Saturday's 20 miler...

...had to be just that and no less!

I planned on running in the fantastic Phoenix Park this afternoon. I had a 5 mile circuit, I'd have to run 4 laps of that to make up 20 miles. 20 miles... it's an awful long way and I couldn't stop thinking about it all morning. The more I thought about it the less I wanted to do it but the hour cameth, I got my stuff together and hit the road.

I got to the park a little before 2pm, changed in my running gear and I was on my way by 2.05. I decided that I'd set my my pace to 9.30 minutes per mile and try to maintain that for the duration of the run. Last weekend for the Dublin 1/2 marathon I tried to start on and maintain a 9 minute mile pace but at 10 miles I was exhausted.

After the usual first few miles of breathing issues, stitches and muscle spasms timed for maximum comedic effect I settled into a comfortable rhythm. As I was running alone I had my ipod with with me, something I hadn't done for a long time. After spending the entire previous evening wrestling with iTunes, iPods and... I, I finally transferred enough music to get me around 20 miles.

The first 5 miles were comfortable enough (after several comedy moment during the first few miles of course). The music matched my mood and pace perfectly; upbeat without getting too excited with the odd dodgy note.

Before I knew it I was approaching the car and my first water and gel stop. It was a dead stop! I had to get the key out, open the boot, get the water bottle, open the gel pack, etc. It took a few minutes to get going again and then a few more to get back into a rhythm. The next 5 were a little harder but I was keeping up with my 9.30 pace. As I rounded the last corner before the long straight run to the car I felt it get a little harder to run, a few seconds later George Harrison guitar introduced "My Sweet Lord"... what timing! That got me up to my second water and gel stop.

After another 2 or 3 minute stop it took me a little longer to get back into my rhythm. Feeling tired but good I ran my third lap without much difficulty until I reached the that corner again and it felt as if someone had turned up the gravity. This run back to the car was tough and I fought the overwhelming desire to walk.

This was my final water and gel stop. This one turned out to be the longest, I was getting very tired. It took a huge effort to get those tired legs moving. My pace had slowed right down, I felt tired and heavy but the was the last lap and I convinced myself that it was all in my head... you see no matter how far I run the last stretch is always the hardest. So I struggled on and made reasonable progress. I glanced at my watch and my pace had plummeted, I was 10 minutes behind... but so tired!!

Two miles into my last lap I was really fighting. I was running downhill, one of my precious recovery downhills, when I noticed a small car driving slowly towards me with a line of 5 or 6 card behind it. As I approached the car I noticed the passenger waving to me. I was tempted to ignore her and actually took a few steps past the car when my conscience kicked in and I had to stop, after all there could be something wrong. As I walked back up the hill to the car I took my ear phones out only to be greeted with "... do you know the way to the Zoological Gardens...".

This was the emergency! I must have looked a state; dripping with sweat and a bright red face... but they wanted to direction to the Zoological Gardens. She must have picked her victim carefully; there were walkers, sign posts, one single road... and she picked me. I told her that she should keep driving along this, the only road available, and when you reach the next junction there will be a number of signposts, and one of which will point in the direction of the Zoological Gardens. After than it's a case of pointing the car in the right direction.

Yes, I had stropped out! Even the smallest things had started to annoy me. I was on the last lap, I was exhausted and ready to finish but there was another 2 miles to go. That unplanned stop threw me completely off my stride. I knew it entirely in my head and it took another mile before I settled down, by this time I was turning the last corner and on the final straight! This was tough, very tough and with less than 1/2 a mile to run I gave in and walked. I probably could have carried on but at that moment my body won the battle. I walked about 150 metres, up to the next junction, and then push myself back into a run.

When I made it back to the car my Garmin had registered 19.75 miles, I couldn't believe it, I had to keep going to make up 20 miles. It didn't take long and once I had clocked 20.02 miles I stooped the watch, stopped running, turned around and slowly walked back to the car.

I had no idea what my time was, my watch was in virtual partner mode. After much fiddling and pressing of buttons I got to the time/distance menu. I had run the 20.02 miles in 3:37:58, not bad considering how utterly exhausted I felt. I had run an average pace of 10:53; slower that I had hoped but not disappointing.

Based on these figures it's reasonable to assume that I would run a marathon in 4:50, a lot slower than Cork! More work required then!

Here's a link to my route and stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/954150

Thursday's 6 miler...

... yet again turned in to a 5 miler. There's something about these extremely early morning runs... I guess it's just a case of getting used to them. We actually ran 5.27 miles in 48:46, a respectable pace of 9:15.

Of course I had my new toy, the heart rate monitor... My average was a little slower than yesterday at 158, that's 78% of my maximum rate. I must find out what all this heart rate info means! Am I in the right place? Too slow? Too fast?

Wednesday's 6 miler...

...turned into a 5 miler! Another 6am start but having got to bed at 2am I knew 6 miles could be a trick too far. I had promised to be at the track at 6.20 (ish) but due to circumstances completely within my control I couldn't find first gear... an apologetic text and phone call later and I was on my way finally got there at 6.40.

After 5½ laps we had notched up 5.05 miles in 46½ minutes, that's a pretty impressive pace of 9:12!!

My new Garmin heart rate monitor arrived yesterday.... clever gadget that talks to my watch. Apparently my resting heart rate is 60 (Beats Per Minute) and my maximum is 185. What happens if I exceed 185? If I pushed a little hard this morning I could have found out... my highest rate this morning was 172! My average rate was 162 which works out as 82% of my maximum, sounds like a good place to be!

Nine Minute Mile Maddness...

Up and out early this morning! I wanted to start and sustain a pace of 9.00 throughout the entire run. I started well and kept my pace at 9.00 for the first 2 miles. After that I started to lose a little pace. A little sprint gained lost ground so I wasn't too worried. As I approached the half way mark I had lost more ground and it was getting harder to keep up.

The return journey was mostly downhill but it didn't do anything for my fading pace. I arrived home having ran 6.04 miles in 58 minutes exactly, that's a pace of 9:36... so much for my 9 minute mile plan!

2008 Dublin ½ Marathon!

The night before the ½ marathon was Culture night in Dublin city. This is a fantastic idea where museums, galleries, and an eclectic collection of anything remotely cultural stays open well into the night, or some cases opens to the public for the first time. Needless to say I was out there and spent much of the evening walking between events. With the ½ marathon the next morning I managed to get home before midnight but also polished off a bottle of wine that someone foolishly left in the fridge.

Next day I arrived a little late, as usual. Why am I always surprised at how long the walk from registration to the start line. It was 10 o'clock by the time I got within shouting distance of the start line, luckily there was no sign of the race starting. I had time to fiddle with my Garmin 405; I wanted to use the virtual partner function to keep me on target for a 2 hour ½ marathon. After much effort I finally got it working and set it to a pace of 9.01. 10 minutes later there were some rumblings on the start line and soon we were off.

As usual (there's a pattern emerging here) I took off too quickly. My Garmin reported that I was several seconds ahead of my virtual partner. Every time I glanced at my watch that lead had grown... and I wanted more. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly I forget the pain and distress of running out of energy having peaked too soon in a race. But here I was building up to exactly that.

The first 3-4 miles were fine, I was sticking to the grass as much as possible and although the pace was fast I felt comfortable. The next 3-4 miles were a little tougher but manageable. I picked out a runner who was running a little faster that I was and attempted to keep up with her. I managed it for a little over 3 miles but had to let go around mile 8.

The next couple of miles were a little tougher but I kept the pace up. Things changed when I hit mile 10; I could feel something sucking the energy out of me... the same thing happens to my wallet every time I go shopping. From then on it was work... hard work to keep going.

As I approached mile 12 there were a couple of medics working on a runner, he was exhausted but looked OK. As I approached mile 13 there was a similar scene but this guy didn't look so good. There wasn't much I could do so I said a quick prayer and carried on.

With a 100m to go I spotted one of the fetchies cheering us on which gave me the boost I needed to get across the line. 2 hours 4 minutes and 27 seconds after bolting across the start line I stumbled across the finish line. I didn't beat the 2 hour barrier but this is a brand new PB. Fantastic!! My average pace was 9:30, if I could keep that pace up for the first 20 miles of the marathon I'd be home in well under 4.30.

Exhausted as I was I had a little more to do. I wanted to get 16 miles in today so I walked the very long mile back to the car to drop off my gear and ran back to the finish line. I carried on running for another mile before turning around and running back to the finish line to make up 3 miles. It was a slow 3 miles, I ran it in 32:05, that's a painful pace of 10:48.

Here's a link to my route and stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/899692

Last run before the Dublin 1/2...

This was my last training run before the 2008 Dublin 1/2 marathon. I did pretty well to get out tonight but I can hand much of the credit to Joe. It was wet evening and the sun was beginning to slip behind the horizon, hardly ideal conditions. The plan was to run 5 miles but I wanted to run at least 6 miles as a pathetic makeup for chickening out of my Wednesday run last night. I'm can't remember what brilliant excuse I used; too dark, late, wet, long, who knows.

