Heat, humidity, a Race, and a Holiday - What more is there to life?

Yep, the year is almost at an end, and I'm still running, despite temps being in the 30's all week. I actually took a week off, given that I am actually on my first holiday in over a year, and managed to chill out a little with a few beers, catching up with old friends down here in Argentina, and working on my tan! But I did have the little matter of a final race for the year, and being honest, a race I have wanted to run for a long time. The San Silvestre, Buenos Aires. This is a race that started in 1925 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and has changed distances many times, although the one in Brazil has settled at 15Km since 1991. As a youngster reading about classic races around the world, this was up there with the Boston Marathon (remember New York or London Marathons hadn't even been born when I was a youngster running), and I dream't of one day taking part. Well, 6 years ago, the organisers set up a spin off San Silvestre Race here in Buenos Aires, and unfortunately, I was never able to take part when I was living here, for one reason or another, but this year, I was here, I was fit (ish), and nothing was going to stop me, even teh temperatures hitting the 30's..

So, this morning, December 31st, at 8am, Paula and myself lined up for the start of the San Silvestre Buenos Aires 6th Edition, and along with nearly 5,000 others we ran around the Capital of Argentina, taking in the sights. I have to confess that I haven't acclimatised to the heat, and December/January is certainly not the best time to be running in BA, and with excessive humidity, running is tough for this Northern Hemisphere Pale-Skin. I had hoped to run around 45 minutes, knowing the heat/humidity would slow me down, but I set off at just under 5:30 pace, hoping I could sustain this. I reached half way in around 22 minutes, which was spot on target, but the wheels were starting to come off as we emerged from the side streets of San Telmo onto 9 de Julio, and the blazing sun - Yes, even at 8.30 in the morning it was getting towards 30 degrees... It was a bit stop start from there on in, taking in water at every opportunity, but enjoying the view as I strolled along, and as we past Casa Rosada, the Pink House of the President, some will recall from watching Evita!, and with only 500m to go, I dug deep, pulled myself together, focused on the finishing line in the distance, with the Obelisco, synonymous with Buenos Aires, despite a Canadian friend calling it a Big Willy!, just behind the line, I dug in, went past a few people, not letting anyone past me as ever, and crossed the line in the Chip Time of 46:40.

I was disappointed in the time, but at the same time, given the conditions it was very reasonable, and finishing in 2018th place, out of 4829 finishers, obviously I wasn't alone in finding the conditions tough. Once I collected my medal, took in copious amounts of fluid, I headed back to see Paula finish in under 75 minutes, which I know she was very happy with, although she also hated the humidity of the day - So it's not just us Pale-Skins! After meeting up we did what every runner should do after a race on the last day of the year, and went for an Ice-Cream - Delicious....

Well, that brings me to the end of 2015. A pretty eventful year, a few ups and downs along the way, but with 39 Races completed, comprising of; 3 Half-Marathons; 2 10Milers; 9 10Ks; 7 5Milers or 8Kms; 13 parkruns, plus an additional 5K Trail Race; a 4 Miler, and 3 Track Races over varying distances, the year comes to its conclusion. It may not have been a great year in terms of times, but certainly one of the busiest I have ever had, helped by the parkruns which are so tempting to run on a Saturday morning if nothing else on the calendar that weekend.

Although the year is ending, my holiday isn't, and I will have another week plus here, to enjoy the New Year Celebrations later today with the family, and another week of seeing friends, with the added spice that RSP does Jantastic

starts on Monday next. Although I can only commit to 2 runs in the first week, as I will be travelling at the end of the week over 2 days, it will be great to keep me motivated as I return to Storm Swept Ireland next Sunday (10th).

I will evaluate my goals for next year in another post. Suffice to say, I have already entered a few races in the year to come, first off being Raheny 5m at the end of January. I am guessing it might not be as hot and humid as today, so hopefully, I can run better in a race I have always enjoyed in the past. Ballycotton 10 in March, and the two Rock n Roll Half Marathons, in Madrid in April, and Dublin in August have had my money already, and I am sure the Dublin Race Series will be completed this year again, along with a number of the BHAA Races, not to forget parkruns - But the main focus will be on the Dublin City Marathon in October, but more about that later.

All that remains is for me to wish both my readers a Happy New Year, and for the runner in you to succeed in your own ambitions in 2016.

Athbhliain faoi shéan agus faoi shona duit.

December in the Sun - Warm weather Training

As ever its been a few weeks since my last update, and as I mentioned at the end of October, I was off to my Second Home in Argentina on the 20th November, for a well earned, and well needed vacation, for all of seven (Yes, 7) weeks. Escaping a good part of the winter months, and hopefully getting a fair bit of running in, wearing shorts and t-shirts, rather than layers and waterproofs. By all accounts, I escaped at the right time, with Storm Desmond and his mates reeking havoc on the Emerald Isle. No doubt there will still be some winter for me to endure when I get back in January, but for now, it's sun, sun, sun.....

But I'm getting ahead of myself, as the blog is about recording what I have been doing and how I am progressing as I move slowly (and as a runner, definitely slower than in days gone by) towards another age group, having gone over halfway through my present group in mid-September, so it's all downhill from here on in for the next 27 months... Or so it would seem, but I am not going to let that happen!

