Yep - This must be the longest I have gone without recording anything in my blog. I am sure that nobody bothers to check in anymore as there has been nothing in over three months, but here I am, alive and well, and with a lot to tell, although sadly, not too much in the way of running.
One of the reasons I went AWOL was that old adage - injury struck! Yep, around the beginning of September that niggling groin injury became more acute, and I had to rethink my plans for the autumn, as clearly I wasn't able to run the half marathon, or train to take part in the Dublin Marathon at the end of October. I still managed to get out most weeks and hash, and whilst the groin wasn't hurting while running, every time I ran, the next day I was in some discomfort. So, I took my usual self-diagnosed advice and took some time off from running seriously, just the hashing.
Around this time I was planning other major life changes, firstly deciding to take a career break from work, As this is a running blog, I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, on October 30th, I spent my last day at work for three years - or at least my last day working with the Revenue Commissioners for three years anyway. The second big change is my location. Having taken the time off, I needed to take myself off, and here I am, typing this update on a hot, sunny, December day (obviously not Dublin!), in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
And so back to running, and the real purpose of my update. Well, I have been gently running again for a few weeks now, very light, short distances, and, touch wood, with no recurrance of my groin niggle. Today, December 6th, I took part in a local, low-key race over 4 Km, only 20 pesos entry fee (that's €3.50), for which we received a tech T-Shirt, water, and a calendar at the end, and a decent prize list for the winners, along with spot prizes. There were around 100 in the main race, along with a fun run/walk over 1.5 Km which had around the same number again.
The race was a straight forward out and back one along a main road, after leaving the Bridgestone tyre plant in Llavollol, and whilst I felt I ran well, my time shows that the course must have been well short of the 4 Km, as I am not in the shape to be running 17:15 which is the time I recorded, and I know I was not running sub 7 minute pace. More likely the race was around 3.5 Km, and I finished around 30th out the hundred or so particpants, which was fine for me.
Unfortunately, despite the weather being far nicer than at home, the running season is coming to an end here, as January and February are usually far too hot to hold races, so I may not get as many races as I would like in over the next few months, but I can't use the excuse that it is too wet or cold to train, so hopefully, by the time that autumn arrives I will be in good shape to carry on running, and carry on updating this thing, if only for my own amusement.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
No races, but training going as well as it has been
Since the Frank Duffy race two weeks ago, it has been into training mode and a couple of weeks away from hard racing. This year has been a slow build up, but July saw a lift in my mileage, and August has continued in the same vein, as can be seen from the table below (at least I hope it shows as a table!).
August: 76.0 Mi
July: 74.1 Mi
June: 37.0 Mi
May: 27.4 Mi
April: 34.6 Mi
March: 2.2 Mi
As can be seen, the second half of the year is progressing in the right direction, and with a few races to sharpen my speed up in September, and a half marathon at the end of the month, hopefully September will continue in the same way.
Although I am planning on the Marathon in October, clearly my mileage is well below what is required to run well, so it will be a jog around Dublin, enjoying he 30th anniversary party, before I refocus my targets elsewhere.
August: 76.0 Mi
July: 74.1 Mi
June: 37.0 Mi
May: 27.4 Mi
April: 34.6 Mi
March: 2.2 Mi
As can be seen, the second half of the year is progressing in the right direction, and with a few races to sharpen my speed up in September, and a half marathon at the end of the month, hopefully September will continue in the same way.
Although I am planning on the Marathon in October, clearly my mileage is well below what is required to run well, so it will be a jog around Dublin, enjoying he 30th anniversary party, before I refocus my targets elsewhere.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Frank Duffy 10 - Yet another race for me !!!
Another week, another race. For the first time in a while, I am writing that
in confidence. Whilst I might be running slower than ever, I am, at long
last, at least getting some consistency, in that I am racing with more
regularity, hence I have something close by to aim for. Maybe, in recent
years, I have set my targets long-term, and as such, have not focused on the
building blocks I have always referred to when coaching others along the way.
So whilst I may have the Dublin Marathon as a goal, each race along the route
has become important in its own way, and not simply a gauge as to how I am
progressing.
So, this weekend, it was the Frank Duffy 10 Miler in the Phoenix Park, the
second race in the Adidas Dublin Marathon build up series. In recent weeks I
have run the 5 Miler in this series, and the 8K Streets of Galway run, and
now I was preparing to step up to 10 miles, and my longest run for over a
year. My last venture over anything like this distance was in May 08, when I
ran the Brussels 20 Km Race in a little over 2 hours, an average pace of
around 9 mins 45 secs per mile, an absolute disaster. Whilst not in the shape
to crack the 80 minute mark I would like to be under for a ten mile race, I
knew I was not, barring accidents, unlikely to be as bad as that run.
