Eight Women and Two Men

I'm trying to be a little more creative with my post titles, as you never know what people are searching for on the web.  This morning Eight Women and Two Men (Bubbles and myself) went for a ten mile run. I was a bit worried if I was taking on too much in ten miles, but I knew the route and if I wasn't feeling well, I could bale out at different spots.  We ran Long Ross with Lynally thrown in, and I was happy enough to come home in 1hr, 43 min and 46 seconds.

Running in a group is definitely the way to go. I've said it here many times, how easy it is to stay at home when you're planning a run on your own, but that it's more difficult when others may be waiting for you to turn up, before they head off. I certainly wouldn't have got out of bed this morning only for that fact.  The other big plus of running in a group is that you'll push or pull each other on.  There were times on this morning run when I was going through a tough stretch, and on my own, I would have slowed down or stopped. However as we were chasing a pack ahead of us, I didn't want to fall too far behind, and so I just ran through it.  Then when I was feeling a bit better, Ray and myself caught up with the girls. This was around the seven mile stage.

One of the interesting topics that came up on this mornings run was Rays' musings on how difficult it can be to get the running watches working properly, and getting to understand which buttons to press, to get it set up right. He claimed the watch was a bit like a woman in that regard, but once you got the hang of it, and the worked out which buttons to press, (or not press!) great fun was to be had!

Anyway thanks to the two Marys', Hillary, Sharon, Josie, Miriam, Trish, Dorothy and Bubbles, for the company this morning. until next time, Slán.

Back at it!

It's been a while, I know. I felt it this morning when I ran 7 miles with Bubbles. In fact. I'm still feeling it now, especially between my legs, as I forgot to put on the Vaseline before the run. I started an Internship in Dublin two weeks ago as part of my College course. The office hours are 9 - 5:30, which means I have to get the 6:50am train in the morning, and I do well, to get the 6:15pm train home in the evening. This means early nights and early mornings, which doesn't exactly fit in with training at the moment. I'm trying to come up with a solution, and the weekend run, seems to be an obvious target. I've been reffing rugby matches most weekends, which rules me out of the long run on that day, and somehow, I've always found an excuse for the other day of the weekend. So a big thanks is due to Bubbles for getting me out this morning. In fairness, Ray has been ringing me regularly, to find out where I've disappeared to, and encouraging me to get back running. I had great intentions of going for a run today, but in all honesty, if Ray hadn't texted me last night, I probably wouldn't have gone.

What I found this morning when I did go, was a welcome as warm as ever. There were about 15 runners heading off at 8:30am, but Bubbles stuck with me, as I was going at a slower pace. We ran Short Ross(7 Miles) in a time of 1hr and 13 min, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We chatted the whole way around, me for the first half, and then Ray for the second half. We were joined by Adrian Martin(Club Captain) for the last mile, as he was coming back from a longer run, and just happened to meet us at that part of the route. So Adrian took up the conversation from that point until we finished. After we'd finished, Ray told Adrian that he'd gone for a ten mile run with the girls yesterday. Adrian seemed impressed and asked who else was in the group. After Ray had named some of the runners, Adrian exclaimed that they were a lovely group to go running with, and that their progress had been very good over the last year or so. He then asked with a bit of a frown, if they still chatted so much? I found this quite amusing considering, Adrian hadn't shut up since we met him on the run home! When I pointed this out to him, he laughed with his usual good humour and just shrugged his shoulders.

There's a table quiz on Wed night as a fundraiser for the Harriers. There were 40 teams at it last year, and Bubbles and myself are going to be part of a team this year. It's on in the Court Hotel at 8pm, and the cost is €40 per table of four, of course everybody is welcome and the more the merrier. Another member of our team is Billy Delaney, a clever lad with an insane general knowledge, so I'm hoping for once that I might finish at the head of the field, in a Harriers run competition!

As it's been a while since I was on the blog, so I looked over some stats since I've last written. Obviously numbers have dropped off, due to the lack of fresh content, but I found it amazing to see that my post entitled "In The Kingdom of Kerry" has attracted a large audience. The average page views per post is around the 120 mark, with the first two and the Half Marathon post reaching 400. I can only imagine what disappointment, web surfers must have had when they clicked on the post "In The Kingdom Of Kerry" as I doubt all 996 page views came from people interested in a running blog.

Anyway, It's good to be back, and thanks for reading. until next time, Slán.

The big build up

There was a great atmosphere at training last night. The Dublin Marathon is on Monday, and at the last count, Tullamore Harriers have 28 competitors running. That's not to mention all the supporters that will be in attendance. As a result, last nights training was only a leg loosener- 4 miles around the town, with instructions to remember the rules of the road, stay on the footpath, and run no more than 2 abreast.  As I said, the spirits were high, and the everybody seemed to be talking about the marathon, their hopes, tactics, where to park, what time to get there, etc. You could nearly spot the first timers from the experienced runners, with the worries and hopes of each group being slightly different. The one thing all the experienced runners were saying is that The Dublin Marathon got a name of being Europes' friendliest Marathon for a reason, there is always great support on the route.

