White Stuff

I decided to take an easy day and delay the normal Tuesday speed session until tomorrow. I started at around 9:30am and within 10 minutes of me running I was caught in a snow storm. Quite novel to run in and made for a pleasant change from the rain! Another 10 minutes and the snow had stopped and I was left to finish my run. All up 9.5kms in 39:48 (4:11's).

Oranmore and back

A long run with Fintan. We both agreed to take it easy but we were both ticking over nicely right from the off. At one point the average pace was 4:15 but with a quick last half an hour we got that down to 4:09's - with the benefit of a few sub 4 minute kms as we ran back into Claregalway. All up 22.2kms in 1:32:18.

Not wishing to jinx myself (which I invariably will) but my left knee has been good the last few days. The massage must have helped so I just need to keep on top of it now with regular massage.

Maree 8km

My first road race of 2014. Conditions were dry and windy and during my 2km warm-up with Owen it was obvious it was going to be a tough run.

The race started just as a shower was threatening and I settled into the lead group. The first 3.5km of the course were straight into the wind, with a tough climb up to 2km, and during the climb I slipped into second position. Once at the top of the hill the pace picked up as we began a descent and I closed back in behind the leader as we worked our way up to the turnaround point. This section of the course was very slow and boy was I glad to finally make the turn at around 3.5km. I was then a different runner - I put the foot down and hit the lead with the wind on the back. I pushed the next flat mile running behind the lead motorbike who was doing a good job of clearing the flow of runners coming in the opposite direction for which I received many shouts of encouragement!

Round by the waters edge and then a tough climb just through 5km. I'd opened up a decent gap so I wasn't going to kill myself on the climbs, instead leaving some in the tank to hammer the flatter sections. One final short sharp climb just past 6km and then a fairly flat run home. I finished the race strongly and had a sprint finish with a young spectator who was trying to beat me to the line. That helped keep the pace honest and I crossed the line in 26:46 for the win (for the 4th year on the trot!!!).

I was pleasantly surprised by the time as it felt slower than that but looking at the splits the first half wasn't as slow as it felt:

3:26 / 3:24 / 3:21 / 3:35 (13:46) / 3:12 / 3:24 / 3:16 / 3:08 (13:00)

Total 26:46

Here's a photo me at the finish courtesy of Maree AC (don't let those blue skies fool you - it was bloody freezing as you can see from the nancy boy wearing the gloves):

A warm-down of 4.8kms with Owen and Conor to give me 14.8kms for the day. I'm taking some positives out of this race as I ran well for the last 4km - albeit with the benefit of the wind - and it was good to feel like I am getting back to where I was in the lead up to Christmas.

That's 93.9kms for the week. Happy with that given that it included today's race. A big well done to Maree AC who always host a great race - and judging by the turnout of well over 300 runners it certainly is a special event to which all involved should be proud of.

I got home just in time to see Spurs beat Everton 1-0. And then to see Murphy win the snooker. A perfect sporting day really so a few beers in the evening just for old times sake.

Just about a run

Not feeling the best today. Ouch. I decided to do a light run as I was planning on racing tomorrow. And to get some fresh air in the lungs. Only 6.7kms in 30:50 (4:36's).

I watched a bit of the snooker from Poland. Shaun Murphy was playing well. A shadow of his former self after shifting 3 stone and his new healthy lifestyle seems to be paying dividends. He hit a maximum today - the third in his playing career after hitting another one last month. I'd say he'll have a good run in the worlds...

6 x 800 off a rolling 4 minutes

A late afternoon treadmill session. A 3km warm-up, then 6 x 800 running them in 2:25 (3:02/km pace), (so a recovery of 65 seconds), then a warm-down of 3km. All up 10.8kms.

I wore the HR monitor for this session. Here is a link which shows the HR peaking at 159 during the last effort.

Here

Then darts in the evening. A few beers to lubricate the arm and then it was game on. I won both my singles and pairs and we ran out 5-4 winners. Then a few more beers...

Drought continues

More running in the dark with Fintan and Owen. Conditions were a touch on the cold side, and upon completion of the run the times showed it was a slow one - a total of 14.6kms in 1:05:41 (4:30's). It felt a lot quicker than that but just can't seem to get going first thing in the morning.

Still no drinking - I plan to change that tomorrow...

Run, Rub and Rolling back the years

Easy run to see how the new niggle was. Could feel it for the first 5 minutes and then it went, and then the spotlight was back on the knee. All up 9.5kms in 41:25 (4:22's).

Another massage to try and take some pressure off the knee. The focus was again on the quad, plus a very tight base of the hamstring on the same side. Could be linked so hopefully some improvement when I next run.

Out in the evening for snooker. I can't recall playing that well for a long time. I played 5 frames and in the first frame I hit a 66 break. That set the tone and I had further breaks of 45, 34, 38 and 73! I missed an easy enough green off the spot whilst on the 73 with the remaining 4 colours on the spots so the 98 clearance went begging. Still compared to how I've been playing lately that was a massive improvement and took me back to how I could play 20 years ago. Maybe still time to get that elusive 100 (my highest ever break is 99)...

6 x 5 off 60 secs

The old 5 minute repeats with Fintan. Weather was bloody freezing but dry and a tricky breeze when running straight into it. A 2.2km warm-up and then game on. The first 5 minutes were tough and this seems to be the pattern for this session. The next couple we had the benefit of the wind, then doubled back for a couple of tough ones - and then a nice downhill stretch to finish with. Here are the paces:

3:22/3:14/3:12/3:20/3:19/3:18

A little better than last week but again I was having to work a lot harder than you'd like. Certainly nothing cruisey about it. I guess I still have a bit of a cold so hoping things will pick up once that clears.

During the warm-down it was apparent that I'd pulled something at the top of my right quad. Noticeable this evening but I'm going to try and run it out in the next few days. At least it has taken my attention from the left knee...

All up 15.3kms for the day.

Dodging

Long run with Fintan. We were very lucky with the weather as it had been absolutely juicing down all night but it cleared just as we headed out the door. Lots of puddles to avoid but great conditions for running. All up 22.2kms in 1:31:46 (4:08's). Our 2 Garmins never give the same distances and mine tends to give a higher reading for distance. I'll take anything that's going that makes my running look a little better...

Room 101

Another treadmill run. I'm a bit nervous about running on the treadmill as it seems to be harsher on my knee compared to the road (that may be contrary to what I've said previously but you live and learn). I started at around 4:30/km pace and gradually worked down to 4 minute clicks. All up 13.0kms in 54:43 (4:13's).

That's 101.3kms for the week. Another steady week in the bag without setting the world on fire. Hopefully I start to feel good soon and this will give me some confidence to get back to road racing.

Ding beat Judd in the snooker. Ding was the deserved winner and keeps winning lots of tournaments. I still can't see him beating an in-form Ronnie mind....

Tempo time

A treadmill run  - 3.5km warm-up, 20 minutes at 3:24/km pace, 3.5kms warm-down. All up 12.9kms. Felt pretty good today despite a heavy sweat.

Watched some snooker in the evening. Judd Trump was on fire and was playing the best snooker I've seen from him since he reached the World final in 2011. He will play Ding tomorrow in the final.

Still no beer - I went to the fridge and I'd forgot to put some beers in. That's what happens when you're out of practice. Schoolboy error.

Evening stretch

I managed to squeeze in a run in daylight hours after the other half returned from work. All up 12.6kms in 54:24 (4:19's). Weather was okay but not looking good for the weekend.

In the evening it was league darts. Having not played in goodness knows how long it wasn't going to be pretty. Plus it was the first time I've ever played a league match having consumed zero pints. I was a little shaky but somehow managed to win both my singles and pairs. That didn't stop our team going down 6-3 mind! I was tempted to have a beer when midnight arrived as it was technically February but in the end I didn't bother. One thing I will say is that this non-drinking malarkey is very cheap. I consumed one cup of coffee and 2 teas all night long for the princely sum of zero Euros!

Berlin Masters

Just myself and Fintan for our early morning run in the dark. It seemed very dark this morning (more dark than just normal dark). You could hardly see where you were going on some of the back roads. Anyway, nice conditions for running with no wind to contend with. Pace was slow but you'd expect that running blind. All up 14.4kms in 1:04:06 (4:27's).

Day 30 of no booze now. I checked my drinking diary and I did a dry Feb back in 2009. Always go for the shortest month!

And more snooker to watch - the Berlin Masters. The spaceman into the last 16 and looking for back-to-back wins!

Hamster wheel

10kms on the treadmill. Around 4:30/km pace. Not much else to say...

Snooker in the evening. A good first frame and then went downhill. A few chances for 50's but I just keep missing some easy balls. Grrrrrr.

6 x 5 mins

The now bog standard session with wingman Fintan. A dry day with a fair breeze but not too bad. A 10 minute warm-up and straight into it. Struggled on the first rep, a bit better on the second and third, and then doubled back and had the benefit of the wind for the final 3. Paces for each 5 minute effort were as follows:

3:24 / 3:20 / 3:18 / 3:16 / 3:14 / 3:15

I really had to work to run these times so perhaps an indication I'm still not travelling that well. That said, I seem to have picked up another bit of a cold. It's one thing after another at the moment.

All up 15.3kms with warm-down. I do enjoy this session as it's over in around an hour. Nice to have Fintan for the session who again seemed to be doing it easy!

