Leader Of The (Mid) Pack

Mon 5/11 - Rest

Tue 6/11 - 5.36 miles@8:39/mi

Struggled to drag myself out the door for this. Dark, manky, wet Tuesday night running around Carpenterstown. At least this time the November rain wasn't cold :pac:

Wed 7/11 - Club session, Morton Stadium

Thankfully conditions were a bit drier in Santry. After a warmup and strides, it was time for (800/400) x 3, 2 min/90s rec. First 800 I felt great on the opening lap, and actually got under 3 minutes (2:58) but an 85/93 split was poor from a pacing standpoint. 1:22 for my first 400, followed by a 3:02 800 (85/97!!) and 1:22 again for the 400. Concerned about going out too fast generally, I decided to run behind Paddy starting the last 800. Coming to half way, just for a second or two I felt a bit weak, so I stepped off, and didn't run the final 400. It was probably nothing to be worried about, but better safe than sorry I suppose. Cooldown laps were free of any such drama. 4 miles in total for the night.

Sat 10/11 - Malahide parkrun - Full Circle

"I'm going back to the start"

Having completed the Dublin parkrun set, I decided to use Malahide's 6th birthday celebrations as an excuse to return to my first parkrunning love.
Seven of my first 15 parkruns took place there, but in over 4 years I had run another 91 without coming back. How did we end up like this? :pac:

I was expecting the usual big crowd, so my wife dropped me off in plenty of time for a warmup lap and stretches. The start and finish are slightly different from the old days, as there are picnic tables outside the cafe where the start used to be. I found a spot maybe five or six rows back, in among the buggies. Quick hello to HelenAnne, and we were away. Being stuck in traffic on the shorter (1 mile approx.) lap didn't feel like such a bad thing, as I was making comfortable progress when gaps did appear.

Some chap pulled up alongside me early on the second lap, and asked me what pace I was running. My answer was "21 or thereabouts". I had no clue to be honest, as I just run parkruns by feel, and I'd no familiar faces for points of reference. Having said all that, when I saw another lad up ahead wearing a black 100 top as we were passing through the forest, that was one battle I made it my business to win Steady from there on to the finish. One man wearing a DCM 2016 top passed me back at the cafe, but he was the only one I can recall doing so in the last mile. Coming into the finish area, a little girl was getting a shout behind me, so I kept the power on going up the hill and round the corner to the downhill finish.

I got a shock when I asked for my time, to be told "20:35". Seriously?! I must have misheard her, as I felt like I'd plenty left in the tank, and I was thanking marshals etc, which I never do if I'm going full tilt.

Anyhow, this is actually a new parkrun PB for me, at long last surpassing (by one second!) a time which was my actual PB when set in my 50th parkrun, way back in May 2016. Porterstown was also the venue when it was equalled in my 100th, in August of this year. Very happy to have finally beaten it! Surely it won't be another four years before I'm back in Malahide :pac:

Sun 11/11 - 5.8 miles@7:47/mi

The above is an approximation, as I forgot to start the clock when we set off from Castleknock Gate across the MSB trails. To be honest, I could have done with starting an hour or two later, as I was feeling a bit delicate after a double birthday celebration last night (our registrar, and his twin, a Porterstown regular). A footwear malfunction near the Papal Cross left me trailing about 30s behind the rest of the group, and I didn't have enough energy to reel them back in, so I turned left at the Phoenix monument and headed back to base, passing the early arrivals for the Remembrance Run. Less than 20 miles for the week.

In other news, I have decided to switch distance for the Connemarathon. Instead of taking on the full, I've opted for a rematch with the half marathon, three years after my 1:40 on a bitterly cold, wet and windy day in April 2016. In my heart and soul, I know I won't put in the miles through the winter to give myself a chance with the full. Long story short, it's the right decision for me. Happier to see the date being set for next year's Inishbofin HM

I haven't yet taken the bait in relation to registering for DCM 2019. Like I say, I still believe there's unfinished business here, especially considering my failed 2017 attempt, when immortality - sub 3:30! - beckoned :pac: But apart from it being a bit warmer in the months preceding, of course same rules apply as for Connemarathon. Thanks for reading. J.

