Galway County 5,000m

Another cracking day - temperatures were around 29 degrees as I arrived at the track for the race. Not much activity with lots of people milling around trying to keep out of the sun. At about 7:15 I did a 10 minute warm-up with the guys, then another rest. Still no race and as the women's 3,000m race started myself and Owen went out again for another 10 minutes warm-up.

We were called to the start about 8pm. There were around 28 starters and after a few admin issues which caused a further delay, we eventually got underway. Two guys went straight to the front and I settled into third place. By 200m one of the guys had blown, leaving me in second. A few laps passed and I worked into the lead and then it was a question of trying to maintain the pace whilst in time trial mode.

I wasn't wearing a watch and to keep myself focused I tried to run 75 second laps as they were calling out the times at the 200m mark. I went through the first 4 laps in 4:59, through 8 laps in 10:02 or so, but I knew I was going to struggle home. The last 4 laps were a real grind and there was no attempt to lift the pace for the run home as the legs were heavy and unresponsive. I crossed the line in 15:53.67 (electronic timing!) for the win.

So another disappointing time but I'd say most times were way down due to the Galway heatwave. I've been very unlucky with conditions this year but I'll keep racing in the hope that I get lucky soon - starting with another 5,000m in Sligo this Sunday! Sub 15:30 would be nice!

A 3.5km warm-down to give me 12.5kms for the day.

Here's a photo (thanks Jane). Race number 90 - that's how old I felt...

Legoland

Today was spent in Legoland. But not before my third full English breakfast on the trot...

An incredible place and great for the kids. Even better for the grown-ups (read me). Loved it.

No running today. Come 4:30pm it was time to leave for the drive to Stansted and then the flight back to Ireland.

Forgot to mention last week's tally. A massive 60.3kms.

Here are a few photos from Legoland:

Windsor

A token run at lunchtime in the midday sun - a blistering pace covering 6.6kms in just under 33 minutes. Sweat out some of last night and all that.

Lunch at my grans and then we moved on from Norwich to Windsor. Listened to the tennis in the car on the drive down and good to see Andy Murray finally do it.

Upon arrival I had a few pints with the old man, then we had a wander around. The castle there is something else - incredible. Something to eat and a few more pints.

Here's a few photo with old man and son:

Lord Mayor's 5km

I woke up with my left eyelid welded shut - seems I may have some conjunctivitis, probably brought on by the new contact lenses...

I did some kid stuff in the morning, then spent the rest of the afternoon with the rellies. Then into the city at around 3:45pm to pick up my race pack. The temperatures were scorching hot - close to 30 degrees and after a quick chat with the race director who described the course to me, I had just about lost the will to live as it wasn't the pancake flat course I had hoped for...definitely not course and conditions for a PB. Paul Evans who holds the course record of 14:11 says he was in low 13 minute shape when he ran that time so that gives you an idea of the course...

For anyone who knows Norwich city centre the route itself was a 2 and a bit lapper. From the lowest point of the course down at the mini-roundabout outside the Maids Head Hotel there are 3 drags - up through Tombland, then another climb up onto Castle Meadow, then a long drag up St Stephens to the roundabout at the top. And being 2 laps you have the joy of experiencing these tough sections twice.

I walked the course as a sort of warm-up and had already worked up a good sweat. Then a quick change into race gear and about a 1km warm-up and it was time to start the race. Just over 100 people on the start line and with thousands of people lining the streets to watch the procession which immediately followed the race, it promised to be a unique experience.

Off and racing and I settled into my running. The first section had us running downhill through Tombland, then around the hairpin roundabout and the start of the 3 hills that I described. I was running solo with a few groups up front to chase. I wasn't paying any attention to the watch and by the time I had reached the top of the course on the first lap (approx 1.5km), I was already starting to struggle and the likes of Gemma Steel and another CoNAC runner were a good 20 to 30 metres in front of me.

The downhill sections were great, but I didn't have the energy to attack them and whilst the pace picked up, relative to the field I was simply maintaining my position. Back through Tombland for the second time and with a few cheers from some mates I really tried to attack on the second set of climbs. I was certainly closing on Gemma and by the time we reached the bottom of St Stephens I had caught her and cruised past. Then I caught the guy wearing the CoNAC vest and by the time I reached the top of the course at 4km, I pushed as hard as I could for the last downhill km. I think I overtook another couple of runners in this section, and at the same time one guy sped past me. I crossed the line with a time of 16:04 for 10th position (first V40).

Not the time I was after but I have to say I was pretty happy with the run. I took over 20 seconds out of Gemma in the last 1.5kms and certainly felt strong at the end. Nice to finish a race overtaking people and with the huge crowd support on the course it was a good day.

After the race I jogged straight back to where we were staying for a shower and change. Then out for some fun and merriment. Very enjoyable. A total of 9.7kms for the day and lots of beers...

Here are the splits:

1km 3:11
2km 3:08
4km 6:44 (I missed the 3km marker)
5km 3:01

Total 16:04 (7:59 first half, 8:05 second half)

Here are some photos courtesy of one of the CoNAC photographers (thanks Granville). The first one is just before passing Gemma. I don't recall the other two!

