ARTist in the Spot Light (This week Seres)

Krusty_Clown

It's my turn to pass on the curse of the spotlight, and I get to choose someone who couldn't be further from the spot-light: Seres

A bit of background: Seres has a background in both running and triathlon and has achieved great results in both disciplines, with a string of race wins to her race belt. She was very disappointed with her recent result where she only managed first place in the Connaght Intermediate Cross Country Championships. She can usually be found in the top 20 placings of any large field race.

other rounds of this :
(shotgun)MCOS
interested
el director
Tunney
TheRoadRunner
Krusty_Clown

Some questions to kick things off:

1) Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into running/triathlon? Did you run from an early age? Do you have a sporting background?

2) You don't live in a city/metropolis, so don't have a huge amount of access to clubs or group training sessions. Do you think this has affected your progress?

3) Do you have a coach? Where does your training guidance come from?

4) Do you have any long term goals?

5) Which is your favourite sport: Running or Triathlon?

6) Favourite running discipline (e.g. XC, 5k, 10k etc).

7) Do you like beer?

Seres

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I get to choose someone who couldn't be further from the spot-light: Seres

Seems im not far enough from the spot light . Im not too sure if this thread will be much of an addition , thanks KC.

Some questions to kick things off:

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

1) Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into running/triathlon? Did you run from an early age? Do you have a sporting background?

I started running when i was bout 7 , my mother used to run a mile or two after work and i use to go with her on my bike , then i started to run with her .Later I asked her could i join the local athletics club that used to be training while i was with my parents at the gym .
I also did badminton , basketball too . Always loved sport

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

2) You don't live in a city/metropolis, so don't have a huge amount of access to clubs or group training sessions. Do you think this has affected your progress?

Yes definitely . I think if i had someone a bit better than me to train with it would bring me along alot . I found it hard to push myself for some of the sessions in the HM program

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

3) Do you have a coach? Where does your training guidance come from?

I have someone who does up a training program for me . We communicate thru the net . Hes not a trained coach as such but i think he knows alot bout running . I actually met him thru the boards . He drew up my first HM program , before that i did up my own stuff . Moreso than anything else i like having someone to talk to bout my running and he seems interested !

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

4) Do you have any long term goals?

Yes

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

5) Which is your favourite sport: Running or Triathlon?

Hands down , running , its my passion .
Im a pretty useless swimmer , im a land animal . Always made more progress in triathlons once the swim ended

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

6) Favourite running discipline (e.g. XC, 5k, 10k etc).

At the momment 10k , think cause its my most experienced distance

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

7) Do you like beer?

Yes i do , im not really much of a drinker now though. Hard to believe but i use to be always the last man standing in earlier years

donothoponpop

Hi Seres,

1)what advice do you have for coming back from injury?

2) Do you run many hills? (and are you free for next years boards ww relay team )

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

4) Do you have any long term goals?

Seres wrote: »

Yes

Can you provide some elabrification?;)

ecoli

Easily becoming my favourite thread with such a wide range of athletes who normally do go bit under the radar

1) What are your views on the numbers of women particpating at club level and what can be done to keep them in the sport come teenage years

2) Fondest race memory

3) Favourite type of session? Tempo? Short/Long intervals? Fartlek? Hills? other?

4) Most important piece of advice you would give to a fellow runner

5) If you weren't an endurance athlete (running/ Triathlon) what sport would you most like to be doing?

Krusty_Clown

1) Like many posters on Boards, you have young children. How do you manage to find the time for training while balancing the needs of the family and the job?

2) Do you remember your first win? Did it mean a lot to you?

3) Worst race experience?

4) Most essential piece of training equipment?

5) What kind of core/strength training do you do (if any)?

6) What race would you most like to win?

Seres

donothoponpop wrote: »

Hi Seres,

1)what advice do you have for coming back from injury?

Give your body adequate time to recovery . Body versus mind , body will win .

2)

donothoponpop wrote: »

Do you run many hills? (and are you free for next years boards ww relay team )?

