I think I've found the pace that suits me. It's not very fast, but I'm able to keep running for 1 hour, and tonight for the first time, I was able to answer questions even after the half way stage. We ran 6 miles tonight in a time of 61 min, and I was quite comfortable for the first 5 miles. I could have finished in comfort, and probably would have if I was on my own, but John and Ray upped the pace and I stuck with them to finish breathless, but finish none the less.
I'm really looking forward to the Mountbolus 10k on Sun. John advised us that it's a great training run, but not a great one to get a Personal Best. I'm pretty sure I'll get a PB though, especially considering I've never run a 10k race before.
I'm heading off now to do a bit of truck driving, as I'm on holidays from College for two weeks. I'll be away tonight, and all day Sat, but I will be here for the race on Sun. I'm not sure what hours I'll be driving next week, or whether I'll be staying away overnight. I'm hoping to be back for the regular training sessions, but if I miss them I do intend to run on my own for 70 min on Tue and Thur. We're also going to be on Midlands 103 again next Tue morning, to give a progress report. I'll probably have to contribute by phone, so that might limit the opportunities to slag Ray, or vice versa.
The next entry I make will be after the Race on Sun, so until then Slán.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Running Solo and the stuff you think about (Mainly Brian O Driscoll Tonight)
I ran 5k this evening in 31.05 I'd set out just to run for 30 min, the distance was secondary. Ray wasn't with me, and I found this run completely different because of it. First of all, it didn't matter what time I went, so a 5pm start as intended, turned into a 7pm start because I was watching the Tennis. Secondly, when I got to the Harriers, there was one other person running on the track, and Pauline Curley was finishing her session, so I set off on my own. And thirdly, I found it harder to get the rhythm going and the first 3 laps were difficult but once I got into the grove, I really enjoyed the run.
I have an exam tomorrow, and I'd intended to think about questions likely to come up and how I might answer them, but I couldn't get the news that Gatland had dropped O'Driscoll for the last Test match between the Lions and Australia out of my head. Rarely has a selection decision annoyed me so much that I think about it all day, but that has been the case today. Primarily I was annoyed because it seemed to come out of the blue, B.O.D hadn't been playing badly and I, and a lot of others, expected him to be Captain. Then I was disappointed for the man himself, A man who has won a Grand Slam, Heineken Cups, Celtic Leagues, Captained the Lions, The most capped player to ever play for the Lions, Six nations player of the Year, Idol of a Nation, and so much more. For Brian to be denied the chance to finally achieve one of the few milestones missing from his resume, because of a jumped up Kiwi, who's made some appalling decisions on this tour right from the selection of Captain for the tour, just further increases the outrage.
Then I decided to take a more balanced view, and I took off the green glassses, and I tried to go through the thought process of the man the Aussies were calling "Sideshow Gat" earlier in the tour, might have gone through and I still can't get it. I ran 2 laps and wasn't able to come up with a single rational reason for dropping the only chance for inspiration the Lions backline had. When you consider his experience in winning tough, back to the wall matches, his determination to never miss a tackle, his leadership which will now be sorely missing and his ability to create opportunities out of nothing, The decision to leave him out of the whole squad is even more baffling.
I could go on in this vein for the whole night, (I've already edited my blog, cutting it in half) but I don't want to bore you with my rugby views, but suffice to say, I'm still bloody vexed. I was hoping the run would calm me down, but it's only seemed to increase my discontent. On the plus side, the half hour seemed to fly by! Anyway, until tomorrow when hopefully I'll have calmed down, Slán.
I have an exam tomorrow, and I'd intended to think about questions likely to come up and how I might answer them, but I couldn't get the news that Gatland had dropped O'Driscoll for the last Test match between the Lions and Australia out of my head. Rarely has a selection decision annoyed me so much that I think about it all day, but that has been the case today. Primarily I was annoyed because it seemed to come out of the blue, B.O.D hadn't been playing badly and I, and a lot of others, expected him to be Captain. Then I was disappointed for the man himself, A man who has won a Grand Slam, Heineken Cups, Celtic Leagues, Captained the Lions, The most capped player to ever play for the Lions, Six nations player of the Year, Idol of a Nation, and so much more. For Brian to be denied the chance to finally achieve one of the few milestones missing from his resume, because of a jumped up Kiwi, who's made some appalling decisions on this tour right from the selection of Captain for the tour, just further increases the outrage.
