Diamonds on the soles of his feet

I finally got out for a longish run last Sunday, the first in a few weeks.

I arranged with M to meet her and the kids at our (due to the recession soon to be ex-) gym in Leopardstown.   A distance on the sat-nav of 19k by the shortest route.    As i had to do 25-26k i took a detour off the suggested route.

I ran the first few k quick enough, about 5m30s per k up to 8k.   I wanted to keep my heart under 150bpm (just to see what happened, i know i can keep going a lot longer at that pace), so i started slowing down a bit and kept to 6m05 or so up to 16km, feeling pretty good.

Then, then i started hitting the hills of south dublin..... 6m29, 6m36, 6m25, then 6m50 arggh.  The pain was pretty severe.....in fact the pain was yucky.

I finished at the gym to find i had only done 21.7km, blast, do i keep going, finish out the miles, take no shortcuts, grind out the distance? - not on your nelly.  i took the cowardly choice of believing the hills made up for the missed 4k.......obviously i'm into that whole endurance running self punishment thing....hmmm, maybe not, lets see how it goes next weekend - 25k.

And the title? after about 8.5k i thought i was starting to get a blister. i kept running, trying to ignore it.  Eventually i stopped to investigate - to find a tiny diamante jewel out of one of my daughters many, many make-your-own-jewelery sets - had it gotten worse it would definitely been the weirdest running injury yet!

Kildangan 10k Race Report

I feel i've done a lot of races recently, but when my big sis mentioned that her local GAAclub was having a funds raising 10k i jumped at the chance.

Backstory first - I went out for a 10 miler last saturday week and had to give up after 4 miles; the pain in my right calf was pretty bad and i was also getting lower back and hip pain on my left hand side.... pretty sure it was the old asics i'm still using well past use by date.

I stopped running for a complete week - its always worrying that after a running break how the aches and pains go away, leaving you feeling pretty fit and healthy until the fitness starts to wear off.   Anyway after a weeks rest i went out sunday night for 4k to try out the legs.   I put on my old, old nikes and felt pretty good so I headed down to Kildare the Bank Holiday Monday.

The race kicked off a few minutes after 11.   I was not expecting any special time but i figured i'd try to keep with my super fast bro-in-law for as long as possible.

The first k started okay, i was feeling good and it didnt feel all that fast but i was wondering why i was breathing pretty heavily - we ended up doing it in 4mins30sec - about the fastest i've ever run a k.

i let the bro-in-law head off and i slowed down k by k, eventually hitting a slowest of 5m23s before picking it up in the last k at 5m02s for a new pb of 51m20s for 10k - chuffed or what!!

i suppose the odd rest pays off - all i've to do now is assess where my narathon training is going!!

Bohermeen Half Marathon

A few months ago running buddies suggested entering the Kivara Half Marathon.

As this would entail hotels and a full weekend away we decided to meet semi-halfway, in Bohermeen, Co Meath.

Short Version

Very enjoyable day.  Well organised, lovely atmosphere.  Great value for race and technical tee. Only downside - there must have been an issue with my chip as my time didnt register, and this seems to have happened to a lot of runners (keying in my surname showed about half didnt get timed or placed).

Long Version

I headed down with the clann early on Sunday morning.   The village is just past Navan and we were there in about an hour.

M dropped me off and headed back to Navan (we had to bribe the kids with McDonalds to get them to come.    I met the two lads at the clubhouse & collected the goody bag (cool tee, if a little too many sponsors names on the back!).

One of the lads was aiming for a PB, the other was, like myself, just treating it as a training run, but quietly hoping for a 1hr 50min. 

I myself was aiming for less than 2hr15min (very conservative) but one of the guys guessed 5mins either side of 2 hours.

We got changed & headed down to the starting line.   The start was deferred by ten mins (prob to let late comers get to the start).  

The race got underway.  Ultra Tall Boy & myself started beside each other but we were running our own races so we stuck the headphones on, shook hands and headed off.

I lost sight of him within the first mile & a half but didnt make any attempt to keep up.   I was running comfortably at about 9min5sec a mile (no Garmin so depending on the mile markers for timings).   I slowed down each mile for the first 9 miles, just enjoying the run, watching people pass by, passing the odd fast starter who couldnt keep their early pace up.

