Sunday long run

A 1pm start today. It was absolutely freezing cold with an Arctic wind to keep you honest. I ran around 6kms and met up with Owen. We ran one of the local laps together (approx 11km), before going our separate ways back home. I took the short route home after leaving Owen as I was knackered.

All up 21.1kms in 1:34:15 (4:28's). Pace pretty poor but it was all I could muster today. In summary a great session on Tuesday with some very tired running all around that. That's 100.8kms for the week so a decent volume. One more week of this and then an easy week to look forward to.

Went to the pub later in the afternoon to watch the Spurs game. The less said about that the better...

10km tempo

A really chilly and windy day. I decided on a 10km tempo and this time there was no cheating with a rolling downhill start or wind behind. I started off slow with the first 3km straight into the wind - really tough going. I picked up a bit after that going through 5km in 17:49 and I was still confident I could get under 35. That never happened though and the last couple of kms were again into the wind and I eventually clocked 35:33 for the 10kms. In terms of effort it felt like I'd run a minute quicker so despite the disappointing time, it was a good tough workout. All up 17.6kms with warm-up/down.

I should add that I'm still not feeling 100%. Low on energy and still a bit of a cold. More beer required...

Darts semis

A windy 11.1kms in 46:59 (4:14's). Still not feeling great but I'm sure I'll turn the corner soon.

The evening was the darts semi-finals. Having not picked up a dart for 3 weeks I practised for a bit during the day and they were going alright. I was 4th on in the singles and we were 2-1 up going into my game. I managed a tight 2-1 win to give us some breathing space at 3-1. After the 6 singles we were 4-2 up so we just needed one more win going into the pairs. I was first up with Sean and we played well together winning 2-0 with me hitting the winning double (double 3!) that takes the team into next week's final. Looking forward to that one.

Wadey

Slightly longer run. Just crept over the hour - 15.0kms in 1:03:48 (4:15's). Still tired - hope this changes soon as it is a real grind at the moment.

Some great darts in the evening in the Premier League. Good to see James Wade back to his best and his performance was the pick of the night (106 average).

Potting for fun

9.3kms in 40:50 (4:23's). Legs shot after yesterday's session.

Evening snooker session. Played well and hit a couple of decent breaks including a 38 and 42.

8 x 1km off 200m jog (75 secs)

Finally the weather had turned. After the longest dry spell in Galway history, it was juicing down nicely for tonight's track session. To make matters worse it was a brute of a session...

Felt tired going into the session, so wasn't sure what to expect, but during the warm-up we were joined by Gary who was making a return to the track after a couple of months so it looked like I would at least have someone to try and hold on to.

I took out the first rep, then Gary took the next 7 (as I was too slow!). Here are the times:

3:07/3:05/3:04/3:07/3:05/3:04/3:04/3:03

Very pleased with that session. The legs felt heavy and it was like I was running in my heavy joggers. I thought I'd blown on the 4th rep, but somehow I managed to bounce back and run the second half quicker. The 75 seconds recovery isn't much as you basically have time to slow jog 200m back to the start and you're off again. A very tough session but the times were good - especially considering the wet track and the amount of traffic to dodge. Had I have been doing that session solo I'd say I would have been at least 5 seconds per km slower. That said I would still have been pleased to average 3:10's but instead I managed 3:05's. Just goes to show the difference it makes when you have someone to hang on to.

All up 17.2kms with warm-up/down and a very good session in the bag for Craughwell.

Here we go again

Easy paced run of 9.5kms in 40 minutes flat (4:13's). The plan is to get a decent couple of 100km weeks in, then wind it back for the Craughwell 10 miler. I dare say I'll be doing some longer speed sessions to build up the endurance.

Oh when the Spurs!

Felt knackered today. Went out for an easy paced run around lunchtime and managed 18.5kms in 1:19:41 (4:18's). Even more knackered after that.

A quick shower, some lunch then sit down to watch Spurs beat the arse 2-1. Great stuff.

Only 63.5kms this week and still carrying a bit of a cold. Back into it for the next 2 weeks.

Here are a couple of photos from the race courtesy of the Kinvara Facebook page. The first one is at the start of the race, probably somewhere after the first km:























This one is during the second half of the race. Where is everyone?!?

Kinvara 10km

Today was a family outing to Kinvara for the race. So the added pressure of having the kids watching. I asked the eldest how he thought I'd do and he said I'd come last. I was quietly confident I'd do a bit better than that.

Weather was perfect - still and dry. Arrived at registration about 40 minutes before the race start only to be told that it had closed and that late registration was to be down at the quay near the finish. I finally got my number about 10 minutes before the race was due to start so that wasn't ideal and it was basically a short jog round to the start line and that was my warm-up.

The race started a little late and the horn sounded and we were off and running. I went straight to the front with another guy with me who faded after about 400m. That left me out by myself and by the time I had gone through the first km I had opened up a decent gap. It was going to be a time trial.

I had the lead car to follow and another km up the main road it was time to take a left hand turn into the smaller country lanes. The surface of the road wasn't great, but I tried to keep the legs ticking over as best as I could but I didn't feel like I had the zip in the legs that I was hoping for. The detail around this section was a little lacking but there seemed to be more downhill than up in the first 5km which leaves the lingering doubt in the mind that the second half of the race will be tougher. Also the km markers were all over the place - this was very disappointing as much smaller races can get it right and this was a sold out event with 1,500 people registered in both the 10km and the half.

I went through 5km in 16:05, and tried to push on but I was struggling. There were a few climbs and I recall a nasty one up to the 7km marker. At 8km I was 26:05 so I thought I'd still run sub 33 comfortably. Another climb up to the 9km marker and despite running a strong last downhill km I only managed 3:28 for the last click! The time as I crossed the line was 32:57 so at least I'd broken 33 and a nice win in the process.

It turns out that was a course record for the 10km by about a minute. I was pleasantly surprised by the course - it was certainly easier than I expected hill-wise, and the weather certainly helped, but on the downside the surface of the road between 2km and 8km wasn't great. Perhaps that's why it's called the rock and road! All in all a great event in a beautiful setting but perhaps a little bit more work needs to be done on improving the organisation of the race.

Another shortish warm-down after the presentation. I'll put it down as 12kms for the day. Great to have Owen, Timmie and Billy finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th - all runners I train with regularly at the Tuesday track sessions.

In summary it was nice to get back running sub 33 but to be honest I though I'd go at least 20 seconds quicker. Perhaps my cold took the edge of me today as I never felt full of running - hopefully there are better things to come when I race again at the end of March.

Photos to follow. Here are the splits:

1km 3:15
2km 2:55
3km 3:20
4km 3:23
5km 3:12 (16:05)
6km 3:25
7km 3:17
8km 3:21
9km 3:21
10km 3:28 (16:52)

Total 32:57

Out in the evening with the wife to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. A lovely meal out at Barna where I made a complete pig of myself. And why not.

No bottle

No running today - rest day.

I had one frame of snooker with the oldest on his 4 foot table. I potted 10 reds and 10 colours, then yellow and green before missing an easy enough brown by a country mile. The break ended on 80 so a missed chance for a (debut) century...

I've picked up  bit of a cold which isn't ideal. I wasn't feeling myself and only managed 2 beers in the evening instead of my customary 4 before a race...

Easy #2

Same weather as yesterday and the same run. This time 39:29 for 9.5kms (4:09's) with the legs feeling a good bit better. That's it now, no more running until Saturday.

I watched the Premier league darts in the evening whilst indulging in one too many beers. Robert Thornton averaging 109 and change was very impressive in his win. Plus a great game between James Wade and Phil Taylor that ended in a 6-6 draw (both averaging 102).

Easy #1

The longest run of no rain in Galway that I can remember. Still and cold - perfect running weather.

The legs were a bit sore after yesterday's 800s - so I took it really easy. Total 9.5kms in 42:13 (4:27's).

6 x 800 off 90 secs

I was really looking forward to this session. The conditions were perfect, and the aim was to run them around 2:25 or better and feel in control (get used to running quick whilst remaining relaxed/no straining).