Then I decided to take a more balanced view, and I took off the green glassses, and I tried to go through the thought process of the man the Aussies were calling "Sideshow Gat" earlier in the tour, might have gone through and I still can't get it. I ran 2 laps and wasn't able to come up with a single rational reason for dropping the only chance for inspiration the Lions backline had. When you consider his experience in winning tough, back to the wall matches, his determination to never miss a tackle, his leadership which will now be sorely missing and his ability to create opportunities out of nothing, The decision to leave him out of the whole squad is even more baffling.
I could go on in this vein for the whole night, (I've already edited my blog, cutting it in half) but I don't want to bore you with my rugby views, but suffice to say, I'm still bloody vexed. I was hoping the run would calm me down, but it's only seemed to increase my discontent. On the plus side, the half hour seemed to fly by! Anyway, until tomorrow when hopefully I'll have calmed down, Slán.
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
The Summer League Has Started
I may have come last, in the slow race, but it was a Personal and Season Best for me tonight. The Harriers Summer League has started, and tonight there was two races, 3000m and 800m. Ray and myself ran the 3000, and skipped the 800. I ran a time of 16.51, which I know is no great shakes, but considering the first mile was ran in 8.33 when I couldn't run a mile in 10.33 this night two weeks ago, I'm delighted with the progress. John didn't leave it there of course, he had the clock on from when we started the warm up, and made sure we were running right up until our race, and then he kept us running after the race, all in his best effort to keep us running for around 60 min in total.
The atmosphere was brilliant again, The races were split into ability with anyone hoping for a sub 12 minute 3000m, going first, and then the rest of us. There was a lot more women than men in the second race, and I was slagging Bubbles saying he should be wearing a skirt, but when I trailed in last he had the last laugh. There was also a bit of crack on the start line, as one of the women said they were looking forward to the next picture on the blog, I was going to tell them that the next naked picture would be a full frontal by Bubbles, but I didn't think they'd be as keen for that one! the encouragement everybody gets as they run is great to see, whether it's the leader chasing a personal best, or last place just trying to finish, you really feel part of the club on nights like these, long may it continue.
After training, Bubbles undertook an informal interview with John, Mary Daly and myself, which he's going to put up on his blog as an audio file. There was a bit of crack in that aswell, although I'll be looking forward to see what makes it through editing. Ray's blog can be followed on www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie I also have to say thanks to Catch Grennan, he ran the last lap with me tonight and after training he gave me a bag of protein which should aid recovery after training. I haven't tried it yet, but he did say it might be hard to get down. Anway I'll be going for a solo run tomorrow as Ray wants to try cross training as a means of loosening up, and then on Thursday I think John has another long run in store for us. So until Tomorrow night, Slán.
The atmosphere was brilliant again, The races were split into ability with anyone hoping for a sub 12 minute 3000m, going first, and then the rest of us. There was a lot more women than men in the second race, and I was slagging Bubbles saying he should be wearing a skirt, but when I trailed in last he had the last laugh. There was also a bit of crack on the start line, as one of the women said they were looking forward to the next picture on the blog, I was going to tell them that the next naked picture would be a full frontal by Bubbles, but I didn't think they'd be as keen for that one! the encouragement everybody gets as they run is great to see, whether it's the leader chasing a personal best, or last place just trying to finish, you really feel part of the club on nights like these, long may it continue.
After training, Bubbles undertook an informal interview with John, Mary Daly and myself, which he's going to put up on his blog as an audio file. There was a bit of crack in that aswell, although I'll be looking forward to see what makes it through editing. Ray's blog can be followed on www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie I also have to say thanks to Catch Grennan, he ran the last lap with me tonight and after training he gave me a bag of protein which should aid recovery after training. I haven't tried it yet, but he did say it might be hard to get down. Anway I'll be going for a solo run tomorrow as Ray wants to try cross training as a means of loosening up, and then on Thursday I think John has another long run in store for us. So until Tomorrow night, Slán.