Travel

Up at 3:45am with the family for the drive/plane/drive to Norwich. Arrived with no major dramas.

Spent the rest of the day catching up with family. Eating plenty and out in the evening for a few beers and a game of snooker. The weather is scorching hot which is nice when you're not running...

Thursday

9.5kms in 39:48 (4:11's). A bit quicker than yesterday - legs starting to feel a lot better.

No running now until the race on Saturday.

Early start tomorrow morning...

Wednesday

Just catching up on the old blog....

9.5kms in 41:30 (4:22's). Can't remember anything else!

4 x 400, 3 x 1600, 4 x 400

Track session - a 5.0km warm-up and a few strides and we were faced with a tough old session. Conditions were damp as it had been raining on and off for most of the day, but the wind had dropped so it was a lot better than I had feared.

Numbers were a bit thin in the top group with only myself, Paddy and Conor for company. I set myself a target of 69 seconds for the 400's and 5:04's for the 4 lappers which was dream target 10km pace (31:40).

The session was a real struggle. I had the other lads helping out with my pacing - but I felt very heavy legged and couldn't wait to get it over with. Here are the times:

70/70/69/70
5:00/5:01/5:01
70/68/70/69

The 400's weren't great but at least I managed to crank out some decent 4 lappers. I forgot to mention the recoveries - 1 minute between all the efforts and 2 minutes between sets. It's bloody tough running those 4 lappers off only a minute...and to think I want to try and run at that pace for over 6 times the distance...

A short warm-down of 2.5kms to give me 15.5kms for the day. Easy running and rest now before Saturday.

Watched a bit of the England cricket warm-up game - a 4 day game against Essex. A bit of a joke as it started off as a first class game, then due to a couple of injuries to the Essex bowlers they drafted in some new players resulting in the loss of the first class status. I'd say Bresnan was a bit peeved as he hit a ton which will not now be part of his stats...

Australia going well in their 4 day game.

A great run by Cameron Page to run his first sub 4 minute mile in winning the mile race at Cork this evening (time 3:54.77). I think that puts him either 9th or 10th on the Australian all time list. I think Cam next races in Belgium on Saturday July 13th (KBC Nacht) where he will be chasing a world championship qualifier. If recent form is anything to go by he has a red hot chance.

Struggle St

9.5kms in 39:59 (4:13's). Felt very tired all day and that was reflected in the run - basically no energy. Upped the pace for the last couple of minutes just to dip under 40. I think that's a runners thing...

So started taking some iron supplements: Galfer syrup - awful sticky stuff. Will finish the bottle and see if I can get a Tigger like bounce...

Not coasting on the Coast Road

Out at 9am with Owen starting at Roscam. Conditions were very windy and whilst it stayed dry for the first half of the run, the rain came making the second half pretty miserable.

We ran out through Oranmore, then onto Maree where we completed about 5km of the 8km course out there. Then doubled back with the last section of the Coast Road being very tough running for about 20 minutes straight into the wind (probably at around 5 mins/km pace).

All up 27.2kms in 2:02:03 (4:29's). That's 105.4kms for the week and a decent couple of sessions in the bag in the process. Very happy with how things are going.

Next week I'll do a big track session on Tuesday, then wind things back in preparation for the three 5km races I have scheduled.

I watched the Diamond League athletics from Birmingham in the afternoon. Jess Judd had another great run winning the 800m in 1:59.85 and securing her first sub 2 and more importantly her ticket to compete in Moscow. Then the men's 5,000m which Mo won with another stunning last lap - especially the last 200m where he put the 2 fancied Ethiopians to the sword (Yenew Alamirew and Hagos Gebrhiwet). Looks to be in great form and when he describes 13:15 as slow you'd have to say he has plenty more to come...

10 x 3 mins off 60 secs

Same participants as Thursday, same location, this time though it was a speed session. I mentioned on the warm-up I felt a bit selfish keep having these runs on my doorstep but in all honesty the back roads are great around here being relatively flat and traffic free.

A bit of a breeze, but nice and cool and during the warm-up we quickly decided on committing to the full 10 reps as the plan called for 8 to 10. We agreed on running them at 10km pace so I would be looking at a range of 3:15 to 3:18 pace (threshold and not flat out interval pace). Just a note on this, if it was the track I'd be looking at a pace around 3 or 4 seconds per km quicker - that's how much quicker I run on the track for the same effort level.

After a 15 minute warm-up we started the session. We ran 5 x 3 mins in one direction around the loop, then doubled back finishing back at the starting point. The breeze was certainly a factor on the 4th and 5th efforts, but I didn't really notice it after we turned even though we were probably running straight into the breeze for the last couple. Paces for each 3 minute were as follows:

3:16/3:13/3:15/3:14/3:13/3:10/3:10/3:09/3:10/3:08 (average 3:12)

Basically well inside target pace and whilst it was a good hard session, it certainly wasn't red-line (which after all was the intention). Fintan has moved up a notch and was with me the whole way whilst Owen ran another blinder and it's only a matter of time before he does some real damage to his 10km PB.

