Run In The Dark 5K - The First Back

 

Was it nerves, was it anxiety? I don't know for sure, but Tuesday night, I was trembling as I walked from home down to Dublin Dockland. This was it - My first time back as, loosely, a runner - a racer! yes, it was to be an actual Race Event - The Dublin Run In The Dark 5k - A great charity event, and one I have taken part in, in years gone by. But, for me, it's been a while. I won't bore readers with my history, but my last "Race" was the Raheny Shamrock 5m in January 2019, and a heck of a lot of water had travelled down the Liffey and under many bridges since then - But here we were - I was walking down to the Gathering, and was about to re-enter the world of Taking Part - Yes, I was nervous, yes I was anxious, and boy was I trembling.

OK - Let me be honest, I had no conception of what I could do on the night. My limited re-training, has been just that - limited. In my head, I wanted to run 25 minutes- Yeh! - Why not? - That's what I was running back in 2016/17 - I can do that - Can't I? - Well, that was my head, the bit of my head that lives in dream world. Thankfully, these days, I'm realistic about what I am able for - I was looking at somewhere between 33 and 35 minutes - Times that would have seemed pedestrian to me, only a few short years ago, but today, seemed just attainable, if things went well. My fingers, and toes were crossed.

I met up with a few friends from my Rin & Beers Running Group before the race, and despite the name of the Group, they are all good runners, with their own goals, all superior to mine, with the one exception, we all wanted to do well. There were a lot of people milling around the start line at the Point (3 arena), and I said goodbye to my friends as I lined up near the back of the starting pens - I knew my limitations...  It was chilly, people were chatting with their pals - My nerves were getting to me - Why? I have raced so many times over nearly 40 years - why was I so tense as we waited?

Finally - We were off - A mass crowd strung out across the narrow road before we hit the Riverside, and a little bit of space. I knew I needed to keep the pace easy - I tagged onto "The Pony" - an old trait from Marathon days years ago - Catch someone running a similar pace, latch on behind, focus on them rather than yourself, and follow that Pony (For those still not comprehending, it's a Pony Tail of a runner ahead, 95% of the time female, and it helps to follow a swishing tail, taking the focus of yourself - probably not woke in 2023, but give me a break, it''s been a while!).

I stayed with "My Pony" through a tough first Km, - almost 7 minutes! Oh No! - The second Km was more productive, still with my fellow runner, and this time, the rhythm had set in, and I was feeling more comfortable, faster - 6.29 - Easing in...

We crossed the river, back into territory well known to me, having lived in this part of the City between 2006 and 2009 - on towards The Ferryman. my old local, and a HUGE shout-out for Jane, one of our Running Group, spectating their - It certainly gave me a HUGE boost, 3 km next up, 6.13 - I was feeling good - Keep it going - The long drag down John Rogerson Quay - The Sharp Turnabout Hairpin, back along the River - and 4 km - YES! 6.07 - I was heading for under 33 - And now, into unchartered territory - Post 4km outside... Would I survive?

I have (had) a tendency during the later stretch of a long training run, or even a marathon, to count out the strides, knowing how many strides constitute 50m, 100m, am I getting near the finish - Not something I can recall using in a 5Km Race, but I was doing it now! - And it worked - it took my mind off the fact that my legs were starting to feel the run - As I said at the start - It's been a while - But, I dug in... I can do this - I really can - I was nearly in tears as I turned off the quays - the finish line in sight, although why wasn't it getting nearer? It seemed an age, and my ancient (and under-trained) legs couldn't kick any faster, but after what seemed an age, the Finish Gantry was there _ I had done it - I had finished ! - My first Finish Line in 58 months - It was complete. - 

Officially, my time was 32:04 - that last Km on my watch was 6:01 - I finished 1093 out of 2105, but I don't really care, where, or even when - I finished - Thank you body for not giving up on me - Fingers, and toes, crossed, the first of many more to come - 

Base Run

 Every time I have been out of the game for a while, upon my return, I like to run a short base test to gauge where I am starting from, and use this from time to time to see what progress, or lack thereof, I am making. For the past 8 years or so, this has been a lap around the block, across from my home in Rathmines. Its a square block of 1.12kms, starting off with a gentle incline for the first 300m before levelling out for 100m, with another small rise, before turning into the third section which is a slight downhill, reversing the gain in the early stage, and finally turning for home, with a dip in the last 25m to the finish.

