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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,250 ✭✭✭coogy


    Nice finish!

    Can't wait to get back into Parkruns again!!! :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    It's a lovely parkrun, well done on 3rd :). I'll definitely be back too (I also got 1st in age cat there :D). They also have tea's & coffee's in the community centre for a Euro which is fantastic.

    Thanks AM, might check those out next time :)
    Murph_D wrote: »
    Nice podium J! Must give you an aul race there sometime. ;)

    Thanks D, but you've left me marooned enough times already this year :pac:
    eyrie wrote: »
    Great result in the parkrun! Well done :)
    coogy wrote: »
    Nice finish!

    Can't wait to get back into Parkruns again!!! :)

    Thanks guys, parkruns are a great way to ease yourself into it after a marathon :D


    With Rathfarnham knocked on the head, and a lot of other "stuff" going on, this week's running activity was significantly curtailed.

    Mon 24/9 - Rest

    Tue 25/9 - Yoga

    As part of Dublin City Sportsfest, there was a yoga class as Gaeilge in City Hall this morning. Being an Irish speaker, and a regular yoga practitioner once upon a time, I decided I'd give it a go for the novelty value if nothing else. It was clear from very early on that I was majorly out of practice. I certainly won't be going into battle with "Supple" on the back of my t-shirt any time soon :pac: Thankfully, our teacher was a forgiving sort :D

    Wed 26/9 - Rest

    Thu 27/9 - 5.34 miles@8:34/mi

    Three laps of Carpenterstown, just to get the feel of the legs turning over again. Move along, nothing to see here :D

    Fri 28/9 - Rest

    Sat 29/9 - 4.21 miles@8:44/mi

    Originally, I had planned to get a few miles in before my 21st parkrun volunteering stint, but a late Friday night of indulgence (Dad's retirement) put the kybosh on that one. Instead, I got out in the afternoon, to St Catherine's Park as suggested by my wife. I decided not to take on the hilly trail, the long drag leading to the short and sharp hill up to the BMX track being more than sufficent for my needs on this occasion. Nice run, with plenty of people and dogs out and about. Not many runners there, somewhat surprisingly.

    Sun 30/9 - 3.59 miles@8:27/mi

    Easy two clockwise loops around Carpo in the evening.

    September Review

    A month of two (unequal) halves. The first day of the month brought my best 5k time of 2018, in the BHAA Pfizer race. However, it was followed by a week of inactivity, which meant I had to take on the Ratoath HM in a very conservative fashion. I finished it out well, but I can't help thinking there was a lot more there if I'd trained better for it.

    Not much else of interest after that, although I did enjoy visiting a new parkrun, at the lightning quick Tyrrelstown track. I'm now two short of the Dublin set again (Brickfields and Father Collins). In total, I covered less than 90 miles, and only ran on 14 days out of 30.

    So, What Of Q4?

    I've still got some potentially very enjoyable races to look forward to before year end. Next weekend, I'm planning to double up the Simon Home Run on Saturday morning and the Dublin Novices XC on Sunday afternoon. Porterstown parkrun are celebrating their third birthday on October 20 - you're all more than welcome :D

    My very tentative race plan for the next three months is something like this:-

    Sat Oct 6, Simon Home Run, Phoenix Park
    Sun Oct 7, Dublin Novices XC, Phoenix Park
    Sat Oct 13, BHAA Teachers XC, Castleknock College
    Sat Nov 17, BHAA Irish Life XC, Ososlo Ultrawoman Park
    Sat Dec 1, Jingle Bells 5k, Phoenix Park

    I'm not inclined to get my feet wet in the Dublin Seniors XC (Santry) at the moment, let alone the Nats (Abbotstown). Currently, my only prospective target in either of those would be to avoid finishing last. However, I'm planning to complete the Dublin parkrun set again - unless there's another one starting in the meantime that I don't know about :pac: Thanks for reading. J.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 18,219 CMod ✭✭✭✭The Black Oil


    As an experienced racer, what's your approach to recovery afterwards?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    As an experienced racer, what's your approach to recovery afterwards?

    That's a very good question B, glad you asked :D

    Depends on the length of the race. For longer ones (e.g. 10 miles and beyond) I like to have a warm bath when I get home. Stretching and/or foam rolling as well. This is also done for long runs. Day after is *normally* 3 or 4 miles very slow, not like after the last HM I ran (Ratoath).

    Only activity so far this week was a 6.3 mile run into the Phoenix Park and back out, before it got dark this evening. Shopping after work (for me - seldom is wonderful :D) yesterday, I was too tired and not in the mood for running on a dark miserable Tuesday night when I got back.