We were running circuits of a park that measured just under 1 mile. The park has public lighting as is perfect for evening running. We chatted for a couple of laps which turned into 6 laps before we knew it... one more and we'd break 6 miles and I'd be happy.

In all we covered 6.2 miles in 1:01:14, that a pretty relaxed pace of 9:53. Not great but let's save the best for Saturday's 1/2 marathon.

Early morning short run

I'm getting back into these early morning runs as my 7am wakeup call testifies. After short but decisive negotiations with my warm & comfy bed I was up, dress and out by 7.30.

This morning I had a 6 mile run planned. As usual I started the run with pace of a little over 7 minute miles, which is far too fast. The town was just waking up as I ran through it and out towards the Curragh. It took 3 miles before I settled into the run and reduced the pace to a reasonable 9 - 9 1/2 minute miles. After the half way mark it got easier, but it was mostly downhill back into a now wide awake town.

The final distance was 6.25 miles which I ran in 59:01; that's a respectable pace of 9:27... Not to be sniffed at!

Early morning long run...

It's 05.30 as the alarm clock switches on dragging me out of a place I really wanted to be. The radio muttered in the background, it was difficult to make out what was been said but I didn't really care. I knew I had to get up but I just needed another minute, maybe two.

It's 05.45 and the second alarm sounds, this one is an annoying buzzing noise that demands attention. It's silenced immediately, I get the message.

It's 05.55 before I finally drag myself out of bed. It's dark outside, probably cold too but there are 12 miles of parkland to be covered and I'd better get on with it. It takes a couple of minutes for my Garmin to lock onto its' satellites so I sit on the doorstep while putting my trainer on, still mucky from last run.


With trainers on and satellites found I took off. As usual, my pace was far too fast at a little over 7 minute miles. I tried to slow down but am hopeless at regulating my pace. After a few minutes I got it down to 8 minute miles and eventually to a reasonable 9 minute mile but not before I felt exhausted.

To save my knees I ran on every scrap of grass I passed until I got to the Curragh, by that time the sun was up and it was turning into a beautiful morning.

I ran towards Donnolly's hollow and after 5 miles I finally got my pace down to my marathon target pace of 9.30. I Connolly's circled the monument, took a gel pack and some water, and ran towards the golf course. I wasn't sure if I could run around the golf course but I ran up to the club house anyway where I met some of the groundsmen who were busy getting the course ready for the day.

After a short break I doubled back and ran cross country towards the main Curragh village. After a circuit of the large field next to the motorway I had covered over 10 miles and it was time to return home. By this time the town had woken up and everyone was busy getting somewhere.

As I approached the bridge that marks a mile from home I had covered a little under 12 miles and I decided to take a little detour to add a little more distance. I turned into what I thought was a lane, it turned out to be the house for the Parish priests and as luck would have it one of them was leaving in his car. Thinking I was looking for assistance he rolled down the window to ask what he could do. I explained that I was out for a run and wondered if this lane was a dead end. While it was definitely a physical dead end, I was assured that it was by no means a spiritual dead end.

By the time I reached home I had covered 13.29 miles in 02:15:23. That's an average pace of 10:11, a little over my marathon target but with 7 weeks to the marathon I'm happy with that.

Running on the dark side...

Tonight I had to run 6 miles but I just couldn't face an hour on the treadmill. Although it was getting late I decided to jump in the car head to the Curragh, getting there a little after 7.30. With the summer behind us it now starts to get dark at 8pm so I wasted no time. To make up the 6 miles I had two laps of the largest field to run. Half way around the first lap all was going well but it was getting dark, a second lap may not be possible.

The route takes me along lovely undulating grassy terrain, parallel with the M7 motorway. After a couple of miles there's a left towards the military camp and then a little cross country around the perimeter camp (the Army are very protective of their gaff...) which eventually leads to the main access road to the camp. Then I take a sharp left by an old airfield, used occasionally by military helicopters, along the road back to the starting point.

By the time I reached the road it was very dark and hard to see where my feet were falling, so a second lap was out of the question. When I arrived back at the starting point a quick check of my watch revealed that I had actually ran 4 miles rather than 3, phew! To make up the other 2 miles I ran 2 loops of the road where there was occasional light from passing cars, now that is dedication!!

Getting better...

Riding home tonight was a nightmare, the wind and rain nearly swept me off the bike a few times but after a 30 minute roller coaster ride I made it home safely. The plan was to run 8 miles on grass (yes, outside in the howling wind and horizontal rain) but that just wasn't feasible option for sane people. We decided to visit the gym that I'd been paying fees to for the last couple of months and had visited only once to find out what time they closed at with the intention of returning that night but didn't.

Anyway, 10K on a treadmill is not easy, that's a little over an hour of running on the spot, well not quite that bad but it feels you're running around in circles. At any rate I'm very glad to have done it, that's short-run number 2 out of 3 done.

Getting back...

It took a while but I'm finally back to midweek running. Tonight we ran a little over 6 miles on grass. While it was a tough run I'm very happy that my knees were pain free... looks like I'm over that injury!

RUBBISH!!!

I missed yet another training run.... AARRGGGGGG!!! You see... tonight I worked late, got home late, it was well after eight, so I ate late, quite a large plate, and after all that I just didn't feel great, I was in quite a state, getting a little irate, partly about my weight, but mostly about the date, you see it's getting late, and I need to train at a more frequent rate, from now once I pass through my gate, I need to run straight, far out of my estate, but not as far as Kuwait. It's getting late....

Rubbish!!

OH... MY... GOD... I'm in so much trouble!

Saturday did the usual disappearing act this weekend but I managed to grab hold of Sunday afternoon and got stuck into the 6 miles it took to cycle the long way to the Curragh (via Athgarvan). I arrived tired but determined to push this weeks running distance past last weeks 6 miles.

Easier said than done, my legs felt heavy & tired and I knew I was in for a tough run; not the best frame of mind to be in at the start of a training session. I ran towards Athgarvan and had to slow to walking pace as I passed "Donnelly's Hollow"... a natural bowl-shaped amphitheatre where the Irish champion boxer Dan Donnelly defeated the English champion George Cooper in 1815... I took advantage of this lengthy text on Donnolly's monument to rest before continuing. I checked the Garmin and was gutted to see that I had only covered a mile.

I turned around and headed back the way I came, taking a slightly different route back to my bike and happily notching up another 1.5 miles. I took on some water and was tempted to cycle home right then and there but thankfully I carried on and headed north toward the Race Course.

It was race day and although I was about a mile away I could see and hear the stands were full of cheering punters as a closely knit line of horses galloped past. I refocused and checked my watch, almost 4 miles done.

Wanting to avoid the mud track that I came across last week I decided to cross and footbridge that spans the motorway separating the Curragh plain from the race course. A quick check of the watch and I had covered over 5 miles. I wasn't sure what was on the other side, it turned out to be part horse training runs and part forest but not really suitable for running so I decided to cross back to the other side. Just then I checked the Garmin... dead as a door nail! The battery must have died.

I decided to run back the same way to get an accurate distance. It turned out to be a little over 7 miles in total, better than last week at least but still way short of what I should have been covering. The cycle home was fast and easy, almost all of it on the level or downhill.

There's not much time left! Only 2 months to the marathon and I can barely run 7 miles!! According to my training plan I should be running 19 miles next weekend... OH MY GOD... what am I going to do...

Running in slow motion...

I haven't run in such a time long... and I'm getting fat! That's not true, I ran the Adidas 10 mile race last weekend, but no escaping the getting fat bit!! I finished Friday great intentions for Saturday; up early, light breakfast, running gear on, out for a 13 miler, home, shower, potter in the garden, dash into town for a browse and a latte or two, etc.

Next thing I knew it was Sunday morning! This happens occasionally... Saturday knew what I had planned for it and it hid behind the sofa until the the next morning. Luckily for me I had no such plans for Sunday and it thought it was safe to hang around.

I had to get a run in today as it has been a week since my last serious run. I really want to avoid road running until the very last moment so I dusted off the mountain bike and rode a little over 3 miles to the Curragh. The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres (20 km²) of common land. There is a permanent sheep presence on much of the plain which helps keeps the grass trimmed, perfect for running.


The cycle may have been short but took a lot out of me, not a great start. My legs were stiff and I probably should have stretched before running but, you know! The first two miles were on level ground with nice short grass and the odd ruminant obstacle. The pace however was painfully slow, I felt like I was running in slow motion... I just couldn't get my legs to move but bizarrely I was enjoying the run.

Here's a curious thing about sheep... they hear you running, they can see you approaching, they stand there staring at you running directly at them but they stand still until the very last moment when they react with panic as if they've just noticed you. I thought that was a little odd.

By mile 3 and I was getting into the swing of things but by mile 4 grass had given way to muddy track. There was a runner ahead of me that veered to the left while I forged straight ahead... oh well, next time I'll know.

By mile 5 I was back on grass and rounding the military camp. I could have finished at 5 miles but knew that I needed to do more so I carried on past my bike for a mile loop.

