Early morning run

I woke as usual around 6am this morning, the difference today was, I wasn't able to get back to sleep. I had a million things flying around my head, stuff that I had to get done over the weekend, College projects, and the like. I was trying to figure out when I'd get in the run, because tomorrow I'm refereeing a rugby match, and I'm pretty busy all day today as well. (I'm just taking a short break from my studies to write this). Anyway, I decided to get up and go for a run, to get the day off to a good start. I ran the same route as last Sunday(5 miles) and I finished 3 seconds slower. I can't figure that one out, because I felt better, and was enjoying the run. I suppose that's all that really matters on the weekend runs, but it's hard not to compare your times.

The Town was only starting to come to life when I left at 6.50am, it was a beautiful dry morning, and the temperature was perfect for running. I was home and showered by 8am, but more importantly, fully woken up and ready to get on with my day. I know I'm going to enjoy this evenings hurling match all the more now, as I'll have the satisfaction of putting in a good days work beforehand.

That's it for this week, until next time, Slán.

1st night of the Winter League

Thursday night consisted of a cross country race in Charleville, the distance was 5 km, and there was a decent turnout(somewhere between 60 and 70 runners, I'd guess).  I'd missed another training session last Tue as I was at the National Ploughing Championships, and didn't get home in time. Adding this to the other missed sessions, left me struggling more than I could have believed. Maybe it was that, or maybe it was my poor preparation for the race. I'd forgotten all about the winter league, until Bubbles rang me at 5:30pm, as I was driving home from College. I still hadn't had any dinner, or much water during the day, and once I got home, I had to get my gear and get out the door. I'd also got my first semester results on Wednesday, which were quite good (78.6% average), and I went out with the rest of the class to celebrate. Or maybe it was the fact that I went off at the same pace as Bubbles, which left me with a stitch from early in the race. Whatever the reason, I was disappointed with my run. I came in a little bit under the 30 minute mark, having been uncomfortable for most of the race. The race was won by Jason Donegan, he finished the race(5 laps), when I still had 2 laps left, and by the time I got around to my last lap, most of the others had finished.  I suppose, when you run on the road, you just don't see how far the others are ahead of you. You know of course that they're a good bit ahead, but when you're running around a field, it brings it home, how big the gap is, in terms of distance. I did manage to finish well though, just holding off a late challenge, when I could have easily given up.

On the positive side though, running a cross country race, brought me back to my youth. There used to be a time when I loved cross country running, and the smells of the autumnal fields brought that memory back. I used to run in my bare feet, and I'm thinking of doing that again. I'm a bit worried about two things though. First - I weighed a lot less then than I do now, and I wonder how important is it to have the support of a good running shoe? and secondly - One of the last times I ran in my bare feet, we ran over a ploughed field, and my feet were in ribbons after it. I wasn't able to walk for a week, after all the stones had been pulled out of my soles. So I'm wondering how long will it take to toughen up the skin?

My two Sons are running in the National Schools cross country today, and I'm looking forward to watching them. they've been training for a few weeks, and they're really excited about today, although there's a good chance they're more excited about getting out of school early, than any prospect of picking up a prize. I'm also looking forward to bringing them to cross country race meetings where we'll all be competing on the same day. Now, if I can just get Margaret to start running, it'll be a nice family affair. I hope to go for a run on Saturday, as I'm refereeing my first rugby match of the season on Sunday. Until then, Slán.

Standards Slipping?

How quick do you lose fitness? I've had a very busy week and didn't manage to get training on either Tue or Thur. I also had to miss today's Neville 10 road race, which I'm raging about. The Harriers have posted pictures from the race on their facebook page, and it looks like there was a big crowd, and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. I'm not going to be available for the next 5 Sunday's as I've taken on a new project, which I'll let you all know about soon enough. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone yet again, risking a little embarrassment for the sake of loads of craic, meeting new people and learning new skills. As I said, I'll expand on it later, but for now, I'll keep it under wraps.

