ARTist in the Spot Light (This week ecoli)

RacoonQueen

Saturday to Saturday for this one?

Previous editions:

(shotgun)MCOS
interested
el director
Tunney
TheRoadRunner
Krusty_Clown
Seres
Abhainn
Mick Rice


1) How long have you been running?
2) All your plans for 2012 seem to be for shorter distances, any plans to give the half a whack again?
3) What made you want to get into coaching? Do you work with any of the juniors or would you like to work with some juniors?
4) Why do you break all your coachees? RK, Perkina etc etc :pac:
5) Favourite flavour of crisps?

rainbow kirby

- Favourite Tarantino movie?
- Which Irish athlete do you think might spring a surprise this year?
- Can you outdrink Brian and Meno?

(a clarification: I haven't been injured since he started coaching me, just sick. A lot.)

ecoli

Thought I had gotten off the hook from one of these threads:rolleyes:

1) How long have you been running?
I have been running 14 years. I started when the parents heard there were trials for Community Games in the estate and parents put me in for it. Top 3 went and I was fourth. This directly conflicted with my competitive nature and showed up for training the next night and have been running ever since (though my first few years were as a hurdler

2) All your plans for 2012 seem to be for shorter distances, any plans to give the half a whack again?
No plans for 2012 though that is not to say there may not be a change as I hadnt planned on running one this year till about 8 weeks before Waterford but opted into it as a good gauge of strength. Have my eye on one early 2013 as the most probable target.

3) What made you want to get into coaching? Do you work with any of the juniors or would you like to work with some juniors?

Spend alot of time reading running theory and trying to improve my own training that seemed a shame to not share what I know considering that it is how I learned alot (including people here). In such a minority sport we need to do all we can to get people interested and get the best out of themselves. At the moment I only coach people from boards (including one or two who rarely post) and no juniors. I would love to do some of my coaching in the club however my work hours are very erratic meaning i may not be able to get down to the club more than once a week some weeks which is not fair on the athletes

4) Why do you break all your coachees? RK, Perkina etc etc :pac:
Was actually just thinking hadnt seen Perkina around in a while (didnt follow the plan enough to break him:D) as for RK the illness is behind her and this year will be one to watch

5) Favourite flavour of crisps?

I am a meanies man through and through however nothing beats walkers in a crisp sandwich :pac:

ecoli

- Favourite Tarantino movie?
There is only one winner for me - Reservoir Dogs by far surpasses anything else imo

- Which Irish athlete do you think might spring a surprise this year?
From a personal standpoint i would love to see Sean Connolly hit the marathon qualifying time but I think the most interesting will be seeing how O Lionaird performs this indoor season after the winter with Salazar. I think Colvert will be the one to suprise after the addition of Hession to Coghlans training group should help bring him on big time

- Can you outdrink Brian and Meno?
Dont quite get the practice the lads do but i have a never say die attitude that means as long as i am still standing i dont give up:pac:. my problem is i dont drink to often that when i do i try to make up for lost time but sure need to enjoy yourself from time to time i suppose:D

Dory Dory

Why "ecoli"?

antomagoo

What is it you love most about the sport, competing, seeing how far you can push yourself, just getting out for headspace, etc?

Is there any one thing you would advise newcomers against at all costs?

Best piece of advice you have been given yourself?

Favourite character in Reservoir Dogs?

How does one go about getting coached by you? :pac:

Pisco Sour

1) What running websites do you find the most useful

2) What's your best 100, 200, 400 and 800 times?

3) There's been slightly more emphasis over the last year on the track, thanks to good work by yourself and Dono, illustrated by the discussions on the mile, and the admission of the 400m into the Big 10. However, certain events, mainly field events are non-existant. Can more be done to encourage more people to give these events a shot, and for discussion to ignited on boards about the jumps and throws?

4) Following slightly from the last question, what do you think is the reason for such an awful standard in field events in Ireland at the elite level? The Irish record for men's triple jump and women's javelin (no disrespect to those who hold the records) are embarrassing.

5) Which International and which Irish athlete do you reckon is going to spring a surprise in London next year?

6) What are your thoughts on the Europeans being held the same year as the Olympics?