Having set yourself the goal of running the Dublin Marathon, whether it's your 1st or 40th, and whether you've a time in mind or not, it's obvious that this weekend will be special. The anticipation is often better than the event, but I'm sure the event itself, and the feeling afterwards will be something to be remembered.  The very best of luck to all the competitors, the work has been done now, it's time to make sure no last minute dietary changes, or ill advised exercise routines can mess it up. I hope you all get what you're looking for, out of the race, and that the tough parts wont be too tough, and the good parts better than you could have dreamed.

With regards to my own running status, while it was a small run for the others, I found last nights session medium to high in terms of work rate needed. I forgot to set my watch, so I've no idea of what pace we were running. It was interesting to see the effect of three weeks without a run. I've definitely lost fitness, as you'd expect, but then I haven't gone back altogether. It was still a four mile route, which I wouldn't have dreamed about at the start of last summer, and I was chatting all the way around.  I ran with Bubbles the whole way, and really enjoyed the conversation and the slagging. I think Bubbles is a bit concerned about me. He rang me to go for a run last weekend, as he noticed I hadn't been around the club for a while. It had been my intention to go, but then I realised I had to be in Edenderry for a rugby match  at 10:30am, so I had to pass on yet another run. Then as I was pulling on my socks to go training last night, he rings again, just to make sure I'd be going. He's certainly not letting me slip out of the routine we'd built up over the summer.

The reason for all my absences of late can be pinned down to the dancing. Training for that has really stepped up now, as the big night is on Sunday. There are 14 couples dancing, and on Tuesday we had to dance in front of one another for the first time. There are some great routines, and some routines that need some work before Sunday, but I'd say it'll be some laugh.  The music is brilliant, and there is plenty of lifts going on, which is always good entertainment. There are a few parts, which you just know will get a huge cheer from the audience. The voting is split 50/50 with the judges and the audience, so if any of you are going please give Jill and myself a vote. I've still got some tickets to sell if anybody is interested in going, just give me a shout. They're €20  each, and the event is on Sunday night, in the Tullamore Court Hotel, starting at 8pm.

That's a lot of writing for a small bit of running, but before I sign off, I'd like once more to wish everybody running on Monday, the best of luck. Especially, my big brother with less hair than me, Hugo. Until next time, Slán.

No Run, No Fun

Hi Folks,

I know it's been a while since I've posted, it's also been a while since I went for a run. I've been busy with the dancing and also reffing rugby match's. it just so happens that last week I was practicing for the Strictly Come Dancing on Tue, Thur and Sunday, while I've reffed a match on each of the last two Saturdays. I'm also coming to the end of the classroom part of my one year Higher Diploma course, which means that assignments are due, and exams are only a week away.

I do realise that all of the above is just one big excuse. I know there are people with busier lives than mine, who are out running every day. I'm also guessing that I'm not the only who makes excuses this time of year, and I suppose the question is just how am I going to deal with it? The last time I went training, I really struggled and felt I'd gone backwards. I think I need to start afresh with the same attitude I had in the Summer. I need to set myself a target and start working towards that. Other than trying to improve my times for 5k's or 10k's, I'm not sure what to aim for. Any Ideas? The chances of getting to training tonight are slim, as I'm back on the dance floor again this evening. Thursday might be a possibility, but I'm going to have to do something, maybe tomorrow evening, or else it'll be two whole weeks without a run, and I didn't buy a decent pair of runners just to use as a home for spiders with blocked noses!

I'm sure by now, all the Marathon hopefuls are winding down their training and starting to get extra cautious as they run over bumpy ground. I'm really looking forward to going to the Marathon this year. Hugo is of course competing, as well as a whole bunch from the Harriers. I've yet to work out what parts of the course I'll be of most use to the runners as I offer my bit of encouragement, once again, I'd love to get any of your suggestions.

Anyway, Thanks for checking back on the blog, I'm thinking of posting once weekly from now on, probably after a weekend run, so until next time, Slán.

Back with the group

It seems like I can only get to one out of every three sessions with the Harriers these days. Last night was one of those sessions. I arrived just as they were starting, so I was straight into it, without any warm up. Of course the slagging about the dancing had started before I got to the first bend, but sure, that's the way I like it. The drill was to run at whatever pace you'd run a 5k, for 12 minutes, followed by a three minute rest, repeat 3 times. Training took place on the outside track which is 625 metres. We'll be there every night for a good while, now that it's dark from 7:30pm. We're lucky to have such a safe place to train, as with the numbers up training, it would be impractical to do a group session on the roads, or footpaths around the town.

The smaller circuit gives you a good chance to see how fast the leaders are going, as they passed me on a regular basis. I was getting around the track in around 3:27 per lap,(8:49 minute miles) which meant that I was getting in 3 and a bit laps in each 12 minute segment. I thinks the leaders were doing around 5 laps in the same time. I was trying to stay to the outside of the track so as my fat ass, wouldn't be an obstruction to the rest of the athletes. I might have ran further around the track on the 4th lap, if I'd kept a tighter line but my target however wasn't how far I run in each segment, it was to put in a consistent effort, which I did. I was running on my own for most of the actual training, which suited me fine, as I wouldn't have been able to hold a conversation anyway, but I did enjoy the banter in the gaps in between and also on the cool down laps.