This morning I ran this in 6:44, a pace a shade over 6m per Km., and surprisingly when I look back, this is the best "Initial" gauge run in recent years. I didn't feel as if I was overstraining, or pushing things at all. I actually felt very comfortable at this pace, which is somewhat surprising, given the lack of sustained running since my ills. 

I won't be taking anything for granted, but pleased with this mornings effort, and here's to a bright future. My entry to the lottery for next year's Dublin Marathon has been made, I'll know by the end of this month, fingers crossed (I think!). I will plan races through 2024 at varying intervals, not going mad, but the one target that will always take precedence will be the Marthon and that Sub 4 hour run. A long way to go from here, but as a certain Chines Proverb paraphrased to - "The journey of 42.195km starts here" 

Remember Me ?

I'm sure that nobody is reading this, but that's not the point of me writing today, but if you are, I hope you stay for the journey, at least to the end of this post. 

 Today, November 1st 2023, marks the 1st Anniversary of my Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy commencing as I fought against Cancer for the 2nd time in the last 6 years, and a time to reflect, and strike out, going forward. The first "issue" being bowel cancer back in 2017/18, already well documented, but when I was diagnosed with the Tongue/Throat Cancer in September 2022, it was a different kettle of fish. I could understand an operation, cutting the tumour out, along with 15cm of the bowel, and while it wasn't easy, the effects on my lifestyle were relatively minimal. The Chemo and Radiotherapy (35 sessions) were a totally different situation, and took a heck of a lot out of my body, and even my spirit. The sickness, the inability to eat solid food for three months, ending up in hospital on more than one occassion, were tough, on me and my family. In the end, I came through it, and after 5 long months, in March I was given the All Clear - No cancer was showing on the scans - I had come through it again. 

 This time, while I was clear, there were side effects, which are still lingering twelve months later. My taste buds have not fully recovered, although improving. I still suffer from an inability to create adequate saliva, resulting in dry mouth, which is extremely unpleasant, but I'm hoping that will clear up in the next twelve months or so. On the plus side, if you can have such a thing, I lost 25kgs in weight during my treatment, although I don't recommend the diet - Tiredness has been an issue too, although those effects are fading. 

 The most important thing is I want, I might even say NEED, to get back running again. It should be easy, given I'm so much lighter than a few years ago. And this is why I am posting this, and aiming to get back in the saddle - I was always one to set ambitious goals - Aiming for the stars - And why not - It's better to try and fail, rather than wonder what if? So, here we are, a few days after once again spectating at the Dublin Marathon, feeling the buzz of the crowd, the agony and ecstasy of the runners, the joy of seeing old friends out on the road, not to mention even the joy of getting soaked cheering strangers on. 

So what are the goals. 

  Short Term: Back out running with my Wednesday Night "Run & Beers" Group - That starts TONIGHT 

  Medium Term: Parkrun, to get back to taking part on Saturday mornings in the 5Km Parkruns - Slightly more complicated as I now work on Saturday's, but I will overcome that, no excuses. I'm also giving myself a Target of running 25 minutes by next summer, if not before, we shall see. I also have the little matter of the Run In The Dark on Nov 14th which I entered a few weeks back, but that will be treated more as a fun evening, as I will not be 10K ready by then. 

  2024 Goals: Well, I have my entry already in for the Dingle Half Marathon on September 7th next year, and come Thursday I will be putting my name in the "hat" for the Dublin City Marathon 2024 - And those Stars I am aiming for, well, my goal is to run this in under 4 hours - I said I was ambitious. My first aim for 2024 will be the Raheny 5 in the New Year, and I'm sure there will be a few other stepping stones on the way. 

The journey back starts here. 

No better day to set off than that 1st anniversary - A year I can write off as a blip, and move forward, with new strength, new life, and a new purpose - Hope you come along for the ride if you are reading this - Otherwise, this will simply be my personal chronicle of the journey, that's OK - It has always helped me to write about life, the good and the bad - let's hope that in the next twelve months it's more of the former.