7) There's a huge participation element here on boards, but many of these people probably don't know who the likes of Deirdre Ryan and Ciaran O'Lionaird are. Can more be done on this forum to tap into the huge running boom, and increase the fanbase of the sport?

8) Will you be organising a boards beer mile anytime soon? (preferably next July when I am back)

ecoli

Why "ecoli"?

This started off as a result of a nickname I had/have which is similar enough to sounding. My "best mate" decided he was gonna make an alteration to it changing from coley to ecoli. Rather than give him fuel by letting him know it bothered me I used it as my armour and ended up becoming a name that I used myself

ecoli

What is it you love most about the sport, competing, seeing how far you can push yourself, just getting out for headspace, etc?

For me its about getting the very best out of myself. I love running, love competing and love the fact that on a bad day when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders a steady 6 miler or whatever can help with that. Their is evidence to support running being more addictive than some drugs and I firmly believe that because if i dont run for too long i feel sluggish and crap health wise. Prefer to do that than piss my twenties away in a drunken haze (not that i dont indulge in the odd libation:D)

Is there any one thing you would advise newcomers against at all costs?

Don't take it too serious and enjoy it if running becomes a choir the battle is already lost and you wont stick at it. Someone who runs without enjoying it may run well for a while but its the hard times (bad performances/injury etc that your enjoyment gets you through it

Best piece of advice you have been given yourself?

Its not the hardest trainer that performs best its the smartest. Don't leave your race performance on the training track

Favourite character in Reservoir Dogs?

Mr. Blonde without a doubt

How does one go about getting coached by you?

Tbh I stumbled into it here after the sub 3 hour mentoring thread a guy came in late looking to do a december marathon. As it was one person I began to personalize the training and even though the weather hampered the race (postponed with the ice) I decided to keep working with him for a next target and now 14 months and since then have added a few. Normally I approach them if I feel I can help them (looking through logs) or if i feel that their style of training and principles match with mine. At the moment unfortunately I am coaching 6 at the moment and wanna focus on them rather than spreading myself too thin by taking on too many

ecoli

Gonna break these down so that I have time to do the questions justice (around work:D)

1) What running websites do you find the most useful

I think that there are plenty of good sites out there though you may have to sift through alot of garbage to find the good stuff which can be hard depending on how well you can evaluate the material. Here is a list of websites I would use (other than boards of course:D)

RunnersTribe - Good Australian site with alot of talk of 800/1500 on the forum
Letsrun - Great for news, results and training material (considering some top coaches post like canova)
Elite Track - Great for the scientific aspect but also alot of sprinter material
Running Times Magazine - Great training articles as well as interviews etc

ecoli

2) What's your best 100, 200, 400 and 800 times?

Never ran official times for 100-200 but I am roughly about low 27 high 26 200 runner when I ran hard reps in training (off the top of my head)

In terms of 400m I have only raced this hand timed on a grass track for a low 57ish at an open sports day few years back when I was trying my hand at a few different events

I have ran 63.7 over 400h electronically timed

With the 800 my PB is about 6 years old at 2.09 however the only 800m I have ran since then was 10min after a 3k and ran 2.13. I am going to have a proper stab at an 800 this year and I will be looking to go in the region of 2.02-2.04 hopefully

ecoli

3) There's been slightly more emphasis over the last year on the track, thanks to good work by yourself and Dono, illustrated by the discussions on the mile, and the admission of the 400m into the Big 10. However, certain events, mainly field events are non-existant. Can more be done to encourage more people to give these events a shot, and for discussion to ignited on boards about the jumps and throws?

I think you are being slightly over critical in this respect. The following thread was set up in Feb in relation to throwing events with a similar one regarding jumps do it didnt prove as successful

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056168155

Boards is driven by the posters and as such there only so much which can be done to encourage this type of discussion. If we dont have the bodies to discuss create a discussion its hard to create a constant stream of new threads regarding these topics.

I have brought it up in a previous thread but I think the National leagues is a great tool for encouraging these events. Due to the small participation numbers this is where smaller clubs claim high points and as such I think clubs should encourage people to try there hand at these events.