I've a very busy weekend coming up. Tullamore Rugby Club are playing their first ever home game in the All Ireland League, after winning promotion last year to Senior status, and the Club are holding a pre-match lunch, which I'm involved in organising. Margaret is heading to Limerick to see a friend of hers, and watch the Munster v Leinster match, so I'll be looking after the two boys aswell. Frank has a rugby match in Longford, and Rory has training at 11am. Then on Sunday, the two lads are running in a cross country race in Charlivelle, while I have dance training. I'd love to be able to run in the Novice race, but I'm going to miss it as I've to work on getting my feet and body to move in a co-ordinated effort.

Just to give you an update on the dancing, Jill Cobbe is going to be my dance partner for the competition. If I could have hand picked a partner, I would have picked Jill, so I was delighted when we got drawn together. I know Jill from the rugby club, and I'm sure we'll get on, she's also athletic, competitive, a good dancer and good craic. I'm not sure if Jill was as happy to get me however. The commitment I've made to Jill is that I'll work hard to get the moves right, and I'm not hung up about which dance we get. On Sunday morning we'll find out what music, and style of dance we'll have for the big night. We'll also be taught half of our routine, which we'll have to have perfected by the following week. So, a lot of work ahead. The picture is of Jill and myself, and you can click on this link(Strictly Come Dancing Launch Tullamore 2013)  to see  a video of our opening dance, from the launch. The dance was a bit all over the shop, but we'd only two sessions in which to learn it, and not all of the 30 dancers were there on either day. Until next time, Slán.

Getting ready to Dance

Do you remember a few posts back when I said I'd be stepping out of my comfort zone? well I've signed up to do Strictly come Dancing in Tullamore in 4 weeks time. It's to raise money for the town to put in a bid to host the All Ireland Fleadh Ceoil. For those who don't know, the Fleadh, is a basically a competition between traditional Irish musicians and singers, but in reality it is much more. It is a celebration of what makes us unique, and it gathers together every year the best, most skilled and most passionate people who keep our heritage alive. It was a privilege to witness the event a number of years ago, when Tullamore hosted the competition for 3 years, and it really brings the community together. People open their doors to accommodate strangers, who leave as friends, and for one whole week, there is a feel good factor, and sense of excitement and enjoyment, that could only be matched by an appearance in an All Ireland GAA final, which unfortunately hasn't happened too much recently for us Offaly folk! (Last weekend excepted, Congratulations to the Offaly Ladies, for their triumph).

Anyway, we've been learning some moves for the last two weeks, and tonight is the official launch. We'll be expected to perform a group dance in public, at the Tullamore Court Hotel tonight at 9pm. The event is free and open to all, I suggest you come along if you fancy a laugh, but please remember, we're only two weeks into it, I'm sure we'll be a lot better for the big night on the 27th October. The draw will also be taking place so we will find out who our dance partner is going to be. All I can say is, God bless the poor person that gets me. I think my best dance move is when I sit down. I've been looking at some videos of the Strictly Come Dancing that's on TV, and I'm kind of worried. I have as much rhythm as a rock, but I am willing to learn, and work hard. I'm also prepared to make a fool of myself because I think that's more of a probability than a possibility.

What's all this got to do with running, I hear you ask? You're right, maybe I should have posted this under a blog called "Fat Dad Dancing", but I don't think I'd find as much to write about dancing, as I do about running. In order to accommodate the dancing tonight, I went for a run early this morning, I ran the same route as last Saturday, but two min and six seconds quicker. I left at 6:30am,  in the dark and misty morning, and I enjoyed the run. It was good to see people out early, I saw at least 10 people walking at different stages, and I also saw a lad sweeping up leaves on O Moore st. Early mornings mid week, have a different vibe than early mornings at the weekends. When I got home, I saw I'd missed a call from Bubbles last night. He left a message wondering if I'd go for 6 mile run this evening, around 6pm. I would have enjoyed that, because this morning I missed having someone to talk to (or Listen to, in Ray's case!) while I'm running. That shouldn't be a problem when I train with the gang again on Thursday night. So until then, Slán.

Early morning run

I woke as usual around 6am this morning, the difference today was, I wasn't able to get back to sleep. I had a million things flying around my head, stuff that I had to get done over the weekend, College projects, and the like. I was trying to figure out when I'd get in the run, because tomorrow I'm refereeing a rugby match, and I'm pretty busy all day today as well. (I'm just taking a short break from my studies to write this). Anyway, I decided to get up and go for a run, to get the day off to a good start. I ran the same route as last Sunday(5 miles) and I finished 3 seconds slower. I can't figure that one out, because I felt better, and was enjoying the run. I suppose that's all that really matters on the weekend runs, but it's hard not to compare your times.

The Town was only starting to come to life when I left at 6.50am, it was a beautiful dry morning, and the temperature was perfect for running. I was home and showered by 8am, but more importantly, fully woken up and ready to get on with my day. I know I'm going to enjoy this evenings hurling match all the more now, as I'll have the satisfaction of putting in a good days work beforehand.

That's it for this week, until next time, Slán.