I dont do hill reps but i nearly always choose the hilly route if its an option
Id love to take part , assuming im available ( can be tricky with kids )
Hill are a strong point for me .

donothoponpop wrote: »

Can you provide some elabrification?;)

I knew that was a bit of a smart answer but i was in a rush

Ya

37.30 : 10k

3hrs : marathon

1.25 : half

18min 5km

10k and the marathon are the main long term goals there

RacoonQueen

Have you done many triathlons?

Your best race?

Your worst race?

Favourite training session?

Least favourite session?

Favourite flavour of crisps?

Will you ever run a marathon?

Have you been running consistently since you were a kid or did you only take it up again in recent years?

Favourite distance?

Seres

ecoli wrote: »

Easily becoming my favourite thread with such a wide range of athletes who normally do go bit under the radar

1)

ecoli wrote: »

What are your views on the numbers of women particpating at club level and what can be done to keep them in the sport come teenage years

Ill come back to ya on this one

2)

ecoli wrote: »

Fondest race memory

I'll mention a fairly recent one , 2009 national xc intermediate , came 7th , didnt expect it . It was in the forest park , home turf, my most frequent and favourite training spot . Bout 400m to go and 7 women battling it out and i beat them all to a sprint finish

3)

ecoli wrote: »

Favourite type of session? Tempo? Short/Long intervals? Fartlek? Hills? other?

Love 1k intervals @10km pace . I also love just doin easy runs of an hour plus , find them very therapeutic , normally sort lots of issues out on these runs

4)

ecoli wrote: »

Most important piece of advice you would give to a fellow runner

Listen to your body and patience and consistency will get you there

5)

ecoli wrote: »

If you weren't an endurance athlete (running/ Triathlon) what sport would you most like to be doing?

Id love to be a good tennis player( cant play at all though ) or a gymnast (my flexibility is terrible though )

Seres

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

1) Like many posters on Boards, you have young children. How do you manage to find the time for training while balancing the needs of the family and the job?

Its difficult , my circumstances are a little bit different to most with kids . The only times really for me are at lunchtimes . I make time but i always have to plan the weeks training on the monday before . Normally favours are called up at the weekend . I have to be careful of being selfish with my training so at the weekends i try where possible to do it first thing in the morning and take one of the days of the weekend as rest

2)

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Do you remember your first win? Did it mean a lot to you?

ya, it was the carrick on shannon leg of the Leitrim road league , i was 9(i think) at the time . That was my first long distance race , it was 800m .
It meant alot to me at the time


3)

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Worst race experience?

National 800m final , got 6th , was 12 and gutted , everyone had me geared up for a medal . At the time there was no internet access or gps equipment so i it was hard to pitch yourself against relevant national competitors

4)

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Most essential piece of training equipment?

As i train alone without any real local facilities like a track I would have to say the garmin forerunner
5)

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

What kind of core/strength training do you do (if any)?

Pilates and stretching , had started yoga but lifes other commitments dont allow any more

6)

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

What race would you most like to win?

Id like to medal in the national novice xc or the intermediate sometime but it will depend on the field on the day . It might just be wishful thinking . A good time is more important to me though then winning races . I wouldnt mind winning the warrior run or gael force west if i had the time to train for it

Slogger Jogger

37.30 : 10k
3hrs : marathon
1.25 : half
18min 5km

Nice targets!

Great to see a wanna be hill runner / Boards WWR team member Competition for places, yay!

Early notice so that next year's IMRA Connaught Championship will likely be Mweelrea on the Saturday (usually May Bank hol) with Ben Gorm or Nephin on the Sunday


Do you run all year around?
How many days a week usually?
Whats your typical running week?
Once the bottle of wine is opened does it have to get finished?

Seres

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Have you done many triathlons?

5

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Your best race?

suppose same as best race experience , nat intermediate 2009

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Your worst race?

womens mini marathon 2009 , blew up and got a terrible stitch

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Favourite training session?

1k intervals

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Least favourite session?