    As for this weekend, you would never tell from the lack of activity here and on Strava that I have two races lined up :rolleyes: I don't have great expectations for either in terms of time or results (first time running Dublin Novices anyway), so it'll be just be a case of playing whatever cards I get dealt.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,426 ✭✭✭scotindublin


    What's this stretching lark you are talking about.....one thing I must do better.

    Hopefully spot you Sunday J.

    That's a very good question B, glad you asked :D

    Depends on the length of the race. For longer ones (e.g. 10 miles and beyond) I like to have a warm bath when I get home. Stretching and/or foam rolling as well. This is also done for long runs. Day after is *normally* 3 or 4 miles very slow, not like after the last HM I ran (Ratoath).

    Only activity so far this week was a 6.3 mile run into the Phoenix Park and back out, before it got dark this evening. Shopping after work (for me - seldom is wonderful :D) yesterday, I was too tired and not in the mood for running on a dark miserable Tuesday night when I got back.

    As for this weekend, you would never tell from the lack of activity here and on Strava that I have two races lined up :rolleyes: I don't have great expectations for either in terms of time or results (first time running Dublin Novices anyway), so it'll be just be a case of playing whatever cards I get dealt.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Thu 4/10 - 6.08 miles@9:05/mi

    Few local miles after work. Started with two laps of Porterstown in the fading light, followed by two Carpenterstown loops as the rain gradually got heavier.

    Fri 5/10 - Rest

    Sat 6/10 - Simon Home Run, Phoenix Park - Carry On Up The Khyber

    Late enough getting home from a work night out, so this wasn't going to be a PB attempt, or anything of the sort. After collecting my number and t-shirt, I headed down the Acres Road and around the back of the pitches, before turning at the Magazine Fort and taking in part of the Novices XC course on the way back.

    I lined up right at the front, purely to be clear of the large numbers of schoolchildren. I was under no illusions about being part of the elite :pac: Seán Hehir went clear from the gun to win unopposed, while for me, it was more about self preservation. Oddly enough, I think the last mile was my fastest, even though this included the Khyber climb. 36:02, 57/1321. The fact that I ran the Kilcock 10 mile at a faster pace says a lot :rolleyes: The run home brought my total mileage for the day to somewhere between 11 and 12 miles. A warm bath was badly needed :D

    More social activity later (family birthday) which isn't ideal preparation for the second part of a back-to-back, but at least it's an afternoon start tomorrow, to kick off the XC season.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Sun 7/10 - Dublin Novices XC, Phoenix Park

    Saturday night involved a lot less alcohol consumption than Friday, but plenty of food, so a later race start wasn't the worst thing in the world. I arrived at a very windy 15 Acres about an hour before my race was due to start, picked up my number and got a slow warmup lap and some strides in. Had a good chat with scotindublin before the start. Ground was rock hard, so although I'd got my "MSB runners" ready for the XC season opener, I decided that the road shoes would be more suitable for this one.

    Lining up at the start, I mentioned to the lad beside me that not getting lapped would be a massive achievement - this was a 6k race, 4 laps.

    Lap 1

    Off we went, the usual lightning fast XC start as we headed left for the Magazine Fort. I kept up what I felt was a decent pace through here, but even the first of the hilly sections between the Fort and the forest was tough going. As we passed through the trees, there were a few Lucan Harriers ahead, and two Clonliffe Harriers behind, one of whom I overheard say to the other "I think we're last". They got by me before the downhill to the Khyber valley, and so it was me who had that dubious honour. Approaching the steep climb out of the valley, I closed up behind them again, but on reaching the wide open section on the Acres, they pulled clear. I was less than a quarter of the way through the race, struggling to come up for air, and a clear favourite to be last across the line. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

    Lap 2

    Going through the start/finish and over the hills coming back to the forest, I was tailing off rapidly. Sure I had a hard race yesterday. I could just step off and go home. At least I wouldn't finish last. Got a shout before the drop down to the valley "Keep going J, you'll pick these off". Maybe he's right, I'm thinking. XC is supposed to be tough! I got a few other shouts on the way around too. They're racers, they'll understand why I didn't acknowledge any of them! No talking from me either. Coming out of the valley for the second time, I was closing on the CH duo again. Push hard up the steep exit, and see can I keep it going on the flat straight. 100m along, I caught the first Clonliffer and kept pushing. His pal was bringing me up to two other lads - one Sportsworld, not sure about the other fella. So at half way, I was second last. No time to rest on my laurels!