Race morning greeted me with rain lashing against the window, and things did
not augur well as I headed up to the Phoenix Park. Much as light rain can be
welcome in a long race, and it was warm so no complaints on that score, as a
wearer of glasses rain makes life a little awkward. So, I left the glasses
behind, and lined up with a throw away t-shirt and my Marathon Maniacs
Singlet as the rain thankfully stopped, and the sun started to appear. Lining
up in corals was actually surprisingly easy, with the majority of the 4,500
filed being sensible and seemingly getting into the right, self-seeded,
coral, before a little after 10, the tapes were dropped, we bunched up, and
off we went.
The route was to be two laps of the Park on the south side, down Chesterfield
Avenue, then around by the Military Road before descending to the bottom of
the Kyber Road, up the hill, down the S's and up another hill towards the
start line, and a second lap which repeated much of the first, with the
exception that this time we ran down the Kyber Road, hitting the quads at
Mile 6...
I deliberately set out to try and run 8.30 pace which would see me home in 85
minutes. I felt confident that I could realise this time after last weeks
clocking of 39:10 for 8 Km. With the long run down the first mile on
Chesterfield completed in 8:36, I was a little outside, and surprisingly this
pace seemed to be my bench mark for the entire first lap, as each mile was
more or less the same, irrespective of the ups and downs. The half way point
was reached in 43 minutes dead, slower than I had hoped for, but I was
feeling good at this pace, and felt confident of a decent time.
After the quads had been hit going down the Kyber around Mile 6, I struggled
a little on the climb back up, and the next couple of miles were slow and saw
me starting to struggle. I knew that the last mile would be flat, and a good
effort there would enable me to claw back a little time, but the lack of
miles in my legs was starting to tell, and as I finished the final hill
around Mile 8 ½ , I felt 87 minutes would be my finish time. Once I hit the 9
mile mark in 78 minutes and change, a simple calculation meant I had to run
under 8 minutes for that last flat mile to be anywhere near 86 minutes, and
that was doable, and certainly I would be under that 87 adjusted target, so I
knuckled down and tried to keep a steady pace, accelerating gradually, and
starting to pass people, without kicking too soon.
The announcer had stressed at the start that the last turn towards the finish
still left some 400m of running, so I bided my time before really trying to
run hard until the final turn, and then I set my targets ahead. In my hey day
of running, I prided myself on the strength of my finish, only ever losing
one sprint for the line, and in 25 years plus of racing, I must have passed
hundreds, if not thousands, and I am not exaggerating there, in that last
400m of races, and today was to be no different, despite the slow pace
overall. Age may have slowed me down overall, but comparatively I still have
that long kick in me, and here again, I passed 5, 10, 20 runners in that last
400, increasing the speed with every stride, and crossing the line in full
flow, with the clock stopping at 86:04, and a sub 8 minute last mile.
On the face I of it, almost perfect splits for the run, but the second half
was inconsistent as the lack of miles showed, but at the pace I was running I
was able to kick hard at the end and make the times look more respectable.
Overall I was very happy with the run, even though I would have liked to have
been under 85. The age adjusted percentage was a slight drop to just under
60%, but again, given the mildly tentative pace I ran at, this was to be
expected. I finished 1805th in a field of 4,500, and 45th out of 75 in my age
class, all in all a satisfactory performance.
Next up for me is due to be a drop back to 5Km on September 5th in Malahide
Castle, Dublin, although there is a Half Marathon in Longford in two weeks I
am toying with. Both of these are preliminaries for the next targeted run,
the final leg of the Adidas Series before the full marathon, the Dublin Half
Marathon on September 26th, where I am hoping to be under 1:50 and a final
decision can be made as to participation in the 26 Miler at the end of
October. Now, back to training..........................
in confidence. Whilst I might be running slower than ever, I am, at long
last, at least getting some consistency, in that I am racing with more
regularity, hence I have something close by to aim for. Maybe, in recent
years, I have set my targets long-term, and as such, have not focused on the
building blocks I have always referred to when coaching others along the way.
So whilst I may have the Dublin Marathon as a goal, each race along the route
has become important in its own way, and not simply a gauge as to how I am
progressing.
So, this weekend, it was the Frank Duffy 10 Miler in the Phoenix Park, the
second race in the Adidas Dublin Marathon build up series. In recent weeks I
have run the 5 Miler in this series, and the 8K Streets of Galway run, and
now I was preparing to step up to 10 miles, and my longest run for over a
year. My last venture over anything like this distance was in May 08, when I
ran the Brussels 20 Km Race in a little over 2 hours, an average pace of
around 9 mins 45 secs per mile, an absolute disaster. Whilst not in the shape
to crack the 80 minute mark I would like to be under for a ten mile race, I
knew I was not, barring accidents, unlikely to be as bad as that run.