ReeReeG wrote: »

I have not! Friends of mine go every year and I was supposed to join the summer before last but then stuff happened and I'd to cancel. A couple of them want to do the half so I've been told I have to run too. You know, the whole "you run therefore you must do whatever race we express interest in" haha.
I did notice you said something about angry dogs before so that has me worried!

Ha, well jeal on that one! Not sure how many times I'll get to run this race, although it's been a dream to race it ever since I became aware of its existence. Usually we go around end June/start July, although last year we visited twice, as SIL got married there in May. Trust me, you'll love it In relation to the dogs, I didn't encounter any of them last time around, so maybe they've finally got used to me plodding past their houses after all these years :pac:

The Black Oil wrote: »

Nicely done on the PB. They had glorious weather this year, going by the pics from Inishbofin. Have had mild curiosity in the Conn plans too.

Sure did. It'll be my luck that it lashes out of the heavens. Maybe that'll bring out the old HTFU even more

Murph_D wrote: »

FWIW, J, personally I’d be looking at about 3:10/1:35 for those reps, especially the first two. It looks like it’s the 400s that were doing you in, especially after the unevenly paced 800s.

I don’t think you were wrong to step off. I’ve seen lots of clubmates have to this (mysteriously thin field for the final rep) - the trick is to pace yourself correctly so you can do all the reps - and not just to do them, but to be running hard but in control. It can be tricky to get right. Have a look at J Daniels or MacMillan or one of the other calculators for pace guides, or better yet ask a good club coach.

Might be something to try next time. I didn't make the session this week, and won't for at least another two. The control part hasn't always been easy for me to maintain at that "speed".

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

I done the Clonliffe Christmas Cracker last year and it is a cracking race, fairly fast start and finish, if the wind is roaring through northwood like last year it can be a bit tough but just get in behind someone and you should be ok :pac:

See you there :cool:

Still undecided there, although I reread yours and Duanington's 2017 race reports in the last couple of days. Flip of a coin between it and the Tom Brennan, although the coin is edging towards Clonliffe at the moment

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Believe it or not, this log is two years on the go today! A thousand thanks to all of you for somehow finding the time to sit through it Hopefully you have found one or two grains of wit or wisdom in there, maybe even something useful or inspiring in relation to running :pac: Sláinte!

The last two weeks, particularly this one, have been disastrous from a running perspective. Lot of stress in work (including moving to another building) and also I'm preparing for another exam of sorts, which is why my Strava has been lying dormant since Sunday morning.

Fear not! for I'm still going to Santry tomorrow. Not sure yet what the ground will be like, although it's saying a lot that we're in the second half of November and I'm still not sure if it'll be soft enough for the "MSB runners" (thanks M!) to get a long awaited raceday airing.
Still aiming for a top half finish, but if that result doesn't come to pass, I'll live with it. Hope to see some of you there! J.

Sat 17/11 - BHAA Irish Life XC

Arrived very early to register, leaving myself with lots of time to relax and warmup at my leisure. Bit of a dilemma regarding footwear. Two laps in the runners first of all, and the ground seemed ok - one or two little sticky spots, but nothing too drastic. Still, I decided I'd take the MSB runners out for a spin. Hmmm. They felt grand actually, not hurting my feet as they might if the ground was harder. I stayed with them in the end, in the belief that the field of 200+ might leave the ground a bit softer by the time we were on laps 3 and 4. Quick chat with Duanington, and then it was time to head to the start area.

Lap 1

I was a long way back as we made our way past the finish area and down the hill. Sharp left at the bottom, and from there the field snaked up the drag towards the walled garden. I was making up plenty of places along here, without having to put my body through the wringer just yet. Nice down and up alongside the walled garden, then a short stretch into the wind before turning into the start/finish straight. Plenty of familiar faces out this morning, which meant I should have a fair idea of how well (or how badly!) I was getting on.

