10km tempo

Another gust-fest. I considered driving to a location so I could run 10km with the wind on the back the whole way but the logistics proved too hard. Instead I used the same route as I did a few weeks back which with wind direction and profile maybe made the 10km route 60/40 in my favour in terms of difficulty.

A 2km warm-up and straight into it. The first 3km I was running well, the next 4km it felt like I was barely moving, then at 7km I glanced at the watch and the pace was 3:34/km. I managed to up the pace for the run home which was a mixture of cross-wind and then wind on the back to finish in 35:22 (3:32/km).

I've no idea what shape I'm in. Whenever I race or run a session recently it seems to be very tough conditions which I keep using as an excuse for the slow times. Perhaps it's just me.

All up 16.1kms with warm-down.

Just finished watching the FA Cup. Really enjoyed that and good to see the underdogs win. Well done Wigan.

Nice if you own a wind farm

Another windy day. The first half of the run was into the wind but I seemed to be ticking over nicely today and with the benefit of the wind coming home I managed to clock a decent time of 46:02 for the 11.1kms (4:09's).

My right knee has been a bit sore since I started wearing the new Saucony runners. Not sure if that's just a coincidence. I may switch back to the Asics for a bit just to be on the safe side.

Tempo run planned for tomorrow.

Gusting

A bit of a longer run today - 13.0kms in 57:15 (4:24's). Strong gusts of wind (50+ks/hour) that one minute you can hardly move in, the next minute you're nearly flat on your face. At least it stayed dry.

Enjoyed watching Judgement night II at the Premier League darts. The top 4 who will contest the final are Van Gerwen, Barney, the Power and Wadey. I though Wade was brilliant in his draw with the Power - especially the 90 he took out to make it 5-5 with 2 darts. He's the 10-1 outsider to lift the trophy next week and I think that represents terrific value and I may have a small investment...

Yuk

Awful conditions this evening - blowing a gale and lashing rain. Quite cold also. Very hard to run directly into the wind and ended up with a time of 40:40 (4:17's) for my bog standard 9.5km loop. Quite good considering.

I played 4 frames of snooker in the evening (not well) and watched a bit of the Spurs game. Still a chance of making the top 4 but now having to rely on other results going our way. Same old, same old.

3 x (400/500/600) then 2 x 400

A run round the pitches and 4 laps of the track as warm-up (5.0km).

The session was above with recoveries of 60, 75 and 90 seconds. I decided I was going to take it really easy and for once I actually did - well at least until the last couple of 400's...

Numbers were way down tonight as the Galway 5km series is on - conditions were just about dry and a bit blustery but not too bad. Times were as follows:

1:13/1:32/1:53
1:14/1:34/1:54
1:14/1:34/1:50

1:04/1:04

A nice group of 4 of us taking turns leading out the reps. At the end of the 3 sets we had a massive 4 minutes recovery before the final set of 2 x 400's (off 60 secs). The coach mentioned 64 seconds as a target so went for that - on the first one I went through 100 in 15, 200 in 31 and then faded in the wind on the home straight for a 64 (may have been 63 as I stuffed up my watch). The second one was an action replay with a bit of traffic to dodge (definitely 64). Nice to run quick and not sure how I ever broke 60 for the 400...

A warm-down of 3.4kms. All up 13.7kms for the day. Proper training resumes next week.

Back to reality

Up at 2:45am for the trip back to Galway...

Easy run of 9.5kms in 40:00 (4:13's) when I arrived. The rest of the day was spent watching the conclusion of the snooker final between the Rocket and Barry Hawkins. A great win from Ronnie and still by far the best player going around. I bit bored of the tripe he comes out with in the interviews though...

A few beers in the evening - nice to be back on the Guinness.

More doubles

A lunchtime run on the gym treadmill. I gradually upped the pace starting at 4:30's and working down to 4:00's. All up 12.0kms in 49:58 (4:10's).

Then later in the afternoon I hit the roads for my second run of the day. Again very hot and I crawled around the marina clocking up another 11.6kms in 55:08 (4:45's). That's 23.6kms for the day.

So I just managed to clock up my 5 day target (actual 100.7kms). And for the week that's 121.3kms. Bloody good going for me.

Back to the burger bar again this evening. Stomach expanding by the day...

Double pattie

More of the same. Another run around the marina and the beaches. All up 17.6kms in 1:21:01 (4:36's). I'd say the warmer temps have cost me 15 to 20 secs per km on my cruising pace - I'm not sure if you ever get used to the heat???

Out to a great burger joint in the evening (the Nah Nah Bah). I had the best burger I've ever had in my life (titled the Rude Boy). Here's a picture:




















Not sure about the lager in plastic pint pots though...

Hot laps

I ran later today. I cruised up to the local track (around 4kms) and was told I'd have to wait 30 mins. So I extended my warm-up and by the time they let me on the track I had already ran 10 kms (and with no water I was spitting ostrich feathers). I decided on a very easy set of 400's off a minute just to turn the legs over. I had the track to myself and with the Portuguese radio coming over the loudspeakers it was quite a surreal experience.

