Gym'll fix it...

London, and in particular Docklands where my hotel is located, has changed a lot over the last decade . This shiny new hotel is right beside the shiny new Docklands Light Railway and has a shiny new gym that was going to help me see how my back would react to a little running, critical if I'm going to run 10 miles with Nike tomorrow morning. Thankfully it couldn't care less so it looks like I'm injury free! No excuses now!!

Week 5: 3 miler

It's almost there... but not quite, let's give it one more day.

On the up side Nike got back to me and I'm in for Sundays 10 mile training run in London!

Week 5: 5 miler

It's getting better but I'm giving it another day before I run again.

No word from Nike yet...

Week 5: 3 miler

Scratch that, I'm still in pain so running is out of the question today!

I don't believe in fate BUT... I'll be in London this weekend and I'm scheduled to run 10 miles on Saturday or Sunday, hopefully my back will be better by then. Anyway, while working out potential street routes from my hotel an email from Nike dropped into my inbox. It was an invitation to a training run on March the 1st AND it happens to be in London when I'll be there AND it happens to be 10 miles... how weird is that?? It's an invitation only run that starts at Oxford Circus then heads south to the river and then east along the embankment. At the 5 mile marker there is a water station where we double back and run the same route back to Oxford Circus. There are only 250 places and I replied immediately in the hope of getting one...

Damn it to hell and back...

... I must have pulled something in my back after this mornings run, it's killing me! Hopefully it's trivial and I be OK for Tuesdays 3 miler.

Week 4: 9 miler

This was a real struggle and I spend most of the run playing catchup. I really felt tired during the entire run. I wondered if it was because I had postponed my Thursday run to Friday and left no recovery time for this 9 miler or was it a simple fact of poor fitness. Whatever the reason I am worried but there is time to fix it!

Week 4: 3 miler

I should have ran last night but just couldn't muster the energy, enthusiasm and whatever else is needed to leave a comfy sofa and warm fire after a long day to run 3 miles in the cold night air. I promised to get up extra early and run first thing in the morning and to my amazement I did exactly that! With my last midweek run done I had the 9 mile weekend run to look forward to!

Week 4: Midweek 4 miler

I have to say I felt great during this run, it looks like pain of yesterdays run paid off! I felt comfortable over the entire 4 miles and finished with plenty more to give, not a regular occurrence!

3 mile race pace training run

Ouch, this one hurt... we ran the first 1.5 miles at a blistering pace and it was tough to keep up. The return leg was less frantic but, tired from the first half, I found that difficult too. The takeaway is I have a lot of work to do if I plan on running a respectable time in Cork on June 1st.

Mid year marathon

I have decided to run the Cork marathon as my mid-year marathon. It's on June 1st this year and if last year is anything to go by it'll be a fantastic weekend and a great days running.

Cupid Dash 2009

Some might say it was a perfect morning for a run. Of course these people are either crazy or super hardcore runners, possible both. I, on the other hand, was at a disadvantage before I had even fallen out of bed that morning. A single glass of unremarkable red wine a few hours before made sure of that. It was that one glass from that one bottle, in addition to several glasses from another quite remarkable bottle, that set me up for a tough morning.

Tired and feeling like I had been dragged through several hedges backwards I managed to get up, get ready and get to the start line in once piece. It was a very, very cold morning... so cold that anyone in fancy dress opted for the more substantial costumes, leaving the mini skirts and nappies/diapers at home.

We were very late getting off and by the time the starting pistol rang out hypothermia was about to set in. The temperature was so low that it took me 3 or 4 kilometers to warm up, and my head was thumping as if a team of miniature panel beaters were enthusiastically redesigning the shape of my brain.

It was a tough run and completely self inflicted so I can't complain. But I was glad to have done it, these races are always a lot of fun and it's great to meet up with my running buddies. The time wasn't all that bad; 58.11 which is only 45 seconds slower than my personal best for a 10K. The takeaway there is that if I don't sabotage myself the night before I should have a shiny new PB next time I run a 10K!

Here's a link to my route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2160271

Gymtastyic

Having uncovered the mystery of my aching feet I switched back to my trusty blue Asics and hit the gym for my final midweek session.

After 3 miles on the treadmill, 6 miles on the bike, and 6 lengths of the pool I had done my bit without any sign of unexpected fatigue.

This weekend is Valentines weekend we've got the Cupid Dash 10K race in Dublin. While I'm looking forward to it I hope that fancy dress is kept to a minimum, seeing grown men running any distance in nappies (diapers) with a bow and arrow would put me right off!

Laced in haste...

Street running is a world away for the monotonous trudging on the treadmill, I wonder if my problem yesterday was more treadmill related than trainer related.

Tonight's 5 mile route followed the familiar streets of Naas and it was really nice to be outside again. It started well but very quickly my left foot started to feel a little uncomfortable, later followed by my right foot. I battled on but after 2 miles it was obvious that I wasn't going to run this off.

We were running at a relatively slow pace which helped a little and because I wasn't running alone I wasn't going to give up and stop. The discomfort slowly increased with time. It felt like pins and needles, and the more I thought about it I began to arrive at the conclusion that my feet felt constricted. Can you imagine if my laces were tied too tight? How pathetic would that be?

We finished the run after what seemed like a lifetime and I was so relieved to stop. I checked my laces and they seemed OK but I loosened them a little more anyway. The sense of relief was overwhelming!! Damn it, it was my laces after all. Just a tiny tweak made such a big difference. Feeling like an idiot quickly gave way to relief knowing that my new expensive trainers were OK after all!