After 6 miles I was very tired and faced a 3 mile cycle home. After a rest and a little water I was off. Luckily the ride home is mostly downhill and I arrived home less knackered than expected.

The bottom line? I have a lot of catching up to do if I'm going to beat my Cork marathon time of 4.47 in Dublin this October... a lot of catching up!!

Frank Duffy 10 Mile Race 2008

I've just realised that this morning's race is my first 10 mile race ever... so an automatic PB for me!! Last year my crappy car let me down and sat in the driveway, forcing me to miss the race (secretly I wasn't too upset, 10 miles is a long way).

I ran the 10 miles in 1:34:52, to be exact, and enjoyed it immensely even when I started to fade in the last mile (but I always do!) but a funny thing happened during that last mile that gave me the kick I needed... As we were rounding a corner in a wooded part of the run we heard a distant loud speaker playing a familiar tune but we couldn't quite figure out what it was. It as a slow tempo, downbeat song and frankly the last thing I'd choose to spur on tired legs on for the last mile. As we ran closer to the loud speaker the sound became clearer but we still couldn't quite work out that the song was until the chorus came around... "...Bright Eyes... burning like fire..." We fell about the place laughing, the song they picked was from Watership Down, a film about a bunch a rabbits risking life and limb to get across busy roads with many casualties along the way. That choice was either a bad mistake or the result of a very dark sense of humour!

Here's a link to my route and stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/899692

Don't walk on the grass...

This was my first training run in weeks and it showed. It was a really hard run and I was way out of my comfort zone for the entire run. We ran a little over 4 miles in a little under 40 minutes on grass in an effort to reduce impact on knees and ankles. I'm going to try to stick to grass from now on and limit road running to races.

Tour of Kildare 2008

This is an annual tour and my first time taking part. It's a 100K cycle which starts in Naas, travels North to Maynooth, then West to Kildare town, then East towards Newbridge and finishes back in Naas.

I arrived in Naas early and wheeled my bike through the crowd to get to the registration desks. It was a friendly crowd and one guy commented on how new my bike looked, little did he know that it was so new that I hadn't spent any serious time in the saddle.

Almost everyone had proper gear; proper cycling shoes, shorts, jerseys, gloves, even aerodynamic sun glasses. Some guys had aerodynamic clear glasses; I could understand the sunglasses but why would you want flashy clear glasses? The end of mile 2 answered that question as yet another fly bounced off my head... Note to self: buy some cycling glasses.

The first stop was 25K after an easy run to and through Maynooth. The weather was good, no rain or wind to speak of. I though it was a little early to stop but was glad to get out of the saddle for a rest.

The next stage was harder as we hit some rain and strong wind that broke up the pack. It was no surprise that I was bring up the rear with only a handful of riders behind me. As time went on the wind slackened but we did get caught in some serious downpours.

The second half of the race was a struggle but I was in good company and chatted most of the way with a variety of people. All chat came to a stand still when we reached the dreaded hill; I'd heard about this hill and thought we'd climbed it a few miles earlier outside Robertstown. A car would have trouble getting up that hill and I had no chance so for the first time during this race I had to get off the bike and walk. After cycling non stop for some 30 miles walking was quite a challenge, it was yet another comedy moment as I struggled to put one foot in front of the other... but ooohhhhhh... the relief of getting out of the saddle made up for it! By the time I got to the top of that hill it was time for an energy gel, some water, a lash and I was on my way.

The next couple of miles were bliss, a slight but consistent downhill slope meant that I could coast all the way to the next village. I caught up with the next group of riders and stuck with them for the journey to Kilmeague and onto Kildare town where I stopped to help a guy out that had a puncture. He needed a pump and I had one but we couldn't figure out how to use it. In my defence it was a new, compact, lightweight, incredibly tiny gadget that had a complicated connection sequence; that the official story and I'm sticking to it! We managed to stop another couple of guys who had a proper old fashioned pump that worked. The guy with the puncture kept apologising for holding us up but we were all glad to get out of the saddle for a few minutes.

Reinvigorated by the rest we all took off with enthusiasm. I shot past the second and last stop before I noticed it but decided to keep going, everyone else in my group did the same. At about 4K enthusiasm was dramatically replaced by despair as I realised just how far I had yet to cycle. The last 20K were very, very tough and I was so sore all over. The only thing to do was to keep going and ignore the pain...

Before I knew it I was approaching Naas and the finish line was only a few Kilometers away. Entering Naas was fantastic, just a couple of kilometers to go and it would be all over! I crossed the finish line in 4 hours 6 minutes. An awesome time for 100K. Getting off the bike took a little longer that I expected, yet another comedy moment! I parked the bike against a wall and hobbled into the reception area to sign in.

The reception are was a hive of activity. There were freshly made burgers (2 for me please), drinks, t-shirts and smiling faces all around, and curiously a lot of empty seats... most people choosing to stand. I joined them, some things and best left behind.

First proper cycle on the new bikes...

The key word here is Ouch! I love the new bike; it looks great, works well and is very fast but why... OH WHY do racing bikes come with a saddle that resembles the thin edge of a stick. After a few hundred meters I'd had enough... but kept going in the hope that the discomfort would fade as time when on. It didn't. We cycled a little less than 10 kilometers, and when I got off the bike the relief was instant and overwhelming.

I'm taking part in the Tour Of Kildare 100K on Sunday... that's in 2 days time and yes, I'm worried.

Chain Reaction...

Myself and my mate Joe have been talking about buying road bikes for weeks. Since the burden of ownership of his mountain bike was relieved when a couple a scallies nicked it last week we decided it was time to bite the bullet; not literally of course although our destination (Belfast) could be the place to do it.

Belfast is a 2 hour journey from my house and we left early with the idea that we'd get to the showroom as it opens, take the bikes out for a test ride, pay for them, chuck 'em in the boot and be home for lunch. We arrived on time and took the bikes out for a test ride as planned but were given the option of a disassembled bike or the easier option of an assembled bike. Naturally we opted for the easy option and had to add 2 hours to our schedule. 2 hours was perfect for a quick jaunt into Belfast city to visit a motorcycle clothing shop that I've been dying to get to for some time.

After trying on leathers, helmets and other bike essentials we'd exhausted our 2 hours and made our way back to the bicycle shop to pick up our shiny new bikes. We stuffed them into the back of the car and eventually arrived home 5 hours late (a Starbucks stop didn't help but sometimes I can't resist).

When I got home I clicked the front wheel into place and took it out for a spin. Apart from the saddle feeling like an implement of torture the bike rode beautifully. With the Tour of Kildare 100K in less than a week I'd better find a solution to that saddle problem; the general rule is that it's good to have your problems behind you but as with all rules there is a exception...

Singing Lesson #5

Our final lesson, and the much awaited end of course concert! I was the third student to arrive and our tutor was getting a little worried that she may only have three performers for the concert. After a little while a fourth, and as it turned out final, student turned up. We were missing four students, I wonder if they were overcome by nerves? completely understandable but a shame all the same.

There were no new tunes tonight and after the usual warm ups it was straight into practising our group pieces. The concert was due to begin at 8pm so at 7.30pm our accompanist arrived to give us all a chance to practise our solo pieces.

I managed to find the sheet music for A Song For Ireland and brought it with me on the night. The accompanist was very good and played it perfectly, unfortunately the version on the sheet music was slightly different to the version I knew and we decided that I would sing without the piano, I'd go A Capella this evening!

Finally the hour arrived and our tiny but enthusiastic audience of 4 burst into the room. It changed the atmosphere completely! I can't speak for my classmates but I became very self conscious and very nervous. After a brief introduction we started with the first group piece, "Amazing Grace". After an initial nervous start and a few misplaced notes it went very well and judging but the applause the audience seemed to enjoy it.

We moved onto another group piece which was a little more relaxed and then the moment arrived for the first solo piece. I was last in the queue and the first 3 students were fantastic, I had a lot to live up to. Without an accompaniment it was difficult to start but luckily I had a one to one with my mate Diki, an excellent singer, a few days earlier and he gave me a few tips to singing a capella. Having found my starting note in my head I was off. The first verse was a little nervous to say the very least, my voice wobbled like jelly on a fat mans belly (I have no idea where that image came from but I'm not telling my psychiatrist). The second and subsequent verses were fine, I had settled down and stepped into my own world for the rest of the song. The audience seemed to enjoy it and then it was time for one last group piece.

Walking out of the class for the last time was both a little sad and exciting. Sad that the course had come to an end but it was very exciting and satisfying having performed in front of an audience. I'm looking forward to the next step!

Tonight's takeaways:

• Project (...open your mouth!!)
• Articulate (...pronounce those words!!)
• Posture (...stand up straight!!)
• Breath (...at the right time)
• Always do your homework

Singing Lesson #4

Tonight we had our second last lesson and in addition to the usual warm-ups and a new tune we had to decide what we were going to sing for the end of course concert next week. After much searching I have decided to sing "A Song For Ireland". We were asked to find the sheet music for our songs so that the accompanist could practise. Unfortunately I couldn't find the sheet music for a Song For Ireland... perhaps I should sing it A Capella?

