Treadmill

The weather has turned cold so I wimped out of running outside and went to the gym. I ran 10km in 40:49 and that was that. Mile reps on the track tomorrow...the target is 6 off one minute.

Doubles and Trebles

It's all about squeezing it in. I managed to get someone to look after the kids for an hour at lunchtime so I hot-footed it out the door and ran my local 16.1km course in 1:03:40 (3:57/km). I felt really good today despite a very stiff breeze and although I wouldn't say I was running easy, it wasn't far short.

That didn't really suffice as a long run so I headed out again in the evening for a much more sedate affair. This time I covered 8.7km running up and down the N17 in a time of 39:29 (4:32/km). The wind had picked up even more by this stage. So I think that's my first double run for the year...

That makes it 101.6km for the week. So that's the treble reference. Again, my first 100km week for a very long time (end of April). I'm very happy with how this week has gone - 3 decent sessions in there and the only disappointing thing being missing the long run though I attempted to make up for that by doubling up. Not sure that has the same training benefit though...

All being well I plan to keep this going for the next 3 to 4 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Hills Are My Friend

I had a funny turn this week and decided I should do a few hill sessions. I don't normally train much on the hills but the reality is that hills makes you stronger and all that and looking back on this year, my lack of strength has cost me a few races. So here goes with my "making it up as you go along" style of training...

Again I was staying local. I warmed up by running down to the bottom of the Rock Road (3.4km) and this is where I ran the session. Anyone who has run the Claregalway 5km/10km will be familiar with the hill on the Rock Road. The guts of the hill is between 450m and 500m and I decided to run 30 minutes continuous with effort going up the hill and float back down. I stopped on 30 minutes which had me running 8 ups and 7 downs (7km approx). I then ran back home as a warm-down (3km). All up 13.4km for the day.

I took my splits for the hill each lap. Times were:

1:50/1:49/1:50/1:47/1:47/1:45/1:44/1:42 (total 29:51 including downs)

Hopefully a few more sessions like this will put me in good stead for the Norwich Half which has its fair share of drags. Not an easy session by any stretch of the imagination and had me working up a good sweat. I suspect muscles will be sore tomorrow for my long run.

Easy 40 minutes

I had even less time to train today. A quick run at lunchtime covering 9.8km in 41:05 (4:12/km). Hills tomorrow.

3 x 10 minutes

I ran early (5pm) so still had the benefit of daylight. Conditions were excellent (yes you read that correctly). Very little breeze about, no rain and quite mild for this time of year. I only had an hour so after running a 2.2km warm-up, I ran 3 x 10 minute efforts using part of my now defunct local lap due to the demolition of the bridge.

The 10 minute effort was an out and back affair. I used the first one to mark out my course and turned at a recognisable point on 5:10. I got back to my start point in 10:23 (note I prefer to run a set distance rather than stop on 10 minutes exactly). The next 2 were ran in 10:09 and 10:13 with 2 and a half minute walk recovery in between. I'd estimate the distance to be just over 3km for each effort so I was running just below 3:20/km pace.

I finished up with a 2.2km warm-down. All up 13.7km for the day. Session completed within the hour. I'll do more of these type of session in the build-up to the half increasing either the length of the effort or the number of reps to get the total running time up.

Midweek

A longer run. Legs felt a little sore after yesterday's track session. I covered 16.1kms in 1:07:32 (4:12/km). It's getting hard now to run in the evening with the nights drawing in. I started my run at just gone 6pm and it was almost dark when I had finished. I may try one of those headtorches that someone suggested. If all else fails I could get a job as a miner.

The aim is to do some longer reps tomorrow. A lot will depend on when I can squeeze it in.

Back on track

My first track session in 3 weeks. Weather was still poor being very damp. I decided to do a warm-up around the roads (estimate 3.9km) before 3 more laps of the track. Then stretches, drills and strides. The main group were using the pitches for their session so I decided to stay on the track by my lonesome.

Although not an ideal session for half marathon training, I decided to try some 400's. I had it in my mind that I'd lost a lot of speed so I wanted to see where I was at with some shorter stuff and compare my times to similar sessions earlier in the year. I planned on running 12 off 1 minute.

Times were as follows:

74/73/72/70/69/69/70/69/69/70/69/67

Not too bad averaging around 70 per 400. Back in June I got down to 67's but I'm happy enough with today as it was a) better than I expected, and b) quite good considering the track was full of water and quite slippery.

I finished up with another lap of the local roads to give me 13.8km for the day. I'll do some mile reps on the track next week...

Then I headed straight home for a shower and a quick bight to eat then out the door for my darts league debut. The format was 3 pairs and then six singles. I played in the second game of pairs which we won 2-0 (each game is best of 3 legs 501). I played well especially in the second leg hitting a 100 and a 140, before hitting the winning double top. I then played in the third singles match again winning 2-0. I didn't play as well as in the pairs but I finished nicely hitting 86 out for the match. A good debut and hopefully I'll be a bit more relaxed from now on. Our team won 6-3 overall so a nice start to the campaign. A late night for midweek not getting home until gone 1am...