A mile too far...

I have decided to run a marathon mid-year this year to help me get back into training and lose some of this festive bulk. Here are the options:

• The Cork marathon on June 1st; it is relatively local, familiar and really well organised. I really enjoyed it last year.
• The Prague marathon on May 10th; looks like a nice race. The weather is likely to be warm and I have never been to the city.

I'll have to decide which one to do over the next couple of weeks.

Tonight I ran in the gym. I climbed onto the treadmill with my trusty iPod and foolishly attempted to select an appropriate treadmill program while selecting an good starting song at the same time... I should know by now that multitasking is not something I do well, the results can be disastrous.

After that comedy moment I was on the way with ABBA's Dancing Queen filling my head... my iPod was on shuffle mode and an upbeat tune was hard to come by, I settle for the first one that came past.

3 minutes later I was in full stride when the next musical surprise revealed itself... The End by The Doors; a super slow song that seemed completely inappropriate at the time but turned out to be prediction of what was to come a lot earlier than expected.

After a few clicks of the next button I found a group of uptempo tunes that more or less matched my pace. My plan was to run 3 miles but after only half a mile I felt very uncomfortable in the foot department. As I approached my first mile the situation was getting worse. It was really weird, both my legs felt really tired and sort of numb. I tried to figure it out as I ran and decided that it must be my new trainers. I didn't think trainers had to be broken in but I must be wrong, unless I bought a dodgy pair which would really upset me as I bought them the Washington and that's a hell of a commute to bring them back.

After almost 2 miles I had to stop running but feeling guiltily about not running the full 3 miles I jumped onto a bike and cycled for another 20 minutes. Following that I made for the pool and swam for as much as I could, a pathetic 6 lengths, as I find that swimming does the world of good for tired limbs after a run.

I wonder if my new trainers are from a bad batch. I'll wear them tomorrow night for my 5 miler and decide then.

Bonjour le route...

Languages have never been my forte, I can barely string a coherent sentence together in English never mind French. When travelling abroad I find communication very difficult. Take France, I feel that I have a pretty extensive French vocabulary but more often than not I find that I am unable to use them in the right order. Frequently I have to rely on animated gestures and sound effects to get my point across.

This is becoming a bit of a problem; my niece, who lives in Brussels, is three years old and loves to talk. Her French is better than mine and I've been trying to learn it for over two decades, that's bad. What's really bad is that her English is almost as good as mine...

I'm in Brussels this weekend for the annual Brussels Running Club winter event, since this is the 29th the official title is the "29ème HIVERNALES DU RACING CLUB DE BRUXELLES". It's my second time running and I was looking forward to it. The race starts on the outskirts of Watermall-Bosvoorde, south of Brussels. The route briefly brought us into the town but by kilometer 2 we were on the way into the forest where the rest of the race was staged.

It was below zero, a little colder than I would have liked, and it took 3 or 4 kilometers to warm up properly but once I did the run was thoroughly enjoyable as it had been last year. My rubbish French meant that couldn't understand instructions from stewards as I ran past them, instead I had to pay careful attention to signs indicating the route as there was a 20K sharing parts of the same route and I didn't want to stray into that territory.

My finish time was 55:52, about average considering it was a 9.5K run. When I crossed the line we had warm tea with sugar (I think it a Belgian thing and it really works) and plenty of water. Looking forward to the 30th annual race next year!

Here's a link to my route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2160274

The car

That morning I went straight into the office to work until lunchtime and planned on working from home that afternoon. It seems like I spent the entire flight writing this blog and I didn't get any sleep, consequently I was very tired and when lunchtime arrived I was more than happy to leave.

As I arrived home I noticed a completely intact roof tile on the ground next to my neighbours fence, about 3 feet to the left of my car and a significant distance from the house. I couldn't figure out how it got there and in my extremely tired state I assumed that someone must have left it there and thought no more about it. It was too far away from the house to have fallen from it but who would leave a roof tile in my garden? I was really tired and was obviously not firing on all cylinders.

Walking towards the house I passed the tile again and I had to solve this riddle. I put my bags down and walked over to it. It was a fully intact, very large and heavy roof tile. I took a minute and came to the obvious conclusion that it had fallen from a roof. I took a few steps back and looked up at the roof where, as expected, there was a gap roughly the size of that tile. OK, mystery solved, well almost. How did it come to land several feet from the house? Pointing towards the hole in the roof I traced the path that a falling roof tile might take if it slid down the roof, then slipped off the edge and... bugger... my car was directly underneath that part of the roof. Only then did I notice the damage to the car; a smashed windscreen and badly dented roof. The tile had managed to drop from a 20 foot height, bounce off the car, inflict what turned out terminal damage to the car and land, completely intact, several feet away from the car.

I'd like to meet the guy who produced that tile, it was certainly build to last. Equally, I'd like to meet the guy that installed it to give it back to him and ask him why he choose not to use the traditional method of nailing tiles in place, although after our little talk it may take a team of skilled surgeons a little while to retrieve it.

VA to Dublin

I was surprised by the lack of traffic chaos around Washington, it felt like a normal weekday afternoon. I dropped the car off in good time and caught the courtesy bus to the Dulles airport departures terminal. I was the only passenger, and as such I had no-one to follow... should I tip the driver? Tipping in the US is something I have a lot of trouble understanding... There seems to be an infinite number of categories, levels and options... some optional, some not, all expected, none negotiable, wouldn't it be easier if the server told you what the tip should be? Is it just me?