Squally

An awful weather day. Gusting winds and squally showers - and to make matters worse it was a solo hit-out. The Rockmount Road is still out of action so I was running lots of other local circuits and I ended up running the guts of 5 different loops in my 23.1kms (time 1:40:15 @ 4:20/km pace). Glad to see the back of that one.

Day 27 of no-booze. I notice that Feb 1st is this Saturday so I dare say I'll be blowing the froth off a few that night. I did a weigh in and I'm down to 78kgs so I've probably shifted a kg or 2 but I have to say I don't really feel any better for this month of no alcohol. At least I've proved to myself I can do it!

The Spaceman

A solo hour to shake out the legs after yesterday. To be honest the legs felt pretty fresh - so more evidence that I didn't over-do it in the 3,000m. The fact that I could speak just after crossing the finish line was more evidence! Anyway, a total of 15.4kms in 1:05:58 (4:21's). I had to stop at one point as I got caught in a nasty hail shower which had me cowering behind a tree. Yes I'm totally soft.

That's 83.8kms for the week. Happy with the last 3 weeks and seem to be heading in the right direction. If I could just get this knee sorted then I'd be really fired up to run some decent times this year. I haven't set any goals but I'd like to get back into mid 32 10km shape and see where that takes me.

I watched the final day of the snooker shoot-out and was delighted to see Dominic Dale (the Spaceman) win the title. Great entertainment and 32 grand for a weekend's 'work' - not bad!

And finally some stats to finish with. I'm in the 14th year now of my running/beer diary and since the turn of the millennium I've run close to 37,000kms which works out to 7.7kms per day or 54.2kms per week. That includes 18 months of no running when I had a bad dose of patella tendinitis.

Looking at the running stats from 2007 onwards which is when I started to take the running a bit more seriously, I have averaged 10.0kms per day or 70.3kms per week. Consistency is king!

Masters Indoors 3,000m

A 45 minute drive to the indoor track in Athlone. It was a pretty shocking day - cold and windy but that doesn't matter when you're running indoors! I got there about an hour before my scheduled start time, but it was running slightly ahead of schedule so I got outside and ran 4 laps of the outdoor track as a warm-up. Then inside to find out what heat I was in. This year the races were organised a lot more logically with all the people in each age category in the same race. So the M1's were away first (age 35-39) and then in the second race it was the M2's (my category - age 40 to 44) along with the M3's. So I had a few minutes to do a bit more of a warm-up, and watch the first race at the same time (a great finish with Paul Fleming running down Paul Buckley in the last 50m and both going sub 9 in the process).

I lined up for my race and soon we were off. I settled mid-pack and took a couple of laps to find my feet and get used to the track. The pace seemed really slow but I was boxed in so I took the sensible option to sit in and wait for the gaps to develop. Nobody was pushing the pace at the front so I wasn't too concerned but after a couple more laps I was starting to get frustrated having to keep checking my run so about at the 1km mark (split of 3:13) I ran wide and overtook 5 or 6 runners to take the lead.

So I'd upped the pace a bit without going silly - I ran a few laps at the front before slowing a little only to see Pat Byrne go past me. This was perfect as I could sit in behind him and weigh up the right moment to attack once more. The pace still felt comfortable and we were breaking away from the chasers so no cause for concern. It was all about picking the right time to push for home and feeling good I thought that would be around the 2km mark. But I got a bit twitchy and took the lead again with about 5 and a half laps left and started the push for home.

The last 5 laps seemed to count down really quickly. I wasn't really running any quicker but I was aware that the gap on Pat was growing by a few meters each lap. At the bell someone shouted that I had a 10m gap and so I kept the pace the same and crossed the line in 9:15:74 for the win (the splits for kms 2 and 3 were both 3:01). So not a great time, but it was never going to be quick after the slow start. The pleasing thing was feeling relatively comfortable running the last 2km at basically 3 minute/km pace and still having a little bit left in the tank.

A nice win and great to retain my national title. A few more laps outside to give me around 8km for the day before a quick shower and the drive home. I have to say I love competing at this track - it's a real gem and I should make more of an effort to compete there more often. I wonder if they have an indoor 5,000m there this year?

Lactate threshold training

No running today - a much needed rest day after 19 run days on the bounce.

An interesting blog article on Andy Ward - a UK runner aged 44 who has recently clocked sub 30 minutes for 10km here. Interesting that his training is all based around his lactate threshold pace and specific heart rate zones. It gives hope for us all!

Not much else to report. The snooker shoot-out starts today on Sky and that's always good fun to watch. No beer now for 24 days and it's fair to say I could murder a beer...

Indoors

Solo run mid-morning. A total of 15.1kms in 1:05:34 (4:21's).

I'm going to give the Masters Indoors 3,000m a go on Saturday so I'll rest up tomorrow in preparation for that. I had a great experience there last year so more of the same will be good (though I can't see myself running anywhere near 8:53....).

Wednesday mixed bag

I never got going today - the legs felt very dead and I was trudging along. Total 9.5kms in 42:57 (4:31's).

Out in the evening for a game of snooker - the local club has shut down so it's back into town. I played last week and the less said about that the better. This week was a bit better - but I was having constant problems with my right contact lens. The highlight was a 39 break - but I missed the easiest black you will ever see with plenty of reds still on offer. Nightmare stuff.

6 x 800 off 90 secs

I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of a cold, wet, January track session but I managed to haul myself out to Dangan. Warm-up of 3.8km on the road, followed by 2 laps of the track and it was time to arrange into groups for the off. The session was 800's and with a lack of these type of sessions lately, I thought if I could run 2:30 or thereabouts, I'd be happy.

Andrew took out the first couple, and on the third one I find my legs and was feeling good and I hit the front. I lead out the 4th one, and then ran a couple more for good measure. A stiff breeze on the home straight which is quite normal, so it was an easy start to each lap, and then having to work the final 100m. And in typical style I'd run the first lap a lot quicker than the second one - the effort level would be the same but the endurance isn't quite there. The times were as follows:

2:30/2:28/2:27/2:28/2:30/2:28

That will do nicely. A warm-down of 3.8kms to give me around 13.2kms for the day. The 90 second recovery seemed like an age when you are used to a minute so perhaps that was why the times were a bit quicker than I was expecting. Knee a bit better after the rub but still not great.

Long run and rub

Woke up to a corker of a frost and after getting the kids to school it was long run time. The roads were very slippery for the first half an hour, and I nearly went A over T a few times so the pace was very sedate. I gradually picked it up, and an hour in I was ticking along nicely. I was stopped on about 70 minutes to help an old guy use his mobile, then again on 90 minutes by a lady looking for directions (my 2 good deeds for the day). All up 22.6kms in 1:37:37 (4:19's).

In the afternoon it was rub time. Left inside quad was again very tight so most of the time was spent on that muscle trying to get it to ease off. The pain factor wasn't too bad today and seems a bit better now as a result.

As I suspected Ronnie won easily 10-4 in the masters final. He only dropped 6 frames all tournament and in fairness he should have probably won the final 10-1 (albeit for a sitter brown he missed to make it 9-1). On this form there is nobody who can touch him and he could keep collecting major titles for plenty more years to come.

Timmie

A local run of 15.2kms in 1:04:21 to finish off the week (4:14/km pace). Felt good but the knee was giving me constant reminders. So I booked a massage for tomorrow and then used the kids to stand on my quad to try and get them to ease off a bit. Seemed to work a little.

I watched the Spurs beat Swansea 3-1 so a great start under new manager Timmie Sherwood who I was a bit sceptical about when he got the job. Four wins a draw later and I'm coming round. Plus the snooker final and at the time of writing Ronnie is 7-1 up in the race to 10 so there is only one winner from here.

That's 103.5kms for the week (almost the same as last week). Maybe drop the volume a bit next week to give the knee some recovery.

20 minute tempo

I made the call to give the Tuam 8km a miss this weekend and after today's session that seemed like a good call. A 3.5km warm-up and then it was straight into a 20 minute tempo run at a planned pace of 3:24/km. I checked the pace about 8 to 9 minutes into the run thinking that I'd started too quickly and when it showed me that I was running 3:27/km pace I knew it was going to be a tough slog. So I upped the pace as best I could and gradually worked the average pace down to 3:23/km by the time I'd finished the 20 minutes (covering 5.9kms). It felt like I was running really well but you can't argue with the Garmin! Another decent warm-down to give me 13.5kms for the day.

Left knee is back to how it was last year. Quite sore so definitely time for another massage. I've probably over-done it a bit the last couple of weeks so only have myself to blame. I'm sure a massage, some rest and some anti-inflams and I'll be back to where I was...

Ronnie still hammering his opponents in the snooker. This time Macguire sent packing 6-1 and a O'Sullivan / Selby final awaits.

Flood watch

A local run today to see if the flooding on the Rockmount Road had subsided. It hadn't so I was faced with an out-and-back run which totalled 13.0kms in a time of 56:35 (4:21's). I'd say there we at least a 100m stretch of water on the road so it could be a while before that clears.

A Ronnie master-class today as he despatched Walden 6-0 in under an hour. Some of the best snooker I've ever seen and he never looked like missing. Even the long pots were going in which is probably the weakest part of his game in recent years.

Thursday Crew

Myself, Fintan, Owen and Brodders for today's 6:35am start. A modified route to avoid local flooding. Bloody cold but soon got going. The pace seemed pretty good but the watch disagreed and we ended up covering 14.5kms in 1:02:39 (4:19's). Brodders had a close call with a car which sent his heart rate spiking but we all lived for another day. Knee definitely on the slide...