Quite a long warm-up of 5.7km, then waited for the groups to form and we were off. I went straight to the front and that's how it stayed for the session. Again lots of traffic and a near miss on the 3rd rep as I almost had to stop to avoid runners on the start line as I was half way through my rep. All for the good as that gets the juices flowing in an effort to get the time back. Here are the times:

2:23/2:22/2:23/2:23/2:20/2:18

The 90 second recovery was a complete luxury. I would have been a few seconds slower each time off a minute. The coach (Matt) was running around offering words of advice and encouragement to all the runners and his one comment to me was to keep the feet in control. I forgot to ask what that meant at the end of the session. Perhaps when I plant my feet they don't remain stable and tend to move laterally a little. I'll follow up on that one.

A great session. I'd say that has to be my best set of 800's on record. All good now for Saturday with a couple of easy days to look forward to and a rest day on Friday. The course at Kinvara sounds tough but fair. Certainly a fair few hills to deal with. I hope I have some company as I want to lay down a good time marker.

All up 14.0kms with warm-down.

Start of an easy week

Rest day today.

Nothing too much to report except for a quick dash to A&E after the eldest decided to swallow a coin. Three hours and one X-Ray later we were good to go to let nature take its course. Paranoid about getting sick waiting in the hospital. I must have used the hand sanitisers at least a dozen times...

Costa Del Galway

A lovely sunny day and a barmy 7 degrees. Great for running. I drove part way into town and started my run from the new junction which replaced the roundabout on the N17. Down to Terrylands, then on to Dangan via the river. Then joined the Cathedral route. Lots of pedestrian traffic running back into the city along the prom, and by the time I got to the Spanish Arch I was looking for the quickest route back to the car as I was spent. Up to Eyre Square and continuing straight back to my starting point. All up 23.9kms in 1:42:12 (4:17's). It felt like I was running 4:25's so similar to yesterday another pleasant surprise.

That's 105.2kms for the week. Another good week in the bag including 2 decent sessions. I feel like I'm making some good progress at the moment and just hope that translates into a good race on Saturday.

6 x 4 mins

Off 1 minute recovery. Still bloody cold but very little breeze. Used my local course for this type of stuff and what breeze there was I was running into on the slight uphill outward leg. So a much easier return. Here are the paces per km for the 4 minute efforts:

3:15/3:10/3:13/3:08/3:13/3:07

Didn't look at the watch to see how I was doing speedwise until after the session. It felt like I was around the 3:15/km mark so pleasantly surprised by the results. Encouraging.

The Kinvara 10km is one week today so apart from a longer run tomorrow, and a track session on Tuesday, it will be easy running/rest for me. The aim will be to get back running sub 33 which I haven't managed since June of last year.

More Breaking Bad in the evening. Very addictive if you fancy watching some decent TV. Respect the chemistry.

When Aunty Ducky....

...danced with Donald Bradman, she said that was the best day of her life.....what was your best (sporting) day?

Today was another day where it felt easy. Total of 11.1kms in 45:25 (4:06's). Out in the evening with the family for some food then back to watch season 4 of Breaking Bad.

Gotta love John Williamson!

Touch of winter

I thought we'd seen the back of the cold weather - well I was wrong. Today it was bloody freezing - the wind would cut straight through you. I struggled with my 16km run - the usual 4kms start running straight into the wind and the legs never got moving after that (probably due to frostbite). Run time of 1:10:22 which is a rather poor 4:25/km pace.

Watched the darts in the evening whilst camped in front of the fire. Love the new format of the Darts Premier League - great to see all the players every week. Wade looks to be coming back into form.

State 3km

11km in 47:07 (4:15's).

I was reading one of the Aussie blogs I follow (Easy Tiger) and was reminded of the New South Wales State 3km at the Olympic park in Sydney back in 2009. Here is the video:



I ran 9:05 and put a few of the Mingara boys to the sword in the process who I used to train with. Namely Arnold, Bowd and Partridge! Ryan Gregson won the A grade race in 8 minutes flat...

4 x 400, 3 x 1600, 4 x 400

Another beast of a track session. I wanted to push myself tonight and conditions looked to be good tonight being dry and very cool.

A longish warm-up of 6km including a few strides then time to go. The first 400 was pathetic, then slowly got going. I reset my watch when I got home so all of these are from memory but it went something like:

75/72/72/71
5:03/5:01/5:01
70/70/69/66

Happy with those. I felt comfortable on the 4 lappers and the last one felt the easiest of the lot. A bit disappointed not to run a few sub 5's but I was running solo and with over 70 people on the track there was a fair bit of overtaking/running wide.

Nearly forgot to give you the recoveries - 30 secs between the 400's (blink and it's gone), 60 seconds between the 1600's (tough but fair) and 2 minutes between the sets (lovely).

Greaney was flying tonight. Suddenly he has found another gear and ran a much improved session. Christy also improving week on week and a big race is now due. Great to see.

All up 17.5kms with warm-down.

How?

Felt great today. Not sure how that can happen after the poor run from yesterday. No logical explanation. Again windy but I managed 9.5kms in 38:16 (4:01's).

Forgot to mention last week's kilometer-age - 100.9kms. Since the New Year I've got into the routine of doing a couple of decent weeks training, then winding it back (freshening up) for a race. Firstly for Tuam (91/100/65kms), then for the Indoors/Maree (100/102/53). I'll continue that routine in the build-up for Kinvara 10km a week on Sat (another 100 this week, then easy next week). Then a couple more decent weeks of training before the Craughwell 10 miler on March 24th. Easy innit?

Overtaking

Not so fresh after the gallon of Guinness from the previous night and eventually out of the door mid afternoon for a long solo wobble. Very windy again and I was feeling very tired from the get go. The first 4kms were straight into the wind and I was hardly moving. I didn't really get going at all after that but somehow managed to keep going for 21.1kms (half) in 1:33:05 (4:25's). Felt like a marathon mind...I overtook an old man riding a bike, 2 horses, lots of dogs, a couple of snails.....

Stephen Maguire won the Welsh Open in a very high standard final beating Stuart Bingham 9-8. Great viewing.

Windy 10km tempo

I left the run late and didn't get out until 4:30pm. Today I was down for some quicker stuff and with the wind blowing a gale it wasn't going to be pretty. On my warm-up I decided to run a 10km tempo and similar to a few weeks back I decided to get a rolling start with the wind behind and the lovely downhill of the Rock Road.

I went through 5km in low 17 minutes and then it got a lot tougher as I hit the wind. I finished up running the 10kms in 34:56 and given the conditions I was happy enough with that.

All up 15.7kms in just over the hour.

Out in the evening for more darts with the next door neighbour. I started well (2nd leg 14 darts) and gradually faded as the night  wore on. I think that had more to do with the alcohol consumption...good night nonetheless.

Darts night

11.1kms in 47:01 (4:14's).

Out in the evening for darts. We were playing away at Keane's bar in Athenry. Lovely pub, nice throw, but my darts were very ordinary. Having said that I somehow managed to win both my singles and pairs 2-0. Overall another 7-2 win to consolidate our top of the table position.

Ten in old money

Squeezed in a bit of a longer run today. Total 16.0kms in 1:08:46 (4:18's). I suppose the next big target race-wise will be the Craughwell 10 miler at the end of March and I'd love to give my PB a rattle. The pace I need to target is 3:20/km. Three hopes of achieving that - Bob, Maurice and the Cape of Good....

Lucky

The same run as Monday. A bit quicker tonight knocking off the 10kms in 43:18 (4:20's). Legs still feel tired. After blowing a gale most of the day the wind had eased off in the evening so quite nice and mild for running. Perhaps a touch of spring in the air?

Pyramid Session

Back to the track tonight. The intention was to take it handy enough as 3 tough sessions in 4 days is probably not recommended.

Tonight was a pyramid session. Here goes: 400/600/800/1000/1200/1200/1000/800/600/400. Total 8kms. The recovery was mainly 90 seconds, except after the first 400/before the last 400 where we got 60 seconds. And a generous 3 minutes at the top of the pyramid between the 1200's...