I arrived in departures on time, having three bags to check in, one over the check in allowance, could have meant an expensive departure from departures but the check in staff suggested that I carry on two bags. I asked for a seat change suggesting the emergency door seat but they were all taken, she gave me a window seat and told me that the plane was only half full. I took that as I'd have an empty seat next to me, next time I'll remember to ask.

After check in I joined a very, very long queue to get through security. After a few minutes I was asked, along with about twenty other "adult" passengers to follow a security officer. This could be either very good or very, very bad. As a well known UK TV news presenter was among the group I felt we were going to be spared the dreaded rubber glove and were in fact led to a fast track security area. Within minutes we were through and with a smile and friendly word not normally associated with Dulles airport security I was way ahead of schedule. That usually means an extra beer or a little more shopping, but I found myself so far ahead that I had one of each!

Boarding was fast, helped by the fact that I was polishing my second beer as the final call announcement was been made. Fortunately for that beer, airline announcements were not broadcast in the bar and I wandered up to the gate as the last passengers were boarding. Walking down the isle I saw few bobbing heads on my side of the plane, just the way I like it. There's nothing quite like an empty seat beside yours when flying, it's like having extra living room: you can't really use them at the same time but it's great to have somewhere to put extra stuff.

As I was getting my bags organized a I notice a large guy making his way down the isle, he looked like he was carrying a small country in a variety of boxes and bags as he lumbered down the isle muttering on his cell phone so I stepped in to let him pass. To my horror he stopped beside me... we were neighbours, next chair neighbours.

Still muttering into his cell phone he poured himself into his chair. I'm not racist but this guy is no marathon runner. My first thought was how to get out of there? I immediately began formulating plan for escape. I popped my head up and had a good look around with view to switching seats soon after takeoff. To my horror, yet another horror, the flight look full. Did the check in girl lie to me? She was gorgeous so that wasn't an option. Perhaps the next compartment was near empty, there was only one way to find out... as soon as we've taken off I'll somehow get past this beached whale and check it out.

In preparation I tucked my iPod into the book I was reading in case I found a seat so that I needn't return. The fasten seat belts sign remained on for a lot longer than expected, in fact so long that the in flight service started and had arrived at my seat at precisely the same time that the seat belt sign was switched off, what are the chances of that?

The flight attendant handed me a bag of pretzels, more stuff to carry during my escape! He offered me a drink which I had to refuse. I have only two hands and an amazing inability to multitask... I was stretching things by carrying a book, iPod, pretzels and my dignity, adding a drink would have undoubtedly lead to a comedy moment, a moment I couldn't afford.

The mobile bar had both isles covered and they were moving towards the rear, my route was cut off. Patiently I waited for a clear run before making a run for it. As minutes ticked by I couldn't help thinking that any free seats at the back must surely be gone by now. My thoughts were interrupted by quite snoring, my neighbour had fallen asleep. Now I had to wake up this guy to get past him, could it get any worse.

Then I noticed the smell, a musty, damp smell. It seemed to be coming from my neighbour, it was as if he was wearing a suit that had been hanging in a damp wardrobe for years. I just couldn't get past this smell, it started to really annoy me and hardened my resolve to the out of there.

About five minutes later the cabin crew has passed my row and the way way clear. I made my apologies, said I'd be right back and with my book, iPod and pretzels I made to the isle, I was out! I made my way to the rear section of the plane and to my relief, joy and excitement there were lots of free seats. It was like winning the lottery, I had hit the jackpot! This was the best possible outcome, how often does this happen? After checking with flight crew at the back of the plane I settled into my new detached window seat.

After about ten minutes I started to feel guilty. That guy was expecting me back, after all I said I'd be right back. I had to do the decent thing. I made my way back towards my old seat to deliver the good news... "I'm going to sit with some friends and wouldn't be back for the rest of the flight, you've got a free seat next to you" I told him. He grunted which I interpreted as "OK" and I made my way back to my new home. Yes, it was a little white lie but it's hard to tell a 250 pound giant that he smells, that I don't like him and would rather sit in the toilet than sit beside him. He could have turned nasty, and it's a long way down from 33,000 feet!

Thanks to a strong tail wind we landed in Dublin about an hour early. Thanks to Dublin Airport we were stuck on the tarmac for 30 minutes before a stand could be freed up for us. Thanks to baggage handlers we had a 20 minute wait for out luggage. Having arrived an hour early we managed to get out of the airport much later than our scheduled time... welcome home!

PA to VA

I had a fantastic time in Pennsylvania, quality time. Most of it was spent with friends in Harrisburg with a two day trip to Philadelphia to visit family. It wasn't long before it was time to go, head south to Washington and home. It was also the day of Obama's inauguration so to avoid the traffic I decided to take the less travelled US15.

The drive from Harrisburg to Washington evolved from a trivial A to B affair to a complex series of "gotta have a look at that" as I hurtled past an unending string of signs each advertising the must see thing for the next blink of my trip. I gave in far too many times, and more often than not the journey to the promised "must see" turned out to be the best part... rural Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia are stunning and it was a real treat to stumble upon them. Unlike Ireland this countryside has a man made order to it's natural chaos, it feels managed without losing too much of its stunning beauty and to a traveller, in particular one driving on the wrong side of the road, that is very comforting... Ireland, on the other hand is utterly chaotic in it's beauty, natural and man made... one of the many reasons I love to call it home.

I had an invitation to an inauguration party in a DC suburb that I really wanted keep but my frequent excursions off the beaten track and an important shopping list kept me occupied right up to stepping on the plane.

