Feckin Inevitable!

Wouldn't you know it - Just as I start to feel I am heading in the right direction, something goes wrong. I can't even tell you what happened, but my left foot is killing me. So bad, I can't walk easily, let alone run - Maybe I should just give up any thoughts about running well ever again, degenerate into an old fat slob, and watch TV......

I hate this.............................................

Another week passes

A relatively easy week, not a huge amount of running as I want to tread carefully and not go overboard. On the plus side, I ran a 3 Km Time Trial, of sorts, on Thursday evening, and managed to run 14:46, which despite seeming slow by some standards, is the fastest I have run 3K in over a year.

It's a long way from the heady days of running a full marathon (42K) at that pace, but its yet another step in the right direction. The weight doesn't seem to be moving down, although thankfully not up either!, and I'm hovering around 196 lbs, a long way to go on that target - But, onwards and upwards, and Saturday coming (May 2nd) I have the RTE 5 Mile race to enjoy (or should that be endure!)... On On.....

Amazing - Another Post

Another week passes, and my weight is hanging around 198 - Lat night it was a 4 K run, adn tonight, I managed 3Km in 15.37 which is as quick as anything I have run recently, if not earth shattering...

I have an idea of a race on May 2nd over 5 Miles, and the 8K Docklands run on May 19th, then we can assess the rest of the year - Looking at Fall Marathons, and BA is looking good, and Dublin's 30th anniversary - Lets see how May goes first.....

That's where I left my Blog!

Amazingly, it is 4 months since I last wrote anything on here. I know I have been lax in the past, but this just about takes the biscuit...

Have I been running - well, not really. I managed to acquire a groin injury before Xmas last, and I found it difficult to shake it off. Must be old age! What it meant was, I could run on a Monday, the groin would stiffen up the next day, I would need 48 hours for it to "de-flame", and then on Thursday I could run again, and go through the stiff/de-flame process again - so as you can guess, very little real training was done.

So here we are, Easter 2009, and I am glad to report that after a complete rest from running through March, the groin has cleared up, and I am back running on a daily (ish) basis. Obviously taking it gently, step by step, not helped by the fact that my weight ballooned up to around 205 lbs, but I have actually got into double figures for mileage this week, and I can build from here.

My first challenge is likely to be a 5 Mile Road Race on May 2nd, part of the BHAA series, but it will be a very gentle excursion, and will indicate how much I need to do before I can realistically start to set goals for the second half of the year. The only real goal I have is to run injury free for 6 months - Mind you, I think I have set that one before!

Dear Santa - Just let me have a few weeks without getting injured

Maybe Santa Claus will help, because everything else seems to go wrong and I cant get more than a few weeks without another piece of my ageing body breaking down! I'm sure nobody wants to hear about YET another Liam Excuse/Injury, but I decided that the start of my training programme for Virginia Beach was obviously going too well, so I decided to pull a tendon in my left foot! Meant I could sit on my arse for three weeks and do no running!

Well, the good news is that its 90% cleared up now, and I have started running again. Monday night I rejoined the Dublin Hash and took part in an easy low key run on a chilly evening. Wednesday and Thursday I went to the gym and ran short 2Km runs each evening, hard enough to test the foot was OK, but short enough not to cause too much presure on the foot - Two short runs, but the foot seems to have got through the ordeal OK, and hopefully I can get going again - Don't hold your breath, something is bound to go wrong before the Year is out!

Well, so far so good...

The world hasn't stopped spinning on its axis, and Barack Obama will be President in 74 days - Welcome Back to the World America :)

But onto more serious matters - my running!

Well, for the first time in a very long time, I have managed to make the treadmill and run 5 days in a row, and in fact 7 out of the last 8 days, only Saturday last being missed. At the moment, I am taking very small steps, with next to no distance being undertaken, but I am doing the improtant bit, I'm lacing my shoes and getting out there. Yesterday was difficult. My legs felt very tired, I felt tight on the chest, and things were "yucky" - and I was only running 8:30 pace, and had to cut the run to a miniscule 2Km. Today I managed 2 miles, and felt a lot better, so I'll continue on the easy build up, and keep working hard.

Election Day - The World awaits with bated breath

And while we wait, I went to the gym and did a session on the treadmill, along with some leg curls and a sauna session. The run was average, only 2 miles at 8:22 pace, positively pedestrian, but it was another run, and I didn't feel too pressed at this pace - understandably. I need to start building up a mile or two each week, as I build up to the 10K run on Dec 6th - Slowly slowly -

Lets hope that the election in the US produces the "right" result, the world is hopeful, lets hope the Americans don't let the world down.....((See, I can be topical too!)...

Halloween Fun

This is the Picture I missed posting - Showing me at my best :)

Week 1 of 20 - The Countdown Begins

Well, I promised I was going to start again, and this time get there, so here we are, the start of a 20 week programme with a goal in mind. I have no excuses at the moment, apart from the excess weight I am carrying, so here I am, embarking on another Marathon, and once again its a US one.

Some time ago I we were invited to go to St Louis, for a Green Dress Hash Run for St Patrick's weekend, actually the run is on March 13th, and we were looking at making it a long weekend. But having now been invited to the
Shamrock Marathon Fest in Virginia Beach it's looking that the trip will encompass the Hash in St Louis, and then a lesiurely drive across country to Virginia Beach for the Marathon on March 22nd - That race being exactly 20 weeks away!

So today, Day 1 of Week 1, and in the 6 weeks of base building that my plan involves, it was a 4Km trot in 21:37 on the treadmill, an easy, even-paced run, a start which will be developed as we progress. I have a couple of local races in December which will begin the speed/interval phase, so won't be expecting anything spectacular there, one is a 10Km, the other a 5Km, so we'll see.

Just so you can see how much weight I am carrying, I include this lovely picture of me from this weekend Halloween Party - Boy have I got a job on my hands!

New York Times - Big Marathons Article

A few weeks ago I was called my a journalist on the New York Times and we had a telephone discussion about the state of play of large city Marathons - Here is a link to the article from today's NYT.

Big Marathons, Already Packed, May Still Grow
By JULIET MACUR
Published: October 29, 2008
Race directors are looking for ways to make their marathons even bigger, while somehow maintaining a safe and enjoyable experience for runners.

Wonder what others might think - Seems a very fair piece to me -