Monday is a day for jogging

Just an easy run around the block today. The 9.5km took me 39:24. Windy.

My legs (and backside) haven't been right since my over enthusiastic sprints on Saturday. Hopefully I'll come good for tomorrow's 5km race. Speaking of which I've heard mixed reports on the course. There are hills, plus the weather isn't looking good so that may put pay to a PB attempt. But you never know......and more importantly I have a lift so post race beers are a go-er. Mine's a pint of Guinness.

The Cork Marathon was run today (public holiday here). The winner ran 2:25 so it sounds like a tough course. I'd be interested to hear any feedback on the course and conditions.

After watching the darts on the weekend I spent a bit of time on the practice board. Two more 180s to report...did I mention I love the arrers?

Longish Run

Started out at the track and did a lap of the pitches before attempting to meet up with the Cathedral runners as they came past. Couldn't see anyone at 9:10 so assumed I had missed them. I ran pretty quickly for an hour but still couldn't see anyone so I came to the conclusion that I hadn't missed them and they were probably behind me! The most amazing thing is that I didn't get lost. Those back roads are a maze...

I finished up running back to Dangan along the last 3km of the 5km race I did on Tuesday. All up I estimate 21kms in 1hr 32 so that's 4:22/km pace. To be honest it was probably a bit further than that but who's counting.

Not a bad weeks training. A total distance of 96.1km and some decent sessions in the process. Next week I will be focusing on running a quick 5km to finish off the Galway series. A 15:40 would be nice!

Longer reps

The session was 4 minute efforts with 90 seconds recovery. After the normal lap of the pitches warm-up, we decided to run on the track as most of the pitches were being used, whereas the track was empty.

I ran these at cruise pace. Certainly not flat out, closer to my 10km pace. I was very consistent with the distance each rep - covering 3 full laps plus about one third of the way around the first bend. So that's 1230m give or take and that equates to 3:15/km pace.

The plan was to do somewhere between 5 and 8 reps. Some of the middle distance guys bailed after 5 reps; I called it a day after 7. Legs a bit sore at the end but 20+ laps on the track wearing the racing flats will explain that. A session where I felt in control and that gives me confidence that the sub 32:30 10km is still there.

I finished up with 4 by 80m sprints then 3.2km warm-down. I got a bit carried away in the sprints running the last one flat out in 11 seconds. That's as good as it gets for me - certainly not blessed with natural sprinting speed.

Just a quick mention of the NSW 10km championships at Homebush that were run on Saturday. Some great runs from a few of my old Mingara sparring partners:

Josh Wright 30:40 (wow - London 2012 beckons)
Mark Warren 31:31
Cale Bowd 32:07
Geoff Arnold 32:58
Barry Willis 35:39

Well done - lots of big PB's in there.

Plus 12 degrees

All of May it was around 12-13 degrees for running. Today it was 25 degrees for my easy run. Distance 9.5km in a time of 39:54. Really struggled today, the heat makes a huge difference to the effort level. Still feeling tired...all the excuses under the sun...

Efforts tomorrow at Dangan - 4 minutes with 90 seconds recovery.

15 x 400

The session was 15 x 400 with one minute recovery. The weather was glorious today, 21 degrees when I arrived at the track at 8pm and very little breeze. After a 3.2km warm-up, I moved to the track which was empty.

To be honest I was feeling really tired today and was expecting a poor session. The sensible thing would have been to take a rest day but that would have thrown the rest of the week out. I thought if I could keep the 400s under 70 seconds I'd be doing well.

The session went as follows:

69/69/68/68/68/68/68/67/68/67/68/67/67/67/64

Obviously very happy with that! That's quicker than when I last did this session 3 weeks ago (all up 16:53 for 6km so an average of 67.5 per 400). Absolutely spent come the end of the session.

I finished up with a 3.2km wobble down. A total of 12.4km for the day.

Getting Serious

Tonight it was 14.4kms in 57:51 (4:01/km). A little less windy but still rain in the air. Not too bad for running.

My Dad departed yesterday so it's time to put the head down and get some decent training in. My preparation for the 2 races just gone was shocking. More suited for yard of ale races. Which is nice...

So tomorrow I'm going back to get back on track with some 400's. There are a few 5km races coming up in June so that will be the focus (lots of speedwork required). Then hopefully the extra speed will translate into improved times for 10km and the half marathon in the second half of the year.

Just looking at my stats and I've already chalked up 20 races this year. That's about one a week. Race yourself fit and all that...seems to be working with PB's at 5km, 10km and half marathon thus far.

Galway 5km Series - Week 5

I arrived in good time as I wanted to do a recce on the course. I bumped into Timmy and we jogged a lap. It was mixed terrain of grass, car park, road and gravel path. A very flat course but there were sections in the backend of the course where you had to watch your footing due to a few small obstacles including steps, tree roots, rocks, etc. Overall not too bad and certainly not as bad as I was expecting.

Another windy evening though but we were lucky in that the rain held off until after the finish. The race started and the first 500m was on grass (cross country style). By the time the car park was reached I had hit the front and I put in a burst as I wanted to gap the chasing pack. The first km was reached in 3:07 and it was head down as the course remained on a twisty road heading towards the university. I missed the 2km marker and it was this section that seemed most windy. More of a cross-wind but it seemed to slow me a fair bit but it was soon time to leave the road with a left hand u-turn onto grass to join a gravel path. I could see at this point that I had opened up a decent lead so it was now a race against the clock.

The halfway point was marked and I went through this is 7:54 so I was on track for another decent run. That said, I was slowing a little as the ground was a bit slippery, and I was being extra careful not to take a tumble. The 3rd km was passed in 9:31 so I had covered kms 2 and 3 in 6:24 (average 3:12).

The last section I was holding on. The legs didn't feel fresh and again the wind was coming from the side. The 4th km showed a split of 3:12 and I continued on with the Corrib on the right hand side. With about 500m to go I took a left hand turn to run along the end of one of the rugby pitches, then it was time to climb a steep sand bank (bloody tough) then a final section of grass to the finish line. I managed to dip under 16 minutes crossing the line 1st in 15:58 (a 3:15 last km).

Happy with that. A good course that didn't suit me but that didn't stop others running their quickest times of the series. Organisation was excellent with volunteers dotted all round the route and plenty of support at the finish.

I finished up with a slow 4km warm-down so all up 14km for the day. That's 5 wins out of 5 now so I'll have to see if I can finish the job in that last run of the series next week out at Loughrea. There's talk of a drink afterwards so I'll be looking for a lift!

Fitness test

I went for a jog to see if the hip was okay. A little sore to start with but felt good after a few minutes. All up 9.5km in 37:47 (3:59's). It should be fine for tomorrow's race. Speaking of which...

...it's going to be a tough one for me. If the course is on gravel paths and grass then I'll be a good bit slower. I think 16:15 would be solid. Plus I'm not sure how my legs will be after yesterday's tough run. Hopefully I can grind out another decent performance.

Spiddal 8km

This was always going to be a tough run. Spiddal is an Irish speaking town on the coastline, about 20 minutes drive from Galway city. A beautiful place, but again it was very windy and part of the course saw us climbing up into the hills. I'd treat it as a good hit-out with no real time expectation.

After a couple of kms warm-up, I made my way to the start line. The first km was along the main coastal road and I was in a group of 4. It was fairly flat at this point but just before the first km marker we took a left turn which signalled the start of the climbs. A split of 3:11 for the opening km, but it was now becoming much tougher. The next 3 kms was basically all uphill, and the group slowly whittled down and I was soon running solo at the front. The pace was slowing each km (2km 3:32, 3km 3:37 and 4km 3:47) and at the halfway point there was a left hand turn and welcome flattish terrain.

The course was now running through very exposed moors and it was the turn of the wind to play havoc. A strong crosswind straight off the Atlantic made it hard to up the pace and the next couple of kms were still tough running with both these kms covered in 3:25. The course then started to descend and thankfully the last couple of kms were very friendly. This is the only point of the race I felt really good (funny that) and splits of 3:07 and 3:02 for the last couple of clicks had me crossing the line in 27:06.

Let me go back a bit, I didn't actually cross the finish line. I'll explain - the roads were open to traffic and a tourist coach insisted on overtaking me with about 500m to go. As the road narrowed towards the finishing area I was getting closer and closer to the coach only to have to stop completely as it ground to a halt. I was pretty pissed off at this point and after waiting a few seconds, I then went to overtake the bus on the right hand side only to completely miss the finish line which the coach was parked on. I didn't even realise only for the people to start shouting at me to stop as I ran further up the road...what a shambles!

A good blow-out and another win (by just under a minute). All the times were slow today and I have to say this was one of the toughest races I can remember. The breathing felt good but the legs just didn't want to get moving after the 3km climb.

Well done to the organisers for adding another race to the calendar and hopefully lots of money was raised for Cancer Care.

A couple of kms warm-down so 12kms for the day. My right hip is now a little sore, hopefully nothing too serious. I'll try an easy run on Monday and all being well I'll be okay for race 5 in the Galway 5km series on Tuesday evening.

A total of 78.6km for the week.

Licking my wounds

A big night previous so I wasn't at my best today. Eventually got out for a short run late afternoon and surprisingly felt okay. I did the 9.5km loop in 37:46 (3:59's).

The weather today wasn't too bad. Still windy but no rain. This blog reads more like a Galway weather report lately...

Racing tomorrow. Out again tonight but will try and keep a lid on it...

It will be better once you get out there

Well it wasn't. Miserable wet weather blah blah. Awful wind, cold and rain. Despite that I felt pretty good in my 9.5km amble (38:17). That's close to 4 minute clicks. The weather must be better in Sydney?