1st night of the Winter League

Thursday night consisted of a cross country race in Charleville, the distance was 5 km, and there was a decent turnout(somewhere between 60 and 70 runners, I'd guess).  I'd missed another training session last Tue as I was at the National Ploughing Championships, and didn't get home in time. Adding this to the other missed sessions, left me struggling more than I could have believed. Maybe it was that, or maybe it was my poor preparation for the race. I'd forgotten all about the winter league, until Bubbles rang me at 5:30pm, as I was driving home from College. I still hadn't had any dinner, or much water during the day, and once I got home, I had to get my gear and get out the door. I'd also got my first semester results on Wednesday, which were quite good (78.6% average), and I went out with the rest of the class to celebrate. Or maybe it was the fact that I went off at the same pace as Bubbles, which left me with a stitch from early in the race. Whatever the reason, I was disappointed with my run. I came in a little bit under the 30 minute mark, having been uncomfortable for most of the race. The race was won by Jason Donegan, he finished the race(5 laps), when I still had 2 laps left, and by the time I got around to my last lap, most of the others had finished.  I suppose, when you run on the road, you just don't see how far the others are ahead of you. You know of course that they're a good bit ahead, but when you're running around a field, it brings it home, how big the gap is, in terms of distance. I did manage to finish well though, just holding off a late challenge, when I could have easily given up.

On the positive side though, running a cross country race, brought me back to my youth. There used to be a time when I loved cross country running, and the smells of the autumnal fields brought that memory back. I used to run in my bare feet, and I'm thinking of doing that again. I'm a bit worried about two things though. First - I weighed a lot less then than I do now, and I wonder how important is it to have the support of a good running shoe? and secondly - One of the last times I ran in my bare feet, we ran over a ploughed field, and my feet were in ribbons after it. I wasn't able to walk for a week, after all the stones had been pulled out of my soles. So I'm wondering how long will it take to toughen up the skin?

My two Sons are running in the National Schools cross country today, and I'm looking forward to watching them. they've been training for a few weeks, and they're really excited about today, although there's a good chance they're more excited about getting out of school early, than any prospect of picking up a prize. I'm also looking forward to bringing them to cross country race meetings where we'll all be competing on the same day. Now, if I can just get Margaret to start running, it'll be a nice family affair. I hope to go for a run on Saturday, as I'm refereeing my first rugby match of the season on Sunday. Until then, Slán.

Standards Slipping?

How quick do you lose fitness? I've had a very busy week and didn't manage to get training on either Tue or Thur. I also had to miss today's Neville 10 road race, which I'm raging about. The Harriers have posted pictures from the race on their facebook page, and it looks like there was a big crowd, and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. I'm not going to be available for the next 5 Sunday's as I've taken on a new project, which I'll let you all know about soon enough. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone yet again, risking a little embarrassment for the sake of loads of craic, meeting new people and learning new skills. As I said, I'll expand on it later, but for now, I'll keep it under wraps.

After only running once in the last 10 days, I thought it was important that I got out for a run today. I watched the All Ireland Football Final, and then went for a run. I didn't have any particular distance, or time in mind when I set off, in fact I changed my mind on what route I'd run at nearly every junction. First, I thought I'd run in the country, then decided I'd stay in Town. Thought about running along the banks of the Canal, Charleville, and maybe even the Neville 10 course that I missed out on earlier. In the end I just ran around the town. A growing need to visit the bathroom after about 30 minutes, showed this to be a wise decision. My running style from that point home, would have been an interesting study! I finished my run in 50 min exactly, without any idea of how far I'd gone, or what pace I'd been going. My legs were finding it tough, but my breathing was alright. I didn't think I was doing that well, and was wondering what impact not training for the few days was having. It was really starting to bug me, as I was having a bath, so once I got dressed, I drove around the route, to discover it was 7.9 km, Almost 5 miles, which means my average pace was 10 minute miles. That's not too bad, but I did miss running with others. I know I'm great craic and all, but I can be hard to listen to, when I'm the only one doing the talking. ( please note: I don't actually talk when running on my own, that would be too weird, but there is a dialog going on in my head!)

The other standard I don't want to let slip is the blogging. Thanks for still reading and for the nice comments. Since I've started writing, I've made loads of contacts online, including Celeste White, an American woman, who is going for a run every day of her 40th year. She started at her 39th birthday in August, and is posting a picture every day from her run. She's not running with any particular race, distance or time as a goal, Celeste is just running for the joy of it. Best of luck to her, and I'm looking forward to following her progress. Her blog is www.running39to40.blogspot.com. I enjoy hearing from people who are reading this, so please leave  a comment, and let me know how you're getting on, or what you're up to. Hopefully, I'll be posting next Tuesday, so until then, Slán.

Scoil Mhuire 5 k road race

It's been a while since I posted, but then it's been a while since I've ran. On Saturday, I went to Dublin on the morning Train with Mam and Dad. I was heading to the Career Zoo in the National Conference Centre, while Mam went visiting an Aunt, and Dad just went visiting. The Career Zoo was really good, and I met loads of interesting Companies (hopefully something will come out of it). When I was finished I met up with Dad at The Palace Bar, and had one of the best afternoons in ages. Liam Mulhearn, the owner, knows Dad from when Dad used to manage The Mountpleasent Inn. They started reminiscing about some of the old characters that used to to drink in either, or both pubs. People like Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh, John B.Keane, Con Houlihan and a host of others who I'd never heard of. The stories were full of colour and wit, and of course we lost track of time. We had to dash for the Train, as Mam was waiting for us at the Station. I went to Dublin looking for a job, and I came home with an education!  I didn't have long to get showered and changed, to head out to the Court Hotel for the Midlands Rugby awards night, Sorry, I meant to say for our Wedding Anniversary celebration. Joe Schmidt gave a brilliant speech, and everyone had a great night. I believe it went on until 4am, but I was well home at that stage, having stopped off at a house party on the way.  Anyway, the point of telling you all that is, I'm offering it up as an excuse, why I didn't go for a run at the weekend.