I would love to see more clubs participate in these personally and i think it could give some events a shot in the arm at the grass roots level

ecoli

4) Following slightly from the last question, what do you think is the reason for such an awful standard in field events in Ireland at the elite level? The Irish record for men's triple jump and women's javelin (no disrespect to those who hold the records) are embarrassing.

I think in regard to the womens javelin it simply a case of us having no history in the event. Despite this there is a gradual improvement in regards to the standard in this event.

mens Triple Jump however we have a bit of a tradition in (4th in the 1932 Olympics) but just never progressed however I think that if we managed to get one or two top talents to try their hand at the event you could see a resurgence. Many of our top LJ aim to try couple this with TJ and I am not sure this is the best approach (just speculating here as I dont have enough of a knowledge of the event)

I think you need to look harder at the state of field events we have a great crop of youngsters at the moment and I think the next 10 years should see some great performances in regards to these athletes

Womens Pole Vault has seen its best year ever this year and I think this is down to Tori Pena raising the bar for the rest of the athletes and generating more interest in the event

ecoli

5) Which International and which Irish athlete do you reckon is going to spring a surprise in London next year?

I think Steph Twell could be an interesting one in the 1500m. It depends on how she reacts after last years injury but she will definitely fly under the radar and I think can challenge the Americans and the Africans as its one event they dont dominate. I think the how she develops her kick will determine whether she can just medal or go for the gold in London.

In terms of Irish athletes I think Hession will be the one to watch for a comeback since his change of coaching set up I could well see him making semi's

ecoli

6) What are your thoughts on the Europeans being held the same year as the Olympics?

Shocking idea has completely devalued the competition. Can see this step being the first nail in the coffin for an event which used to be up there behind WC and OG. Think it will also impact the standard in non Olympic years that it is held also and will end up turning into something like the World Cup where you get good runners but no real buzz around the event

rom

Why so close to 3k miles for 2011 ?

ecoli

7) There's a huge participation element here on boards, but many of these people probably don't know who the likes of Deirdre Ryan and Ciaran O'Lionaird are. Can more be done on this forum to tap into the huge running boom, and increase the fanbase of the sport?

Participation at grass roots level in athletes (not just road running) I think is the way to go about this. People like to follow what they can relate to. I think the likes of F. Britton will gain public favour simply because of the attitude "I ran in same race as her" then turn on the tele to see her winning europeans.

Most people consider road running seperate to track and field and its that bridge we need to gap. I have made efforts to try get some grass roots inclusion in the likes of the graded meet but nothing really came from that though will try more emails againt this year hopefully.

I know alot of people say this is the job of the AAI but given their limited funding they can only go one of two approaches

1) Focus on elite development aimiing for success. More success > more grant money > more media coverage > more exposure > more particpation

or

2) Aim on building from grass roots level in the hope that the numbers will provide motivation to stay in the sport and progress to next level

I think they are right in their approach of the first of these and I think its up to club level to aim to develop the later and aim to bridge the gap between the two

One though is with every club these days holding a road race one option would be to aim to encourage more club track meets around the existing calendar even with specialized focus to keep meet duration down so volunteers/ athletes whole days aren't taken up

This is one example:
http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=22627

Stuff like say Clonliffe hosting winter jumps league (indoor pit) during winter

or a Hammer throw league in perhaps Tallaght AC or Tullamore AC etc

I think if clubs can get organising these things it can take pressure off AAI in terms of spending money on development and could also generate extra money for clubs through entry fees etc

ecoli

rom wrote: »

Why so close to 3k miles for 2011 ?

I broke it on the Wed or thurs last week just never updated the Challenge thread:D

ecoli

8) Will you be organising a boards beer mile anytime soon? (preferably next July when I am back)

You have a spare track we can use? The Beer mile can get pretty ugly in terms of the clean up:D

ronnie085

Hey ecoli, about time you got caught for this.

Favorite session?

Session you dread leaving the house to do?

Favorite distance to train for/ compete in?

Are you going to step up to the marathon anytime soon?

ecoli

Favorite session?

Probably ladders I think the are mentally easier or something because of the change in distance of reps. Here would be two of my favourite ones from memory

5k paced w/2 min recovery

400-800-1200-1600-1200-800-400

Or fast (800m-1500m) pace with equal distance jog rec

200-400-600-800-600-400-200

Session you dread leaving the house to do?

