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.

Hopes for 2015

Having reflected back on 2014, I can now look forward to the New Year and a New Running Plan.

What are my hopes and aspirations. Well, I have entered a few races already, and set myself some targets, and I guess one way of checking myself is to publish them, and then I have no excuse if I fail.

First up is the Raheny 5M at the end of January. Nothing too high here, as it's winter, and the weather can always play a part in destroying over ambitious targets. I will be happy to have a time that starts with a 41... It will point me in the right direction...

Next up on the target list, with entry paid up, is the Ballycotton 10m on March 8th. This is a race I have run four times in the past, 2002, 03, 06 and 08. With a best time back in 2006 of 1:15:50, this time I will be aiming to run it faster than I did in 2008, which was 1:23:50, slightly ambitious, average pace needed of 5:12 per Km, or 8:22 per mile, but a goal should be hard, but achievable...

Whilst entries aren't open for the Dublin Race Series yet, I'm aiming to run these, with the Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon in August already subscribed for. I'll reconsider these specific races after Ballycotton, but in loose terms - here are my time goals for the year, subject to staying fit all year - something that hasn't happened in many a year!

5Km - General time goal of getting under 22:30, and when it comes to Waterstown Parkrun, I want to get near to 23 minutes on that tough course!

5M (or 8Km) - Raheny mentioned above with a 41 and change target, but as the year progresses I would hope to get near to 38 minutes again.

10Km - Not that many races at this distance on the Race Calendar, but I would dearly love to get back into the mid 40's for this distance, but I'll settle for a sub 50 to start.

10M - Ballycotton above, and Frank Duffy will be targetted in August for a decent time - Hopefully well under the 1:20 mark, something I have failed to achieve on three previous attempts at that particular race.

1/2 Mar - Two planned, with possibly a third thrown in there. However I will be looking to run a sub 1:50 later in the year, I'd like to aim for 1:45, but if I manage 1:49:59 I'll be happy.

MAR - Realistically, no plans to run one this year, as I want to concentrate on re-building everything and enjoying my running, instead of focusing on the training needed to run a Marathon. If I do have a good year, I may up my training for DCM, but I wouldn't want to simply run one for the sake of it.

I also intend to run Parkruns as often as I can, because they are great, and I do have one other great goal that will be achieved on July 10th at 3pm, I'm getting married!!!! Now there is one race that I can honestly say I am looking forward to running!!!

Happy Running Everyone (Or to both of you reading my blog these days!!!)

That Was The Year That Was - Reflections on 2014

As one should, the end of each year is a time to reflect on how the year progressed, what we learn, and a time to look forward to the New Year with expectations. As this is supposed to be my ramblings about running, I'll leave reflections about the state of the world to other fora.

Since I wrecked my back in February 2012, I had been unable to run properly for nearly two years, with a couple of small attempts during 2013, but as 2014 started I was determined to have one last chance of getting fit again and re-starting my running. January saw me jumping in with both feet and I ran the Marlay Park 5K Parkrun - Well, when I say "run", I completed the course in 33:39, not an auspicious start, and to be fair, it was a pretty true reflection of where I was at, fitness wise. BUT, it was a start....

Actually it was a hic-cup! I did start training, but I didn't feel right and felt that a little longer was needed before I could really test myself. So, I decided to diet a little, and by the end of June I felt I was ready to "run". Through work, in years gone by, I had regularly ran in BHAA Races (Business House Athletic Association), and a 5K was coming up in Irishtown, under the BHAA banner, and Revenue were promoting this to try and encourage fitness at the workplace, so an ideal (re)-starting point. I had last run this race in 2007, in 23:50, so I had a measure.... It was no magnificent return, but I got around, and clocked 30:17, and I was determined to move on from there.