Tonight's new tunes:

• Where is the love

Tonight's takeaways:

• Ties, Dots, and Articulation
• (Yet again...) Always do your homework!!

Ambitious cycle...

It's been a little over a week of no running and I'm feeling very fidgety. So myself & Joe decided to dust off the push bikes and head out for a long cycle. I got my new Garmin 405 watch this week and am dying to give it a go. As we live in neighbouring towns we met half way and decided to head north and, snaking around country lanes, we'd edge easterly towards the canal and back towards Naas.

It may seem obvious now but cycling uses a whole different set of muscles to running. After 5 miles I was aching in places I'd never felt before. After mile 8 I couldn't help asking the question: what sadist designed bicycle saddles? What was s/he thinking?

According to my new toy we cycled a total of 18.76 miles, exactly. And the knees; they were OK but during the last 5 miles I could feel them but nothing serious.

Deserters

A couple of weeks ago I was at a my company's summer party held in (I'm reliably informed) a fashionable club in a fashionable part of town; as I'm several steps behind the fashionable people I wouldn't know. We had a large part of the upper floor reserved with our own (free) bar and what seemed like a continuous stream of finger food. I have no problem with free bars, I'm a big fan actually, but the same thing seems to happen at these events. At about 11pm it suddenly dawns on me that I'm no longer sober, why that surprises me I don't know but it's quick as if someone flicked a switch.

Anyway; much, much later I was in conversation with a couple of friends from my office and we agreed to have dinner in their house a few weeks later and I volunteered to bring desert. The next day I had a vague recollection of agreeing to something; what and what for I couldn't quite make out. The next working day revealed all when an email with a date for dinner and the question: would I be bringing desert and a starter or just desert?

I searched the web for easy, cheap and yummy deserts; sounds like the ideal date! After a few phone calls and I decided to make one of my favourite deserts: Banoffee Pie. It turns out to be pretty easy to make:

• Crumbled digestive biscuits and butter for the base, chilled for at least an hour.
• Caramel, bananas and fresh whipped cream for the filling.
• A sprinkling of chocolate flakes to top it off.

The result was fantastic, and it was such a thrill to see everyone enjoy it!

Singing Lesson #3

After the usual warm up exercises it was straight into yet another great lesson. After a plethora of new tunes we decided that the "end of course" concert will go ahead. We all need to think about what kind of song we'd like to sing and we will have an piano accompaniment which should make it easier to stay in tune and hide any hiccups.

Tonight's new tunes:

• The sound of music
• Dream a little dream of me
• Amazing Grace
• Where is Love

Tonight's takeaways:

• Posture
• Always do your homework

Ouch...

Damn it! I've really done it now. My knees are in bits and I need to start taking proper care of them. So, it's rest for a couple of weeks and then ease back into running if I'm going to have any chance of a 4 1/2 hour marathon this October, but more importantly I need to beat Kerry's time in the Great North Run in early October... there's £25 at stake!!

It's a long way from Carlingford...

Last night it was a struggle to get out of the clutches of the city's rush hour traffic. By 5pm I had to be 75 miles away in Carlingford for a weeding and it wasn't looking good as I crawled along Dublin's orbital motorway at a snails pace and it was already well past 4pm.

We finally arrived at the seaside town and checked into our hotel and I use that term in the broadest sense of the word. It reminded me of a DIY project that went horribly wrong. The hotel consisted of a series of individual rooms running along the length of a driveway, each with large sliding doors to the front that opened straight into the bedroom. The bathroom, again accessed via a sliding door, reminded me of an apartment that I'm sure we've all had. You know the one where the landlord was so tightfisted that he'd never replace anything or get a tradesman in to make proper repairs and the flat looked as if it would disintegrate if you sneezed?

We were running late and had to get ready fast. I jumped into the shower, predictably a cold one, and dried off with one of the micro-mini bath towels. My suit looked like it was rolled up in a ball in the boot of my car, hardly surprising since that's exactly where it had been for the last few days. I managed to de-crease my suit just enough to get away with it. I did a little foraging for an iron and ironing board for my shirt before finally accepting that this was indeed a classy hotel.

With lightly creased shirt, a matching suit and a pair of Doctor Martin shoes I was ready and out the (sliding) door. The hotel owner was a nice guy and gave us a lift down the very steep hill to the wedding venue, his driving skills obviously far outweighed his DIY skills.

It was a lovely wedding reception. It was held in the local sailing club which had striking views along the length of Carlingford Lough. It was a long night, I was trying to drink as little a possible and time seemed to pass more slowly the later it got. But eventually it was home time, the bar had closed and the DJ was packing up. Walking back to the hotel was a bit of a challenge; it was pitch black and all up hill. We eventually made it, wrestled with our sliding door and fell into bed.

Getting up the next morning wasn't easy, my race started at 10am and I was at least an hour and a half away. I struggled to get up and managed to dress, pack and get on the road by 8.30. After a brief stop to get petrol and breakfast I was on the way.

I reached the City orbital at 9.40, I was late and wasn't sure if I'd make it on time but I pressed on. Uncharacteristically I didn't get lost and arrived at the registration office with 5 minutes to spare. I dashed into the office to register and pick up my number. I had to dash back to the car to get my GPS watch and foolishly tried to pin my number on my shirt as I ran. After several minor stabbings I decided to walk until the number was attached. I got to the car with no time to spare, I was officially late as the start line was a 10 to 15 minute walk away.

I ran all the way to the start line which was devoid of all runners and walkers, I was definitely late! As I crossed the start line I heard a beep and was happy that my time had been recorded. It took a minute or two to reach the slowest walkers and a few minutes later I came across the slowest runners. I was running faster than I would normally and continued to overtake runners for the next fifteen or twenty minutes until I caught up with a group running at a comfortable pace for me. I slowed down and ran the remainder of the race at this pace.

After mile 4 my right knee started to twinge a little, could this be the start of a painful finish? I was right! The final few hundred metres were quite painful but I carried on regardless and crossed the line, with relief, in 42:08. Not bad for a 5 mile run with a hangover and dodgy knees, I must turn up late more often!

Singing Lesson #2

Lesson #2 and I hadn't done my homework! Not only that but I couldn't remember what it was, but I did remember to pick a song to sing a cappella: "Black Is The Colour", a lovely traditional song of Scottish origin that I hoped get through without killing it.

The weather was appalling but this time I arrived in plenty of time, the first to arrive actually. The start time passed and I was still on my own but we gave it a few more minutes and thankfully a couple of my classmates arrived and the class started. We went through a lengthy warm-up session before revising last week’s songs and before moving onto some more complex songs.

It wasn't long before it was time to sing our own songs. For some reason I was volunteered to sing first (note to self: never sit at the front). I stood up in front of the class, took a deep breath and promptly forgot the tune... I desperately tried to hum the chorus but nothing came to mind. I apologised and asked if anyone in the class knew the tune. Luckily someone did and very kindly hummed the tune to get me going. I'm not sure how it went, I was so nervous and focused so completely on the words in front of me that when I sang I didn't really hear myself.

As I rounded off the last note I quickly made for my seat to kind applause. My classmates stood up in turn and performed their chosen pieces, each one was as nervous as me but very impressive; there's a lot of talent in that room!

Tonight's new tunes:

• Caro mio ben... a scary Italian number.
• Scales; majors & minors.

Tonight's takeaways:

• Rests; minim rests, crotchet rests, etc.
• Breathing... sounds obvious but not unlike swimming, if you do it at the wrong time you could be lining yourself up for a comedy moment.
• Always do your homework.

Swimming in Mulranny

On the way home we decided to pop into the new hotel in Mulranny for a quick swim. It turned out to be a very, very long stop as the hotel was equipped with not only a fantastic pool but also a sauna, steam room, an outdoor hot tub overlooking Mulranny bay, a jacuzzi and a whole new experience: the plunge pool; an 8 foot deep narrow pool filled with ice cold water, refreshing is not the word!

PB's and Dodgy Knees: The Achill 1/2 Marathon 2008

The weather forecast for Achill on Saturday morning was: wind, rain, wind, the odd sunny spell and wind. That's a lot of wind!

I thought we had plenty of time to get from Claggan to the race but the drive to Achill is always takes longer that I seem to remember. As we crossed the bridge onto the island there was barely 30 minutes to the official start time and we had a good 20 minute drive to Keel.

The registration office looked like it was a stones throw from the start line. Here's a handy hint: if a map states that it is not to scale assume the worst! In this case it was a mile away and I had to run there to make it back in time.

When I got back to the assembly area I was exhausted, the race was starting within minutes and I used this time to recover as best I could. As I walked along the line of the waiting runners towards the back of the queue I could feel the wind pushing against me; a strong wind is only good when it's behind you, this one was very much in front!

It wasn't long before the starting gun was fired and we were off. We left the beach and headed up to the main road and then turned right towards the mainland and into the wind.

The first few miles were harder than expected but enjoyable. As soon as I turned off the main road and headed towards the northern part of the island the wind eased off and the sun made a brief but welcome appearance. This part of the run was great; the scenery was stunning as the countryside opened up in front of me.