Sunday, 30 June 2013
Sunday Running
Woop! Woop! I just ran 7 miles without stopping at an average pace of 10.34 per mile. Two weeks ago I wasn't able to run 1 mile at that pace without stopping. It's a funny game this running crack. I was so pissed off with myself after Thursdays training, and when I looked over my blog again on Friday, I was thinking that perhaps I should let the dust settle before writing how I feel about a run, because by Friday I wasn't as negative about Thursdays torture. Then I thought, that if this blog is going to let people know how I'm finding the training, then writing as soon as possible after each run will probably be more accurate.
So, at the moment I'm delighted. This morning I set myself the goal of not stopping on todays' run. I thought I'd have to average around 11 min and 15 sec per mile to achieve that, and if that was what it took then so be it. I put plasters on my nipples, and off I went. John suggested Vaseline, but I was afraid it would look like I was lactating, instead, by the end of the run the plasters could be seen through my wet Tshirt, and I looked like something from a Madonna video! oh well, you wouldn't want to be too vain when you start running.
There was a good turnout at the Harriers, and again a very friendly bunch, it doesn't seem to matter what level you're at, The crowd up there are always very welcoming ( it must be all the endorphin's from running, as a friend pointed out to me the other night.) We started at a comfortable pace, and I was surprised to discover that by 2 miles we were running at a 10.40 pace, my breathing wasn't laboured and I was feeling good. We continued in that fashion although when I found the going tough, I just slowed down. When we were about a mile from home, we were overtaken by some of the gang, who had gone on a longer run, and Ray kicked on with them. John stayed with me, and when we got to Charleville gate( about .5 mile from home) I knew I was going to finish without stopping, so I kicked on a bit and finished at a good pace. I was thoroughly out of breath when I finished, but I was delighted with myself.
That's two weeks of preparation so far, and by and large it's been a very positive experience. At the moment, the biggest piece of advice I would give to anybody starting off would be to join a club. The running will still be your own personal battle, but it helps hugely to be able to ask others for advice, and to know that you have to go at a certain time, because that's when the club trains. The one caveat I would put with that, is to not try and be as good as the good lads straight off, it could disheartening when you see lads and ladies running and barely seeming out of breath while you're struggling on the warm up. You've got to realise that it takes time to get good at anything and that if you stick at it, you'll get there in the end.
So that gives me the rest of the day off, I'm going to lie up and watch the golf, hopefully Shane Lowry will have a good day on his home course. Until Tue night, Slán.
So, at the moment I'm delighted. This morning I set myself the goal of not stopping on todays' run. I thought I'd have to average around 11 min and 15 sec per mile to achieve that, and if that was what it took then so be it. I put plasters on my nipples, and off I went. John suggested Vaseline, but I was afraid it would look like I was lactating, instead, by the end of the run the plasters could be seen through my wet Tshirt, and I looked like something from a Madonna video! oh well, you wouldn't want to be too vain when you start running.
There was a good turnout at the Harriers, and again a very friendly bunch, it doesn't seem to matter what level you're at, The crowd up there are always very welcoming ( it must be all the endorphin's from running, as a friend pointed out to me the other night.) We started at a comfortable pace, and I was surprised to discover that by 2 miles we were running at a 10.40 pace, my breathing wasn't laboured and I was feeling good. We continued in that fashion although when I found the going tough, I just slowed down. When we were about a mile from home, we were overtaken by some of the gang, who had gone on a longer run, and Ray kicked on with them. John stayed with me, and when we got to Charleville gate( about .5 mile from home) I knew I was going to finish without stopping, so I kicked on a bit and finished at a good pace. I was thoroughly out of breath when I finished, but I was delighted with myself.
That's two weeks of preparation so far, and by and large it's been a very positive experience. At the moment, the biggest piece of advice I would give to anybody starting off would be to join a club. The running will still be your own personal battle, but it helps hugely to be able to ask others for advice, and to know that you have to go at a certain time, because that's when the club trains. The one caveat I would put with that, is to not try and be as good as the good lads straight off, it could disheartening when you see lads and ladies running and barely seeming out of breath while you're struggling on the warm up. You've got to realise that it takes time to get good at anything and that if you stick at it, you'll get there in the end.