Here are the times:

400 - 1:16
600 - 1:53
800 - 2:34
1000 - 3:10
1200 - 3:50
1200 - 3:48
1000 - 3:11
800 - 2:28
600 - 1:47
400 - 1:08

I sat in with the lead group which included Scott, Christy, Owen and myself. Nice to run the second set quicker than the first, though by the end of the session I was toast. All up 17.0kms with a longish warm-up (5.5kms) and warm-down (3.5kms).
I almost forgot to mention the weather - damp and breezy! Typical Galway...

Recovery run

A late night run of 10.0kms to shake out the legs. Time 43:45 (4:23's). Great evening for running but the legs felt very tired. Early night to catch up on some sleep.

Thanks for all the comments from the weekend. The more I race the luckier I get and all that...

Maree 8km

A double race weekend. This time only a short drive to Maree which is just near Oranmore. Conditions looked good - a bit of a breeze but nice and dry. A good chance to see what was left in the tank after yesterday's lung buster.

A good crowd in attendance of over 300. As always the organisation was very good and I was keen to try and win this race for the 3rd year on the trot. Around a 3km warm-up with Owen and then we changed into our racing gear and lined up at the start.

The gun sounded and I went straight to the front, swapping the lead with another runner who I didn't recognise a few times as we covered off the first 500m. I settled into my running and he soon dropped off leaving me running solo following the lead motorcycle. Through 1km and then a long gradual climb up to the 2km marker. Back down the hill the other side and then the long run out on the flat peninsular (into the breeze) until it was time to double back just before 4km. At the turnaround point I'd opened up close to a 30 second lead and with the legs feeling pretty tired I was wishing for the race to be over.

After about a km of running against the oncoming traffic it was time to take a right-hand turn tracing the waters edge until it was time to tackle another climb just after 5km. The road at this point wasn't great - more like a tractor track with a muddy/grassy median strip and lots of puddles either side. Just after 6km there was another nasty climb but with that behind me it was time to make the run for home.

The last section was much easier - fairly flat and once through 7km you were greeted with the countdown with every 200m marked until I had the final run up to the finishing line. I must have been struggling at this point as some young kids were running up to the finish just in front of me and I couldn't keep up with them! Anyway, I crossed the line for the win in a time of 26:19.

Happy with the time as it felt like I had run 26:40 - and it's a tough course. Just looking back I ran quicker than last year (26:22) so that's another good sign as my legs weren't right today.

I finished up with a 6km warm-down with Owen, Niall and Billy. I'll put that down as 17kms for the day.

A few photos courtesy of Francis at Eirefoto. The start:
























The podium with Owen and Niall. I'm wearing my City of Norwich top as the GCH one was in the
wash from yesterday.....:


































Here are the splits:

1km 3:08
2km 3:17
3km 3:16
4km 3:21 (13:02)
5km 3:16
6km 3:23
7km 3:20
8km 3:18 (13:17)

Total 26:19

A total of 53.5kms for the week. To top the weekend England won the rugby and so out in the evening for a few more celebratory beers and a game of darts!

National Masters Indoors 3,000m

I grabbed a lift with Paul for the short drive to Athlone (around 40 minutes). Upon arrival we were greeted with this wonderful new facility - I have to admit to a few butterflies as I stepped out into the arena - it looked absolutely amazing.

I was scheduled to race around 2:50pm but with lots of races being split into heats to accommodate the numbers everything was running late. I eventually ran a bit of a warm-up outside with Paul and Gerry around 3:30pm - 5 laps of the outside track before moving indoors to the mezzanine level where there was a 100m section of track overlooking the main 200m track where you could run some strides.

Still a fair bit of hanging around and eventually we were all called to the track for some race details. Again with lots of runners the race was split into heats and I was lucky enough to get in heat 1 which looked to be the quickest heat. Somewhat strangely, each heat contained a mixture of age-groupers so we were faced with the unusual situation of people in my age group (40 to 44) being spread in heats 1, 2 and 3. So basically it was all going to come down to time - the quickest times of the day in each age group irrespective of what heat they were run in would determine the medals.

I lined up at the start with 7 other runners. The beep sounded and we were off. I used the first few laps to get a feel of the track. I'd never run one of the banked bends before so wanted to get used to these and I found myself in 5th position. The pace certainly wasn't slow mind - and I was working had to stay in touch with the runners in front.

I think I went through the 1,000m in about 2:57 and it was around this point that I moved up a couple of positions into 3rd place. I wasn't feeling comfortable and the lungs were already starting to burn. The good thing about the 200m track is that the laps click down really quickly - I was hanging on to 3rd place and settled in as best I could. I was getting some great support from the crowd and that helped and as we went through 2,000m I made my move on the back straight to take the lead. That was great but my immediate thought was that I was going to blow up as I had the best part of 5 laps still to run!

Funnily enough the last few laps seemed to tick by very quickly. I was hurting but I knew from the feedback I was getting that I had opened up a decent gap and I wasn't going to let it slide. I hit the bell and enjoyed the last lap as much as I could crossing the line in 8:53 for the heat victory.

I was delighted with the time as I couldn't see myself breaking 9 minutes. The track was superb and must be short - that's the only conclusion I can draw! I then watched the next couple of heats which were slower so it turned out that I posted the quickest time of the day - across all the age grades! Another national gold medal and a 5 second PB in the process!

A shortish warm-down of 1.6km so around 7kms for the day. I'd certainly recommend anyone to go along to Athlone to have a look at this facility - it's first class! It's open to the general public so everyone is welcome to go along and give it a try. I'll certainly be back!

Here are a few photos (Thanks Jane!). The start:

























Taking the lead:

































The finish:

































A few celebratory beers in the evening!

Second rest

No running today.

Tried to get my new laptop working - no joy. Seems Windows 8 and my router don't like one another...so that drove me to drink. Just the 3 beers to aid sleep. Looking forward to tomorrow...

Done and dusted

Same run as yesterday. Felt great today and was ticking along very nicely without pushing it. Time 38:30 for 9.5kms (4:02's). That's it now, no more running until Saturday.

A few beers watching Breaking Bad in the evening.

Brazil nuts

Easy local loop of 9.5kms in 39:59 (4:13's).

England beat Brazil 2-1...

6 x 600 off a rolling 4 mins

Longish warm-up loop around the block then a few laps of the track. Conditions were cold and wet and the wind kept picking up making the last 50m of the back straight and the start of the final bend bloody tough.

The main group were doing 8 x 1km but myself and Gerry wanted to do s session more specific to the indoors and we were told to run some 600's. The target pace was 3km race pace (for me 9 mins equals 1:48/600m). Try and run nice and relaxed and if you can find a second or 2 then that's all for the good...

Here were the times:

1:47/1:49/1:49/1:49/1:48/1:49

I have to say they felt far from comfortable. I was working hard to get them down to near my target time. Okay conditions weren't great and there was a lot of traffic to dodge but tonight certainly didn't act as a confidence booster. Hopefully on race day it will all click on the new super quick Athlone track.

A short warm-down of 3 laps to give me 10.5kms for the day.

I raced home, had a quick shower, then out with the old man for his last night in Galway before he jets back to Blighty. He'll certainly have his tail between his legs after I whopped him 15-11 at darts scoring 4 x 180's in the process. I think I'd go better if it were a darts tournament in Athlone on Saturday...

Resting

No running today - been feeling a bit niggly the last week so a rest day was in order. Listen to the body and all that...

The plan this week is to do a light track session on Tuesday, then easy running for the rest of the week before the indoors on Saturday.

Another ton

Planned to take it very easy today as I could feel the quad a bit. The plan was to run around 20kms to get me up above 100kms for the week - a stupid mentality really. I ran solo and local and covered parts of all the loops I run here in Claregalway. All up 20.9kms in 1:33:21 (4:28's). The leg seemed to behave so looks like I have dodged an injury bullet. I'll take a rest today tomorrow (planning an easy week anyway) just to be on the safe side.

102.1kms for the week.

Out in the evening for some more darts practise with the lads. Watched England retain the darts World Cup!

15 mins and 3 x 3 mins

Perfect weather for running today - but feeling a little under the weather (self-inflicted) so that meant I delayed the session until late afternoon. I decided to copy the Harriers session which was a 15 minute tempo, then 2 mins 30 secs break, then 3 x 3 mins off 1 minute.