    Lap 3

    Kept going hard through the start/finish, passing the other CH runner and the man in red almost simultaneously. Next up was Sportsworld, and I got him on the left hander at the Magazine Fort. I didn't want to undo this good work, so I pushed as hard as I could through the up and down section. Still four behind me! Stretched the legs on the downhill to the valley, but it wasn't much longer before the winner (another Clonliffer) eased by to lap me. Oddly enough, I didn't get too disheartened by this. Second, third and fourth overall would do the same along the flat section, but I used them to help me along a little bit as they passed. Come on, one more lap!

    Lap 4

    On the first three laps, there was plenty of support on both sides of the course. However, now there was nobody alongside the run from the Magazine Fort to the trees, as us tailenders were all that was left. It was an odd feeling to experience that contrast. I couldn't let it affect me though. Still about 4-5 minutes of hard running left, even after the humps. I didn't dare look back. On the last turn to the finish, there was someone ahead who I thought I might catch (Cru I think) as I picked up the pace towards the line. Plenty of supporters on both sides approaching the finish. Few more seconds. Stay with it. Cru is gone through. Make sure nobody catches me. Done. I made it my business to stay at the chute and wait for the others to finish. Hard going out there, for all of us! I had a quick chat with C on my way out.

    Overall, glad to be back running XC again, scary as that one was. I read a comment from Testosterscone, on his excellent A/R/tist in the Spotlight thread, about not being a fan of "big fish, small pond" races. This was such a contrast from, for example, my regular Porterstown parkrun outings, where I'd be well up the standings most weeks, and even finished first once upon a time.

    On Saturday, I finished in the top 5% of the Simon 5 Mile, even though I was majorly hungover and nearly 2 minutes outside my PB. I'd actually class the XC as a better performance from me. I could have just sat back and taken last place, but it took a bit of determination to get myself out of that spot and stay out of it. Next up is the BHAA Teachers XC, on Saturday morning in Castleknock College. Maybe I'll actually get to wear the MSB runners there :pac: Thanks for reading. J.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,426 ✭✭✭scotindublin


    Great effort to tough it out.....if it was easy everyone would be doing it!

    Good luck on Saturday


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,420 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Nice one J - you did well in the race you found yourself in. Besides, plenty of decent runners have found themselves bringing up the rear in that race. Big pond, lots of fish of all sizes!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Great effort to tough it out.....if it was easy everyone would be doing it!

    Good luck on Saturday
    Murph_D wrote: »
    Nice one J - you did well in the race you found yourself in. Besides, plenty of decent runners have found themselves bringing up the rear in that race. Big pond, lots of fish of all sizes!

    Many thanks to both of you! I honestly thought the field would have been bigger - I was 108th out of 112 finishers, and the only adult from the club to line up. However, despite (due to?) being so far down the field, I did manage to run my fastest ever 6k time (26:46), improving on my 26:59 in last year's Irish Life race in Santry. I know times don't generally matter much in XC, but seeing that brought a smile. A top half finish will be a good result on Saturday IMO (107/197 in Irish Life last year).


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  • Registered Users Posts: 310 ✭✭MrSkinny


    Sat Oct 13, BHAA Teachers XC, Castleknock College
    Sat Nov 17, BHAA Irish Life XC, Ososlo Ultrawoman Park
    Sat Dec 1, Jingle Bells 5k, Phoenix Park

    It looks like our racing paths will cross a few times this autumn. I may reluctantly have to give the Irish Life XC a miss (playing host to overseas visitors) but I'm definitely in for the other two.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    MrSkinny wrote: »
    It looks like our racing paths will cross a few times this autumn. I may reluctantly have to give the Irish Life XC a miss (playing host to overseas visitors) but I'm definitely in for the other two.

    Good stuff. Shades and cap (sandy/purple) with either white or blue singlet on Saturday. Best of luck!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Mon 8/10 - 3.35 miles@9:19/mi

    Very easy recovery, just to get the legs moving again after the back to back. Long lap of Porterstown, followed by an old school parkrun lap - most of it on the grass.

    Tue 9/10 - Rest

    Wed 10/10 - Club session, Porterstown Park

    I was thinking of having another night off, when around 6 PM one of the lads threw up a message on the WhatsApp about training in Porterstown. After some deliberation, I decided, sure I'm home now, I might as well. Couple of laps of the grass track, followed by four hedge loops, then some strides before the main part of the session - 4/3/4/3 (2 min rec). With the light fading rapidly, there wasn't much time for messing in between the segments! I covered more ground than I've done on these in a while, so reasonably happy overall. It was so dark at the end that I could barely make out anyone crossing from the far side of the track. We decided, therefore, that from next week we'll be back in Santry for the winter. About 5.5 miles altogether, including warmup and cooldown.