I ran well within myself for the first 9 miles, listening to a podcast, then some music.   I then decided to turn off the sounds and slightly pick up the pace.

I had an interesting moment around mile 9.    I slowly caught up to a woman in front of me.  As i went to pass her she saw me in the corner of her idea and speeded up.    I kinda smiled to myself at this, i havent really come across it before, and as i always run my own race i was surprised someone was putting this much effort in with 4 miles still to go.   Each time i went to pass her she pushed on a bit harder.....

Anyway, I proved to myself how small minded and petty i am.   I kept edging up behind her watching her struggle on.  Rather than just going past her I kept this up for a few mins, then, as a car came up behind me (roads were only semi closed) i put the foot down and went past her ( i wasnt too proud of myself with this behaviour. 

(I always reckon its better to ignore the other racers unless its the last couple of hundred yards, i dont see the point of killing myself trying to shut out someone with 4 miles remaining).

Anyway i kept the pressure on myself and finished at 2hrs1min so happy enough with that.   Weather was good apart from a cold start, strong headwind in some places and a short hail/sleet shower.

M and kids were back t see the end and C ran the last 200 metres with me, which made any aches and pains worthwhile.

Me and Training have 'Committment Issues'

I've less than 12 weeks to the Kildare Marathon.

Running during the week is okay.   I'm hitting the miles as required (though not always on the right days).  

However i'm finding the long weekend runs a real drag.

Two weekends in a row now i've decided to get up late and have a leisuely breakfast rather than head out.   So last night i had to catch up on a 20km run.

At least last Thursday I cycled into work and ran home, then Friday I ran in and cycled home.   As its an 11.5km distance the route i took i was pretty happy with the distance.....

So last night at 7:30p.m. i went out for a 19.6km run. Out to Howth & back.

Felt pretty good during the run.   Went out without food, brought a gel but didnt use it (very unusual).  This morning quads and calves felt tight but not too bad.

Plan for this week is 5k lunchtime run tomorrow, then possibly run/cycle in and out of work Thursday/Friday, or maybe run one day & cycle next.   Only reason not to do this is that I'm entered in the Meath Half Marathon Sunnday next.....

Irish Indoor Athletics C'ship & Marathon Training

A friend suggested travelling to Belfast to watch the Irish Indoor Championships last week.

Four of us agreed to head up North early Saturday, do a quick 10 miler around the city and maybe hit the C'ship Sat afternoon but spend Sunday in the arena altogether.

Being a soft, insular Dub I was a bit trepidatious heading up there.   I'd never been there before (except for driving through sometime shortly after the 1995 ceasefire on our way to a weekend in Portrush).  But the lads assured me that we'd be okay (they found it funny that the previous year they brought up a different friend who also had the same concerns, they've definitely decided its a Dub rather than 26 county thing!!

We headed up early and got our bearings.  Belfast isnt a beautiful city but it definitely has 'something', I reminded my friend he had told me B'fast was beautiful, he laughingly denied this, insisting he had described it as 'lovely'.   We saw the Europa Hotel (famously the most bombed hotel in Europe, but as hotels in Europe are not in the habit of getting themselves bombed there probably wasnt much competition).

After dropping our bags we headed out for a wander (only 2 of us were there at this stage).   I found myself holding my tongue to avoid my obvious accent being broadcast, but I quickly got over this silliness (the City Centre, I read in a internet guide is seen as a neutral zone, but there are definitely places where I might not feel too comfortable).

On the arrival of the third amigo (the fourth was injured and not joining for the run part of the day) we headed out.   We left the hotel on Castle Street, headed down to the Botanical Gardens, then over to Ormeau Park for 2 loops and back to the Hotel.

I didnt have the Garmin but drew up the route (not fully accurate, specially on distance) on Mapmyrun, we got through 15.7km so was happy for that

After changing we headed to a local pub for a bowl of stew & a  couple of gentles.

The lads headed back to the hotel for a rest & I headed back to the city to buy pressies for the wife & kids.