All was well until mile 9 when I started to feel a little little pain in my right knee, the knee I injured when I came off my bike earlier that week. I was passing a steward when I almost stumbled when I felt a sharp pain in that knee. He asked if I was OK and I said yes, it's just a twinge. It wasn't and I knew it but I couldn't stop.

From mile 10 the pain got progressively worst but I knew if I stopped I may not get going again. By mile 12 I must have looked tragic; I had slowed right down and had a very obvious limp but I was still running. As I scaled the last hill the sandy beach of Keel appeared; not long now and it was all downhill.

I finally reached the outskirts of the town, I could see the finish line and running along the final stretch was fantastic as the enthusiastic cheers from the crowd pulled me along and over the finish line. I checked my watch and my time was 2:07:18; a new PB to make up for a dodgy knee!

Singing Lesson #1

No, not a typo! I've swapped the swimming lessons for singing lessons for July. As usual I left it to the last minute to check the location and time of the course: 7pm in South Great George's Street. I wanted to be early and left the office with plenty of time to spare.

I arrived in town over an hour early and took the opportunity to shop for a couple of life jackets for this weekend's trip the Achill. Having found, bought and deposited the perfect jackets into the car I made my way to the music school with 10 minutes to spare. I made my way to the reception area and introduced myself only to be informed that the class had begun 20 minutes earlier! I pulled the printout from my pocket to double check... the web site was wrong, I though I was early and the class was way past warming up.

Oh well... I found the room and slowly opened the door just enough to pop my head around. A very jolly, friendly voice welcomed me and quickly summarised what the class had covered; what a relief!

I found a seat at the back and once I had settled in I quickly surveyed the class. There were 8 in the class; 7 women and me. I'm not sure if my arrival changed things for our teacher but it certainly lowered the tone.

Having missed the group warm up exercises I started the class straight into singing. It turns out that my voice slots into the Baritone category; the type of male voice that lies between Bass and Tenor. I guess that's a good thing; perhaps not the best but at least a bit of both worlds.

One of the reasons I wanted to do this course was to answer the question can I sing?
Apparently I can, just not very well but with practise I could be up there with the average of them!

Tonight's new tunes:

• Fly me to the moon.
• Edelweiss.

Tonight's takeaways:

• Articulate when singing.
• Performance directions; legato, mezzo, adagio and the like... I'll never remember all that, I can barely remember my name in the morning...
• Pick a song to sing A Capella for next week's class.

When gravity goes bad...

After a very wet but uneventful ride home I was just entering Newbridge when I remembered that my locksmith had called a few days earlier to let me know that replacement keys for my bike had arrived. So I decided not to go straight home, instead I'd ride on through the town and up to Newbridge Shopping Centre to pick up the keys.

I had just entered the car park and intended to turn right into one of the many lanes to find a parking space when I noticed a white SUV travelling in the opposite direction. The next few seconds took me by complete surprise; the rear wheel quickly and without any warning slipped to the left. Before I knew it I was on the ground with a very heavy bike resting on my right leg. I was stuck, the bike wouldn't move and my leg was pinned to the floor. The bike had been running for almost an hour, I knew the engine was red hot and being stuck under it was the last place I wanted to be. The driver of the SUV came to my rescue and helped me lift the bike just enough to free my leg. Once on my feet I could get the bike upright and wheel it out of the way.

I felt a little shocked but otherwise OK. The bike took a bang on the right side which knocked the brake lever block out of position but otherwise no other damage.

I rode the bike home and when I got inside my right leg felt quite sore around the knee. Taking my boots off I felt moisture around my knee and I thought blood, damn!! However, once I got my bike trousers off it turned out to be water, probably from the time I spend on the ground under the bike. My knee was a little grazed but nothing serious. There was a little bruising and it did feel sore. The Achill 1/2 marathon is in 3 days time, is that enough time to recover?

Tuesday 3 miler

It's a week before the 1/2 marathon and I'm feeling great, we ran this morning's 3 miler in 23:55, that's a pace of 07:58! Happy days!!

A weekend in Budapest...

This is a great city! My only other visit here, a few years ago, was a little rushed and we didn't have a lot of time to explore; then we were heading into the depths of winter and the temperature had plummeted to close to zero Centigrade, not ideal for wandering the streets. This time couldn't have been more different; we were heading for the height of summer and the average temperature was 32 degrees Centigrade; much more conducive for tourist wanderings and we had time to do it!

We stayed for five days (four nights), staying in a Hilton for the first two nights and then a much more agreeable apartment hotel for the last two; the latter had less fuss and more stuff, and it had a terrific pool which I made full use of.

On Saturday evening I decided that I had to get running so we made a plan to get up really early and walk the mile to Margaret Island where I would run two circuits (about 6.7 miles) which would give herself enough time to get in one walking circuit. Getting up really early meant no alcohol the night before which was ridiculous when on holiday so the 6am became 8am which is still early, we're just leaving off the really bit.

We walk along the Danube to Margaret Island, passing the poignant Shoes on the Danube Promenade, a memorial to the people who fell victim to the Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest and depicts their shoes left behind on the bank when they fell into the river after having been shot during World War II.

The island is on the Danube (or should that be in the Danube?) and is accessed from Elizabeth Bridge. When I got down to the bank of the island I was surprised to find that there was a proper running track that appeared to stretch the entire circumference of the island. Running on that track was like running on air, if only I could run on this every day but it's a hell of a commute.

There were plenty of people out and it didn't take long before I came across someone running just out of my comfort zone so I decided to try to stick with her. The first half of the island was easy enough even though the temperature was a lot higher than expected. We were running at a fast pace and I was starting to feel the strain. We briefly left the track as we ran around the end of island and onto the northern edge where we picked up the track again. The sun was beating down and felt like it was sucking the energy out of me. I managed to keep up with my pace maker for another half a mile or so until she slowly slipped away as my energy levels plummeted. Half way along this side of the island I passed several swimming pools where a large digital thermometer read 32 degrees centigrade; that I could believe.

It wasn't long before I passed the starting point and I was on lap 2. The second lap was tough but I knew what to expect, and somewhere along the first half my reserves kicked in with a welcome boost. On the second half I could feel a dull pain my left knee, not enough to stop me but from experience I knew that once I stop running it will hurt!

I'm not often right but this time I was spot on; as I completed the second lap I stopped the clock, slowed to a walk and instantly the pain shot through my knee. I limped up the hill to the main access road where rested and stretched to try to relieve the pain.

After a little while we were ready to get back to the hotel and breakfast! As we started to make our way back I took a few moments to log my time and distance; 6.67 miles in 58:31, that's an impressive pace of 8:46. The walk back was less brisk than earlier but the combination rest & stretching did the trick and we were making good time.

Time, as it turned out, was not on our side. We somehow managed to slip back into Irish time and thought we were an hour earlier. When we arrived at the hotel we thought we had plenty of time to shower and change but as the concierge pointed out breakfast was just about to end. It was an easy decision; miss breakfast for a shower and fresh clothes or slip into the breakfast room, hoping that nobody notices our soggy attire. We opted for the latter of course and, for the price of a few raised eyebrows, tucked into a well deserved feast.

After breakfast, a very long shower and a potter around the locality we made for the hotel's excellent swimming pool for a pre-lunch swim. Happy days!!

Swimming lesson #12

The final lesson of the summer. I'm sorry to see them come to an end and shall look forward to their resumption in the autumn. Tonight we revised all 3 strokes (front crawl, breast stroke and back stroke) and spent a little time in the deep end.

Tonight's takeaways:

• Keep moving when treading water.
• If you panic when deep under water you'll stay there.

I have joined my local gym, who conveniently have a branch next to my office as well, so that I can swim whenever I choose. All I need to do is get in there!

Belgium; the land of chocolate and beer...

... but it doesn't stop there! It turns out that there is a lot more to that little country than gastronomic delights! But while we're talking about food, my favourite Belgian dish has to be Stoemp & Wild Boar sausages; haute cuisine it may not be but it has a farm fresh, healthy, traditional, mature, local, good feel to it... a little like haggis in Scotland or Oysters in Galway; it may not be the best thing for you but it feels right when you're there!

The weather in Belgium this weekend was fantastic, regularly tiptoeing around 28 degrees Celsius and race day was no different... it was a hot! The race was in the small village of Ogy, near Lessines, about 50KM South West of Brussels. The drive to Ogy was lovely; the countryside was beautiful and we had a running commentary of the view by my 3 year old niece. It turns out there are a lots of cows in Belgium!

We found the village without any difficulty and arrived at the starting area with plenty of time to spare, so much that we had a prime parking space in the village centre. Ogy is a small, quiet, friendly village tucked away off the main road. We found the registration hall (that would double up as a bar after the race) to enter the race. Once the princely sum of €3 had changed hands we were issued our race numbers and 1 safety pin each. After some negotiation we secured a second safety pin each.