The reason why I didn't go for a run last night is a lot more boring. I had an exam today that I wasn't quite ready for, and I just want to get in that extra bit of preparation. The exam went well, so I think I made the right decision.

After all that, I can finally get around to writing about some running. I ran in a race this evening in which my mother was also registered. That's definitely a first, and I'm happy to say I won that little duel!(I don't want to hear about the fact that Mam was only walking, I still came in ahead of her!) In fact I was quite happy with my time, 5km in 26min and 6 sec. That works out at 5:13 km's or 8:21 miles's. I found it quite tough, as I wasn't too concerned with pacing myself, and maybe I went out a little bit too fast. I just looked over my Blog, and I see that on the 2nd of July I struggled to run 3km at 8:33 pace. So I'm taking this as another sign of improvement.

The Neville Ten is on Sunday, and that will make it 4 road races in 4 weeks. I'll also be training tomorrow night, cross country I presume. So I think I'll be able to make for that little blip this week. Until Tomorrow, Slán.

Running in the Wet

Tonight was the worst weather I've trained in so far, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I was driving home from College in the lashing rain around 5:30pm, and I was thinking about whether or not I'd go training. It was one of those evenings, when staying at home looked more appealing than going out for some exercise. Frank and Rory(my two Sons) were dying to go training with the juveniles, they only started last week and they're loving it. It works out well, because they train from 7pm to 8pm, which gives me time to get my training in, and have a shower before they're finished. Anyway, the fact that they wanted to go, and that I had to write this blog, I didn't really have a choice, so I put on the gear, and off we went. I had to wait for Rory to finish his homework, and as a result I arrived at 6:45pm, which was a bit late. The rest of the gang had run to Charleville, so I followed along after doing a warm up.  I ran down the avenue with Leonard and Shane, who were doing a cool down from an earlier session, before heading to the field to meet up with the others.

They were doing a session where you run for 10 min, followed by a 2 minute rest, and then repeat 3 times. When I arrived I just joined in, and when they stopped, I found out what what was on the agenda, that was their second rest, and at that stage I'd been running for 27 minutes. I then ran the last 10 minute circuit(I got in 1 and 3/4  laps), before the run back to the Harriers. I ended up running for a total of 46 minutes, not including the rest stops. Even though it was raining, it wasn't cold or windy, and I really enjoyed the run. When I got back and had a shower, I was delighted I had gone. If I'd stayed at home, I'd be feeling guilty, and I'm afraid that if I stay at home once, I'd be more likely to stay at home on the next unpleasant evening.

There wasn't as many as usual at training tonight. I think that's due to the fact that the Flatline Half Marathon in Athlone, is on Saturday, and also that a lot of the others are training for the Dublin Marathon, because, even though there was a smaller group in the field, there was still a lot of cars in the car park. That's all for tonight, so best of luck to everyone racing over the weekend, especially all in the Flatline Half Marathon. Until Sunday, Slán.

Short and Sweet

The title of this post could apply to tonight's training session, or this post. We ran to Charleville for cross country training again, only this time we ran up the same hill as last week (but on the other side of the fence), another 7 times, but this time we had a one minute rest in between. I was fairly consistent in my times, around 2:34 per lap, with the last one completed in 2:29. Then the mile run back to the Harriers, to be finished by 7.45 pm.

I wasn't able to get into the Athlone Half Marathon this Saturday, as it was full. I don't think it's the worst thing though, as it might have been too much too soon. Also, Saturday is my Wedding Anniversary. I'm bringing Margaret out for a lovely meal in the Court Hotel. I'm sure she wont mind that we'll be sitting at a table full of Rugby Referees, listening to Joe Schmidt, while a lot of awards are presented to various people and clubs from the midlands. Boy, is she lucky! Until Thursday, Slán.

The Gowran 8

The Gowran 8, is an 8 mile road race, run every year by the members of Tullamore Harriers. There was a decent enough crowd today, around 50 I'd say. The race is run in honour of Noel Gowran, A founder member of the Harriers, and first Irish man to run a sub 2:30 marathon. He was the National Marathon Champion in 1958, and last week I saw him swap a pair of runners he won the race in, for a brand new pair, which had been worn by the winner of the Half Marathon, Gary O Hanlon. Not a bad deal, me thinks! (I think those are the facts as I heard them last week, but I know he definitely was a marathon Champion, and that he is a founder member.)

Anyway, I had great expectations of myself, leading up to today. I set myself the target of trying for a 9:30 pace, and see what happens out the course. That was until I went to the Soccer International on Friday night, and didn't get back to the hotel until 3:30am, having consumed a good bit more than I'd intended. I was a bit sensitive yesterday, and when I went to bed at 9pm, I was wondering how I was going to run a race in 12 hours time. Therefore I readjusted my goals, to finish would now probably be a challenge, and I was kicking myself for drinking so much on Friday/Saturday.