    Thu 11/10 - 6.41 miles@8:50/mi

    Easy miles past Castleknock College, in at White's Gate, out at Castleknock Gate and home through Laurel Lodge. All the while, the twilight was slowly fading to darkness. Unfortunately, I won't have many other chances to run in PP midweek after work in the near future, so I'll have to start devising more alternative running routes.

    Fri 12/10 - Rest

    Sat 13/10 - BHAA Teachers XC Father Collins parkrun

    Storm Callum did a number on some of the trees in Castleknock College, to the extent that the popular XC race got cancelled. Hence, I needed a Plan B, as the rain hammered down incessantly outside. I decided to tick one of the two remaining Dublin parkrun boxes. Heading over on the M50, there was a lot of surface water, and visibility was poor. Maybe I should have just stayed local? Threw the car in the free underground P+R at Clongriffin station, and shuffled up to the park, with lots of time to get a warmup lap in.

    There was a shallow enough looking field, so I parked myself at the front at the start, and was in 4th at the end of the start/finish straight. This soon changed to 9th, but I wasn't bothered about that. Sure it's a parkrun. At the end of the outer loop, you do an inner loop around the back of the start/finish. I made up two places early in this inner loop, passing a fella in yellow and another in a 50 parkrun top. Feeling relatively comfortable at half way. Second outer loop I seemed to be gaining on two more, one of whom was pushing a buggy in his 50th parkrun. Last km went a bit pear shaped though. On the second lap, I thought we just cut back in to the finish after the long loop. Wrong! Another full inner loop, then left and left again up to the finish. I lost a lot of time through all this confusion; definitely a parkrun PB gone by the wayside anyway. Didn't lose sleep over it, I'm pleased to say :)

    Time: 20:55
    Position: 7/55 (1st M45)

    Sun 14/10 - 12.16 miles@8:31/mi

    The original plan was to join the club outing on the Howth hill run, but I would have been terrified up there in the wet, so I decided to leave it. PP was packed, on a cold but sunny and dry Sunday morning, with runners everywhere. My route was basically the Irish Runner 10 Mile course, with some add-ons to bring the mileage up a bit.

    On a rare Sunday run down the Khyber (the club 8 AM run usually goes up it), I passed FBOT, who was going faster than me even though he was going up. NYC will be a breeze for him. As for me, I managed to keep my pace surprisingly consistent, albeit somewhat faster than I had planned beforehand. Simply put, I just started off with whatever felt reasonably comfortable, and stayed with it. Very pleased with how it turned out. Over 33 miles for the week, so highest mileage in a fair few weeks too.

    Porterstown parkrun's 3rd birthday celebrations will be the highlight of next week's running for me. Hope to see some of you there! Thanks for reading. J.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 18,219 CMod ✭✭✭✭The Black Oil


    You back studying as well, or did you finish that in the summer?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Afraid not B. I decided to leave it for the time being at least. Although in another year or two, maybe I'll have the urge to chase a Masters. For the moment anyway, I'm enjoying the extra spare time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Mon 15/10 - Rest

    Tue 16/10 - 5.81 miles @8:30/mi

    I kept this one to Porterstown, alternating between full perimeter laps and original parkrun laps - two of each. Lots of MSBers, young and not so young, training in the beautiful late evening sunshine. Our leading lady runner (1st F in Rathfarnham) was running laps of the Doyle Cup XC course. If she gets a favourable handicap, then the rest of us are guaranteed to be merely making up the numbers :D

    Wed 17/10 - Club session, Morton Stadium

    I was dreading this beforehand, it having been almost a year since the last time I tried this session (week of DCM '17). Luckily enough, there were quite a few out of similar standard to myself, which helped me enormously. The session was (800/400) x 3, with 2 min rec after 800, 90s after 400.

    Times were 3:02/1:22/3:06/1:22/3:04/1:21. Bit disappointed with the second 800, even though I ran about 850m, due to the fact that I was nearly in the stand while overtaking three clubmates simultaneously :D

    I thought I might get under 80 for the last 400, but it didn't quite work out. Overall though, very pleased with my evening's work. Those times are actually a lot better (8-10s for 800) than what I was doing in these sessions in previous years. Like I said, having people around to push me was brilliant. No way could I have done those times on my own; it's so easy to lapse by even 2-3s a lap without even noticing. 4.5 miles or so overall, including WU/CD and strides.

    The racing picture is becoming a bit clearer, as I signed up for Jingle Bells this morning. Last shot at a PB this year, on a downhill course, giving me some incentive to cut down on the rubbish I'm eating? Yes please!