So that gives me the rest of the day off, I'm going to lie up and watch the golf, hopefully Shane Lowry will have a good day on his home course. Until Tue night, Slán.
Thursday, 27 June 2013
The Canal Run
OW, OW, OW, I don't know what part of me is not sore. This was definitely the toughest training session we've had to date. We ran 10k along the canal bank, which is a lovely place for a walk, but I didn't enjoy running it. My legs were sore for most of the run, and then for the first time, I got nipple burn near the end. I've never experienced that before, but had heard about it, now I'll have to do something about it before the next run.
The one plus from this evening's run is that my breathing seems to be getting better, I wasn't as out of breath as much as before, but that may be due to the fact that we went at a slower pace than last Tue, due mainly to ground conditions.
The other big learning from this evening for me was the mental side of running. If I was on my own this evening I definitely would not have ran as far, I think I'd have done about half. It was a battle every step not to stop, and we did stop plenty of times. I worry about this, because when race day comes, I'll more than likely be running alone, or at the very least with someone who has their own goals for the race. I don't know what the answer is, I guess the first step is just to get fitter and stronger.
When I used to play rugby, and we had the hard training sessions, I never enjoyed them, but persevered because I didn't want to let my team mates down, or lose my place on the team, this time it's different, there are no team mates depending on me, and I'm not going to be dropped. My motivation has got to come from within, and not wither at the first sign of adversity. I know others might laugh at these thoughts, but I'm writing this blog as a warts and all diary of how I'm finding training, and these are the thoughts I'm having at the moment.
Anyway, trying to stay positive, I'm really looking forward to the weekends sport. Shane Lowry to do well in the Golf and the Lions to win the series on Sat. All that will hopefully set me up to have a good run on Sun Morning, and end the second week of my preparation feeling like I've progressed. Until then Slán.
The one plus from this evening's run is that my breathing seems to be getting better, I wasn't as out of breath as much as before, but that may be due to the fact that we went at a slower pace than last Tue, due mainly to ground conditions.
The other big learning from this evening for me was the mental side of running. If I was on my own this evening I definitely would not have ran as far, I think I'd have done about half. It was a battle every step not to stop, and we did stop plenty of times. I worry about this, because when race day comes, I'll more than likely be running alone, or at the very least with someone who has their own goals for the race. I don't know what the answer is, I guess the first step is just to get fitter and stronger.
When I used to play rugby, and we had the hard training sessions, I never enjoyed them, but persevered because I didn't want to let my team mates down, or lose my place on the team, this time it's different, there are no team mates depending on me, and I'm not going to be dropped. My motivation has got to come from within, and not wither at the first sign of adversity. I know others might laugh at these thoughts, but I'm writing this blog as a warts and all diary of how I'm finding training, and these are the thoughts I'm having at the moment.
Anyway, trying to stay positive, I'm really looking forward to the weekends sport. Shane Lowry to do well in the Golf and the Lions to win the series on Sat. All that will hopefully set me up to have a good run on Sun Morning, and end the second week of my preparation feeling like I've progressed. Until then Slán.
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
A Night in Athlone
This evening Ray and myself took up Mike Murphy's offer to listen to some lads give a talk about running styles and the mechanics of running In Athlone IT. It was on at 8pm, so Ray and Myself decided to go for our run in Athlone this evening before the talk. Ray will be giving an analysis of what he learned on his blog www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie
They have good facilities in Athlone and we were running on the outdoor track. There was three groups, An Athletic club, which is trained by Mike, and then an initiative called "Fit For Life", Which is aimed at people who haven't previously ran, but now want to make an effort to get fit. This group warmed up together before splitting in two. Ray went with the slightly faster group, while I stayed with the absolute beginners. Our group's aim was to run for 2 minutes and then walk for two minutes, and continue for 30 minutes. The pace they started at was even slower than I'd normally go, So I just kicked on and ran at my own pace for 30 minutes I stopped twice, once for some water, and once for Ray, who was pushing himself that bit harder, we ran the last three laps together, and I was delighted with my session. My legs were stiff to begin with, but hopefully I'll be in top shape for tomorrow nights run. Until then, Slán.