My last parkrun before I headed south was at Hartstown on Nov 7th where I recorded a reasonably respectable 26:32 on a damp day, when the Hartstown parkrun was celebrating their 1st Birthday. There were a few from the RSP Group also running on the day, so it was nice to catch up with folk, and after that I headed to Ongar for a slap up breakfast in the Rendezvous Cafe, which clearly is not something I can do on a regular basis, but it is nice to treat myself once in a while. A few days later it was out spectating at the Run In The Dark in Docklands, which did seem to be a little on the side of organised chaos, but all for a good cause, and a few of us braved the weather to cheer as many RSPers in as we could spot. Unfortunately after that, I was unable to squeeze in any running at all before I headed away. Partly because of the pressure of work, what with heading away for 7 weeks, and partly because I tweaked my back, which was a shame, as I had hoped to get in another parkrun before the holiday, but it wasn't to be. Thankfully, it appears that the back issue was only a trapped nerve, as it cleared up withing a few days, but given my history with the back, it was a little worrying.

Anyway, on Friday 20th, I was off, with my running gear all packed, and wearing my RSP Hoodie for the journey - at least until I crossed into the Southern Hemisphere, doubting the need for a hoodie at this time of the year down here. Having said this was a holiday, of course, you will recall that I lived in Argentina for four years, and Paula of course is Argentine, so it is as much a coming home, at least second home, as much as a holiday. A break from work maybe, but back into the routine very quickly, and with the intention of doing as much running as possible, and enjoying the weather (plus getting a tan too!)... To this end, the same day that I arrived in the morning, the evening took me to Puerto Madero, and an 8K Night Race, the Nocturna. Strange thing down here is that 95% of runners wear the Race T-Shirt in the actual Race, going against all the advice about not wearing anything new on Race Day. Well, for me, I wasn't going to be one of the masses, and wore my Runners Support Page T-Shirt with pride, standing out in Green, among the Blue Shirts everyone else was wearing. Nothing wrong with the Race Shirt, I just wanted to advertise #RSP On Tour - Plus I like to wear something I am comfortable in. The Race itself set off in the dark around 8pm (It goes dark earlier here in the summer than at home at an equivalent time), and with nearly 4000 participants it was similar to the Samsung back home, aside from the temps being around 20 degrees. Given I was tired from 30 hours of travelling, I took it nice and steady, followed the dark streets and dark crowds of blue shirted runners, and was glad that quite a few around me had headlamps at certain points where there were no street lights. I finished in a time of 46:57, obviously not my fastest, but turned out I was 1621st out of 3900 participants, not bad considering.

During the week that followed, I got into the habit of running every other day, getting up early before the temps got too hot, as I tried to acclimatize after a year away from this level of heat. Coming back from injury lay off, I don't want to overdo things, so this pattern for the first couple of weeks was the planned approach. Sunday the 29th, saw my second Race of the trip. This time a 10K, the Maraton Consejo. I've mentioned before that they like to call races over any distance a Maraton, it used to annoy me, but you get over it after a while. This was an early start, having to get across to the other side of the Capital, by early morning bus, but giving ourselves plenty of time, I was nicely relaxed when the race started at 8.30 in the morning, but the temps were already climbing into the mid 20's, and while the route was great through the parks of Palermo, there was little shade prevalent, and by 5K I was overheating. I simply took it easy, and reverted to a walk run strategy, and completed the race in 58:40, again, far from my fastest, but an exceptionally well organised Race, and finishing 444th out of 723, despite the slowish time was encouraging - even the locals struggle with the heat!

That brought me to the end of November, and finally I had clocked over 50K for a month. September and October hadn't reached 50 between them despite running a Half Marathon in those months. But with the knee problem, and then the back tweak, it was a relief to be running again, and heading in the right direction. One important thing to remember when coming back from injury, is not to rush things, and try and do too much, too soon, to get back to the level you were at before injury hit. With this in mind, I declined the invitation to take part in the Sanity Claus December Challenges of running every day in December, sticking to my alternate days for now, until the 25th, when, all being well, I will aim to do my own 12 Runs of Xmas Challenge, running each of the 12 days from Xmas Day to Jan 5th, which kicked me off nicely last year for 2015, here's hoping it will do the same for 2016.

One more Race to report to bring you up to date, Last Sunday, I took part in another 10K, this time the Circuito de las Estaciones - Verano. This is a series of 4 races run over the year, one for each season, something akin to our own Dublin Race Series. Obviously I wasn't here for the first three seasons, but looked forward to this run, given the forecasts were saying it might be a little cooler. Instead of the blue t's for the first two races here, this time it was a Green Shirt, so my RSP top didn't stand out as much, in the crowd of over 3,000, with the 5K being run in conjunction with the 10, splitting at around 2.5K into my race, which lead to a congested start, but, given the wide streets in Constanera Sur, where this race was taking place, it wasn't an issue once we got out of the starting pens. It actually was a tad cooler, probably around 20 degrees when we started, and this route had a bit more shade on it than the previous week's race, however, I had spent Saturday afternoon in my old local, catching up with some old friends, watching football, and partaking of a couple of pints more than one should on the eve of a race, so I wasn't exactly 100% for this one. Having said that, I managed to finish in 57:37, a minute quicker than previously, and again, around half way in the field, finishing 873rd out of 1525 for the 10K.