Times were:

72/71/71/72/71/71/71/71/72/69

Had to work a bit to get those times - again it was a struggle as it was bloody hot.

A slow jog back to the hotel to give me 18.0kms all up. Lots of drink followed.

Beaches

Very relaxing here - the weather is really heating up now (lovely). I ran at lunchtime this time clocking up 19.3kms in 1:30:00 (4:40's). Slow pace but the midday sun sapped the pace. Explored a few beaches and that was that. There is a great gym which is part of the hotel so a slow 250m in the pool after the run and a jacuzzi and sauna.

Local beers are Super Bock and Sagris (both okay). Or you can splash out on the Heineken.

Ola

Arrived safely. I've set myself a target of running 100kms whilst I'm here (in 5 days). Just easy running to try and balance out the additional intake of food and beer.

Today was an a long-ish run of 22.2kms in 1:38:20 (4:26's). Always a good way to see a new town is to have a run. I covered the marina and the longest local beach which was exactly 5kms long. Quite warm for running - I'm not going to complain though. Oh yeah, I'm also kitted out in some new Saucony runners that I won - I think they're called Progrids. A nice ride and a bit lighter than the Asics 21x0's that I normally wear.

Lagos

Out at 7:30am for a quick local run. It must be the nicest day of the year so far - clear blue skies and not a breath of wind and you could even feel the heat of the sun. Rather ironic that I travel to Portugal this afternoon in search of warmer climes...

11.1kms in 47 ish. Legs felt much better after yesterday's rub.

I did a quick search on Google and it looks like there is an athletic track in Lagos. That's me sorted.

Quarter finals of the snooker just started - hope I get to see it on my hols. I at least have the Sky Go app on my smartphone as some insurance...

Finally a rub...

Easy run in the morning of 9.5kms in 39:44 (4:11's). Felt a lot better than yesterday...

Then a massage - my first in a long time. Very sore - could hardly climb off the bed at the end (old man syndrome).

Watched Ronnie in the evening. Sublime snooker - his long potting is not what it was but when he is in amongst the balls there is nobody better. I've been following a few tweets from fellow pros and they agree. Mark Williams sums it up "No one can play any where near the standard Ronnie produces, and hes had 12 months off. He must have watched us all year, and just laughed". He sure is a class act.

Snooker thoughts

Out in the morning for a long solo run. I ran along the main road to Oranmore, than back to Claregalway via the back roads. Then a little extra loop to get the distance up to give me 21.1kms for the day in 1:33:41 (4:26's). I was running at 4:20 pace after an hour but I faded badly and felt exhausted come the end. Glad to get that one out of the way.

That's 97.7kms for the week. My first decent volume for a while so that may explain the tiredness.

Lots of surprises in the snooker. Several pre-tournament favourites are out including Selby, Robertson, Allen and Maguire. Two of my favourite players are still in - Judd and Ronnie. As I write this it looks like Ronnie is struggling a little and Ali Carter is closing in on him - come on Ronnie!

Off to Portugal on Tuesday - I'll see what it's like when I get to the resort and then decide what training I can manage. I only have cabin luggage so after packing my runners and racing flats there may not be much room for everyday clothes!

Saturday tempo

No racing this weekend so decided to run a session local. It looked like a cracking day but it was quite windy once I got going. After a 2km warm-up I started the tempo. I was straight into the wind for the start and didn't really get out of the wind until 5.2km into the tempo. Then it got a bit easier as I ran back into Claregalway and I managed to lift the pace the last few kms to give me 35:24 for 10kms (3:32's). I felt pretty knackered going into the session so that's a decent enough hit-out.

All up 16.3kms with warm-down.

Friday fun

11.1kms in 46:30 (4:11's).

Out in the evening for a game of darts with the lads. Played okay considering I've hardly been throwing lately. A few too many beers but as I'm in holiday mode that's to be expected.

Thursday Threesome

Out at 7am with Fintan and Owen. Good conditions but it seems more difficult to get the legs turning over first thing in the morning. Captain Slackbladder (Fintan) set a record for the number of pitstops on an hours run (total 3). All up 14.8kms in 1:06:00 (4:28's).

Big break is brewing

Same run as Monday - this time marginally quicker (9.5kms in 39:51 or 4:13/km). Damp conditions but not cold and for once no wind to speak of.

Out in the evening for a game of snooker. Highest break of 43 - should have been a lot more but played a poor positional shot for the black and that was that. Looks so bloody easy on the Roger Mellie...

12 x 400 off 60 seconds

A warm-up around the pitches and 6 laps of the track for starters (5.7km).

Then the track session - planned to take it easy but as Gary and John were there that soon went out of the window. The first rep was a little lethargic, then I ran well for the remainder. If anything I was holding back a bit - we'd perhaps go through 200m a little too quick (with the benefit of the wind) and then cruise the last 200m. Here are the times:

69/67/66/67/67/68/67/67/67/67/66/66

Looking back to 2011 when I ran a lot of 400's for numerous 5km races, these times would be on a par with my best ever so that's encouraging. I must say it makes a huge difference running with the group (we took turns leading out each rep). Really enjoyed it (and I never took the full minute recovery - it was nearer 58 seconds).