Lap 2

Bit more competitive on this one. As surprising as it may seem, it wasn't so easy to pass people any more :pac: A young(er) guy passed me coming out of the chicane, and two ladies (Sharon and Orla) were proving to be particularly sticky - they were fighting for the category prizes, as I later found out. However, I passed yer man back on the start/finish straight, as he seemed to have shot his bolt after putting that move on me earlier.

Lap 3

More rivals on the horizon, as I caught and passed Ian at the start of the drag back up from the bottom of the hill. Not doing too bad here - he's much stronger in cross than on the road. There's a bit of a gap between me and the next few, and for the first time Paddy's on my radar, about 100 metres ahead. Working hard up the middle drag, but then I got caught by a girl who must have started a long way back, as she left me trailing in her wake quickly enough! As I turned out of the breeze and onto the start/finish straight, I could hear the announcer calling out the leaders. Clock was in the 19s. Not to be lapped was one of my goals for today. Bit of a pickup along the straight, just to be sure, and that was one goal in the bag.

Lap 4

Tough going on the final tour, as although I was working much harder knowing there were only a few minutes left, I wasn't making up any more places. In particular, there was a guy in a Donore vest ahead that looked as if he was about to stop at any moment. Somehow he managed to keep going. The drag in the middle was actually harder than the one alongside the wall - I nearly came to a stop, to the extent that I got passed by two as we exited the chicane. I could still see Paddy, but I wasn't really gaining on him either. Of course, I'd no idea how I was faring in terms of overall position, so I had to push through the exposed straight into the breeze, and then plenty of welly to the line. Much faster than last year. Another positive!

Position: 115/229
Category: 10th M45 (of 20)
Time: 25:41

Well, there ye are. Can't get much more middle of the pack than that, my friends :pac: Of course, I had no idea of any of this as DD invited me to join him and Gosh for a cooldown lap. Thankfully this was closer to my pace than theirs Lots of biccies, cakes and coffee upstairs in the Clonliffe clubhouse before I had to leave. With there being considerably more depth to this field than in the Fire Brigade and Pfizer races, normal service was resumed on the age category front, although we did win a team prize. Overall, a very enjoyable morning which went better than I thought it would.

Sun 18/11

After a Saturday night of pints both during and after the rugby, I had more decisions to make regarding my Sunday running plans. Regardless of 8 AM or 8:45 linkups with the MSBers, chances are I would have been running on my own very quickly - remember I'd a race in the legs too, booze or no booze!

With this in mind, I decided to take up an open invitation to run with the Porterstown Panthers, leaving White's Gate at 8:30. Wife dropped me down, and then we were away on an outer loop of the park. We ran on the trails where possible, and at a much slower pace than I would have been running with the lads. scotindublin and the Donore gang whizzed past us on the North Road - it was funny to note that even their tailenders were running much quicker than we were. Anyhow, this suited me down to the ground. 6.59 miles@9:29/mi.

And then as we're stretching at White's Gate, two lads are passing, one with a particularly deep tan. I'm not talking about Seán Hehir
AMK, I am not a traitor :pac: After all the years of distinguished service I've given to the club. Desperate. Easy days easy, as the oft repeated Boards mantra goes Hopefully I'll be more able for a faster paced Sunday run next time. A slow run home (a little over 2 miles) to close out the week. Mostly slow, that is, as I was caught by a flying RHG on her way home, and we ran at her pace from Ben Dunne's up to the Carpenterstown shops.

Next

The club XC handicap race (6 miles) has been fixed for Sunday December 23. Not perfect scheduling, but at least this time I won't be finishing up for the holidays the day before Apart from that, I'm fairly certain I'll be taking on the Clonliffe Christmas Cracker to complete my racing for 2018. DD and Gosh were both singing its praises yesterday, so I'm strongly favouring giving it a bash, and then going for another Hartstown/Porterstown parkrun double on New Year's Day. Thanks for reading. J.