So, that's me up to date. The Temps are due to get hotter as we head into the summer here. I have two more Races lined up here, another 10K this Sunday, again in Puerto Madero, which is an excellent area for Road Races, and then the one I am really looking forward to, the San Silvestre 8K on New Years Eve, where I hope to run a reasonably decent time, although with 5000 participants running through the main tourist parts of the City, it might be hard. I've already been focusing on Upcoming Races back home, and whilst here, I have my entries made for the Raheny 5 Miler at the end of January, and have my Ballycotton 10M entry in for Mar 6th, and am thinking of parkruns to enjoy when I return.

I'll leave you with some pictures from my runs so far, which hopefully will give you a flavour of my time to date - Adios for now, end of year review to follow before I get home.




Oh yes, I hashed as well after the Consejo Race. The photo showing two of us apparently drinking (we were!) was at a Hash House Harriers Run, and my friend, Reuben was getting "punished" as the day before he had ran two races, a 3K and a 5K in the same day, and won them both!

Things don't Always Go To Plan

Running is a sport that gives and takes. You train hard, you start to show improvements, and then, just as you see a breakthrough coming, it takes away from you as you suffer an injury. For some it can be a very serious setback, which can put you out of action for months on end, as has happened to a dear friend this year, who suffered a stress fracture of the vertabrae and has been out of action for many months now. For me, it seemed something trivial to start with, a little niggle in my left knee at the 5 Miler in the Phoenix Park in the summer. I took a little break, and thought the worst was over. But then a treadmill session, where I might well have been favouring the other leg, resulted in my right knee swelling up and stopping me in my tracks again.

Rather stupidly, I thought it had started to clear up, and decided to run the Dublin Half Marathon in mid September. I should know better! I have been running far too long not to listen to my own voice when I say, don't run when injured. BUT, I didn't listen, I ran, and plodded my way around the Phoenix Park, feeling the knee getting sorer and sorer as each mile passed. The last couple of miles saw the old issue of the calf tightening up as well, so I was really crocked as I came towards the finish.

One of the best things to have happened with my running in the last year has been getting involved with my new Running Group from the Runners Support Page on Facebook. We are a mixed bunch of runners, a lot of newbies, a smattering of experience, all shapes and sizes, and all speeds. The Group is also a fantastic bunch - I have met so many people in the last year who I can genuinely call friends - Running brings people together.

Why did I intercede that as I was hobbling to the finish of the Half Marathon? Well! With a little more than 100m to the finish, the #RSP Cheerleaders were out in force, cheering myself, and every other Team #RSP (and everyone else to be fair) runners home. My left calf was tightening up, my right knee was swelling up, but with the encouragement and support, how could I not run hard to the finish! Thanks guys.... Running can be a lonely sport, even when you are a member of a club. It's all about your own performance, you rarely get a chance to see your friends run, as you are usually running in the same race. The support from this Group is incredible, as was shown a few weeks later in the Dublin City Marathon, but that's not my story.

As soon as I had crossed the line, I knew that was it for a while. The walk back to my friends car was difficult. The knee had swollen, was very sore, and suffice to say, a lot of ice was needed over the next few days, along with Ibuprofen. That was Sept 19th, and it was a good month before I could run again - Heck, it was about four days before I could walk properly.... But, one thing age has told me, you can't hurry things, you have to be patient, and I kept my enthusiasm up, planning next years runs and giving myself something to aim for.

I was looking forward to Cheering at the Dublin Marathon, and despite being envious of everyone who was running (although I had made no plans to run DCM this year), I was so happy for all the Virgins from our Group, seeing the emotions of the runners and friends, and not to mention enjoying the party afterwards :).

Which brings us to the end of October, and where I'm going from here. Started the slow comeback with a parkrun today in Hartstown, and my goal is still to run a Boston Qualifying time next October in Dublin. However, I will not be kicking off the New Year in Seville, as I have missed too much training to be ready for a Marathon in February, so I will look at a possible training Marathon in May/June, possibly the Walled City Marathon in Derry, but I'll decide on that after my Summer Break to my Second Home in Argentina.

Talking of Argentina, I will be heading there in less than three weeks, and have already entered two races on my travels. I will actually be away for nearly 7 weeks, so a good time to get some warm weather training in, along withe the races. I have an 8K night race on the day of my arrival, run in Puerto Madero, which is very similar in style to Docklands Dublin, followed a week later in a 10K Race an another suburb of Buenos Aires which I am looking forward to, and if all goes well, I plan on running the Buenos Aires San Silvestre 10K on New Years Eve, before heading back to Ireland in mid-winter, and the Raheny 5 Miler at the end of January.

As autumn turns to winter, I hope to enjoy the sun, and come back well refreshed for 2016 and hopefully, an injury free year. I'm sure the sport will continue to give and take from me, I just hope it will allow me to have more ups than downs.

Boston 2018 - First Stop, Sevilla!

OK - OK - Here it is - But be patient, there whole story has to be followed....

I was lucky enough to run Boston Marathon back in 2001, and I promised myself I would be back one day, as I didn't do myself justice that day, running 4:08 in the iconic Marathon. Now, unless you get a charity place, you have to qualify for Boston, and for one reason or another I have never got near the qualifying time (age related) since.

In March 2018, I will celebrate my 60th burpday, and the Boston Marathon takes place a month later, in April. At this moment in time, the qualifying time for M60 is 3:55 (as against the 3:40 for M55, my present age group). The qualifying period for 2018 starts in September 2016, so if I run under 3:55 next October in Dublin, I will have managed a qualifying time. (For some reason, your time, even if run 18 months before your birthday qualifies you at the age you are for the day you actually race - Are you still following?).....