I used my normal route for this type of session. I ran the 15 minutes in one direction (slightly uphill), then turned and ran the 3 x 3 mins the other way. Stats as follows:

15:00 - 4.46kms - 3:22/km
3:00 - 0.93kms - 3:14/km
3:00 - 0.94kms - 3:11/km
3:00 - 0.93kms -  3:13/km

Finished up with a warm-down to give me 15.0kms for the day. Fairly happy with the session running solo but upon arrival home it seems like I have picked up a slight thigh strain. Nothing too serious I think - a couple of easy days and I'll be good.

Last of Christmas

10.8kms in 44:31 (4:07's). I lifted the pace on the final few kms to home with the wind on the back.

Legs generally a bit sore still after that track session  - especially the hammies. Will try and get a massage in before the indoors.

Out in the evening for our darts team's Christmas do. Lots of booze and home by 2am. Good fun had by all.

Surprise

The plan today was to run around an hour or so. Up by the airport I bumped into Owen so I doubled back and ran back to his workplace along a new route at the back of the airport which brings you out on the coast road. By the time Owen peeled off to go to work I still had another 7kms to home. I ended up running 19.6kms in 1:26:02 (4:23's). The wind is still around so again that explains the slower pace.

Out in the evening for a game of darts with my old man. I dished out a 15-11 hammering. That's better.

Back to windy

11.1kms in 48:12 (4:21's). The strong winds are difficult to run in and must cost you around 10 seconds per km. At least it wasn't raining...

10 x 400 off 60 secs

Bog standard session - perfect for my build-up to the indoors a week on Saturday. A longish warm-up of over 6km in what turned out to be very favourable conditions. Very lucky really as for most of the day it was wet and blowing another gale...

The session was to be 10 x 400 (some people did 12). I planned to run them all hard tonight to see where I'm at. Here are the times:

72/70/68/68/68/67/66/66/66/64

The first one was again a bit of a warm-up but then I wound up the pace. At halfway the coach (another Matt) mentioned he wanted me to run the second half of the session quicker - finishing with some 65's. I was already feeling it so wasn't sure that was possible but managed to find something. The last one I was pushed all the way by Niall who looks to be coming into some great form. I finished the session absolutely spent - I can't recall pushing myself like that for a long time. Doubled over gasping for breath at the finish and all that...

Another great session. The group goes from strength to strength - well over 50 runners (again) and everyone looking to be running well. Very lucky to have a group like this to train with.

All up 13.8kms with warm-down. I'd say I'll be sore tomorrow as I'm not used to running at that pace.

Galeforce

Bloody tough going today. My bread and butter local loop of 11.1kms in 49:47 (4:29's). With conditions like today the pace goes out of the window - a struggle to stand upright at times. Struggled through and one of those days where there is no enjoyment in running - more of a chore. Hope the weather improves as it has been desperate lately...

Didn't spot one other runner

More miserable conditions for running. I was about to head out the door and a hail storm hit so I waited until it cleared. Then I got going and I encountered everything the elements could throw at me - wind, rain, snow, sleet, hail - and even a bit of sun for about one nano-second.

The same route as 2 weeks ago running up to Oranmore, then the Coast Road, up through Doughiska, along the Monivea Road, then back to Claregalway. The wind was so stroing along the Coast Road I might as well have walked. All up 22.2kms in 1:40:26 (4:31's). Pace was poor but it was a good workout.

That's 100.4kms for the week.

Enjoyed watching the snooker shootout on the weekend. Martin Gould winning the title and £36k in the process. Not bad for 6 frames of snooker...

Another 10km tempo

The weather has taken a real turn at the moment. Windy and wet and generally not very pleasant to run in. I decided on another 10km tempo - after a 2km warm-up I went straight into it using the wind behind and the nice downhill on the Rock Road to give me a flying start. At about 6km I hit the N17 and was running directly into the wind and that was very tough going. Upon reaching the church in the village I decided to turn right as that would give me some respite from the wind for the final mile. I was pleasantly surprised with the time after 10km of 35:24 as it felt like I had slowed a lot in the second half. A further 3.4kms warm-down to give me 15.4kms for the day. That was that.

Lost again

10.8kms in 45:34 (4:13's).

League darts in the evening. I was rested in the singles to make way for the old man (read dropped). Eventually played my pairs around half midnight by which time I was full of beer and excuses. Lost again in a deciding leg. Overall the team did manage to chalk up a 6-3 win so not all bad!

Lost

More local running of 14.8kms in 1:04:05 (4:20's).

A game of darts in the evening with the old man - I lost 13-11. Never got going...

Smelly

I ran local and there were lots of agricultural smells in the air ranging from the disgusting to near vomit. Clocked up 11.1kms in 46:11 (4:10's).

Another (better) photo of the new indoor track at Athlone:























Picked my Dad up in the evening as he is over for a couple of weeks.

6 x 800 off 90 secs

In the middle of a cold snap here in Galway - a very cool 2 degrees at track tonight and despite some fears that the surface may be icy, the session went ahead as planned. It wasn't too bad once you got warmed up and with very little wind I didn't have many excuses at hand...

A massive group again - probably 50+ runners split into groups. The session was 800s off 90 seconds (we had to jog 200m in the recovery). As always with generous recovery we were expected to run the 800s at the same pace as the 400s from the previous week (which were off 30 secs). So I was looking at around 2:26 as a target.

The first one was pretty poor (as is the norm). I need to get out of the habit as using the first one as a warm-up. The rest were okay, a little up and down, and I have to say I was really feeling it today in the last few reps. Perhaps explainable only 2 days after Chu-am. Here are the times:

2:31/2:28/2:29/2:25/2:27/2:23

Happy enough - wet track cost us a bit of time so I think I'm near 3 minute/km pace which is always encouraging. A few more short-sharp session required before the indoor 3,000m. Talking of which here is a photo of the new track (thanks to Amphibian King):

























I can tell you the nerves will be jangling stepping out on that.....looks class!

All up 15.0kms with the up and down.

Start of a 2 week training block

Easy run of 11.1km to stretch out the legs after yesterday's race. Time 46:51 (4:13's). Legs a little sore but not too bad.

Forgot to mention a few things yesterday. Firstly the snooker. A great tournament - my tip John Higgins went out early in a deciding frame, and to be honest of the players left I thought that Neil Robertson was easily playing the best snooker. But somehow Selby just manages to grind out results even when he is well below par. Another great win for the Jester who must now be favourite for the World Champs in April.

Oh yeah, last weeks tally - a mediocre 65.5kms.

Tuam 8km

Just the 3 degrees which was a little chilly on the you know what. Bone dry and a bit of a stiff breeze that you'd only really notice when you are running directly into it. All in all it looked pretty good. A short couple of clicks warm-up and a couple of strides and we were lining up for the 2:30pm start.

A good crowd of over 500 runners. A lot of the usual suspects were there which was great to see. And then almost without warning we were underway. I got a terrible start and lost a few seconds whilst I woke up. The first km is very friendly with some nice downhill sections. Gerry Ryan took the lead with me and Paul Keane in hot pursuit. At the first roundabout Gerry nearly took a wrong turn and lost a few seconds and by this stage I was left chasing him.

I missed the first km marker but I had the feeling it was quick. The second km had a nasty enough section with a climb and I was surprised that Gerry didn't seem to be opening up his usual big gap on me. I looked at the split at the 2km marker and it showed 6:10 which meant the pace was definitely on. As we made a left turn it immediately became tougher as the breeze became a factor. I remained focused and tried to keep Gerry in my sights as I knew that once we got to the main road at around 4.5kms, the run back to town would be a lot easier.

I wasn't looking at the watch but I knew the pace had dropped. This section of the course is flat enough and it was just the wind that made it tough. Nothing really happened - Gerry wasn't improving on his lead and I had nobody close to me so it becomes a bit of a mental battle to try and keep the legs moving. Finally some reprieve after reaching the main road and then it was time to see what was left in the tank.