Washington Week

I managed to avoid the treadmill during my stay in Dunn Loring and before I got my act together it was time to change. On Tuesday I moved to the Tysons corner district, a little closer to Washington DC. It was working week and had been very busy. I promised myself to be in the gym a 6am every morning. The next morning I was up on time and made it to the door of the gym by 6.30am but to my horror it was full, there were queues for treadmills and other fitness contraptions. A little disappointed and a little relieved I wandered back to my room to get ready for the day.

That was the one and only visit I made to the gym that week. I had considered running outside but it would have been like playing with traffic, there were few pavements to be seen. Besides the outside temperature was well below zero...

I had taken Friday off and planned on driving up to Pennsylvania to visit friends and relations. A friend had warned me that the term "relations" can have a very different meaning on this side of the Atlantic. When I explained they were family she took a step back and said "where do you think you are? West Virginia?". I didn't get it. I've been to West Virginia and everyone I met there was really friendly. There's a real family feel to the place, and I didn't have to worry about remembering who's who... everyone seemed to have the same last name. Am I missing something?

Washington Weekend

I arrived in Washington DC yesterday afternoon. The flight was good. I worked most of it until my laptop battery died when I knocked out several chapters of Jupiter's Travels. The taxi ride to my hotel was entertaining, my driver worked as a salesman for a telecommunications company and drives part-time. He gave me a guided tour of the route and picked out places to avoid, the only place he said was OK happened to be the location of my hotel.... I wonder.

My hotel was in Dunn Loring, about 17KM west of DC. When checking-in my first question was the location of the gym, I fully intended to carry on the good work started on Christmas day. The hotel receptionist offered me a high floor. I like been high up, I feel that I'm getting a little more for my money.... a little more view, a little more elevator. Critically I was right beside a metro station that brought into the heart of Washington DC. I met a colleague and some of her friends that night for dinner and drinks in Falls Church, one of the older towns in that area dating back to 1734. After dinner we rambled across the road to an Irish pub for what I could only describe as a pint of syrupy Guinness. It had a odd taste, kind of sweet as if a sugar laced syrup had been added. I wasn't sure of the first one so I had another to make sure... yep, syrupy!

The next day I metroed into DC. I had to check out a hotel that my brother, who will be visiting the city himself next summer, plans on staying in. As I emerged from the metro station I heard the unmistakable roar of a Harley Davidson motorcycle and to my surprise it was a Police officer. The surprise was that he had a sidecar attached to his machine, it just didn't look right. He had a gun so I didn't make fun of him. I thought it might have been a one off (maybe he was learning how to ride) but it became apparent that it was standard practice there as I spotted half a dozen police bikes with sidecars throughout the day.

The temperature had plummeted over night and the thin jacket I had brought with me was not up to the task of keeping me warm but I carried on regardless. I spend most of the day in Georgetown, I believe it to be the oldest part of the city. It's not big but it is beautiful and you can spend a lot of time pottering around shops and walking the streets. It reminded my of San Francisco on ice. I got my hair cut in a small barber shop owned by an ex Vietnamese Navy seaman. He felt we had a lot in common, I was impressed with his knowledge of Irish history as he occasionally referred to it and drew parallels when explaining what happened to his own country.

That night I ate in a restaurant that looked good from the outside. Sitting down I noticed about a dozen police officers finishing their meals on the other side of the room. I thought it can't be bad then and I wasn't disappointed. It took them a long time to finish, I must have been there an hour and they were still there when I left... some things are truly global!

New Year

It's new years day and I have no new years resolutions! I should...

• Run 100 miles every month
• Get my weight down to less than 80KG
• Get on top of my taxes, expenses, etc.
• Drink less coffee

... but I'm making NO promises!

New Years Eve

We arrived home from London a little while ago and my running gear never saw the light of day. There's no excuse, well no good one anyway. There was a great gym and pool attached to the hotel but the holiday was a series of late night and later mornings which left little room for healthy options. It was a fantastic holiday, London has changed so much since I was last there! It's a great city and I can't wait to go back.

The Day After

This is the day after St. Stephen's day, it doesn't have a name of it's own so we'll call it Saturday. We have even more company this morning, almost the entire family joined us. We ran a shorter 4.94 in a very leisurely 1.04. Tomorrow I'm leaving for London for a few days and I'm bringing my running gear with me, let's try to keep up this excellent day starter!

St. Stephen's Day

Yesterdays run must have been an inspiration because I had plenty of company on my run this morning. We ran 6.71 miles in 1.13. It was another beautiful morning, I can't think of a better way to start the day... who am I kidding, I can think of plenty of better ways but this is the healthiest!!

Christmas Day Run

We had a semi-family Christmas this year, half of the family got together in my brothers house County Carlow while the other half had other plans. I woke up late on Christmas morning to find everyone, except my eldest brother, had gone out to visit family. I looked out at the vast countryside from the kitchen's big front window and decided a run along the river made a lot of sense. I'm glad I did! It was a beautiful morning and the river path is perfect for running. The route I took covered 6.61 miles and I ran it in a leisurely 1.08. I arrived back at the house just as everyone else was getting in. What a perfect start to an already great day!

Jingle Bells 5K

This was to be the last race of 2008 and a fantastic race for a great cause. Unfortunately I had a lot of work to do the night before which rendered me pretty useless the next morning. You see I was part of the committee chosen for our know expertise in the type of work. The task was to select the wine for our Christmas party. This gruelling exercise involved tasting a wide variety of wines, some excellent wines as it turned out. Although I knew that there may be a possibility of missing out on the race the next day I do take my job very seriously and forged ahead regardless. Not only was I hung over the next morning but I was also geographically challenged by waking up some 60 miles from the start line. I really had no chance of getting there...