I'm considering racing on Sunday. 8km in Spiddal. Keep me out of the pub and all that...

Another win at darts. This time 5-4...

Was it worth it?

I managed to squeeze in a session of sorts. My usual 9.5km loop with 3 x 5 minute efforts thrown in (3 minutes jog in between). Weather was very windy and I seemed to be running right into the wind for all 3 efforts. A real struggle, I doubt I was even running at 3:45/km pace. At points I was hardly moving, the wind was trying to trip me up, clipping heels, etc. Was asking myself would I have been better doing nothing. Well at least i was burning off a bit of energy I suppose. Time was 36:48 which equates to 3:57/km.

More importantly the darts. I won 15-9 in our first game. Me like.

Midweek

Out local again and did my 14.4km big loop/small loop course in 59:24 (4:08's). Still windy and showery. Lets be honest, the weather in May has been pretty shocking. I'm sure summer is just around the corner...

My Dad arrives tomorrow for 5 nights so the focus will move from running to drinking and darts. I've had the dartboard up about 4 months now and I've been practicing a bit here and there. I've been keeping a count of how many 180's I've hit in that time (sad I know) and the current tally stands at 16. Not very impressive when you see the pros hit that many in less than an hour...lets hope the practice pays dividends when we have our first match-up, probably tomorrow evening (instead of reps on the track)...

Galway 5km Series - Week 4

My first race in my home town. I ran from home and had about 2.8km done before lining up at the start.

The course was the same 5km as used in previous years but this year the direction of the race was to be reversed. That meant a big hill within the first km, then predominantly flat or downhill for the remaining 4km. It suited me perfectly to get the hill out of the way early so I could get into my running.

The weather was quite windy but no rain. The start was just inside the entrance to a business park and we were soon racing. I hit the lead as we turned left onto the main road only to be greeted by the big climb. This was a real grind and I was surprised to be leading as my hill running is not good. At about 800m it flattened out and then a slight downhill section and the first km showed an opening gambit of 3:19. Time to put the foot down.

The second km had a few gradual uphill drags but it was fairly easy going. This km was covered in 3:09 and then it was time to hammer the long downhill. I focused on lengthening the stride and leaning forward and after a left hand turn at the foot of the hill there was a nasty little uphill section to take you up to the 3km marker. This was covered in 3:03 so 9:31 with 2km to go.

The 4th km was again pretty flat. Maybe a little more uphill than you would ideally want but I was feeling pretty good. A 3:10 so the chance of a PB was diminishing but still a decent last km would see me under 16 minutes. I really tried to lift the pace in the run for home, especially in the last section on the main road which was very flat. I crossed the line in 15:48 (a 3:07 last km). A good last 4km and another win under the belt. I really enjoyed the course although I have to say that being one of my local training routes.

I finished up with a 6.8km warm-down (another lap of the course plus a bit more). All up 14.6km for the day.

My little boy didn't make the race as he was too cranky and tired. Another time...

More Sligo

The weather was really bad. Galeforce winds and lashing rain so I decided to take the easier option of running on the hotel treadmill. The easy option would have been to go straight to the hotel bar...

A very boring run. I forced myself to do 40 minutes covering 9.1km in the process. Tomorrow is week 4 of the Galway 5km Series. Plus it's in my local town with the start/finish less than one km from our house. I may have my little boy out to watch as he has never seen me race. That's added pressure. The course has a monster hill which will not suit me. If I get close to 16 minutes it will be a very good outing.

Sligo

I travelled to Sligo today - a few days away with the family.

I did a late run to get a feel for the area. I did a few loops around the city centre, plus a section up towards the docks. All up 48:00 and I estimate I covered 11km (4:22/km pace).

That's 77.5km for the week. I missed out on a couple of PB's by a few seconds but secured 2 more wins. Not a bad week all in all.

Carramore 10km

The weather had been atrocious all day. Heavy rain and wind but by the time I arrived at the race, by some miracle the skies had cleared and conditions looked pretty good. Still very wet under foot, but no rain. Just the wind to deal with...

After a 3km warm-up, I lined up at the start and we were underway. The first 100m was uphill and then it became a lot easier, either flat or downhill. I was at the front with one other guy and the first km passed in 3:05. Soon after that I had opened up a gap and was running solo. The terrain was undulating but fairly flat and still feeling good I reached the second km in 3:14.

After a left hand turn I realised that there was a couple of new runners closing in on me. Slowly but surely they drew level so I was now part of a group of 3. There were a few surges at this point but they were all covered off and that's how it remained until km 5 (3rd km 3:17, 4th km 3:17, 5th km 3:20, 5km in 16:13). I was now concentrating on racing and the times were becoming less important.

After another left hand turn I was surprised to see that the group had been whittled down to 2. Thankfully I was still part of the 2. The next section seemed really tough due to a stiff headwind. The pace had slowed with kms 6 and 7 passing in 3:22 and 3:21 respectively. I was still running stride for stride with the other guy and I was thinking that we must be due an easier section...

Then another left turn and thankfully the wind was now on the back. I suddenly felt a lot better and tried to pick up the pace. I'd opened up a slight gap and the 8th km passed in 3:19. From there on I just concentrated on putting the foot down. The course was still flat and a quicker 9th km of 3:15 and it was time to grit it out to the finish. I could still hear the runner behind me but I was confident that I had enough in the legs to hold him off. But the last km was a killer. A very long uphill drag that must have been close to 500m. Then one final right turn and a further uphill section to the finish. Very glad to see the finish line with a last km of 3:16 and a time of 32:46. A very pleasing win and some good racing.

I finished up with a 3km warm-down. All up 16km for the day. I missed out on a PB by 2 seconds but the win more than made up for that. The wind was tough today as you seemed to be running into either a headwind or crosswind for the first 7km. I would love to have another crack at this course on a still day.

Hats off to the organisers. Everyone I spoke to had an enjoyable race and plenty of food and drink thrown in at the end. A few beers now to celebrate. Maybe a huge session being the last day of the world and all that...

Resting up

No running today. After 15 days straight training I think I deserve it. Feeling good.

The forecast for tomorrow is not looking great. Heavy rain and windy. The same for everyone I guess. I'm told the course is very flat so weather aside, that should give the chance to run some quick times. I want to go through 5km in 16:15 or thereabouts and see what happens...

Limiting myself to 4 beers tonight. That's discipline right there.

Thirsty

Track night. Easy session though, a sharpener before the 10km on Saturday. After a 4mile warm-up, I did 6 x 200m (with wind on the back), with 200 jog recovery (less than a minute). Then 3 miles cool down. All up 13.6km. I have to stop mixing metric and imperial. Very confusing.

All the 200's were in the 33-35 second range. An easy a track session as I can remember.

That's the second night on the trot that I've been caught in an icy rain shower. Absolutely freezing. Any chance of some decent weather before Christmas?

Winding down now with a few half litre cans of Guinness drunk in my trusty pint glass. There I go again...

Groundhog week

The theme this week seems to be a carbon copy of last week. Tonight I rattled around my local 9 mile route and it felt really good. No signs of yesterday's race in the legs and a time of 56:46 (3:57/km) showed that I was running at a decent clip.

I'll probably do some more trackwork tomorrow then rest on Friday in preparation for the race on Saturday. The race is at 6pm which sets you up very nicely for post race beers...

Galway 5km Series - Week 3

Today it was Craughwell. Conditions very damp and breezy but not too cold. In fact we were a bit lucky as it had just about stopped raining by the time the race had started.

After a few kms warm-up and some strides it was race time. In speaking with Mark before the start I decided on a new strategy to take the first km out really hard. Then try and hang on. Well after rounding the first right hand bend, I put in a surge along the main road which was flat/downhill with wind behind. I had soon passed the first km in 2:55 and had opened up a gap on the field. Feeling okay.

More downhill before making a left hand turn where the course became more undulating with some uphill drags. I still felt like I was running quickly and was a little disappointed to meet the second km marker with a split of 3:12. Perhaps I was paying for my quick start?

The next couple of kms continued this trend. Undulating terrain that normally wouldn't bother you, but running into the wind made it tough. I was in the wrong mindset in that I was always looking for a quick downhill section which never really materialised. The 3rd and 4th kms passed in 3:14 and 3:11 respectively and I wasn't feeling great and was basically holding out for the finish.

I was still in PB range but couldn't find any leg speed in the last km. I gave it my all and even managed a sprint like 50m to the finish line - uphill! Time was 15:46 gun and 15:45 net. So obviously I'll take the lower of the 2 which gives me a split of 3:13 for the last km. Same time as last week - but a lot tougher in the process (probably due to the quick first km). Good to try these strategies out and win another race in the process. That's the hattrick now!

Feedback on the course compared to last week was mixed. Some people ran quicker, some slower. It was probably close to 50/50. I think a lot is to due with how you feel on the day. Initially I thought this course wasn't as quick as last week but to be honest it probably was a slightly quicker course. Not by much though. It was just that I didn't have the legs to bring it home today - that could be due to the hills I did on Saturday as I've been a little tender ever since.

A lap of the course warm-down with Owen who ran a blinder to take out 3rd place in a massive PB. All up 13km for the day.

Thoughts now turn to Saturday. The 10km is flat, and there should be plenty of competition at the pointy end to help push things along. I'm looking forward to this one.

Tick the session off and move on

Had no desire whatsoever to go running today. But forced myself out of the door in the cold and wet for a 9.5km loop in 39:39. Didn't feel great during the run either, just one of those days.

Very sad news about Samuel Wanjiru. I lined up a couple of rows behind him at the London Marathon in 2009 and he just pipped me by 36 minutes on that day. Way too young to die at 24 and such a great loss of running talent. RIP Sammy.