Rocket

A slow-paced run today to clear the legs. All up 9.5kms in 41:18 (4:21's). A bit of pain creeping back into the knee which isn't good.

Enjoying the masters snooker. Ronnie is floating and can't see anyone touching him on this form.

6 x 5 minutes

A sort of repeat of the session from last Friday (6 x 5 minuntes off 60 secs). But this time Fintan wanted to run them at a slightly quicker pace - so not at threshold pace, but more at say 10km race pace. His target was 3:15 to 3:18 per km pace so I'd try and hang on as best I could.

A bloody cold day - with threatening rain and a bit of breeze. The usual 10 minute warm-up and straight into it. As per last week Fintan was leading them out and I was trying to keep up. The first couple felt pretty good and the pace was on target, I started to feel a bit more like my usual self and took up the running for most of the 3rd rep. I died a bit on the 4th one for which we had changed direction, so we changed direction again and I was able to lead out most of that rep. The last one was a real toughie as we were running straight into the wind. I lasted just shy of 3 minutes before I started blowing and let Fintan sail past me. Here are the paces for each 5 minutes:

3:17 / 3:14 / 3:13 / 3:18 / 3:15 / 3:23

Another pleasing session and a nice improvement on last week. Running at a deliberately faster pace but feeling generally more comfortable.

All up 15.5kms with warm-down. A note on Fintan - now that he has become a full-time athlete he is absolutely flying. I'd say he is in career best form and is ready to run a string of PB's in 2014. Great to see.

Long again

Another long run today. This time with Fintan. I'm happy to run long at the moment - it's a good test for the knee and with that behaving I'm getting a lot more enjoyment from the running. Also an opportunity to burn off some calories and get the weight down (no booze is helping there also). I need to get back under 80kgs and ideally down around 78.

We stayed in Claregalway and again had to avoid Rockmount. Conditions were okay and stayed just about dry and soon we had rattled up 22.3kms in 1:32:43 (4:09's). Again feeling pretty good having now clocked up more than the marathon distance over the last 2 days.

Breathing still not 100% as I still can't shake off this cold. But I'm definitely heading in the right direction.

A run of 2 halves

Long run with Owen starting at Doughiska, and then an out and back run to Maree. Awful conditions - very wet and windy and the first half of the run was into the wind and we were running 4:29's. It was a lot easier coming home where the pace lifted to 4:09's. All up 21.2kms in 1:31:30 (4:19's). Still a good hit-out and nice to catch-up with Owen who I'd not seen for a few weeks.

That's......wait for it....103.3kms for the week. Not a bad resumption to proper training. A couple of sessions in there, and some decent volume also (well for me anyway). That's my first century week in about 6 months (the last week of June 2013). Happy with that.

Nidge

Beautiful conditions for running today - cold and still. Running solo I ran some of my local loops but had to avoid the road through Rockmount as it's still under water. All up 14.4kms in 58:49 (4:05's). Felt good throughout and each run seems to be getting easier and the knee is holding up well.

I finished watching series 3 of Love Hate in the evening. Enjoyable viewing. Now to track down the 4th series...and still no booze.

Put to the sword

I was keen to get back to the 5 minute reps that I was doing in the latter half of 2013 as I really felt they were bringing my running on. I met with my wingman and straight away I informed Fintan that I was only going to do 6 sets of 5 minutes (off  1 minute). I thought that would be a nice and easy welcome...

The usual 10 minute warm-up and then straight into it - my watch was playing silly buggars during the first 5 minute effort and it was telling me I was running sub 2 minute km pace....so running blind for that one. And then I settled into a nice enough rhythm for the next couple. We doubled back after 3 and during the 4th effort I started to struggle. The next couple I was running on empty - the breathing was laboured and the legs were heavy. And Fintan was bounding along like Tigger without a care in the world. Oh what a difference a couple of poor training weeks and a bout of illness can make.

Here are the paces per km for each effort:

3:20 (estimate) / 3:19 / 3:19 / 3:20 / 3:20 / 3:23

Not too bad I suppose but I was running these feeling comfortable a month or so ago and today I was on the red-line. But at least it's a start and perhaps there is still a bit of the pox flying around the system.

All up 15.2kms with warm-down.

I'm trying a dry January which is going to be a real test of will-power. I'm only 10 days in and I could already murder a beer...

Turlough

Just myself and Fintan for the Thursday run. So we took the option to delay the start to a more sociable time of 9:30am. I had to change the route to avoid the turlough that had spilled over onto the road, and that was fine accept that about 2km into the run we were joined by a small dog that proceeded to keep running with us for the next 5km. We tried all things to shake it off - surges, stopping and trying to shoo the dog away - but nothing was working. In the end we had to move to the side of the road to let a car through, and then the dog got tangled in my long levers and we both nearly went flying. At this point the dog stopped, and we were left to finish the run minus K9.

All up 15.2kms in 1:03:42 (4:11's). Pace was better and the knee felt as good as it has done in the last year. And perfect running conditions. Still trying to shake this cold mind that I've had all over Christmas but I guess you can't have it all...

Here's a photo of one of the local turloughs. If the sun came out it would almost be like being back at the Bay in Drummoyne:

More of the same

Another 9.5km loop. Time 41:37 (4:23's). Legs a little sore after the track session but not too bad.

12 x 400 off a minute

A long awaited return to track. I knew the session was to be 400's which seemed like a nice one to make my return. A warm-up of 3.8km on the road, followed by 4 laps of the track and then it was time to break into groups. I was with Andrew, Eamon and Cian and we started taking turns leading out the laps. My plan was to run them around 72ish and hopefully feel nice and relaxed. That's pretty much what happened though my times were maybe a little quicker than target. Just checked the watch and my times have somehow been wiped but I recall running one 69, a few 70's, some 71's and 72's and one 73. I'd say my average was around 71 so that will do. Especially pleasing as it was quite a testing night - the track was wet and there was a nasty wind mid-way round the final bend and the home straight.

Andrew was running really well and was several seconds clear each lap. He'll be dangerous this year on that form.

I finished up with a 3.8km warm-down with the lads - and we hit an absolute torrential downpour which soaked the lot of us. All up 14.0kms for the day.

Wading

Was planning a long run, but decided once I got going that an hour was about right. I ran the guts of the Thursday morning route, and about 6.5kms into the run I was confronted with a 200m section of water. So it was off with the socks and shoes, then a quick wade through the water (which was bloody freezing), then back on with the gear to finish off the run. All up 13.8kms in 1:00:28 (4:23's). Pace still not great but just nice to be back running.

Welcome back!

Well after being knocked about a bit by the pox, I took 3 days off and feeling a little bit better I headed out today to get some fresh air in the lungs. I took it right easy like, and ran my local 9.5km loop in 42:23 (4:28's). Nice to be back and the one good thing about having a break is that the left knee felt really good! Hopefully a sign of things to come.

I'll start back proper next week and may even try a couple of light sessions just to get my eye in.

That's 48.5km for the week. Not too bad with 3 rest days!

Bad Dose

I woke up not feeling the full quid. I had a few spots on my body which I suspected was chicken pox, and had a bit of a hangover for good measure. In true runners style I thought I'd head out and try and run it off. That was all fine and dandy and I ran 9.5kms in 41:09 (4:20's).

As the day progressed I was feeling much worse. More spots and by the end of the day I was doing my best Freddy Kruger impersonation. So a dose of the pox it is. I'll take a few days rest now as I'm obviously run down and this certainly explains why I haven't been feeling great the last week or so. Not the best start to the New Year but it could be a lot worse I suppose.

For the record I ran 4,200kms in 2013 vs 4,649kms in 2012. Round numbers about 10% down and that's attributable to the marathon I ran in 2012 where I was collecting the kms.

Yearly Review 2013

I managed to squeeze in a bit of a session today - a 20 minute tempo run on the treadmill at 3:24/km pace. A minimal warm-up or down and a total of only 8.5kms. Felt awful. Moving on, here's a quick summary of my races from this year:

 
Nothing to write home about in there. Only one PB and that was my 3,000m on the indoor track in a distance I'd rarely race.

I made a decent start to the year on the road clocking a sub 16 minute 5km and a sub 26 minute 8km in January. But I didn't really build on that and never really got on a good roll. I ran a few decent 10km times in Kinvara, Annaghdown and Ballinderreen where I clocked sub 33's, and I guess my most enjoyable run of the year was my 2nd placing in the Norwich half, plus my win in Connemara on a very windy day.

I put a lot of focus into the track 10,000m in July, but a bout of tonsillitis put pay to a decent performance there, plus my left knee has been troubling me for most of the year and that has taken away some of the enjoyment from training. Hopefully I get on  decent roll in the New Year and can get back running well and injury/pain free.

Happy New Year to everyone. Here's wishing to health and happiness and a few PB's in 2014!

Burning the candle both ends

A long morning run with Fintan. Not feeling the Mae West it was always going to be a tough one. The first hour wasn't too bad, but from then on it was a tough slog. The legs were heavy and I was counting down the last few kms. All up 21.0kms in 1:28:37 (4:13's). That pace wasn't too bad as it felt like I'd been running 4:30's.

I doubled up with another trip to the pub in the evening with my snooker partner. Another 1:30am finish, and when I got home the wife was having an impromptu party with a few friends so it was more boozing. Not my greatest move as I woke up the next day feeling like a house beginning with S!

Game of jam tarts

Another solo run - this time my route was the Thursday morning one. A total of 14.8kms in 1:03:48 (4:19's). I didn't feel as good as yesterday but when you get to my age you generally don't get 2 good runs on the trot!