    I'm steering well clear of Seniors XC for the foreseeable, after my tough Dublin Novices experience. The faster lads can have a shot at those! In fact, I probably won't be running any more Novices XC this year either. The National Novices has been switched to the day after my graduation, and although I've put out feelers for next week's Leinster Novices in Navan, nobody is biting as I type, and I don't fancy travelling out there on a Saturday afternoon to be the sole adult club representative again. The BHAA Irish Life XC in Santry will have a broader range of standards, with plenty of people to push me along, and I won't be fighting to avoid finishing last :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Thu 18/10 - 5.36 miles @8:21/mi

    I kept this one to the Carpenterstown loops, with each mile being quicker than the one before. That wasn't the plan; it was more a combination of (a) feeling more comfortable as I went along, and (b) wanting to get the run over with :D

    Fri 19/10 - Rest

    Sat 20/10 - Happy Birthday Porterstown parkrun

    I must admit to being very nervous when I was asked to be a 23 min pacer here. I'd never done a pacing gig anywhere before, so there was a major sense of DFIU as I made my way over on Saturday morning. The weather was perfect for a run; bright, not too warm, and not too windy. This may have helped boost the crowd to our second highest ever 186. From attendances of 7 and 16 in the early days, when at times we were doubting if continuing would be viable, our numbers are regularly in three figures nowadays, after three years on the go.

    Anyway, once all the speeches were done, away we went. I had a few tracking me, so I was talking throughout to keep them (and me) honest. Knowing where all the key points were was a great advantage. I tried to keep it reasonably consistent overall, gaining a second or two on the downhills knowing there would be a bit of work to do on the way back. I was a few seconds ahead near the end, so slowed down hoping one more might catch me. 23:00. By the way :pac: Loads of cake, biscuits and fruit afterwards to mark the occasion. Nice to chat to choons (who has come on in leaps and bounds of late) and racheljev, very excited about DCM, as she should be with so much good training behind her :D

    Sun 21/10 - Rest

    Next
    I signed up for Leinster Novices, having managed to cajole one or two more from the club into doing so. Sunday will feel a bit strange, not taking the DCM start for the first time in three years. Instead, I plan to be out supporting somewhere around Myo's (Castleknock) in the morning, and hopefully I will make it to McGrattans for a while later. This year's Novices and their mentors have put in a fantastic amount of work over the last 5/6 months, and fingers crossed DCM will be an amazing culmination of all their efforts. Thanks for reading. J.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Overall, not the busiest of running weeks, certainly compared to the majority here :)

    Mon 22/10 - Rest

    Tue 23/10 - 4.55 miles@8:44/mi

    Nice and easy around Porterstown. Good to do it while I still had the daylight.

    Wed 24/10 - Rest

    Thu 25/10 - 4.53 miles@8:43/mi

    Two laps of the XC course. Ground is still very firm, surprisingly so for the time of year.

    Fri 26/10 - Rest

    Sat 27/10 - Leinster Novices XC, Navan

    My day began with a marshalling stint at a chilly but dry Porterstown parkrun. This was my 22nd time to volunteer, so closing in on another milestone. We'd a new centurion on Saturday. Fortunately, all the goodies were gone by the time I got back to the finish.

    I made it to Navan with about an hour to spare before my race was due off. No sign of Caoimhe - I assumed she'd be there, given her race was up next. I was getting a bit anxious with all the waiting around without a number, and eventually got one of the officials to head back to the registration area with me. Thankfully, my number was still there! Found C then, and wished her well before heading for a warmup lap. Fletch was running too, and we had a bit of a chat before splitting up and getting off the course before the women finished their first lap. AFAIK, HelenAnne was the only Boardsie in action there.

    There was a slight delay to our start, as a young lad was whizzing down the hill having got his number two minutes before. Thought I was bad :D Uphill start, then a right hander and downhill, round a u bend and more downhill. Lots of twists and turns in the midsection in particular, with a nice uphill drag about two thirds of the way through the lap, and a 300m hill at the end of the lap.

    From early on, I was towards the rear of the field, as expected. I got passed by about 10/12 on the downhill, with a Crusader and a Balbriggan runner being the last to go by me. C had stayed behind to support, and I got a few other shouts on my way around, more than I was expecting. Much appreciated, as even though the ground was firm (no "MSB runners" on show I'm afraid) I had to work hard to make sure the chasers didn't close the gap.

    With all the twists and turns, it was often possible to see how far ahead or behind you were, without it being so obvious that you were assessing the situation. At the bottom of the course, I could see another Crusader and a United Strider maybe 100m behind. Closer than lap 1? Keep working hard, up the long hill past the finish to start the last of our three laps.