Very few i would dread as I do alot of easy running so the sessions break up the monotony and good to get a bit of speed into the legs. Some of the toughest sessions I would find however are

6x3 min hills w/jog back down rec (@ the Hell fire Club you are ready to die after 90 sec and struggle the second half to prevent legs giving way)

The other which I feel ready to drop after and want to die would be

3x (600m jog 100m 300m) @ 800 pace with 400m jog recoveries between sets

Favorite distance to train for/ compete in?

10km s and Halves are great but there is just a different feeling on track and 1500m/10000m on track this year were my favourite. I love racing so dont really mind what distance it is I usually enjoy as I train to race


Are you going to step up to the marathon anytime soon?

I am still young enough (22) that I am not in too much of a hurry. I would like to ideally get to a point when I have a year or two of hundred mile weeks into my legs before it becomes an option. At the moment I have an idea of racing two halves in 2013 in Spring and Autumn and depending on them Spring 2014 could be realistically my debut but again that plan could change

Pisco Sour

ecoli wrote: »

8) Will you be organising a boards beer mile anytime soon? (preferably next July when I am back)

You have a spare track we can use? The Beer mile can get pretty ugly in terms of the clean up:D

Book a slot for Irishtown now for July. I believe there are some fine drinkers among us on this forum, and certainly some fine runners. Be interesting to see how people can mix these 2 skills. Would be fun.

ecoli

04072511 wrote: »

Book a slot for Irishtown now for July. I believe there are some fine drinkers among us on this forum, and certainly some fine runners. Be interesting to see how people can mix these 2 skills. Would be fun.

Given this is a pay for use track with people on reception during opening hours I would pay to see how near to the track you get carrying a dozen or so crates of beer. Also its not just the cans and crates you have to clean up after. There are always a handful who get caught with the penalty lap

Of all the people I know who have done it (myself included) we have come to same conclusion. The better you are at running the worse you are at drinking so the high flyer's rarely perform well and neither do the heavy drinking non runners.

I think the best sort of athlete for this the average club runner who drinks fairly regularly they have enough fitness and speed to not let the speed demons get too far ahead but also have the experiences to down the drinks quicker and the ability to keep them down:D (remember puking is a penalty lap)

--amadeus--

Excellent choice

1 - Have you ever represented Ireland? Do you think you could and if so at what distance?

2 - Fine beer, fine food or fine cheese; what's your weakness?

3 - What frustrates you most about your coachee's?

4 - Worst thing / habit you see other runners doing?

5 - If you were a pro athlete what would you do differently?

ecoli

1 - Have you ever represented Ireland? Do you think you could and if so at what distance?

No have always been mid pack at all irelands at juvenile levels so was never good enough to make international teams. Closet I have come is getting invite to trials for schools Mountain Running after making top ten All Irelands (top ten were invited) rather than go however I ran in the All Ireland indoors as they were on the same weekend. One of the training partners who was 1 place ahead in Schools made the team comfortably so would have had a good chance if I raced to my ability but cant have it all ways I guess its not something i regret though maybe in later life I will look back on it as a grumpy old man thinking about what could have been :rolleyes:


2 - Fine beer, fine food or fine cheese; what's your weakness?

The first two (take aways count as fine food right;)) I am a big fan of craft beers but wouldn't exactly be a weakness. I can resist easy enough for weeks/ months on end but dont restrict myself that much in terms of when I do have them I tend to go crazy but could go a month or two without drink when in serious training so that when I do allow myself have the odd mad night I dont have to regret it. At the end of day we are all hobby runners so need to balance life. To me its better to have one big blow out while being generally good the rest of the time as opposed to having 2-3 drinks regularly (maybe its just the drink to get drunk mentality that has crept in this generation:D)

3 - What frustrates you most about your coachee's?

Two biggest things are

1) Not the greatest at relying on other people to do things even in work I tend to be a person who finds it easier to just do it myself as opposed to relying on others so it can be hard to leave the training in the hands of the athlete but this probably stems as a result of the second point

2) Working shift work means I cannot commit to set hours in terms of training or that. Even in my own training it has to be very flexible as such alot of the training is done via email and dont really get to be hands on in monitoring sessions so have to rely on feedback retroactively on how athlete felt + conditions etc to gauge the training and the effort.