A 4 lap warm-down followed by another trip around the pitches (4.9kms). All up 15.4kms for the day.

Here's a photo from the race on Saturday (thanks Patrick). It's just on the approach to the finish line:

Heat at last

Easy run of 9.5kms in 40:10 (4:14's). It's finally starting to heat up and the double layers, long sleeves and gloves are gone - just down to the short sleeves.

Forgot to mention the great win for Spurs yesterday. Just when you've given up on them they pull out a great result. Still can't see them making top 4 mind...but you live in hope.

Go Mo!

I watched the London Marathon. It brought back terrific memories from last year and I'm left wondering if I should give it another crack next year. We shall see. A terrific run from one of the City of Norwich athletes who clocked 2:28:35 to win his age group in the 45-49 category. That's fantastic going. I enjoyed watching Mo but couldn't help thinking why he didn't keep going until reaching the half marathon point.

So fired up I headed out at lunchtime for a trot. I started off well but had the benefit of the wind. I then had to battle the last 7km to keep the pace the same and ended up clocking 21.1kms in 1:28:23 (4:11's). Pretty tired come the end of that and no way I'd have kept that pace up for the full marathon.

That's 85.8kms for the week. That's it now for racing - 5 races on 5 consecutive weekends was nice while it lasted. Caveat - unless I can find a race next weekend! Then Tuesday week I'm off to Portugal for some warm(er) weather training so looking forward to that.

Enjoying the snooker. A shame to see Mark Williams get knocked out as he is one of my fave players but the new White is a great talent.

Labane 10km

Arrived out at Labane and after registration I had about 30 minutes to kill before the 11am start. A couple of kms warm-up, the a quick change of gear and we were soon lining up at the start. The weather was bright and breezy - the course would see us run straight into the wind for the first 4km, then a left turn with a few hills on kms 5 and 6, then a quicker couple of kms before rejoining the same road we had used to run out of the village for the final 2km. So the course was like a backwards facing "P" if that makes sense.

A very nice tribute to the Boston Marathon just before the off and then the race started where I hit the front with Peter O'Sullivan running right beside me. The pace wasn't too quick as it would have been a real energy sapper to try and take it out hard into the wind. The first km ticked by and then we crossed a small bridge before continuing along what was a very straight road.

Nothing much happened in the first 4km. Me and Peter were side-by-side, the road was predominantly flat with only a few bumps, and we had worked away from the main field. At around 4km we took a left-hand turn and that offered some respite from the wind. But we were now going uphill. I think I sat in behind Pete for a while at this stage and whilst we climbed a few hills, there were nice downhill sections to follow. Through 5km and a quick glance at my watch and I wasn't impressed as we hadn't broken 17 minutes...

With the benefit of the wind it became easier and I could feel the pace lifting. At around 6km there was still nothing between us and I tried a few token surges but I didn't really have the gears to make them count. By 7km I was starting to think it was going to come down to a sprint finish which would favour Peter with his track speed. At around 8km we took a right turn and at this point I tried another surge. I just managed to get in front and this was my trigger to press for home. I lifted the pace but knew it was still a long way from home. A nasty little climb back over the bridge which really had me blowing, but by the time I passed 9km I was confident I'd done enough for the win. The last km was fairly flat and I ran it hard crossing the line in 33:21 for the win.

Happy enough with that - conditions were tough enough for the first half of the race and I at least managed an improvement on last Sunday (on tired legs). Great to have a good battle with Peter - I'm sure we'll have plenty more this year! All up 15kms with warm-down when back to the hall for a great spread and the presentation.

All-in-all another very enjoyable event. Very well organised and some fantastic prizes. A big well done to the organisers. A good GCH turn-out with Gearoid taking out 3rd place and some fine PB's ran also and what is a very good course. Happy days.

Splits:

1km 3:22

2km 3:21

3km 3:28

4km 3:24

5km 3:27 (17:02)

6km 3:24

7km 3:19

8km 3:17

9km 3:11

10km 3:08 (16:19)

Total 33:21

Git back home to watch the start of the snooker. Come on Ronnie!!!

Vino collapso

Rest day today. I'm going to race (again) tomorrow in a 10km out at Ardrahan. I've not run the course before but it is advertised as being fairly flat. I'm praying for still conditions - I must be due after running in gales the last 4 weekends.

Only 2 beers in the fridge so that's all I had. Well I did have a glass of wine also - probably my first glass of wine in a few years. I tend to drink wine at beer pace so that's why me and the wine parted company...

Scores for show

An early 7am start with Fintan and Owen form my home. Our usual morning route which takes just over the hour. Lucky enough with the weather as it just about stayed dry but again the wind was blowing us all over the place. I felt tired throughout and the pace wasn't quick - all up 14.9kms in 1:08:07 (4:34's). Job done and it's nice to get the run out of the way early doors.