A great session. Same warm-down of 15 minutes or so and I ended up with a total distance of 17.4kms on the Garmin. I feel like going out and getting hammered now but I'll keep the powder dry for another week - at least until after the 5km in Norwich next Saturday night.

Talking of Norwich, I see there is a big campaign there to have the film premier of the new Alan Partridge movie in Norwich's own Anglia Square as opposed to London's Leicester Square. Smell my cheese...

No sport to watch

11.1kms in 47:37 (4:18's). The only thing of note was watching 2 large birds cross the road and stop the traffic. Not sure what they were - bigger than ducks with webbed feet!

An Irish coffee followed by 4 beers in the evening. Perfect preparation for the (running) session tomorrow morning. I have company for that one so that should make for a better quality session.

Down to business

Myself, Fintan and Owen and our 7am Thursday run. Nice and cool with little wind. My daughter had been redecorating her room all night so I was like a zombie for the start of the run.

Lots of comfort breaks on this run (none from me) - it may have been a record. I'll have to start counting them but it felt like double figures. All up 15.0kms in 1:07:08 (4:29's). Started raining just as we finished!

Watched some athletics in the evening from Ostrava - the standard was pretty hot. Bekele finished 4th in the 5,000m and it seems his best days are perhaps behind him - shame he never stepped up to the marathon when he was at his best. I think the winner (Muktar Idris) ran 13:04 with a 54 second last lap!

Creating a monster

I took the kids out at lunchtime to meet the wife. The venue was the athletics track which she works almost next door to. Both kids were fascinated by the track and they immediately lined up for a one lap race. Conor (aged 4) finished the lap without stopping leaving Maeve in his wake (she's 3). I wish I'd taken the camera to capture this moment - even Maeve finished the circuit after walking most of the last 200m.

Anyway I did a short 40 minute run whilst the family had a picnic and I bumped into Eamon around the pitches so the time passed quickly. Upon return to the track Conor then wanted to race me. Not being one to refuse a challenge I accepted and I was just pipped on the line by a winning time of 2:05. So that's his new 400m PB and he's not stopped giving it the big I am ever since.

All up 9.5kms for me including the 400m at the end. Time just shy of 45 minutes.

Snooker in the evening - lenses and all. No improvement - in fact I think I was better playing blind.

15 x 200 off 30 secs

Long warm-up of 4.5kms around the pitches, then another 4 laps of the track. The session tonight was 200's off a short 30 second recovery. I was aiming for around 32 for each one which is about where I ended up. Here are the times:

33/33/33/32/33/32/33/32/32/32/32/32/32/31/30

A good front group of myself, Owen, Billy and Conor. We were taking turns leading each rep - I felt pretty comfortable throughout up until the last few where I started to work the pace that bit harder and was suffering as a result. The 30 seconds recovery evaporates and feels much shorter. You check the watch after running the 200 and 15 seconds has gone straight away. You then line up ready to start the next one and you're off again. The session was over in a little over 15 minutes! I think I enjoyed it...

A long warm-down of 6.6km around the pitches. Total 15.7kms for the day.

Longer reps planned for Saturday. Until then it's easy running.

Mickey Arthur

A lovely evening for a run. Legs felt great and was running very freely knocking out my standard 9.5kms in 38:48 (4:05's). Looking forward to the track session tomorrow - some rare 200's to get the legs fired up.

Good to see the Aussie cricket team in turmoil only a few weeks before the Ashes. I did suspect that Mickey Arthur had completely lost the plot when he described their bowling attack as the best in the world...that said, a good appointment bringing Darren Lehmann in.

2 Hours

I couldn't face running solo today so I was up early to run the Cathedral Run with a few from the club. I parked on the edge of the city and ran to the meeting point (3kms). Then ran the normal Sunday route in conditions that were not good (very windy and wet). Then after the loop I ran back to the car deliberately taking a slightly longer route to get me up over the 2 mark.

Total 2:00:14 covering 25.9kms (4:39's). Pace not quick but legs still weren't right.

Lots of sport watching for the rest of the day. Robertson won the snooker as I tipped earlier in the week. Some more athletics from Gateshead with team Great Britain finishing 3rd. And the final of the cricket between India and England. The less said about that the better...

84.9kms for the week. I'll drop in a decent week of training next week and then pull it back as I have 3 x 5km races planned in the space of 8 days - the Lord Mayors 5km in my home town of Norwich on July 6th, then the Galway 5,000m champs on the track on July 9th, then round 2 of the National League on July 14th. Perhaps I can run a World Championship qualifier of 13:15.......???

Recovery Run

Legs were in bits today - didn't stretch properly after the race and all that. I decided I'd shake the legs out with an hour run but didn't feel any better cometh the end. Total 15.0kms in 1:07:51 (4:31's).