After only running once in the last 10 days, I thought it was important that I got out for a run today. I watched the All Ireland Football Final, and then went for a run. I didn't have any particular distance, or time in mind when I set off, in fact I changed my mind on what route I'd run at nearly every junction. First, I thought I'd run in the country, then decided I'd stay in Town. Thought about running along the banks of the Canal, Charleville, and maybe even the Neville 10 course that I missed out on earlier. In the end I just ran around the town. A growing need to visit the bathroom after about 30 minutes, showed this to be a wise decision. My running style from that point home, would have been an interesting study! I finished my run in 50 min exactly, without any idea of how far I'd gone, or what pace I'd been going. My legs were finding it tough, but my breathing was alright. I didn't think I was doing that well, and was wondering what impact not training for the few days was having. It was really starting to bug me, as I was having a bath, so once I got dressed, I drove around the route, to discover it was 7.9 km, Almost 5 miles, which means my average pace was 10 minute miles. That's not too bad, but I did miss running with others. I know I'm great craic and all, but I can be hard to listen to, when I'm the only one doing the talking. ( please note: I don't actually talk when running on my own, that would be too weird, but there is a dialog going on in my head!)

The other standard I don't want to let slip is the blogging. Thanks for still reading and for the nice comments. Since I've started writing, I've made loads of contacts online, including Celeste White, an American woman, who is going for a run every day of her 40th year. She started at her 39th birthday in August, and is posting a picture every day from her run. She's not running with any particular race, distance or time as a goal, Celeste is just running for the joy of it. Best of luck to her, and I'm looking forward to following her progress. Her blog is www.running39to40.blogspot.com. I enjoy hearing from people who are reading this, so please leave  a comment, and let me know how you're getting on, or what you're up to. Hopefully, I'll be posting next Tuesday, so until then, Slán.

Scoil Mhuire 5 k road race

It's been a while since I posted, but then it's been a while since I've ran. On Saturday, I went to Dublin on the morning Train with Mam and Dad. I was heading to the Career Zoo in the National Conference Centre, while Mam went visiting an Aunt, and Dad just went visiting. The Career Zoo was really good, and I met loads of interesting Companies (hopefully something will come out of it). When I was finished I met up with Dad at The Palace Bar, and had one of the best afternoons in ages. Liam Mulhearn, the owner, knows Dad from when Dad used to manage The Mountpleasent Inn. They started reminiscing about some of the old characters that used to to drink in either, or both pubs. People like Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh, John B.Keane, Con Houlihan and a host of others who I'd never heard of. The stories were full of colour and wit, and of course we lost track of time. We had to dash for the Train, as Mam was waiting for us at the Station. I went to Dublin looking for a job, and I came home with an education!  I didn't have long to get showered and changed, to head out to the Court Hotel for the Midlands Rugby awards night, Sorry, I meant to say for our Wedding Anniversary celebration. Joe Schmidt gave a brilliant speech, and everyone had a great night. I believe it went on until 4am, but I was well home at that stage, having stopped off at a house party on the way.  Anyway, the point of telling you all that is, I'm offering it up as an excuse, why I didn't go for a run at the weekend.

The reason why I didn't go for a run last night is a lot more boring. I had an exam today that I wasn't quite ready for, and I just want to get in that extra bit of preparation. The exam went well, so I think I made the right decision.

After all that, I can finally get around to writing about some running. I ran in a race this evening in which my mother was also registered. That's definitely a first, and I'm happy to say I won that little duel!(I don't want to hear about the fact that Mam was only walking, I still came in ahead of her!) In fact I was quite happy with my time, 5km in 26min and 6 sec. That works out at 5:13 km's or 8:21 miles's. I found it quite tough, as I wasn't too concerned with pacing myself, and maybe I went out a little bit too fast. I just looked over my Blog, and I see that on the 2nd of July I struggled to run 3km at 8:33 pace. So I'm taking this as another sign of improvement.

The Neville Ten is on Sunday, and that will make it 4 road races in 4 weeks. I'll also be training tomorrow night, cross country I presume. So I think I'll be able to make for that little blip this week. Until Tomorrow, Slán.

Running in the Wet

Tonight was the worst weather I've trained in so far, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I was driving home from College in the lashing rain around 5:30pm, and I was thinking about whether or not I'd go training. It was one of those evenings, when staying at home looked more appealing than going out for some exercise. Frank and Rory(my two Sons) were dying to go training with the juveniles, they only started last week and they're loving it. It works out well, because they train from 7pm to 8pm, which gives me time to get my training in, and have a shower before they're finished. Anyway, the fact that they wanted to go, and that I had to write this blog, I didn't really have a choice, so I put on the gear, and off we went. I had to wait for Rory to finish his homework, and as a result I arrived at 6:45pm, which was a bit late. The rest of the gang had run to Charleville, so I followed along after doing a warm up.  I ran down the avenue with Leonard and Shane, who were doing a cool down from an earlier session, before heading to the field to meet up with the others.

