Creeping along

Another day at the gym and another 5K run on the treadmill tonight. Simply concentrating on building a base, albeit a low level base, so the short distance and easy pace at around 8:33 per mile. Monday is the Important Day and I have planned out my 20 weeks, with built in races and building up to a 26 mile training run, my last long run, three weeks before Philly, around the streets of Dublin, and they will be kind enough to place drink stations for me, as the Dublin Marathon is just three weeks before my US target.

On a totally different note, it seems quite strange, maybe even more so, from being somewhat remote, as I haven't lived in England for 5 years or so, but we awoke this morning for the first time since May 1st, 1997, and Tony Blair was not Prime Minister of the UK. What will happen, how will things change for our UK cousins with Gordon Brown now in charge. He has done wonders in maintaining the economic strength of teh UK as Chancellor, I wonder what effect he will have as PM.

A good friend of mine from my days working for MSF, Hilary Benn, has been appointed Environment Minister in the New Government, he might have hoped for a higher profile portfolio, but with Climate Change high on everyones agenda at present, then maybe Environment is a Very High profile role these days - Good luck to him in his new job.

OK, enough politics, back to running, and hopefully the weather will improve in the next few days and I can get some sun on my back and some nice outdoor running completed. Now lets see if my new toy has worked and the pics have embedded - Knowing my luck at posting links, it won't work :)

It's Getting Nearer, and I've committed myself

Not to a mental hospital, but the next best thing, I have committed myself to the Philadelphia Marathon. The race is twenty weeks - yes 20 weeks!!!!! - on Sunday - November 18th is the date, and I have Bib Number 2057. So, I better get my skates on.

Today, with 20 weeks and 5 days to go, I stand at 197 lbs, I have run a little over 100 miles this year to date, feel like a slob, and run like a whale (OK, I know whales can't run, but you get the picture!). Well, nothing focuses the mind more than a challenge, and this is a challenge and a half. God loves a trier - He better love me.

This week I am on countdown, and to that effect I ran a 5K on Sunday in 25:48, a time that I would have been quite happy about, but the run was terrible. I set off far too fast and was struggling like mad at 2Km, having reached there in 9:20 - WAY off pace, so I stopped, re-adjusted myself and set off again, reaching 4K in 20:40, still too fast, took another breather and then finished running reasonably steadily. What a stupid run - But as I said, having only run 27 for 5K on the Thursday previous, to run 25:48 as a time was great, just a stupid run.

Yesterday I managed a 3K run in 15:31, which was OK, but I really need to start getting a few more miles into my legs. Tonight I hit the gym again, and ran another 5K, this time in 26:49, slightly quicker than last Thursday, but nice and steady, no heroics, and I didn't feel too bad -

So, I have 5 days more before I start my "proper" programme, a big hill ahead of me to climb, but a determination based on history and endeavour. I have been here before, just hope that Father Time isn't catching up too quickly :)

Hope you stay along for the ride......

Countdown to Day 1

Monday July 2nd is Day One of Week One of my 20 Week Plan for Philly. So I am in Countdown mode, today was "Day One Minus 11". I have no program in place until Jul 2, so it's run as I see fit. It's been a haul this month, but I got off my ass (thanks Alia!), and tonight I ran a 5K timed run, in a slow, steady 27 minutes on the treads. This, and my runs in the next 10 days, will be markers as I see improvement.

Away from running, we had a General Election here in Ireland a few weeks ago, and we have a new coalition government, with the Greens now a minority part of Government for the first time. Ever since they came into office, on a background of Green Issues, such as Climate Change, and a Minister for Climate Change, they have been a tremendous success. They have only had a Minister for Climate Change for one week, and he has had a 100% success rate in changing the climate. A week ago I got sun burnt, this last week, it's rained all day - BUGGER Climate Change, I want my summer back!

Short runs - Just not enough of them.....

Managed another run tonight, just a little easy 1.5 miles on a sultry evening. I haven't been sleeping too well, unsurprisingly, and the effort of lacing up my shoes is a bind. Mentally I still am a runner. I read the mags, I plan my races, the one thing I can't seem to do right now is actually do the running :) - Still, it's 19 weeks and 6 days to Dublin, plenty of time :).......

