Week 10: First midweek 3 miler

Funny story... didn't happen... next...

Dunboyne 4 miler

OK, this is getting ridiculous... no prizes for guessing that I missed this one too. As we leave week 9 and start week 10 we're slap bang in the middle of the Cork marathon training schedule but I'm afraid to say it doesn't feel like it. We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to be in as good shape as we were for last year's race. Week 10 will be a turning point, we're no longer home to Mr. Cockup! If he comes knocking tell him to bugger off, we're getting serious and it starts now!!

Wow, I almost convinced myself there... hang on, that's the door, back in a minute...

Week 9: Weekend 10 miler

Predictably this run never happened, but I do have a fantastic reason! Well, maybe not really fantastic, pretty pathetic now that I think about it especially as it was completely self inflicted but it is a reason and a lot better one than "it just didn't happen"... It all started with a fantastic home cooked dinner with some friends on Friday night and ended the next morning staring out from under the duvet as a demolition crew were hard at work dismantling the inside of my head.

Needless to say I barely made it through the day doing next to nothing and any thoughts of running 10 miles were not entertained.

Week 9: 4 miler that didn't happen.

I know there was a really good reason for missing this run, I just can't recall what it was...

Week 9: 7 miler from hell

After missing our run yesterday this one had to be done at all costs. It was off to a bad start as, not unlike our spirits, it was cold and wet outside. Not only that but we were running into the wind.

We battled on to the 3.5 mile mark where we turned around and retraced our steps to make up the 7 miles. Having fought against the wind on the way out we hardly noticed it on the way back, where's the justice in that?

Still, we managed to run the 7 miles in a little over 1 hour 5 minutes.

Week 9: First mid-week 3 miler that never happened...

... no good excuse, a few really bad ones alright but nothing that could pass as a good reason not to run.

Week 8: Around the Curragh in 13 miles...

After the 20 miler I had to do on my own for last years Dublin marathon this had to be one of the hardest training runs I have ever done. Psychologically I was in the wrong place which, from experience, will make the difference between a good and bad run.

We started off well and ran towards Donnolly's hollow. It's a flat easy stretch with plenty of open space to run on. After rounding Donnolly's monument we made for the golf course and straight in to a headwind which didn't much for our failing moral. It wasn't too bad, this part of the route was tree lined and we had plenty of shelter from the howling wind.

After a mile or so we turned right where the trees gave way to bushes and scrub land. It took twice the effort to maintain our speed, our failing moral hit rock bottom but we knew had 13 miles to do and there was no getting out of it. We had started and as always we were going to finish.

After a couple of miles we reached the next turn that would bring us through the Curragh camp. This stretch was all uphill and mid way it dawned on me that our moral was now beyond rock bottom and going down. It took incredible effort to get up that hill and why, WHY was that wind still head on?

Now, on the other side of the Curragh, it was down hill and getting a little easier. When got back to the car we had only covered 5.5 miles, we had 8.5 miles to go, yikes! We carried on running, this time along the motorway to Kildare town and around by the Curragh camp again. By the time we got back to the road we had covered almost 11 miles and the end was in sight. We ran what we thought was a 2 mile loop but we were a little short and a little extra jaunt was required to make up the 13 miles.

It took us 2hrs 16 minutes to run the distance, which really isn't that bad considering we had 3 stops (all water, 2 in and 1 out!) but it was a tough one. The first thing to get into gear before any run is your mind, if it's not in the right place you will suffer a lot more than you need to.


Here the map of our route and stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2705050.

Week 8: Last mid-week run...

...and I'm still furious about that speeding ticket! 3 miles less than 27 minutes says it all!!!

Week 8: Wednesday's 6 miler...

... didn't start well. Driving to the start line I was pulled over and given a speeding ticket, that's a fine and points on my licence... DAMN!!! On the up side I was so furious that it put a serious spring in my step as I led the way around the track finishing in 56 minutes.

Week 8: Tuesday's 3 miler...

... didn't happen, St. Patrick's day and all that...

St. Patrick's Festival 5K.

I was really looking forward to this run. My running partner was a running novice and today she's lose her 5K cherry! The race was organised by Eamonn Coghlan, a running legend in these parts, who ran and won this very race in 1983 before going on to win the world championships the same year.

There was lots of excitement before the race in the Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, as we rubbed shoulders with complete unknowns like ourselves. Having arrived early I had plenty of time to pin my number to my shirt, something that can take most of the morning. With our goodie bags in hand and numbers pinned on we made our way outside where a local motorcycle club were positioning their machines at the start line. There was an impressive array of bikes on display and as there were a few knackered looking antiques parked among the lines of dream machines my bike would have slotted in beautifully.