I suppose it's only natural that the recovery process takes longer as you get older. In the same way it now takes me an eternity to recover after a big night on the falling down water, I'm noticing a similar pattern after a tough run....

Watched a bit of the athletics on the Beeb today - the European Team Championships held in Gateshead. Great viewing. Mo dropped in a quick last lap of the 5,000m (50.89 seconds!) after jogging round for 4,600m. A great win for Jess Judd in the 800m who ran 2 minutes flat. There looks to be a fair bit of young talent in the British team coming through. Good signs.

Annaghdown 10km

Out to Annaghdown for the Summer Solstice 10km - a lovely town situated on the bay with some of the nicest trimmed bushes I have ever seen...I felt like I was in decent nick so was looking forward to a good hard hit-out in the build-up to my sub 32 attempt on the track at the end of July.

Conditions weren't ideal - it was constant fine rain and a fair bit of wind around, but at least it was nice and cool. That probably put a few people off as the numbers looked down on previous years.

A short 2km warm-up with Brian and Chris and we were soon lining up at the start. I didn't get my greatest start (not paying attention) but by the time we rounded the first left-hand turn I had taken the lead and started to put the foot down. The first 4km is run in the same direction - plenty of undulations but nothing too taxing with perhaps the wind on the back at this point. My km splits were metronome like and after a couple of kms I had started to open up a handy lead.

Through 4km and then another left turn. Through 5km in 16:12 and feeling pretty good but I knew the back half of the course was tougher - especially the section between 7 and 9kms. I was still running well up to 7km and as soon as I hit that point I still felt like I was ticking along nicely but the km splits disagreed. Perhaps the wind had picked up as it was certainly tough going. A bit disheartened I crawled up the last drag by the graveyard just after 9km - then upped the tempo for the run to the line.

I crossed in 32:49 for the win so all in all happy with that given the conditions plus the fact I was running Hans. My best 10km in a good while so good to see things on the improve - not bad running with a throat infection as confirmed by the doctor a few hours before the race...

Despite the conditions there were some good runs by many with both Paddy and Chris both running PB's in 2nd and 3rd place. Well done to everyone who took part.

A warm-down with Conor and Brian and back to the school for some hot drinks and the presentation. All up 15.0kms for the day.

Here are the splits:

1km 3:14
2km 3:14
3km 3:13
4km 3:14
5km 3:17 (16:12)
6km 3:16
7km 3:17
8km 3:23
9km 3:27
10km 3:14 (16:37)

Total 32:49

Some great photos courtesy of Jane. Here are a few. My poor start:























Crossing the finish line:

Can I swap this for a beer?

The podium. Paddy on the right needs a good feed:

The presentation. Thanks to Paul and the gang for putting on this fine race:

Rest before race

No running to report today.

More cricket watching - England to play India in the final on Sunday. Should be a good game with 2 teams of very contrasting styles.

More snooker watching - the Wuxi Classic. My pick at this point is Robertson.

A few beers in the evening and an early night. The throat still isn't right so it may be time to visit the doctor.

Just looking at my previous performances in Annaghdown. A 32:41 in 2011 and a 32:38 last year. Looking at my splits the first half of the course would appear to be quick (16:08 in 2011 and 16:05 in 2012). Or perhaps I just went out too quick and blew-up in the second half...the course record is 32:31 which I don't think is in reach for me at the moment. But hopefully some quicks will show and they can smash that to pieces!

Not easy

Was hoping for a nice and easy lap around the block. I felt dreadful the whole way - the worst run I can remember for a while. All up 9.5kms in 41:55 (4:25's).

Even stopped for 5 minutes mid-run to speak to one of the lads out of the darts team. With hindsight perhaps I should have pulled the pin at this point.

A good win today for England in the Champions Trophy. They look to be in good from whilst the Aussies are really struggling. Me likey. Roll on the Ashes!

8 x 75 secs off 60 secs

Slight change of plan. I couldn't make the track session so had to run later locally. The club session was 3-4 sets of 400/600/400 with 60 secs between efforts and 90 secs between sets. I decided on something similar opting for 8 x 75 secs on the road with a minute recovery. With my watch it's just easier to run for a set time rather than a distance.

Warm-up of 2.2kms then got going. Anything under 3:00/km pace I would've been happy with:

Pace/km 2:59/2:56/2:59/2:57/2:54/2:54/2:50/2:49

Not bad though I just can't run as quick as I can on the track. Answers on a postcard please...

All up 10.0kms with warm-down. Still have sore throat/left ear.

Contacts

Easy run of 9.5km in 39:19 (4:08's). Still have sore throat but the running seems to be going ok.

I am trying out some contact lenses which I picked up this morning, Had a 30 minute session on putting them in and taking them out and was good to go. These were primarily for playing snooker so trialed them with a game in the evening. Yes I could see a whole lot more but what I witnessed was a pile of shite. Didn't play well. Couldn't pot a geranium. It can only get better.

Will take it easy this week in the build-up to Friday's 10km. I'll do the track session tomorrow but won't run the full number of sets. Then an easy run Wednesday and a rest day on Thursday.