A total of 71.7kms for the week.

Feeling a bit better I made the call to visit the pub with the next door neighbour. Lots of beer and darts and home by 1:30am. My darts was generally pretty poor but my double 10 hitting was James Wade-like.

A bit better

A longer run today. I was feeling a good bit better and I seemed to have a bit more bounce in my step. All up 15.2kms in 1:01:22 (4:02's). Progress.

Soldiering on

A recovery run - 11.1kms in 47:15 (4:15's). Wet and blustery and I was coughing up all sorts of nasties. I'll keep battling on as it can only get easier.

Fields of Athenry 10km

This is one of the big 3 races in Galway and is one not to be missed. Conditions looked spot on - cold and still, and the race organisers got their decision to delay the start of the race spot on to allow a few patches of ice on the course to clear.

I wasn't feeling great - I'd picked up a cold and I was coughing and spluttering but I'd made the call to give it a go (I would have always been wondering if I'd stayed at home). I ran a very short 500m warm-up and then lined up at the start for the off.

The siren sounded and I made a poor start. The first 100m I was dodging and weaving trying to get into my running and when I finally found a clean line, Mick Clohisey and Kenny Rogers had already made a considerable break on the chasers.

A guy made a move for third spot, and I tried to go with him but I had nothing. The breathing was very laboured (40 a day smoker-like), and the legs were heavy. By the time we hit the first km marker he had gotten away from me, leaving me alone in 4th. The next couple of kms were getting tougher and I was ready to step off the course. As we approached 4km another runner went straight past me and I was now down to 5th.

I wouldn't say I backed off at all, I just kept plugging away - but there was no speed or rhythm to my running. Through 5km and I was still considering the easy option of stopping but I could still see 3rd and 4th ahead so that at least kept me focused. The next 5km was a real struggle and I was aware of another runner closing in on me. The km markers were slowly ticking by and by the time I reached 9km marker I knew that I'd hold on to 5th place. That's how it remained and with a friendly finish I eventually crossed the line in 34:02.

I spent the next few minutes coughing up some really nasty stuff and then went over to congratulate the podium getters - Mick running 30:48 for the win, Kenny in 2nd in 31:50 and Declan Fahey 3rd in 32:48.

No warm-down - I just went back and grabbed my top, got a quick cup of hot drink, and then it was off home for a hot shower. All up 10.5kms for the day. Well done to all the organisers for putting this race on. Everything was spot on and the good conditions made for lots of PB's. Well done if you were one of these!

More eating and drinking in the evening. Not my greatest day on the roads but at least there was a reason. Next year!

Here are the splits:

1km 3:16
2km 3:13
3km 3:20
4km 3:27
5km 3:34 (16:50)
6km 3:23
7km 3:26
8km 3:28
9km 3:31
10km 3:24 (17:12)

Total 34:02

Here is a photo of me approaching the finish (thanks to Eirefoto):

Xmas Day

Happy Christmas to one and all!

No running today - instead it was a day of building Lego, drinking and eating. My kind of day really. The bad news is that I've picked up a cold. For someone who never gets sick, it seems to be one thing after another lately. I'll still run tomorrow, and to give myself a fighting chance I've laid off the booze for the evening...

Xmas Eve

A 10.0km run on the treadmill in 42:48 (4:17's). Left quad still really tender after the rub. I'll rest up now until St Stephen's day and I'm sure it will come good.

Family around in the evening - but not before a quick visit to the pub for a few pints.

Massage and session

A massage at lunchtime. The whole rub was spent on the inside of my quad muscle on my left leg. It was a real mess but felt a lot better afterwards. It's going to be tender now for a few days so what better way to aid the recovery than to do a session....

Yes a 20 minute tempo run on the treadmill in the evening. A 2.1kms warm-up, then 20 minutes continuous at 3:24/km pace, then a 2.1km warm-down. All up 10.1kms. It didn't feel at all comfortable running at the tempo pace - probably due to the earlier rub. Still I wanted to get at least one session in before the Fields 10km on December 26th and after last week's write-off, it had to be today...

69

A long run to finish the week off. I ran from home up to Carnmore - Ballybrit - Doughiska - Oranmore and then back to Claregalway. The weather was miserable - hail, sleet, snow, rain - it had the lot. I was running along the Coast Road in Oranmore and it started laying which was quite dangerous as it was bloody slippery. I survived and ended up covering 22.2kms in 1:34:45 (4:16's). Glorious weather by the time I'd finished...

That's 69.3kms for the week. A week to forget to be honest. I have a massage booked in tomorrow to try and get this bloody knee sorted. It would be lovely to start the new year running pain free.

Holiday time

An early morning run before work. The weather was not great, and neither was I. A total of 11.1kms in 48:20 (4:21's). Left knee back to being painful.

A few beers in the evening as I'm now on holiday for the next couple of weeks. Getting into the Christmas spirit and all that.

Power Cut

No running today. Feeling generally much better and the throat is just about back to normal. Okay I've missed a few days training but the big concern is no alcohol in 5 whole days. I dare say I'll work on that over Christmas.

Watched the darts in the evening. A great match between the Power and Michael Smith (the World Youth Champion). Taylor didn't look right all match and was offering up chances which Smith was gladly taking. In the deciding set Smith took out a brilliant 128 bull finish to win the match. So that opens things up a bit with MVG now the stand-out favourite. I'm still looking elsewhere - but not sure where yet!

Luckly lull

Early morning run with Owen and Sean. The horrific stormy conditions overnight had just about cleared and despite a bit of wind it was very pleasant to run in. Lots of chat and the run was soon over before sunrise. A total of 15kms in around 65 minutes. Just as we finished the heavens opened and it was hailing and raining. A close shave.

Still feeling a bit under the weather but the fresh air certainly did me good. Not happy with my left knee again so I'll get a rub before Christmas.

My Dad's 65th today so bought him some Lego. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Missing sitters

Throat still no good so another rest day. I still had a game of snooker in the evening and was feeling a little better afterwards - helped by the fact that I hit breaks of 44 and 45. Two good chances to go beyond 50 but missed a couple of sitters....

Who's your money on in the darts?

Throat

Sore throat time. Lots of drugs to try and get on top of it. Hope it's not another bout of tonsillitis...

I'd planned a rest day today so no damage done.

Recovery Run

A long recovery run with Fintan. The plan was to take it fairly easy so was surprised to look down at the watch at the halfway stage and see that we were tipping along at around 4:12/km pace. Finished up doing the same run as the previous week - a total of 21.0kms in 1:27:49 (4:11's). The legs were quite sore and you'd certainly know you had raced the previous day so was looking forward to getting this over with.

Developed a bit of a sore throat later in the day so that's not good...

Ballinderreen 10km

By some miracle the weather was great. The strong winds had died down and the heavy rain stopped just as I arrived for registration. I bumped into Fintan and after the usual stuff it was time for a few kms warm-up. The field today looked to be very strong - the stand-out was Gary Thornton who has run 29 flat for 10km, plus the likes of Mike O'Connor (30 flat), Peter O'Sullivan, Fintan, Julio Castro and some old soak from Norwich who were all sure to feature. I often get comments that it must be great to win the races but my response is always that you'd prefer a good race pitching yourself against the best, rather than having a solo time trial. Well today promised to be a cracker and was one of the best local line-ups in a long time.

The race started and Gary hit the lead with a group of us chasing. Nobody was going to stick with Gary and so we settled into a nice group of 5 chasers. We were running at a good clip and through the first km in 3:10 feeling pretty good. Gary was working up a nice lead and no moves in our group as we went through the second km. Around this point Mike pulled back leaving the 4 of us to fight it out.

Not much was happening. I think Julio took up the running at one point, but we remained in touch and as the km markers ticked by it was starting to look like it could be a last km shoot-out. Through 4km and then shortly after we started running on the main road. I took up the running on the newly re-surfaced tarmac and was feeling good. It was only a surge of about 500m but it seemed to string us all out a little. As we turned off the main road and went through half-way, it looked like Peter and Fintan had lost touch leaving me and Julio. The pattern of the race for the next few kms was me running at the front, I would be closed down on the uphill drags, and then I would get away again on the flatter sections. More on the course, I have to say it was very friendly, some slight ups and downs but it was predominantly flat, and with good conditions it made for good running. I suppose the only downside was that there were lots of puddles to avoid but considering what the conditions could have been like you'd have taken it every time.

I glanced at my watch at 7km and it was 23:09 so I knew I had a good chance of sub 33. But first I had to shake off Julio. I think it was around this part of the course that there was a long straight road and I could still just about see Gary a long way ahead I pushed as hard as I could and by the time I hit 8km I had opened up a little bit of a gap.

The last couple of kms and it was all about remaining focused. There were a few small climbs but I still felt strong and by the time I hit the 9km marker I upped the pace for the run home. I eventually crossed the line in 32:54 for 2nd place which I was very happy with. Gary ran an incredible 30:29 for the win, with Julio 3rd in 33:05 and Mike somehow finding something in the last 5km to finish 4th in 33:11.

A few kms warm-down with Fintan and Sean who both had great runs. That's around 16kms for the day. I have to say that's one of the most enjoyable races I've had in a long time. A great course, good organistion and plenty of hot drinks after. It was a real gem of an event so much kudos goes to South Galway AC for putting on this great event.