At this point I felt great. Straight away I felt much more comfortable and the 5 and 6km markers soon passed. Gerry looked around on a few occasions and I got the impression he was struggling and I'd certainly not given up on catching him. Up to the 7km mark seemed to be a gradual climb, and then at 7km you have to climb up and over the bridge. At this point someone shouted that Gerry had a 15 second lead and despite running a strong last km I'd left it too late crossing the line in 25:58 for 2nd position (Gerry won in 25:48).

I have to take a lot of positives from this race. It's the first time I've broken 26 minutes for 8km since 2011 (I raced this distance 7 times in 2012 and my best time was 26 flat in the Streets). Also I ran pretty much the whole race by myself which is also tough. Good signs for the year ahead. As I suspected Gerry was carrying a bit of an injury so no doubt that's as close as I'll be to him for a very long time.

After a warm-down with another Gerry (Carty) it was back to the hall for the presentation. A great spread and lots of prizes and this has to go down as one of the best value races of the year (€15 entry which also gets you 3 pairs of running socks!). A big well done to Tuam AC.

All going well so far this year. Nice to break 16 for 5km and 26 for 8km this early in the year. Another couple of weeks of decent training now (with 2 speed sessions thrown in each week) and then I plan to run the indoor masters at Athlone on Feb 9th. It's a brand new indoor 200m track and this will be the first time it will be used for competition. I've entered the 3,000m so it will be 15 laps of red-lining. I'd love to give sub 9 minutes a rattle (which may be a little optimistic).

Here are the splits for the 8km:

2km 6:10
3km 3:21
4km 3:25 (12:56)
5km 3:22
6km 3:14
7km 3:15
8km 3:11 (13:02)

Total 25:58

All up 14.6kms for the day. Upon arriving home I had the usual conversation with the kids: "How did you get on Dad?", "I came second", "Who beat you?", "Have a guess", "Gerry Ryan?", "Correct...!".

I then I switched on the TV just as Spurs equalised against United. That made my weekend!

Here is a photo (courtesy of Maree AC). You can just see me in the distance (I think this is the bridge just after 7km):

30 minutes

I couldn't decide whether to run or not today. In the end I ventured out for a half an hour trot. I ran the smallest of the local loops which was 6.7km in 30:05 (4:29's). Weird running at that pace, you'd think running slower than normal would be easy but putting the brakes on just doesn't feel natural.

A few beers in the evening and watched the snooker. A Selby/Robertson final. Should be a cracker.

Another loop

Same run as Wednesday, this time a bit quicker - 9.5kms in 39:52 (4:12's).

Darts in the evening. I was very happy with how I played winning both singles and pairs. Good scoring and no messing about on the doubles. Overall we recorded another 8-1 win to maintain our top of the table position.

Resting

No time for a run today. The rest will do me good.

A bit of decorating, a few beers and watch the snooker.

Rub required

Local loop of 9.5kms in a slow 40:55 (4:18's). Legs sore after yesterday's track session. Easy running for the rest of the week before the 8km on Sunday.

16 x 400s off 30 secs

Constant rain and 4 degrees - not too windy mind. Wasn't feeling the love (no mojo) as I did my warm-up with the lads.

A huge turn-out, the bad weather didn't seem to detract anyone so that was good to see. I think the session was split into 6 or 7 groups with the quickest group starting first. Here are the times:

77/76/75/75/74/73/72/73/72/72/71/71/72/70/71/69

A terribly slow start - just couldn't get going. I gradually worked up the pace and was pleased with the second half of the set which in all honesty felt easier than the first half. I should add that I wasn't sticking to the 30 seconds recovery - I was probably getting 35 secs on average in order to stay with the group. A tough session on a very damp track.

With warm-down I clocked up 15.2kms. Fingers were like ice blocks and couldn't wait to get home for a hot shower.

Still dark

10kms in 43:12 (4:19's). Evenings starting to draw out a bit so hopefully be back running in daylight hours more often soon.

Snooker & Darts

Another long run - out to Oranmore, along the Coast Road, then towards the city, right turn at the G hotel, then back to Claregalway along the N17 (that last section is very uppish). Total distance 24.6kms in 1:44:18 (4:14's).

That's 100.8kms for the week. Happy with how things are going.

The BDO darts final was very one-sided. Too Hotty winning easily as I expected.

The snooker started today - the Masters at the Ally Pally. I can't pick the winner of this one - too close to call. Okay, I'll get off the fence - John Higgins gets my vote (though I'd prefer Judd as he is more entertaining to watch).

10km tempo

Today it was time for a speed session. I'm not following a plan at the moment and I'm basically making it up as I go along. I started out with the intention of running 2 x 12 minutes (maybe 15 minutes if feeling good), but halfway through the first effort I knew the pace was slow (running uphill into the wind the first 5 minutes didn't help) so I decided just to keep going and run one long continuous effort.

I couldn't decide on a time - I just kept plugging away. I ended up running 35 minutes and in that time I covered exactly 10kms so 3:30/km on the knocker. Not bad going given the conditions.

All up 16.3kms with warm-up and down. Next week will be a track session on Tuesday and then race on the weekend.

Night run with a twist

I started off running as it was just starting to get dark. I decided on my nighttime route and added on another section of 100m or so to turn this into 10km exactly. Time 43:08 (4:19's).

Practised my darts for an hour or so in prep for the league match. I hit 8 x 180's and was throwing well. In my singles I started like Phil Taylor hitting 140 the first 3 darts - eventually missing double top for a 15 dart leg. I went on to win that leg but then in the next leg I started playing like Elizabeth Taylor. Not good. I somehow managed to win 2-0 and also won my pairs later in the evening. Our team won 8-1 and we are running away with the league. Home by 2am.

62 minutes

Managed to squeeze in a daylight run today. A total of 14.8kms in 1:02:00 (4:11's). Going nicely at the moment and I feel like I'm coming into form. My next race will be the Tuam 8km on Jan 20th and it would be nice to get a sub 26 on the board early in the year.

Enjoying the darts at the Lakeside. I can't see anyone touching Scotty "too hotty" Waites though. He'll win it then switch to the PDC before the end of the month.

5,000m WR

Another nighttime run - 9.9kms in 42:05 (4:15's). As non-descript as ever.

I was sent this Youtube clip (thanks Colm). It's the 5,000m world record ran by Bekele in 2004. It's a must watch for any fan of athletics (commentary not in English but don't let that detract). Here it is:



Jaw-dropping stuff. Running 60 second laps and making it look easy. Plus Bekele basically ran the second half of the race by himself. Great to see the Big Mazungo in the same race.

Here are the splits:

1km 2:33.24
2km 2:32.23
3km 2:31.87
4km 2:30:59
5km 2:29:44

Total 12:37.37 (eventually rounded down to 12:37.35)

That's how to run a 5km - gradually wind up the pace!

8 x 800 off 75 secs

The weather had turned again - a glorious dry sunny day and by the track time rolled around at the new start of 7:30pm, despite being very cool, conditions were spot on. The normal 3.7kms warm-up around the roads before running a further 4 laps of the track with Timmie and Niall.

The session was 800's. A great group tonight with everyone running well. The first one was pretty poor (I should have done some strides) but then the pace was gradually cranked up. I kept stuffing my watch up and had to rely on others for 2 of my splits but despite that I felt strong throughout and was ticking along very nicely.

Here are the times:

2:37/2:28/2:30/2:27/2:27/2:27/2:25/2:23

I was probably averaging around 80 seconds recovery to stay with the group. Great to see some new and old faces at track tonight. The standard at the front is really improving with Owen running very quickly - only a matter of time before he has a big breakthrough run. Niall also ran very strongly - he'll be a sub 16 minute 5km runner in no time.

A 3.7km warm-down again around the roads. All up 15.4kms for the day. Home for pizza and chocolate. No beer mid-week starting as of this week - after 19 consecutive drinking days over Christmas it's time for a bit of a break...

Popped In Souled Out

Hammering down all day - no avoiding it. Got drenched running my 9.9kms in 43:19 (4:23's). Pace was slow but legs were tired after the weekend.

Wet Wet Wet

Another long run today. Very wet conditions and I decided to get the worst part out of the way by running into the wind for the first half of the run. My route took me from Claregalway to Carnmore, then on to Oranmore, then the Coast Road. Then up through Doughiska, before taking the Monivea Road back to Carnmore. Then the final stretch for home. All up 22.1kms in 1:35:12 (4:18's). Absolutely soaked come the end.