Race morning greeted me with rain lashing against the window, and things did
not augur well as I headed up to the Phoenix Park. Much as light rain can be
welcome in a long race, and it was warm so no complaints on that score, as a
wearer of glasses rain makes life a little awkward. So, I left the glasses
behind, and lined up with a throw away t-shirt and my Marathon Maniacs
Singlet as the rain thankfully stopped, and the sun started to appear. Lining
up in corals was actually surprisingly easy, with the majority of the 4,500
filed being sensible and seemingly getting into the right, self-seeded,
coral, before a little after 10, the tapes were dropped, we bunched up, and
off we went.
The route was to be two laps of the Park on the south side, down Chesterfield
Avenue, then around by the Military Road before descending to the bottom of
the Kyber Road, up the hill, down the S's and up another hill towards the
start line, and a second lap which repeated much of the first, with the
exception that this time we ran down the Kyber Road, hitting the quads at
Mile 6...
I deliberately set out to try and run 8.30 pace which would see me home in 85
minutes. I felt confident that I could realise this time after last weeks
clocking of 39:10 for 8 Km. With the long run down the first mile on
Chesterfield completed in 8:36, I was a little outside, and surprisingly this
pace seemed to be my bench mark for the entire first lap, as each mile was
more or less the same, irrespective of the ups and downs. The half way point
was reached in 43 minutes dead, slower than I had hoped for, but I was
feeling good at this pace, and felt confident of a decent time.
After the quads had been hit going down the Kyber around Mile 6, I struggled
a little on the climb back up, and the next couple of miles were slow and saw
me starting to struggle. I knew that the last mile would be flat, and a good
effort there would enable me to claw back a little time, but the lack of
miles in my legs was starting to tell, and as I finished the final hill
around Mile 8 ½ , I felt 87 minutes would be my finish time. Once I hit the 9
mile mark in 78 minutes and change, a simple calculation meant I had to run
under 8 minutes for that last flat mile to be anywhere near 86 minutes, and
that was doable, and certainly I would be under that 87 adjusted target, so I
knuckled down and tried to keep a steady pace, accelerating gradually, and
starting to pass people, without kicking too soon.
The announcer had stressed at the start that the last turn towards the finish
still left some 400m of running, so I bided my time before really trying to
run hard until the final turn, and then I set my targets ahead. In my hey day
of running, I prided myself on the strength of my finish, only ever losing
one sprint for the line, and in 25 years plus of racing, I must have passed
hundreds, if not thousands, and I am not exaggerating there, in that last
400m of races, and today was to be no different, despite the slow pace
overall. Age may have slowed me down overall, but comparatively I still have
that long kick in me, and here again, I passed 5, 10, 20 runners in that last
400, increasing the speed with every stride, and crossing the line in full
flow, with the clock stopping at 86:04, and a sub 8 minute last mile.
On the face I of it, almost perfect splits for the run, but the second half
was inconsistent as the lack of miles showed, but at the pace I was running I
was able to kick hard at the end and make the times look more respectable.
Overall I was very happy with the run, even though I would have liked to have
been under 85. The age adjusted percentage was a slight drop to just under
60%, but again, given the mildly tentative pace I ran at, this was to be
expected. I finished 1805th in a field of 4,500, and 45th out of 75 in my age
class, all in all a satisfactory performance.
Next up for me is due to be a drop back to 5Km on September 5th in Malahide
Castle, Dublin, although there is a Half Marathon in Longford in two weeks I
am toying with. Both of these are preliminaries for the next targeted run,
the final leg of the Adidas Series before the full marathon, the Dublin Half
Marathon on September 26th, where I am hoping to be under 1:50 and a final
decision can be made as to participation in the 26 Miler at the end of
October. Now, back to training..........................
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Streets of Galway heading in the right direction
Well, keep those fingers crossed, as things do appear, for once, to be heading in the right direction. Headed over to Galway for the Streets of Galway 8Km, a race I have run four times previously, and a chance to meet up with my fellow club mates, most of whom these days I have never met :). I am a member of Athenry AC, a club based just outside Galway, and when I first came home to Ireland, Mick Rice, a founder member of the club and a great runner himself, persuaded me to join the club and become something like the sixth or seventh member of the club. Today, some 6 years later, the club has well over a hundred members, but I'm glad to say that Mick is still a stalwart of the club, and it was great to see him in great shape, he runs a 100 Mile race next weekend, so this was just a short jog for him!