Race tomorrow. 5km in Craughwell. Just one good day of weather would be nice.

A Good Week

Another long run. Very similar to last week - started at Dangan, did a bit around the pitches, met up with the Cathedral run for a while, then went off the front and ran at a decent clip for a good hour or so. Back to Dangan and a little bit more grass running before calling it a day at 25.3km in a time of 1:48:26 (4:17/km).

That's 96.9km for the week and a PB also. Happy.

Next week I'm going into race mode. Tuesday will be week 3 of the 5km series, then on Saturday I'm thinking of doing a 10km race in Co Mayo. I'm aiming for 2 PB's!

Hills are my friend

I decided to do the group session at Dangan this morning. Once again the middle and long distance guys trained together (no women!), and much to my horror we were to do hills...in the rain...

The session didn't sound too bad though. It was 8 x 30 secs uphill with one minute jog back down. Then 3 minutes rest. Then a second set of 8 x 30 secs. So a total of 8 minutes of hard uphill running.

After a 5.1km warm-up, we were ready to go (using Chestnut Lane). I deliberately sat back for the first couple of uphills and I was way behind the front. Then I slowly started to pick it up the pace and after the first set of 8 I was there or thereabouts.

The 3 minutes recovery was over in a flash and I tried to make a better fist of the next 8. I probably improved a little but was only running for 28-29 seconds (yes I am soft) before pulling the pin. A tough old session.

Then a 4.2km warm-down. Something different and good to train with the group today. The hills seem to be a great leveller (?) with everyone taking turns at the front. Great to see. Legs in bits (again).

13.3km for the day.

Habit

"You can kiss a nun once, you can kiss a nun twice, but you can't get into the habit"...

Same as last week. An easy run of 9.5km in 38:55 (1 second quicker!). Legs were sore from the previous days 400s. I still don't feel like my calves have fully recovered from the half marathon as every second day I seem to be smashing myself.

Another fry for tea!

More 400's

The Tuesday/Thursday training combination is working much better for me at the moment. So having raced on Tuesday, it was back to the track for a repeat of last week's session (15 x 400 off 1 minute).

It was still quite windy, but not quite as bad as the previous week, plus the wind was in the same direction. So again it was an easy half lap, followed by having to work round the final bend and the home straight. I deliberately tried to run them a bit harder this week and by the end I was cream crackered. Times were as follows:

71/70/69/68/67/68/68/67/67/67/67/67/67/67/66

So after a quick bit of analysis I think that's 12 seconds quicker than last week (average of 67.8). A total of 16:56 quick running for 6km. How some guys can keep that pace up continually just baffles me...

Just a note, I always round my times to the nearest second usually conventional rounding. So I would count a 65.50 as a 66 (which coincidentally I did for the last rep!). A 65.49 would be logged as a 65. Simple.

With the 3.2km warm-up/down, it was 12.4km for the day.

Midweek Easy

I planned to do 40 minutes but after I got going I couldn't resist doing a bit more. I ended up running 14.4km in 57:42 (4:00/km). It felt really easy tonight and the body is feeling good. I just need to select a new race to target as there isn't much on the horizon apart from the weekly 5km races. I'll do some digging and see if I can find another half...

Galway 5km Series - Week 2

This week it was the turn of Tuam. Conditions were very windy and quite cool. After a 2.5km warm-up and a few strides, we were lining up at the start.

And what a start, a false one to be exact. Several people started running before the starter was ready and we all had to line up again. I can't recall that happening before. Quite amusing.

Second time round we were underway. The first km is fairly flat but it was running into a cross-wind. I was at the front, with Jason matching me stride for stride. The first km marker quickly arrived in a time of 3:05. Still feeling good.

The course continued on, slightly downhill, before a left-hand turn with some more downhill. Very nice. I'd opened up a gap and was running strongly and hit the second km with a split of 3:03. So far so good.

After another left turn, it was time to hit the first uphill drag. Only a very gradual climb, but it went on for almost one km. The running surface was good but I think to make matters worse it was running into the wind. I still felt okay but knew the pace was slowing slightly and sure enough I'd registered a 3rd km of 3:17.

The next section flattened out, and I managed to lift the pace again. But after another left turn at the traffic lights, I'd hit a steeper uphill section of about 200m which knocked me around. At the top of the hill I was greeted by the 4th km in a time of 3:18. Not too bad.

The last section was basically either flat or downhill. With the wind on the back. I just concentrated on finishing strong and with 500m to go (1:33), I tried to run as hard as I could. One final bend and then a nice straight run to the finish. The last km was covered in 3:02 (1:29 last 500m) which saw me crossing the line in 15:45 for my second win of the series. Plus a 6 second road PB!

Very happy with the run finding 25 seconds in the space of a week. Having fresher legs today definitely made the difference.

I finished up with a 5km warm-down. A total of 12.5km for the day. I'm getting to like these races. Craughwell next week which some say is the quickest course. Bring it on.

Here are some photos of the race:

The normaliser

I woke up feeling pretty ordinary. A 7 hour session in the pub will do that....struggled through the day and decided on a run at 8:30pm to try and feel half normal again.

My local 9.5km run in 39:09 (4:07/km). Still very windy (outside, not me). Race tomorrow...

Long run

Back out to Dangan where I met up with Owen for a long run. Started off with a couple of laps of the pitches, then did most of the Cathedral Run before doing a bit more back at Dangan.

All up 26km in 1:53:30 (4:22/km). That sounds a bit slow - I thought we were running quicker than that. Perhaps it was 26.5km - I can't remember!

All up 81.9km for the week.

Getting serious

My third decent session this week. Back to Dangan to meet up for the Saturday morning run which is normally longer/tempo style running. But with the long distance runners and middle distance runners training together, we sort of met in the middle and had a session of 2 minute efforts, followed by 2 minutes recovery.

After a long-ish 4.8km warm-up, and some drills, it was time to get this over with. The initial plan was to run 6 x 2 minutes, with the option of another couple for the longer guys if need be. We were running around the 2 main rugby pitches which meant it was quite exposed to the wind but that wasn't too bad as we copped it at the start of each effort, and had the wind behind for the run home.

The 2 minute efforts seemed to go pretty quickly and always starting from the same point, I was consistent with my finishing position (making it about 85% of the way around the circumference of the 2 pitches - and finishing in basically the same spot each time). I was leading out each one, but there were a few guys not far behind which kept the pace honest. I told myself that I wasn't going to push this session much but I think I was just kidding myself. I was running fairly hard and it seemed quite humid and I'd worked up a good sweat over the course of the session.

After 6 efforts I'd had enough. It's been a good week so far and I didn't want to overdo it. The distance covered each effort was approximately 680m. That was verified using a GPS (I know these can be dodgy) and using Gmap pedometer. That equates to about 2:56/km pace (not even WR marathon pace which is scary).

I finished up with a 3.2km warm-down. All up 12.1km for the day and some more good 5km training in the bank.

Fryday

An easy run around my local loop. Time 38:56 for 9.5km (4:06/km). Very windy again, I think I'll have to get used to this over the next few months.

Fry-up for tea. My first fry-up since Christmas Day. Washed down with a few pints of Guinness. Healthy living.

More than one way to skin a lap

It went something like this. Arrived at the track, did a 2 mile warm-up then a few run throughs. Then straight into it.

I wanted to run at least 12 by 400. A few more if I was feeling okay. The plan was to run them comfortable without the feeling of "going to the well". I pretty much had the track to myself albeit for one person who insisted on walking round in lane 1. So this was almost secret training. Well it would be if I wasn't telling you all now.

After about 7 reps I told myself that I was really, really, enjoying these...by 10 I was getting bored and my competitive side took over and I started racing myself. By 15 I was knackered and called it a day.

Oh yeah, the lap. Quite windy which made the back straight a breeze(!), then a very tough home straight running into the wind. I was consistently 32 seconds at 200m only to slow up a lot after rounding the final bend. It was like a float then an effort each lap.

I finished up with the same 2 mile warm-down. Here are the times:

72/70/70/69/68/69/68/68/68/68/68/68/68/67/67

Recovery was 60 seconds. A solid session. All up 12.4km for the day.

Nothing

I didn't get a chance to run today. Nice to have a rest day though as the legs still haven't fully recovered from the 2 recent races.

I may try and get to the track tomorrow to get some 400's done. Doing the shorter reps at the track will help bring the 5km times down. My goal is to run sub 15:30 within the next couple of months.

Here's a couple of great photos from the race yesterday:

Galway 5km Series - Week 1

The first race was at Newcastle which is out past Athenry. The concept is six 5km races each Tuesday in various locations around Galway. Not too serious, just a good excuse to have a hit-out, try and beat your mates, and try and improve your times over the duration of the series. It has proven very popular with the series selling out within 2 hours of going on sale and with 700 runners signed up, I was looking forward to something different.

A minor miracle that I found the venue. I knew it was somewhere near Athenry but just sort of guessed what way to go and followed some traffic. After driving down some fairly narrow roads I was convinced I had gone the wrong way only to discover the registration area. Very lucky.

Running short of time I basically grabbed my number and chip, jogged down to the start and lined up. There were many familiar faces at the start and it promised to be a good race. I should have mentioned that conditions looked to be very windy as the car was getting buffeted on the drive out there. Same for everyone I guess.

The race started and a lead group quickly formed. I think there were at least half a dozen runners involved and after about 500m we took a right turn which I took very wide to avoid some loose gravel. The first km marker arrived and the time of 3:02 showed that the pace was on. The group was still well formed and after one memorable surge (not by me!), gaps started to emerge. At about 2km (2nd km 3:17) I hit the front and just concentrated on running strongly.