That's 91.4kms for the week (with one rest day). From here on I'll start doing more speedwork - I'll probably settle on 2 speed sessions per week as 3 is too much. So Tuesday track and then either Thursday or Saturday depending on what best fits.

Forgot to mention that I played darts again last night in the pub - not the normal 501 but a game of cricket (which I've never played before). Teams of pairs and a fair bit of strategy involved - very enjoyable.

Lily-Mae

Today was a bit of a struggle - decided to head out mid-afternoon as the rain subsided. As I ran up to Carnmore I was greeted by a huge convoy of runners running in the opposite direction. Turns out it was a fund raiser for Lily-Mae, a local girl suffering with a rare childhood cancer. Everyone looked to be having fun and fair play to anyone who covered the entire run from Ballinasloe to Claregalway which must be in excess of 60kms. Great to see.

Well this gave me just the motivation I needed. I was wearing new runners (Asics 2170) and you really notice the difference after wearing old trainers. I ended up covering exactly 20kms in 1:24:58 (4:15's). Felt surprisingly good after last night.

I then got home and read a text from Fintan that he'd done 35kms at the same pace. My bonfire had just been p!ssed on...

More fun

Squeezed in an hours run just before it was getting dark. Distance 15.1kms in 1:04:35 (4:17's).

Out in the evening with Fintan, Owen and Timmie for food and numerous beverages. Home by 3am. How Fintan made it into work for 6am beggars belief...

Lets Play Darts

Same run as yesterday - well almost - I did the route in reverse clocking up 9.87kms in 40:25 (4:06's). Surprised by the pace as the effort level was the same as the day before.

More darts starting on Saturday - the BDO World Champs covered by the BBC. The standard isn't the same as the PDC but still worth a watch. It's basically the feeder system for the PDC as any good players soon make the switch across to chase the big money.

Back to nights

My 10km night run. Measured it with the new Garmin and it turns out it's 9.84km (time 42:32 at 4:19/km pace).

In my haste to get yesterday's race report up I forgot to mention the darts final. I decided to watch it in the pub with the darts team. A great game with Taylor winning 7-4 to clinch his 16th world title. Van Gerwen wasn't at his best which was a shame as I would have loved to see this one go all the way. Needless to say I think we'll be seeing the Green Machine in many more finals over the coming years.

Resolution Run 5km

I kept a lid on the celebrations yesterday evening and awoke to a glorious day - very still and sunny and looked to be just about as good a day for racing that you could hope for.

The race this year had been moved from Renmore into the centre of Galway. Upon arrival I ran the guts of the course with Sean and Timmie and I have to admit I did have my reservations about the route as there were lots of areas where traffic could be a big issue. In what turned out to be a superbly organised event, the marshaling on the day was first class and I didn't hear of any problems. Well done as it must be a logistical nightmare to put on a race like this in the city centre.

A good turnout with over 300 toeing the line. This race has very fond memories for me as I have managed to win it the last couple of years so I was keen to put in a good performance. The gun sounded and Kenny Rogers went straight to the front leaving me and Damien Landers from Clare chasing.

The first km was into a slight breeze but the pace was quick. I went through the first km in 3:02 and Kenny had already opened up a slight gap. As we made a right hand turn just after 1km I was already feeling the pinch and I was trying to hang on to Damien without much joy. There was a slight climb at this point as we made our way through a few back streets before crossing the main road and then taking a left hand turn along the canal. Damien was still just in front and Kenny had opened up a decent lead. Somewhere along this section I closed in on Damien and I think we swapped the lead a few times.

A right turn at the end of the canal as we ran round the back of the Cathedral. I was now in second position. I was feeling a bit better and tried to force the pace but that proved fruitless. A few more turns and we were then to make the climb up to Eyre Square. This is the part of the course I enjoyed the most - especially the run up the pedestrianised section along Shop St. Despite it being slightly uphill, we were getting some great support from the crowd and it had a really nice vibe about it.

Upon reaching Eyre Square it was time to push for home. I was still in second and Damien was still in touch and I could hear that one other runner was fast approaching. Running down by the docks I missed the 4km marker but knew that it was going to be a quick finish. The last section along the Long Walk was hurting. With about 500m to go Paul Buckley went past me but I managed to summons up a sprint finish as soon as I spotted the Spanish Arch and thankfully I managed to regain second position crossing the line in a time of 15:54.

Pleased as punch with that. Nice to get under 16 and some more good racing in the process. Kenny won the race in a super 15:35 so he was in a different class today.

The first 4 of us ran the course again as a warm-down. All up 14.5kms for the day. I really enjoyed this race and I have nothing but positive feedback. A real treat to be able to run around the city today and the great weather was a bonus.

Here are the splits:

1km 3:02
2km 3:18
3km 3:16
4km 3:14 (estimate)
5km 3:04

Total 15:54

Here are some photos courtesy of the race's Facebook page.

The start chatting to the opposition (Paul #305, Kenny #312)




















And they're off:




















The finish at the famous Spanish Arch:




















Another one at the finish where I look like an old man:

2012 Yearly Review

No running today - rest day.

I threw a few darts and managed to chalk up my 180th 180 of the year. MVG probably hits that many in one practice session:



The 2012 year in review is to follow. Here is a quick summary of my races:



In summary I'd have to say 2012 has been a bit of a disappointing year. Despite putting in my biggest annual training volume (4,649kms), I didn't nail the big 2 races of the year - the London Marathon back in April and the National Half Marathon in August. The longer stuff certainly took it out of me and my speed has suffered in the shorter races as a result. That said I did run my 2 quickest ever 10km races this year - a new 10km PB out at Colemanstown running solo where I clocked 32:22. Then a 32:38 in Annaghdown in June on the longest day of the year.

So 28 road races for the year. I chalked up 13 wins, 5 seconds and a couple of thirds. I certainly cut back on racing this year compared to 2011 and I hope to buck that trend next year by getting out there a bit more.

If I had to pick my top 5 performances of the year I'd have to go with:

1) London Marathon - despite not breaking my goal of sub 2:30, I still had a solid race but faded in the last few miles. Still a great experiecne and you just cannot beat this race for atmosphere.

2) Round Norfolk Relay - my first experience of this race. Running a 20 miler at 2am in the morning was certainly unique. Conditions were perfect and I surprised myself by running at 2:28 marathon pace. A great day made all the more special by our team winning the event outright.

3) Colemanstown 10km - I was certainly in good shape leading up to London. Two weeks before I ran a solid PB of 32:22 solo running the whole way. A great flat course and one of those races where it just felt oh so easy.

4) Claregalway 5km - a couple of weeks after London I ran my local 5km on a very hilly course. I was pushed all the way by Peter O'Sullivan and I ran a very quick last 500m to take out the race. The marathon certainly gives you plenty of strength (as does the Guinness).

5) Annaghdown 10km - I had a number of good races with John Byrne this year. On this occasion I came out on top after 6kms of constant surges and lead changes. I'd have to say I'd easily swap this performance for the National Half where John had a super run of 1:11 easily beating me in the process.

Happy New Year to one and all. May you all realise your goals in 2013, be it running or otherwise. I'm going to focus on the shorter stuff in 2013 so back to the 5kms and 10kms. Plenty of track sessions in the new year to get the speed back and then see what happens...

Incredible

Really poor weather today so took the easy option and decided to run on the treadmill. A steady 9km in 38:20 (4:16's). That's it now until the 5km on Jan 1st.

The semi-finals of the darts are now over and what can you say about Michael Van Gerwen. The man is a genius. He was only one dart away from hitting back-to-back 9 dart legs. I've never seen anything like it. Should be a great final on New Years Day and on current form I have to go with the green machine after previously tipping Taylor.

12 x 400m off 60 secs

With a 5km race on Jan 1st fast approaching, I thought I'd try a few 400's to get the legs moving. After a warm-up of 3.7km I stepped onto the track only to be greeted with a heavy hail storm, followed by a complete soaking. I considered pulling the pin but after about 15 minutes of hanging around it had at least stopped raining so I decided to give it a go. Needless to say I had the whole track to myself...