4 - Worst thing / habit you see other runners doing?

Probably not racing enough/ leaving their training on the track. I used to be a culprit of this but have found racing brings you on and helps keep your focus and you tend to enjoy it more as a result. Nothing worse than knowing your in great shape from sessions building towards race for months only to make slight error and run sub par. Can be awfully demoralizing


5 - If you were a pro athlete what would you do differently?

Training itself wouldn't change. I think this is a common pitfall pro athletes make they think because they have more time to train the have to training more/harder. My extra free time would be spent with supplimentary work - training/core/weights/yoga/stretchin and areas which athletes tend to ignore. When you are stuck for time you have to get the most out of your time and as such running usually takes precedence as most beneficial however if you have the additional time these things can be great ON TOP OF YOUR RUNNING. The other thing would be afternoon naps. Extra time should be spent on extra recovery not ramping up training quickly imo. Would also travel more in terms of warm weather/altitude training

BobMac104

Nice one!

What are your favourite pair of runners?
Any big long term goals?
Most miles done in a week?
Whos your running hero?

TheRoadRunner

1) Have you any interest in completing/competing a triathlon?

2) Any interest in running an ultra, if so which one?

3) Worst injury you ever had?

4) Which of your PBs do you think is your strongest?

5) Favourite place/route to run?

6) Most memorable race?

7) If I were to offer you an undetectable "vitamin tablet" that would guarantee you running 2-3 minutes quicker over 10k would you accept it?

donothoponpop

What is the best generic training advice you would pass on as a coach? That is, what have you noticed works best for most runners?

ecoli

What are your favourite pair of runners?

In terms of just training I am not a huge shoe person. I have one pair of runners at a time for training and my method of picking them will probably shock most runners with all the talk of over pronating and supination. I go in find a cheap pair of runners that look like proper training runners take out the sole see if the orthotics fit and see how they feel and if they are okay buy them there and then Seems to work for me as I am relatively injury free most of the time and normally get 1000+ miles out of a pair before they start to literally fall apart

Any big long term goals?

Main goal is to just keep improving. There is no magically figure that i feel if i hit I would leave it at that. One thing i like about this sport is regardless whether you run your first 5k or are Bekele there is always a new target to aim for and the same feeling when hitting a PB

I would love to run under the following markers however if possible in my lifetime:
800m sub 2
1500m sub 4
5k sub 15
10k sub 31
HM sub 70
Marathon sub 2.30

Most miles done in a week?

Last week was my highest ever with 94 miles though I am looking to get over the 100mpw in the next month or two

Whos your running hero?

Few who spring to mind would be Bekele (just gets on with the work and is utterly dominant without getting cocky about it), the other would be John Landy the second man to go under 4 min for the mile. I always felt his work ethic and love for the sport was so much more than Bannister who relied moreso on his natural talent

Sprocket77

Of the targets you'd like to hit, which would be the most satisfying and which would be the hardest for you?

ecoli

1) Have you any interest in completing/competing a triathlon?

None what so ever and if you saw me swim you would understand why:D There is the odd time I watch an Ironman and think hmmm wouldnt mind giving that a lash but then again i think i would have to take a year or two just to get my swimming to a level where i would be semi respectable

2) Any interest in running an ultra, if so which one?

I have two long term targets probably will start to look at realistically in my later 30s at the earliest i say and they are the Comrades marathon and the Belfast (or now Bangor) 24 hr race this is one that very much appeals to me but i think its more a case of just seeing how far mentally i could push myself

3) Worst injury you ever had?

Dislocated pelvis which had me out for around 4 months back in 2008/9. To be honest it was not that bad at all it was just I got very bad physio advice and prollonged the injury for alot longer than it should have

4) Which of your PBs do you think is your strongest?

IAAF tables and all irelands rankings would have my 2k steeple as the best but I would probably say my 1500m its one I improved on this year by one second but before that it stood for about three years back in juvenile level it was competitive enough

5) Favourite place/route to run?