SO, as most of you know, I am not running DCM this year, with my aim this year to re-build my body and get ready for the challenge ahead. SO, to this end, and thanks to Darren putting the seed into my head, (and hopefully joining us there) I am entering the Seville Marathon in Spain next February, exactly 26 weeks away from now, and hence today is the start of my training plan.

As I said, not THAT exciting, except to me, but I hope you will share the journey along the way to Boston 2018 - First Stop, Seville Feb 16, and there are certain to be other stops, and starts, along the way. ‪#‎RSProadtrip‬ ‪#‎RSPBoston2018‬ .... Now if anyone can come up with a snappy tag line for my journey, let me know....

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.......

Charles Dickens wrote those lines back in the nineteenth century, but how apt those words have been in the last month for me.

I have come around to updating my blog, roughly, on a monthly basis. Don't want to bore readers too much. This month has certainly seen good times and bad, lets start with the bad and get that out of the way.

Since the last update, I completed the month of June with three races, almost back to back. The first being a 5K Trail Race in the Phoenix Park under the BHAA auspices. I ran a half decent race, finishing in 25:08, and once again picking up a prize for the Team event, although overall I was disappointed as I felt I wasn't running as well as I could, even though I am not a fan of trail runs, even if this one was as flat as could be. I did finish strong, which I enjoyed, but overall, it was, as I said, a half-decent run.

Two days later it was a trip to Clonee and a 10K on a Thursday evening with Team #RSP friends, Patrick & Mel, where again I had a semi-decent run, clocking 51:59 on a relatively flat course, faster than the previous week in Dunshaughlin, but well down on what I had been hoping for, closer to 50 minutes. Still, I was in the middle of 4 races in 8 days, so reasonably happy.

Then came the Irish Runner 5 Miler and a return to Phoenix Park, this time on the roads. Now, I have always enjoyed races in the Park in the past, and I was looking forward to this one, hoping to get under the 40 minute mark again. Understandably I felt a little heavy in the legs as I set off, with the three previous races that week, but still was hopeful of clocking those 8 minute miles. Things were going well until we hit the Kyber Pass, downhill! Halfway down the hill I felt a twinge in my left knee, a twinge that was going to turn into more the following day. On the drag up the Military Road I slowed to a walk as the knee was starting to worry me, but once the hill worked its way out, and the Zig-Zags took us back down again, the pain seemed to go, and I plugged away to the finish, having given up any thoughts of time, just trying to "enjoy" the run to the finish. Nothing fancy, and a time of 41:55 wasn't the worst, but the next day I paid for it. My knee was really sore, and I knew then that I would be off running for a few weeks - The Worst of Times for me......

But - Then the Best of Times! Whilst injured I could turn my attentions to something far more important than running (Have to say that, somebody may be reading this!). On July 10th, Paula and I were married here in Dublin, cementing our six and a half years together. We were blessed with friends and family from all over the world who came to share the day with us, and it really was The Best of Times!

Unfortunately, the knee wasn't improving too quickly, and Paul and I had the second Race of the Dublin Series to participate in on July 19th, the Fingal 10K. It was to be Paula's first "running" 10K, following her mini-marathon at the beginning of June, and with my sore knee, I offered to run/walk with her, and on the day we were joined by our 5 month pregnant Team #RSP friend Susan Dixon for the journey. I convinced the girls we could manage a 3/1 run/Walk split, on what is quite a flat course, and we maintained this for the first half, switching to a slightly less strenuous plan over the second half, and finishing holding hands across the finish line, with the announcer having been tipped off that we were newly weds, although I'm not sure what those watching thought of me finishing with two women, one heavily pregnant, and being told I had just got married to one of them :)....

After this run, looming on the horizon was the Bank Holiday weekend, and the Rock n Roll Half Marathon here in Dublin. The bad knee meant I hadn't run seriously since June 27th, and on Friday last (31/7) I ventured out to test if I could manage to run on it. Thankfully the pain had gone, but I was still unsure if it had healed, it had, but my cardio was shot to pieces, and I struggled on the breathing and felt totally out of shape, hardly surprising with no running for 5 weeks, and 5 also being the number of Kilos I had added to my weight in that period - obviously not helped by the festivities surrounding the wedding!

And so it came to pass that we lined up on Sunday on the North Wall, outside The Point (It will always be the Point to me!), with a nervous expectation, not knowing if I would get around in one piece, and Paula planning to walk the race with Susan, now another two weeks more pregnant, with maybe a little running interspersed. It had been raining early that morning, but thankfully the rain abated before the start, and after meeting up with the gaggle of Team #RSPers, and a brief Hello to Mick Rice, my old friend from my club, Athenry AC, it was into Coral 5 for me, and a hope that I would be able to manage it around 2:15, given the total lack of cardio-fitness.