    I still had notions of catching Balbriggan. Just as I'd finished negotiating the U-bend, the announcer was calling out the first three finishers, while I still had a mile or so left. Lengthen the stride on the downhills, and try keep the form for the last few minutes. Cru seemed closer this time, and the United Strider was catching him. Twist right, sharp left, in, out, HURRY UP! Last time up the hill. Balbriggan was out of reach, but I still had to keep going, with the other two in hot pursuit. C gave me a shout about half way up. The chasers were getting shouts behind me. Not long left. Now I could see the time on the finish gantry. See can I beat 26. Floor it for the last few seconds, uphill, doesn't matter at this stage. And I'm through.

    Position: 110/115
    Time: 25:57

    So a similar outcome to the Dublin Novices, but FWIW my time was much faster here. It may have helped that there were no family birthday celebrations the night before, nor was I completing a back to back. Had a quick chat with scotindublin on the way out, before a more relaxed Saturday evening than the majority of runners had this weekend.

    Sun 28/10 - 3.62 miles@8:44/mi

    Easy two laps around Carpenterstown, before heading to Castleknock to support this year's DCM class. I was almost directly behind the family handing out jellies near the top of the hill, wearing a black hat. I did spot quite a few people that I was watching out for, but especially with such large pace groups, it was very hard to see everyone, so I missed lots of people too. How racheljev managed to pick me out, after I'd missed her, I do not know :D

    After a spell at home on the DCM tracker, it was time to head to McGrattans. Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green looked great in the autumn sunshine, with lots of light blue marathon tops on view. Found AMK, Singer and Swashbuckler in the pub - the first two delighted with their Dublin and actual marathon PBs, and great for me to finally meet the man behind one of the best logs on Boards (A and B - yisser logs are top notch as well, don't be so sensitive :pac:) . Met lots more Boardsies as the afternoon progressed, some, such as Meno, and OOnegative (who travelled all the way from the Netherlands to be a pacer), for the first time. This was my third DCM day in McGrattans, yet until yesterday I had no idea there was an upstairs bar. Ariana was here, with Skyblue, Kellygirl and lots of DCM 2018 Graduates.

    Delighted to finally catch up with my successor as Novices mentor. She did an unreal job, and whoever takes it on for DCM 2019 will have a very hard act to follow. Also while up there, I chatted to FBOT, Lazare, The Black Oil, juke, Steve, eyrie, ReeReeG, Mr Guappa, Baby75, diego_b and lots more. As I'm typing, I'm sure I'm forgetting someone - you know who you are :pac: A pleasure to be able to put lots of faces to usernames. I had to head for the train about 4:15ish, so unfortunately I missed the newlyweds!

    Getting home wasn't hassle free. Some grunt decided he wasn't letting people through at the National Gallery, even though other staff were removing the fencing while he was banging on about it being "reserved for athletes and their families". Are you having a laugh?! They're all gone. Bravo sir :mad: Still caught the train. After a few hours relaxing at home, I tipped around to the local to add to my alcohol levels, while catching up with more of the club's marathon finishers. Any excuse! With a bit of luck, I might be back on the other side of the line for DCM 2019.

    Mon 29/10 - Rest

    Catching up on hundreds of posts since I was last on here. In other news, I got an email to say that my 100 parkrun t-shirt has been dispatched. Fingers crossed, I'll get to show it off in Brickfields on Saturday morning, while completing the Dublin parkrun set. Thanks for reading. J.


  • Registered Users Posts: 582 ✭✭✭Pomplamousse


    Sorry I never came over to talk to you in McGrattans:( I spotted you and was about 95% sure it was you, then Singer confirmed it was you, but my legs were too fecked to stand at that point and then I'd missed you. Maybe 2019!:D
    I also had no idea of the upstairs!:o


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭eyrie


    It was absolutely lovely meeting you yesterday J! Nice going on the XC the previous day. That's my local parkrun you'll be showing off your finery in on Saturday. I haven't done it yet myself but was thinking of trying it out at the weekend so I may see you there!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,020 ✭✭✭Kellygirl


    Great to meet you again yesterday J. Was brilliant to meet so many Boardsies.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,582 ✭✭✭Swashbuckler


    Was great meeting you. For some reason you seem very familiar to me and I haven't quite figured out why. Maybe we knew each other in a past life!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Sorry I never came over to talk to you in McGrattans:( I spotted you and was about 95% sure it was you, then Singer confirmed it was you, but my legs were too fecked to stand at that point and then I'd missed you. Maybe 2019!:D
    I also had no idea of the upstairs!:o

    No worries, sorry I missed you! I'd have liked to stay longer but such is life. Hope you're recovering well after a tough buildup, let alone the race itself. Not sure about 2019 yet but we shall see. Looking forward to your report :)
    eyrie wrote: »
    It was absolutely lovely meeting you yesterday J! Nice going on the XC the previous day. That's my local parkrun you'll be showing off your finery in on Saturday. I haven't done it yet myself but was thinking of trying it out at the weekend so I may see you there!