Here are the splits:

3:10, 3:19, 3:15, 3:25, 3:18 (16:27), 3:23, 3:19, 3:20, 3:20, 3:05 (16:27). Total 32:54

I think that's my quickest 10km this year - so I must be doing something right. And I'm only running 5 days per week at the moment so just goes to show what you can achieve if you get your quality sessions in.

A total of 81.9kms for the week. I'll try and keep it around that level for the rest of the year and perhaps increase the pace of my tempo runs slightly. A man with a plan!

2 Nine Darters

Another rest day. Busy at work and then home for a takeaway curry and 4 pints of Guinness. That's how I roll on the night before a 10km race. The weather is pretty horrendous so it looks like it could be a tough one tomorrow.

Two 9 darters at the world champs today - by Terry Jenkins and Kyle Anderson. Great viewing.

The Ally Pally

13.8km in 58:39 (4:14's). Windy out there - I need the wind to settle down before Sunday if I'm going to race. Plus my left knee needs to improve...

Cricket was crap with England letting the Aussies of the hook.

And in better news the world championship darts starts tonight. That's my Christmas TV sorted out right there.

Too hot in winter

Early Thursday morning run with Fintan and Owen. I had double layered with beanie and gloves but that was a big mistake as it was an unbelievably mild 14 degrees at 6:35am! Didn't feel great today - I  must have aggravated my left knee on the treadmill yesterday as it was sore all run. Another massage required...

All up 15.1kms in 1:07:03 (4:26's).

I was planing to stay up and watch the cricket tonight until I realised that it wasn't starting until 2:30am. The best case scenario would be England somehow scraping a draw but can't see it the way they are playing...

6 x 5 mins off 60 secs

I planned to do this outside but the wind was up so it was down to the gym. A 3.5km warm-up and then the 5 minute efforts. I ran the first 2 at 3:22/km pace, the next 2 at 3:21's, and the final 2 at 3:20's. All up 16.0kms with another 3.5km warm-down.

David Gray in the evening at the Seapoint in Salthill. Brilliant stuff - a small venue and David in top form.

Nowt

Usual rest day for Tuesday. I'm considering a 10km race on Sunday - you know me and racing so I dare say I'll do it!

Computer says no

Computer at the menders so updates will have to be short and sweet for a while. Today it was a long run with Fintan. Total 21.0kms in 1:25:39 (4:05's). Felt good and lots of chat to pass the time.

Turkey Trot 5km

I woke up to a very windy day. I also felt like I had a hangover and this was one of the rare Sunday mornings where I'd only had a couple of beers the night before. So perhaps I wasn't in the best frame of mind for the race but I had to run as I'd promised the mother-in-law a turkey for Christmas Day...

Arrived and did all the usual pre-race stuff. I ran a 2km warm-up - one km with the wind on the back (what wind?), then turned to run back and was struggling to move forward. A quick change into the racing flats then another km down to the start.

I like this course - it's a lollipop shape - and relatively flat with only one long drag as you start the main guts of the loop. The direction of the wind today meant that it was more-or-less always a cross-wind, with the exception of 500m between 1.5km and 2.0km (running into it head-on), and then 500m with the wind on the back (somewhere between 2km and 3km).

The race started and myself and Paul Buckley lead out a large group of around 6 or 7. There are a few turns in the first km, and with nobody willing to really push on, the group remained relatively close together as we went through the first km in 3:11. Halfway through the second km and we made a left-hand turn into the wind. Paul was slightly ahead at this stage and everyone slowed as the strong wind pushed us back. Through 2km with a split of 3:18 and then shortly after that we made a right-hand turn to be greeted with a long uphill drag. At this stage I wasn't feeling great at all and I think I slipped back into 4th or 5th place before re-focusing and gradually working back up to the leaders. By the time we reached the top of the climb we were starting to curve to the right and this gave us some welcome benefit from the wind. Through 3km with a split of 3:17 and then it was time to hammer a nice 500m downhill section. Myself and Paul were still side-by-side and then Donal came flying past us. At the foot of the hill we turned right and I seized the opportunity to take up the running.

I quickly opened up a few seconds gap on the group and started to string them out. That was great but the surge had taken a lot out of me and as I hit a few little drags at the end of the 4th km, I could hear someone closing me down. Through 4km in 3:10 and sure enough Paul had caught me. It was going to go down to the wire and I wasn't sure I had much left to offer.

About 1 minute into the last km and I was hanging on to Paul - I kept thinking "let him go and settle for 2nd" but being a stubborn so-and-so I came up with a plan. Try and stick with him until 2 minutes and then make a break for the line. Well that's what I did, 2 minutes passed, and I kicked for home. I say kicked, but it was nothing more than a slight increase on the speed we were running. Thankfully that was enough and as the finish line came into view I knew I could hang on for the final 100m. I crossed the line in 16:06 (a 3:10 last km) with Paul in second right behind me.

Very happy with the win - especially so having not felt at all right today. I'm not sure what was wrong - just one of those days where I felt very flat. The time wasn't bad considering the conditions - everyone ran slower than target so I'd say that was the equivalent of around 15:50 on a still day. It's funny that when you're running well you don't even notice the small inclines - well today was one of those days where I felt every little bump on the course.

Still not feeling great I decided to walk for about 5 minutes to reclaim my long-sleeve, and then finally I summoned up the energy to run 3kms as a warm-down. All up 11kms for the day and 72.4kms for the week.

Back to the hall for hot tea and the presentation. A great event and a really nice vibe with lots of chat and piss-taking with a few of the GCH crew. Loads of prizes and I think they gave just about everyone a free turkey - except to Donal who finished in 4th place (nobody remembers 4th place!). Well done to all involved - runners, volunteers and organisers. It's a great little event which seems to go from strength-to-strength each year and long may that continue.

A few beers in the evening. I only caught bits and pieces of the snooker - with Selby leading 6-3, Robertson started playing some brilliant snooker winning 5 frames on the spin. Selby got a frame back, and then jawed a black to make it 8-8. Well that was the impetus Robertson needed to go on and finish the match eventually running out a 10-7 winner. On that from he is going to take some beating in 2014 but I wouldn't be writing off the Rocket just yet!

100th tournament maximum

No running today.

I stayed up late to watch a bit of the cricket but that was enough to turn you to the drink. Awful.

I've enjoyed watching the snooker this week. Mark Selby made a majestic 147 today - the last 4 balls were all tricky and it's certainly the best finish to a maximum I've seen. The black was a real gem - potting it from the black spot into the left middle. Rolled it in pretty much dead weight much to the joy of the crowd and Selby (who had previously missed a black for a 147 in China last year). A nice cheque for 59 large ones (sterling) as a result. Great stuff.

Solo repeat

The same run as yesterday. The difference being it was daylight hours, I was by myself, and there were no double-backs. Total 14.8kms in 1:01:45 (4:10's).

I gave my new Mizuno Inspire 10's a run out. A very comfortable relaxed fit on the foot, and nice and light. Compared to my usual Asics GT2000 they didn't feel as cushioned, and my left knee was slightly sore as a result. That said, a nice shoe and I'll give them another hit-out when the left knee makes a full recovery - probably some time in the New Year.

That's it now until the 5km on Sunday. Hopefully a sub 16 is on the cards.

Very windy

Myself, Fintan and Owen for the early morning run. Bloody hell it was windy, the mile stretch as we turned right at Carnmore Cross and we were barely moving. The pace felt really slow all the way round so I was a bit surprised that we managed to creep under 4:30/km pace. Total 15.0kms in 1:07:08 (4:29's).

Ronnie got knocked out of the UK Champs. Very surprised by that as I thought he was a shoe-in to win it. Not sure who will win now - I'd like to see a Robertson V Selby final.

The less said about the cricket the better. England are very ordinary and if they don't buck their ideas up they will soon be 2-0 down.

8 x 800's off 66 seconds

A treadmill based session. A 4.0km warm-up and then I cranked up the treadmill to 20kms/hour and ran my 800's. I was doing them on a rolling 3 and a half minutes so 2:24 for each 800 followed by 66 seconds recovery. For the first time in a while I felt like I was way out of my comfort zone so I'm thinking that must be a good thing. A warm-down of 3.6km to give me 14.0kms for the day.

Snooker in the evening. Nothing over 40 to report - but the big break is coming, I can feel it.....

Rest Day

No running. Work and other stuff got in the way!

I'm planning to run the Turkey Trot 5km on Sunday so I'll do a session tomorrow and then take it easy for the remainder of the week. 

Bullied

I was planning a long-run but my training wingman bullied me into doing a tempo run. In his words "I've become a bit of a tempo junkie". I agreed on a 10km effort but I suspected it could be more...

Perfect conditions again and the target was 3:30/km pace. After a longish 3.5km warm-up it was game on. The first few kms felt easy enough and then I started to struggle during the middle section. Then I seemed to come good again at the end. As we were approaching the end of 10km I offered Fintan an extra km which was quickly turned down. We ended up running the 10km in 34:39 (3:28/km pace). Needless to say I was very happy with that.

Fintan going very well at the moment. Some decent mileage topped up with some proper sessions the last couple of weeks and he's now coming into top form. Good to see.

A 4.1km warm-down for 17.6kms for the day. I suppose that also doubles up as a long run of sorts!

End of a recovery

Out in the morning for an hours run to blow away the cobwebs. Again the conditions were superb for running - nice cool and dry and hardly a breath of wind. A total of 15.1kms in 1:04:16 (4:15's).

The knee was great today - hardly any discomfort. It's been a tricky few months but hopefully it will be as good as new come the new year.