That's how it remained for me. The third km was tough with some long uphill drags and the km split of 3:25 showed a big slow-down but I had still gapped the chasing pack. The course then flattened out and I managed to lift the pace in the run for home with the 4th km covered in 3:14 and then a nice downhill last km of 3:13. Total time of 16:10 and 1st place overall.

The wind didn't seem too bad out on the course. It was probably quite a sheltered route so that may explain why. A good race with several runners all dipping under 17 minutes. More good racing to come over the next few weeks as I'm sure everyone will lift their game. These races seem to be over in a flash when you have just run a half marathon. You are just getting going and you are crossing the finish line.

I finished up with a 4 mile warm-down. All up 12.4km for the day and lots of fun in the process. Thumbs up to the organisers. Results already up on Red Tag Timing so a very quick turnaround.

The Judd-onaut

Just finished watching the snooker. Amazing game. Judd got beaten but what a talent. A future world champion for sure. That match was a great advertisement for the game.

Anyway, back to running...I stretched out the legs today and felt pretty good. My bread and butter local loop of 9.5km in 38:43 (4:05/km). Calves a bit tight but that's to be expected after running 21.1kms in racing flats. Very windy again today but no rain so I wasn't complaining.

A few more thoughts from yesterday. The results were up on the website but were pretty poor to be honest. It doesn't tell you gun time, chip time, position, category place, etc. Surely this would be relatively straight-forward with chip timing? Plus reading some feedback it seems that a lot of the mile markers were missing for the half. That would explain why I didn't see any for 7 miles! Oh and I remembered this horrible hill climbing up onto a big bridge running into the wind in the back end of the race. I was so close to walking...

I'll try and race tomorrow if I can get a babysitter. Should be okay.

Ps, I need to start playing more snooker (again). Any decent players or tables in the Claregalway area? Send me a comment if you have any info. A long shot I know...

Great Limerick Run Half Marathon

Arrived in good time. It only took about an hour to drive from Galway to Limerick which left me plenty of time to park centrally, collect my race number, drop off the bag and run a couple of kms warm-up.

Conditions were very breezy. The sun had been out but it seemed to be more overcast as the half marathon was due to start. That was lucky for me but not so for the full marathoners who were out in the hotter conditions earlier on. Basically hotter than you would want but not too bad.

It was obvious that there were several good runners as I lined up at the start. The countdown was underway and the race started bang on time at 11:30am. I went straight into the lead group of about 6 or 7. There was a long steady climb after we had all rounded the first corner and it was time to settle into your running.

The first mile marker showed a split of 5:38 and I knew it was quicker than that so they were obviously way out. The group seemed to stay together for a couple of miles but after that it started to string out leaving me in the lead group of 4. That's how it remained for the next few miles. We all took a few turns running at the front but the reality was that I was having to work hard to stay in contention.

I kept telling myself I would give it one more mile but at about mile 5 I dropped off the back. At least I gave it a go. So I was left in 4th with the lead group of 3 slowly disappearing out of view. The course seemed pretty flat. There were some testing uphill drags and these were made much worse when you were running into the wind. I wasn't aware of how close the runners behind me were. This was made more difficult as we were running through the back of the marathon field which always has its moments...

At about halfway I just wanted the race to be over. It's so hard when you are racing by yourself and the concentration is very hard to maintain. I couldn't find any mile markers - I'm sure they were there but mentally I wasn't in the zone. I did spot the 10 mile marker which showed a time of 54:38. That was okay I suppose but I was still worried about hanging on to my position.

The last 3 and a bit miles were a real struggle. Lots of runner traffic at this stage and I was glad to make the final few turns down by the river as we headed back into the city centre for the finish. No sprint finish for me this time. I just plodded across the line and was happy to get the race completed. The time was 1:12:11 and I managed to hang on to 4th spot.

I can't really fault the organisation and set-up. Everything seemed to go to plan...apart from my own run. I didn't really get a chance to speak to many people at the end as I had to head back to Galway but I get the feeling a lot of people struggled out there. I was at least 2 minutes off the top 3 so in fairness 4th spot was the best I could have hoped for. That said, I'm a little disappointed with my time as I felt that sub 1:11 was possible but perhaps I gave up a little when it became apparent that the lead group were a little too hot for me.

The legs feel pretty good. It certainly doesn't feel like I've run a half so hopefully I recover okay. There is the start to the Galway 5km series on Tuesday so I may race then if I pull up okay. It looks live I'll live to fight another day.

I finished up with a 1km jog back to the car so all up 24.1km for the day and 70.2km for the week. Drinking beer and watching snooker now so happy. Judd going very nicely.

Lazy day

No running, just pottering about. Watched the snooker (Judd won!), threw a few darts, Spurs were robbed, etc, etc.

The plan tomorrow is to race like a 10km (as I mentioned earlier). Hopefully get in a good bunch and enjoy some decent racing. Fingers crossed we get decent weather and the course is conducive to some quick times. Good luck to all.

Trump

One final run before the race. Same run as yesterday though a lot slower today (41:06 or 4:20/km). The run didn't serve any purpose other than earn me a few beers tonight.

Still not 100%. Am I in better shape for this race than the Norwich Half? Not sure, maybe not.

I'm not going to talk about the you know what. Instead I'll focus on the snooker. My hope Ronnie is gone so I'm now cheering for Judd. Looks like it could be a cracker locked at 12-12 in the semi-final. I don't think I've ever seen anyone hit the cue ball so cleanly. Incredible.

Running like an old drunk

Another easy run. Distance 9.5km. Time 37:47 (3:59's).

I nearly fell over tonight after a momentary lapse in concentration. I rolled my ankle slightly but somehow recovered to stay on my feet. I can't recall ever falling over completely on a run. I do remember a mate of mine falling over on 2 consecutive runs in Sydney. Very amusing.

I wonder if Prince William will be going on a bender tonight? Somehow I can't see it...for the record I had 8 beers the night before my wedding. Tame.

Weekly track night

Conditions were warm and humid. Yes, you have read that right.

I started off with a 6.4km warm-up. My legs were sore from the massage and I wasn't particularly looking forward to running quickly. The usual drills and run throughs and it was time to start.

The session was another mixed bag. Starting with 4 x 400, then 3 x 1600, finishing with another 4 x 400. Recovery was 60 seconds between the 400's, 90 seconds between the 1600's and 2 and a half minutes between each set.

Times were as follows:

73,72,72,70
5:00,4:59,4:59
72,72,70,71

It was all plain sailing except for the 3rd 1600 where I had to work the last lap to get it under 5 minutes. The top even came off for a while, that's how hot it was.

Nice to get that out of the way without any hiccups. More so considering I'm still not feeling great, plus the sore legs.

I finished up with a 3.2km warm-down. All up 17.6km for the day.

Rest

No running today. Instead I had a massage which was not pleasant. Muscles now as good as new.

I'm starting to think about the race on Sunday. My plan at this stage is to race it like it's a 10km...

Snooker

The plan was to take a rest day but it made more sense to run today and rest tomorrow. So that's what I did. A very easy jaunt of 9.5km in 39:25 (4:09's).

That's 16 days of running on the trot so a decent block of training. I will try and get a massage tomorrow so that I'm in top nick for the half on Sunday. Wednesday will see some sharpening up at the track and more easy stuff Thu/Fri.

I'm still not feeling great. The sore throat has gone but I still have a bit of a cold or something. A few days to shake it off and I'll be good to go.

I'm loving the snooker at the moment. I'm glued to it. The quarter final line-up is incredible. I'd love to see Ronnie win it again. Plus he's a decent runner so that's who I'm cheering for.

Long Run

Started out at Dangan with Brian and Owen before heading into town and meeting up with a few regulars for the Cathedral Run. Pace was a little slow so we went off the front and upped the pace a bit.

Finished off back at Dangan around the fields to get the distance up and finished in 1:57:23 for a total of 26.7kms (4:24/km). Pretty tired come the end.

A total of 116.2km for the week. Very happy with how it has all gone. Easy week next week.

Double brace

Same old, same old. The 4th time I have done this run thia week. This time a good bit slower in 59:54 for the 14.4kms (4:10's). Lovely warm conditions for running.

Dreading it

One of the sessions I wasn't looking forward to. I was down for 3 x 2 miles but I didn't have a local 2 mile route mapped out so I reverted to my 3.6km time trial course. So I'd already upsized to 2 and a quarter miles...

It was quite windy and my thought process was that I wanted the benefit of the wind (not my own) for 2 of the 3 efforts. With the wind direction that meant a short warm-up (2km) and a longer warm-down (4km). That would have been the other way round with the wind in the opposite direction. Confused?

I wanted to run at HMP so to run the 3.6km in 12 minutes exactly would be about right. The first one felt fairly comfortable and I was surprised at the time of 11:42 (3:15/km). I decided on 2 minutes recovery of mainly walking whilst thinking "what the hell am I doing here". The start of the second rep and you could notice a big difference running into the wind. Trying to run relaxed but it was a real effort and with the long final stretch to my starting point which arrived in 11:50 (3:17/km). Happy as.

The third rep felt tough for the first couple of minutes but then I started to come good. That continued for most of the effort. Oh for that to happen more often. The final 2 minutes were a bit tougher and I finished with a 11:44 (3:16/km). So slightly slower than the first one but all in all very consistent.

All 3 inside my target. Not sure if that's good or not? I finished up with a 4km warm-down so all up 16.7km for the day in a running time (ignoring recovery) of 1:02:31 (average pace of 3:45/km).

The 3 efforts (10.8km) totalled 35:16 so a tough session. Especially for my lily livered low mileage legs. That pace equates to 32:39 for 10km - albeit with 4 minutes recovery thrown in...

Another good session in the bag. Still not feeling great but it doesn't seem to be hindering my training.