Outside the hall some local vendors were setting up their stalls; a creperie, juice stall, fast food stall and yet another bar. We made our way out to the market square where the race MC was chatting to a transient crowd. He had a list of all registered runners and as we had registered on the day we were not on his list. He called us over and asked for my name but unfortunately his question stretched my French vocabulary of 5 words beyond it's limit and I couldn't make out what he was talking about; he quickly figured out I wasn't a local and Alain stepping to translate. He was trilled to have a foreign participant and as soon as we had been added to his list he switched on his microphone to announce my arrival.

We had a little time so we jogged first kilometer of the route to warm up although I didn't expect such an extreme warm! The temperature has risen to 28 degrees centigrade even though we had left noon far behind us.

By the time we got back to the village it was almost time to get going again. A line was forming behind the start barrier and as we slipped into place the entire crowd was hushed to silence and held it for about a minute. I wasn't sure if this was a tradition before races in Belgium but I decided to go with the flow and waited patiently, holding back a sneeze that was slowly building up. I'm sure that if there is a God he's got a cruel sense of humour, but at least he's got one. After the race I found out they were observing a minutes silence as a mark of respect for a runner that had recently died. Sometimes it's good to go with the flow!

A few seconds later the starting gun rang out and we were off! We ran up the narrow street we started on, past the makeshift bars and into the village square; past the church and the village war memorial on the right and soon we were out into the open countryside. The pace was a lot faster than I had expected or was used to but I felt good and kept up. The first few kilometers were fast but very enjoyable; we were running through the heart of the Belgian countryside, way off the beaten track.

The temperature was high, somewhere around 28 degrees centigrade, and as we passed kilometer 4 I really started to feel the heat. The first water stop didn't come a moment too soon and provided instant, if short lived, relief to the heat. The next few kilometers were undulating and quite challenging. I knew my pace was ebbing away as a quick glance at my watch confirmed. I could feel the sun sucking energy out of me and the water stop at kilometer 8 was most welcome. The next 3 kilometers were very tough; I was tired fought hard to keep going. The final kilometer was uphill and a real struggle but my running partner Alain kept me going until we reached the top of the hill. From there we could see the finish line.

As we passed the church the race MC spotted our approach and called out our names as we crossed the line, what a thrill!

We crossed the line in 1.06.27; a pretty good time for such a tough course in that heat.

OMG that hurt...

Very tough run this morning, it was only a 3 miler but it took a lot out of me. I'm putting it down to a combination of a fast paced 5 miler yesterday morning and 3 hours of wind surfing, kayaking and topper sailing last night! Still, a pretty decent pace of 8:43 (finishing in just over 24 minutes).

It was my first time wind surfing and won't be the last; even though I could only sail in one direction, fell in about 20 times and had to be towed back to shore I really enjoyed it. Kayaking was a lot of fun too, a lot drier than wind surfing and a lot more control but you provide all the power. Topper sailing was great, I have done it before and sailed in larger boats so it wasn't completely new.

Amazing Pace...

...when feet move around! (sung to the tune of Amazing Grace it's mildly amusing)

For this morning's run I had a Garmin Forerunner 201 that I borrowed for one of my colleagues... and I love it, I've gotta get one. We ran exactly 5 miles at a fantastic pace of 8.25 (finishing in 42:06). 3 miles of fartleks tomorrow morning and then off the Brussels for the weekend! Happy days!!

Swimming lesson #11

OK, I think we're getting there... slight overall improvement this week and I'm finally getting this breathing lark! Towards the end of the lesson we had a chance to dive into the deep end, swim towards the shallow end and front crawl to the other end of the pool... that was FUN!

I keep thinking about the 1500m swim if I participate in the Dublin triathlon next year. So far my record is 20m, that's 1480m to go...

Last week next week and the courses will not resume until September, we may have to look at private tuition for the rest of the summer... 1480m and all that!


Tonight's takeaways:

• When diving tuck your head between your arms and enter the water hands first, not all at once 'cos that really hurts...
• 1/2 a lung full of water

Fartlek frolics...

Latest fartlek session, I'm getting into these and can feel them working! We add a few press-ups, sit ups, bench presses, etc. into the mix. We covered approximately 3 miles this morning in a little over 30 minutes.

Better out than in a man's eye...

Up and out early on a Saturday morning... well, not as early as I promised as a text message 10 minutes after hour I had arranged to meet testifies. Better late than never, or as my Granny used to say when she burped "better out than in a man's eye".... bless! We ran the 5 miles at a race pace in 43:21, that's an impressive pace of 08:40! The run time is almost a 3 minute improvement of the last 5 mile race pacer... happy days!!

Fartleks: rarely silent and often deadly...

Oh, this was fun... when I got past the pain. Fartleks; who came up with that word? It's actually German word and is defined as a form of punishment in which the punished must run around a track. The last person in the line sprints to the front, and then jogs; the newest caboose must then sprint, etc. etc. Great for building up speed... apparently. This morning we ran 3 miles, 3 long miles!

Swimming lesson #10

Hmmm, not much improvement this week. Have I plateaued? I've got to swim 1500m in a triathelon next year, talk about a challange!

Tonight's takeaways:

• Smaller arm swings and faster legs for the breast stroke
• 1/2 a lung full of water

Race pace in haste?

As part of the Dublin marathon training and to increase overall speed we'll be adding in a few race pace training runs, and later we'll build in some fartlek sessions (I'll explain later). This 5 miler was very tough, especially as it is only a week since the Cork marathon. We ran it in 46:42, that's a pace of 9.20 and considering we ran a marathon last weekend that not bad!

Easy runner...

The first run since the marathon and we took it nice & easy, finishing the 3 miles in 27:50; that's a pace of a little over 9.17.

Swimming lesson #9

While in Cork I made unbelievable progress. I breaststroked an entire length of the pool, vastly improved my front crawl and backstroked half a length. Tonight, however, normal service was resumed. I have a theory: the pool in Cork was a normal gym pool with normal pool water, etc. But the pool in Naas is a teaching pool with teaching pool water and I'm convinced that they add some secret ingredient to make the pool less buoyant and therefore harder to swim in, the logic being that you'll be a much stronger swimmer in normal water. Make sense?

Tonight's takeaways:

• 1/2 a lung full of water

Corked: Part 3 of 3

After a restless night I was up early and feeling good. I was really looking forward to this race, I believed I had prepared well and was looking forward to reaping the reward from all that hard training. The breakfast room was bustling when we arrived, full of aging French tourist and aspiring marathoners; we joined my running partner in the athletes corner. I ordered a bowl of porridge and tucked into a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and herbal tea.

After breakfast it was time to shower and get ready for this epic run; having done this before I feel a little drama was justified. I had to choose my clothes carefully; any distance runner will tell you that one thing you must avoid is chafing... not wishing to go into too much detail I will say that the secret is the liberal application of Vaseline in strategic areas.

Suitably attired, and lubricated, I made my way to reception where Joe was waiting. After some last minute adjustments to gel packs and other accessories, and a brief word with running legend Sonia O Sullivan, we were on our way. Cork is built around the river Lee which cuts deep into the surrounding hills, the result is a fairly level city centre surrounded by steep hills. Our hotel was perched on one of these hills and as the start line was beside the river our first stretch of the day was all downhill.

We were both very excited about the run; this was Joe's first marathon and my first serious marathon, i.e. I had trained properly for this one! We had a mile or so to walk to the start line and the conversation was focused on the next 5 hours. We revised our strategy for pace, water and gels, and hoped I had enough Vaseline to last for 5 hours. Then it occurred to me that Vaseline is a petroleum jelly, and as we all know petrol is combustible, and running creates a lot of heat particularly in Vaseline coated corners... correct me if I'm wrong but petrol and heat in the same space tend to lead to fireworks. I can see it now, at around mile 10 random marathoners bursting into flames... let's hope there's a water station nearby!

We reached the starting area early and I had time to wrestle with my number as I pinned it to my shirt; it's hard to explain but I find it incredibly difficult to attach a square piece of paper onto the front of my shirt with 4 safety pins. Is it just me?

With numbers on, gels packed and strategy agreed we made our way to our designated area. The atmosphere was electric and the tension was beginning to build. We were just in sight of the start line and the line of athletes behind us continued to grow. The count down was on and

For the first 2 miles we wound around the streets of the city centre, crossing the Lee towards the Murphy's brewery, back along the north quays and eastwards along the river, past the railway station and out towards the Jack Lynch tunnel. The city centre streets were lined with people cheering us on, this was obviously a city that enjoyed hosting a marathon and it made all the difference. We had an unexpected cheer from our partners just after mile 3, sending us on our way out of the city.

As we passed the train station we left the spectators behind and started to really think about the miles ahead. We were feeling good and before we knew it we were approaching the 6 mile water station and our first gel stop. We grabbed a bottle of water each and continued to run until well clear of the water station before slowing to a fast walk to take on water and the all important gel pack. After a little over a minute we were off again.