Took the kids to see Santa in the afternoon at a local fundraiser. A great turn-out and hopefully lots of money raised for 2 very important causes.

Another photo collection from the Norwich Half (courtesy of the CoNAC Facebook page). I'm the one doing the front-running!

Only 59.0kms this week. Time to ramp it up again.

Dela

Rest day today.

Work and then out in Galway for the evening for a nice meal and a few beers.

I see your 6 and raise you to 8

My training wingman arrived bang on time for this threshold session. I'd geared myself up for 6 x 5 mins but in mentioning that to Fintan it was quickly raised to 8 x 5 mins (by him not me). Bugger. A 2.2km warm-up and then straight into it off the bog standard 60 seconds recovery. The first one felt okay, but the next 3 I was feeling very flat and was hanging on. Then we turned to run the course in reverse and I started to feel much better. I'm not sure how that can happen - I must have started burning some good petrol or something. Anyway, I was running like a changed man and instead of hanging on, I was now holding back. Here are the paces per km for each of the 5 minute efforts:

3:22 / 3:23 / 3:21 / 3:23 / 3:20 / 3:20 / 3:18 / 3:20

All up 18.3kms with a 3.6km warm-down. I have to say I love this session - I really think it's starting to bring on my running and it's a session that's tough but manageable.

Later in the day and my legs were in bits - both calves were screaming. I clearly haven't recovered from the half. A few Guinness in the evening should loosen them off a bit...

The 6:35 from Claregalway

Another early start of 6:35am with Fintan, Sean and Gearoid for company. Lovely conditions for running but very dark and to be honest it still wasn't that light when the run was over. The biggest shock of the day was that there were no pitstops. All up 14.8kms in 1:06:46 (4:31's).

I've agreed to run some 5 minute reps tomorrow with Fintan. The legs still don't feel right after the half so not sure if that was the best of ideas.

Talking of the half, here's a photo of me finishing the race - I think I was quite happy!

Gone to pot

I was planning to meet John at the track for a session but thankfully he had already done his session so I took the easy option to run locally with a 10.8km trot at 4:25/km pace. The knee feels really good at the moment - the knee behaved during the half and the 2 rest days either side of that have helped with recovery no end.

A game of snooker after that. Played well and hit lots of 20 odd breaks but couldn't string together a biggie. In the last frame I hit a 40, then missed a tricky black, before returning for a 30 break and then missing a sitter in the middle...

Early run with the lads planned tomorrow.

Chu Beers

Another rest day - that's 4 in 5 days now. I'll try and get back into it starting tomorrow.

Instead it was work, then home, then some catch-up TV, then bed. There were 2 beers in there somewhere also (just to ensure a good nights sleep).

Barry

Legs quite sore today - no running!

A bit of pottering around today. Back to the snooker hall in the afternoon for more fun with the youngster. On the table next to us was the local Norwich snooker professional Barry Pinches. I had a brief chat with him but Conor was too shy to have his picture taken. Talking of snooker, as I suspected ROS won the Champion of Champions tournament yesterday evening. He didn't have it all his own way - beating both Ding and Neil Robertson in the deciding frame in the quarters and semis, before overturning a 5-3 deficit against Stuart Bingham to go on to win 10-8. That said, I reckon Ronnie was only at about 80% of his game so watch out if he hits full form.

A bit more shopping and then the long journey back to Galway in the evening. Home by 1:30am and in bed by 2. Knackered.

City of Norwich Half Marathon

I arrived at the venue with just over 30 minutes to the start of the race. A big crowd in attendance having been sold out of the maximum 3,000 entrants 6 weeks before the race. The conditions were okay - wet and quite breezy - but compared to the 2 previous years you'd take them. I did a few kms warm-up and bumped into Piers Arnold a fellow CoNACer and as we were both targeting similar times we decided to try and stick together in the race.

With a few minutes to go I lined up having shed my extra layers. A guy called Ben Russell was the stand-out runner, with a few others that I recognised that would be there or thereabouts. At 11am on the knocker we were underway.

Ben immediately took up the running leaving me in a group of 3 that included Wayne Lincoln and Piers who were all in the red and yellow vests. We were a bit undecided as to whether we should go with Ben, or stick to our own pace and the latter was decided upon until we had the feedback of the first mile. Upon exiting the showground we passed the first marker in 5:29 and that being target pace it seemed sensible for Ben to run his own race and for us to settle into the group.

The 2 lap course today was definitely easier on the first half of each loop. We had the benefit of the wind and the profile of the course means that there is more downhill and flat sections compared to the second half of the loop where you gradually climb back up to the showground. Race-wise not much was happening - I was doing most of the front-running with Piers and Wayne behind me. The next few miles were all around 5:20 and Ben was slowly disappearing up the road in front of us.

The pace certainly slowed when we hit the drags and wind. We were now running 6 minute miles - some of that might have been tactical as none of us wanted to push this part of the course. As we ran through the showground we were getting some great support and at one point I almost took a wrong turn before adjusting my line. I was enjoying this and knew that I still had plenty of running in my legs.

Upon exiting the showground I was quite surprised to find that another runner had latched on to our group - Dominic Blake from Reepham Road Runners. So now there was 4 of us - with me still leading them out. My plan was a simple one - I was going to push the first half of the loop and see what happened. Sure enough I tried a few surges but Piers was sticking with me - but I had at least opened up a small gap on Dominic and Wayne.

Through Easton and the left-hand turn to be greeted with a long gradual climb. I again pushed hard and decided to surge up the hill. Sure enough this time I got away from Piers and I ran hard for the next mile. That move was all well and good but I still had the guts of over 4 miles to run for home. I was sensible and would attack the quick parts of the course, and then sit back and cruise for a while. I knew from the gaps in the crowd support that I probably had a 15 to 20 second break and I maintained that through to 11 miles where I suddenly started to struggle.

I suppose it was inevitable as I hadn't done the proper training - the legs were feeling heavy and it was on the toughest part of the course at the business end of the race. It was a case of gritting it out. By this stage I was lapping a few back markers so there support helped me to remain focused and I was breaking the remaining run down into segments of 1 minute - I knew that with around 12 x 1 minutes of discomfort and I was home.

Again good support on entering the showground. I knew from the first lap that the last 800m were going to be course and wind friendly so if I could keep second spot until that point I was fairly confident that I could hold my position. I was all over the place and was looking round at every opportunity to see the gap behind me. Basically it was bloody obvious that I was struggling. Through the grassy/muddy 50m section for the third time and then into the wind. Somehow I managed to hold on and when I took a left hand turn for the final 800m I knew I was okay. I ran as hard as I could and tried to lap up the finishing line atmosphere as much as I could. Another left hand turn, another glance behind, then the final run in down the finishing chute. I eased up approaching the line and threw the arms in the air like I had won the race. In my mind I had!

The time was 1:13:11 so okay. I'd say the conditions were worth a minute plus so that makes it look a little more respectable. Delighted with the position - my previous placings in the last 3 years were 5th, 3rd and 5th. Great to run well in front of family and friends, plus all the support from the CoNAC club around the course. Couldn't have been happier. The standard was a little soft this year - but you can only race against the ones that show up...

All up 25.1kms with warm-up and down. Here are the splits:

1m 5:29
2m 5:23
3m 5:30
4m 5:22
5m 5:41 (27:25)
6m 5:52
7m 5:54
8m 5:30
9m 5:19
10m 5:23 (27:58 / 55:23)
11m 5:34
12m 5:56
13.1m 6:18

Total 1:13:11

A few thank yous - firstly to CoNAC and RP for the invite to run. I dare say I'll be back again next year. Thanks for all the support on the course. Thanks to Jason and Ian for the massages that have kept me on the road. Thanks to AK for the new racing flats. Thanks to the wife for letting me disappear for the weekend. Thanks to my training partners - plus to anyone else I've forgotten.

That's just over 70kms for the week - not bad with 3 rest days!

Out in the evening for a few more real ales. Finishing on the 6 per cent stuff this time. My mate went to the bar and said he wanted something strong and cheap and came back with something you could fuel industrial machines on. Which was nice. Plus a pork pie for the cab ride home.

That's how it starts

Another day of passing time. Couldn't see the point in running for 30 minutes so that's 2 complete rest days before the race tomorrow.

I took the young lad up the city with the old man and he had his first experience of a proper snooker hall (where I used to cut my teeth). Being only 5 he isn't quite ready for the full size tables but we spent an hour on the pool table. He's got a fair bit of talent for it - must have got that from his mother.

A meal in town and a bit of shopping and that was that. I declined the invite to go drinking in the evening and instead stayed in to watch the snooker. I've turned sensible in my old age.

Cricket is now a disaster. England will lose this test and now have to fight back in the city of churches. Talking of Adelaide, I could murder a few Coopers...

Travel and pub crawl

Up at 4am for the trek to Norwich. Just over 6 hours later and I had arrived A bit of catching up with the family in the afternoon and then a pub crawl in the evening. The real ale scene in Norwich is brilliant and after sampling a few 3% ales, I then moved up on to the 4% stuff, and then finished on the head wrecking 5% plus stuff. Woke up with a bit of a sore head the next day...

Ronnie playing well in the Champion of Champions tournament. I can't see anyone touching him.

The cricket has turned ugly...

Brisbane

Early morning run with Fintan and Owen. All good and ran our usual course in mostly darkness. All up 15.0kms in 1:06:56 (4:27's).

That's it now until the race on Sunday. I'm targeting 1hr 12 or thereabouts and for once the weather forecast doesn't look too bad.

England made an okay start to the Ashes...