3*25min tempo @ HM pace , with 90sec rest , tough as hell mentally . Hate them but know they were the corner stone of the HM program

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Favourite flavour of crisps?

prawn cocktail flavor walkers

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Will you ever run a marathon?

Hopefully , need to make the body more injury resistant first , time as well is a factor

Have you been running consistently since you were a kid or did you only take it up again in recent years?[/QUOTE]

left it for a while in my twenties but it was fairly half ar$ed from bout 16-29

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Favourite distance?

10k at moment

Seres

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

37.30 : 10k
3hrs : marathon
1.25 : half
18min 5km

Nice targets!

Ya targets , thats all they are , wish they were pbs

Great to see a wanna be hill runner / Boards WWR team member Competition for places, yay!

Early notice so that next year's IMRA Connaught Championship will likely be Mweelrea on the Saturday (usually May Bank hol) with Ben Gorm or Nephin on the Sunday

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Do you run all year around?

ya , thats the plan , if injury doesnt get me

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

How many days a week usually?

6

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Whats your typical running week?

depending on the program/target
normally : 1 tempo /one long run/intervals /rest easy miles
At moment , no tempos , mainly 2 sets of fairly shorter intervals , more work on grass including long run on grass , mileage is very low at moment , less than thirty miles , focusing on speed

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Once the bottle of wine is opened does it have to get finished?

Last time i opened a bottle of wine i dont remember finishing it !, that was Halloween Night 2009 . Not really a wine drinker , 2/3 beers does me

RayCun

What's your opinion of the Radcliffe world record thing? You'd be at the front of the field in a women-only race, how does that compare to being further back in the pack in a mixed race? Easier, harder, or just different?

Peckham

RayCun wrote: »

What's your opinion of the Radcliffe world record thing? You'd be at the front of the field in a women-only race, how does that compare to being further back in the pack in a mixed race? Easier, harder, or just different?

Great question!

rainbow kirby

Favourite 10k course?

What shoes do you train in?

What time do you think you could run 1 mile in? (Think the MarathonTalk magic mile, 6 months of perfect training beforehand etc)

metamorphosis

Is nutrition something you factor into your training or do you just go along with the flow of it?

How rigid are you with training?

Haven already spoken of the mind/body thing, do you find it hard to keep the head on when dealing with setbacks or are you actually able to keep yourself sane and calm and keep patient?

Seres

RayCun wrote: »

What's your opinion of the Radcliffe world record thing? You'd be at the front of the field in a women-only race, how does that compare to being further back in the pack in a mixed race? Easier, harder, or just different?

Radciffe thing : thought it was ridiculous and unfair . It was a fantastic preformance by an amazing talent nutured with years of patience and huge commitment . It should be given due recognition. There were no women good enough to go with her so she raced against the other competitors ( which just happened to be all men) in the race to execute a great time . It also means the opportunities for womens to break the WR in the marathon will be serverely limited now . WRs are great for motivating the average runner .

First in a womens only field : Always nice to be the first to cross the line , its a special kind of feeling but if your very far ahead of your next competitor you tend to slack off
Middle of mixed field : If i was comfortably the first lady in a mixed field id be aware of that but would disregard it in terms of racing . In this case i would race the competitors around me. I wouldnt necessarily see them as men but just other competitors that i want to beat or that can help me come across the line in a faster time .
I prefer to finish in the middle of a pack of a mixed field and feel i was challenged then finish first in an all womens race and not have been challenged .
Although there is nothin like beatin another female competitor in a sprint finish .

Seres

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Favourite 10k course?)

Fields of Athenry 10k .
I do have a soft spot for the Flora Mini Marathon, have run it every year since i started back running

rainbow kirby wrote: »

What shoes do you train in?

Asics GT 2160 and Brooks Adrenalines

rainbow kirby wrote: »

What time do you think you could run 1 mile in? (Think the MarathonTalk magic mile, 6 months of perfect training beforehand etc)

5mins , not too sure bout this though , might be very ambitious

TheRoadRunner

I think I remember you saying you hadn't ran a marathon yet. You obviously plan on doing so in the future. Which marathon would you run. Dublin or somewhere else?