I watched the Premier League darts in the evening which was at the O2 in Dublin. It looked to be an incredible atmosphere with over 10,000 people in attendance. Some brilliant darts also - the Power against Barney was a class game finishing 6-6 after Barney missed 5 match darts...

Yuk

Not a great evening for running - windy and wet and I was going through the motions. All up 9.5kms in 41:40 (4:23's).

No snooker this week - I'll see how it's done when the World Champs start this weekend and get back into it next week.

8 x 3 mins off a minute

Out to Dangan for a track session that wasn't - the coach decided to move the session to the pitches to give the legs a bit of a rest from the hard surfaces after a lot of racing over the weekend. The session was 8 x 3 mins on the pitches with a minute recovery and still feeling tired I decided I was going to take it easy enough.

Here are the paces per km for each 3 minute efforts:

3:25/3:15/3:19/3:09/3:15/3:08/3:17/3:06

Basically I took the first half pretty easy and then felt guilty so pushed the second half a bit more. A nice group with me Owen and John taking turns out at the front.

All up 15.8kms for the day including warm-up and down. Still knackered.

Still waiting for official results from the AAI for the 10km on Sunday...

Go away wind

A nice easy trot of 9.5kms in 40:50 (4:18's). Legs feeling tired. Getting blown all over the place again - gotta love the west coast of Ireland.

No photos to show from the race yesterday - I'll have to do some digging.

Great Ireland Run 10km

Arrived at the Phoenix Park around midday and the conditions weren't to my liking. It was very blustery so it was going to be another tough day at the office.

After collecting numbers, dropping off bags, it was time for a short couple of kms warm-up before lining up for the 1:30pm start. This race is like no other in terms of quality - you have the best Irish athletes in the country toeing the line, plus some really classy international elites including the likes of Bekele and Birmingham. No excuses for not getting fired up.

The gun sounded and I settled into my running. The first km takes us straight down to a roundabout and by the time we reached this the leaders were already a good distance up the road. Through km 1 and I took the decision not to look at the watch today. I managed to lift the pace in the second km with the benefit of the wind and a nice group of half a dozen runners had formed including my GCH teammate John Greaney.

Not much happened until just after the long downhill in the 5th km. Looking back perhaps I was coasting a bit too much at this stage and should have been pushing it a bit more. Anyway at the bottom of the hill we had the first nasty climb up to the 5km marker. The group was starting to thin out a bit now and I tried going to the front to push things along.

The second half of the course didn't seem as bad as I remembered it from 2 years ago. There were some nasty drags, especially the long one up past 7km, and also some switchbacks which were very tough in the wind but by the time I had reached 8km our group had whittled down to just me and one other guy and we took it in turns to try and get away from each other.

I lost a bit of momentum in the 9th km and by the time I hit the 9km marker the other guy had opened up a 10m gap on me. I really pushed the last km which was nice and flat with the wind on the back but I could not make any inroads eventually crossing the line in 33:36 for 36th place.

I felt like I really ran a strong race and even though the time wasn't great, it felt like I had ran a bit quicker. The consensus on the day was that the wind was worth at least 30 seconds and the likes of Bekele (who won the race for the 2nd year on the trot) were over a minute down on the previous year. I guess I have to keep racing in the hope that I get a nice still day soon!

The good news is that I look to have won my age category so another national title to add to the collection. That was the main objective so got to be happy with that.

No warm-down - a lift back to Galway (thanks Martin) and then home for a few beers. All up 12kms for the day and 66.1kms for the week.

Splits:

1km 3:20
2km 3:08
3km 3:20
4km 3:21
5km 3:20 (16:29)
6km 3:28
7km 3:24
8km 3:28
9km 3:30 (estimate - missed split)
10km 3:17 (estimate - missed split)

Total 33:36

Just the one

Traveled to Dublin and spent the afternoon shopping in Dundrum, before heading out for some nice food and company courtesy of the sister-in-law.

Watched a bit of the Masters in the evening before retiring for an early night in the hotel. Shocker - only 1 beer today...

A few pints

9.5kms in 40:10 (4:14's). Legs still heavy so will rest up tomorrow.

A few beers tonight and then travel to Dublin tomorrow. I ran 32:54 at the Phoenix Park in 2011. I went through 5km in 15:50 and that was my race over (mushroom cloud)! If I break 33 again I'll be very happy and there the added incentive of picking up another national title to add to my 3,000m and half marathon.

Tiger looking good in the Masters.

Fintan's Back

I met with Fintan today for our first run together since last November. We hadn't fallen out - he has been struggling with an Achilles problem that has kept him out for months so good to see him back running.

Anyway great to have a bit of company today around Claregalway. A bit wet and the legs still felt heavy but the time soon passed knocking out 12.2kms in 53:21 (4:22's).

Thoughts now turn to the National 10km in Dublin on Sunday. I'm not expecting anything flash as I still feel tired but you never know. I ran a 10km PB last year 6 days after the Connemara Half...