Hattrick

Still not feeling great this week. The sore throat persists and a bit of a cold but still out for my daily run. More glorious running weather. Quite warm still as I headed out at 8pm for the same run as on Mon/Tue.

Today it felt really good. I was quick at all my checkpoints and finished in 57 minutes exactly for the 14.4km. That equates to 3:57 per km. That's a PB for this easy run.

On Friday I'm going to run 3 x 2 miles at HMP. Saturday easy and long on Sunday. Then take it fairly easy next week before the half.

Track kms/400s

Arrived at Dangan and managed to squeeze in a 2km warm-up before the session. Conditions were drizzly and a little cold but all in all not too bad for running.

The session consisted of sets of 1km, 60 seconds recovery, 400m, 90 seconds recovery. The plan was to run 6 sets so 8.4km of fast running in total. I wanted to run the kms at 5km target pace and the 400s at 3 minute/km pace.

Times for the efforts were as follows:

3:10 1:11
3:06 1:13
3:07 1:13
3:06 1:12
3:05 1:11
3:04 1:10

The 90 seconds recovery was maybe a little too long. This would have been a much tougher session if that was reduced to 60 seconds. Still I'm pretty happy with how I ran and nice to get the times for the km reps down from the slowish start.

I finished up with a 4.8km warm-down. All up 15.2kms of running. A good session in the bank.

Snap

The same run as yesterday. This time a little slower in 58:34 for the 14.4kms (4:04/km).

More glorious weather this evening. My only grumble would be the large number of flying insects around at this time of year. Swallowing flies isn't pleasant but I guess it saves you having to have supper.

Volume week

Wasn't feeling great today. A sore throat so I decided a run would sort me out. I headed out just before 8pm and ran my local 14.4km double-loop course in a time of 57:48 (4:01/km). The run felt good but the sore throat remains.

The aim this week is to up my kms. The target is 100 clicks with a couple of speed sessions thrown in plus a long run on Sunday.

Half way through watching the London Marathon...

Coole Park 10km

A good crowd today. Much bigger than expected with over 500 runners toeing the line. The start was delayed a bit due to the numbers but that gave me a bit of time to chat to the regulars and get a better idea of the course. Talking of which it was predominantly forest trail which I knew would be tough for me but I was keen for a good hit-out in the glorious hot weather.

The race was underway and I went straight to the front with 2 other runners just behind. The start of the race was on the road leading into the park and at about the 1km mark (which passed in 3:10), we hit the forest trail. I knew one of the other runners Michael (from Clare) as we've had a few good battles this year, but the other guy I didn't know (until the finish).

The trail was pretty wide and was mainly loose gravel so it wasn't too bad. That said, it was constant ups and downs with a few sharp turns along the way which doesn't suit my running style. Through 2km the pace had slowed (3:20) but the effort level was certainly up there. This is how it continued with one of the runners dropping off between 2km and 3km, leaving myself and Michael to fight it out.

The 3rd km showed a split of 3:17 and I continued to lead with Michael on my shoulder. That's how it remained through the 4th km (3:22) and it was about this time that I was happy to swap positions.

At about this time I think neither of us were keen to push the pace. A bit of cat and mouse with a few little surges, but we basically stuck together. The pace was quick enough but I think it was a case of holding back a little in preparation for the finish. The splits through 5km to 8km were all in the 3:20's range and the course remained challenging making it tough to get into any sort of rhythm.

Shortly after 8km we crossed a path and were greeted by a long uphill drag. And that's where my wheels fell off. Undone again by the hills. I soldiered on and was probably gapped by about 5 seconds in pretty quick time. Michael must have sensed I was struggling and continued to pull away in the 9th km. My legs were very tired and I knew the race was slipping away. The 9th km showed a split of 3:23 and to my relief the last section looked pretty flat. I threw everything into the last km and for about 400m I was definitely closing. But I didn't have that extra gear to surge the last 600m and Michael maintained the gap. The final section saw us coming through a gate followed by a sharp turn then one final turn before crossing the line in 33:20 (a 3:12 last km).

So second place and just 7 seconds behind the winner. Pretty happy with the run as my legs felt tired and the course didn't suit me today. Great organisation and just happy to be out there in what turned out to be a good race.

I finished up doing a warm-down with Gary who was the mystery runner in 3rd. All up 16km for the day and that makes it 88.9km for the week.

So my run of sub 33's for 10km comes to an end but I've had a good week nonetheless running every day and with some quicker stuff on 3 separate days. This should help me for my next half marathon in 2 weeks time in Limerick. It's all part of the bigger picture!

I have the London Marathon recorded so will watch that this evening. I've heard a few reports and it sounds like a great race. After watching it I just know I'll want to run another one...

Thinking rubbish

Having overdone it on the sauce last night, today's run was a struggle. I set out late afternoon and did my standard loop, plus a bit extra to get 12kms in the bank. The time was 52:25 so that's 4:20's which I suppose is quite slow by current standards. I was convinced I'd injured my left Achilles but come the end of the run it didn't feel too bad. One of the worst runs of the year. Fingers crossed I'll be okay for tomorrow.

It's amazing the rubbish you think about whilst running. Some days it's nothing, but today I was mulling over the scenario of being offered a spot for the London Marathon which is being run tomorrow, and what time I could potentially run with one days preparation. I settled on 2hr 45. Perhaps that was the beer from the night before talking...anyway, I've retired from running marathons so it was purely hypothetical...

Good luck for anyone running London tomorrow and not just thinking about it. A few of my old sparring partners from Sydney are making the trip over so it will be interesting to see how they go.

Time precious

I had a spare hour and I wanted to squeeze in a session so I decided to run a slightly longer version of my normal 9.5km loop to allow for a 3km warm-up.

I was undecided what to do as I jogged to the start. Initially I was thinking 1 x 12 minute tempo, then I upped that to 1 x 15 minute tempo, but then decided that was going to be too much like hard work so settled for 3 x 5 minute efforts with 60 seconds jog recovery.

The first couple of efforts were uneventful. I was running well with the benefit of the wind and would be running around 3:10/km pace. Coincidentally, at the start of my 3rd 5 minute effort I was exactly 3.6km into the session (12 minutes divided by 3.6 = average pace of 3:20/km including the 2 x 1 minute jogs). Pretty good going.

The 3rd effort was a lot tougher. Running into the wind and I'd say the pace had dropped to around 3:25/km. Then as easy jog home for the remainder of the loop.

All up 10.6km in 41:36 so an average pace of 3:55/km.

Heading out tonight in town to watch Paddy Casey. A few beers and live music and I'm as happy as a cod in a sea of batter. Easy run tomorrow then race on Sunday.

Premier League Darts

Same run as Monday. Time 38:35.

Legs were a bit sore this morning after the 'sprints' from the previous evening but improved in time for tonight's run.

Just finished watching the darts again this evening. Not the best standard tonight but still enjoyable. The things I've enjoyed most since moving to Ireland are (in no particular order): the long evenings, the pubs, open fires and the darts. Oh yeah, almost forgot, being closer to my family...

Also, the results were up today for the nationals from the weekend. I finished 16th in the 10km and the Galway City Harriers finished 12th in the team event. Here's a photo:

Something different

Back to the track tonight. After a longish 6.4km warm-up, it was time to knock out 20 x 200s with 30 seconds recovery.

I quite like these short sharp sessions. I haven't done anything like this in years. The going got a bit tough in the second half of the set, but I was always in control and could have done a few more. Times were as follows:

33/34/34/33/34/33/34/33/33/32/33/32/32/31/32/32/32/32/32/32

Average of just under 33 seconds so happy with that.

I finished up with a 6.4km warm-down. All up 16.8km for the day.

Hour

Out for 14.4km this evening. Quite cold but soon warmed up and glorious for running if the truth be known. The time was 58:19 which equates to 4:03 per click. Like yesterday, I felt really good.

My last three 10km races have all been under 33 minutes so I'm consistent if nothing else (32:44, 32:48 and 32:54). Going back a bit further, I've run six 10km races in the last 12 months (slowest 33:24, quickest 32:44, average 32:58). Again, pretty consistent. Note to self - must try and get quicker. Starting this weekend....

Keep on running

I headed out the door at 8pm for my 9.5km loop. The legs felt as fresh as a daisy, as if I hadn't raced the day before. I picked the pace up a bit and covered off the run in 38:19 (4:02/km). Feeling good.

How short the running memory is. At the time of the race I was absolutely flat stick for the full 10km but today I had many thoughts that perhaps I had given up a bit at the business end of the race. Also, I watched the race today on the TV and had to laugh when the female winner had said that the hills weren't that bad really and that she was just jogging the first half of the race. I wish I could jog at 3:12/km pace. Oh to be young again.

Great Ireland Run

Arrived in Dublin and was greeted with very warm conditions of over 20 degrees. After picking up my race number, then getting rid of bags, I did a bit of a warm-up and a few strides before watching the start of the women's race (I didn't realise it was a separate race for the elite/club women).

The men had to wait a further 20 minutes and despite being told to take on plenty of water, there was none freely available at the start. I did finally find some water at one of the charity stalls - much needed by this stage as I was dehydrating fast. I decided against any further warm-up and was soon lining up at the start.

The club runners were at the front of the race next to the elites so we were guaranteed a good start. To my surprise I found myself next to a celebrity runner (Craig Gazey) and we had a bit of a chat about running before the horn sounded. I was quickly into my running and the first section was very flat and fast. I had missed the first km marker and after navigating a roundabout, the course remained fast and I was soon running through 2km in 6:18. There was a nice group of half a dozen runners or so which I was part of. So far so good.