Probably the bournabreena waterworks. Only found it in the last few months despite living just down the road. There is a loop beside it to which is absolute torture of about 14 miles with first hour of climbs that is good way of humbling you regardless of the shape you are in but that would only become a favored loop when you think of it in hindsight:D

6) Most memorable race?

Dublin outdoors put in ALSAA in i think 2007/8 where I set the previously mentioned 1500m. I had ran the 800m the previous day and been beaten by a Clonliffe guy who i was usually just ahead or behind in races so had become a bit of a friendly rivalry. Coming into the last lap we were back in 6th and 7th then with 300m to go he made a break for it and passed me. I responded at 250m and started to chase him down. We made our competitors look like they were standing still as we started zipping through them. Coming off the bend at the last hundred we were neck and neck in third with only three to make it to all Irelands. Normally I am beaten by him in the kick but i think the fact that I had left my kick 50m later meant that i had a little extra and beat him on the dip

7) If I were to offer you an undetectable "vitamin tablet" that would guarantee you running 2-3 minutes quicker over 10k would you accept it?

No as PBs are well and good but to be honest its the training that is put in to push yourself to that level that makes them that special. Not to mention the health complications they can have at the end of the day your health and well being is more important than any sport

ecoli

What is the best generic training advice you would pass on as a coach? That is, what have you noticed works best for most runners?

Take into account an athletes strength weaknesses's and tolerances. Each athlete is there own experiment for the coach and just because you have had success in the past dont be afraid to tweak things if something isn't working. Feedback is key here

In terms of what works best - miles there no shortcuts in running and the majority of people underestimate the value of miles. Many focus on the speed of sessions but sometimes its better to be conservative in paces if it means you can safely run a few extra miles. Also base building does not just mean slow easy running need to keep the body in touch with higher paced stuff also

ecoli

Of the targets you'd like to hit, which would be the most satisfying and which would be the hardest for you?

I think the sub 15 for 5k would be the hardest to do and as such most satisfying simply because you need to get the right balance of strength and speed which is something i have not got right for 5ks in a long time admittedly

woodchopper

(1) Who do you think are the top distance running coaches in Ireland and Why?

(2) What training system or methodology are you most influenced by in your training system

(3) Lydiard or Cavona ?

ecoli

(1) Who do you think are the top distance running coaches in Ireland and Why?

If we are talking based in Ireland training Irish athletes and not restricting it to long distances the ones that come to mind off the top of my head would be

Theresa McDaid
Has pretty much revived middle distance running in this country over the last few years creating a great group of athletes up in Letterkenny such as English, McBrearty, Finnegan and also has managed to get talented youngsters back into the sport such as Dan King who recently broke 4 for the 1500 showing optimistic signs that he is developing well considering he was not running for quite some time before getting back into it

Robert Denmead
While had selecting his athletes he still has a nack for getting the best out of athletes. Two of is current crop include Paul Robinson (first sub 4 mile junior in Ireland taking the Junior Irish record from one of Rob's previous athletes ex Euro Junior Champion Colin Costello), the other, Liam Brady in the 10k showing his ability to train various distances

Dick Hooper
If we are talking strictly long distance one of the most consistent coaches out there would be Dick Hooper who is continually churning out solid runners for Raheny and even some from other clubs like Sean Connolly and Hehir.

(2) What training system or methodology are you most influenced by in your training system

While I am heavily influenced by Lydiard in terms of higher mileage and single season peaks I try to slightly tailor my plan with what works with me. I currently am abiding by the template of - Winter Base bulding and endurance followed by 8 weeks transitional phase with Speed development before going into sharpening phase then for 6-8 weeks setting me up nicely for a summer competition phase. However this year I have veered somewhat in trying to keep in touch with speed year round. I think it was Snell who said that this would be the only alteration he would make with Lydiards training was that he would incorporate year round speed training. At the moment my training is heavily influenced by Joe Rubio and his book as I have more an emphasis on getting my shorter times down this year (>10k)

(3) Lydiard or Cavona ?

Bout a year back would have said Lydiard however I am starting to appreciate the specificity of training that Canova brings in especially in the latter stages of his training however I think on previous attempt with Lydiard i misinterpretted some aspects (i.e not enough steady state aerobic work). The one thing I would say about Canova i that its not a type of training for everyone and would not recommend it to someone who didnt have a few years background in high mileage running

TheRoadRunner

You are but a whippersnapper and after training with you I feel old so do my best to meet up with auld geezers like Krusty_Clown to feel young again, so back to my question. Do you have any recollection of the 1994 football world cup?