I set off today aiming for a 10 min per mile pace, and I ran the first mile in 9:50. Leonard Owens had just joined me as I passed the first mile, as did Trish Shaw, and we ran together for the race. It was great because, I did feel under pressure at various times during the race, and if I was on my own I probably would have slowed down, instead I gritted my teeth, and kept going. As we were getting close to home, I was feeling not too bad, so with a mile left I picked up the pace, I was afraid I'd gone too early as I was finding it tough, over the railway bridge, but once I was on the downside, I lengthened my stride once more. The race finished with a lap of the track, and I finished strong, in a time of 1hr 14 min and 58 seconds( Nearly an hour quicker than last week!) That works out at around 9:22 pace on average for the race, so that wasn't too bad. Ray was going for a slower time, and he still finished in front of me, as did a whole bunch of lads who are training for the Marathon in Dublin, and had run 12 miles before the race, timing to finish their 12 miles as the 8 mile race was starting. The race was won by Catch Grennan, who probably finished as I was passing the half way marker. David Murray was second, with David Brophy in third.

We're back to reality now, after the excitment of the Half Marathon, and I'm happy with how the week has gone. Next run on Tue, so until then, Slán.

Back To Reality

Cross Country training is in full swing, as we went back to the same field in Charleville to run those hills again.  This time however we ran around the field twice, before taking a 2 minute rest, and then doing the same again, we did this three times. One lap of the field is around 1 km, depending on how much you cut the corners.  I found myself very tired yesterday evening, and struggled to get into the rhythm. Ray was also struggling, despite the fact that he missed the first 2 laps. Of course when I admitted to Ray that I was finding the session particularly tough, even though the distance and pace shouldn't have been too difficult, he exclaimed "Sure, the day after, the day after of the Wedding is always tough!" That got a good laugh, but at least I knew some of the others are reading the blog!

Just for the record, I ran the first leg in 11:15, the next in 10:50 and the last in 11:25. I'm not sure how much these times tell the story though, as I probably took a tighter line on the second run.  Also, just to let you know, I'm using this blog as a training diary as well, so while you mightn't be too interested in the split times, they do serve a purpose, in terms of when I look back to see what my previous times have been for a certain training session or race.

Bubbles last post and chorus, is up on his blog www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie Typically he finishes strong, and gives a good account of the race day, and thanks everybody necessary for helping us through our original challenge. I'd like to echo those thanks here, and second everything Ray has said. I'd also like to thank Ray, for his good humour and consistent training, as it was always good coming to training, knowing he wouldn't let you down.

The Gowran 8, is on Sunday morning, check in at 8.30am, leaving at 9am from the Harriers. That's our next race. I'm hoping to challenge myself  more than last week, and run a faster pace per mile, while Bubbles is going to run a slower pace than last week, and try and enjoy this run a bit more, so with a bit of luck we'll run this one together, with me struggling, and Ray telling the jokes. Until then Slán.

The Day After The Wedding

There was still a buzz around the Club, last night after the race on Saturday. It felt like the day after a Wedding where everybody was discussing different parts of the previous day, barely believing that the big day had come and gone so quickly and with everybody in agreement that it was a wonderful occasion. Ray and myself were there, having graduated to full training with the group. John was also there doing his own training, as well as encouraging others as usual. We started cross county training, and went to a field in Charleville, where we ran up and down a hill seven times with a 90 second rest in between. People sort of fell into groups of similar pace, and I was with a group of four, Josie Lalor, Paula Scott and Bubbles, We ran the first few in a time of 2.34, and then picked up the pace with the last three being quicker, with the a time of 2.22 for the last which was the fastest of the evening. According to John's watch, the distance was .31 of a mile for each lap.

There is an 8 mile Club race on Sunday morning starting at the Harriers, it's an annual event called "The Gowran 8". Ray and myself will be running in that, and then we'll be running another Half Marathon in Athlone on Saturday 14th Sept.  I'm going to run these races differently than I've been running the races up to this. Until now, everything has been about getting over the finish line of the Half Marathon. I felt so good during that race, and without really struggling at any time, that I've been wondering how much faster could I have gone? If I'd increased the pace by 10 seconds per mile, would I have blown up at 8 miles?  The only way to answer these questions is to try and run faster in other races, and test myself. If I go out too fast, and end up having to walk the last mile or two, so what? it'll be a learning experience. A Marathon is definitely on the agenda also. We've decided that we'll run one in 2014, we've just to decide which one. Cork in May/June is a strong possibility, but we haven't ruled out Clonakility in December 2013 either, it just depends on how training is going.  There are also a couple of 3/4 Marathon's coming up, so we might test ourselves there first.

The Irish Kidney Association are having a race / fun run in the Phoenix Park on Sun the 15th of September. I was asked if I'd run in it, and I was going to, but now that we'll be in a Half Marathon on the Saturday, I'll have to pass. The details of the race can be found on www.runforalife.ie  It's a pity I cant run, as it's a cause I'd really like to support, So if you're around that Sunday, why not check it out.

The other decision I came to, over the weekend, is that I'm going to lose weight. I'm now at 17 Stone, and the first step I'm taking is to cut out the amount of rubbish I've been snacking on. If I can replace all the sweets and crisps with apples and oranges, It's bound to make a big difference, then I'll also have to manage my portion sizes at the dinner table. My thinking is simple, if a Racehorse runs a good race, they throw a pound of lead on his back, to slow him down. A Racehorse has four legs, I've only two, and if a pound of weight can slow him down, what would I be like if I could shed a stone?

Until Thursday, Slán.

The Half Marathon!