    Likewise! Hope you are well, where's the report?! :pac: Those XC races are so different to marathons or parkruns. No watch checking, just RLF - plus trying to keep my head above water is in total contrast to chasing parkrun podiums. Looks like I'll be collecting my new black top tomorrow, so bring on Brickfields :D
    Kellygirl wrote: »
    Great to meet you again yesterday J. Was brilliant to meet so many Boardsies.

    Thanks K, you too! I'd say you're only dying to get back to "normal" life and running, after training for so many marathons in the last two years. I did really enjoy meeting lots of Boardsies old and new.
    Was great meeting you. For some reason you seem very familiar to me and I haven't quite figured out why. Maybe we knew each other in a past life!

    Thanks P, likewise, much appreciated! I was racking my brain over this since I read your comment, yet I still can't place you anywhere else. Probably something obvious that I've completely overlooked. On more than one occasion over the years, I've had people come up to me and insist that I was some randomer I'd never heard of. No danger of them saying I looked like anyone famous and/or devastatingly handsome :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,236 ✭✭✭AuldManKing


    Was great meeting you. For some reason you seem very familiar to me and I haven't quite figured out why. Maybe we knew each other in a past life!

    Its the glasses, man.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,582 ✭✭✭Swashbuckler


    Its the glasses, man.

    In hindsight maybe it wasnt you I saw at halfway. Must've been another 6ft1and a half inch lad. Can't trust my eyes anymore.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    Tue 30/10 - 4.63 miles@8:23/mi

    "Deliberating and detoxing in D15" as per my Strava notes. Lot of booze still seemingly in the system from Sunday - glad to sweat it out!

    Wed 31/10 - No running

    Best laid schemes! After me putting out feelers to see if anyone was actually making a Hallowe'en trip to the club session in Santry, it turned out I couldn't go myself. I consoled myself with the fact that there were loads of surplus treats, due to there being a lot less kids calling to the door than in previous years :D


    October Review

    Reasonable month overall, with two hard cross country races under the belt. Great to be back into this, even with the standard being so much higher than I'm used to. I've been spending way too much time in the comfort zone this year, but a hungover 5 miler followed by a tough XC race the following day is still not generally recommended! My first pacing gig went better than expected, and who knows there may be more work there :D This took place on the 20th of the month, my 20th parkrun this year, to add to what at the time was 20 races for the year :pac:

    Races: 3 (YTD 21)
    parkruns: 2 (YTD 20)
    Mileage: 104 (YTD 885 approx)

    It looks like I might actually reach 1,000 miles this year. It was looking dodgy for a while, especially with the crazy monthly fluctuations. Highest so far this year is May (just under 136), lowest is March with 27 :o Longest single run just over 13.5 miles, on Inishbofin at the end of June.

    Watching DCM for the first time in three years, and catching up with so many participants afterwards, I've been pondering how best to go forward. In the near future, I'm aiming for the BHAA Irish Life XC, with Jingle Bells to follow soon after.

    The following months are where the aforementioned deliberations relate to. I'm signed up for Connemarathon 2019, but if I'm to give myself a chance of doing well there, the current (lack of) training just won't be sufficient, whatever way anyone here may want to try and sugarcoat it.

    Do I have the energy and the will to push myself over those extra miles, during cold, dark, winter nights? I can't answer that one definitively yet.

    On the one hand, hearing and reading so many inspirational stories of mind triumphing over matter on Sunday has given me a sense that maybe I can make a decent fist of a marathon again. I certainly feel like I have unfinished business with DCM.

    On the other, this year I've enjoyed not being under so much pressure to train for one race over a long period of time. Can I cope with having a bit of structure in my running again? In the case of Connemarathon, I can defer to 2020, or switch to the half. If I choose either of those options, will it be because I can't train for the full, or because I won't? Time will tell :) Thanks for reading. J.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭eyrie


    I never made it down to Brickfields in the end this morning (had to be sensible and hit the books instead - pesky college work :( ). Hope you enjoyed it! Looking forward to hearing your verdict on it for when I eventually make it down the road there myself


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭Wubble Wubble


    eyrie wrote: »
    I never made it down to Brickfields in the end this morning (had to be sensible and hit the books instead - pesky college work :( ). Hope you enjoyed it! Looking forward to hearing your verdict on it for when I eventually make it down the road there myself

    Student life interfering with our weekends. Sure I missed this year's Raheny 5 because of a college seminar. Appalling :rolleyes:

    Thu 1/11 - 7.83 miles@8:19/mi

    I'm trying to think of new routes to get me through the weeknights running. Not much imagination involved in this one, to be fair. From the house to Castleknock Gate via Laurel Lodge, but instead of entering the Phoenix Park, follow the wall to Ashtown Gate before turning around and running the same in reverse. Speedy enough in parts, looking back through the splits, so foam rolling was a necessary evil when I got home.