If you thought my mileage was low last week, well this week I managed even less. I was at a funeral on Monday, and on Thursday afternoon I'd a set of tests which (including waiting time between them) took over 4 hours to complete. Preparation for these took up most of my spare time on Tuesday and Wednesday. By the time I got out of the exam hall on Thursday evening (5:30ish), I needed food more than I needed to run! Which brings us up to...

Sat 24/11 - Porterstown parkrun

During the course of Friday, I felt like I was coming down with something, and Saturday morning confirmed my suspicions. Despite my reservations, I decided to shuffle up to Porterstown, to give my 100 parkruns t-shirt its first airing on home ground. Originally, this was intended to be a course PB attempt. No chance in this condition. I made a very controlled start, allowing anyone and everyone the chance to pass without any resistance. Tom F passed me about halfway through the first lap. Rather than following him, as I normally would, I used him as a (gradually shrinking) marker to give me some idea of my pace. 11th or 12th at the end of Lap 1. I made up a couple of places on the second lap without being passed. This was due to runners who went out too hard at the start coming back to me, rather than any great speed on my part.

Last lap, and the leading lady had been coming back to me gradually. I passed her as we approached the bottom of the hill, but I didn't attempt to increase my pace just yet. I waited till I passed the marshal on the way up to the car park (about 500m left) before doing that. From the car park to the finish is all downhill anyway. Even feeling understrength, I didn't want to lose any positions from there. I wouldn't say I did anything like a sprint, but it was good enough to make sure I wasn't caught. 21:11, 8/110, 2nd M45.

Despite a dry start to the morning, seconds after we got away, it started to rain heavily. Much as I normally love to stay behind and sample the cakes, today wasn't the time. I grabbed my jacket, quick goodbye to a few, got out of there and home for a shower followed by bed.

Today I'm feeling a little bit better, but not to anything like the extent that I'll get out for a run. 5 miles for the week.

Next

I have unfinished business with the mile (as with many other distances!) and NIA Live is offering me a chance at redemption on Tuesday night, after my hopeless 6:14 there in January. However, I'm on a redeye flight on Wednesday morning, so even if I'm back in the whole of my health by then, I'll have to politely decline Thanks for reading. J.

Another week of not much running wise, unfortunately.

Still getting through the remnants of the longest running cold ever. Tuesday's shuffle around Carpenterstown wasn't the most enjoyable run I've ever had.

Nothing between then and Saturday's Porterstown parkrun. As I'm volunteering there for the next few weeks, I originally had planned to target a course (and hence, almost certainly parkrun) PB. However, I wasn't feeling the love at all on the way up. Nice warmup lap with Paul from CSH (a rival from BHAA) before we set off.

Myself, Paul and John Todd had a nice tempo going. Certainly, none of us were going anywhere near flat out. What was more irritating was a fella cutting corners to a ridiculous degree throughout. For example, passing along the bottom of the GAA pitches, he'd run behind the goalposts and then cut over at a 45 degree angle to the extent that he was half way up the little hill when he actually came onto the path. Even John was annoyed by him. Anyway, I hope he enjoyed his little triumph in finishing ahead of us. Paul pushed on ahead in the last 500, and nearly caught yer man, who, in spite of all his blatant cheating, couldn't beat 21 minutes for 4k. Impressive stuff! For me, 12/93, in a time of 21:24, just ahead of John and another fella we caught on the last drag up to the car park.

Sun 9/12 - 6.04 miles@8:20/mi

Slept it out this morning, to the extent that I had to run solo, as the MSBers and Panthers were long gone on their rounds. Feeling very heavy on the Carpoporto circuit, but getting out was the main thing.

Next

There won't be much running next week either, in spite of my half marathon plan officially starting tomorrow. Reason is, I have a very important interview on Friday, and this will take up most of my spare time and energy. From there, I will be going directly to my graduation ceremony.

How best to recover from all of this? In my case, I have signed up for the National Novices XC, back in Navan on Saturday afternoon. It should be a great way to just get rid of all the tension and energy that no doubt will build up over the next few days. Not finishing last would be good too Thanks for reading. J.