MrCreosote

Hi Seres,
Great answers so far!

Favourite training- track/road or offroad
Worst injury?
Any solutions to the Eurozone Debt crisis?

MrC

Seres

metamorphosis wrote: »

Is nutrition something you factor into your training or do you just go along with the flow of it??

Not really , i eat fairly healthy anyway . I drink bout 2ltrs water daily , drink herbal teas , eat brown bread for lunch ,eat loads of fruit . I do have a sweet tooth though , love chocolate and at the weekend things go to pot. It would prob be an advantage to loose a few pounds but cuttin down on food makes me miserable

metamorphosis wrote: »

How rigid are you with training??

Very rigid , I stick to the plan strictly . Very rarely miss a day . If i feel the pace that is set are a bit soft i go a bit faster and if they are very tough i try hard to hit them . I never bale/skip a session . If i forget gear at lunch and i gotta run i make do with what i have within reason

metamorphosis wrote: »

Haven already spoken of the mind/body thing, do you find it hard to keep the head on when dealing with setbacks or are you actually able to keep yourself sane and calm and keep patient?

Im pretty laid back bout most stuff but it did really get to me when i was injured and i couldnt run . I use running as a stress release and my head space . It is hard to not let injury get to you especially when your in the middle of a tough program but . ive learnt these things come back to bite you in the As$ if you force them . If you love doing something you will find the patience and calm when needed in order to go forward

Seres

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

I think I remember you saying you hadn't ran a marathon yet. You obviously plan on doing so in the future. Which marathon would you run. Dublin or somewhere else?

I remember saying ' id never run a marathon ' ! . I think i would prob do Dublin to start with and see where it goes from there .......

BeepBeep67

Does it bother you or motivate you when men speed to avoid being 'chicked' at the end of a race?

Seres

MrCreosote wrote: »

Hi Seres,
Great answers so far!

Thanks , not too sure bout that though

MrCreosote wrote: »

Favourite training- track/road or offroad

I like trail running , dont know when the last time i ran on a proper tartan track

MrCreosote wrote: »

Worst injury?

Only have had oneinjury SI joint problem . Still hasnt gone away fully , was out of running for 2 months , torture

MrCreosote wrote: »

Any solutions to the Eurozone Debt crisis?

MrC

Cant even sort out my own financial crisis . I leave it up to the Financial Gurus .!:)

Seres

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Does it bother you or motivate you when men speed to avoid being 'chicked' at the end of a race?

Mostly its a bit of Fun . Some seem quite insecure bout been beaten by a woman , they double take when you pass them and then hit the accelerator
There is always handshakes and hugs afterwards .

In the middle of the race it can be annoying . They might try to stick with me but are wasted and spend ages breathing really heavily right behind me . It breaks my concentration

Krusty_Clown

I dont do hill reps but i nearly always choose the hilly route if its an option

1. There are hills where you live?!

2. Why don't you run track? Is it because there is no track around?

3. When the time comes, will you encourage the kids to run, or let them choose their own direction/activities?

4. Would you watch a mass-participation marathon on TV, or is life just too short?

5. When sitting at a table in a restaurant, which one is your bread plate; the one on the left, or the one on the right?

rom

What motivates you to finish hard during a race ? (What works for you)

Brianderunner

2 from me;

1) Connacht were always very weak (from my experience) in the juvenile and schools competitions down the years and rarely featured in the nationals (with the odd exceptions). What dyou think is the reason for this, low population? Not enough coaches/exposure to athletics?

2) Are you a Connacht rugby fan? If so will you be watching the Heineken Cup debut tonight over the Ireland Estonia match?

Seres

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

1. There are hills where you live?!?

ya , near work and home there are two good hilly loops that i like to do , bout 4/5miles long
2.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Why don't you run track? Is it because there is no track around??

Ya , no track , closest thing to a track is a football pitch
3.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

When the time comes, will you encourage the kids to run, or let them choose their own direction/activities??