Three days later and I discovered Waterstown Parkrun... Living in Ballsbridge, without a car, it is hard for me to get to Marlay Park, or many of the other Parkruns in the Dublin area. However, Waterstown is on the bus route that goes past my apartment, so despite a 35 minute journey, it seemed to be the easiest to get to, so I went. Really glad I did, as I have met some great people there, and must mention Julie O'Connor and all the work she and her team have put in creating a family friendly running event every week. But my first venture there was a shock to the system. It's a tough course, with some lovely gentle inclines, and my first time out, I recorded 30:37 for the trip - Ouch, and it hurt too!

But I persevered, I was up to running three times a week, and the following Saturday I ducked under 30 minutes, 29:52, and thankfully haven't been over again since. The training went well through the summer, and I continued to run the Waterstown Parkruns into September, bringing my time down to 25:28 in two months. I had set a target of getting under 25 minutes for 5Km by the end of September, and I achieved this at the Rathfarnham 5Km at the end of the month, managing to bring my 5Km PHD (Post-Herniated Disc) PBB, down to 24:39 - I was on the right road..

The last three months have been a little up and down, with a 5M Race best of 42:29, and a couple of over distance 8.5Km Races (They were supposed to be 8Km, but for one reason or another they were long), one in Argentina while back there on holiday, and the last race of the year in Clontarf with my new running friends from #RSP - The runners Support Page on Facebook. Unfortunately I came home from my holiday with a cold, and Clontarf was a little tricky as I hadn't shaken it off, and it turned into a chest infection, which resulted in two weeks off running at the start of December. Pleased to report I am now back healthy, and raring to go. I set myself a challenge of The 12 Runs of Christmas, i.e. running every day over the holidays, my twist on the Irish 12 Pubs of Christmas - And NO, I don't have a beer on every run!

So, after a false start, a tough time getting back into it, I have ended the year with a total of 412.5Km in the bank, which given it was only for half a year in truth, is my best return since 2008 - A lot to look forward to in 2015.

Another PB at 8.5Km !!

Having been under the weather all week with a chest infection, I was feeling a lot brighter for Saturdays trip out to Clontarf and the Clontarf 5 Mile race, in conjunction with their Half-Marathon. The great thing about this race was my first chance to meet up in person with the gang from #RSP - The Runners Support Page, over on Facebook. I joined this on-line group a few months ago, and have been enjoying the banter and motivation coming from the members, so it was great to meet up with so many of them on Saturday, and great to relax after the race in the Yacht. The vast majority of the gang were running the Half-Marathon, but I chose the shorter race given the chest and the holiday.

Now, regular readers will know that my last race, advertised as an 8Km race, was actually 8.5Km, and this must be following me around, as the Clontarf Race had to amend the course due to a spot of flooding on the course. Unfortunately, the marshalls at the turnaround point made a human error and forgot to adjust the location, which resulted in the race actually being, yes, you guessed it, 8.5Km! My new favourite distance :).

As for the race, I started gently on the narrow pathways, and settled into a steady rhythm, around 5:15 pace, as we ran along the waterfront, before crossing the bridge and then the long run to the turnaround. As we came off the bridge on the way back I felt my chest starting to wheeze up, so took it easy on the run back, clearly identifying that we were running more than 5 Miles as the markers hadn't been moved, and I knew the pace I was running, and feeling the chest, I didn't kick on at the end, and crossed the line in 44:17, for 116th position out of 541, which isn't bad, and a few seconds faster than that last 8.5Km race :).

Big plus on the day was meeting the #RSP gang - Negatives were; the over-distance race, although these things happen; and the chest infection lingering longer than hoped.

Couple of pics with the gang, and running along - Back to Parkrun if I can finally shake off this nasty chest.

Holiday Over - Now for the Hard Work

It's been 6 weeks since I updated here, which was mainly due to the fact that I spent 4 of those back in my "Other" home, Argentina, on vacation. Before I left for sunnier climes, and I confess I came back with a good tan, I had one more Parkrun, where I improved my Personal Best at Waterstown to 25:04, which is well worth a better time on a flatter course. With training going well in the run up to my travels, I was in good shape, and very happy with the way things had progressed into the autumn. The difficulties would potentially come in Buenos Aires, with a lot of social events to come...