Splits

Another easy run of 9.5kms in 39:58 (4:12's). Feeling tired - perhaps the track session on the back of the half was not a good idea. Talking of which, here were the splits:

Mile 1 6:16
Mile 2 6:09
Mile 3 5:36
Mile 4 6:13
Mile 5 5:42 (29:56)
Mile 6 6:00
Mile 7 6:22
Mile 8 5:43
Mile 9 5:48
Mile 10 6:17 (30:10)
Mile 11 6:59
Mile 12 5:54
Mile 13 5:55
Mile 13.1 0:35

Total 1:19:29

The less said about them the better.

Here is another photo I was sent from the half - I wasn't really getting much of a draft behind the lead cyclist...



















Snooker in the evening. One decent chance for a nice break but missed a straight black off the spot for 40...

3 x (1km/90 secs/400m/4 mins)

Back to the track. Was planning to take it handy but the coach thought otherwise saying the kms were to be run at 3km pace (2:57), and the 400's at 1,500m pace (say 68 secs). I'd give it a go and run on feel.

With the light evenings it was back to the pitches for the warm-up (3.5km), then a couple of laps of the track. Then copped a spray from the coach about how his 3km best was better than mine - even though he is 10 years younger than me. Some people have no respect.

The first km wasn't great (Owen calls it the pancake rep - you're never happy with the first one). Then bounced back and ran some decent times on tired legs (though the long recoveries helped). Here goes:

3:05/67/2:58/66/2:56/65

Perfect evening for running so that helped. Plus I had John and Christy to keep me honest which was great - good running guys, you're both flying and are in good form for Sunday.

Same warm-down around the pitches. All up 13.4kms.

Recovery Run

Another windy evening. After a couple of spring-like days last week it has resorted back to winter like temperatures. Anyway, the legs felt very sore and I took it nice and easy knocking out 9.5kms in 41:45 (4:24's). A good stretch afterwards.

Here's a photo of me celebrating the win a little prematurely (about half a mile) in the race on Sunday (thanks Jane). Note the Nancy boy gloves as it was a little on the chilly side. I think that was the last mountain I had just run over in the background...

Connemara Half Marathon

Out to the start of the half marathon bright and early after catching one of the coaches from Galway which are specially laid on for this event. A quick coffee and then a bit of hanging around for the start. It was very cold and windy and I had a horrible feeling that we would be battling the wind for the guts of the race.

I wandered up to the start about 20 minutes before the off and luckily for me I bumped into a friend who offered to take my gear from the start to the finish of the race which meant I could keep wearing extra layers of clothes until just before the start. I did a quick couple of kms warm-up, and watched the leader of the marathon coming through Leenane (half-way point), before heading back to the start. After some nice words from the MC and the Race Director the horn sounded and we were off.

I quickly took the lead and by the time we made the first turn left on the long climb out of Leenane I had already opened up a handy lead. At this point it became obvious that it was going to be a very tough run as I was already running directly into the wind, and to add insult to injury the first mile is nearly all uphill. Through mile 1 and I had the lead cycle to focus on and the uphill climb seemed to continue for most of the second mile. The next few miles the course flattened out and I seemed to have a decent lead so it was a case of remaining focused and keeping the legs ticking over.

Another very nasty climb up to 5 miles, and still no shelter from the wind, then a nice downhill section. More hills in miles 7 and 8 which I didn't recall from the previous year but running into the wind you seemed to feel every undulation. Just before 9 miles we took a right turn and then it was a very slow 2 mile grind which had me thinking every negative thought possible. The last couple of miles were still tough despite being mainly downhill and I was a very relieved person to reach the finish line in 1:19:29 for the win. I went a bit crazy coming down the finishing chute acting like a right pork chop. Not a good look for a nearly 42 year old....

Despite this being one of the toughest races I have ever done I think I enjoyed it. First class organisation and a truly unique experience running through Connemara. Lots of people to thank - firstly the support I was getting on the course from the walkers, the marathon and ultra runners that I passed. Plus a big GCH support crew just before the finish that gave me a real lift. Plus a big thank you to the organisers and volunteers who made this race possible.

Legs were very sore after the race - no warm-down, instead straight into the hotel at the finish for a massage where I found myself on the next massage table to Gary O'Hanlon who stormed to a win in the marathon in an incredible time of 2hr35 (note a quicker pace than my half!). A good chat with Gary and then back to Galway for a few celebratory beers.

All up 23.1kms for the day and 80.5kms for the week.

I'll post the sorry splits and a few photos over the coming days.

Runners ready

Well I've decided to give the half it a shot. My plan is to line up and see what happens. If there are some real guns on the start line then I'll use the race as a long tempo run. If there's a chance I could win it then I'll race it properly. The experience from last year was one to savour so I'll be hoping for more of the same. Therefore no run today to give the legs a bit of a recharge.

Into town in the morning to pick up my race number. A very professional set-up. A nice mini-expo as well with free drinks and food. Impressive.

My pre-race routine (of late) of 5 beers the night before the race has been reigned into 3. Lets see if that works...

Half?

9.5kms in 39:31 (4:10's).

I'm toying with the idea of running the Connemara Half Marathon on Sunday. It will be a last minute decision. The prospect of some decent running weather could swing it - plus if there's a chance I could win then it's worth a shot.