Seriously I do plan to get back into a routine, and pick myself up from the running demise. If you can all remember, I promised myself that I would qualify for Boston 2008, my 50th birthday present to myself, and I will do it - It is in me, I just need to unleash the Old Liam.

Thomas, a note to thank you for your words, along with Dana, Dori, Anonymous(Rachelle) and many others, I appreciate the support from "virtual" friends, and old pals alike - Now push my fat arse out on that road - I can't use the weather as an excuse - It's gorgeous running weather here :)....

Boston or Bust - I don't want to go bust....

First run since.....

First running steps back to normal tonight, and after a ten day plus hiatus I got out and took a gentle easy run. A beautiful evening and a 14 minute jog to loosen out the legs and shake out the fatigue. Only around 1.5 miles, but every journey must start with the first steps, so out I have been.

Can I just say a brief thank you to everyone who emailed or commented on my mum's passing. I won't labour the point, just a heart felt thank you for everyone's comments, and I'll try and get in touch in the near future as things settle back to normal.

Not a Post I wanted to have to make....

As I am sure regular readers (both of you!), will know, my mum had been ill for a number of months, one of the reasons why my running has been so intermittent this year. Well, sadly, on Sunday May 27th, mum passed away. She died peacefully, in hospital, and whilst I wasn't there at the moment of passing, I had been with her all weekend, and know that she died in her own time, with no pain or suffering.

Most who read my blog would not know me, or my mum, but she was a wonderful person, and those that met her would be touched by her sense of humour and love of life. She lived for 93 years, and was born before the outbreak of World War One - A lot of life had passed her by. I don't intend to wallow on, as life has to go on, and this blog is meant to be about running, but I would like to share the words I wrote and spoke at her funeral - She was a wonderful warm person, we shared our moments, we fought as mothers and sons do, but the love she gave me was more than 100% all the time, I hope I reciprocated.

Here is what I said on Wednesday May 30th....

" To those that knew mum she was always ready with a quip to make us laugh. A smile, mischievous at times, was never far from her lips. Even in her darkest days, those last few weeks when she knew she had little time left with us, she made us laugh and smile. It is those memories that I want people to remember her by.

They say that the secret of comedy is good timing. Well, mum had her own way of timing things. She wasn't ready to die when the doctor's said, she would go when she was ready, not when the medical profession told her. She was never too good at taking orders.

Last November I was told that mum would not last the night. It was devastating, and the family rallied around, came to Daisy Hill Hospital and we sat up through the night, expecting the worst. But at dawn's light she awoke from her sleep, it wasn't time yet, and by the time the day shift had arrived on duty, she was sitting up having her breakfast. This wasn't the first time she had beaten the odds - back in 1994 when she had her heart attacks she stopped breathing for nearly 3 minutes, but again, it wasn't time to go, and she came back to us.

So, three weeks ago when the doctor took me aside abd said there was little more they could do, and it would only be a matter of hours before she would be taken, we knew that somehow she would prove them wrong again. This time, she knew she was on her last lap, but she smiled and joked constantly. At one point, when I was alone with her at the hospital, she asked me to take her in my arms, as she wanted to die in my arms - you can imagine my thoughts - but I told her that she couldn't go yet as Frances (my cousin) was coming, so she pushed me back, smiled, a glint in her eye, and said "OK - I'll wait".

She wasn't allowed fluid in those last few weeks, due to her illness, and the oxygen she needed dried her mouth. She really wanted a glass of water, and gave out to me and the nurses, ordering a drink - on the grounds that "if she had a glass of water, she might die 2 minutes earlier - it wasn't going to kill her".

She took great pleasure from seeing people smile. Sadness was never far away, and in her last few years, the lack of mobility left her housebound, but she still loved to entertain anyone who called. She enjoyed the craic, and loved to tell funny stories, many at my expense, regalling one and all with anecdotes of my childhood - notably the occasion when her timing slipped and she poured a pot of oxtail soup over my head when I wouldn't eat my dinner! The stories were often embellished, but they made everyone smile and that is how I will remember her - the mischievous smile, the wink of an eye, the humour within her, and shared by all who were touched by her.

I am so glad I came home to be close to her in the last 5 years. She saved the best to the last for me. In her own way, in own time, when she was ready, she passed peacefully and has gone to be with brothers and sisters - She will have new tales to tell them too - and we can smile as we think of her - It's what she would have wanted - I'll miss you mum xx."