After a three hour drive, it was a very sunny, warm, summers day in Galway, a rare treat, and after the photcall with the club in fornt of Jury's Hotel, it was a 7 pm evening start for the race in perfect running weather. Having run 41:10 for the 5 miler in Dublin a couple of weeks ago, I was hoping to run around the same time or slightly better, having had a few days loss of training in between due to flu.
The run started smoothly on a realtively flat course, starting on the Claddagh in Galway, and heading into the city centre along Merchant Road, passed a few bars where revellers enjoying the summer evening were in fine force cheering us along. There were around 2000 entries, so a mass throng was pounding through the pedestrianised streets, around Eyre Square and past Brown Thomas before heading out to the Cathedral and through a residential area. I managed the first Km in 4:53 which was surprising given the crowd, and I kept going, running around the same pace, reaching half way in 19:05.
I was going a little too fast for my level of fitness, so I eased back a little as we ran the turns around the houses, as it was very warm for here, and the sweat was dripping off me. Between 5 and 6 Km I had to stop to wipe my glasses as I had steamed up, I couldn't see with the sweat on my shades, but then again, I couldn't find any dry part of my clothes to wipe the sweat off, so ended up running the last couple of Km's with blurred vision :) -
The run drops down onto Salthill promenade, and turns for home. I had eased off the pace by now, but as I approached the 7 Km mark, I worked out that I had 5:15 to spare to bring me home under 40 minutes (my best projected time), and so, despite the sweat impeeding my sight, I knuckled down to make sure I made it home as quick as I could. With 500m to go, maked on the road, I kicked, and started to overtake folk in front. I felt I was running strongl, but within myself, I didn't want to go for an outright sprint, but as we approached the right hander to turn to the finish, I had my sights on a few people and with 80 to go, I kicked on, passed my targets and crossed the line in 39:10, a good two minutes faster than the Dublin 5 (I know its not quite the same distance), and very happy.
This may not have been the fastest Streets for me, but at an average pace of 7:53 per mile, and a positive run, I am going the right way in gaining fitness, and next week I have a 10 Miler to "enjoy". Lets hope that continues the progress. I finished 657th out of the 1973 who completed the course, around a third of the way, so again, heading in the right direction.
After a three hour drive, it was a very sunny, warm, summers day in Galway, a rare treat, and after the photcall with the club in fornt of Jury's Hotel, it was a 7 pm evening start for the race in perfect running weather. Having run 41:10 for the 5 miler in Dublin a couple of weeks ago, I was hoping to run around the same time or slightly better, having had a few days loss of training in between due to flu.
The run started smoothly on a realtively flat course, starting on the Claddagh in Galway, and heading into the city centre along Merchant Road, passed a few bars where revellers enjoying the summer evening were in fine force cheering us along. There were around 2000 entries, so a mass throng was pounding through the pedestrianised streets, around Eyre Square and past Brown Thomas before heading out to the Cathedral and through a residential area. I managed the first Km in 4:53 which was surprising given the crowd, and I kept going, running around the same pace, reaching half way in 19:05.
I was going a little too fast for my level of fitness, so I eased back a little as we ran the turns around the houses, as it was very warm for here, and the sweat was dripping off me. Between 5 and 6 Km I had to stop to wipe my glasses as I had steamed up, I couldn't see with the sweat on my shades, but then again, I couldn't find any dry part of my clothes to wipe the sweat off, so ended up running the last couple of Km's with blurred vision :) -
The run drops down onto Salthill promenade, and turns for home. I had eased off the pace by now, but as I approached the 7 Km mark, I worked out that I had 5:15 to spare to bring me home under 40 minutes (my best projected time), and so, despite the sweat impeeding my sight, I knuckled down to make sure I made it home as quick as I could. With 500m to go, maked on the road, I kicked, and started to overtake folk in front. I felt I was running strongl, but within myself, I didn't want to go for an outright sprint, but as we approached the right hander to turn to the finish, I had my sights on a few people and with 80 to go, I kicked on, passed my targets and crossed the line in 39:10, a good two minutes faster than the Dublin 5 (I know its not quite the same distance), and very happy.
This may not have been the fastest Streets for me, but at an average pace of 7:53 per mile, and a positive run, I am going the right way in gaining fitness, and next week I have a 10 Miler to "enjoy". Lets hope that continues the progress. I finished 657th out of the 1973 who completed the course, around a third of the way, so again, heading in the right direction.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Another week, and still improving
Yep, making a welcome change in that I am not writing about taking two steps backwards after a week of improvements. After last weeks healthy race over 5K, I started the week with another race, the 5 Mile, Adidas Irish Runner Challenge in the Phoenix Park. They were unable to get the car parking at Castleknock College as in previous years, so I decided to go via Public Transport, which ended up with me walking around 3 miles as a warm up - maybe not ideal, but I'll live - Had to walk the same back, which wasn't quite as much fun :).
