Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Festina lente
Options
Comments
-
-
-
-
Dunshaughlin 10k - 39.12
Great to meet so many boardsies before, during, and after the race. Some I haven't met before at all, others I haven't seen in ages. Too tired afterwards to stay for drinks though...
First k was annoying. I was a couple of rows back from the start line, about where I wanted to be, when all the late arrivals and people hanging around on the other side of the line joined at the front, and suddenly I was 6/7 rows back :rolleyes: First k should be really fast but I was dodging around people the whole way, so it was only 3.53.
Next couple of k were a bit better. I had room to pick a good line and was working my way through the groups. It was shocking, actually, how bad people were at following the racing line. Nobody seemed to want to run in the left hand lane. Fair enough its a clockwise course but it wasn't all right turns.
Lost concentration somewhere around the 2 mile mark. I'd passed a big group of people but instead of moving on to the next group I held position in front of this one. No good reason for it, and it meant my pace dropped a fair bit without me really noticing. Eventually I glanced at my watch, swore, and sped up again.
Caught up with the next group, and there was Chinguetti! What was he doing in front of me? He's supposed to start behind me and pass me out?!? I was still trying to make up lost time here, so I think I moved past pretty quickly. Also passed the 5k clock around here somewhere, around 19.45 I think?, which was a bit off.
Around the corner and onto the potholed road, also a nice downhill in there so picked up some speed. There was a water station around 6k I think, and I asked the first woman there to throw the water in my face instead of giving me the cup. She threw two cups, and the kids behind thought that looked like fun so all threw their cups too :pac:
Next up was the hill. Not much of a hill really, but it slowed my down more than I thought at the time, 4.05 for that k, my only 4+ split. Met poconn on the way up - passed him out but spent the rest of the race expecting him to tear past me
Last couple of k were a nice downhill. Really pushed it on the last k, 3.41 my fastest split of the race. Spotted Lucy Darcy from Sportsworld ahead in the distance, and though I didn't expect to catch her she was a good marker to keep an eye on (she was 6 seconds ahead in the end). Got the end of the course wrong though :pac: - coming up to the last corner I knew the finish line was around it, but I thought it was right around the corner. Sprinted around and then saw the line 200m away :eek: Staggered to the end expecting to be caught by the people I'd just passed, but just about stayed ahead.
June: 19/168.65
this year: 167/1730.320 -
Met poconn on the way up - passed him out but spent the rest of the race expecting him to tear past me
Last couple of k were a nice downhill. Really pushed it on the last k, 3.41 my fastest split of the race. Spotted Lucy Darcy from Sportsworld ahead in the distance, and though I didn't expect to catch her she was a good marker to keep an eye on (she was 6 seconds ahead in the end). Got the end of the course wrong though :pac: - coming up to the last corner I knew the finish line was around it, but I thought it was right around the corner. Sprinted around and then saw the line 200m away :eek: Staggered to the end expecting to be caught by the people I'd just passed, but just about stayed ahead.
June: 19/168.65
this year: 167/1730.32
I hadn't a hope of catching you Ray, you were running very strong, well done on the PB.0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2.83 in 15.04 (5.19 pace)
Met a clubmate before the race and went for a warm up lap of the course
5.04 in 20.21 (4.02 pace)
BHAA Prison Service trail race
Legs were still like sausages from the weekend, but BHAA races have to be done. I want those league points, and I want full value from my annual membership
Race start was typical cross-country, no line just milling around beside a pole, about 30 wide at the front. I ended up in the front row for a change, which was good because we started with a mad dash to the first corner only about 30m away, and once we were around that there was hardly any room to overtake for about a km. First k was 3.54, which felt fine. Running through the grass and over uneven ground it was never going to be much faster. Second k was also ok - a little slower at 4.02, but I was moving through the field, making up a few places. That continued into the 3rd k, I think I passed the second woman at around the halfway point, and I was running okay through the famous dip, a steep drop down into a ditch and back up the other side. Over 2m drop, and I had no energy left for thinking about how to handle it, just shouted "**** it!" and charged down. Tried to carry momentum up the far side but really it was too steep to avoid braking on the way down.
Shortly after the 3k mark (3.54) though, I reached for the reserves and discovered they were still by the side of a Dunshaughlin road
Dug deep, but that mine was all tapped out... the last 2k were spent trying to hang on to my form, and hang on to the back of the group in front, but also watching 5/6 runners I'd passed come back past me. I was beat, 4th k in 4.16 tells its own story. Last k I improved slightly to 4.05, but I won't deny that I was a little relieved when I got to the last 4/500m, glanced ahead and behind, and knew that there was no point in me sprinting to the finish
It's not a PB course at the best of times, but on another day I'd probably run 19.30-19.45. Still, a nice race to do, and I reckon my good start served me well in the rankings. That's enough racing for now anyway, 4 in two weeks has me knackered. Time to get the head down and do some serious training...
(results are out: 20:21, 40th of 201, 4th M40)
June: 22/193.23
this year: 170/1754.90 -
-
15.87 in 79.56 (5.02 pace)
First proper run of the training plan. I was a little worried about it during the day, because my legs are still quite tight, but they were grand once I started running. The usual lap around UCD and then run home. Quick dinner and shower, then back out to surprise the couch to 5k group with their first 20 minute run
June: 24/217.81
this year: 172/1779.510 -
-
Advertisement
-
-
Today was supposed to be 23k, first decent long run in a while, but the Farmleigh Family Fitness thing was on this morning. Yesterday evening I thought, "okay, 23k is out, maybe 16k". Checked the website again this morning and discovered the mile run was on at 10am, so decided on a 10k run instead. Got as far as Tymon at 5 min pace before realising it was a completely pointless run. Dropped down to recovery pace and circled back home. About 80k for the week anyway.
The off to Farmleigh. A really nice day out there, weather was lovely, the kids got to see Sonia O'Sullivan carrying the Olympic torch in one of the races (should it not be in England? was this a replica?). I jogged round the mile with my son in just under 7.20, he was very pleased with that, about a minute faster than last year. His little sister ran in about 12 minutes (with the OH). Some little athletics, orienteering, and a hot dog in the sun
July: 1/8.24
this year: 175/1811.520 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
6.08k in 34.35 (5.41 pace)
Sunday morning crawl.
Yesterday took more out of me than I'd expected. I haven't run that far in months, and haven't run more than 16k at that pace. No time to hit the shops, and no hat when I was sitting in the sun at Santry made for a bad diet day and a nice headache in the evening Don't think the heat will be a problem today...
July: 8/92.16
this year: 181/1895.440
Advertisement