Final speed session

Mid-morning session on the treadmill. Having done 10 x 800 last week I thought I'd do something similar so decided on 800's again but with a tapered down number of reps of 6. After a 4km warm-up and some stretching I went straight into it. Felt comfortable throughout - perhaps not as good as last week but I think the treadmill I was on was performing at more honest levels. I was running at 3:04/km pace so around 2:27ish for each 800 then repeating the effort off a rolling 3.5 minutes (so 63 seconds rest to be exact). A warm-down of 4.0kms to give me 12.8kms.

After changing I then head to walk home as the car was being serviced. Well the walk turned into a bit of a run as I had to pick up the daughter and I probably slow jogged at least another 3kms. Not a good luck fully clothed and was ready for another shower when I got home.

Cricket starts tonight but I won't be watching much as I have a 6:35am run booked in the morning. I may get up a bit earlier and watch a few overs before the run - we'll see. My prediction for the series is a 3-0 England win (the same as the last series in England). Barmy Army!

Random thoughts

No running today - rest day and all that.

As I suspected, Taylor won the darts on the weekend. He was in simply sensational from and not even Lewis averaging 110.9 in the semis could challenge him. On this form he's looking odds on for another world title.

In snooker news Selby beat O'Sullivan in the final of the Antwerp Open. The Rocket was 3-1 up in the final but lost the deciding frame to go down 4-3 to the Jester. Ronnie didn't even look like he was trying and was playing it more like an exhibition match so when he clicks into matchplay mode, there isn't going to be anyway who can touch him. I certainly wouldn't bet against him getting his 6th world title.

And the cricket starts tomorrow evening. I can only see one winner - the Aussies seem to have put all their energy in hyping up the series and I dare say they'll flop come the first test at the Gabba. They certainly talk a good game, especially their retired pundits, but they don't seem to be able to do it on the field of play. I can't wait for it and to think it was 6 years ago when I did 4 of the 5 test matches in Australia. Now let me tell you there was some proper drinking done on that tour...my liver is twitching just thinking about it.

Start of an easy week

The plan was to run for an hour at 4 minute/km pace but quickly realised that the legs weren't up to much after the race yesterday so that wasn't going to happen. Instead settled into a slightly slower pace and ran for 70 minutes. Total 16.5kms at 4:15/km.

A few pictures from the race yesterday thanks to the excellent 77edenhill. I have to share some of these beauties - they capture me at my absolute best....

Here's me dribbling just after the finish:

The pain etched on my face approaching the finish line (note several chins):

And here's one of me looking almost normal as I aquaplane along:

Abbeyknockmoy 4 Miler

A classic soft day - in other words very, very, wet. After the 20 minute drive to Abbeyknockmoy, I did the pre-race stuff and headed out for a warm-up with Jason Broderick. Back to the club-house to change into my racing flats and with about 10 minutes to go we worked our way up to the start still donning numerous layers. As we were called to the start I dumped my jacket and long-sleeve top and was lining up ready for the off.

The race started and I settled into my running quickly leading out a group of 5. I had been pre-warned that this was to be a race of 2 halves - lots of drags in the first half including what was described as a mile long hill, then some lovely downhills and flat sections to finish with. That proved to be pretty accurate - but the tough start of the race was made worse by the fact that we were also running into the breeze, plus the road was quite narrow, especially after the first right-hand turn where there was the grass median strip, and lots of puddles either side. Anyway, back to the race...

We took the first turn right and I was still leading. Through the first mile in 5:32 and shortly after the group of 5 had been whittled down to 3. Myself, Jason and John took various turns at the front, but nobody was prepared to make any moves on the long uphill mile. To be honest I wasn't feeling great at this point, made worse when John decided to try a surge about halfway up the hill. We all stuck together and normal cat and mouse service was resumed.

Upon reaching the top of the hill we were greeted with the next mile marker (a 6:00 split!). Then another turn right and as soon as we hit the main road the pace was on. Jason took up the running with me in quick pursuit and John fell off the back. I suddenly felt great - I tried a surge which Jason responded to, then another surge with the same result. This was the first time in a long time that it felt like I had a few gears to play with and with another surge I hit the lead and I seized the opportunity to really put the foot down. There followed a lovely downhill section that seemed to go on and on and I continued to run strongly. Through the third mile in 4:57 and still using the hill I was running full tilt. As the hill ended I had a moment of panic as I still probably had the guts of a km to run but luckily the remaining terrain was as flat as you could hope for. I really pushed for home and after a few more turns I could see the finish and with a final mile split of 4:42 I had crossed the line in 21:11 for the win. Jason was back in 2nd about 10 seconds behind with John snatching 3rd.

I'm taking a lot of positives out of this race. Firstly, the quick finish - a 4:42 last mile is sub 3:00/km pace and my Garmin recorded my quickest ever km of 2:54 as part of that mile. Okay it was course and wind assisted but still a nice way to finish. Secondly, the fact that I felt like I had more - I was cruising at the end and would have gone quicker if pushed. Okay the overall time wasn't great but it was a very tough first 2 miles and when the race did spark into life, I had plenty in the tank.

A warm-down of 3.3kms to give me 11.7kms for the day. Absolutely piss wet through by this stage, and then the long wait at the presentation for prizes which I eventually gave up on. Not to worry, a long hot shower when I got home and all was well in the world.

That's 89.4kms for the week. A couple of decent sessions in there plus a good race hit-out so I'm now ready for the half. I'm going to give it a real dig and probably regret that at around the 15km mark but at least I won't die wondering.

Race Prep

I stretched out the legs with a run after work. The knee was at me again - nightmare - not sure how I've gone backwards as I thought I was over the worst of it. Anyway, a total of 8.0kms in 35:31 (4:26's).

Feeling sorry for myself I headed to the local to throw some darts. It wasn't that pretty, it's one of those games that you need to practice regularly at if not you soon lose your touch. Four pints later I was feeling a bit better so headed home for bed.

A bit of poking and prodding at the left quad also - I'll be okay to race buy not nice to be running in discomfort. Time for another proper massage.

8 x 5 mins off 60 secs

A repeat of the session from last week. This week I managed to recruit Fintan for company who was doing his first speed session in many months. Before we started Fintan had the fore-thought to use the toilet and hey presto, no problems during the session!

A 2.2km warm-up and straight into it. Four efforts going one way, then turned and ran the next 4 in the opposite direction finishing up back at the start. Conditions were very good and I was cruising along nicely running low 3:20/km pace without ever feeling the pinch. I could have run a good bit quicker but I resisted the temptation and stayed at my threshold pace. Here are the paces per km for each 5 minute effort:

3:23/3:21/3:23/3:22/3:22/3:23/3:22/3:20

I really feel like I'm progressing nicely at the moment and I certainly feel like I'm coming into some form. A good way to put that to the test will be to race on Sunday so we shall see. Fintan ran a very solid session and good to see him back.

All up 18.2kms with warm-down. Fintan can't understand how I can do these sessions by myself but I guess I've just got used to it over the years. Don't get me wrong it's much easier when you have company, but I don't have any problem doing the sessions solo.

And then there were 4

Early run with Fintan, Owen and new recruit Sean. We had only just got out of the close and Fintan had to take his first comfort break (new PB - must have been less than 2 minutes running by this stage). Lots of chat and after about 30 minutes the darkness had just about cleared. More double-backs later in the run to cater for the incontinent runners - not mentioning names but myself and Sean were in the clear. All up 15.0kms in 1:05:07 (4:20's). Enjoyable stuff.

Our group seems to be swelling and if we can get Gearoid and Conor back then we may yet get the numbers up to 6.

Nothing else to report - had a few beers in the evening whilst watching the darts. Wade gave Nicholson a real towelling beating him 10-1 finishing with a brilliant 125 checkout (bull/semi-bull/bull). Good to see Lewis beat MVG with the sort of scoring that could yet win him more world titles.

10 x 800 off 60 secs

I had to cancel my planned track session (apologies John) and instead it was a quick dash to the local gym. I initially wanted to run 8 x 800 but I ended up doing 10 as the session didn't seem to be taking anything out of me. I had the treadmill set at 3:05/km pace so the 800's were taking 2:28, and after the first couple it felt way too easy so I moved to another treadmill and that still felt the same. So hence I went from 8 to 10 efforts. Sweating like you wouldn't believe but the breathing and legs felt great. Certainly getting a few strange looks humming along at that pace in a packed gym. Thud, thud, thud, thud - like an elephant.

So either I'm in the shape of my life, or the treadmill isn't to be trusted. I think I know the answer to that. All up 14.0kms with warm-up and down.

Snooker in the evening. Played okay in patches but kept missing the key balls to go on and make the big breaks. Frustrating. Mike played well and hit his highest break of 30.

Spotify is great for anyone who hasn't tried it. I've been listening to some decent new albums from the likes of Arcade Fire, The National, Moby and Gary Numan (of course). And the basic version is free which is great if you're a tight-arse like me. Talking of music, I head back to Norwich the weekend after next and The Wedding Present are playing on the Thursday night. All being well I may just be able to wangle that...

A nowt day

No run. Work, home, fry-up. That's about all.

90 minutes

A solo long run today. Perfect conditions for running and my plan was to run for 90 minutes and get that pace up towards my easy run pace of 4 minute clicks. Felt great from the off and I was ticking over very nicely going through 10km in 40:18, then 39:50 for the next 10km. Then added a bit extra on at the end to give me 22.5kms all up in 1:30:01 (4:00/km). Felt fresh which is to be expected when I've being doing bugger all volume.

