran 40 minutes easy on the Saturday morning (around 4.7 miles) before a busy day up in Cork City.

My good friend Aidan came down from Portarlington to run the Adare 10k with me. I ran this 3 years ago when I was training for a Ballycotton PB and a marathon in Connemara. This year I was hoping for a sub 45 minute time, slower than before  but ideally faster than the pace I ran in Dungarvan. The Adare course is a tough mother of a route with plenty of ups and downs but it’s also a satisfying race to have completed. The weather was pretty bad in the morning but storm Ewen had largely blown out when we started. Up at the sharp end were Micheal Harty and Sean Hehir, the rest of us making up the numbers. My mile splits were good at the start but started to slip as the race progressed. I was overtaken by a large amount of the field by mile 3 including Colm , Pat and Gary from Mallow. It was nice saying hello as they went past. I crossed the line in around 44.47 at around 7.13-7.15 pace with mile 5 passing in 36 minutes (must keep a eye on that). It was a solid average time but I would have liked to run a bit faster than my tempo training runs but again the course is very hilly. Aidan enjoyed himself finishing in around 41.45 – a loose shoelace costing him 30 – 40 seconds. It was a tough but fair race. The ankle was throbbing afterwards so the ice pack was thrown on afterwards.

Mile 1 – 7.04, Mile 2 – 7.07, Mile 3 – 7.11, Mile 4 – 7.21, Mile 5 – 7.10, Mile 6 – 7.08 , 1.45 for the rest.

Iseult and running

Week ending 26^th February

Midterm in school at the moment so a handy time off work. Normally we disappear to London for a break to celebrate a whole range of anniversaries ( our wedding anniversary in 2011, our first meeting in 2001, Aoiffe’s birthday, Valentines). It was one of those trips that last year that begat the process to us having our baby daughter in our life so I guess that’s a sort of anniversary too !!!!!!

Iseult is 20 weeks old and is thriving. I won’t lie the first 11 weeks were pretty horrendous and for a lot of it very difficult.( In fact it was awful and miserable) Not only were we novice parents but Iseult was struggling with reflux. Her little tummy was unable to suppress stomach acid and it was leaving her in a lot of pain and discomfort. Every second feed was vomiting up and some nights were marked by 6-8 hour crying marathons. I think we are over the worst of it and the little mite is getting stronger, has started on solids and is sleeping a lot more. There is still one or two issues she has to deal with and she is on medication to suppress the reflux (LOSEC) but there is no comparison to where we are now and where we once were. Perhaps the lowest point (amongst many) was spending the 30^th November in the A and E in the C.U.M.H (maternity hospital) with Iseult from 6.30 pm to 2.30 am in the morning awaiting a visit from the doctor in paediatrics. I seem to have spent the last 18 months in hospitals for one reason or another and I was getting well sick of it The place was full of sick babies and old people many of them lying on hospital trolleys, sitting on stools or standing up awaiting to be seen. By the time the doctor got to see us she looked at Iseult for 10 minutes and said there was nothing she could do. Off we trudged home again back to Charleville, I won’t deny I got emotional with my faith in the medical system in this country eroded even further. In fact there was many times where the last 20 weeks has been emotional.

So what was that got to do with running? It was in A and E I received my confirmation mail for the Berlin marathon in September 2017. I owe to myself and to Iseult to do my best there. No shortage of motivation there.

Training has gone well enough in the last week. 5 easy miles last Thursday week (16^th February), 8 miles with a 5 mile tempo at 7.16 pace on Friday, 12 miles at 8.20 pace on Saturday, Monday 7 miles at 8.20 pace, Wednesday 7 miles with 6 X 800 repeats at 6.50 average mile pace. Hopefully a few more sessions at the end of the week with a 10k race on Sunday.

Slight uplift

Maybe it’s time to start with regular blog updates. 2017 is well underway and it’s probably time for a new perspective on the whole running goal's thing. Everything this year is firmly centered in getting in shape for the Berlin marathon on 24^th September. I wouldn’t be lying if I didn’t have some apprehension about the prospect of training for another marathon (my 12^th). The fear of injury has weighed heavily on my mind since I started back jogging last October but so far a diet or 3 – 4 solo runs a week (23-30 miles a week) hasn’t done me any harm so far. I haven’t attempted much in the way of speedwork or hillwork since November  sticking mostly to the well known routes around Charleville town and trying to get away from the whole “I must get a PB, I must get faster, I must get better than the guy in front of me” mentality which at this stage isn’t going to do me any good. As I said before lets keep it very mellow for the moment.

That said there was been a slight uplift in the training in the last 2 weeks. Wednesday’s are currently devoted to a tempo session (20 minute warm up, 25 – 30 minute tempo and 10 minute cooldown). Monday is a easy pace 6-7 mile run, Thursday 6-7 miles with a 90 minute long run over weekends. I don't envisage me running more than 35 miles a week unitil the summer. I also ran the Dungarvan 10 last Sunday. As in keeping with a time honoured tradition of using that race as a attempt to feel my way into racing I ran a solid plod of 1.16.00 / 7.35 pace. I thought I would be only to run around 8 minute to 8.10 pace but I did ok enough I suppose. A slow time but hopefully it’s a pace I can eventually stretch to  over 20 miles in September. It was also a good opportunity to catch up with clubmates. Realistically there is little chance of attending many Mallow training sessions as baby Iseult is number one priority. Aoiffe is understanding enough as it is – best not to push it too much at the moment. Lets just hope this latest chapter in me making a running comeback isn’t mired down in injury, illness or trauma – something which has been a on/off feature the last couple of years.

By the way a word about the photo (courtesy of Derek Costello) , pretty awful isn't it. Obviously overweight. I was pretty comfortable until the end ;-) (Honestly!!!)

Healing, Berlin and new priorities

Rather than dwelling what has been in running terms a nightmare 6 months lets focus on where I am now. I started out in October doing 3 light jogs a week, around 20-25 minutes a time, all around Charleville at a slow snail pace of around 9,20 a mile. I had to take a break for the last week busy on a personal front and then picked up a chest infection which lead me to take a few days off work. Today (Sunday) was a surprisingly good day knocking off a easy 6 mile at 9 minute pace. Hope fully I can can get 3 X 1 hour jogs at a steady pace by the New Year. Then I can think about speedwork after that and then about races in February onwards. The ankle is better without doubt but i have to be a lot better at being rigorous about doing my physio. The arm is better too but not 100% and it may never be

In terms of long term plans (even though these days I am scared to think too far ahead) for running the big news is that my entry for the Berlin marathon has been accepted. I found this out while at Accident and Emergency on Wednesday night (nothing serious all fine) so that was a definite shot in the arm. Berlin is massive news for me and a big motivator for me to get back training for a marathon. I don't know if I will ever get back even attempting to push for a PB but I will be settling a the moment to simply get to the start line fit and fresh, It is after all 9 months away.

Let's keep it simple. Running is my hobby but it ain't my priority,