With the time I had managed over 5K earlier in the week, I was hopeful of breaking 40 minutes for this 5 Miler. However, I hadn't accounted for only 60 hours between the races, and I knew very quickly that the heaviness in my legs was not going to see that sort of time getting near. This race is part of the build up to the Marathon in October, and there were around 4,500 participants, and so with the legs heavy and the size of the field, I was reconsidering my strategy right from the off. The course also has its surprises in that there are a number of hills which slow you down, and with each mile clicking over 8 minutes and 20, I was struggling from the start. But once I had reached 4 miles, I needed to kick hard, and see what inner strength I might have, well, OK, the course had flattened out here, and I hoped I could run faster - Well, I did, not wonderfully, but fast enough to record a 41:10 finishing time, which in hindsight I was happy enough with.
Since then I have had a good week. Sunday saw me hashing over 5 miles, with a gym session beforehand, rested on Monday, 5K on Tuesday, 6K on Wednesday, and on Thursday I decided on a speed session to see where I am at that score, and ran a hard 3K on the treadmill in 13:48, again a time I was more than happy with, given my present levels of fitness.
All in all, a good week, and with my next race two weeks away, the Streets of Galway 8K, time to build from this and certainly look at that sub 40 there.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Irishtown 5K - Improvement is clear
Running is a funny sport, and running at a more mature age sometimes throws up surprises, that even an experienced veteran of 30 years of tieing up the laces,
finds fascinating, and one of the many reasons those 30 years have encompassed this hobby/sport for me.
For the first time this year I went to a BHAA race, the Business House Races, I have enjoyed over the years. With injury and lack of fitness, I have missed the first half of the BHAA season, but there are still a few races I can fit in. Tonight was the Dublin City Council organised, Irishtown 5K, a race I have enjoyed in previous years, both as a particpant, and also I have marshalled in the days I worked for the council.
The race starts on the track at Irishtown Stadium, running the first Km on the track, before exiting and heading into the adjoining park, for three laps there, before returning to the track and a lap to finish. The run is flat and in 2005 I managed to run 23:46, followed up by a 23:50 in 2007. Missed the rcae last year due to injury, and with my last outing just ten days ago being a 24:34, I had no high hopes of bettering those times, maybe I could be closer to 24 minutes than 25, but no expectations or plans to push early.
I started gently amongst the 200 or so runners, and hogged the inside line on the track, giving up time to ensure I kept the shortest route, there would be plenty of chances to overtake once I got into the park, so the first Km on the track was only just under 5:00. Once out of the stadium, I started to go past runners, and into the park, we seemed to quickly reach 2Km in 9:35, obviously a little pacier, and still I was overtaking. I used to do speed work on this loop, and know thats is's around 950m a lap, so I dug in, and gradually reeled in guys and gals, two ro three each lap, and nobody was catching me. 3K was 14:12, so I was running around 4:37 pace, and on this lap I caught a young guy in a blue T-shirt, he didn't seemed too pleased, so he spent the next 8 minutes trying to surge away, and each time I caught him back.
The second lap was over quickly, and coming up to the 4Km mark, i checked my watch, 19:02. Here is where I started to feel surprised. I was feeling good, and as I was easily going to be capeable of a final Km of under 5 mins, the maths was starting to look good, and my mind was wondering what my body thought of this pace, and was it expecting a sub 24 time. Blue T was still trying to surge, but with 800 to go I decided to run for home, I surged myself, I heard him behind me as we left the park and headed around to the stadium, my old strength at the end seemed to be there in a small way, and gradually the breathing behind became more distant. I caught another runner as we entered the track, but he was slowing, and with the 350m to run on the track, a quick glance at my watch had me startled as to the likely time. I can't say I Kicked, but I pushed on, and whilst I had no chance of cathcing anyone in front of me, I was conscious that Blue T might have a sprint finish, seeing as he must have been 20 years younger. But I never look back, head down, last bend, push off the bend, last 80m, see the clock, try and "sprint", cross the line, wow!!!! 23:39 - Where did that come from? (PS - Added the pic which shows that Blue T was trailing in)
Seriously, I had no thoughts of realistically beating previous times here, and hence I was pleasantly surprised - onwards and upwards. Saturday sees the first race in the Adidas series, the 5M Irish Runner Challenge, a race I have done a few times before, the last three times failing to break 40 minutes, so hopefully, if I recover OK, that will be my target there.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Family Fitness 5K
Yep, I maanged my race this morning. Now, given I did enter a few weeks back, and have telegraphed this race here, I was still a doubt last night, thanks to the British & Irish Lions fabulous victory over South Africa yesterday, and a few celebratory pints as we sat in the pub disseminating the entire tour!