They were doing a session where you run for 10 min, followed by a 2 minute rest, and then repeat 3 times. When I arrived I just joined in, and when they stopped, I found out what what was on the agenda, that was their second rest, and at that stage I'd been running for 27 minutes. I then ran the last 10 minute circuit(I got in 1 and 3/4  laps), before the run back to the Harriers. I ended up running for a total of 46 minutes, not including the rest stops. Even though it was raining, it wasn't cold or windy, and I really enjoyed the run. When I got back and had a shower, I was delighted I had gone. If I'd stayed at home, I'd be feeling guilty, and I'm afraid that if I stay at home once, I'd be more likely to stay at home on the next unpleasant evening.

There wasn't as many as usual at training tonight. I think that's due to the fact that the Flatline Half Marathon in Athlone, is on Saturday, and also that a lot of the others are training for the Dublin Marathon, because, even though there was a smaller group in the field, there was still a lot of cars in the car park. That's all for tonight, so best of luck to everyone racing over the weekend, especially all in the Flatline Half Marathon. Until Sunday, Slán.

Short and Sweet

The title of this post could apply to tonight's training session, or this post. We ran to Charleville for cross country training again, only this time we ran up the same hill as last week (but on the other side of the fence), another 7 times, but this time we had a one minute rest in between. I was fairly consistent in my times, around 2:34 per lap, with the last one completed in 2:29. Then the mile run back to the Harriers, to be finished by 7.45 pm.

I wasn't able to get into the Athlone Half Marathon this Saturday, as it was full. I don't think it's the worst thing though, as it might have been too much too soon. Also, Saturday is my Wedding Anniversary. I'm bringing Margaret out for a lovely meal in the Court Hotel. I'm sure she wont mind that we'll be sitting at a table full of Rugby Referees, listening to Joe Schmidt, while a lot of awards are presented to various people and clubs from the midlands. Boy, is she lucky! Until Thursday, Slán.

The Gowran 8

The Gowran 8, is an 8 mile road race, run every year by the members of Tullamore Harriers. There was a decent enough crowd today, around 50 I'd say. The race is run in honour of Noel Gowran, A founder member of the Harriers, and first Irish man to run a sub 2:30 marathon. He was the National Marathon Champion in 1958, and last week I saw him swap a pair of runners he won the race in, for a brand new pair, which had been worn by the winner of the Half Marathon, Gary O Hanlon. Not a bad deal, me thinks! (I think those are the facts as I heard them last week, but I know he definitely was a marathon Champion, and that he is a founder member.)

Anyway, I had great expectations of myself, leading up to today. I set myself the target of trying for a 9:30 pace, and see what happens out the course. That was until I went to the Soccer International on Friday night, and didn't get back to the hotel until 3:30am, having consumed a good bit more than I'd intended. I was a bit sensitive yesterday, and when I went to bed at 9pm, I was wondering how I was going to run a race in 12 hours time. Therefore I readjusted my goals, to finish would now probably be a challenge, and I was kicking myself for drinking so much on Friday/Saturday.

I set off today aiming for a 10 min per mile pace, and I ran the first mile in 9:50. Leonard Owens had just joined me as I passed the first mile, as did Trish Shaw, and we ran together for the race. It was great because, I did feel under pressure at various times during the race, and if I was on my own I probably would have slowed down, instead I gritted my teeth, and kept going. As we were getting close to home, I was feeling not too bad, so with a mile left I picked up the pace, I was afraid I'd gone too early as I was finding it tough, over the railway bridge, but once I was on the downside, I lengthened my stride once more. The race finished with a lap of the track, and I finished strong, in a time of 1hr 14 min and 58 seconds( Nearly an hour quicker than last week!) That works out at around 9:22 pace on average for the race, so that wasn't too bad. Ray was going for a slower time, and he still finished in front of me, as did a whole bunch of lads who are training for the Marathon in Dublin, and had run 12 miles before the race, timing to finish their 12 miles as the 8 mile race was starting. The race was won by Catch Grennan, who probably finished as I was passing the half way marker. David Murray was second, with David Brophy in third.