The third km was a slower 3:19 and it didn't feel like I had slowed so I was guessing that the km markers were a bit dodgy. Pressing on the 4th km was a nice quick section and with a km split of 3:04 I was back on track. The next km was a big downhill and at the bottom of the hill we rounded a corner only to be greeted by the first big climb. The 5th km marker passed shortly after and my split of 3:08 meant I was 15:50 at halfway and bang on target pace. That's a 5km road PB as well - but not claimable as it was very much flat/downhill. Moving on.

As I got into this first climb I knew I was in trouble. The group were working away from me and I had nothing. I kept grinding away and after what seemed like 500m, I had finally reached the summit. On the subsequent flats I felt okay, and to my surprise I managed to work my way back to the group which was starting to spread out. The 6th km was a 3:22 so I had slowed but I knew there were more hills to come which were going to hurt. Halfway through the next km we were climbing again up a very long drag that seemed to go on forever. At about the halfway point of the climb I had arrived at km 7 in 3:27. All I wanted now was for this to be over.

I can't recall too much at this point, the group had spread out and it felt like I was running in slow motion. The heat and hills had really knocked me. The 8th and 9th kms passed with splits of 3:23 and 3:37 (insert swear word) and I somehow managed to put in a strong last km along the longest flattest finishing straight I can ever recall. I crossed the line in 32:54 and was absolutely spent. Nothing left in the tank. I was 26th overall and 4th in the 35-39 age category. Not sure of my placing yet in the Irish Champs.

I was initially disappointed with the run but on reflection I was only 10 seconds slower than my road PB on a challenging course in warm conditions. Everyone I knew ran much slower than they were expecting in the region of 40 seconds to one minute. It's obvious that I still can't run well on hills but my lack of training on hills would explain that. I didn't think the heat would be a factor as I was used to it in Oz, but sadly that wasn't the case today.

I was trying to think of a course to compare this to. The only thing I could come up with would be like running the Lane Cove 10km course in reverse. Maybe. Perhaps Lane Cove would be slightly more challenging.

No warm-down. Too spent. A few beers in the evening and I was already planning my next 10km race which will happen in the next week or so. Sub 32:30 is there, I just need to be patient. I remain upbeat.

Great performances from the 2 British girls to go 1-2 in the women's race. Charlotte Purdue won in 32:42 and left some very experienced runners in her wake. She is only 19 and is already being described as the next Radcliffe. Great to see. Gemma Steele in second place only a few seconds behind.

Rest day

No running today. Just taking it easy. I practiced my darts for a while and hit a couple of 180's - and I have a witness.

Lots of good runners tomorrow in the race. A very good chance of getting chicked as Berhane Adere (Ethiopia) is running with a 10,000m PB of 30:04! Also some top male elites competing including Sergey Lubid and Rui Silva.

Looking forward to the run and currently having the usual negative thoughts before a big race. I've restricted myself to 2 beers tonight - that's how serious I'm taking this one. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend. There are a few races on in Ireland plus there are a couple of big marathons on in Paris and Rotterdam so good luck to anyone taking part.

An easy 40 minutes

My last run before Sunday's race. An easy 9.5km in 38:58 (4:06/km). I felt really tired today so I think the rest day tomorrow is much deserved.

Here's a photo from the 5km on Wednesday:

An easy hour

A local run of 14.4km in 59:02 (4:06/km). The long evenings have well and truly kicked in now. I left home at 7:30pm and there was still plenty of light at the end. Nice weather also with the wind finally having dropped.

Thoughts now turn to Sunday's 10km. As mentioned previously, it's a tough last 5km so it's all about putting time in the bank in the first half. Assuming a 40 second positive split I think splits of 15:50/16:30 (32:20) would be about right. That pace is similar to what I ran on Wednesday and I must say it felt far from comfortable. Lets hope it all falls into place on the day...

I suppose I have to mention McMillan. Based on my recent 10 miler (53:20), he is predicting a time of 31:50. So is my target of 32:20 a bit soft? Maybe but I feel I haven't done enough out and out speedwork to get to that time. If it does happen then I will be pleasantly surprised, and after that drunk.

Run with Ray 5km

I arrived just in time to pick up my race number. I did a bit of a warm-up (approx 2km) and made my way to the start. Just going back a bit, the concept for the race was a tie in with the Today FM radio station and one of their DJ's Ray Darcy who was promoting running on his show. A 5km race was organised in 5 different locations around Ireland all to be run this week with Ray running each day. Today was the turn of Galway. There were close to 800 people registered for the fun run so a good crowd. It was all about getting out there and having a go. The course itself was an out and back 5km route along the coastline.

Anyway, soon we were underway running into a very stiff wind. I took the lead after about 100m and tried to push on. But it was bloody tough. After a couple of minutes I only had a few metres on the field and I was ready to give up. My mind set at this point was to simply get to the turnaround point in one piece and hope for a much easier second half.

There were no km markers during the race so there was no feedback on pace. After about 1km I was joined by the lead cyclist and I tried to stick as close to him as possible. A roundabout, followed by a few twists and turns and it was time to make the turn for home.

What a difference that made. I was now flying. I'd opened up a bit of a gap so I just focused on running relaxed. There was quite a bit of traffic as I was running against all the runners coming the other way. There was no issue though as the lead cyclist and volunteers had done an excellent job of keeping the path clear. Soon I was making the final turn and after a 400m dash I has crossed the finishing line in first place. The clock in the finishing gantry showed 15:50 which I was really pleased with. That joy was short-lived as my own watch showed 16:05. Yes, the official clock was 15 seconds slow! No big deal though. I'd say I was running about 20 seconds per km quicker in the second half of the race so that gives you an idea of the wind factor.

I had to rush off at the end to get back to the kids. I had a brief chat with a few regulars then had a 1km jog back to the car. All up 8km and a great experience.

In the evening I did an 8km recovery run to flush out the legs. Time 35:37. I'll take it easy Thursday and Friday, rest on Saturday, before the 10km on Sunday.

Beer and chocolate

I ran my local 9.5km loop in 38:11 (4:01/km). Windy again but I pushed on and felt good.

There's a 5km fun run in the city tomorrow lunchtime that I've signed up for. I was thinking of using it as a race pace hit-out for the 10km on Sunday. The problem is that it's right on the coast so the 5km loop will mean at least half of the lap will be windy. Plus it's a fun run so I don't think too many people will be taking it seriously. We shall see.

I just watched Spurs get shellacked. Not good. I've consoled myself with beer and Easter eggs...I think I need to race tomorrow to pick up my spirits...

Easy 10km

The poor run of weather continues. I was out the door at 8:30pm and it was cold, wet and windy. Then some 41 minutes and 19 seconds later I had completed my run. Glad to get home for a hot shower then a bowl of cornflakes (crunchy nut).

Retribution

Time to cancel out the night before...the same run as last Sunday. A 17.6km run in 1:14:50 which works out to 4:15/km. That's not bad but nearly 4 minutes slower than last week! Can't think why?

A total of 74.5km for the week.

A divil for the sup

Woke up feeling ordinary. I decided to head out and get 2 x 12 minute efforts under the belt. After a 3.4km warm-up, I was straight into it. I was using the same course I've used in the past for this session. I have a 3.6km route marked out, and anything more than that distance in the 12 minutes means you are going alright.

The outward section is probably tougher than the return as it's a little more uphill. But today I had the benefit of a strong wind on my back and it felt so easy. I reached my 3.6km safety point in 11:30 (new PB - 3:12/km) and ran on for the full 12 minutes. Then after 3 minutes or wobbling around, it was time to do it in reverse. Wow, suddenly very tough. It felt so slow and there was at least a dozen points when I thought about stopping. But I soldiered on and after 12 minutes of pain I still hadn't reached the 3.6km point. So I decided to keep going and finally knocked off the 3.6km in 12:07 (3:22/km). So 37 seconds slower for the same point-to-point effort. I finished up with a 2.3km warm-down so 13km for the day.

Then in the evening it was into Galway for a pub crawl. Too much fun to be had and finished up in true style in Supermacs. Solid training.

Mum's home

No running today. Pub and food instead. Lovely.

Thursday

An easy loop of my local run. The 9.5kms was covered in 39:46. It was very windy during the last section of the loop heading towards Galway and that cost me about a minute over the last 2km. Good for strength.

Who knows what training I can squeeze in over the weekend. At the very least I'd like to get a tempo run in and a longer run.

Getting it done

My weekly trip to the track fell through due to other commitments so my new training window was 8:30pm. It was raining and there was a bit of wind about, plus I was going to have to try and run some intervals under street lights. Any sane person would have pulled the pin.

During a 2.2km warm-up, I decided to run some 400's. As part of the warm-up I marked out a section of the N17 that looked to be about 400m (with lampposts as my start and end point). After a few strides it was time to get this over with.

The first effort was a feeler (running towards the city into a wind). The time was 84 seconds so clearly it was more than 400m. At least that is what I was telling myself. I continued on changing direction after each effort with the luxury of one minute walk/slow shuffle recovery. Coming back I was 81 seconds (wind on the back). That pattern continued throughout the set of 16 with me running the return leg slightly quicker. The wind picked up a little throughout which made the outward section tougher. Looking at the times I averaged 82 seconds and the effort level felt like I was running at 3 minute km pace so I guess the actual distance to be closer to 450m. So clearly I have no idea how to mark out a 400m distance.

I finished up with a 5km warm-down. All up 14.4km for the session and lots of strange looks from other users of the footpath...

Tuesday

A carbon copy of yesterday's 10km run. This time I was 8 seconds quicker (40:46). Lots of runners about at the moment, it must be the longer evenings.