I started well, and felt OK as we ran alongside the Liffey, and even the climb up to Christchurch didn't faze me too much, with the knee giving me no problems at all. The first two miles were a shade under 9 minute mile pace, a bit too fast, but my plan was to run the first 25 minutes at this pace, and then switch to a 4/1 Run/Walk plan to offset the lack of training, and allow suitable recovery. This actually worked a treat, and I went through 10K in 63:46, all in good stead as we headed for the Park and the small detail of a few hills to work on. I was joined on a number of occasions by fellow Team #RSPers, usually passing me while I was on my walk break, all enquiring if I was alright, which at those points I was! Into the Park, and still all going to plan, until that damn Kyber Road downhill. Last time it was the knee, this time, the calf! Having run enough Marathons to spot the first signs of calf cramps, the twinge I felt as I came to the bottom of the hill was recognisable straight away - Ouch! I eased to a walk, and walked up the Military Road, before tentatively running down the Zig-Zags and feeling my way. Once onto the far road by the Furry Glen, every time I started to run more than 100m, I felt the calf twinge again, and resorted to a walk. To be honest, I probably walked most of the last two miles, not wanting to go into spasm at all, just stretching out as I walked, and saving anything I had left for the finish straight. There was no smackdown this time, just a gentle run in, to be greeted 50m from the line by Rachel Hyland, and her camera, and cheers from the #RSPers who had finished ahead of me, encouraging me to cross the line in 2:24:40, almost respectable given the level of fitness.

After a few bananas and collecting my medal, I met up with the gang, recovered a little, and then went back to pick up Paula and Susan. Susan had been struggling and I walked with her for a while before fellow #RSPer, John Dolan joined us, along with the rest of the 3K Fun Runners, and I then went ahead to bring home Paula to the finish of her first half-marathon in fine style. We were both feeling the effects of the distance in our legs, came home, and after lunch and a couple of beers, we went home, and promptly fell asleep on the couch!

So, that's where we are to date. From a running perspective, not a great time, with the knee injury, the added weight, and the loss of a lot of the cardio work that I had put in earlier this year. Thankfully the knee stood up well to the Half-Marathon, and the soreness in the legs will dissapate in a day or two, and I can get back into a decent training regime.

From a life perspective, much better times, a happily married man, a wonderful new life partner, and a future together that will bring smiles and happiness for many years to come. As Dickens went onto say, It was the age of Wisdom, the age of Foolishness, well running while less than 100% may be the Foolish part of my life, marrying Paula is obviously the Wisdom side of things.

Not quite to Sub 50 - Up & Down

A month on, and time to update the blog and see how I have been progressing. It's been an up and down month since Terenure, thankfully mainly up, but a few little niggles have resulted in not quite progressing as planned.

After Terenure, I was hopeful of ducking under 50 minutes again for 10K at the Raheny Summer Series 10K in St Anne's Park at the end of May. However, it wasn't quite to be, running 50:27, which was a PHD PB, which I can't complain about, and it certainly got me nearer the Sub50 mark. This race was swiftly followed two days later with a BHAA race over 5 Miles in Dunboyne. Again, I had a decent enough run, once again going under 40 minutes for 5 miles, the third time in 5 weeks, and only a few seconds behind my M55 PB, again, things heading in the right direction.

Next up was a return to my favourite parkrun, over in Waterstown. It had been a few months since I had managed to get over to this particular parkrun, and I had high hopes of a decent run on this challenging course. I hadn't managed to break 25 minutes here, and I was determined to do so this day. I actually managed it with some ease, clocking 24:41, a 25 second Course PB and all going well. I felt a few niggles over these races, mainly a tight hamstring on my left leg, coupled with a recurrance of my ankle problems - nothing serious, but I was glad to be having a break from racing for a week or so.

The Bank Holiday Monday at the beginning of June saw me standing in the rain cheering on Paula and the Team #RSP girls in the mini-marathon here in Dublin. Now, I am never happy about races with the word Marathon in them, when they are not over 26.2 miles, but the Dublin Women's Race, over 10K, has been going for many years now, and is the largest Women Only Race of this nature in the World, not bad for a small country! It wasn't the best day, weather wise, but everyone had a great day, Paula completed her first 10K, and we got dry afterwards with a few drinks with the RSP girls.

Niggles aside, it was back to the BHAA a week or so afterwards, and something very different for me. Two races on the grass track at Trinity College over 1200m and 2000m. First up was the shorter race, and not having run on a grass track since school, and I don't believe I have ever raced over 1200m, three laps of the track before. Doing intervals at 4:15/4:20 pace over 1000m, I had to guess the best way to run this, especially as were running with a a wide range of BHAA Standards in the same race. I simply tried to run at an even pace, not getting carried away, and I think I managed that, clocking 4:55 for the 3 laps, around 1:40 per lap. Only problem I had was that I had no kick in my legs on the finishing straight, the faster pace leaving me unable to pick anything up here. One hour to cool down, and then it was back for the 5 laps of the 2000m. A little closer to what I know I was capable of, and I decided simply to try and run around the 4:30 per Km pace, and not worry about other runners. I tucked behind another competitor running around the same pace, and we checked off each lap, with me being a stride or two behind, hoping to take him on the finish straight, but once again, I had nothing in the legs, and he kicked away from me, as I finished in 9:03 - mind you, he was some 30 years younger than me :)... At the prize giving later that evening, I picked up a prize for my run in the 2000 and our Revenue Team won our Standard Division, so came away with some nice goodies on the evening.

The following Saturday saw me up north, and a trip to Wallace Park, Lisburn for parkrun. This was the scene of my first parkruns back in 2013 when I first started running again after my back injury. Only having run this course twice before, neither spectacularly, I was pretty much assured a Course PB here, and despite the three hills on this course, I ran a steady run and clocked 24:39, and was happy with the time and the overall run.