10K on Ice...

It was a cold and frosty morning. I mean really cold and really frosty. So cold and frosty that second thoughts about running 10K were frequent and very convincing but I stuck to the plan lined up with the rest of the shivering masses before the start line. I planned to arrive at the starting area just a few minutes before the start time to avoid getting too cold but my brilliant plan was scuppered when the start time was pushed back a couple of times.

Just as hypothermia was about to set in we were off. The route was familiar but very slippy in places. It was very, very cold and I was glad to have the hat that I pickup in Newcastle at the GNR expo. I really missed my gloves, my hands were freezing and it took 7K for them to warm up!

I finished in a decent time of 57:29 (09:16 mins/m) but just missed out on a new PB by 4 seconds. The race was the first decent bit of running that I've done since the Dublin marathon over a month ago so I'm happy with my time. Next week is the Jungle Bells 5K, hopefully I pick up a new PB there!

Staight after the race I had to dash into my office to create some icons for a group of software developers sitting in another office in India... funny old world we're living in!!

Here's a link to my 10K race: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1490148

Running thoughts...

Word on the Facebook street is that Monica ran her 7^th marathon last weekend... it reminded me that I haven't done any serious running since the Dublin marathon, that's bad... really bad! Well done Monica, as usual I'm playing catch up!!

2008 Dublin City Marathon...

I couldn't sleep last night, it was so bad that I got up a 1am to clean the kitchen. After emptying the dishwasher (what did we do before dishwashers?), filling the dishwasher (I love it), sweeping the floor, and a host of other kitchen related tasks I went back to bed to try to get some sleep. It didn't work, I kept waking up every hour until it was time to get up. This always happens to me the night before something that requires a good nights sleep.

Well, morning had broken and all the athletes in the house were up getting ready while the rest of the household caught a few more Z's. After an extra big bowl of porridge and a final gear check we were out the door.

The cold air hit us like a wall; it was freezing outside, literally freezing! I had to defrost the car windows and crank up the heating to max before we could move. I drive a French car and as we all know the french do style really well but fall down on the engineering bit, so we looked fantastic as we willed the engine to start. As there were very few cars about at that time of the morning the drive to the city was quick and easy and we arrived at the hotel car park with plenty of time to spare; the plan was to leave the car there overnight and pick it up tomorrow.

With the car safely parked we joined a steady stream of runners heading for the baggage area. After some last minute lubrication (runners will understand) we made our way to the start line.

This is where the excitement really kicked in. I could sense that every single person on that start line, every one of the 12,000 people around me, are having the same thoughts running through their heads... "the next step is the first of many for the next 26.2 miles".

There was plenty of chatter as we waited for the starting gun. One guy behind me commented on the "Impossible Is Nothing" wording on the back of my t-shirt, I turned around and was very impressed with his "Bjorn Borg" costume; he had the long hair, head band and wrist bands down to a tee. After a brief conversation I quickly realised that it wasn't a costume, and I was all the more impressed!

My conversation with Bjorn was interrupted by the starting gun and we were off... to a very slow start. Such was the vastness of the crowd that we shuffled towards the start line but thankfully we managed to break into a slow jog as we approached the start line, two things you must do when participating in a race like this: run across the start line and the finish line, what happens in between is down to you and/or the forces of nature!

We jogged past an enthusiastic and noisy crowd which, if you weren't there already, put everyone in the right frame of mind. After running for less than 4 minutes we came to a complete stop as we rounded Merrion Square. No-one could quite figure out what the problem was; had we stopped for a red light? It turned out to be a barrier that significantly narrowed the road outside the entrance to the maternity hospital that the police wanted to keep in case of a unexpected arrival. I reckon the cops on duty had a warped sense of humour by forcing 12,000 runners through a tiny gap outside a maternity hospital! That's my kind of humour.

After a tight squeeze the road opened up again and we're back pounding the streets. I was feeling really good and easily kept up with my running partner Alain and the plan to run 9 minute miles for the first 10 miles we're looking like a real possibility.

A little after the 5 mile mark I took my first gel of the race, it was the last SIS gel I had and I knew what to expect. This was also the first water station I used, I missed the first one. I was managing to maintain the planned 9 minute mile pace and was feeling remarkably well as we entered the west end of the Phoenix Park.

Miles 6-10 were very pleasant. The weather was perfect as we ran through the park. Much of the zip zag route was lined with spectators which made each step a little easier. We exited the southern end of the park and ran across the liffey and through Chapelizod. We then ran west and hit a monster of a hill. Reaching the top of the hill without walking was very difficult but we managed it but it did take a toll and I could feel myself slowing down as my running partner began to slip ahead.

Miles 10-13 were spent recovering from that Chapelizod hill. I also took my second gel of the race, one of the untried Hammer Gels I bought in the marathon expo on Saturday afternoon. By taking one of these gels I ignored the advice that had been thrown at me by experienced runners since I started this game: during a race never, ever, EVER wear, eat or drink something that you're not used to. Eating that hammer gel was like eating tar, and it tasted as bad. It was thick, doughy and sucked every drop of moisture out of my mouth, and with the next water station over a mile away this was not a good place to be. I almost threw up several times for the first time I really wanted to stop. But I carried on and made it to the water station. Taking two water bottles I spent the next mile consuming this awful stuff. Once I got over that episode I was feeling pretty good. The gel did the trick but if only I had used that brand before... On the down side I began to dread mile 15... my next gel stop!