My eldest doesnt seem that interested in sport, her affinity is reading/art/drama . She likes that stuff so i support her on that with various classes/workshops and goin to the library . She takes part in running/football also but i know she could take it or leave it .We dropped the swimming cause she wasnt enjoying it Im not gonna sabotage what she can get out of sport by pushing her . Id be happy if all she wants to use sport for her general health and wellbeing , and would like it to be an activity we can share together , so if its a leisurely bike ride or swim im happy . My youngest , its a bit hard to tell yet but my attitude will be the same
4.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Would you watch a mass-participation marathon on TV, or is life just too short??

Id watch bits of it , with the elites and stuff but not the whole thing , life is too short for that ?!

5.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

When sitting at a table in a restaurant, which one is your bread plate; the one on the left, or the one on the right?

Im a lefty all the way

ecoli

What skills do you feel you have gotten from running and how do you feel they have benefitted your life overall?

Fastest person you have ever trained with?

Most interesting athlete you have every met? (in terms of recognisable names in the sport)

Have you an interest in non particapting roles in athletics in the future?

Seres

rom wrote: »

What motivates you to finish hard during a race ? (What works for you)

If its an A goal Race: want to give the hard training justice
If i want to nail a certain time(pb) and im on target
If i feel very determined and confident at the start of the race , that will push me on during the tough paert of the race
If ive had a bad previous race
If there is someone in the race that i see ahead and i know i can catch and i havent beaten them before

It varies really depending on the situation .... training done/field quality/value i put on the race /mindset before the race ....

dna_leri

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

1. There are hills where you live?!

This from the man who won his first race up them there hills earlier this year, how quickly we forget!

dna_leri

Just catching up on this now, thanks for taking time to answer Seres.

A few more:

Your goals are all within the "Big 8" times people talk about here for guys. What are equivalent times for women or do you measure your times against guys?

Will you do the Warriors Run next year?

How good an athlete were you as a kid/teen?
Any regrets about not keeping it going, could you have been "a contender"?
Are your times better now?
How much longer do you think you can keep improving?
And finally on this theme, any more thoughts on ecoli's Q about keeping young women in the sport?

Favourite holiday destination?

pgibbo

Very enjoyable reading Seres. Cheers.

You're obviously very passionate about running, example being that you'll travel to Galway of a Tuesday evening in May to run a 5k.

Do you feel that having children and limited training windows means that you pick your races carefully and hence get more out of your training and not risk over racing?
Or would you like to be able to race more?
Do you train on your own most of the time or are there many other athletes or triathletes in the area to train with?
Given that you have only ever had the one injury, what do you think has helped keep you injury free?
On the flip side, do you know what caused your injury?
What's your favourite beer?
Favourite movie?
Favourite 80's movie?

Seres

Brianderunner wrote: »

2 from me;

1) Connacht were always very weak (from my experience) in the juvenile and schools competitions down the years and rarely featured in the nationals (with the odd exceptions). What dyou think is the reason for this, low population? Not enough coaches/exposure to athletics?

Population: Definitely a factor but saying that i dont think the province has tapped into much of its running talent either
Population Density : harder to group people for training etc
Faciliities : The faciliities for running and sport in general are very poor .
Culture : Not much of a running culture in the province (especially in rural communities)or much focus on any other sport beside GAA . Alot of the male sporting talent are in GAA .

I think for a club/sport to develop well in an area the greatest asset you can have are a good group of like minded people who are educated innovative and motivated . They will come up with ideas to promote the sport , get people involved ,source funding and develope the local talents through workshops , coaching etc...


2)

Brianderunner wrote: »

Are you a Connacht rugby fan? If so will you be watching the Heineken Cup debut tonight over the Ireland Estonia match?

No & i could be (however it will be against my will if i am )

Seres

ecoli wrote: »

What skills do you feel you have gotten from running and how do you feel they have benefitted your life overall??