At mile 7 we were approaching the Jack Lynch tunnel, an impressive 2 bore dual carriageway that forms one of the main entry points to the city; one bore was closed to traffic for the marathon so we had it to ourselves. I have run through a tunnel before, the Dublin Port Tunnel before it opened for traffic. It's a strange experience because, as you can imagine, a tunnel has no weather (no breeze, rain, sunshine, etc.) and the noise level increases the deeper you run into the tunnel as everything is echoed... everything from hundreds of pairs of trainers thumping the ground to countless conversations to screams of encouragement & desperation. There were a few other noises thrown into the mix but we ignored those.

Emerging from the tunnel was a spectacular sight; the sun was shining and a 6 piece percussion band were giving it serious wellie. We stayed on the dual carriageway for another mile before exiting where we ran though an industrial/retail area for half a mile before arriving in suburbia and a welcome water station.

We didn't stop there, we decided to carry on to the next water station before taking our next gel pack. After running along straight main roads it was nice to run though housing estates with plenty of twists and turns to break it up. There were plenty of spectators out, we were feeling the pain now and any encouragement really helped. Every so often a group of kids would stick out their hands for a high five, I gladly obliged and thanked them for another step towards the finish line.

The next water station was closer to mile 13, a little longer than I had in my head. The approach to this station was a long straight road along the sound bank of the Lee with lovely views of the river and northern hills. We stopped at this station for water and a gel pack, this stop was very welcome, we were both feeling a little tired but determined to carry on.

It took me another mile to get back into my stride and at mile 14 spirits were lifted as we clapped eyes on our partners cheering us on. The next mile was easy, it's amazing what you can find with a little encouragement!

The next 5 miles were through suburban areas as we made our way westward. Again the residents came our to help us along, the atmosphere was truly fantastic. The terrain was undulating but nothing dramatic, but the was about the change.

Just before mile 20 we started to leave suburbia behind and hit the first of many hills. We were expecting them but we also knew that we would be very tired and this section was going to test us to the core. Luckily the spectators stayed with us and on several occasions they pulled us uphill with their encouragement, I can't overstate how much of a difference that kind of support makes. Eventually we passed mile 21 and we were still going up hill and the will to carry on was ebbing away.

Just short of mile 22 we reached the highest point of the race and from this point on was downhill. The relief was instant and most welcome, it was as if a dark could had lifted and I knew we were going to make it. We were leaving the hills behind and returning to urban Cork. We continued downhill until after mile 22 when it levelled out and the road ahead was straight and long. It's harder to run when you're tired and you can see 2 miles of straight road ahead, but we kept going with a couple of mini breaks along that stretch. 2 miles later we were entering the west side of the city. Passing the mile 24 marker was hard, we could see the marker a mile off and it seemed to take us forever to reach it.

We were now back in the city and the streets began to twist and turn. We had one last water station just before mile 25 and we took the opportunity take a little walking break across a pedestrian bridge that crossed the Lee. We walked for about 2 minutes until a passing cyclist cheered us on with "there are only 2 kilometers to go", and we were off. We were almost there, less than 2K and we were home. We were running thought a park and emerged onto the North Mall quay. With less than a mile to go we were running fast, I have no idea where the energy came from but we were feeling great.

We crossed the Lee again and passed the 26 mile marker which meant a mere .2 miles to go. Just as we tuned the corner onto the last stretch we spotted our partners cheering us on. The finish line was in sight and we sprinted to that line, crossing it in 4 hours 47 minutes.

The next hour was a comedy hour. We knew we had to stretch but we were stuck in a running pose; it took me 5 minutes to sit down, and 10 to stand up again. After much slow, slow stretching we were ready move and find a cafe or pub to sit and eat. We we lucky to find a coffee shop with seats and good food, we made it our home for the next hour or so. Leaving was an effort; standing up required assistance and stepping down onto the street involved a series of careful side steps and the odd groan.

4.47 is a fantastic time, I'm absolutely thrilled and it's a step closer to the sub 4 hour time that I have in my sights. Looking forward to Dublin in October and hopefully a new PB; another step closer!

Corked: Part 2 of 3

We woke up fairly early on Sunday morning. As this was the day before the race I was feeling a little nervous but nothing serious enough to put me off my usual hotel treat... a full Irish breakfast!! In hindsight it was not the cleverest option for breakfast; I have been leading an extremely healthy lifestyle for the last few months and a plate full of greasy sausages, bacon and what could be described a scrambled eggs was a shock to the system. Having polished off the last strip of bacon I decided that I would never set eyes on such an unhealthy breakfast.

We had planned on visiting Kinsale for the day, we didn't plan the route which turned out to be a roller coaster ride through the hills of south Cork. We could have used the main road but in the spirit of adventure we opted for the magical mystery tour approach. There were several moments along the route when it looked like I may have to renege on that promise I made earlier.... I came perilously close to seeing that breakfast again...

Finally we made it... to the outskirts of Kinsale. Traffic was chaotic, it turns out it was race day and the usual beach bound throng was multiplied by punters and nag fanciers. I'm not entirely sure what a nag fancier is but I'm assured it's legal in this part of the world. Slowly we inched our way down hill towards the village, eyed peeled for a parking space. Lucky for us we were in the right place at the right time when the reverse lights on an ideally parked Ford Mondeo flickered on.

Safely, and conveniently, parked we made our way to a highly recommended fish restaurant whose name escapes me now. After a fantastic lunch it was back into traffic and slowly onto the beach. Traffic on the approach roads to the beech was chaotic, nothing was moving and we were painfully close to the sand dunes. My passengers did the sensible thing and abandoned the car in favour of a short walk to the beech. I, on the other hand, inched forward towards something that I hoped as a parking space. The frustration levels were high & getting higher and after much wailing and gnashing of teeth I finally happened upon a parking space.

After a lovely long seaside walk it was back into the the car and a surprising easy drive back to Cork city and the hotel. Time for a swim, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi before dinner.

During yet another top drawer Corkonian dinner our experienced marathon runner advised no alcohol the night before, drat! Later, back at the hotel the staff were very helpful and were preparing breakfast for 30 marathon participants the next morning. We ordered our breakfast porridge and retired for a good nights sleep.

Unfortunately, and typical the night before anything remotely exciting, I found it hard to sleep. I did have a weird dream... I was in a forest, there was a thick, heavy fog and it was dark, very scary, then my phone rings and I can barely see it through the fog and before I can answer it rings off... it was a mist call, oh well!

Corked: Part 1 of 3

Woke up to a fantastic day; the sun was shining and the weekend had just begun. The plan was to be on the road to Cork by midday, unfortunately the sunshine slowed everything down and it was 3pm before acts were put into gear and we finally got on the road.

We arrived at the hotel in good time and checked into a room with a view. The view used to be of the city before they built the leisure centre but I couldn't complain as I intended to make full use of it with my new found swimming skill.

We were eating at 8 so as soon as we unpacked it was straight to the pool. Could water on Cork have more buoyancy than Kildare water? Here I was swimming; my breast stroke looked less like a drowning man making for shore and more like a man on the verge of drowning... I consider that progress.

After a very, very cold shower and a stint in the steam room it was time to eat. I met our dining partner in the bar for a remarkably good pint of Murphy's stout, well... when in Cork and all that, my usual would be a Guinness. Dinner was fantastic, not at all what I expected from the hotel.

After dinner there was just enough time to sample the night life in the city and we jumped into the first taxi heading that way. We went to a Tapas bar (can't remember the name) but I really liked this place; we were sitting at the bar which I usually don't like but the bar staff were so into what they were doing that it was a real treat to be there. The crowd were lively and we stayed for quite a few.

It was getting late and we had to make one more connection before jumping into a taxi back to the hotel. We thought it would be rude to walk past the bar and not have a drink so we did the decent thing.

Finally to bed...

Swimming lesson #8

Fantastic lesson tonight and it turns out that I do possess buoyancy after all... but it requires a high degree of concentration to find it and keep it; not a trivial feat when you've got the concentration level of a highly intelligent goldfish!

Tonight's takeaways:

• Improved front crawl
• 2 back strokes (before sinking)
• Breast stroke theory (practice proved elusive, see next point)
• 1/2 a lung full of water

Last run before the big day...

Today was our last short run before the big day, squeezed in before swimming lesson #3. Fairly brisk pace; 3 miles in 26.10.

Saturday 6 miler

The big day is fast approaching, only a week to go. We decided to take it easy on this 6 miler, finishing in 58.54.

Swimming lesson #7

Is it possible for a man to have no buoyancy?

Is that a trumpet in your pocket?

A little bit of trumpet blowing justified again... last night was the Dublin Docklands Fun Run, an 8K annual event. It is a pretty flat course which probably contributed to my time of 39:29, that's a pace of 7:57, an all time best for me!

I have to admit that I gave it everything and picked out a couple of guys that were running at a pace slightly faster than my comfort pace. I kept up with them for most of the race but as we crossed the Liffey I began to lose ground and had to find another pacemaker. At this point we were approaching kilometer 6 and I could see the leaders on the other side of the river which gave me the boost I needed to get back into a quicker pace.