At mile 13 we were approaching Clondalkin and the half way mark.

Miles 13 to 18 were great. We ran through Terenure, Churchtown and downhill into Milltown. I was still feeling good, perhaps getting a little tired but no real worries.

Miles 19 to 21 started something that I wouldn't recover from. I began climbing that virtual wall and it was getting taller and taller. I started to get very tired and what's worse is that I became obsessed with it. This point is critical in any race, this is when you need to be mentally strong to keep the legs moving for the next few miles. Easier said than done and I found it almost impossible to stay positive. But the crowds were unbelievable and actually kept me going, every clap and cheer was like a little lifeline thrown out to me which pulled me a little closer to the finish line.

Miles 22 - 24 were so tough, now I'm really tired and I started to make deals with myself. "Keep running until mile 23 and then you can take a break, just keep going until mile 23" I repeated in my head over and over. It worked and was still running long after I passed the 23 mile marker when the mantra change to "keep running to mile 24".

Mile 24 - 25 broke me and as I passed the 24 mile marker I had to give in and walk and I slowed to a heartbreaking walking pace. The heartbreak was short lived as I realised that my walking pace was as slow, or as fast, as my running pace... that's how tired I was in the last few miles of this race. I kept up as fast a walking pace as I could and marched towards the 25 mile marker.

Miles 25 - 26 were not good. After I passed the 25 mile mark I tried to get back into running but it was difficult, not only did I have to convince my mind but my body was not co-operating. It was a series of walk-runs for this last mile, each run getting a little longer but still painfully short.

The last .2 of a mile was a different story. The crowds swelled, filling the pavements and the atmosphere was electric, I guess they knew what we've been through, it was very exciting as the energy levels rose and swept us along. As I rounding trinity I was back in full flight, just in time as some of my family were there. That extra boost made the last stretch even sweeter!

Crossing the line was an awesome feeling, I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I just beat my previous best by 3 minutes. My official time was 4.44.00, I like that time, easy to remember. At the finish line I met one of my colleagues who ran it in 3.55 and looked remarkably fresh! I, on the other hand, must have looked a fright. I hung onto the railings while we chatted before the long, slow walk to the baggage area... a few meters away.

The next stop was a the pub via a hot shower in the hotel. I've said it before and I'll say it again... the first pint after a marathon is the most perfect pint ever created! Once sitting it was hard to get moving again, so we didn't fight it.

The next day involved a trip to the hotel to pick my car up. It wasn't a pretty sight (the trip not the car, we've established that the French do very good looking cars). Both my knees we incredibly sore and my thighs and calf's felt like concrete blocks; walking was comedic to say the least.

If getting to the car was a laugh, driving was hilarious... every gear change involved an agonising press on the clutch pedal, and I had to drive across town with many, many traffic lights, stop signs, roundabouts and turns... there were tears in my eyes.

Here's the link to my marathon route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1208344

The weekend before the storm(ing down O'Connell Street..)

It's been a fantastic weekend. Lots of food and drink and family buzzing around. The excitement is starting to grow as the big day approaches.

On Saturday we journeyed into the city to visit the marathon expo to pickup our goodie bags and numbers. I had run out of energy gels a week ago and hoped that I could get the brand I was used to. Unfortunately none of the many vendors were selling "SIS" gels I had trained with and after much reading of labels I bought what I thought were the next best thing; "Hammer Gels", sounds like a dodgy horror film... turned out to be a very real horror - more later! In addition to gels, more money passed through my hands and I left the expo with a new running jacket and other miscellaneous bits.

The rest of our day in the city was spent shopping for a non-existent ice-cream maker, drinking coffee and buying something to cook dinner in. On the way home we stopped off at the supermarket and filled a trolley, much to the horror of my credit card.

Dinner was amazing: pork steaks stuffed with emental cheese and mustard, all wrapped in juicy bacon slices; and a selection of roast vegetables from the garden. Dessert was an apple crumble made with fresh apples from the same garden. All washed down with copious amounts of Weiss beer!

Sunday was a day of rest, preparation and no beer! That night we had a huge pasta dinner and an early night. Tomorrow I'll be running my 3rd marathon!! How exciting!!!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

All, don't forget I'm doing this marathon for the Children's Hospital in Crumlin, Dublin!! Follow this link do your bit: https://www.cmrf.org/sponsorshipManager/Usr_EventDonation.asp?EventId=206

MANY, MANY, THANKS!!

Do I look like a copper?

I had a bit of a scare while driving out of my estate this afternoon. There is a sharp 90 degree left turn about 100m before the main road, there is nothing to impede visibility on this turn and it has never been a problem before but this afternoon as I was taking the turn a car seemed to be driving straight towards me.

I blinked and it was true... although now it was actually driving straight for me! I had nowhere to go but luckily driver corrected her course at the last second. We both stopped, and as I walked to her car I could hear her apologising from behind the closed door of her brand new luxury salon car. As I approached the car I asked her if she was blind, when I got to the car she explained that the sun blinded her and she asked me to turn around to observe how low and bright the sun was.

I did this and yes, it was low and bright but if you can't see where you're going do you carry on regardless? I was about to ask her again if she was blind when I noticed something odd about her face, I was so glad I didn't because just then I realised she only had one eye.

I was still a little shaken and quite annoyed. I commented on the fact that she and her 3 child passengers weren't wearing seat belts, she seemed to mumble why was I asking about seat belts when suddenly she became very defensive and explained that she and all companions had just removed their seat belts when the had car stopped. This didn't explain how her seat belt was clicked in place while she was sitting it.