My first week away didn't augur too well, as I only managed three runs in the first ten days, albeit the latter two were 7.3 Km runs, on a familiar road route, running sub 40 minutes on a route which involved a lot of junctions to cross. One of the problems in BA where we live, is that the nearest park is a 3Km run away, all along a main road, and with a grid system, there is a fair bit of stop/start running.

The following week we went to Mar Del Plata for a vacation withing a vacation, if you know what I mean. MDQ, as it's known, is an oceanside resort, some 250Km south of BA, with a great seafront, and with cliffs and a rolling promenade, there was to be plenty of opportunity for some decent running. And so it worked out. I got out every morning for 5 great runs, including a great hill work out one day, working the climb up from the oceanside to the top of the cliffs, not something easy to do in either Dublin or BA itself.

Back to BA for the last few days of the trip, and I had a race to run. Back in 2010, a new University was set up in Avellaneda, where we lived, and one way they involved with the community was to set up an 8 Km Road Race, free to all, with a Running Vest thrown in for good measure. |I ran it that year, and the following year the race became an 8.5Km Race as they had to change the course, so an unusual distance, which, in 2011, I completed in 46:40. 2012 I was incapacitated with my herniated disc, but I actually walked the 3Km "Fun Run" that year, so an event with a bit of history for me. Race day saw a hot start to the day, with temperatures well into the mid 20's by the time the race started. Although the course is pancake flat, the heat made me take it easy, and I ran a steady pace of around 5:15 per kilometre, kicking hard up the last 200m to the finish, overtaking a few in the last run for the line, and finishing in 44:32.

That was that for the holiday, last Sunday, and taking two days to fly home, along with a touch of jet lag meant only one run this week. Added to this is I have managed to come down with my usual Post-Airline cold, which kept me away from doing a Parkrun this morning. Next up I have the Clontarf 5 Miler next Saturday, and hopefully I can get a decent week's training in. Now the holiday is over, it will be all about building up over the winter months with Parkruns to help. Already entered the Rock n Roll Half-Marathon next August here in Dublin, so I have a long term goal, and once the fixture lists come out, I can look at short term targets into the New Year.

SImon 5 Miler @ The Phoenix Park.

A shot from last week in Rathfarnham

And now - This Week's Race....

It's so nice to be sitting down and simply write race reports again. No diatribe about injuries at the moment, and this morning I woke up to a far colder, crisper morning than we have been enjoying this Indian Summer in Ireland. Today's race was an extended distance for me, following my 5K Parkruns and the Rathfarnham Race last weekend, also at 5Km. Today was to be over 5 Miles in the Phoenix Park, with the finish being a grind up the Kyber Pass, certainly a challenge.

I just missed a bus to head over to the Park, so I decided, as the sun was out, despite it being very chilly, to walk over. It worked out well last Sunday, so another long walk warm up saw me arrive with only 10 minutes to go to the start. This Race is aimed at raising money for the Simon Charity for Homeless Services, a worthy cause, and is advertised as a Fun Run, with a lot of young people entering this through their schools. This results in a large entry, highlighted by the number of finishers showing 1,653.

Still feeling chilly, I moved into the starting pen, getting quite close to the front, given the number of under 18's in the pack dressed in varying fancy dress, and after a moving minute applause for Irish Athletcis stalwart Pat McCourt who sadly passed away recently, we were off.