Initially I was going to do 10 but the first couple were so poor that I upped it to 12. The track was slippery and wet and the times were slow. Bloody hard doing this on your lonesome:

78/77/74/74/74/74/73/74/73/73/71/71

I finished up with another 3.7km. All up 12.2kms for the day. Strange sort of session - I didn't feel like I was red-lining and the recovery time was ample but at the same time I had no pace. Perhaps still a hangover from the 10km on Wednesday.

A game of snooker in the evening. I rolled back the years in the 4th frame hitting a 50 break - my first 50 in at least 10 years I'd say. Returned to being crap straight after that...

Similar

De ja vu - another hour run with Fintan. This time the route was a little different and the conditions were a little testier - especially the first 4km into a very strong wind. The rain just about held off so we were lucky really. All up 14.8kms in 1:05:09 (4:22's).

Out in the evening for a game of darts with the darts team. We played a round robin comp which I managed to win. The darts are going alright at the moment - must be the world champs that have inspired me.

Plugging on

Out early afternoon with Fintan who is getting back into it after a frustrating shin injury. We ran a total of 15.9kms in 1:08:16 (4:18's). Legs felt fine at the start - no indication that I'd raced the previous day but at the end I was done for.

Fields of Athenry 10km

Arrived a little too late for comfort after getting carried away playing with the Lego. On the short drive to Athenry it was raining very heavily and it didn't look like letting up. Well it didn't - at least not until the race was over...

A quick dash to collect my number and get changed. Ten minutes before the off I jogged round to the start area - I reckon about 500m and that was my warm-up done. It was still hammering down and the roads were covered in puddles. I don't recall ever racing in such wet conditions.

The gun sounded and close to 1,100 people were underway. The race was packed full of quality and a lead group of half a dozen or so quickly broke away leaving me in a chasing group. After a couple of kms things had settled down - the lead group were working away and I was left in a group of 5. This section of the course is pretty flat and not much happened until we took a left hand turn around the 4km mark.

At this point one of the group fell off the back (Peter O'Sullivan), leaving 4 of us to battle it out. The group included Steve McKeigue who I last met in Carnmore a few weeks back, plus a couple more faces that I didn't recognise. This section of the course was a bit tougher. The road is much narrower and I occasionally clipped arms with the others whilst trying to find a dry line on the roads.

Through 5km in 16:44 and I couldn't believe the time - it felt at least 20 seconds quicker. At this point one of the runners had made a slight break off the front which I couldn't respond to - I still had company though so kept plugging away. Another left turn and it was the long run for home.

I think it was between 6km and 7km that the water on the road was incredible. A few sections of 30m+ where the road was completely covered in water and there was no option but to race straight through the middle. In places it was at least ankle deep so you can imagine how much I enjoyed wading through that...

By about 8km I was racing with one other guy as Steve had fallen back a little. We gradually reeled in the runner who had previously made a break so it was going to be a three way shoot-out to the finish.

At 9km we were all in a line and the same guy made another break for home. I tried to go with him but was starting to feel the pinch. The last km has a lovely downhill section but despite running well I was still some 3 or 4 seconds behind. I had one final throw of the dice after crossing the railway but it was not to be and I had to settle for my position (9th) after gapping the other runner in our group by a few seconds. The time was 33:21 which despite being 20 to 30 seconds off where I'd like to be, was probably explainable given the constant deluge.

Some real quality at the front with Mick Clohisey taking out the race in 30:57, Emmet Dunleavy in 2nd in 31:36 and Michael Shannon 3rd in 31:40. Brilliant running.

Straight to the hall to get changed (no warm-down). A quick coffee and off home for a long hot shower. I have to say that despite the weather, I really enjoyed the race. Great to be out there having a few battles - which you seldom get in the smaller races. It has certainly given me a renewed appetite for racing in the New Year. Finally, hats off to Athenry AC in putting on another fantastic event.

Here's a photo (thanks to Peter Mooney):



Splits:

1km 3:18
2km 3:15
3km 3:19
4km 3:25
5km 3:27 (16:44)
6km 3:16
7km 3:23
8km 3:26
9km 3:25
10km 3:07 (16:37)

Total 33:21

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to one and all.

A day of Lego, darts (my son got a new soft tip dartboard), eating, plus a few beers. A very tame day on the beer - not for the want of trying but I was absolutely stuffed after the turkey and ham.

Christmas Eve

A short 9.5km loop today. Time 38:20 (4:02's). That's it now until the 10km on St Stephen's/Boxing Day.

A few beers in the evening and the home to cook supper for 10+. All went well.

Nervous Nineties

The best intention of running close to 2 hours but gave up after 76 minutes exactly. Distance 17.7km (4:18's).

A good week of volume for me - a total of 98.2kms. The third week on the trot now where I've only done one speed session. Be interesting to see how that translates into race form next week...

Hour

An easy hour. 14.9kms in 1:02:22 (4:11's). Pace improving.

Out later in the evening for a few pints and some darts. I couldn't miss double top - never finished like that before. Scoring was a bit hit and miss though...

Friday Long Run

Out in the afternoon for a solo long run. My local half marathon course which I covered off in 1:30:32 (4:17's). A bit better than yesterday's pathetic effort...

Slow

10km in 44:25 (4:26's). Knackered after too little sleep. Unless I get 8 hours the running suffers...

Snooker it wasn't

10kms 41:21 (4:08's). Legs sore after the track session.

Out later in the evening for a game of snooker. I was awful. Excuse list as long as your arm. Not being able to see with or without my glasses certainly doesn't help. Maybe time to try some contact lenses.

4 x 400, 3 x 1600, 4 x 400

Track night - surface quite wet but not a bad night being quite still and not as cold as the previous couple of weeks.

A short 3km warm-up and the session was as above. The recoveries were 1 minute between each effort and 2 minutes between the sets. I'd told everyone I was going to take it easy and that's how it started out.....here are the times:

79/74/72/71
5:06/5:07/5:04
72/69/67/66

The first 400 was disgraceful - it felt like a 69 as I was blowing like a you know what. From there on it got a bit easier. I sat in with Keith for the 1600's and took turns rolling out each lap - he looked to be cruising and I was having to work. The last set of 400's were pleasing - I tried to stick with Keith but he was at least a couple of seconds in front of me each lap - and still looked like he was jogging. I guess you'd expect that from a low 1:50 800m runner...

My last 400m was a pleasing 65.50. I guess I still have some speed and probably need to do lots more 400's so I can run sub 70 second laps and feel comfortable. The wet track didn't help tonight so again the times were okay.

I finished up with a 3.5km warm-down. All up 14.5kms. This could be my last speed session of the year - though I may decide to do something on the weekend. Decisions, decisions...

Same old

Another night run. Getting bored of the route now but not many options at the moment until I can get out during the day.

Total 10kms in 41:40 (4:10's).

Struggle

A half arsed attempt at a long-run. Had no energy and the legs felt tired so I pulled the pin and cut short at 17.1kms. Time 1:14:36 (4:22's). Not very happy with that pace - very poor...

That's 82.7kms for the week.

Watched the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in the evening. Couldn't believe Mo didn't make the top 3 but in saying that I think Wiggo was a worthy winner.

Spinning

Not feeling great today. Out at lunchtime to take the kids into town for Santa. They spotted the merry-go-round at the Christmas markets and before I knew it I was riding one of the horses. Not a great idea and I nearly added some of my own Christmas decorations to the square...

Managed a 9.5km wobble when I got home. Time 38:59 (4:06's).

Out in the evening for some darts and pool in the local. Forgot to mention the darts world champs started yesterday. Taylor all the way for me.

New Garmin

A lunchtime run. I was trying out my new Garmin FR10 which is the most basic Garmin on the market. Gives you speed, distance and time. Perfect for what I need.

Felt really good from the off. Decided on a long one and after returning home I decided to notch up an extra 200m to give me the half marathon. Time 1:25:43 for 21.1kms (4:04/km pace).

Used Garmin connect for the first time to upload my data. Really impressed so far.