A game of darts in the evening down the local boozer. Total rubbish.

More of the same

Again another warm day. This time 11.1kms in 46:04 (4:09's). Feeling good.

A game of snooker in the evening at a new club that has opened - less than 5 minutes walk from the house! That's dangerous. The table was nice - my play wasn't. Highest break of 36...

Recorded "Judgement Night" at the Premier League darts to watch over the next few nights.

Warming up

Finally a bit of a warmer day - lovely for running and knocked out an easy run of 9.5kms in 40:16 (4:14's).

4 x 1600 off a big recovery

Track night - and the first time in ages that it didn't feel bloody freezing. With the clocks changing it was still daylight and after my normal lap of the block (3.7kms) it was down to the track for the session.

I bumped into Gary and he asked what I was doing (no plan). So I decided to jump in on his session which was to be 4 x 1.5 miles off recoveries of 2:30, 4:30 then 2:30. There was no way I'd stick with him for the full mile and a half so I decided to just run the mile (well 4 laps) and then drop out and take the big recovery.

Here are the times:

4:57/4:54/4:54/4:53

The long recovery flatters the times - it would have been a different ball game with say a 90 second recovery. I did run a couple of slow laps during each recovery to reduce the guilt factor. The reps felt pretty comfortable which was pleasing after a couple of poor race performances (perhaps I'm just not cut-out for running well in the wind).

A good chat with Gary afterwards and I've come up with a target for 2013. Having a blog I'll put it out there - a sub 32 minute 10km on the track at the end of July (target 31:40). There - I've said it (this isn't an April Fool - that was yesterday). Gary said that to do that you must be able to run 6 x 1600m off 90 seconds at target pace about 2 to 3 weeks before the race. So for me that would be 5:04 for my 4 lap reps which sounds tough but manageable. I love a challenge.

All up 16.2kms with warm-down and a perfect evening for running.

Bank holiday Monday

Easy local loop of 11.1kms in 46:11 (4:10's). Again felt pretty good.

More painting...

Easter Sunday

I ventured out at lunchtime into the cold and wind. Bloody hell this weather is pretty ordinary - still feels like the middle of winter and it hasn't climbed above 6 or 7 degrees for a couple of weeks...

An out and back run. I headed up towards Oranmore into the wind running 4:27's. I turned on 42 minutes and ran back home running sub 4:10's (slightly longer route). Total 19.4kms in 1:23:11 (4:17's). Felt pretty good considering I'd raced the day before.

That's 85.5kms for the week. The rest of the day was spent with the paintbrush in the hand - yes more decorating...then a beer in the hand - yes more drinking.

Colemanstown 10km

Twelve months ago I set my 10km road PB at this race. I felt I was in good shape and was certainly looking forward to getting under 33 again. Well that didn't happen and I ran a very disappointing 33:39.

Okay it was another tough old day conditions-wise. Very similar to the C10 from the previous week with low temperatures and a stiff wind. The first 4km were ran right into the breeze and after running a decent first km, I then started to struggle and by the time I reached 4km I had nothing left for the run home. Through 5km in 16:52 and despite all my efforts I couldn't get the km splits under 3:20 - even with the wind on the back.

Despite a poor run I still managed to claim the win, with GCH teammates Owen and Gearoid in 2nd and 3rd place. Okay so not the time I was looking for but I won't let that detract from this great event. It's a real gem and great value with each competitor receiving a head-torch. Plus a spread afterwards that was fantastic.

All up 15kms with warm-up and down. I hope this event goes from strength to strength and I'll certainly pencil this race in again for next year. Fingers crossed we get better conditions!

Here are the splits:

1km 3:16
2km 3:20
3km 3:24
4km 3:34
5km 3:18 (16:52)
6km 3:20
7km 3:23
8km 3:21
9km 3:22
10km 3:21 (16:47)

Total 33:39

Good Friday

No running today.

Followed my normal pre-race routine of having a beer. Well 5 to be exact...

Mixed bag

A longer run today. Again I was feeling pretty good. I got as far as Carnmore Cross and someone was waving out at me from a car. Not wearing my glasses it took me a while to recognise that it was my brother-in-law. I ran a bit further down the road and he had doubled back and pulled the car over to meet me. I must say I was quite glad of a few minutes break as there was another stiff wind today. Next thing I'm meeting his work colleagues having my photo taken (he's a Dublin based newspaper editor). Quite bizarre really but helped to break up the run!

All up 14.7kms in 1:02:13 (4:14's). No more running now until the race on Saturday.

I played 4 frames of snooker in the evening. Lots of small breaks but I couldn't get beyond 30...

Sky

Another easy trot - legs felt good today so that's a good sign. Total 11.0kms in 45:47 (4:10's). Cold as.

The new TV/darts/play room is just about done. Just waiting on some furniture. The Sky subscription has gone through the roof as we now have the HD package, plus an extra box, plus additional channels so I can watch the snooker on Eurosport. Watching darts in high definition is the way forward...