The knee is still behaving - probably around a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale which is way down on where I was at only a week and a half ago. Gotta be happy with that.

The plan is to run my track session on Wednesday this week (due to a change in work hours). Then I'll have a look to see if there are any races about on Sunday. Hopefully I can find something and have a bit of a blow-out before the Norwich half.

Mileage Down

An easy run of an hour today. I was going to go longer but I plan a long run tomorrow so no point doubling up. Total 14.3kms in 1:00:01 (4:12's). Ticking over nicely and the knee is still as good as it has been lately.

Only 69.6kms to report this week. That's fairly pathetic to be honest. I haven't got above 75kms in the last 3 weeks. Be interesting to see what time I can run in the half off such low mileage...

GSoD

Another day of no running - I'm in the habit of taking 2 rest days per week at the moment. That's not a bad thing, especially as I have more time to eat and drink...

No races on the local calendar tomorrow so I'll give it a miss this week. It would be nice if I could squeeze in one more race before the half in a couple of weeks time.

Darts on the TV to watch. The Grand Slam of Darts. I can't see anybody beating Taylor at the moment.

8 x 5 mins off 60 secs

I had every intention of doing this session on the treadmill - but awoke to a crisp clear day so decided to run the session on the road. A warm-up of 2.2kms, then straight into it. I was cruising quite nicely running 3:23/km pace for most of the efforts - and I think it was during the third one that I was run off the road by a guy driving a car who clearly wasn't paying any attention to the road. I clipped his wing mirror and had to jump into the hedgerow to avoid being completely swiped. The guy didn't even realise what had happened until he was a bit further down the road then he stopped to see if I was alright. What followed was a short conversation containing lots of expletives. Luckily I was okay and I resumed the session with the heart rate going through the roof...

I only started to feel a little tired during the last couple of 5 minutes, and I had to work hard to bring the last rep in on target pace (even though it was downhill). A warm-down of 3.6kms to give me 18.4kms for the day. I'll do this session again next week and that will be my 2 specific half marathon sessions done! I certainly enjoy these tempo sessions and will stick with them for the remainder of the year to see what impact it has on my running.

Later in the evening I was in Dublin to see Gary Numan at the Button Factory. A cracking gig - only a small venue but was wedged full and the stage was overflowing with equipment and instruments. There were 6 people in the band, plus 2 technicians on stage, and Gary and the band put on a great show. Super stuff.

I used to run a bit...

Early morning run with Fintan and Owen. Total 15.0kms in 1:06:54 (4:28's). Felt quicker than that but must have been early morning syndrome again.

Had a good conversation with one of the reps in the shop today. He mentioned he used to do a bit of running and I nearly fell over when he mentioned he'd ran a 2:15 London marathon. Said he'd no talent, but just had to work hard at it (120 mile weeks...). He was stuck running 32 minutes for 10km and his big breakthrough was starting a weekly tempo session of 45 minutes on the treadmill. From then on all his times improved and he went on to break 29 for 10km, 64 for the half and 2:15 for the full. Perhaps there's hope for us all!

More on the 50 races, looking through the list I may have to discount one of them as it was a relay stage of a longer race...

Fifty

My mid-week rest day from running.

Instead it was down the snooker hall still searching for that elusive big break. I managed to get my contacts in properly tonight which was a good start. The first few frames were hit and miss, but in the last frame I had a gilt-edged chance for a biggie. It all comes down to bottle and I missed on 40 attempting a long pink which goes to prove I have none. Definitely improving though and it won't be long before something goes my way.

And in other news. just checked through my road race/fun race/call them what you want races and Sunday's win in Corofin was my 50th win since moving to Ireland. So I'll raise my bat to the pavilion and keep plodding away in the attempt to bring up the ton. To put that into context, in 10 years racing in Oz I never won a single race. In fact, I think I only ever made the podium once. Different size pond and all that...

Here are the 50 races:

12 x 400 off 30 secs

The weather is starting to get a bit grim but I didn't want to miss out on another track session so off to Dangan I did travel. After a 3.8km warm-up around the roads I went down to the track for the 400's off a short/sharp 30 second recovery. A good group at the front with myself leading, Cian, Donal, John and a few other guys from the University. My plan was not to try and run them eyeballs out, but instead to feel nice and comfortable with the words ringing in my ears from Paul McNamara about distance runners trying to run their speed sessions too quick. I thought 72ish would be fair game so that was my target.

The first one felt grand, and from there on in I was feeling pretty good. About halfway through I increased my recovery to 33 seconds to allow the other runners to fully regroup. The weather was getting worse and it was juicing down for the remaining few laps but by then the countdown was on. Here are the times:

71/72/72/71/72/72/71/71/71/71/71/70

A warm-down with Sean - good to see him back after a 5 month lay-off through injury. My knee behaved nicely and I'm certainly heading in the right direction now. All up 12.4kms.

It felt good tonight - perhaps it was the Argi that young Timmie has me trying - tonight being the first use. Apparently a few of the top tri-guys use it so worth giving it a shot. Mix a spoon with 240ml of water and off you go. And it's legal!

Progress

No long run today as I was called in to work. Instead it was a shuffle in the evening to see how the knee was. I knew it had improved as I wasn't getting the pain climbing in and out of the car, getting out of the bath, picking something up off the floor,etc. But the real test is to try a run - I started off tentatively and the discomfort level was way down - not pain free by any stretch of the imagination, but a huge improvement. I gradually ratcheted up the pace and I was soon ticking over nicely. Despite the typical Irish conditions, you couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Finally! Total 9.5kms in 40:27 (4:15's).

So assuming I can keep on top of this, I plan to run the Norwich Half Marathon on Nov 24th. The last couple of years the conditions have been absolutely horrendous, so I'm hoping it will be third time lucky. I won't be in great half shape, but should still be able to run sub 1:14 and in the process try and keep some of the younger lads honest.

I forgot to mention my weekly kms for last week - a whopping 73.5. I know that's low but I've always been able to run some decent times for 5km and 10km off that volume of training. My plan is to try and be a little healthier in the lead up to the half and I may even try to drop a few kgs.

Here were my splits from Corofin:

1km 3:12
2km 3:14
3km 3:21
4km 3:19 (13:06)
5km 3:14
6km 3:19
7km 3:23
8km 3:09 (13:05)

Total 26:11

And here's a photo of me approaching the finish line (courtesy of Edenhill):

Corofin 8km

Arrived in time to quickly register and run a mile as warm-up. Conditions were as good as you could wish for - hardly and breeze and a nice, fresh, crisp day. Shared a few jokes at the start line and soon we were off and running. I immediately hit the lead as we ran in a straight line for the first 3km. There were a few ups and downs, but the course was predominantly flat and I was ticking along nicely at well under sub 3:20/km pace.

The knee felt good which was odd as I'm definitely limping a tiny bit walking on it. It must be the adrenaline rush of racing at full whack. I had nobody for company and by the time I made the first left-hand turn just through 3km I could see the lead car just up the road waiting for me so that gave me something to focus on.

At halfway I was still running well and I even entertained the fact of breaking 26 minutes with a strong run home. I had been pre-warned that the section from 4 to 5kms was the toughest, but my split of 3:14 indicated that I can actually run the long drags when I put my mind to it. After rounding the next left-hand turn it was all about remaining focused for the last 3km.

Sure enough at 6km I started to wobble. The legs were feeling a little heavier and a disappointing split of 3:22 through to 7km meant that the sub 26 was gone. The last km is a real gem and as I ran back into the village, there is a slight right-hand turn, followed by a lovely downhill run home.I really pushed the last 600m and I was a little perplexed when a supporter mentioned that I should just dip under 27. Sure enough I crossed the line with 26:48 showing on the clock Vs my watch time of 26:11. I know which one I prefer so I'm not sure what happened there!

A good solid run, especially with nobody for company. As mentioned conditions were perfect so there were pros and cons. I think that at least indicates I'm back in sub 33 10km shape which is where I want to be. After the race I did a warm-down with Ian who had to listen to my knee woes. A total of 4.4km later I was done - 14.0kms for the day.

More on the knee - I convinced Ian to call into my house on the way back to Claregalway to have a look at the you know what (Ian is a qualified deep tissue massager). My exact words were "Go as hard as you can (fnarr, fnarr....)". Anyway, after putting a minuscule amount of pressure on the inside of my left quad I was already on the ceiling crying like a baby. Man, that pain was something else. Anyway, after 15 minutes of rubbing and pressing the muscle had let off a good bit. It was almost like letting off a pressure valve and I could notice an immediate improvement on the knee. I have a few things to do now to try and keep on top of it - foam rolling, ice rolling, self-massage on the sore spots, anti-inflamms, etc. Hopefully I can get back to running in less pain in the coming weeks. Thanks Ian - the beers are waiting for you when you return from the volcano marathon!

Beer and curry

I took another rest day today. Just didn't have it in me to go for a run. Instead it was a takeaway curry and 5 beers. Now you won't find that race preparation in many copybooks as I'm planning to give the 8km out at Corofin a go tomorrow. No idea how I'll go and it's sure to give the knee a real test...

Just looking through a few photos from the terrific Edenhill this evening. Here's one from the recent 10km in Loughrea with Freya Murray in the background:

Gyp

Squeezed in a few kms after work in the dark. A total of 8.4kms in 36:50 (4:23's). Left knee giving me a fair bit of pain - I haven't run pain-free now in several months. Something has to give...