We're back to reality now, after the excitment of the Half Marathon, and I'm happy with how the week has gone. Next run on Tue, so until then, Slán.

Back To Reality

Cross Country training is in full swing, as we went back to the same field in Charleville to run those hills again.  This time however we ran around the field twice, before taking a 2 minute rest, and then doing the same again, we did this three times. One lap of the field is around 1 km, depending on how much you cut the corners.  I found myself very tired yesterday evening, and struggled to get into the rhythm. Ray was also struggling, despite the fact that he missed the first 2 laps. Of course when I admitted to Ray that I was finding the session particularly tough, even though the distance and pace shouldn't have been too difficult, he exclaimed "Sure, the day after, the day after of the Wedding is always tough!" That got a good laugh, but at least I knew some of the others are reading the blog!

Just for the record, I ran the first leg in 11:15, the next in 10:50 and the last in 11:25. I'm not sure how much these times tell the story though, as I probably took a tighter line on the second run.  Also, just to let you know, I'm using this blog as a training diary as well, so while you mightn't be too interested in the split times, they do serve a purpose, in terms of when I look back to see what my previous times have been for a certain training session or race.

Bubbles last post and chorus, is up on his blog www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie Typically he finishes strong, and gives a good account of the race day, and thanks everybody necessary for helping us through our original challenge. I'd like to echo those thanks here, and second everything Ray has said. I'd also like to thank Ray, for his good humour and consistent training, as it was always good coming to training, knowing he wouldn't let you down.

The Gowran 8, is on Sunday morning, check in at 8.30am, leaving at 9am from the Harriers. That's our next race. I'm hoping to challenge myself  more than last week, and run a faster pace per mile, while Bubbles is going to run a slower pace than last week, and try and enjoy this run a bit more, so with a bit of luck we'll run this one together, with me struggling, and Ray telling the jokes. Until then Slán.

The Day After The Wedding

There was still a buzz around the Club, last night after the race on Saturday. It felt like the day after a Wedding where everybody was discussing different parts of the previous day, barely believing that the big day had come and gone so quickly and with everybody in agreement that it was a wonderful occasion. Ray and myself were there, having graduated to full training with the group. John was also there doing his own training, as well as encouraging others as usual. We started cross county training, and went to a field in Charleville, where we ran up and down a hill seven times with a 90 second rest in between. People sort of fell into groups of similar pace, and I was with a group of four, Josie Lalor, Paula Scott and Bubbles, We ran the first few in a time of 2.34, and then picked up the pace with the last three being quicker, with the a time of 2.22 for the last which was the fastest of the evening. According to John's watch, the distance was .31 of a mile for each lap.

There is an 8 mile Club race on Sunday morning starting at the Harriers, it's an annual event called "The Gowran 8". Ray and myself will be running in that, and then we'll be running another Half Marathon in Athlone on Saturday 14th Sept.  I'm going to run these races differently than I've been running the races up to this. Until now, everything has been about getting over the finish line of the Half Marathon. I felt so good during that race, and without really struggling at any time, that I've been wondering how much faster could I have gone? If I'd increased the pace by 10 seconds per mile, would I have blown up at 8 miles?  The only way to answer these questions is to try and run faster in other races, and test myself. If I go out too fast, and end up having to walk the last mile or two, so what? it'll be a learning experience. A Marathon is definitely on the agenda also. We've decided that we'll run one in 2014, we've just to decide which one. Cork in May/June is a strong possibility, but we haven't ruled out Clonakility in December 2013 either, it just depends on how training is going.  There are also a couple of 3/4 Marathon's coming up, so we might test ourselves there first.

The Irish Kidney Association are having a race / fun run in the Phoenix Park on Sun the 15th of September. I was asked if I'd run in it, and I was going to, but now that we'll be in a Half Marathon on the Saturday, I'll have to pass. The details of the race can be found on www.runforalife.ie  It's a pity I cant run, as it's a cause I'd really like to support, So if you're around that Sunday, why not check it out.