We crossed the Liffey again and were on the final stretch, probably a kilometer to go. I was feeling the pain but kept the pace up as I had to cross the line in under 40 mins to beat my newly acquired 5 mile PB. With less that a kilometer to go my phone started to ring and the "magic roundabout" theme music filled the narrow street we were running in, much to the amusement of my fellow runners. As I crossed the line I stopped my watch and was thrilled to see a sub 40 min time, a new PB!! Yippee!!

Dublin 5 Mile Classic

One hates to blow one's own trumpet but when you've got one as shiny mine you've got to do it! I am talking of course about a shiny new PB. Today we had the Dublin 5 mile classic and I really wanted to push it as hard as I could.

The first mile was fine, I felt really good and was keeping a steady pace. During the second mile I started to feel tired, my legs felt heavy and my breathing was all over the place but it didn't last for very long; I kept telling myself it's only 5 miles and I should be well able to get through this without slowing. Mile 3 was uphill; a steep incline to begin and then a slight but steady incline for about a 1/2 mile. By mile 4 I was genuinely tired and digging deep to keep going at this pace. The final mile was tough, I definitely slowed a little but the spectators and organisers kept me going as fast as I could.

I crossed the line in 41:05, that's an awesome pace of 08:13; my best ever!

That time can't be right...

This morning should have been a taper zone 12 mile training run. However, at the half way mark I looked at my watch and couldn't believe how fast I had ran 6 miles... slowly it dawned on me that perhaps my rubbish map reading skills had fallen to an all time low and I had added a little extra mileage. It didn't really matter, I turned around and ran the second half home, getting there in 1:45:50.

Later I drove the route and I was only .3 miles out, the entire route was 11.4 miles so my pace was 9:17... not bad!

Swimming lesson #6

Tonight we moved up to the intermediate class with a new 7 week course. Still using floats for the back stroke and ending the front crawl with a 1/2 a lung full of water but we're getting there!

Mid week 8 miler...

Nice easy run this morning, good pace of 9:06, happy days!!

"taper" zone...

The first run in the "taper" zone! A little over 5 1/2 miles in 49 mins, that's a pace of 8:51... a new record!! 6am start, lovely morning, great time to be out!

A run of 4 quarters...

This weekend was a mixture of over-exertion, over-heating and over-indulgence. It started off with the dreaded 20 Mile training run at 7am on Saturday, running the risk of sounding like a football commentator I have to say it really was a run of 4 quarters! We had split the run into 4 parts with water/gel stops every 5 miles. Joe drove the route the right before and placed water bottles in convenient and easily recognisable locations.

The first 5 miles were pretty straight forward, we were in good spirits and looking forward to finishing the run. The time passed quickly and we had run over 5 miles before I my first time check; time for our first break... happy days! We walked while devouring the contents of our gels, washing them down with the cool water. We walked for not much longer than a minute before we were off again.

The second 5 mile quarter was much easier than I had anticipated. We were keeping a pretty steady pace and the conversation was flowing which helps make time past quickly. The sun was shining and we were running through wonderful countryside; rolling hills peppered with green fields, woods, farms and some stunning houses. On the down side the rolling hill were proving to be a bit of a problem as we had to run up most of them. The curious thing about running an undulating route is that the uphill stretches appears to be twice as long and the downhill stretches. Of course if you start and finish in the same place the net elevation is zero but it doesn't feel that way. Before we knew it we were at the 10 mile mark and time for another gel and water session.

The third 5 mile quarter was a little more noticeable, as in I was starting to feel the burn, but still felt good. Towards the end of the quarter the sunshine ebbed away and clouds slowly rolled in, we could sense the rain but hoped to have finished before it came down. Our luck didn't hang around and it started to bucket down. I can't remember when I last saw such a sustained and heavy downpour; it was coming down in sheets and pretty soon we were up to a couple on inches of water in places. When arrived at our final water/gel stop we were soaked to the skin.

The last quarter was tough. The rain finally stopped after another mile but there was a lot of surface water to deal with. The final stretch back into Naas was along a wide road with plenty of hard shoulder space. We were getting tired and looking forward more than ever to reaching the end. The last 2 miles were torturous for me and I pretty sure it was 90% physiological; I always get tired and stroppy towards the end of a run, regardless of the length. The final mile was pure pain and the closer I got to the finish the harder it was to run but I knew it was all psychological and I could make it.

And so we did; After 3 hours, 28 minutes and 56 seconds of running we arrived back at the spot from where we started from; exhausted, relieved, sore but very happy! We tried to stop but the momentum of running for 20 miles kept the muscles going for another few meters as we involuntarily jogged to the end of the street.

The next few hours were spent stretched out on the sofa, I was very tired and could feel my muscles ceasing up... I was in serious danger of becoming a landmark.

Before long it was time to go and we piled into the Fiat Barva to head for Dundalk. We were screaming up the M1 when a light came illuminated on the dashboard, a red one that had a menacing look about it... then we noticed that the temperature gauge had left the red and entered a whole new zone! As we pulled over onto the hard shoulder and the car eased to a halt the engine heaved a sigh of relief and smoke started to rise from the bonnet. We decided to give the engine a few minutes to consider its options before opening the bonnet, once we did the heat off the engine was intense as smoke continued to rise. Assuming we were in big trouble we called the rescue service and waited, these guys take 40 to 60 minutes to arrive.

After giving the engine sufficient time to cool I removed the coolant cap and, surprise surprise, the water level was below the minimum level. After topping up the water we tried again and the temperature gauge went off the scale again. After another check the water had again fallen below the min level, so we went through the process again and this time it seemed to hold.

We cancelled the recovery service and took off only to be overtaken by a plume of white smoke; the exhaust was pumping out enough condensation to water a garden. We pulled over again and called the rescue service who politely told us that we had fallen back to the end of the queue and that we'd have to wait 40 to 60 minutes.

So we waited and waited, they called to say that they were sorry but they would be another delay, another 15 minutes, oh well. Rescue finally arrived and the expected news was delivered; the car has died, or more specifically the cylinder head gasket had blown. We were towed to our destination so all was not lost. The lesson from that experience was never drive, much less buy, a Fiat... never ever ever do it... just don't even think of it!

After that very long and overheated journey we were ravenous and wasted no time pressing ahead with the plan of dinner and drinks, although I faded early and had to retire at 2am. The next day was very pleasant; a garden party and the weather obliged with clear skies and sunshine. After far too much much food and drink I sat down at the end of the day sure that I had finally recovered from the 20 mile run the previous morning. A thoroughly over indulgent but well deserved afternoon.

From here on we're tapering off; easy mid-week runs of 5-8-4 and a weekend training run of 12 miles on Saturday and a 5 mile race on Sunday. It' time to nurse these tired feet back to full health in time for the big day!

8 miles good... 2 miles bad...

An early morning start and the first mid-week run for a few weeks. I was a little concerned about my knee so I decided to carry my knee saving insoles in my pocket; if I felt a twinge in the knee department I'd stop and slip them in. This happened around mile 4 and by mile 5 I knew I had to stop; luckily we passed a bench and I whipped them in. The relief was instant but I still had a nagging discomfort from the first 5 miles. Inevitably my arches suffered but thankfully my knee held out. The last 2 miles were tough, a real struggle but as I've said before it's amazing what you can find inside if you dig deep. I have no doubt that if I was running on my own I would have stopped.

We ran the course in an impressive 1.30, and according to the fetch calculator we're on track for a 4.10 marathon... however, in the real world (taking into account the fact that my legs will undergo the first of many transformations at mile 20 (they'll start by becoming blocks of stone, then blocks of cheese and finally a pair of stroppy teenagers that insist on lunging in different directions) before realising that I'm not stopping and if they don't get busy running we'll be here all day) that's more like 4.30 which is a whole hour off last years time.

Next run is the monster, massive, ugly but essential 20 miler! Is the pain really worth it?

Swimming lesson #5

Final lesson tonight! As usual much splashing and mouth fulls of water but progress was made. Tonight's takeaways were:

• Stretch those arms and legs right out from the finger tips to toe tips.
• Breathe with your head out of the water.
• Chicken Royale, fries and a strawberry shake.

I've signed up for the next level, a seven week course, and really looking forward to it!!

Oh!! That hurt...

After a weeks rest the weekend 14 mile run had finally come around. I was looking forward to it, I hadn't ran all week and was starting to feel a little still and unfit. I decided not to run with my insoles; the may solve the knee problem but they do agitate my healing blisters, as my top priority was to get those healed I thought I'd get away with a little knee pain.

The first 5.5 miles went really well, I stopped for a little water and a carb loaded gel. The next 2 miles were pretty good but I did feel a little twinge in my knee. The next mile saw the twinge become a little more sinister as the pain level soared and I knew I was in trouble. A quick phone call and biofreeze, my insoles and a friendly face were on the way. By mile 9.5 the cavalry had arrived... I stopped, turned and approached the car. Somewhere during that simple maneuver I twisted my knee and the pain shot through my body. I tried to shake it off, stretch and even pray but no, the damage has been done... this run was over.

I was bitterly disappointed that I hadn't reached 14 miles but on the bright side I did make it to 9.5 miles.

I'm not sure what to do this week, should I rest again and tackle the 20 mile run next weekend injury free?