    Fri 2/11 - Rest

    Sat 3/11 - Brickfields parkrun

    At last, it was time for me to complete my Dublin parkrun visit portfolio, for the second time. When I originally accomplished this feat in June 2015, there were 11 parkruns in the city and county. Now there are 23 (excluding Progression parkrun, which isn't open to the general public).

    Brickfields is the only four lap course in Dublin, but on the flip side, there are only six corners in each lap - a nice contrast from last week's XC. I was there early in my new black 100 parkruns top, to get two warmup laps in, followed by some stretches, in plenty of time for the briefing.

    At this point, I have to confess something. I'd checked through the results, and noticed a ridiculously slow first place time last week. Could I be lucky enough to get a similar lineup? I didn't recognise any of this crew, so I decided I'd go out hard for 5-10 seconds and see if anyone came with me. When I came out of the first corner in about 6th place, I had more than enough information! A few more passed me as well, all bar one on the first lap IIRC. I had a couple of goes at getting out of third. Not today. It was a windy morning too, but the most important thing for me was to complete the run. Some poor girl fell face first into the tarmac, having tripped while running with her hands in her pockets, according to someone I spoke to afterwards.

    Time: 21:38
    Position: 10/60
    Category: 2nd M45

    Slow and all as that time was, it would have been good enough for first place the previous week. I remember a few years back Krusty had finished first in all the parkruns in Dublin at the time. Waste of time for me trying to do something like that, unless I pick up a fair bit of speed in the meantime. Anyway, the volunteers were suitably impressed by my achievement of sorts, so there's a nice photo of me on their FB. The current list of Dublin parkruns, with the date of my first visit, are as follows:-

    Malahide, 11/05/2013
    St Anne's, 2/11/2013
    Griffeen, 26/4/2014
    Waterstown, 12/7/2014
    Poppintree, 17/1/2015
    Hartstown, 31/1/2015
    Tymon, 21/2/2015
    Shanganagh, 4/4/2015
    Marlay, 18/4/2015
    Cabinteely, 25/4/2015
    Ardgillan, 13/6/2015
    Porterstown, 31/10/2015
    River Valley, 24/6/2017
    Donabate, 8/7/2017
    Fairview, 15/7/2017
    Corkagh, 30/9/2017
    Darndale, 14/10/2017
    Bushy, 7/4/2018
    Tolka Valley, 19/5/2018
    Poolbeg, 14/7/2018
    Tyrrelstown, 22/9/2018
    Father Collins, 13/10/2018
    Brickfields, 3/11/2018

    Sun 4/11 - 7.50 miles@8:39/mi

    Family stuff on Saturday night left me too tired to meet the MSBers for club running. Once I was feeling less tender, I made my way to St Catherine's Park, as the day was far too nice to be wasted from a running point of view.

    I parked at the far end of the Dublin section, and made my way through three
    different loops, each one being longer than the one before. Loads of walkers and dogs, but I wasn't time trialling here, so it didn't really matter. I gave myself a good push through the trail and the BMX hill on the last loop. Overall, I felt I did a good job of salvaging my running Sunday. 25 miles for the week. Thanks for reading. J.

    PS - Nearly forgot! I'm going to miss the Raheny 5 next year too. We'll be in Orlando (wife's birthday), but fear not, I'll be bringing the runners for warm weather training :D


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 18,219 CMod ✭✭✭✭The Black Oil


    Sorry I never came over to talk to you in McGrattans:( I spotted you and was about 95% sure it was you, then Singer confirmed it was you, but my legs were too fecked to stand at that point and then I'd missed you. Maybe 2019!:D
    I also had no idea of the upstairs!:o

    WW doesn’t bite, I checked. :D He is a former mentor, after all...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭eyrie


    Student life interfering with our weekends. Sure I missed this year's Raheny 5 because of a college seminar. Appalling :rolleyes:
    It's disgraceful, interfering with our running like that :rolleyes:
    PS - Nearly forgot! I'm going to miss the Raheny 5 next year too. We'll be in Orlando (wife's birthday), but fear not, I'll be bringing the runners for warm weather training biggrin.png
    Ahh well now you've a much better reason to miss it this time so!


    Well done on completing the Dublin parkrun set :)


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