Maureen Mycroft - b. 2nd May 1914 d. 27th May 2007 May she rest in peace.

Docklands 7.75K Fun Run

Well, with everything else going on it was almost a relief to be lining up in Dublin Docklands last night for the Docklands Fun Run. I ran this race a couple of years ago, and its an early evening city centre start and a run around the quays, on a flat course, over a very unusual distance - I mean, how many races are there I can PR over 7.75Km?

Obviously my training has been intermittent of late, so I was not coming in with any expectations at all, just a nice run, complete the course, and gauge where I am, and what I have to do over the summer months. Two years ago, I ran this race in 35:43, although that was run over a slightly shorter course and distance, so not truly comparable. Knowing the level of fitness at present, I was aiming for somewhere between 40 and 45, depending on how I felt on the night. Having had a good run on the Monday evening, I was feeling confident of being at the lower end of the target, but you never know until you get out there.

It was a lovely evening, a light breeze, but sunshine and temps around the low 60's, and around 1000 runners were out, in all shapes and sizes. Recognized a few of the front runners, but mainly this is a race for fun, so a good turn out of ordinary people :). The race was started by Keith Duffy, he of former Boyzone fame, and we were off right on time, running through the heart of the Financial District, then over the Liffey and along the quays, heading towards my apartment!

The race settled down pretty quickly, the usual barging and weaving in the early stages, then a rhythm was reached, and I plodded along at around 5:15 pace per kilometre (sorry for you imperial readers, the race splits were in Kilometres), and the race turned off the quay at 2K and ran up Grand Canal Square, right outside my place, which raised a smile from me. Turned back on ourselves and a couple of bridges to cross as we dropped into Ringsend (apologies to those unfamiliar with Dublin) - These little climbs were felt in the legs, but I relaxed on the down sides of the bridges, and kept a steady rhythm. Just kept going really, picking off a few runners here, then turning back into the breeze as we ran towards the East-Link bridge and the Point Depot. Then it was back across the Liffey and down the quay back towards the City.

There were to be no heroics by me over the last K or so, I just kept my head down, increased the pace after the 7Km marker, but it was marginal, and everyone else was doing the same. There was to be no Kick finish tonight, just a gradual increase with the knowledge that nobody came past me in those last 400m, and I finished in 40:50, or thereabouts, an average pace of 5:16. Not a great time, but happy enough, I was at the lower end of my target, and I completed the race in one piece. It was a short walk/jog home and a very welcome soak in the bath, a bite to eat, and an excellent nights sleep. - Where's the next race?.....

The Best Laid Plans etc... Part two

I seem to recall a similar post last fall, but I have been trying to get the running going forward, but once again circumstances have got in the way. Previous readers will know that my mum has been pretty ill this past year or so, been close to a ticket to heaven a few times. She had another booking about ten days ago, but once again proved that docs are human and the facts don't always add up, and she's still fighting away and with us. She is still very ill, and I think we have settled for the fact that she won't recover this time, just keep delaying the reaper.

What it has meant is that I am up and down to the hospital, leaving little time for running, so it's back to intermittent running again, but I need the runs to de-stress as well, so I am trying. The weight is moving in the right direction, down 6 lbs since the beginning of the month, and I plan on running a 7.75K race tomorrow evening locally, really locally, as it runs right past my apartment - No time goal, just the run will do me good. Hopefully things will settle down into a routine soon, fingers crossed.

I'm keeping at it

Short and sharp posts to go with the short and sharp runs.

Well, I admit the runs may not be too sharp yet, but I am getting in a run a day, and things are coming together. My weight has dropped 4 lbs in the first week of my plan And I'm running 6 days a week.

Tuesday's run was 4 Km, at 8:20 pace, and tonight I ran 3 Km at 8:15 pace. Still slow, but consistently so :).....

Tonight I'm off to see Spiderman 3 - Now if only I had that ability to spin a web....

And now I Speed Up!

Just to show that even after quite a long lay off, a week of steady running can reap almost immediate benefits. All week I have been doing short runs each night, taking only Saturday off, and today, it being a Holiday Weekend here and no work, I went to the gym and ran a 2 mile time trial on the treadmill, coming home in 15:59, under 8 minute mile pace. This is the first time I have felt comfortable under 8 minute pace for many a long week, and now I can start to build the mileage, gradually, and look forward positively.