Starting on Acres Road, by the Papal Cross, the first half mile was spent bobbing and weaving, and apologies to the young girl who got a clip from me as she stopped dead in front of me after her sprinted first 200m - Seriously, start further back, you should know that 5 miles is a long way to spring at 12 years old! (Rant Over!). Turning onto Chesterfield Avenue we were already setting into the rhythm, and Mile One was passed at 8:52. I latched onto a runner wearing a Deloitte's T-Shirt, and I kept her in site for most of the rest of the race. Turning onto the Ordnance Survey Road there is a gentle downhill gradient, and I passed the 2 mile mark with a 7:58 split, and the next mile through the autumnal trees flattered to deceive as we were heading down hill through the Upper Glen and the 3 Mile mark came up with a 7:44 split, much faster than I was expecting, but I was well aware of the uphills to come in the last quarter of the race.

From a racing point of view, I was now into unchartered territory, passing the 5Km distance, with the hardest part of the race to come. In the distant past, I remember running down the zig-zags in many races, but this time, it was up-hill, and glancing up and seeing those a hundred meters or so ahead, some 30 meters above my head as they reached the top, was not encouraging. I dug in, stuck with Deloitte's, and made it up to the top of the zigs, without zagging too much. Thankfully there is then the respite of the downhill on the Military Road, but again armed with the knowledge that at the bottom of the hill was a turn onto the Kyber Road, not named ironically at all, as this was going to be a tough grind.

Somewhere before the end of the downhill we passed 4 miles, with a much slower 8:43 split, and I turned determined to make it up in one piece. I was doing the Maths in my head, and could work out I was still on target to run under 43 minutes, but it was a tough climb. Clearly I haven't got the strength in my legs and I had to take a couple of short breathers, but as we flattened out at the top, I dug in and pushed on to "sprint" to the finish, although I nearly blew it as there was a Timing Stantion about 40m before the actual Finish barrier and I was kicking for this first mark, before realising there was still a way to go - BUT, I kept the kick going and made it to the line without collapsing (just!).

My time for this race today, 42:29, and a placing of 261st out of 1,653, and the age graded figure of 60.63%. Have to be pleased with the two chip-timed races in the last 6 days, but now it's back to training and Parkruns before I fly off to the Southern Hemisphere in a couple of weeks, and I'll try and take in a couple of races down there while I'm away. Things are still heading in the right direction.

Smashed It! - Sub 25 by end of September - TICK!

In life, if you want to be successful you have to set goals that are challenging, but achievable. Well, a couple of months ago, when I started to get back into my running after the enforced lay-off, I set myself a goal of getting under 29 minutes for 5K by the end of September. To be fair, this was a soft target, and I quickly revised that down to 28 minutes, and then subsequently set the real challenge of 25 minutes for the Rathfarnham 5K Road Race, which took place this morning.

Training has been picking up nicely, and my weekly Parkruns have seen my time coming down, on what is a really tough course at Waterstown, and I went into this Race with a strong belief I could achieve 25 minutes, but it was still unknown territory. Thanks to Dublin Bus not getting out of bed on a Sunday morning, I had an unusual warm up, by walking the 6 Km to Terenure College, the base for the race. It was a beautiful morning for walking, and for the race, and an hour after leaving home I was at the College and getting armed up for the run. Walked the first Km of the course, before jogging back to the start and having a good stretch. This is a very popular race on the calendar here in Dublin, with over 1100 entrants, and with a reputation as a fast course, some of the top runners in Ireland were out limbering up - and then there was me :).

It was naturally busy at the start, and I had a lot of bobbing and weaving to do in the first kilometre, as ever, but gradually started to get into my stride on the down hill gradient in the first couple of Kms. I checked my watch at the 2Km mark, and it read 9:58, which was just about on target, given the first few hundred metres would have been slower paced. The route starts the long drag up Terenure Road, which although it looks flat, is actually a gradual uphill gradient, and is 30% of the race, but I was going along nicely, and the third Km was completed in 4:54, and at this point I felt confident that I would make it within my target.

Turning back to the road along the Dodder towards the finish, I knew it was downhill to home now, but my legs were beginning to feel the pace. The 4 Km mark came up, with a 4:55 Km, and 19:47 on the watch, and all I had to do was keep going - And I did. Nothing spectacular, just digging in, picking off a couple of runners on teh way in, and finally crossing the line with a 4:52 last Km and a watch/chip time of 24:39.