Not long after we were off to a nice steady pace. The route took us up Dawson Street, along Stephen's Green, around Fitzwillam Square where we zip-zagged toward the canal. Then we turned right and ran along the canal for a kilometer or so and made our way up Earlsford Terrace, up Leeson Street, back around Fitzwilliam Square, along Stephen's Green and across the finish line in front of the Mansion House.

We kept a nice steady pace the whole way around and finished in 39.37. Here's a map and stats of our run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2601899. We wandered back into the Mansion House and were pleasantly surprised with tea, coffee and tons of those chocolate covered mikado biscuits that you can only get here... yum! I stood beside a table with a plentiful supply and happily listened to speech after speech after prize after speech, etc. I was supposed to be on a diet but I reckon after yesterday's 12 miler and today's 5K I deserve it!

Week 7: Weekend 12 miler.

With 11 weeks to the Cork marathon the training mileage is starting to get noticeable. This weekend's treat was a 12 mile long run from Newbridge to the Curragh and back. It was still early by the time we reached the Curragh and the sun was starting to burn off the morning mist. We had covered 3 miles getting there and had 6 to run before the return leg home. Our route took us through south west of the army camp, through the oldest golf course in Ireland and back through the middle of the camp towards the road home where we passed a never ending line of race horses out for their morning stretch.

Running the 12 miles in 2 hrs 7 minutes we didn't break any records but it was a lovely run.

Week 7: Third mid-weeker...

... is in the bag! 3.2 miles in 28 minutes, reasonable!

Week 7: Second mid-weeker...

...was a little stronger. We managed a little over 6 miles in 55 minutes, if it were a race I'd have a new PB... but it wasn't, oh well!

Week 7: First mid-weeker...

...turned out to be a weak one alright!! We accidental stretched our 3 miler into a 3.2 miler and ran it in 29 mins, that's a lot slower that usual but hey, the heart wasn't in it and we did well to get out at all!

10K Between the Bridges, Belfast

It was an early morning start, very early, and the glasses of sparkling Chardonnay last night didn't make it any easier to get up and out. The night before I drove the car dry and had to find a petrol station as soon as I set off. Luckily there was one less than a mile away that was just opening and happy to take my cash. I unfolded my google maps directions and headed north.

The drive north was uneventful until I heard the news at 8.30. Overnight two soldiers had been shot dead with four others injured. This happened just north of Belfast and although I was heading for west Belfast I began to worry that I may be getting into something I should avoid. I continued north and decided that if I started to meet check points I'd turn around and head for home.

I didn't see any evidence of tension or heightened security for most of the journey. When I entered Belfast I did notice a lot of Police cars and the occasional Land Rover but had no way of knowing if this was normal. My printed directions quickly became useless as the event was using the M1 motorway, now closed for the run, and my directions used that very route. After several wrong turns I found the signs I was looking for and headed up the Falls Road towards the start line.

Further along the Falls Road traffic started to build up. After about ten minutes of stop start traffic I notice a policeman directing traffic. When I reached him I told him what I was going to and could he give me directions. As luck would have it he was directing traffic away from the race area. I could park anywhere nearby and I'd be a short walk from the start line.

As I walked down the Falls Road I began to notice the security presence. It seemed to me that every third Police officer carried, in addition to their sidearm, a large rifle or machine gun. I passed a lot of police officers on that short walk, that adds up to a lot of hardware.

Next to the start line was a shopping mall where the registration office was set up. After I picked up my number and goodie bag I got on the phone to hook up with my running partners. They had arrived much earlier that I had and managed to park directly outside the mall. There were two races happening that day, our 10K and a 5K run/walk. The 5K race was stating first and as we had a few minutes to spare it seemed like a good idea to shed anything we didn't need and put them into the car nearby. I offered to run around to the car so with the car keys and the bundle of extra stuff I ran around to the other side of the fence to the car. As I got to the car I fumbled a little to get the key out of my pocket, carrying a bundle of gear and wearing gloves didn't help. My grip on the key loosened and I dropped the it. As I looked down to where I expected to see the key there was nothing except a very large and deep storm drain. What were the chances of there being a drain directly under the driver door of this particular car? I couldn't believe it, I got down on my knees and peered under the car and to my surprise, relief, shock and utter joy there was the key, sitting about one foot under the car. How it failed to go down the drain I'll never know, it must have bounced off the metal grill for I was standing directly over it, there was nowhere else for it to go. I felt ill with relief, I just couldn't believe how close I came to disaster!