Out in the evening with a few running buddies for a quiet beer. It turned into quite a loud beer as I didn't roll in until 3 in the morning. Even managed a game of darts in our 7th pub and after telling everyone how good I was, I proceeded to play crap. Got beaten by Barry who took out a brilliant 119 with triple 19, double 12, double 19. A good night with a pizza for company in the taxi home.

More of the same

Another nighttime 10km. A cross-wind tonight which is unusual running up and down the N17. Time 41:39 (4:10's).

5km Progression

No running today - planned rest day.

I was asked about my 5km progression recently. So here goes:



Not really a distance I raced much until moving to Ireland in 2010. Note these are all road race performances and do not include track races,

My first 5km was a very tough hilly course in Lindfield. I think I finished top 5 but this race was very much an undercard for the main 10km held on the same day. I started quick and died in the arse and it was a real struggle home.

The next couple of races in Forster, NSW, were 5km races that were held on the weekend of the Ironman (which I used to go up and watch). I don't recall much about the first race in 2004, but the race in 2005 was a real breakthrough run. It was a 2 lap course and I ran much quicker (30 seconds plus) than expected beating the sponsored Asics female athlete home (whose name escapes me). I was convinced the course was short and remember driving it afterwards in the car. It seemed okay. Punching well above my weight in that race which goes to show it can happen if everything clicks on the day.

The rest of the races are documented on the blog. The races in Tuam and Craughwell were on consecutive weeks as part of the Galway 5km series that year. The second one wasn't really a PB as I only equalled the time from the previous week.

The last race in Maree was a cracker. I ran down Michael Shannon in the last couple of kms and I finished less than 20 seconds behind the legend that is Gerry Ryan. To this day that's as close as I've ever got to him in a race (and I can't see it getting any better going forwards!).

8 x 3 minutes

Out to track tonight to find that the gates were locked. Instead we were running around the hockey pitches on the gravel which was a bit easier on the knees.

A longer warm-up tonight of 3.7kms. The session was 8 x 3 minutes originally off 90 seconds but this was revised down to 75 seconds "so people didn't get too cold". Ah yes, it was quite chilly - probably around 2 degrees. Similar to yesterday really - cold but no wind or rain.

A big enough group and the 3 minutes would allow us all do to around 2 full laps. Then we could all re-group in time for the start of the next rep. I started conservatively and gradually wound up the pace. The last few were starting to hurt and I really pushed the last one. I could tell I was running that bit quicker each time as I was getting further into the 3rd lap...

No idea of pace. I'd imagine it was close to 3:18/km pace at the start working down to around 3:05/km pace to finish. Owen and Christy both running well right on my heels.

Same warm-down of 3.7kms to finish with. That's about 15.0kms for the day.

V Cold

This goes down as the coldest run of the winter so far. Probably close to freezing. The pavements were good though with no icy patches and I rattled out 10kms in 42:29 (4:15's). Lovely weather for running once you get warmed up.

Triple header

Same run as yesterday. A little quicker today covering off the 14.9kms in 1:02:40 (4:12's). Quite nice just doing the easy running at the moment. I certainly don't miss knowing that you have a tough session ahead of you every few days.

Out again in the evening for more darts. Played okay but just not hitting enough big scores at the moment.

Got home to watch the end of the snooker. Mark Selby winning 10-6 against Shaun Murphy. A great win for the Jester and he is rewarded by regaining his world number 1 spot. Great viewing all week.

A total of 89.1kms for the week.

Backing up

A late finish last night - 3:30am. I decided to head out in the afternoon to blow out a few cobwebs and I did a similar run to yesterday. All up 14.9kms in 1:03:22 (4:15's). Felt pretty good all things considered...

Out again in the evening for a few games of darts. A few beers later and I was playing okay. I missed a bull finish for a 12 dart leg which would have been nice. Home by 1:30am...

Morning Bill

Morning run and a glorious one at that. Ran some part local loops clocking up 15.9kms in 1:05:35.(4:07's). Ticking along very nicely without a care in the world.

Okay so I clearly can't tip anyone in the snooker. I'll just shut up from now on...

Out in the evening for the first party of the silly season. My wife's Christmas do. Should be fun and will decide to play it safe and avoid the wine and stick to the Black Stuff.

Tights

Afternoon run today - local loop of 11.1kms in 46:39 (4:12's). Very poor weather - wore my running tights for the first time this winter. I looked as gay as a handbag full of rainbows...

Really enjoying the snooker this week. Lots of late nights watching some very close finishes. A fantastic match tonight with Neil Robertson racing to a 4-0 lead against Mark Selby. Then after the interval Robertson lost the plot and lost 6 frames on the spin. A great win for the Jester who is know in the semis and by his own admission has been very patchy...

So my second tip has gone down. Of the 4 left I'd favour Ali Carter...

Tin tin

Another 10km night run. Legs a bit sore after track. Much slower today - not helped by skating rink conditions during the last km. Time 43:22 (4:20's).

The snooker this week has thrown up many surprises. None more so than the young Belgian sensation Luca Brecel who has only just turned 17 years of age and has now found himself in the quarter finals. Incredible.

5 x (400m/500m/600m)

Track night. As mentioned my plan for the month was easy running - but track night is my one time where I meet up for some group training so I thought I'd toddle along for a catch-up...

Conditions were cold. The track was damp with some icy patches along the home straight. Not much breeze though. The session was sets of 400m/500m/600m with 60 seconds recovery between efforts and 90 seconds between sets.

I started off really conservatively - but couldn't help myself in winding up the pace as we went through each set. Here are the times:

1:19/1:39/2:00
1:18/1:38/1:57
1:14/1:33/1:54
1:13/1:32/1:52
1:12/1:31/1:47

I felt good throughout - even after the the last couple of sets. To be expected I suppose as the recovery time was quite generous - plus I wasn't red-lining. By the last couple of sets I had managed to find a line down the home straight which didn't involve ice skating....good fun and a great group at the front.

All up 12.3kms with warm-up and down.

Nighttime 10km

My new 10km night route as run last week. Time 41:19 (4:08's). Felt really comfortable.

Carnmore 5km Turkey Trot

Lots of rain around and also very cold. The positive was that there was very little breeze. Not too bad once you got going but the course was very damp. This picture is taken off the Athenry AC website gives you an idea of the conditions:



A shortish warm-up of around a mile running down to the start if you include the strides. The race started and I hit the front with a couple of other runners for company. By the time we hit the first km there was still 3 of us together but shortly after that reduced to two leaving me and Steve McKeigue together. After a left turn we started the lollipop section of the course. Through 2km and still together and after taking a right turn we were greeted by a long uphill drag. I took this opportunity to push on and within reaching the top of the climb I had opened up a small gap.

From there on it was a case of holding on. Passed the 3km marker and then continuing around the loop before the long descent back down to 4km. By this stage I was starting to struggle a little but I'd opened up enough of a gap not to let it slip. Disappointed not to find another gear to finish off the race with a quick last km but a pleasing win in a time of 16:01. Here are the splits:

1km 3:01
2km 3:13
3km 3:15
4km 3:15
5km 3:17

Total 16:01

The clock on the finish line wasn't working and if you'd have asked me to guess the time I would have said around 16:15 to 16:20 so the actual time was a pleasant surprise. Looking back to last year I actually ran 3 seconds quicker this time around although the splits are completely different (last year was a quick last km of 3:05 where I came off second best in a sprint finish).

A great event and lots of turkeys given out as prizes. That's Christmas dinner sorted. I really like this course and I'd like to have a dig at it when I'm in better 5km shape as I reckon it's a quick one. It certainly wouldn't be out of place as part of the Galway 5km series.

I ran the loop again as a warm-down with Brian Furey and then we ran back to the hall for the presentation. All up 14.2kms for the day and a mighty 56.0kms for the week. A pleasing end to the week and nice to run a race on fresh legs (no sessions all week makes a big difference).

I notice I gave Judd the kiss of death in the snooker. Okay, my new tip is Neil Robertson...plus a great finish to the darts with the Power adding another major to his collection. Peaking nicely for his 16th world title?

More sport

9.5kms in 39:16 (4:08's). Cruising pace getting quicker.

The snooker started today - the UK championship. Still no Ronnie who has decided to take a year out. I'd say Judd is favourite to defend his title.