Anyway, I managed to get up, out, and down to Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park here in Dublin. The event was billed as a Family Fitness Day with the 5K kicking events off for all the family. There was a good turnout for the event, and good to see Paul McNamara fron my club, although he was there in his working for Athletics Ireland mode today, and not running, but we had a brief chat and he's gearing up for a crack at the Dublin Marathon in October.
Sonia O'Sullivan was the Official Starter, and off we went at 10.30 on the roads around the Park. As ever there were slower runners near the start, but in general terms the start was orderly and I quickly settled into an easy rhythm. Amazingly, given this was organised by Athletics Ireland, there were no Km or Mile markers, so it was hard to gauge the pace, but having a good idea of the lay out of the Park, I could tell I was running inside my 25 minute target, perhaps a little too fast, but it was only 5K!
Nothing really dramatic to report about the race really, I plodded on, felt the Guinness from yesterday around 20 minutes into the run, so had to ease off the gas, and when we re-entered the Farmeligh estate we only had 400m to run, and a quick check on the watch showed I had a comfortable margin of ewrror, so I didn't bust a gut in sprinting too hard, and finished comfortably with the watch at 24:34.
A decent time, but not a great run, thanks to the Guinness and the lack of distance markers, but a reasonable standard for the summer and the plethora of races I have lined up. Next up is the DCC 5K at Irishtown on the 15th, and I'll be targetting a better run and time there.
Anyway, I managed to get up, out, and down to Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park here in Dublin. The event was billed as a Family Fitness Day with the 5K kicking events off for all the family. There was a good turnout for the event, and good to see Paul McNamara fron my club, although he was there in his working for Athletics Ireland mode today, and not running, but we had a brief chat and he's gearing up for a crack at the Dublin Marathon in October.
Sonia O'Sullivan was the Official Starter, and off we went at 10.30 on the roads around the Park. As ever there were slower runners near the start, but in general terms the start was orderly and I quickly settled into an easy rhythm. Amazingly, given this was organised by Athletics Ireland, there were no Km or Mile markers, so it was hard to gauge the pace, but having a good idea of the lay out of the Park, I could tell I was running inside my 25 minute target, perhaps a little too fast, but it was only 5K!
Nothing really dramatic to report about the race really, I plodded on, felt the Guinness from yesterday around 20 minutes into the run, so had to ease off the gas, and when we re-entered the Farmeligh estate we only had 400m to run, and a quick check on the watch showed I had a comfortable margin of ewrror, so I didn't bust a gut in sprinting too hard, and finished comfortably with the watch at 24:34.
A decent time, but not a great run, thanks to the Guinness and the lack of distance markers, but a reasonable standard for the summer and the plethora of races I have lined up. Next up is the DCC 5K at Irishtown on the 15th, and I'll be targetting a better run and time there.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Speed work
Well, OK, it many ways, its slow plodding work, but given that my legs haven't turned over at much more than 8 minute mile pace for quite a while, and I do want to duck under 25 mins on Sunday, I thought I would foresake the sunny evening, head to the gym and have a go at running with some "speed".
So, the gym it was, and a treadmill session. A warm up eased me into it, and then I hit the speed dial, and ran a 2K time trial in 9:23 - Not fast by so many standards, except my last 12 months of running :) - So I enjoyed it, warmed down, went and had a sauna and hope that this will translate to a decent run on Sunday - Stay tuned!
So, the gym it was, and a treadmill session. A warm up eased me into it, and then I hit the speed dial, and ran a 2K time trial in 9:23 - Not fast by so many standards, except my last 12 months of running :) - So I enjoyed it, warmed down, went and had a sauna and hope that this will translate to a decent run on Sunday - Stay tuned!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
July arrives - Where's the year gone? <17 weeks to Dublin
Realised tonight as I was running in the sun (for a change), that the Dublin Marathon is less than 17 weeks away, and my training is on par for a decent 10K in 17 weeks, rather than a 42K run.
Notwithstanding the above, I ran a nice 5 miler along Sandymount Strand, nice and easy, just under 41 minutes for the run, and a lot of sweat. Stands me in good stead for Sundays 5Km race in Farmleigh. It really was a lovely evening for running, the sun was out, the temp was gorgeous, and it was great to see so many others out on the strand, kind of makes those winter wet runs all worthwhile.