Fathers Day

Long solo run today on my lonesome. A big loop and then running back into Claregalway along the N17. All up 25.1kms in 1:51:19 (4:26's). Still not cracked the 2 hour mark - that's just lazyitis.

A bit of a sore throat at the moment. Perhaps time to lay off the booze for a few days...

I watched the Champions Trophy cricket between England and New Zealand. A good win for England who bowled really well to defend a lowish score. I then stayed up to watch the end of the US Open golf. Nice work by Justin Rose who was incredible coming up the last hole.

That's 100.3kms for the week. Easy week planned next week.

3 x (7 mins tempo/1 min jog/2 mins hard/3 mins recovery)

Another Harriers session run locally. Thankfully I had Fintan for company who was doing his first serious speed session in around 6 months.

Warm-up of 3.5kms then into the session. The tempo efforts pacing always confuse me - the plan was to run them "comfortably hard" and I thought that 3:20/km pace or better would be a good target. Then try and run the 2 minute efforts much quicker.

Here's how the session went:

7:00 - 2.15kms - 3:16 pace

2:00 - 0.64kms - 3:07

7:00 - 2.16kms - 3:14
2:00 - 0.66kms - 3:02

7:01 - 2.15kms - 3:15

2:01 - 0.65kms - 3:05

I felt great today - the longer efforts felt really comfortable despite a strong breeze in parts. The last 2 minutes was directly into the wind but I was still going nicely. Definitely hitting some form. Good to see Fintan back and running well. Roll on the Annaghdown 10km.

Warm-down of 3.9kms. All up 16.8kms.

No rub-a-dub

I was planning to rest today but after consuming so much junk food in the last 24 hours (namely crisps and Kit Kat chunkies), I decided to turn the legs over with the sole purpose of burning off some calories.

Same route as Mon/Wed - 9.5kms in 40:37 (4:15's). Getting slower! Weather was pretty ordinary though - quite cold and juicing down with rain. Summer looks to have been and gone.

No going out at the moment - haven't been to the pub in about a fortnight!

Almost 4

Myself, Owen and Gearoid this morning after Fintan had to dash back to the bakery thus missing the run. Good of him to still taxi Owen round to my place though! Great effort.

Usual route with no switchbacks for toilet breaks (no Fintan you see). Lots of chat and this is fast turning into my favourite run of the week. All up 14.8kms in 1:04:40 (4:22's).

Did manage 4 later in the day on the beer front.

The camera never lies

Same 9.5kms as Monday in 39:58 (4:12's). Quite quick which perhaps reiterates that I didn't hurt myself enough on the track last night.

A couple of photos courtesy of edenhill from the Monivea 5km. This one was within the first 500m of the race where I look almost normal:

And this beauty at the finish line where I was supposedly cruising home...

6 x 1km off 2 mins

Damp rainy conditions for track tonight. A long warm-up of 3.8kms around the block, then 4 laps of the track before changing into the racing flats.

The session was km reps off a longer than normal 2 minutes. The longer recovery simply meant you were to push the pace more than if you were running off a shorter break.

A good lead group with Keith, John and myself leading out the reps. Here are the times:

3:04, 3:05, 3:04, 3:02, 3:02, 2:59

Not sure what to make of that. I felt comfortable throughout, never hitting the red-line. The 2 minutes recovery felt like way too much. With a little time to reflect on it I don't think I attacked the session enough - perhaps I should have aimed to get them all under 3 minutes.

A warm-down of 3.7kms around the roads and that was that. All up 15.1kms. Several people running very well at the moment - just what you need to keep everyone honest.

Turned

The weather has quickly turned back to non-summer like conditions. An easy run of 9.5kms in 39:25 (4:09's) to kick the week off.

The plan this week is to get 2 good sessions in with no racing.

The Power

Out at 9am with young Timmie for a long jaunt. We ran out to the Coast Road and back, and then did a few loops in Claregalway. All up 24.5kms in 1:47:30 (4:23's). Another gorgeous day and could have done with some water after an hour but the time soon passed with plenty of chat.

Phil Taylor won the UK Open after defeating Andy Hamilton easily in the final. A great weekend of viewing and good to see MVG get beaten to show that he is human after all.

A total of 87.0kms for the week.

Monivea 5km

A hot summers day again. The temperature was already well into the 20's for the drive to Monivea and with Some Friendly by the Charlatans blasting out on the stereo I was really looking forward to having a good blow-out in the 5km.

I ran the course as a warm-up (5.1 kms). I watched the start of the half marathon at 11am and then we lined up about 5 minutes later and we were off. I took it out fairly hard and by the time I made the first turn at the bottom of the village I had already opened up a lead. The first 2.6kms of this race are on the road (with nice stretches of downhill), then you hit the forest trail which has lots of twists and turns coupled with some nasty drags. Through the first km in 3:10, and then I pushed on and by the time I reached the second km with a 3:08 I was well clear.