On the improve

I couldn't face running in the miserable weather for a third day on the trot so I took the easy option and went to the gym. After 10kms (41:50) on the treadmill I quickly realised this was not the easy option. I was sweating like only an indoor run can make you and was running at a slower pace than I would normally...

I'm still not feeling 100% but I think I'm getting close. Certainly the appetite has returned but the most alarming fact being that I haven't had any alcohol for 5 whole days. NoBeerMatt. But that will likely change tomorrow as I'm making my league debut in the Galway City Darts League...

Talking of darts, did anyone catch the nine-darter on the weekend by Brendan Dolan? It was the first televised nine-darter where you have to hit a double to start and finish the leg. The darts went 40,60,60 (160) - 60,60,60 (180) - 60,51,50 (161). Magic darts. For the record my best leg was an 11 darter (no double in) against my old man many moons ago. My Dad's best leg being a 10 darter (double in). He has always been very lucky...

Also track tomorrow all being well...it could be ugly...

Same again

Basically a carbon copy of yesterday's run. If anything the weather was a little worse today and that resulted in a slower time of 47:06 for the 11.3kms (4:10/km). Still very hard work and that tells me I haven't fully shaken this bug. I was originally planning on a slightly longer run but once I got into it I knew that wasn't going to happen (zero energy).

So my first week of getting back into serious training has been a bit of a disaster. In the grand scheme of things a few weeks of easy running won't do my any harm but like most runners I hate the feeling of knowing that what fitness I have is ebbing away.

A total of 48.6kms for the week. That's my lowest weekly total of the year.

Testing the water

Still not feeling great. But I had to get out and try a run. The elements were conspiring against me - damp and windy. I did my local 11.3km Rockmount loop in 46:56 and despite feeling okay at the start, the last 15 minutes were a real struggle. The breathing was laboured, the legs felt heavy and the energy reserves were non-existent. Still, it has stopped the rot.

3 Days

of laying around feeling sorry for myself. Still no running, very little energy or appetite...

The only plus is that I've probably lost a few pounds in weight so I'll be super lean when I make my comeback...

Nurse

After spending all night throwing up, I slept all day trying to recover. I have no energy and have aches and pains all over. I get sick very rarely but this has really knocked me.

So no running again today. I think it's a 24 hour bug that's going round so hopefully I'll be right tomorrow.

Darts and snooker on the box tonight so that should keep me entertained.

Birthday

Not mine, the better half. So I decided on a rest day and then as I was about to go to bed, I got real sick...

Still no intervals

I couldn't make track tonight as my Dad is in town so instead I did a longer run. I wasn't too disappointed to miss the faster stuff as my legs don't feel like they have fully recovered from the half on the weekend.

Instead I did a longer local run of 16.1kms in 1:04:56 (4:02/km). It was very windy but I seemed to be running quite nicely without exerting myself.

The aim will be to get at least 2 decent sessions in per week for the next 6 weeks in the build-up to my next half. The first of which will be this Thursday...

A Run

Trying to get back into some sort of routine. I did one of my new local routes whilst the bridge is being repaired covering 9.9kms in 40:46 (4:07/km). It's a start.

More Rest

Another rest day today as the legs were very sore. I probably should have got out to try and run a few kms but I basically couldn't be bothered. I seem to be lacking motivation at the moment and hope that I get my running mojo back soon. Perhaps that will happen if I go to watch the Dublin Marathon next month to cheer on the lads. I hope so.

That's only 65.7km for the week. The week before last I managed 76.1km so I can't even muster up 80kms a week at the moment. Pathetic really.

Galway Bay Half Marathon

Touched down in Knock just after 8am and arrived back in Galway around 9:30am. I quickly changed and headed straight out of the door. Arrived at the start by jogging a couple of kilometers after parking the car. I had arranged for my number to be picked up and I literally pinned on my number and laced in my timing chip about 15 minutes before the race start. I was feeling tired and dehydrated but was ready to rumble.

The course itself was very similar to last year - 2 laps up and down Galway promenade. We were lucky as the weather was very good - no rain and only a slight breeze which was unusual being right on the Bay. The race started and there was 3 of us who made a break to the front. The pace was quick as we went through the first couple of kms at sub 3:10/km pace. I knew I was punching above my weight so sat back to let the other 2 runners take the lead. I was left alone in 3rd place and that's how it remained for the next few kms. After the first turnaround point near the golf course I was joined by a fellow Harrier (Michael O'Connor) who was encouraging me to stick with him to try and wind in the 2 leaders. But that wasn't going to happen as I was already red-lining and Michael quickly gapped me leaving me alone in fourth.