12 x 400m and 1 x 2km

A trip to the track. Numbers were down as most people had been racing and I took the opportunity to run a session in cruise mode rather than all out. I decided on some 400's off a minute and thought that if I could get round in 72's feeling good that would do. Here's how it went:

76/73/73/73/72/72/71/72/72/72/72/71

I had to work a bit harder than I would have liked to get the times down so I guess I was still recovering from the 10 miler. After completing the set I jumped into a group for 5 laps (2km) at sub 3:30/km pace which felt nice and easy.

Another freezing cold night but no wind so pretty good conditions. All up 15.9kms with warm-up and down. The plan is to race again on Saturday (10km), then I'll run the National 10km in Dublin on April 14th at the Phoenix Park as part of the Great Ireland Run. Yes my new plan is to race more...

Back to the drawing board

An easy run today to flush out the legs after yesterday. Still absolutely freezing cold - I can't remember it being this cold at any point through winter. Time 40:31 for 9.5kms (4:16's).

Here is a great shot courtesy of Francis at Eirefoto. It's one of those rare moments when I'm actually in front of Michael Shannon. I should mention he missed the start so it was basically a handicap start...

Craughwell 10

This race report is going to be short and sweet. Arrived to very cold and windy conditions (as was expected). Only 3 degrees and with the wind chill factor it was effectively below zero. I did a shortish warm-up with Sean down to the start (approx 1.6kms) and soon we were all lining up ready for the race.

The horn sounded and I settled in behind Gerry Ryan and Mick Clohisey for the first 400m. They soon started to work away from me and by the time I hit the first mile marker they were well up the road. With the wind on the back and the downhill start it made for a very quick pace but I knew in the back of the mind that the second half of the race was going to get nasty.

Just after the mile and Mick Shannon came flying past me. He had missed the start and was running everyone down. I tried to stay with him for a mile but was fighting a losing battle so I went back into running solo mode. As each mile ticked by I seemed to be slowing and by the time I went through 5 miles the wind started to become a real factor.

I tried everything to keep the pace up - changing which side of the road I was running on to try and find shelter, shortening the stride, bending lower. Nothing seemed to be working. It's a great advantage having long legs but on a day like today I was doing my best impression of a sail and I was tacking along at best.

Through 10km in 33:20 so still good at this point but with the benefit of the wind I should probably have attacked more and gone through in sub 33. The last 4 miles were very difficult and I fought a losing battle with my motivation and concentration. A bit of shelter from the wind down the country lane between 8 and 9 miles but really struggled on the long uphill climb to the school to the finishing line eventually crossing the timing mat in 55:13 for 4th place.

One of those days where it didn't happen for me. The only positive is that the shin seemed fine and I don't think the race has taken too much out of me. The conditions didn't seem to bother some people with some fine PB's recorded. Chris, Sean and Dee all fell into that category with some great performances. Well done.

For the record Mick Clohisey won the race in 51:16, Mick Shannon was 2nd in 52:19 and Gerry Ryan 3rd in 52:38 (then a big gap back to me!).

A 2km warm-down and a quick dash home to climb into the warm shower. All up 19.7kms for the day and 58.4kms for the week.

Here are the splits:

Mile 1 5:03
Mile 2 5:14
Mile 3 5:18
Mile 4 5:19
Mile 5 5:36 (26:30)
Mile 6 5:39
Mile 7 5:44
Mile 8 5:47
Mile 9 5:43
Mile 10 5:40 (28:43)

Total 55:13

Heart screening

No running today.

Myself and the good wife went into town for a free heart screening test. All went well with my resting heart rate at 42 (lowest of the day). BMI of 22 and in the words of the doctor "if everyone was as fit as you I'd be out of a job".....

Did tell a few fibs though on daily alcohol consumption...

Still bloody cold and windy.

Windy Miller

Another very easy paced trot - 9.5kms in 42:21 (4:27's). No sharp pain in the shin to report but you'd expect that at the slower speed. I fear that could be different when I hit full flow in Sunday's race.

Weather has been far from ideal the last couple of days. Bloody windy and wet - these conditions would rule out any quick times on Sunday. Perhaps I'm best of forgetting the race on Sunday and going on all-dayer instead...

Sore shin

I noticed a sharp pain at one point in the front of my left shin at track on Tuesday which I chose to ignore. I could then feel it again yesterday. Today it's still there and is starting to give me cause for concern. I hope it's not a dreaded stressie but that's probably just me fearing the worst. I took it really easy today and just knocked out a very sedate 6.7kms in 30:01 (4:29's).

On closer inspection there is certainly a very sore spot on the inside of my left shin which has me wincing if I press it hard. Hopefully a few easy days and it will come good...

Moving on

I bounced back after yesterday's below par performance and felt really good today. The legs felt fresh and you wouldn't know I'd done a session the day before. Strange. I'm still coughing away but hopefully the lungs will clear in time for the weekend. All sorts of germs flying round in our house with the wife and kids both struggling the last week so I guess I may have copped a bit of it also.

9.5kms in 39:26 (4:09's) and perfect cool conditions for running.