The next km and after 600m you switch to the trail. I was still going nicely and with a 3:13 3rd km (9:31) I had visions of breaking 16 minutes. That thought was short-lived and I lost some momentum in the 4th km and with a 3:22 split I was pushing custard uphill with a fork. I cruised the last km and crossed the line in 16:13 for the win.

I'm happy enough with the time (my quickest on this course was a 16:06 in a closely fought race 2 years ago). This time ranks as my second best and it felt pretty comfortable - despite the very hot conditions.

Another lap of the course as a warm-down with the top off. A total of 15.8kms for the day.

A great day which I really enjoyed. One of my favourite races on the calendar and great to see this race grow in its 4th year. Superb organisation, a beautiful location and probably the warmest weather I have raced in since moving to Ireland. And here was me thinking that Australia was the lucky country...

Painting and Decorating

Well the playroom, kitchen and sitting room are just about done. Thank fcuk for that. Time to put the paint brushes away for a while...

No run today. I'm going to race the Monivea 5km tomorrow. I asked the coach of GCH whether I should run the 5km, or use the half marathon for a session and the response was to race the 5km. Given the weather conditions (forecast hot) then that comes as a welcome relief.

More beer (drinking) and darts (watching) in the evening.

As good as it gets

The sun was splitting the sky at 7am in the morning and that sets you up perfectly for a run. Myself, Fintan and Owen in attendance and some good chat and before you know it you have just over 15kms under the belt. Time 65 minutes (4:19's). Perfect.

A few beers in the evening whilst watching the FA Cup of darts.

I feel like a Tooheys

More glorious weather. The legs were a little sore after the 400's but not too bad. The same run as Monday covering the 9.5kms in 41:02 (4:19's). Thirsty.

12 x 400 off 60 seconds

This session has to be one of my favourites. I last did this session on April 27th and was looking for an improvement today. After a warm-up of 4.4kms it was game on.

A great lead group today with myself, John and Eamon taking turns leading out the laps. The first one was a slow one that felt awful, then after that I clicked into a nice rhythm. Here are the times:

70/69/67/67/67/67/67/67/67/66/64/63

My target was 68 seconds per lap and I ran these at an average of 66.75 seconds so well under that (the total session was 3 seconds quicker than last time). The 67's felt really comfortable but as soon as I tried to dip below that it was a different ball game. I never attacked the laps running them much more controlled and even paced than I did back at the end of April. I think that speed session on the 300's a few weeks back has really brought me on.

A warm-down of 3.4kms to give me 12.6kms for the day. I feel like I'm starting to hit some form now and that will be put to the test at the Annaghdown 10km on June 21st. But in the meantime I plan to run in Monivea on Saturday.

Bank holiday

9.5kms in 39:20 (4:08's). Felt great. Weather is super at the moment - long may this continue.

Dinner party in the evening with some friends. A few too many cans...

Nearly 2 hours

Longer run today as per my orders. Started off and felt very heavy legged. The tops of my hammies were particularly sore and knew I was in for a tough one. I ran from home out to Oranmore and back and then added a local loop to get the time up. The legs never recovered and it was a slow slog.

All up 25.0kms in 1:52:35 (4:30's). At least the weather was quite warm. That being the case it's now the insect swallowing/spitting out season. Which is nice.

93.6kms for the week.

5 minute efforts

Out late today after a 10 hour decorating stint in the sitting room. Wasn't looking forward to it having been thinking about the session most of the day whilst perfecting my brush work.

Ideally I'd have gone to the track for some 4 lappers but time didn't permit so it was on my local stretch of road for speedwork. I decided on 5 x 5 mins off 90 seconds and the target was to run them at target 10km pace or better (sub 3:12 per km).

Here's how it panned out:

5:00 1.52kms 3:17/km
5:01 1.54kms 3:15/km
5:00 1.55kms 3:14/km
5:00 1.55kms 3:14/km
4:59 1.57kms 3:10/km

Basically not what I was after. Conditions were good so can't blame that and I felt like I was going well but the speed wasn't quite there. Perhaps 10 hours on the feet beforehand could have been the reason.

All up 15.5kms with warm-up and down. Home then for a few beers. No problem with my beer drinking speed,

Regular

No chance for a run today - too busy with stuff at home. Probably not a bad thing and I might make this a regular rest day over the summer.

Perfect

Out this morning with Fintan and Owen. What a glorious morning for running - it really makes you appreciate how lucky you are just to be out there. Pace today was a little quicker than normal - we covered 15.0kms in 1:04:24 (4:18's).

Took Dad to the airport in the afternoon. My darts will suffer as a result...

Dad's last night

11.1kms in 47:41 (4:18's).

Dad leaves tomorrow so it was another pub/darts night. I won 15-11. Highest checkout of 130 and a total of 9 x 180's from myself in all our matches over the last fortnight.

3 x 1200 off 1600 float

Track session - the planned session was 3 x 1600 off 6 minutes and these were to be run pretty much flat out. I didn't fancy that after Sunday so decided on a bit of a hybrid session where I'd run 1200 quite hard, then my recovery was 1600m running at 90 seconds per lap.