This last week has been strange. I took Paula out for a 7.5 K easy run on Monday, and then on Wednesday evening I went out with the Run Logic Team for a run on the first few miles of the Rock n Roll 1/2 Course, and felt terrible. I don't know why, but nothing felt right. My legs were heavy, I had sore hips, generally out of sorts. Thursday morning I felt tired and lethargic, and as a result I passed on any runs on Thursday & Friday, hoping to feel better for Saturday's 10K race in Dunshaughlin. To be fair, I din't feel too bad as I boarded the bus over to Meath and the race, and once there, it was great meeting up with the Team RSP gang, and I felt OK as we headed to the start. It was a hot evening, with the sun actually beating down, a rare sight this summer, and once the race started, I knew within a few early kilometers I would suffer a little in this heat, and I did. I started off with a 4:45 first Km, and One Mile was sub 7:45, and after 3Km in under 15 minutes, I started to wilt, so decided, as I have a few races this week (See below!), to take it easy, and that's exactly what I did, kicking a little on the finishing straight, and coming home in 52:40, well below expectations, but a finish is a finish, and live to fight another day.

That's brought things up to date, and now I have a three race series, all in the space of a week. Tuesday coming sees the latest BHAA Race, a 5K grass trail race in the Phoenix Park, again, not quite sure what to expect, followed by Thursday night and a trip out to Clonee and another 10K, and finally on Saturday the Dublin Race Series begins with the 5 Miler on the road in the Phoenix Park. One more run at Waterstown parkrun on the 4th July will see me through to July 10th, and a far more important race begins that day, when Paula and I tie the knot.... Not that it will stop either of us running!

So, not really progressed as much as I would have liked over the last month, more treading water a little, albeit reasonably consistent, aside from Dunshaughlin. Hopefully a decent run in Clonee on Thursday will eradicate that one and get me back on the road, and then the 5 Miler over the testing course in the Park will see how the rest of the summer will develop. I'll pop a couple of pics from Dunshauglin, including a deserved drop in at the pub after the race - Fiona Kenna & Colin Morrisey star in one of the pics, with Trina & Rachel photobombing two tired runners, myself and Mel at the finish line, followed by the gang in the pub afterwards!

First one in the Bag...

Good grief!! What is this ? - Two posts in two days, I must have found my computer!

Well, after writing yesterday about my plans for the next couple of months, only fair to report on the first race of this block. Today was the Terenure 5M, organised by Sportsworld RC, and an 11 am start over by Templeogue College and Bushy Park. Headed over by waling a couple of Km to Rathmines to catch a linking bus (It's Sunday, buses are rare on days off!), and I arrived with an hour to meet up with Team Mates and warm up. Great to meet up with Rachel, Sinead, Darren, Nikki, James, Paul, Teresa, Liz, Jann, Aobhie, Rachel's mum Barbara, and Chief Cheerleader John before the race, and bumping into Speedster Paul as well at the front of the start line... (Apologies if I missed anyone!)

I lined up with the Sub 40 pacers, and when the start came, and grey clouds were lingering, I managed to set myself into a steady rhythm and the First Mile was run in 7:55, nice and steady, not over running and well within what I felt I was up for. Staying with the pacers into Mile Two, it was 15:52 at the Split and still I was feeling comfortable. The course here at Terenure is relatively flat, although slightly misleading as there is a long 1 degree downhill on the two laps, and a climb to the finish, perhaps un-noticeable, especially to those used to hills, but believe me, they are there.

Mile 3 was still will the pacers, and clocked at 23:45, and it was at this point that I decided to push on a little, and whilst I didn't pull away rapidly, it was a steady push, and I had my eyes set on getting well under 40 minutes. Mile 4 was clocked at 31:35, and I simply kept this up as we approached the finish. I was working out the spot where to kick on from, but, due to the slight incline, I didn't really have much extra in the tank for the final 400m, and just kept my head, solid running, and crossed the line in 39:23, a finish time I was very happy with, and even more happy in that every mile had been under 8 minute pace, not the up and down times I have featured in some races this spring.

Overall I ended up 450th out of nearly 1200 runners, and was 12th out of 278 in my age group. Very happy with the run, and seeing so many of my Team #RSP friends achieve Personal Bests on their runs. Next up, the 10K next Sunday in St Annes, and a possible Sub 50 run there - Let's Hope....

Slow to Update, but I'm getting faster-ish!

Realised it's been two months since I last posted an update. Since March, and the Meath Half Marathon, I have been running quite well, with a little up and down in the results column, but overall things have been heading in the direction I had hoped.

Three 10K's have been raced, with slightly mixed results, all having drawbacks, one with heavy wind, one at night with congestion (runners, not in my chest!), and the latest one in heavy rain and a tweeked ankle. Times of 51:41, 52:17 and 52:58 respectively, look like they are heading in the wrong direction, but overall, I was happy enough with each of the times at each of the races.

Before the 10K's there was the Battle of Clontarf 10 Miler where I was happy with a time of 85:49, and I also set a PB for the 5K Parkrun of 24:09 over at Hartstown. The best result I have had in the past two months was at the RTE 5 Mile Race in the BHAA series (Business House Athletic Association). On a very wet day in Donnybrook, I clocked a M50 PB of 38:54, and the Revenue Works Team won a little prize as well.