The other decision I came to, over the weekend, is that I'm going to lose weight. I'm now at 17 Stone, and the first step I'm taking is to cut out the amount of rubbish I've been snacking on. If I can replace all the sweets and crisps with apples and oranges, It's bound to make a big difference, then I'll also have to manage my portion sizes at the dinner table. My thinking is simple, if a Racehorse runs a good race, they throw a pound of lead on his back, to slow him down. A Racehorse has four legs, I've only two, and if a pound of weight can slow him down, what would I be like if I could shed a stone?

Until Thursday, Slán.

The Half Marathon!

The day was a tremendous success. The weather was fantastic, the course was well laid out, with loads of Marshall's along the route, and a large number of people were out to cheer on the competitors. There was a great atmosphere before the race, as the DJ played some tunes, and people gathered and gossiped, with the most recurring question being "how are you fixed?" or words to that effect. A large number of runners headed to the start on the Charleville road for the 12 O'Clock gun, and then we were off. The last 11 weeks had come down to this, I was determined to enjoy it and I did, heading off  with Robbie Connolly for the first mile at a little bit faster than I wanted to go. I slowed down and let Robbie off, even though I was feeling good. I got my pace under control, and had a nice comfortable run with Angela Martin, between miles 2 and 7, consistently running at 10:30 pace. As I passed the halfway marker, I decided to step it up a notch, and pushed on by about 10 seconds per mile, until the 10 mile marker, when I upped the pace again. I was still in control of my breathing, and my legs felt strong. I was getting a real buzz by now. I knew this part of the route quite well, and I knew I'd only have one more tough part of the course left, and then it would be a comfortable downhill run to the Stadium. I was keeping an eye on my time, and it was around the 10 mile marker, that I decided the 2 hr, 15 min target was achievable, so that was what I was aiming for. Ivan Dunne, who'd been a pacer during the race, was finished and had run back out the road, as part of his training for the Dublin Marathon. We met with about a mile and a half to go, and he turned and ran in with me. He asked what was my time like, and what was I aiming for, and then ran at the necessary pace, to get in on time. I found this useful, but I appreciated his encouragement even more. Ivan was telling me there was loads of people at the finish line, the atmosphere was brilliant, and I should enjoy the lap of the track, and finish strong, he also told me a joke which put a smile onto my already beaming face. I took his advice and finished strong in a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 22 seconds. Margaret, (my wife) my two sons (Frank and Rory), my Mam and Dad,  my sister, Catherine and her husband, (Conrad) as well as Hugo's wife and children, (Dora, Eoin and Anna) were all out on the course cheering on Hugo and Myself. It was great to see them, which I did twice on the course and then again at the finish line. It's amazing how much encouragement you can get from hearing people cheer you on. It happened loads yesterday, and I'd never before realised how much that can help as you're going around.

The race was won by Gary O Hanlon in a time of 1 hr 12 min and 50 sec. There are loads of pictures on Tullamore Harriers facebook page if you're interested, I just nabbed one of the start, to show here. Ray ran a great race also, I'm sure he'll tell you all about it in his blog. I know he was delighted with himself, and with how the whole day panned out.  

The only mistake I made all day, was not doing a cool down, and stretching properly. I stood around for about an hour and a half, chatting, before going in for a shower. When I got home, I lay down on the couch to rest for a while, I was as stiff as a board when I tried to get up 30 minutes later. I asked my Sister, who's a doctor, if it would be too late for a cold bath to have any effect. Her advice startled me. Catherine said that a hot bath would work just as well as a cold bath, in terms of recovery. It's a pity she hadn't told me this 11 weeks ago, before I put myself through all those cold baths. Anyway, with that in mind, I went to the pool with Hugo, and spent some time in the Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, and it definitely had the desired effect, as I didn't cramp once all night, and moved freely from then on.

I met Bubbles in Lynch's at 8pm, We might be at the back of group come training on Tuesday night, but there's no doubt about who's going to be first when it comes to getting a drink. A large crowd from the Harriers came out, as we celebrated how well the event had gone. Most people were happy with their times, and Matty Mc Cormack was heard saying "It's like Christmas morning, everybody got what they wanted!" Ray and Myself had clubbed together to buy John a little gift as our way of saying thanks, so we presented that to him later on, and also thanked all the members of the Harriers for making the two of us feel so welcome.  Bubbles and myself also talked about what goals we'd set, but I think I've gone on for long enough in this post, so I'll fill you in on Tuesday about what's coming next. So, until then, Slán.