The day was a tremendous success. The weather was fantastic, the course was well laid out, with loads of Marshall's along the route, and a large number of people were out to cheer on the competitors. There was a great atmosphere before the race, as the DJ played some tunes, and people gathered and gossiped, with the most recurring question being "how are you fixed?" or words to that effect. A large number of runners headed to the start on the Charleville road for the 12 O'Clock gun, and then we were off. The last 11 weeks had come down to this, I was determined to enjoy it and I did, heading off  with Robbie Connolly for the first mile at a little bit faster than I wanted to go. I slowed down and let Robbie off, even though I was feeling good. I got my pace under control, and had a nice comfortable run with Angela Martin, between miles 2 and 7, consistently running at 10:30 pace. As I passed the halfway marker, I decided to step it up a notch, and pushed on by about 10 seconds per mile, until the 10 mile marker, when I upped the pace again. I was still in control of my breathing, and my legs felt strong. I was getting a real buzz by now. I knew this part of the route quite well, and I knew I'd only have one more tough part of the course left, and then it would be a comfortable downhill run to the Stadium. I was keeping an eye on my time, and it was around the 10 mile marker, that I decided the 2 hr, 15 min target was achievable, so that was what I was aiming for. Ivan Dunne, who'd been a pacer during the race, was finished and had run back out the road, as part of his training for the Dublin Marathon. We met with about a mile and a half to go, and he turned and ran in with me. He asked what was my time like, and what was I aiming for, and then ran at the necessary pace, to get in on time. I found this useful, but I appreciated his encouragement even more. Ivan was telling me there was loads of people at the finish line, the atmosphere was brilliant, and I should enjoy the lap of the track, and finish strong, he also told me a joke which put a smile onto my already beaming face. I took his advice and finished strong in a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 22 seconds. Margaret, (my wife) my two sons (Frank and Rory), my Mam and Dad,  my sister, Catherine and her husband, (Conrad) as well as Hugo's wife and children, (Dora, Eoin and Anna) were all out on the course cheering on Hugo and Myself. It was great to see them, which I did twice on the course and then again at the finish line. It's amazing how much encouragement you can get from hearing people cheer you on. It happened loads yesterday, and I'd never before realised how much that can help as you're going around.

The race was won by Gary O Hanlon in a time of 1 hr 12 min and 50 sec. There are loads of pictures on Tullamore Harriers facebook page if you're interested, I just nabbed one of the start, to show here. Ray ran a great race also, I'm sure he'll tell you all about it in his blog. I know he was delighted with himself, and with how the whole day panned out.  

The only mistake I made all day, was not doing a cool down, and stretching properly. I stood around for about an hour and a half, chatting, before going in for a shower. When I got home, I lay down on the couch to rest for a while, I was as stiff as a board when I tried to get up 30 minutes later. I asked my Sister, who's a doctor, if it would be too late for a cold bath to have any effect. Her advice startled me. Catherine said that a hot bath would work just as well as a cold bath, in terms of recovery. It's a pity she hadn't told me this 11 weeks ago, before I put myself through all those cold baths. Anyway, with that in mind, I went to the pool with Hugo, and spent some time in the Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, and it definitely had the desired effect, as I didn't cramp once all night, and moved freely from then on.

I met Bubbles in Lynch's at 8pm, We might be at the back of group come training on Tuesday night, but there's no doubt about who's going to be first when it comes to getting a drink. A large crowd from the Harriers came out, as we celebrated how well the event had gone. Most people were happy with their times, and Matty Mc Cormack was heard saying "It's like Christmas morning, everybody got what they wanted!" Ray and Myself had clubbed together to buy John a little gift as our way of saying thanks, so we presented that to him later on, and also thanked all the members of the Harriers for making the two of us feel so welcome.  Bubbles and myself also talked about what goals we'd set, but I think I've gone on for long enough in this post, so I'll fill you in on Tuesday about what's coming next. So, until then, Slán.

It's all about the Numbers

Well, that's it, all that's left now is to run the race.  Ray and myself went for a light 30 minute jog around the track this evening and on the way we had a good chat about what we'd aim for next, and the consensus was that we'd definitely keep it going while we're deciding which race to target.  We asked John for his thoughts, but his focus was firmly on Saturday, and he said we'd have plenty of time after the race to set new goals. Funnily enough, Bubbles was doing loads of talking about the after race party as well, so I guess it's going to be a good night.

I picked up the race numbers for Hugo and myself this evening and I was tempted to swap them, as it might look good for me, when the results are printed, but then Michelle Mullaney wrote our names on the correct numbers, so I'll just have to run my own race.

I've decided that I'm going to continue blogging, it's too much of an incentive to go training to give up, so once again thanks for all your support. I thought I'd finish this last post before the Half Marathon with some numbers.

233 - My Race Number
33 - The number of Training Sessions.
11 - The number of Weeks training.
3 - The number of Tuesdays, Thursdays, or weekend runs, I've missed.
203 - The number of Miles I've run in training.
11.2 - The longest distance I've run without stopping to date.
2143- The number of minutes I've spent training for this one race.(35 hours, 43 minutes)
26 - The number of cold baths.
7155 - The number of Pageviews on my blog as I post this one!
15,198 - The number of words I've written in my blog.
1 - The number of nudie pics in the blog!
0 - The amount of times, I've been sorry I started this.

Until Saturday, Slán.