I found the second half of the lap running back to the start quite tough. What wind there was we were now running straight into it and there were 2 sections which were offshoots from the main course in order to get the correct distance for each loop. Neither of these extra sections were very runner friendly. The first towards the end of the prom basically had us running around a twisty (gravel) path for a few minutes cross country style. The second section had us running out and back towards Mutton Island. Whilst this part of the course was very flat, it's very hard going running-wise as you have to make a sharp turn at the end of the jetty, only to have to then run directly into the wind as you run back onto the main loop.

I wasn't looking at splits as I was too ashamed but I think I went through 10km in just under 34 minutes. As we finished the first lap I remained in fourth position and I knew the second lap was going to be a real struggle. I don't recall too much of the detail but certainly on the outward section of the course I seemed to be running a little better and sure enough I was closing in on 3rd place. I caught Michael around the turnaround point near the golf course and gradually worked a small gap. The last 5 kms were really hard going and I knew I still had the 2 tough sections which I previously described. I had slowed and I couldn't manage 3:30 kms but thankfully it seemed to be enough to get me round to the finish line in a time of 1:12:41 for 3rd place.

I was absolutely spent at the finish. My legs were very wobbly and I was staggering around like an old drunk (which basically I am). I'd given it my all and the time was about as good as I could have hoped for. A big congratulations to the race winner Michael Shannon who ran a terrific time of 69:48 breaking 70 minutes for the first time. I've had several battles with Michael in the last year but in the last couple of months he has improved out of sight and I'm sure it won't be long before he is winning some big national races. Well done again.

I tried jogging some of the way back to the car but it was more walk/shuffle. All up 25.1km for the day. I don't have the splits for the race as I deleted them! I'd say my 10km splits were about 34 minutes then 35 minutes.

So I think it's time to knuckle down and get some proper training done. Looking at the last 3 weeks I have only been managing one decent session a week with the balance of my running being easy. That's just not good enough and I will strive to do better for my next race which looks like being the Norwich Half Marathon at the end of November.

Well done to everyone who finished the 10km and half on Saturday. The event has certainly blossomed and I think the organisers have the potential to make this a really big event. My only gripe would be those 2 sections in the second half of each lap. Get rid of them somehow and you have the potential for a very quick course! Finally a big well done to the Galway City Harriers who scooped the team prize in the half plus the 2 Brians for taking out the first 2 spots in the 10km. I believe the celebrations went on well into the night...

Skiathos

Apologies for the lack of blog updates. Basically I made no attempt to get on the world wide super highway whilst I was on holiday...

Here's a quick snapshot of what happened. Arrived in Skiathos and stayed in a quiet resort called Troulos Bay (highly recommended). An extremely nice resort but it was quickly apparent that any serious running was going to be difficult. The temperatures were way too hot (30 degrees plus), and the terrain was very hilly (read mountainous). I tried to get out there and do a bit but it was more to sweat out excess alcohol as opposed to getting any serious training benefit. Here are my efforts and all distances are approx:

Fri - a 9km out and back run to Banana Beach (40:22) - very hilly

Sat - a 9km out and back run to Aselinos Beach (41:18) - less hilly

Sun - a 13km out and back run to the Monastery (59:54) - this was my attempt at a longer run but without water I daren't risk going further than an hour. The climb up to the Monastery was one of the toughest climbs I have ever done - at least 10 minutes of shuffling up a steep hill.

Mon - a 9km out and back run to Aselinos Beach (39:59)

Tue - a 3km warm-up, 4 x 1 miles off 90 seconds, 3km down. All up 12.4km. I was running in my heavy joggers, I was dehydrated, it was too hot, my times were painfully slow. Nuff said.

Wed - a 9km out and back run to Aselinos Beach (40:41)

Thu - a 9km out and back run to Aselinos Beach (40:54). Midway through I stopped do run 6 x 200m efforts. All up 10.2km.

Fri - a rest day before Saturday's half. Fly back to Gatwick in the afternoon feeling pretty ordinary after another big night on the sauce. Head on to Stansted in preparation for a connecting flight to Ireland in the morning. Stay in a hotel and manage 4 hours sleep.

So that was my Skiathos training in a nutshell. Not ideal preparation for the half...

Happy 40th to me

Life begins as of today and all that. I'm now in a new age category for racing and that's one of the few positives I can take from being this old...

No running today. I'm flying to London this afternoon, and then on to Greece early tomorrow morning. A few beers tonight in celebration.

Blog updates may be a bit thin on the ground in the coming week but all being well I'll be on the start line for the half on October 1st. I'm cutting it fine as I touch down in Knock at 8am and the race starts 11am. I'm sure it will all work out...

Slainte!

Midweek meander

A midweek longer run of sorts. Very windy but ran okay covering the same route I've done the last few weeks (16.1km) in 1:05:11 (4:03/km).

My dip in form of late may also be due to illness. Whilst I don't feel too bad I've been coughing up a lung the last few days. Hopefully I can get myself in some shape before toeing the line in the Galway Bay Half.