6 x 800m off 2 mins

Some quick running at the track to sharpen up before the 10 miler on Sunday. The plan was to start out around 2:24 for the 800's, and then work them down to sub 2:20 for the last couple.

A warm-up around the block and a couple of laps of the track, then into the groups with me running with Keith. I was to take out the first lap, then Keith would take over for the second one. Conditions were pretty good - dry and a bit of a stiff headwind on the back straight. One problem is that the floodlights had failed on the final bend so you were basically running in the dark - didn't bother me though but there were some understandable safety concerns!

Here are the times:

2:26/2:20/2:23/2:22/2:20/2:21

I never felt good during this session despite the long recovery. The first one was poor but bounced back nicely for the second one. But after that I seemed to die after the first 400m and had nothing left to bring it home (especially the last rep where Keith left me for dead). I was coughing up all sorts of nasty stuff and my right ear seemed blocked so I'll put it down to me not feeling great and move on. Not the confidence booster I was looking for before the race but the times were still pretty good - just not what I thought I was capable of after a decent block of training.

Another warm-down around the roads to give me 13.0kms for the day. Easy running for the rest of the week with another rest day planned for Saturday.

Taper week

No running today. Still painting...

I conveniently forgot to mention the final of the Clare River Darts League that was played out on Saturday night. We played at a neutral venue (Keanes in Athenry) and the final was a slightly longer format of best of 5 legs for the 6 x singles and 3 x pairs.

Our team went 3-0 down, with yours truly playing next and I managed a win to get us back into the match. We also won the next game to get us back to 3-2 but then we lost the last single game meaning we had to win all 3 pairs games to win the match. I played first with Sean and we managed another win to get us back to 4-3 but then we lost the next match in a deciding leg which meant we ran out 5-3 losers. A great night though and I'm sure our team will be back to have another crack next year.

Ding Dong

A not so long Sunday run. A total of 14.6kms in 1:05:09. Bloody windy and tough going.

That's a total of 96.4kms for the week. Not quite cracking the ton...

Out in the evening to watch the snooker final between Ding Jinhui and Neil Robertson. The Aussie raced into a 3-0 lead only for Ding to fightback and win the match 4-3. An absolutely incredible standard of snooker with Dung recording a 99% pot success rate. I think there was a 50 break or more in every frame with Ding making a 130, plus a 98 in the decider (he went in-off the black after potting it for 105). A great night.

5 x 5 mins off 75 secs

The aim was to run the 5 minute efforts at around target 10km pace (3:15/km). I was to run locally and on a breezy day I was to use my normal course which consisted of 3 x downhills with breeze behind, plus 2 return uphills into the wind.

A longish 20 minute warm-up and it was straight into it. Here are the stats for each 5 minute effort:

1 - 3:12/km - 1.56kms
2 - 3:19/km - 1.51kms
3 - 3:10/km - 1.58kms
4 - 3:19/km - 1.51kms
5 - 3:08/km - 1.59kms

Happy enough with that - though the uphills (2 and 4) were a real effort.

A total of 15.6kms with warm-down. Back to the decorating...

Long weekend

More easy running. This time 13.9kms in 1:00:04 (4:19's).

A long weekend here in Ireland - I'm decorating the darts room so photos to follow when it's ready.

PTC Galway

15.2kms in 1:05:47 (4:20's).

Watching a bit of the snooker on the TV which is on here in Galway at the moment. I have tickets for Sunday's final so looking forward to that.

Midweek

11.1kms in 46:56 (4:14's).

Legs not too bad after yesterday's track session. Normally I'm struggling to break 4:20's after a tough session.

5 x (1km / 60 secs / 400m / 90 secs)

The last big track session before the Craughwell 10. Good conditions - bone dry and only a bit of breeze around. Very fortunate to have the help of Gary tonight (again) for the kms, plus Keith for the 400's.

Usual warm-up around the block then a couple of laps of the track. Straight into the session and sat behind Gary for all of the kms. That's no help to him whatsoever but hopefully I'll keep improving and will soon have the confidence to take out a few of the reps. The times were very consistent and it takes all of the hard work out of it as Gary drags you round at exactly the right pace. Basically one less thing to have to think about.

These were the times:

3:02/72/2:59/70/3:03/69/3:02/69/3:02/67

Another very pleasing session. That's 3 weeks on the trot now where I've really nailed it on the track and I feel like I'm in PB territory. Hopefully I can carry this form over onto the road in upcoming races. Perhaps I could have pushed the 400's a bit more - the coach said I should be down around 67's but that aside the times for the kms were really pleasing. Averaging 3:02's and it felt a lot more comfortable than the previous week. Pleasing signs. I should add that I used the 90 secs after each 400 to take a very slow 200m walk/stumble/jog back to the start line ready for the next km.

A warm-down of 3.7kms to give me 16.2kms for the day.

Late

A late evening run up and down the N17. Time 41:41 for 9.8kms (4:15's).

Still not feeling great - the running seems to be harder work than it should be. I'm sure I'll turn the corner soon.

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.