The Big Photo

There was a great atmosphere at training tonight. People were asked to wear their Harriers Vests, for a photograph before training, and I think there was around 80 people in the photo, although Fionán Minnock seemed to have forgotten his blue and white top! maybe he'll wear it for the race though. Back to this evening, Adrian Martin gave a short talk about the race on Saturday, and congratulated everyone for the effort they'd put in to get to the start line, and he said all we had to do now was get to the finish line. He offered special congratulations to the people who are attempting this distance for the first time, and wished everybody the best of luck.  After the photograph, Ray and myself were presented with a Good Luck card each, which had been signed by a lot of the members, it was touching, and I'm very grateful, and a little embarrassed. The only thing extra that Ray and Myself have done with regards to training for the race, is tell everybody about it, a lot! There's loads of people running on Saturday who'll be attempting the distance for the first time. And while I wont be able to give a card to all the other competitors, I would like to wish everybody the best of luck themselves. John  O Connell was also presented with a framed photo of the club members taken some time back, as a token of thanks for all his work for the club during his tenure of 8 years as club captain. I can appreciate, and I'm very grateful for all that John has done for Ray and myself, and the presentation showed that the rest of the club feel the same way, as John seems to have helped nearly everybody up there as they started.

After all that excitement it was down to the running. Ray and myself went with the rest of the gang down to Charleville for a short run around. We did around three miles at a relaxed pace, although I think some people did a bit more than that. I started my watch when we left the Harriers and when we got back the clock said we'd run for 32 minutes.

On Thursday we'll be picking up our race numbers, and running for around 30 min around the outside track of the Harriers. It's hard to believe that this night 10 weeks ago was our first training session. The time has flown, the progress remarkable and the crack has been mighty. Thanks everybody for reading the blog, and all the messages of support. I've enjoyed writing it, and I must confess that it's given me an added incentive to go training at certain times, as I've felt I better go, or I wont have anything to write about in the blog. Anyway, I'm going to make a decision before Thursday about whether I'll keep blogging or give it up. I'll let you know then, so until Thursday, Slán.

The Cloghan 10k

I worked out my pace in km per minute as opposed to the miles per minute that I'm more used to and it works out like this; a 10 min mile works out at 6:15 per km, and a 10:30 min mile works out at 6:33 per km. With that in mind I set myself the target of running the first km in 6:30. The aim of this was to get used to setting my own pace and not going off too fast. Alas I failed, as I passed the 1 km marker after 5minutes and 34 seconds. I immediately slowed down and passed the 2nd km at 12min and 5 sec, so I improved slightly. I was feeling good though, so that was a positive. I decided if I still felt good at 7km I'd kick on and see how quick I could finish from there, and that's exactly what I did. I passed 7km at 42:40, and then kicked for home. I was delighted to finish in under an hour, needing to sprint the last 300 metres to finish in a time of 59 minutes and 44 seconds. I don't know if I would have finished any quicker if I'd set off faster at the start, I suppose I'll only learn that from running in more races.

The race was very well organised with a lot of Race Marshalls and water stations. I should have expected the water stations due to Ray's involvement in the club, and in case I haven't already told you, Ray has a huge thirst when running, regularly drinking 2litres on an hours run. Ray played a blinder today, I'll let him tell you how he got on, himself in his blog www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie but he did get a lot of ribbing from his club mates when he pulled on the blue and white vest I don't think it bothered him that much, maybe he's a closet Blues fan!

So, less than 7days to the big one. Bring it on! I'm feeling good! Until Tue, Slán.

The Last Tough One

I wouldn't say it's my last Thursday night run, but it's the last one before the half marathon. I'm going to keep running with the Harriers every Tue and Thur, and hopefully a long run at the weekend, but I've decided not to run this years Dublin City Marathon. I think it would be too much too soon. Instead, I'm going to try and get faster at 10k's and maybe think about the Cork Marathon next year.

We ran 3 x 2 miles tonight in the grounds of Charleville Castle. The fist one was probably too quick (19:31), the next one too slow(20:34), and the last one, like the bowl of porridge Goldilocks ate, was just right(19.50). Ray has finally found his Garmin watch, and once he's able to use it properly, it might be some benefit to him. He did manage to get it to measure our overall distance though, and he recons we ran 8.2 miles including the run down to the Castle and back.

The body is feeling good, and the anticipation for the 31st is growing. Everybody seems to be talking about the race, because if any of the members are not actually running in the race then they have some other job on the day. I heard a whisper that Mary Daly will be giving a pep talk to all the runners and volunteers next Thursday evening, but that's unconfirmed at the moment.

Ray and myself will be running 10k in Cloghan on Sunday. It'll be a challange for Bubbles to beat his time from last year as he was driving the lead car, but I'm sure he'll get more enjoyment from it this time. I'm not going to set any records on Sunday, I want to use the race to get ready for the following Sat. I'll be trying to pace myself through the miles, and see how my plan works out for eating breakfast at 10.30am, etc.

As I'm coming to the end of this beneficial and enjoyable 11 week experiment, I'm trying to decide if I should keep the blog going. Is it boring reading about how someone else is doing? or is it comforting to know that there's someone else struggling as well?  What do you think? I'd like to hear your comments, and if you've any suggestions in terms of topics I be better off covering then please leave a message below.

Until Sun, Slán.