I have my entry confirmed for the Great Ireland Run on April 10th in Dublin which doubles up as the Irish National 10km road championships. It should be a great race and I think they are expecting over 10,000 runners so it should be of a high standard. Thankfully the club runners get to start near the front. It's a quick first 5km, then a grind to the finish (so I've been told). A positive split of at least 30 seconds is to be expected...

Monday

The same 10km run as last Monday. The time was 40:54 and again felt really easy. The calf feels back to normal so I'll resume proper training with a track session on Wednesday.

With less than 2 weeks to go before the 10km in Dublin, I'm a little short on time to get in some decent speed sessions. Plus my Mum is visiting this weekend from Spain and being her first trip to Ireland will mean that there will be a spike in the local pub trade. Which is nice. The sub 32 may have to wait...excuses, excuses...

Running on

I did my local "long run" of 17.6km in 1:11:08 (4:02/km). Another glorious day for running and today it felt really easy. The calf is almost back to normal and after getting my muscles ironed out in the week I think my stride is now a few inches longer. Or perhaps it was the beer from the previous evening...

A total of 70.3km for the week.

Cricket rubbish, football good

Out for a bit longer today. Another local run of 14.4km consisting of my normal loop with a smaller 5km loop added on. Time 59:46 (4:09/km).

There is a new chicane on my standard run - the Claregalway bridge is being widened to reduce the chance of flooding so there is a new temporary bridge for traffic and pedestrians (runners) whilst the work is being done. It must add at least a couple of metres to my standard route...

I'll try a longer run tomorrow. Calf still tight but on the improve.

Baby steps

I ran late afternoon in more glorious weather. My local 9.5km route in 38:27 (4:03/km). There was no pain in the calf but it was still a little tight. A good result.

I'll take it easy for the rest of the week before doing a 2 week crash course in speedwork in prep for the 10km in Dublin. It's the national champs so it will be a great race...time for a sub 32?

Massage

I managed to get a massage at short notice. All the muscles were screaming. But I didn't complain once.

No running today. I'll be back on the road tomorrow...

Track session

Out to Dangan tonight. Another fabulous evening. Almost like being back in Sydney...

After a 10 minute warm-up, the session was 1200's off one minute recovery. The target was 8km race pace. So that was 3:48 per effort for me (3:10/km pace) but I wasn't going to be too bothered if I wan a bit slower as I was still not fully recovered from the weekend.

The times were as follows:

3:51, 3:50, 3:49, 3:49

The plan was to do 6 efforts but the left calf was becoming progressively tight/sore throughout the session so I pulled the pin after 4. Definitely time for a massage. Hopefully I haven't done any lasting damage - we shall see over the next few days.

I changed shoes and ran a slow 2km warm-down to finish with. All up 9.3km for the session.

Improving your marathon time

This is in response to a question posed by Ian on how I went about improving my marathon time from sub 3 to sub 2:30 in the past 5 years. Here goes.

Keeping things simple, the keys to my training which have led to the improvement in time would be:

1) Consistency - don't get too caught up on running massive kms. I average about 80 to 90 kms per week in the build up to a marathon. This reduces risk of injury, keeps the body fresh, and allows you to monitor progress as you repeat similar sessions. Not having to miss sessions builds confidence.

2) Get your basic sessions in each week. A big (read massive) turning point for me was starting to run track in 2007 - with the aim of improving speed through all the race distances (the quicker you can run a lap, the quicker you will run a marathon). In addition I would do regular races (failing that tempo runs) - my philosophy is that races push you much more than you will in other sessions. Plus the bread and butter long run (between 2 and 2 and a half hours with varying amounts at marathon pace). I have also done some longish mid-week runs in the past, focusing on hilly routes, to develop leg strength. Plus recovery runs when required. And don't be stupid - if you're feeling tired, take a rest day.

3) Weight. Since I've been running marathons my weight has dropped 7kgs or so. No surprise that the more weight I have lost, the quicker my times have become. I haven't taken this to the extreme, nor do I intend to, but a few kgs can make a big difference over 42.2kms.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head but I'd say the above sums up my improvement in a nutshell.

Anyway, today I did another easy run. My 9.5km local loop in 39:06. It was a fabulous late afternoon for a run. The sun was shining and it was 16 degrees. How good is that? And my calf seems a little better. All good.

Recovery Run

Legs sore today. I feel like I've been stabbed in the left calf. So out for a run to try and run it off. A very easy jaunt of 10km in 46:14. No improvement post run. I'll be right after a few days...

I'll try and add a few photos over the next few days. Here's one to start with:

Craughwell Ten

Arrived in good time to pick up my race number. The whole set-up was very impressive and well organised. Lots of volunteers on hand to help out and a great finishing area that included a huge marquee full of food. For a moment I thought I had gatecrashed a wedding. Very promising.

I hadn't planned on doing much of a warm-up as I wanted to save my legs. I ran down to the start which was about 1km and then did a few strides before lining up for the start. Soon the countdown was underway and 5-4-3-2-1 we were off. Racing at Craughwell.

One guy went straight to the front leaving me in second. The start was running into the wind but you didn't notice it straight away as the adrenaline is flowing. I settled into a good rhythm and whilst the leader was quickly disappearing up front, I was running on my lonesome in second. The first mile passed in 5:09 (way too quick). Only 9 miles to go...

The course itself was an out and back section of well over a mile, with a loop stuck on the end. I haven't described that very well. It was like a lollipop. So you ran the first section twice (start and finish) with the 10 miles being made up with the big loop. Confused?

By the second mile I had slowed a lot. I could feel I was running slower as the wind was more noticeable but the mile split of 5:30 was an indication it could be a tough day. I kept plugging away and it was some way before the 3rd mile that I was joined by Paul who seemed to move up on me effortlessly. I decided to stick with him and we then preceded to have an almighty battle...

I don't recall too much of the detail mile by mile. We both took many turns running at the front. The pattern was that I would lose ground on the uphill drags, and then make up ground on the flat/downhill sections. One hill session in 9 months will do that. Anyway, the 3rd mile passed in 5:24 so at least I had picked up the pace slightly. Having someone to race with makes such a difference, it keeps you focused. The 4th mile was a 5:22 and we were still shoulder to shoulder. This continued over mile 5 and with a split of 5:28 it was halfway in a time of 26:53.

At this point I was feeling far from good. My immediate thought was that a sub 54 finish was not going to happen. The legs were very heavy, and the calves (left especially) felt like I was in the closing stages of a marathon. So what do you do in this situation? Try a big surge? So with a huge effort I dropped in a quick mile of 5:11 and I managed to open up a little gap. That was a grand plan in theory but it still meant I had 4 miles to go. At least I was now running with the benefit of the wind.

Sure enough more hills followed and within the next mile Paul had caught me again. The 7th mile was a 5:20 so still going alright despite feeling crap. I may have tried another surge in the 8th mile - a last throw of the dice - but still we were running side by side. The split was a quick 5:15 and that was me done and dusted.

Paul started to work away from me from this point leaving me in 3rd spot. At the back of my mind I still knew there was a nasty drag in the last mile so I'd all but given up on 2nd place. So 2 miles to go, that's 8 laps of the track. All of a sudden that felt like a huge distance. Why do you put yourself through this?

I think somewhere in the 9th mile I rejoined the same part of the course I had already run with a sharp left turn. The 9 mile marker slowly arrived with a split of 5:22 with Paul less than 10 seconds in front of me. The dreaded hill came and went and with 800m to go I really tried running hard but was fighting a losing battle. So I just decided to "enjoy" the final section and attempted a few smiles which probably looked like grimaces to any of the spectators in the finishing chute.

I crossed the line in 53:20 (a 5:19 last mile). That time was extremely pleasing. That's exactly 5:20 per mile with a big negative split of 26 seconds in the second 5 miles (mainly due to the wind?). According to McMillan that's a better run than my half from the previous week (1:10:50). So that's especially pleasing considering my legs were very tired in the closing stages of today's race.

I really enjoyed the day, especially the 5 miles of racing with Paul. At the finish area I had to get a massage on my left calf which had reduced me to a slight limp. I need to toughen up. I'll be okay after getting a rub in the next week and resting up for a few days.

Well done to the organisers. You couldn't really ask for more from a runner's perspective. A great course, a huge field, chip timing, t-shirts, massage, drinks, and an all you can eat buffet.

I finished up with a slow 1km hobble. All up 18km for the day and 54.9km for the week. And more beer tonight to celebrate.

I should say a special congratulations to the winner of the race. In a time of 49:12! That's a very impressive time. Well done indeed.

Family Day

Today was zero running. The clan headed into Galway for a spot of shopping and I got a go faster haircut.

It should be a good race tomorrow. I'm hoping there will be half a dozen runners or so around the 54 minute mark to push each other along. I was 54:12 at the 10 mile mark last week so in an ideal world I'd be hoping to go a bit quicker than that.

Most people give up drink for Lent. I haven't had a dry day since Lent. Not that I'm worried as beer makes you run quicker. Try it.

Friday

A local 9.5km trot in 38:50. I'll rest up tomorrow in preparation for the race on Sunday. That's 3 rest days this week...

I managed to get a spot in the Galway 5km series. Looking forward to that.

Fitness test

Today I decided to do a longer run to see how the legs reacted. I opted for 10 miles and I wanted to cruise round in a decent enough time without pushing it.

I covered 16.4kms and my route was basically 3 loops around Claregalway. A 9km, 5km and 2km loop (round numbers). The time was 1:06:49 so 4:04/km.

Legs still a little sore, especially the calves, but I'm happy enough with that. So I've decided to race again this Sunday in the Craughwell 10 miler. I just need to enter now.

Oh yeah, happy St Patrick's Day to all. A lovely day for a Guinness...