Having avoided the worst possible start to the day, never mind the race, I rejoined the group as the 5K runners/walkers were already crossing the line. I couldn't stop thinking about how close disaster had come and worked hard to get it out of my head, it didn't work and it regularly popped into my thoughts along the entire route.

It wasn't long before it was our turn to get going and not before time, we were starting to turn blue with the cold. The route brought us directly onto junction 1 of the M1 motorway heading south west. We ran along the southbound carriageway uphill all the way to junction 2 where we left the motorway and ran under and up the other side and continued to run on the other carriageway back the way we came towards central Belfast. We had covered about 1.5 miles and were just beginning to warm up when on this side of the carriageway we met a strong head wind that sucked away any warmth we had earned. This continued until we reached lower ground and began to benefit from the high walls that bordered this part of the motorway.

The road surface was great, a brand new 3 lane highway all to ourselves. We passed the starting point where the M1 becomes the A12 an ran on for another 2.5 miles parallel to the Falls Road until we reached the Divis Road where we turned around and ran back towards the M1. I was hoping for a water station somewhere close to the half way mark but it wasn't to be. I was getting really thirsty and really starting to regret those last few glasses of Chardonnay last night. The finish line was in the shopping mall car park and we crossed the line in 56.26, that's a new personal best for me!! Having crossed the line I expected a water station of some description but there was not a drop to be seen. We had to get money to buy some water, luckily one of the cars was close by but this time I didn't volunteer to open it, best not to push my luck too far!

Here's the map of the route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2448561

The rest of my day was spend pottering around Belfast and after a couple of hours, and the contents of my wallet, spent in Ikea I made for the south and home.

Week 6: Friday 8 miler

OK, spot of bother this weekend. On the schedule we've got to run a 12 miler but we've got a 10K (or 6.2 mile) race on Sunday in Belfast. I've been looking forward to this race and really want to do it, but what about the 12 miler? The easy option is to run 6 miles tonight or Saturday and when we add the 6 mile race on Sunday we'll have made up the distance (with a significant break in between runs, not ideal for distance training). The hard option would be to run the full 12 miles in addition to the race. I'm not one for extremes so we decided to compromise and run 8 miles tonight giving us a little break before the race on Sunday.

It was a tough 8 miles, running long distance in the evening is always hard. I much prefer to run early in the morning when my body is less likely to complain and my head is not at all sure where it is or what it's doing.

Week 6: Thursday's 3 miler...

... became a 5 miler, I'm in catchup mode after missing my Tuesday run. I got to the gym late and only had 50 minutes to run the 5 miles so I cranked up the speed to 11.2Kph, up from the usual 10Kph. To be honest I quickly got used to it and occasionally upped it to 12Kph. Perhaps I've been too easy on myself and should run at least 11.2kph from now on.

After much panting I ran a little more than planned in the 50 minutes; 5.6 miles in 51 minutes! That's a pretty good pace of 9.06 and felt pretty good afterwards! What a nice surprise!

Week 6: Wednesday 5 miler...

... became a 3 miler. Straight after work I made straight for to the Gym determined to get my training back on track. I took it easy, as I always do on the treadmill, averaging 10 minute miles, and ran the 3 miles in 30 minutes.

Here's an interesting fact: grapefruit is one of these negative calorie foods, as in it takes more calories to digest grapefruit that are contained in the fruit. They (who ever these people are) say that if you eat half a grapefruit or drink a glass of grapefruit juice before every meal you'll lose weight even if you don't modify your diet... now that sounds like a plan for me!

Week 6: Tuesday 3 miler

The temperature plummeted today, it must be the wrong side of zero out there. When I got off my motorcycle after riding home my hands nearly fell off they were so cold... in fact they were beyond cold, so cold that bizarrely the pain felt warm... what a brilliant design! If you're going to freeze to death something triggers a warm feeling that masks the pain just before you pop your clogs.

Anyway, it took me the best part of an hour to warm up and as it was far too cold to go back outside to run my 3 miles the only other option was the gym. After much procrastinating I found myself snuggled up in front of the TV with a cheeky Merlot... you know I wasn't going anywhere that night!

London Nike 10 mile race...

... me arse! I really thought I'd do it - even after all the eating, drinking and all the other shenanigans that go along with vacations - I really thought I'd get up at 7am on a chilly Sunday morning and race the 10 miles along the Thames with 250 other like minded souls before dashing to Upton Park to watch West Ham beat Man City 1-0.

This minor set back has put a significant scuff on my once polished training schedule. It'll be a game of catchup for the next couple of weeks!