They have good facilities in Athlone and we were running on the outdoor track. There was three groups, An Athletic club, which is trained by Mike, and then an initiative called "Fit For Life", Which is aimed at people who haven't previously ran, but now want to make an effort to get fit. This group warmed up together before splitting in two. Ray went with the slightly faster group, while I stayed with the absolute beginners. Our group's aim was to run for 2 minutes and then walk for two minutes, and continue for 30 minutes. The pace they started at was even slower than I'd normally go, So I just kicked on and ran at my own pace for 30 minutes I stopped twice, once for some water, and once for Ray, who was pushing himself that bit harder, we ran the last three laps together, and I was delighted with my session. My legs were stiff to begin with, but hopefully I'll be in top shape for tomorrow nights run. Until then, Slán.
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Goodbye Introduction, Hello phase 1!
Well there I was, looking forward to tonights' run all day, huh, boy have I a lot to learn. The evening started well, One lap for a warm up and then off to Charleville, John, Ray and myself, all in good form chatting about the Rugby and the Hurling from the weekend, We did mention the celebrations afterwards, and in hindsight, this may have been an error.
Just to fill you in, last Tue we ran 4 lengths (from the Tree to the Castle gate, each about .75 mile) with plenty of stops, Wed we ran 3 lengths, slower, but with fewer stops, and then on Thur we ran another 4, a good bit faster and only stopping after each length. So imagine my Surprise and absolute Joy when John suggested we run 9 lengths, stopping after every 3!! In the end we managed 3 then 2 and finished with 3, although I had to stop a few times on the last three. By the time we got back to the Harriers we had run 6 miles in 63 minutes. That's a fair step up from last week, and my legs are sore again, but sure I suppose that's part of it.
Ray is a good bit fitter, and I definitely held him back tonight, We'll have to try and do something to balance that up. I can't be only one with a red face, buckets of sweat and snot, while he's just going through the motions. The rest of the Harriers were down there training as well, and I got to see first hand just how far I have to go, They were all going up and down the drive as if The Ghost from the Castle was after them at one end, and the Model from last week was waiting for them at the other end!
John gave us Tullamore Harriers Vests when we got back, and Ray wanted a picture for his blog (www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie) of John presenting them to us, I wonder will Ray want a picture of us presenting the money for them back to John on Thur?
When I got home, I had another ice bath, Margaret ( My Wife), Ambushed me and took a picture, when she heard the racket of me getting into the cold water. I've debated whether or not to post the picture, and decided I would, as I don't take myself too seriously, and I thought it might give someone a laugh. Although, I do have to say in my own defence, that the water was very cold ( Therefore no offensive bits!)
Just to fill you in, last Tue we ran 4 lengths (from the Tree to the Castle gate, each about .75 mile) with plenty of stops, Wed we ran 3 lengths, slower, but with fewer stops, and then on Thur we ran another 4, a good bit faster and only stopping after each length. So imagine my Surprise and absolute Joy when John suggested we run 9 lengths, stopping after every 3!! In the end we managed 3 then 2 and finished with 3, although I had to stop a few times on the last three. By the time we got back to the Harriers we had run 6 miles in 63 minutes. That's a fair step up from last week, and my legs are sore again, but sure I suppose that's part of it.
Ray is a good bit fitter, and I definitely held him back tonight, We'll have to try and do something to balance that up. I can't be only one with a red face, buckets of sweat and snot, while he's just going through the motions. The rest of the Harriers were down there training as well, and I got to see first hand just how far I have to go, They were all going up and down the drive as if The Ghost from the Castle was after them at one end, and the Model from last week was waiting for them at the other end!
John gave us Tullamore Harriers Vests when we got back, and Ray wanted a picture for his blog (www.runbubbyrun.blogspot.ie) of John presenting them to us, I wonder will Ray want a picture of us presenting the money for them back to John on Thur?
When I got home, I had another ice bath, Margaret ( My Wife), Ambushed me and took a picture, when she heard the racket of me getting into the cold water. I've debated whether or not to post the picture, and decided I would, as I don't take myself too seriously, and I thought it might give someone a laugh. Although, I do have to say in my own defence, that the water was very cold ( Therefore no offensive bits!)
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