More rest

Legs still not feeling right so took another day off. I could get used to this.

Celebrations gearing up for St Patrick's Day on Thursday. I'll see if I can get out for a jog tomorrow to at least build up a thirst.

Back in the saddle

I left the run late. Absolutely no motivation to get out there, and eventually out the door at 8:30pm.

It was very cold - must have been close to freezing. Legs were still sore and heavy and I wobbled around my 11km night run in a slow 47:35 (4:20/km). If I decide to run on Sunday I'll either have a blinder or a shocker...

Monday

No running today. Too sore, tired and hungover.

A bit more time to reflect on the half. I think I could find another minute on a quicker course. Then I'm getting very close to the 70 minute mark. I plan to run 3 or 4 more halfs before the year is out so hopefully better things still to come.

Hopefully some photos to follow soon.

This week I'll do some easy running. If I feel okay towards the end of the week I may then run the Craughwell 10 mile race on Sunday.

Norwich Half Marathon

Weather seemed okay. It had been raining overnight but had cleared by the morning. The temperature was around 11 degrees so all was well.

I got to the race about an hour early. After a cup of coffee, and a short warm-up with a few strides, it was time to start racing. I was standing in the second row and got a pretty good start and quickly joined the lead group. We stuck together as we did a section around the showground before exiting onto the main road. The first mile passed in 5:06 so that was way too quick and I panicked a little and let the group get away from me to leave me in 4th place.

The course itself was 2 laps so you got a good feel for the course on the first lap. The start of the lap was fairly flat, then there was a downhill section before a long gradual climb back up to the showground.

The second mile passed with me running solo in 4th place in a split of 5:15. Again too quick. I was then joined by 2 other runners who must have started conservatively and was quickly overtaken by both of them to leave me in 6th place. So I was back running by myself and the miles ticked by with splits of 5:34, 5:19 (downhill) and 5:25 (target pace). So 26:39 at the 5 mile marker. I should mention that there was a fair bit of wind on the course. The flat/downhill section seemed to be into a very stiff breeze, with the benefit of the wind on the uphill section. Not ideal for racing.

The long climb into the showground was a really tough drag. My mile split was 5:31 but it felt a good bit slower. Then we had to do a few loops through the showground running on mainly path but with a section on the grass for about 100m. I was glad to get back onto the road and whilst one of the runners who had overtaken me was a good way in the distance, I seemed to be closing in on the 5th placer runner.

The 7th mile was passed with another 5:31 mile so I was slowing a little. Sure enough I caught the 5th place runner and went in front and the runner behind me seized the opportunity to stick to me like glue leaving me doing all the work into the wind. I must have tried at least half a dozen surges to drop him but couldn't shake him off.

Miles 8,9 and 10 passed in 5:31, 5:34 and 5:26 and my shadow was still there. He was running so close he clipped my heels a few times which was frustrating but that's racing. The time on the clock at 10 miles was 54:12 so that was bang on target despite starting the race too quick.

Mile 11 was the dowhnill section and despite a really quick surge for about 200m I still couldn't drop the runner behind me. The split was 5:23 but felt a lot quicker - I still felt strong but lacked a bit of speed in the legs.

The 12th mile was the long drag back to the showground. A very tough section and I think I subconsciously slowed a little to save myself for a quick last mile. The mile split was the slowest of the race in 5:44. Time to press for home.

To my surprise after only lifting the pace a little, I had finally dropped the runner behind me. I continued to surge on for what felt like 3 minutes but was probably only half that time. The last section was twists and turns and lapping the slower runners. I was really struggling with half a mile to go but managed to keep it going to cross the line in 5th place in 1:11:15 (the last 1.1 miles covered in 5:56). The clock under the finish line was 20 seconds fast so initially I thought I had broken 71 minutes only for that joy to be short-lived after I looked at my own watch!

So very happy with the race and time. That's a 39 second PB on a challenging course with a tough wind to deal with. The winner ran 1:08:23 and the second place runner ran 1:09:02. Apparently the second place guy had run 65 minutes at the Bath half the previous week so that goes to show how tough the course was. The runner I had a duel with had run 67 before so that was a good scalp.

I finished up with a short warm-down. All up 23.1km for the day.

Total 75.3kms for the week.

Saturday

A nice and relaxing day. In the pub at 3pm for darts and cards. I had a couple of pints and lost to my Dad at darts 10-8 after being 8-7 up. Not good. Then I won at cards so that just about made up for it.

Then out for a meal in the evening before meeting a few more mates in another pub. In bed by 11pm.

Training done

My final training run. A 7km jaunt in the cold (5 degrees) and rain in a time of 30:23. Glad just to knock this run off and enjoy the rest day tomorrow.

Travel tonight and maybe a few beers en route.

I'll be offline until Monday night but the results of the half should be up on the website after Sunday's race:

http://www.cityofnorwichhalfmarathon.com/

The target remains at 71 minutes. Go out hard and hang on - my only race plan.

Good luck to anyone who is racing this weekend. Especially those doing the 6ft track race in the Blue Mountains just outside Sydney. This race enjoys cult status and after watching the race 3 times I must say I still have no desire to do it! Here's the website if you are interested:

http://www.sixfoot.com/

TTFN.

Thursday

An easy run during daylight hours for a change. My 9.5km route was covered off in 39:29 (4:09/km).

Weather forecast not looking great for Sunday - rain and wind. Still, it's the same for everyone.

On track, off track, on track

Weather changeable. Clear one minute, windy and raining the next. Galway weather.

A 30 minute warm-up (estimate 6.5km). Then after a few drills and strides it was into the start of the session. It was 4 x 400's off 1 minute, followed by 15 mins tempo, finishing with 4 x 400's. The luxury of 3 minutes either side of the tempo with the 400's to be run on the track, and the tempo run around the football pitches.

Times were as follows:

1st set of 400's: 72/72/70/68

15 mins tempo - not sure of distance, I covered 3 full laps of the course in 13 minutes, plus the extra 2 mins. I'll call it 4.3km - could have been a little more.

2nd set of 400's: 70/67/66/64

Finished with a 2km warm-down - all up 16km - happy enough. The tempo was to be run at 10km race pace and it certainly wasn't (slower) - but I just can't get the legs moving on the grass/paths. Having said that, I was pushing them hard so the effort level was certainly up there. The last couple of 400's were a bit too quick but felt comfortable (ish).

So a few easy runs the next couple of days and a rest day on Saturday. Training done. Am I feeling confident? Definitely not - but that's perfectly normal. I'm certainly running well at the minute and I've trained almost as hard for this race as a full marathon so hopefully it all pays off on Sunday.

More importantly, a good win (draw) for the Spurs! Hopefully avoid Barca in the next round...

Easy running

Another local night run. Only 8.0km today in 34:23 (4:18's). Weather not great - windy and a few icy showers to deal with. Tick the session off and move on. Track tomorrow.

Here is a photo from the recent Kilconeiron race. Great work again from the photographer!

Tuning up

Tonight was some running at target half marathon pace - 2 x 2.4km broken up with 1.6km of steady running. Again I was running in the dark so was forced to use the footpath along the main road - far from ideal. My course was a 1.4km out/1km back section of road which was fairly flat and obviously had a sharp switch of direction at the turnaround point.

Following a 2.6km warm-up, I went straight into the session. The first interval passed without incident in 7:51 (3:16/km pace). After the next 1.6km of steady running, I knocked out the second one in 7:54 (3:18/km pace). Both felt pretty comfortable. Finished off with a 2.7km warm-down.

Thinking about it, I ran these a little too quick. That pace is more like my current 10km pace. Whoops. So what is my half marathon target pace? I think 3:22/km would be sensible. That would have me going through 10km in 33:40 and if I could maintain that pace it would equate to 1:11:02 at the finish line. This plan is liable to change over the next few days....

End of another week

Another late night run. More running up and down the N17 many times over. Total distance 20.3kms in 1:26:29 (4:15's).

So that's 97.1kms for the week. I missed doing some longer tempo efforts this week so I may try and squeeze that session in next week. Not a great week of training but a good time in Spain eating and drinking too much!

I checked the results of the Barcelona Marathon and the winner ran 2:07. Slow course - not. That's 3 minute clicks. Clucking bell...

Barcelona

Just back from Barcelona so an update of my running whilst away:

Wed - an easy 46 minute run to find my feet. I ran up and down Diagonal Ave and did a few laps of the grounds of one of the Royal houses. Estimate 10.5kms.

Thu - the plan was to run to the Olympic Stadium. Ideally to do some intervals either on the track or a nice flat section of ground. I got hopelessly lost so decided to turn the run into an easy 70 minutes instead. By the end of the run I had at least worked out where I had gone wrong. Estimate 16kms. That's 4 days of easy running on the trot now...

Fri - visited the Olympic Stadium earlier in the day and there was no access to the track so in desperate need of some intervals I ran into the heart of the city down by the water and ran some flat reps of about 550m off one minute recovery. I did a set of 16 and had the benefit of the wind in one direction. The times were metronome like (1:43 with the wind, 1:47 against, average 1:45). I'm only guessing the distance of 550m based on the time but I was running hard so a 1:45 works out to about 3:10/km pace. All up 17.3km with the warm-up/down.

Sat - another easy run of 49 minutes (estimate 11kms).

Barcelona is a fantastic city - certainly lots to do and despite being there for 4 days, it seems like I was only scratching the surface on seeing what the city has to offer. Highly recommended.

Coincidentally, the Barcelona Marathon was on Sunday and looked very impressive. I visited the expo on Saturday to get a feel for the event but didn't get a chance to watch the actual race as my flight out was early Sunday morning...

Short and sweet

Same run as yesterday. This time a bit slower in 45:27 for the 11km.