For some reason I looked at her tax and insurance discs. I half expected them to be either missing or out of date however both were present and in date. I asked her if she was OK, she was. As I walked away I commented again about the seat belts and how the kids should always wear them, the very last thing she said to me was "Yes, thanks Guard".

When I got back to my car it dawned on me what she said and that for some reason she assumed I was a Policeman (Police officers are commonly referred to as Guards in Ireland). That's a little upsetting... What characteristics could I possibly share with a stereotypical Policeman? OK, I'm tall and had my hair cut that day but apart from that? I may need to review my wardrobe, perhaps that's part of the problem. Blue shoes, red pants and a paisley shirt... that should leave no room for doubt, although I could be mistaken for a number of other things!!

What could possibly go wrong?

OK, it's Saturday afternoon, the weekend before the marathon, and I decide to take a walk up to town to do a little shopping and get a decent coffee. I slip on a pair of comfy shoes that I hadn't worn for ages... it turns out that I hadn't worn them at all since I bought them on my last US trip so they could be classified as new. It's a familiar story; new shoes + long walk = hello blister! It's not too bad, just a little blister on my heel but REALLY... what was I thinking?? To be on the safe side I missed the 8 miler this weekend. I might do it on Monday or Tuesday but we're tapering off now and it's not that important.

4th last...

Another early start. This morning was fast, I covered 4.09 miles in 36.12 minutes, that a 8:51 pace. According to the fetcheveryone predictor that's a 4:19:14 marathon time... if only it were true!

5th last...

5 more runs until the big day! After another early start we covered 6.30 miles in 1:00:41, that's a pretty decent pace of 9:37.

6th last...

Including this run I have 6 more training runs before the marathon, it's less than a week away and I'm really looking forward to it. It was an early start, by 6.30am we were out running the first of 3 short runs this week. We ran 4.13 miles in 38 mins, that's a decent pace of 9.11. We started out too quickly, the max pace was 07:54, and I can't do that on the day!

Half that will do...

The plan said 12 miles on Sunday, this was supposed to be my last long run before the Marathon but it proved to be a little too far for these two tired legs.

After procrastinating for the entire morning and most of the afternoon I finally got my act together and got out. I got as far as the driveway... my French car let me down again! I have a theory about foreign automotive engineering:

• If they make great wine or bland beer chances are they make rubbish cars.
• ...or...
• If they make awful wine or fantastic beer chances are they make really good cars.

Let's explore that:

• Look at the Germans: dreadful wine, so bad that Panzer's used it as antifreeze, and some of the best tasting beers in the world but they make the great cars.
• What about the French? Fantastic wine, beers that look and taste like coloured water but what of their cars? They look the part but under the bonnet it's a miracle that anything works... frequently it doesn't.
• Italians? Great wine and their beer may actually be beer but only in the broadest sense of the word. As for their cars? Fiat, need I say more?

After 1/2 an hour under the bonnet wishing for a miracle I finally got the car to start and I was off! The Curragh was soggy to say the least but I was glad to be out. I ran the first 5 minutes far too quickly, you see I passed a gorgeous woman in the car park as I was running out and had to pick up the pace! Why? I don't know, but to my horror there was another equally gorgeous woman jogging towards me so I had to keep the speed up. After a couple of minutes I was well out of sight, out of breath and about to slow to my usual pace when, to yet more horror, in the distance I could see another jogger. I couldn't make out if it was a man or a woman so I had to keep this ridiculous pace up. It turned out to be a fat bloke with a beard which really upset me, all that effort wasted.

I carried on at a more reasonable pace. By mile 5 I was getting really tired and struggle to get to mile 6. At that stage I knew I wasn't going to get 12 miles in. I pushed it to 6.73 miles and I was done! It took me 1:10 to run the distance, that's an average pace of 10:22. My maximum pace was 6:00, far too fast!

Here's a link to my route and stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1079520

Donadea 10K Race

After evening of torrential rain this morning was surprising pleasant. I wasn't sure if I should run this race having just recovered from a twisted ankle in Newcastle but it looked like a nice forest route and it was such a beautiful morning that I though why not.

I arrived at the race headquarters in good time, a new one for me. There was a big turnout and it was obviously well organised. The start time was 11am and we marched from the HQ to the start line in one group. I found myself close to the front of the group and thought about moving back but the crowd had formed behind me so I decided to stay. After a few speeches was were off, bang on time.

The race started on the road and entered the forest through a side gate. Once inside it got very peaceful, the running surface was very good and I felt pretty good. The pace to begin with was fast and I kept up with the faster runners for as long as I could. I kept overtaking the same guy, he was wearing a full tracksuit and I could understand how he was doing so well wearing all that cloth. He was taking the sprint-jog approach which never works for me. I started losing ground at around 6K which marked a gradual but definite deceleration. As we approached the finish the sprint-jog guy flashed past me, looks like his technique paid off.

I arrived at the finish line 57:47 which was much better than I expected. That's an average pace of 9:19, not bad for an ex-cripple.

Here's a link my the race stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1079521

I have to admit it's getting better...

... but it looks like I won't get any running in this week... although my foot is getting better I'm still limping. Let's look forward to the 10K forest run this Saturday, I should better by then... Seven days should be enough, shouldn't it?

Knackered in Newcastle...