Notwithstanding the above, I ran a nice 5 miler along Sandymount Strand, nice and easy, just under 41 minutes for the run, and a lot of sweat. Stands me in good stead for Sundays 5Km race in Farmleigh. It really was a lovely evening for running, the sun was out, the temp was gorgeous, and it was great to see so many others out on the strand, kind of makes those winter wet runs all worthwhile.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Oh Boy! There goes another month
Where dows time go to - Must be a sign of getting older but the months seem to tick by so quickly, and at times so slowly. They rush by when you are injured and have a marathon planned for 20 weeks away - oops - make that 17 weeks away - see another three weeks missed! - When you are waiting for something nice to happen, the days tick by slowly, tick, tock, tick tock.....dragging out each minue, each hour....
Well, it's the end of June, and my Marathon, Dublin, is at the end of October. Another month has passed when my training has been more like that of someone training for the school sports egg and spoon race. On the plus side, I managed another race, a 10Km whilst in Argentina, and I clocked 52:14, which isn't too bad, but on the minus side, just as I got my training into a pattern, I came down with flu, so ten days lost... C'est la vie!
Anyway, Thursday I was back to work and back to the gym, and an easy 4km, and this morning I went out and ran one of my favourite, albeit short, training runs, The Two Bridges I call it, using the Liffey quay as my base. It's been a regular sounding board for my levels of fitness over the last three years, it's only 2.4 miles, but a good guide, and today I ran 19:38 on a plesant sunny morning. It felt hard, as it should given I had missed those ten days from a low base in itself, but I got around and feel good for the run.
A 5K race next weekend is on the agenda, and despite everything June will be my highest mileage of the year to day - again, the base wasn't that good, so nothing to write home about, but hopefully, all is going in the right direction again.
Well, it's the end of June, and my Marathon, Dublin, is at the end of October. Another month has passed when my training has been more like that of someone training for the school sports egg and spoon race. On the plus side, I managed another race, a 10Km whilst in Argentina, and I clocked 52:14, which isn't too bad, but on the minus side, just as I got my training into a pattern, I came down with flu, so ten days lost... C'est la vie!
Anyway, Thursday I was back to work and back to the gym, and an easy 4km, and this morning I went out and ran one of my favourite, albeit short, training runs, The Two Bridges I call it, using the Liffey quay as my base. It's been a regular sounding board for my levels of fitness over the last three years, it's only 2.4 miles, but a good guide, and today I ran 19:38 on a plesant sunny morning. It felt hard, as it should given I had missed those ten days from a low base in itself, but I got around and feel good for the run.
A 5K race next weekend is on the agenda, and despite everything June will be my highest mileage of the year to day - again, the base wasn't that good, so nothing to write home about, but hopefully, all is going in the right direction again.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Recovery Run
I could get to like this running lark!!! After yesterdays race, and a day with my books, I went the gym and managed a recovery run in 14:53 for 3Km on the treads... Is this a sign that I am a runner again - two days in a row :)......
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Hey - I'm a Runner Again! I ran a RACE!
I know there hasn't been a lot to read, two steps forward. then one point nine steps back - But, finally I managed to get myself into some form of shape that I could actually line up on the start line of an actual race.
I checked - it's been almost a year to the day since I last crossed a finish line, and I could be forgiven for thinking I might never bother doing it again, but despite all the setbacks, and the aches and pains of mellowing age, tonight I made it to the start of the Docklands 8Km road race. Well, I had little excuse for not getting to the start, seeing as it started 100 yards from my front door, so along with over 1000 others, I lined up for the race around Dublin Docklands.
Given its been so long, and my training (if you can call it that!) has been sporadic, I had no idea what would happen, or what time I might run. I had a figure of 45 minutes in my head as a worse case scenario, that's nine minute miles, and knowing the course was measured in kilometres, I sort of had 44 mins, 5:30 pace in my head. I haven't run farther than 5 Km in 6 months, so this was going to be a shock to the system.
It's a flat course, through the Docklands, as it's name suggests, with only two little climbs over water, and to be honest, there is not a lot to write about. I ran the first couple of Km's inside my target time, hit 5Km in 26:02, then felt a littler sick, so took a walk break, and picked it up at the end to finish with a sort of kick, clocking 43:09, not my best ever race, but not bad given where I have been.
I'll let you know how I feel in the morning, but at least I have raced again, and I can but improve from this, and I know I can do it again...... I had begun to doubt that.....
I checked - it's been almost a year to the day since I last crossed a finish line, and I could be forgiven for thinking I might never bother doing it again, but despite all the setbacks, and the aches and pains of mellowing age, tonight I made it to the start of the Docklands 8Km road race. Well, I had little excuse for not getting to the start, seeing as it started 100 yards from my front door, so along with over 1000 others, I lined up for the race around Dublin Docklands.
Given its been so long, and my training (if you can call it that!) has been sporadic, I had no idea what would happen, or what time I might run. I had a figure of 45 minutes in my head as a worse case scenario, that's nine minute miles, and knowing the course was measured in kilometres, I sort of had 44 mins, 5:30 pace in my head. I haven't run farther than 5 Km in 6 months, so this was going to be a shock to the system.