Very interesting question

I will keep this brief by just giving you the skills i feel i have gotten from running and if you want me to elaborate i will :
Self Motivation
Time Management
Critical Thinking skills
Stress Coping Skills
Mental Strenght Building

There are more but those are the ones most relevant to me at the moment

ecoli wrote: »

Fastest person you have ever trained with???

Not too many , trained with a guy in college who runs 33min 10ks .
Ive never trained with women who are faster than me and i would love to .

ecoli wrote: »

Most interesting athlete you have every met? (in terms of recognisable names in the sport)

Havent really met any well known athlete . However Gerry Tiernan did aknowledge me in the form of a number in the Flora Mini Marathon 2011 . I was very chuffed with that

Have you an interest in non particapting roles in athletics in the future?[/QUOTE]
Maybe , havent thought bout it too much .

Seres

dna_leri wrote: »

Your goals are all within the "Big 8" times people talk about here for guys. What are equivalent times for women or do you measure your times against guys?

i think alot of the times on the big 8 are very achieveable for women too , except sub 60min/10miles, that would be tough . I think someone posted 'big 8 ' times for the women and they seemed a bit soft . I measure my times against anyone that is of my standard or women that are better than me

dna_leri wrote: »

Will you do the Warriors Run next year?

If i dont do the marathon i probably will

dna_leri wrote: »

How good an athlete were you as a kid/teen?

i was okay i suppose , i carried a bit too much weight for running especially compared to by fellow competitors and suffered from stomach problems in my teens

dna_leri wrote: »

Any regrets about not keeping it going, could you have been "a contender"?

Not really , i didnt enjoy it half as much when i was younger .
I much prefer competition now .

dna_leri wrote: »

Are your times better now?

I have no idea of the times i did back then , i wasnt very conscious of them . They rate as very important now for me though

dna_leri wrote: »

How much longer do you think you can keep improving?

Lucy Brennan pbed at 50+ . I havent put a age/time limit on myself to plateau

dna_leri wrote: »

And finally on this theme, any more thoughts on ecoli's Q about keeping young women in the sport?

If it was more of a driving force in the schools . 30mins daily of exercise should be compulsory in the secondary schools , most teenager girls lead very sedentary life styles and become too accustomed to that . PE is once a week for an hour and most of them conveniently forget the gym gear
It should be tied in along with a subject in the school. Id love to see a subject like 'Sports Science and Health' .
More promotion of female elite athletes: would help teenage girls redefine their role models

dna_leri wrote: »

Favourite holiday destination?

Brazil

Seres

.

pgibbo wrote: »

Do you feel that having children and limited training windows means that you pick your races carefully and hence get more out of your training and not risk over racing?

i think i underace , but ya i do pick my races very carefully because of family commitments . I need to plan a race at least 3 weeks in advance

pgibbo wrote: »

Or would you like to be able to race more?

Yes . Sometimes even the planned races i miss and than can mean i am very underraced for an A goal

pgibbo wrote: »

Do you train on your own most of the time or are there many other athletes or triathletes in the area to train with?

Always train on my own . Maybe once a month i might train with someone
There are others athletes in the area but my time is not so flexible and they might not fit in with whats on my schedule

pgibbo wrote: »

Given that you have only ever had the one injury, what do you think has helped keep you injury free?

Low mileage

pgibbo wrote: »

On the flip side, do you know what caused your injury?

weak core , flawed running style , increased mileage , no stretching

pgibbo wrote: »

What's your favourite beer?

Not too fussed , dont like bud

pgibbo wrote: »

Favourite movie?

Not too sure here , i like different movies for different reasons, dont think one feeds me everything : Chinatown Thin Red line & 2001 Space Odyssey(especially) were all memorable

pgibbo wrote: »

Favourite 80's movie?

Ordinary People

TheRoadRunner

Time to nominate somebody else Seres

Seres

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Time to nominate somebody else Seres

Im working on him ! One already declined the request .

shels4ever

Seres wrote: »

Im working on him ! One already declined the request .

Didn't think they had the option to say no 1 week ban by the mods