Thursday evening and after a late departure from the office we were finally on the road to the airport to catch a flight bound for Newcastle and ultimately the Great North Run finish line (via the start line of course). I had a cold, the flight was delayed, the ride was rough, the food even rougher and we landed with an almighty thump but it was well worth it. We had some trouble getting out of the baggage reclaim area and into the arrivals hall; from a distance it looked as if the revolving door had jammed, and we were quite a distance away as the queue was pretty long by the time we arrived. It turned out that the door was hyper sensitive and if anything came close to any part of the door or frame it would stop dead, presumably fearing some poor passenger was stuck under, between or over it's moving parts. After much shuffling left, right, back and forth we finally made it out!

Friday morning was briefly seen as we woke up very late. After breakfast we headed out to the Metro station and into Newcastle city centre via the coast. Most of the Newcastle Metro runs on an old Victorian railway and many of the old stations are still intact and in use. The Victorians didn't do things by half and some of the stations are enormous which is hardly surprising since that part of the coast was a popular destination for day trippers and the only way to travel back then would have been by train. We got off the Metro at Monument made our way to a cold but dry street level. After a little pottering we decided to find somewhere nice for lunch but we kept finding ourselves back at Monument. Eventually we found a tourist information office, got the info we needed and headed down towards the quays. After an excellent lunch and a fairly decent pint we followed the tourist trial and walked along the quays, across the Tyne at Millennium bridge, visited the Baltic centre, crossed the Tyne again at the swing bridge and then up a steep hill towards the castle. We weren't sure if this was that castle that Newcastle got it's name from but we decided that it made sense since we had made the effort to climb the hundred or so steps to get to it.

We decided to cook dinner that night and went to an indoor market we passed through earlier that day. A remarkable place, there were rows and rows of fixed stalls that housed a vast variety butchers, green grocers, fish mongers, etc., talk about consumer choice! With the ingredients in the bag it was back on the Metro via the wine shop to rustle up a culinary delight for the other two that had to work today.

Saturday morning was wet and windy, not at all suitable for a 4 miles walk along the coast. So we went for a four mile walk along the coast towards Tynemouth. We popped into a church that has been converted into a market to dry out a little and have a coffee before jumping on the Metro to Newcastle city centre.

After visiting the Great North Run fitness expo and pottering around the center of town for a few hours we spotted a Starbucks with comfy seats by the window and headed straight for it. On the way we passed a minibus stuffed with what looked like pilots, turned out it was the red arrows arriving at their hotel, how exciting!

After a well deserved rest we got the Metro back to the coast, stopping off for a pint in the local pub. This particular boozer had a couple of nice ales and we stayed for another. We had to think about carbo-loading tonight and we decided we had two options: drive to a far and distant supermarket to get carbo rich pasta or get a takeaway with carbo rich rice. The latter won and we rang in out order to the local Indian takeaway. As we were leaving the pub we stopped outside to decide if we should get a bottle of wine for tomorrow night in the wine shop next door. As we chatted I manage to slip off the curb I was standing on and land awkwardly on my right foot. It was only inch or so drop but enough to twist my ankle. Although I felt it I didn't think I had done any real damage. I walked home with a little limp and then walked to the takeaway and back. After a bit of RICE I thought I'd be fine the next day.

Sunday morning and I was wide awake at 2am. It wasn't going according to plan, my poor little foot was aching and it took quite some time for the painkillers to kick in. At 7.30 am I was up and pacing the kitchen in the hope that my ankle would loosen up. It didn't and I had to admit defeat, the Great North Run would have to start without me.

I watched the start on TV. The weather was fantastic with beautiful sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. Just as the Red Arrows started their display I left to travel to south Shields to meet the runners at the finish line. As I was walking up the road the Arrows whooshed past overhead. The continued towards the coast where they continued their display, most of which I could see from where I was.

When I got to South Shields I had a very long walk from the metro past a very, very long queue of race finishers who were lining up to get on the metro. I met the guys walking up from the finish line and we made out way to the ferry port. It was a very long walk to the ferry, past the same very long queue for the metro. The queue for the ferry was just as long but luckily we were meeting some people in a pub nearby. We stayed there until the queue had all but disappeared, it took approximately 2 pints of beer!

The ferry journey across the Tyne was short but meant we were were only a few stops from home. By the time we got home we had to turn around to keep a dinner reservation. Needless to say we all had an early night.

Monday was a lazy day for some of us, but unfortunately some others had to work. I was in no rush to get up and by the time we did the morning had given way to the afternoon. We decided to head back into the city and potter for the afternoon. We had a late lunch in Wagamama's, a coffee in Starbucks and a pot of cherry flavoured Carmex in Boots. After our last Metro ride it was time to pack and off to the airport.

It was a fantastic weekend and great to see everyone again. Not doing the run was disappointing but there's always next time. I just hope that I recover quickly, the Dublin city marathon is in 3 weeks time... yikes!

Wake up big fella......

The temperature plummeted over night! It was a fresh Autumn's evening when I went to bed and I woke up to a winters morning with a wind so thin it could cut a man in two. Last night God must have fallen asleep at his desk and knocked the temperature switch to Baltic. Somebody wake him up!!

Sniffless... for now

I feel rotten today, I've haven't quite got the sniffles but there's a cold dying to break through given half a chance. I've stocked up on vitamins and various anti-flu remedies in the hope of keeping it at bay.

I reckon my body knows that the GNR is coming up and is having its revenge for last weekends 20 miler that I forced it to run. I heard it complaining but I ignored it... it was like a whimpering puppy locked outside on a cold winters night, scraping at the back door with it's little paw!

I missed my 5 miler last night, but I might make it to the gym tonight for a dreaded treadmill session, best keep out of the cold!

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!