The training has been going well, with an increase in distance, and whilst I don't aim for PB's when I train, I do run time trials occasionally, and these have shown a significant improvement in recent times, showing promise for the rest of the summer. Which leads me on to setting myself some targets. I have races lined up over the next few months, starting with the Sportsworld 5M Race in Terenure tomorrow (17th), where I would hope to be comfortably under 40 minutes. Next up is a 10K next Sunday at St Annes in Raheny, and if the weather holds up, I really hope to be ducking under that 50 minute barrier. This will be quickly followed by the 5 Miler at Dunboyne in the BHAA series, followed by a break from racing, and a ramp up in the training as I build for the Dublin Series, kicking off at the end of June with the Irish Runner 5 Miler.

All roads are leading up to the Rock n Roll Dublin Half Marathon in August, which has long been a target for me. At this point in time I hope to be under 1:50, although this may change between now and then.

Adding a few pics from the last few weeks -

Changes, Achievements and progress

It's been 5 weeks since my last update, and it has been a mixed time, with some good training, some fast times, an unplanned change of race (and distance) and a PR for M50, let alone M55, some four days short of my 57th birthday.

Since last time, I have managed three Parkruns, and set a new PR at a new venue, Hartstown, which, like St Anne's, is nice and flat, conducive to faster times. compared to my home run at Waterstown, with it's inclines, and Marlay Park with it's numbers. Ran this one twice in February, clocking 24:18, and my new Parkrun PR of 24:10, close to my spring target of sub 24, which should be forthcoming once I can run without multi-layers as it warms up.

Training has been going well with my Tuesday runs with the BAD ASS Runners, and, despite the inclement weather, the motivation from Jantastic, plus the gang from Team#RSP, the Runners Support Page over on Facebook. I had a slight hiccup in my training as I had to head over to Vienna with work for a few days, but I didn't let that stop me, and all in all, I was looking forward to Ballycotton, and a crack at the Classic 10 Miles there. Being honest, I was probably in good shape for a 10K, and maybe a decent 8 miles, so 10 miles was going to be a stretch, but well within my grasp.

Unfortunately, the logistics of getting down to Cork on a Sunday proved to be my downfall, and with a couple of days to go, I knew I couldn't make it. However, there was a Half Marathon taking place closer to home on Sunday, in Meath, the Bohermeen Spring Half Marathon, and with the help of Janet Curley-Keane, and an offer of a lift from Susan Dixon, team nates from Team#RSP, I was set up for the Half with two days notice.

Now, given I had been training for a 10 Miler, and hadn't even ran that distance in training, it was going to be a push, but I knew that if I was sensible, kept to an even, steady pace, I could probably get in under 2 hours. I have set a target of sub 1:50 for this distance, but that is for August/September, when I have my planned two Halves, the Rock n Roll Dublin, and the Dublin Half Marathon set on my plans, so a sub 2 hour was a healthy target at this point in time. My last half marathon was back in 2008, in Cincinatti, when I managed 2:08:34, with a 1:59:29 the year before in Philly being the last time I ducked under 2 hours, so it was likely to be a tough time, but, with the training going well, I was confident.

Before heading off to Meath on Sunday, I went over to The Run Hub on Saturday and bought a new pair of runners. Stuck with my Asics brand, but talking to the guys there, I went for a different neutral shoe, switching from the Nimbus to the Cumulus, and we'll see how they go oce I have broken them in and started running in them. For the race, it was my old tried and tested yellow Nimbus that would see me through the country roads of Bohermeen.

Sunday dawned, with a cool, but dry morning, with a mild breeze, compared to the day before's tougher winds. Susan picked me up nice and early and we made our way over without getting lost too many times. Meeting up with the Team #RSP guys is great craic, and there were plenty of Green & Black vests on display, with quite a few of the gang looking at the 2 hour mark as a target.

We started a few minutes after the 10K finished, and the race was to be a two lap affair, along country roads, with the finish on the local mini-track at the Community Centre. Nine minute miles was the pace I wanted to look for, and I started off alongside the 2 hour pacer, which would be more or less my pace. The first mile was spot on 9 minutes, and I felt very comfortable at this pace, slower than my training pace has been recently. Whilst there were some 850 running in this race, it was easy to navigate the early stages, unlike some races, and I saw two team mates a little ahead of me, who I knew were looking at a similar time to myself. I spent Mile Two closing a 20m gap, and joined up with Derek O'Keane, start of my infamous Smackdown at Marlay Park in January, and we spent the next 8 miles together, averaging around 8:50 per mile along the way.

My first goal was to maintain this pace to the 10 Mile mark, and take it from there, especially as I knew there was a nice hill to cope with at Mile 12, having ran it on the first lap. We duly reached Mile 10 at 1:29:00, giving me 31 minutes to complete the last 5Km to get under the 2 hour mark. At this point I slowed down, and told Derek to push on, as I didn't want to burn up, with the calves, thighs and quads starting to feel the extra miles, especially with the hill coming up. I dug in, easing down on teh hill, and then trying to pick up on the run for home. Derek was around 40m ahead by now, and I was joined by two more team mates, Sharon & Eamon Ward at this point, and then felt a little guilty as I tried to push on for the last 800m or so, leaving them again.

Fair to say I managed to pick it up, and as we entered the track, I picked it up again, and kept it going to the line, coming home in 1:58:23, which was well inside my target, a new PR for M55, and my fastest Half Marathon since 2007, so by default also being my fastest Over 50 run. On age grading, it was even better than my 1:48 from Dublin back in 2003, so all was well.