After a warm-up of 5.8kms I went straight into it. Here are the times for the continuous effort:

3:48/5:56/3:45/5:58/3:41 (total 17 laps)

I felt great throughout which I was a little surprised at. Twas a lovely evening for running being warm and very little breeze.

All up 15.9kms with a 3.3km warm-down.

Spoke with Matt the coach as to the type of sessions I need to be doing in order to crack the 32 minute 10km barrier. The answer was lots of 5 to 6 minute efforts quicker than your target 10km pace e.g. 5 x 6 mins or 6 x 5 mins. Need to get my long run up to 2 hours as 90 minutes doesn't cut the mustard. Plus the usual track stuff on a Tuesday night which is geared more towards 5,000m over the summer. Sounds doable.

Legs okay

I was feeling great today - it was as if I hadn't raced yesterday. All up 11.1kms in 45:49 (4:08's). Perhaps I didn't push myself enough in the race (getting soft in my old age).

Here's a photo. Must have been early doors as I'm still in the group and the guy from DSD is out of shot up front:

National League Round 1

It's about a 75 minute drive to Tullamore and I planned to arrive about an hour before the scheduled start of the race (4:15pm). I had my Dad and son for support and when we arrived at the venue the events were running ahead of time which only allowed for a short warm-up of around a mile which included a few strides.

Conditions were pretty good. The wind had settled down but it had been raining so the track was quite damp. The race started and I settled mid-pack. The first 200m was run way too quick but after that I got into a nice rhythm going through the first km in 3 minutes exactly.

One runner from DSD had gone about 20m in front with me and about 4 or 5 other runners in pursuit. I moved up a few places and still felt good as the laps started to click down. By 2km I was still feeling fine which I went through in 6:03 (3:03). Then in the blink of an eye I started to feel the pinch. I let the dreaded small gap develop and the group in front slowly started to work away from me.

Through 3km in 9:13 (3:10) and I was feeling heavy legged (Tuesday's session?) and didn't have any extra drive or zip. The focus was on maintaining my position and with nobody directly behind me it was a case of working each lap as best as possible. Through 4km in 12:26 (3:13) and I was still hoping to find something in the run home to get me under 15:30. But that wasn't to be and I finished in 15:34 with a 3:08 last km.

I'm not sure of my position as there was a mixture of Premier and Division 1 runners in the race (I was probably 4th or 5th). The winner from DSD ran 15:02, and there were 3 or 4 runners under 15:10 so the standard was good. I just wish I could have hung on to the lead group a bit longer as this was a really good opportunity for a fast time - but today the legs said no.

I thought I would run somewhere in the region of 15:20 to 15:50 so my time was in the middle of that. But having got off to a good start I really should have broken 15:30. The mistake was falling off the group then running in no mans land for 3km.

Overall I'm happy enough. A good marker and now gives me the belief that the sub 32 on the track is there or thereabouts. I plan to run a few more of these 5,000m races in the next month or so and this is certainly a good marker.

A quick warm-down with Kenny Rogers from Clare (a super PB of 15:09) and Michael from Limerick who I think ran around 15:05. All up 9.1kms for the day and 66.0kms for the week.

Darts and beer in the evening. I lost to my Dad 10-8. I should have put that in a really small sized font so you couldn't read it...

I like cakes

Today was a rest day (just had a look at my training and I've run 35 consecutive days so much needed). The usual feeling of being very tired when I take a rest day - perhaps that was more to do with yesterday's late night...

Out in the afternoon for a lovely gathering out at Salthill. I ate my own body weight in curry and cakes to give myself a nice weight handicap for tomorrow.

Stayed in tonight (gasp, shock, horror). Bring on the track.

You can't beat a bit of Bully

Easy run of 9.4kms in 42:10 (4:29's). Then 4 x 75m strides at the end to get the legs moving. All up 9.7kms.

More darts in the evening. I shellacked the old man 11-5 before we started playing pairs with guys from the darts team. In back-to-back legs I had finishes of 112 (5,57,50) and 95 (25,20,50). Gotta love the bull finishes!

Another threesome

Myself, Fintan and Owen for the 7am Claregalway run. Same route with a few double-backs to cater for comfort breaks. All up 15.1kms in 1:08:25 (4:32's). Legs starting to feel better.

A few beers in the evening and a game of darts. I won 17-15 to keep my Dad in his box.

Lead legs

Legs were in bits today (as I suspected). I ran a very slow 9.5kms in 43:49 (4:37's). I think I overdid it a bit yesterday - hopefully I recover in time for the track race on Sunday.

Well done to Owen who won last night's Galway series 5km in a new PB of 16:09. Fine running - I'm sure sub 16 is just around the corner!

15 x 300's off increasing recovery

5.0kms warm-up.

The session tonight was something different. Sets of 300's as follows:

5 x 300's off 45 secs
4 x 300's off 60 secs
3 x 300's off 75 secs
2 x 300's off 90 secs
1 x 300

With a generous recovery of 2 and a half minutes between sets.