Tip: Don't buy pressies while tipsy drunk, i went waaaay over budget (they have both a Disney Store and a Forbidden Planet - yikes).    The proverbial straw was the last pressie bought - i was only vaguely aware of Molten Brown as a brand name, but i ended up buying bath lotion that in sufficient quantities would pay off the National Debt.

Anyway, after not spending quite all the money i had the four of us went out for pints (original plan, food then pints, but food ended up being a take away pizza).

We did a mini pub crawl of Belfast, The Crown (beautiful Victorian pub), The Bot (loud and made me feel OLD), The Crown again, The Carrick (nice range of world beers), ending up in Kellys Cellars (relaxing to be in a pub with Gaeilge on the walls, maybe the trepidation hadn't fully left me after all).  I finished up with a wonderfully calorifically greasily satisfyingly stuffingly MacDonalds meal - if you need to be drunk to appreciate something it might be something you don't really want!

During the evening one of the lads received a text that his daughter was sick (not seriously) so ew agreed we'd head back on the early bus.

So, the lads Indoor Championships Weekend - we got in a ten miler (almost) quite a bit of beer, quite a lot of calories, but no athletics.....ah well, enjoyable weekend all round.

Raheny 5 Mile Race Report and progress since then

This is a very late post about the Raheny 5 miler that took place on 31st January (its been sitting in drafts since then!!!).   But i better finish it to cover off other stuff i'd like to write about.
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Well, after not prepping much, and only running 5 miles twice since the marathon i went down to raheny for my third running of the Raheny 5 Mile Road Race organised by Raheny Shamrock.

This is one of the most enjoyable races i've been to (but i am biased, its only a mile from home and i'm a kinda member of the club that runs it).

The day dawned drizzly and cold, but the weather changed later on - the drizzle  trasformed into heavy rain, but the weather warmed up ever so slightly.

About 300 kids turned up for the 800m (between ages 8-11). Two of my boys did the race, one came in in the bunch; the other came pretty much last - but he was happy with this, he had to stop 2 to re-tie his laces so he knew he could have dropped a minute or so off his time.

About 2,200 did the 5 miler.    I took 43.5mins to complete the course, over 2 mins more than last year, but serves me right due to lack of work.

Report Card - Needs to try harder.

Progress Since Then

After an average 5min30sec per km for Raheny i upped the number of miles over the following week, followed with a 12.2k the following Sunday (trying to increase the mileage).

The following Tuesday i joined some of the guys in work for their 'recovery' run, i.e. they were slowing down to 5m15s per k.

Although worried about the pace I joined them for the first 5.5k and felt very comfortable; so i dropped the pace (on a solo run this time) to 4m55s the next day & 5m15 as again on the thrursday, 5.2k lunchtime run each time.

And then on Saturday i did a 15.5k in Belfast......but thats another post for another day.....

Slow, Slow, (Not quick quick), Slow

Completing the marathon was a huge boost for me and since then I've taken all that energy and enthusiasm and done pretty much nothing with it.     My main goal for January was the Raheny 5 mile race, I was hoping to do under 40 mins (last year 40m59s), however with the lack of recent running that wont be happening.   In fact until yesterday i wondered if i'd be even able to do 5 miles.....

For a fortnight after the marathon I was keeping the running up, then I got a bad throat infection which put me out of action for the guts of two weeks and when I got back i found myself only going out once or twice a week, and even that was a pain.   I have also (dont worry, i am ashamed to admit it!!) put on almost a stone in weight since the marathon, it seems carb loading was one part of training i didnt have any difficulty with.

But its now 18 weeks to the Kildare Marathon (which had I not injured myself i would have completed last year).   Raheny 5 mile is on Sunday week, which i've pretty much committed to.   So I'm hopefully back on track with a bit more discipline.

I went out for 5k last Tues & Wed, then a (ha, ha, long slow run of) 5 miles yesterday.     Today i really felt i had the bug back and hit the road for another lunchtime 5k.  As i left the office i met a colleague who joined me for same.    He's a much faster runner and was holding himself back, but i kept to a decent pace the first 2.5 - 3k, then let him off and i slowed right down.   No worries tho', i was still happy to do a 5k with a fast pace.

I need to get back to regular running and see how i get on with lengthening the distances over the next few weeks & see how i get on hopefully with a Spring marathon.......