The stats were: Overall 510/1106; 373 male out of 556; M55 Age Group 18/28 - Age Grade 63.18%

All I can say is, I set myself a goal that was a big challenge, and achieved it. Now the hard work has to start over the winter months to improve on that. With a full year of training, I wonder what I can actually achieve? I do know I have to give a great thanks to Waterstown Parkrun for the difficult course helping me feel very comfortable on the flatter course today. Next target, in the short term, will be to get the Parkrun time under 25 minutes, and increase the training to see me through the Half-marathon at the end of the year. In the meantime I have a 5 Mile Race next Saturday in the Phoenix Park to look forward to!

And the improvement continues!

Another Saturday morning, following a good week of increased training. This week I have run two longer runs of 7.5 Km at around 5:30 pace, and on Friday morning I ran a 1.88 Km speed trail, for want of a description, clocking a 4:37 pace, which set me in good stead for the Parkun on Saturday morning.

I was aware that our Parkrun Director had been looking at the idea of amending the course a little, to try and take the sting out of the "gentle incline" we have faced at the end, and true to her word there was a slightly different start and finish, with the sharp sting taken out, however, it leaves a long steady climb instead, and I have to say, despite my time today, I'm not sure which I prefer. But I rush ahead of myself.

With the downhill start shorter, it was easy to get into the right pace, and I easily got into a rhythm without overdoing it. Given the Half Marathon in the Phoenix Park this morning, there were less faster runners than usual, and the field was a little strung out. I managed to catch and pass two runners after the first kilometre, and wasn't passed by anyone. As this was a new route, I couldn't judge the splits from previous weeks, but felt I was running better, and as the second lap around the river was closing, I knew I didn't have to face the steep climb, instead we had a longer loop of a climb, less steep, but a longer challenge. Took it steady, as I wasn't sure what it would be like, and once I hit the top, kicked on to the finish, a little further away than from the old course, and less jelly in the legs, crossing the line in 25:28. There is a question over the distance being 100% accurate, but it wouldn't be much out, if any, so I'm more than happy with the time, augurs well for next Sunday and the crack at the Rathfarnham 5K.

Steady Improvement - It's coming together...

A couple more weeks into my return to shape, and that 5K Parkrun PHDPB has come down again. I wasn't expecting massive improvements each week, and in a positive way, I don't want to be overdoing things, so the last two runs have seen me drop my time from 27:06 in my last blog post, to 27 minutes dead last week, and this morning I ran a 26:52, a further improvement of 8 seconds.

However, I wasn't happy with my run this morning. My whole ethos of this return was based around steady improvement, slow and sure. Today I went off far too fast, and I was aware of it. The first few hundred meters of the Waterstown Parkrun are downhill, before a brief ascent, and then a long drop to the River Liffey. Each week I have run this course I have taken it steady on the start portion, before consolidating along the flat portion along the river. Today I went off quick - I was feeling good at the start, but by the time I reached the River, I knew I had gone off way too quick, and needed to ease back.

I kept it going, at a slower pace, but was breathing far too heavily, and struggled to keep up my pace, even the slowed down one, and I was kicking myself for having gone off so quick. I was checking the watch, and knew if I could push on up the "incline" at the end, I would be under 27 minutes, and I managed just that. The hill that is strategically placed within 100m of the finish, is a killer, and my legs felt like jelly as I reached the crown, but kicked on, squeezing the last energy in them, and came home eight seconds ahead of that 27 minute mark, but it was tough.

Things are still going in the right direction, and I have entered the Rathfarnham 5K Race on Sunday the 28th, which will be interesting to see how that goes on a different course, without a hill at the end. That 25 minute mark is still a fair distance away, and I need to work harder at my training to improve the stamina as well as the speed.

Thought I'd pop in a little pic from last week to show how I am progressing.