The aim was to start at around 5km pace, then increase the speed each set by around 3 seconds. My targets were 55's, 52's, 49's, 46's and sub 45 (red-line).

Here's how it panned out:

56/56/56/55/55
50/50/51/50
47/47/48
45/45
46

Started a bit too conservatively for the first 5, then really attacked the session thereafter. Was going great until the last 300 where a bit of traffic at the start of the lap cost me some time (maybe a second - would not have been sub 45). That said, very pleased with that. No doubt my hammies will be screaming tomorrow as the last 3 were pretty much flat-out. Thanks to John and Cormac for helping share the workload - a great session. I really enjoy these shorter reps.

I finished up with a slow 3.6km warm-down around the pitches. All up 13.1kms for the day. I picked up the old man on the way home who had been doing a pub crawl whilst I was at training...

Start of an easy week

9.5kms in 39:57 (4:12's).

I started building the Lego VW camper van yesterday. Will publish photos when I have it completed.

Averages

A long solo run today. I went up to Carnmore then round by the back of the airport. Then along the coast road in Oranmore before coming up through Doughiska. Then along the Monivea Road before turning left for the final 4kms back to Claregalway.

The Garmin died at around 18kms but I was feeling pretty good and upped the pace for the run home. I'm estimating 22.3kms in 1hr 35 (4:16/km).

That's 108.9kms for the week. I've been averaging over 100kms for the last 5 weeks so happy with that.

Next week I'll peg it back a bit. I have a 5,000m pencilled in for next Sunday running in the National League for Galway City Harriers so looking forward to that. We're now in the Premier League so I'll hopefully be lining up against the best runners in the country. Time to run flat-out and see where I'm at.

Recovery run

Legs very tired after yesterday's long effort. I took it real easy knocking out 11.1kms in 48:10 (4:20's).

Out again in the evening for a meal with the family. Then back in the pub for more darts. I beat the old man again 17-15 hitting 3 x 180's. Forgot to mention my 156 checkout yesterday - magic darts!

A 12:30am finish. Getting sensible in my old age.

90 minutes hard

Summer is here. A gorgeous day - warm and hardly any breeze, perfect for the session we had planned.

A 2km warm-up and then straight into it. The plan was to run 90 minutes at 3:47/km pace or better. We took off and quickly settled into a nice rhythm. After a few kms we had locked into 3:42/km pace which felt pretty comfortable. At about halfway I ditched the top (!!!). At close to 20kms in the legs were starting to get tired and running in knackered racing flats meant I could feel every scar in the road (breathing was still fine). As the 90 minutes clocked by we stopped covering 24.37kms in the 90 minutes (ave 3:42/km). That's not bad going - through the half in 1:18 so a good healthy lick. Nice to have Fintan for company - it makes this type of session so much easier. We were stride for stride the whole way.

A 2km warm-down to register 28.4kms for the day.

Out in the evening for a game of darts with the old man. I won 12-10 before the rest of the darts team came in and we mixed it up after that. A late 2am finish....

Threesome

Me, Fintan and Owen for a 7am run. The wind had died down which made for a pleasant run.

All up 15.1kms in 1:05:54 (4:22's). One pitstop each for Fintan and Owen.

I've agreed to do a long 90 minute run at pace with Fintan tomorrow...

A few beers in the evening whilst watching the final of the darts. Wadey had his chances but doubles let him down. MvG a worthy winner and the 132 finish to seal the match against the Power was pure class.

Keep going

9.5kms in 39:28 (4:09's). Another windy day but felt good.

Out in the evening for a game of snooker (pairs). Time to call Specsavers.

8 x 1km

Short on time this evening so decided to do the session locally in the wind. Was always going to be tough and decided that if I could keep them under 3:20 I'd be doing well enough. I used my usual stretch of road for the reps running with a strong cross-wind. The official recovery was 2 mins but I decided to do them on a rolling 5 mins to make the time keeping a bit easier (the Garmin FR10 doesn't show elapsed lap time...).

Times were as follows:

3:18/3:13/3:13/3:10/3:14/3:12/3:15/3:12

A poor start and then I stuck to the task quite well. The odd reps were tougher as they were slightly uphill. My road reps will always be slower than the track - maybe around 5 secs for kms. Not sure why - that's just the way I roll.

All up 13.0kms with warm-up and down. Then straight to the airport to pick up the old man...

Usual

9.5kms in 40:30 (4:16's). Windy as per norm.

Wet weekend

A long run this morning with Owen starting out at Roscam, running down to Renville, and then doubling back along the same route. Very wet and windy. All up 21.6kms in 1:41:40 (4:42's).

That's 94.5kms for the week.

I ended up having a game of snooker last night. I had my cue re-tipped for the first time in at least 14 years so was keen to try it out. Played the owner of the club (6 frames) and we ended up drawing 3-3. I was poor.

Tonight I was down the pub for a game of darts. Surprisingly I played really well. I played about 30 legs and only lost 3. No 180's to report but I was still scoring well. The highlight of the night was a 13 dart leg. Get in there.

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...