Hypothetically speaking, if you could win one gold medal in this years Olympics which event would you like to win it in?

Krusty_Clown

1) What's your favourite race in Ireland?
2) Given that you are now doing some hefty mileage, how do you define dead/redundant miles, and how do you avoid running them?
3) Greatest frustration in your running career?
4) Favourite craft beer?
5) Isn't TheRoadrunner a cheeky fecker?

BobMac104

Favorite pre race meal?

ecoli

Do you have any recollection of the 1994 football world cup?

Quite vague ones to be honest but it could also be the fact I was only starting to get into following football around that time. Most of my memories come from highlight reels:D

Hypothetically speaking, if you could win one gold medal in this years Olympics which event would you like to win it in?

Without a doubt the 10k. Its an event which has been building into a great storyline over the last two years with Chris Solinsky becoming first white man under 27 (though he has struggled with injury since but hopefully can make an impact this year). Add that to the emergence of Salazars boys Farah and Rupp running 26.46 and 26.48 respectivel and Farah's suprise loss to Jelian in the Worlds this year. Then you also have Bekele with his world leading time in Brussels to show that he is not done just yet. Add Tadese to push a hard pace as is his normal and it has all the makings of being the race of the Games if they can all make the start line in top shape.

ecoli

1) What's your favourite race in Ireland?

This is not actually one I have raced I have only paced and I say if I was at race effort I would absolutely hate it but I loved pacing the Dingle Half marathon last year it was absolutely fantastic with amazing scenery around the coast road.

Probably Enniscorthy 10k its not flat weather usually not great yet its always lightning fast (and accurately measured) I think it helps that its a looped course but despite that last two miles are down hill so you make up loads of ground (in my opinion more than you lose heading out). Can attribute my last 2 10k pbs to that course

2) Given that you are now doing some hefty mileage, how do you define dead/redundant miles, and how do you avoid running them?

I think as long as you give purpose to every mile and know why you are doing them there is no such thing as junk miles/redundant miles. You need to listen to your body and apply discipline. I have one recovery day a week I make it a point of staying around 9 min miling and no faster because this is the purpose of that day. Likewise easy runs are based on what feels easy. Looking at my runs recently pace is slightly quicker but the duration of the runs shorter than usually meaning the effort is still the same. I am flexible enough in my morning runs if i feel that the legs are heavy I am not afraid to do at recovery pace though if needed once or twice a week extra.

To me junk miles are slower than easy but quicker than recovery fooling yourself into thinking you are recovering properly and compromises further days training

3) Greatest frustration in your running career?

Performance Stagnating from about u16 to end of Juniors. Didnt see performance improvements I felt I should have. Since then changed training my training left the childhood coach and took different aspect. Before then I was usually top 5-6 in terms of the All Irelands yet never really progressed after a point till the last few years (mileage was very low)

4) Favourite craft beer?

Love Hoegarden and have a particular fondness to all things Weiss. Had leffe blonde for the first time recently and have to say was pretty amazing. This may give you more of an idea here was my Christmas beer list for the holiday period:

Hoegarden
Blue Moon
Hoffbrau
Erdinger
Paulaner

5) Isn't TheRoadrunner a cheeky fecker?

His cheekiness is his way of clinging to his youth now that he one the slippery slope the wrong side of the age scale:D

ecoli

Favorite pre race meal?

3-4 Slices of french toast 3-4 hours before race. I find most other things dont fill me enough and start to get hungry going into the warm up but with french toast I am not too full but not hungry either

BobMac104

nice!!^

thirstywork2

Would like to see this thread continue.Ecoli you did the last one so pick someone?Id love to see artist in the spotlight: tunguska

Pisco Sour

I propose T runner. Give him a chance to really rant about this supposed inequality in athletics!

ecoli

Pisco Sour wrote: »

I propose T runner. Give him a chance to really rant about this supposed inequality in athletics!

there was one after me which was in fact T Runner however i think tunguska would be a good one if he willing