It's a flat course, through the Docklands, as it's name suggests, with only two little climbs over water, and to be honest, there is not a lot to write about. I ran the first couple of Km's inside my target time, hit 5Km in 26:02, then felt a littler sick, so took a walk break, and picked it up at the end to finish with a sort of kick, clocking 43:09, not my best ever race, but not bad given where I have been.
I'll let you know how I feel in the morning, but at least I have raced again, and I can but improve from this, and I know I can do it again...... I had begun to doubt that.....
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Feckin Inevitable!
Wouldn't you know it - Just as I start to feel I am heading in the right direction, something goes wrong. I can't even tell you what happened, but my left foot is killing me. So bad, I can't walk easily, let alone run - Maybe I should just give up any thoughts about running well ever again, degenerate into an old fat slob, and watch TV......
I hate this.............................................
I hate this.............................................
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Another week passes
A relatively easy week, not a huge amount of running as I want to tread carefully and not go overboard. On the plus side, I ran a 3 Km Time Trial, of sorts, on Thursday evening, and managed to run 14:46, which despite seeming slow by some standards, is the fastest I have run 3K in over a year.
It's a long way from the heady days of running a full marathon (42K) at that pace, but its yet another step in the right direction. The weight doesn't seem to be moving down, although thankfully not up either!, and I'm hovering around 196 lbs, a long way to go on that target - But, onwards and upwards, and Saturday coming (May 2nd) I have the RTE 5 Mile race to enjoy (or should that be endure!)... On On.....
It's a long way from the heady days of running a full marathon (42K) at that pace, but its yet another step in the right direction. The weight doesn't seem to be moving down, although thankfully not up either!, and I'm hovering around 196 lbs, a long way to go on that target - But, onwards and upwards, and Saturday coming (May 2nd) I have the RTE 5 Mile race to enjoy (or should that be endure!)... On On.....
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Amazing - Another Post
Another week passes, and my weight is hanging around 198 - Lat night it was a 4 K run, adn tonight, I managed 3Km in 15.37 which is as quick as anything I have run recently, if not earth shattering...
I have an idea of a race on May 2nd over 5 Miles, and the 8K Docklands run on May 19th, then we can assess the rest of the year - Looking at Fall Marathons, and BA is looking good, and Dublin's 30th anniversary - Lets see how May goes first.....
I have an idea of a race on May 2nd over 5 Miles, and the 8K Docklands run on May 19th, then we can assess the rest of the year - Looking at Fall Marathons, and BA is looking good, and Dublin's 30th anniversary - Lets see how May goes first.....
Thursday, April 09, 2009
That's where I left my Blog!
Amazingly, it is 4 months since I last wrote anything on here. I know I have been lax in the past, but this just about takes the biscuit...
Have I been running - well, not really. I managed to acquire a groin injury before Xmas last, and I found it difficult to shake it off. Must be old age! What it meant was, I could run on a Monday, the groin would stiffen up the next day, I would need 48 hours for it to "de-flame", and then on Thursday I could run again, and go through the stiff/de-flame process again - so as you can guess, very little real training was done.
So here we are, Easter 2009, and I am glad to report that after a complete rest from running through March, the groin has cleared up, and I am back running on a daily (ish) basis. Obviously taking it gently, step by step, not helped by the fact that my weight ballooned up to around 205 lbs, but I have actually got into double figures for mileage this week, and I can build from here.
My first challenge is likely to be a 5 Mile Road Race on May 2nd, part of the BHAA series, but it will be a very gentle excursion, and will indicate how much I need to do before I can realistically start to set goals for the second half of the year. The only real goal I have is to run injury free for 6 months - Mind you, I think I have set that one before!
Have I been running - well, not really. I managed to acquire a groin injury before Xmas last, and I found it difficult to shake it off. Must be old age! What it meant was, I could run on a Monday, the groin would stiffen up the next day, I would need 48 hours for it to "de-flame", and then on Thursday I could run again, and go through the stiff/de-flame process again - so as you can guess, very little real training was done.
So here we are, Easter 2009, and I am glad to report that after a complete rest from running through March, the groin has cleared up, and I am back running on a daily (ish) basis. Obviously taking it gently, step by step, not helped by the fact that my weight ballooned up to around 205 lbs, but I have actually got into double figures for mileage this week, and I can build from here.
My first challenge is likely to be a 5 Mile Road Race on May 2nd, part of the BHAA series, but it will be a very gentle excursion, and will indicate how much I need to do before I can realistically start to set goals for the second half of the year. The only real goal I have is to run injury free for 6 months - Mind you, I think I have set that one before!
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