One disappointment was a lack of water at the finish line, hopefully something that the organisers will get right in the future, as it is potentially a health & safety issue for runners finishing and being unable to rehydrate quickly. All in all I was well pleased with the result.

Back to training now, and a few Parkruns before the BHAA Summer series starts later this month, and with the weather improving, hopefully so will the times. No time goals to set myself for the next couple of months, hopefully just some decent races over Parkrun & BHAA, with the Samsung Night Race 10Km at the end of April the next "Other" Race. Will set myself a goal for that once I see how the next block of training goes.



Some pics from the Half Marathon, along with the New Shoes - Onwards we go.......

First Goal Achieved - On to the next...

It's been a cold month, but with Jantastic going well, and the enthusiasm of the Team #RSP gang, my training has been consistent if not exactly electrifying. A fair bit of treadmill running, and interval work showing signs of improvements, I was looking forward to this weekend, and the first Goal Race of the year, the Raheny Shamrock 5m.

I decided to run a back to back, with a Parkrun on the Saturday, and went to St Annes, in Raheny, to take on the Parkrun. I wasn't looking for a particularly fast time, and just ran a steady race, and was pleasantly surprised to duck under 25 minutes, and a Parkrun PR, albeit, St Annes is a lot flatter as a course than my regular Waterstown run.

So, onto Sunday, and a much warmer day than the rest of the month has been. It was great to see so many Team #RSPers out, and I was looking forward to a decent run. I was planning on running around 8:20 per mile, and started well at around that pace, or slightly faster, and the first 80% of the race was uneventful, plodding along, reaching 3 Miles in 24:35, and then along the waterfront before turning for the only hill on the route. I missed the 4 Mile mark, and went up the hill comfortably, however as we flattened out, I was overheating and had to take a short walk-break - The price paid for wearing a long sleeved cotton vest under my Team #RSP singlet - Naturally I was spotted by a team mate, embarrassing :) - But once I cooled a little, it was on towards the finish, and an easy run home, breaking the finish line in an unofficial time of 41:16, well inside my target of 41:59, and over a minute faster than the Simon 5 last October.

First Goal achieved, and now I have 5 weeks to build on this for Ballycotton, where I have double the distance to travel, and an ambitious goal to aim for. Great to have such a supportive crew at the race from Team #RSP, with great runs from each and everyone there, with many a PR achieved. Looking forward to the next few weeks of training, with the odd Parkrun thrown in, and Ballycotton in Cork on March 8th.

Off to a decent start.

After 11 days of the New Year, I can honestly say, we are off to a good start. I have managed to get out (or in, if you want to be pedantic when I am in the gym), Nine of the Eleven days, and have clocked up 39.5 Km so far. Also managed to get Two Parkrun 5Km "races" under my belt, and things have come together nicely.

I completed my self-imposed Challenge of the 12 Runs of Christmas, actually racking up a thirteen day streak, and am now settling into a 5 day per week pattern for the moment, which can be adapted as time progresses.

My first Parkrun was on the first Saturday of the month at my "Home" event in Waterstown. It was an exceptionally wet start to the running year, and many layers were on as I took an easy run around the course in 27:25, a long way short of my Parkrun PR, but given the day, I was happy enough with the run.

This Saturday, it was a Tourist Trip to Marlay Park, and their Parkrun, along with the guys from #RSP, the great Runners Support Page gang, and the Official Launch of our Team Vests. Given the weather on Friday, I awoke with some trepidation, expecting high winds and rain. Pleasantly surprised to spot a blue sky, and a couple of buses later, I was in Marlay Park, meeting up with the gang.

Marlay is a very popular Parkrun, with regular events of over 500, which is a fantastic turnout, but creates a few problems on narrow park paths, and the start is a little difficult with so many people. Yesterday was no exception, as there were 512 finishers, and it took me nearly 2 Kms to get into a natural rhythm. Once into a regularised pace, I was able to start picking off people ahead of me. Some I recognized in their #RSP shirts, and a shout of encouragement each way helped along the way.

Gradually I latched onto two of the lads from the team, Derek & Darren, who were running a good steady pace, so I kept up with them , pulling me through the latter stages of the run. With around 500m to go, they pulled away from me as I wasn't increasing my pace, as they did. The finish was visible to us for all this time, and my thoughts were harking back to the days when I never lost a sprint finish (I used to run 400m on the track in my younger days, so always had a good kick!), I couldn't let them get away with it. But I knew I had to time it right, as the likelihood would be they would be faster than me if push came to shove - I'm not 25 anymore! I timed it perfectly, with less than 50m to go, I kicked hard, flew (OK, ambled a little faster than they were!) past the lads, shouting a greeting, and headed for the line :) - Wonderfully captured by Diarmuid, one of our faster runners, who had finished well before us, and was acting as finish line photographer for Team #RSP. Didn't give them a chance to recover, and clocked home in 26:04, not a brilliant time, but perfect on the day.

My Smackdown will no doubt come back to haunt me, as I am sure they will get the better of me in the future, but it was fun, and brought back memories of speed in my youth! Coffee and great chat with the rest of the team afterwards, and this morning I went to the gym and ran an easy 6 Km on the treadmill, as I continue to build up slowly and steadily, not wanting to overdo things, which would only set me back. Next stop, two weeks on, the Raheny 5 Miler, on the 25th.. Onwards and Upwards.