One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

FBOT01

7min pace for tempo.....I think you took the advise of the 3 wise men and just don't want to admit it

If I was one of those wise men I'd be telling you to rest up now and enjoy your taper!!

annapr

where are these 'wise' men do we know any of them...?

Firedance

annapr wrote: »

where are these 'wise' men do we know any of them...?

It's highly unlikely anna

Ferris B

Mon 23rd

Rest

Tues 24th

7m w/8 hill strides, 7:49

A pre work run out towards Monkstown. Ran the strides on a hilly bit in Blackrock park.

Wed 25th

8m w/2 and a bit 1600s (5k pace)

Linked up with Murph in St Anne's as he was on the same session. FBOT came along too for part of the fun but as he's still in his tree hugging phase, he stayed on the grass. A couple of miles wu before the 1600s on a loop at the end of the main ave. 1st two 1600s went fine. Had a twinge in left glute on the third which caused me to start limping. Pulled up and jogged till the others were done. Bit more than a phantom pain but was hoping not too serious. Tried foam rolling when I got home.

Thurs 26th

Planned rest day.

Left glute still sore. Sitting more so than standing . Also wished I had my old automatic car as clutch causing some grief.

[/B]Fri 27th[/B]

No running.

Still have sore ass. Driving a lot today didn't help. Didn't change gear much! Tried to massage it by sitting on sunglasses case while driving!! Bit of Physio work courtesy of OH in the eve. Will see how the weekend goes.

Murph_D

Sorry to hear it's still bothering you. What does your in-house physio think is going on?

Kennyg71

Hope it's nothing serious,butt a real pain in the ass none the less:pac:

Ferris B

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Hope it's nothing serious,butt a real pain in the ass none the less:pac:

FBOT01

Murph_D wrote: »

Sorry to hear it's still bothering you. What does your in-house physio think is going on?

She think he is still in the mid crisis phase and just won't let it go!!!

Killerz

Good luck on Monday, C. Hope all goes well.

Ferris B

Killerz wrote: »

Good luck on Monday, C. Hope all goes well.

Ooh I'm getting a thanks from the famous runner guy from the papers. Thanks J.
Great article btw.

Ferris B

Sat 28th May
6.5m Recovery; 8:50

I skipped Friday’s programmed run and Saturday’s parkrun pacing gig to give the glute some respite. Headed out sat eve with FBOT (nearing hipster status) for a late afternoon recovery run through the grasslands of St Annes. Nice recovery run Man!

Sun 29th May
10m SLR (short long run!); 7:53

With the glute showing no ill effects during and after yesterdays run, I got our early for 10m. Headed in towards town via city quays and out along the grand canal on a glorious morning. Bit pushed for time as I had a golf game in Powerscourt so only ran 10 of planned 12. No harm though as really still in recovery mode. Bit tired on the Golf course though later...

Mon 30th May
Rest day

Tues 31st May
3m Recovery (cut short); 8:37

Headed out for 6m recovery before work. Glute tightened up again after 1.5m so rather than risking running it off I took a short cut and jogged home. Wasn’t bothered about lost mileage but concerned about injury issues. Booked myself in for massage Tues eve. Got battered by my thai friends cousin this time. 4’6” but strong as fcuk.

Wed 1st Jun
Didn’t risk any running but got Physio this eve. Dry needling in the glute, all 15 needles!!! Assured no injuries, just lots of spasm from a crap running style. OK that's not what she said but I read between the lines. Felt sore but great after. It was suggested no running for a day.

Thurs 2nd June
Rest

Fri 3rd June
5m; 7:57

Pre work run to test the system. All seemed ok. Before the run I thought I'd be able to fly along after all the extra rest and aimed to do the last 1.5m at mp but failed miserably. At least there were no injury issues.

Might just do one last recovery on Sunday before Monday’s race. Am due to take my younger to the inaugural Albion Park Junior Park Run so hopefully I ‘ll be able to keep up with them.

Weather for Monday is looking challenging at this stage. May have to re-evaluate targets but will decide nearer the time... ie on the start line.

annapr

I was out the seafront a couple of mornings this week... Terrified I might meet you and jinx you again :eek:

Looks like you are all set for Monday! See you in Albo on Sunday morning.


*ALBERT college not Albion!! parkrun one word Lower case

Mrs Mc

Best of luck Monday C hope it all goes to plan.

Ferris B

annapr wrote: »

I was out the seafront a couple of mornings this week... Terrified I might meet you and jinx you again :eek:

Looks like you are all set for Monday! See you in Albo on Sunday morning.


*ALBERT college not Albion!! parkrun one word Lower case

I hid in the shelter when I saw you coming!

Albert, of course. Doh! Anyway, Im sure my daughter has it all sussed out, map with directions, bag drop location, pacing bands...

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Best of luck Monday C hope it all goes to plan.

Thanks A, me too, just not sure which plan .

Duanington

Best of luck C - hope everything goes well for you on the day

laura_ac3

All the best for tomorrow C. Have a good one!

FBOT01

The one that involves you dropping the sandbags at the startline .........ENJOY!!!

FBOT01

Ferris B wrote: »

annapr wrote: »

I was out the seafront a couple of mornings this week... Terrified I might meet you and jinx you again :eek:

Looks like you are all set for Monday! See you in Albo on Sunday morning.


*ALBERT college not Albion!! parkrun one word Lower case

I hid in the shelter when I saw you coming!

Albert, of course. Doh! Anyway, Im sure my daughter has it all sussed out, map with directions, bag drop location, pacing bands...

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Best of luck Monday C hope it all goes to plan.

Thanks A, me too, just not sure which plan .

The plan that involves you dropping the sandbags at the startline .........ENJOY!!!

Ferris B

3:14:53 unofficial. Course pb!!! London gfa by a hair tbc.

Tough day out there. Hot and sweaty.

Pint in my hand. I'm a happy man.

Mrs Mc

Nice one C enjoy that pint a milestone moment for you here's to London well done

Killerz

Great stuff, congrats Colm - enjoy the pint(s)!

ThebitterLemon

Congrats C, well done,

Enjoy the celebration

TbL

aquinn

Super racing, well done. Delighted for you. Great comeback and congratulations on GFA.

denis b

Well done C. Nice to meet you at St. Annes on Saturday. The day is yours. Enjoy.

Back in Black

Well done. Enjoy the well deserved pints

Firedance

well done C, that's fantastic! enjoy the pints & congrats on the GFA!

Younganne

Well done, great time in the heat. Enjoy celebrations

Kennyg71

Well done C great run.

Ferris B

Younganne wrote: »

Well done, great time in the heat. Enjoy celebrations

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Well done C great run.

Firedance wrote: »

well done C, that's fantastic! enjoy the pints & congrats on the GFA!

Back in Black wrote: »

Well done. Enjoy the well deserved pints

denis b wrote: »

Well done C. Nice to meet you at St. Annes on Saturday. The day is yours. Enjoy.

aquinn wrote: »

Super racing, well done. Delighted for you. Great comeback and congratulations on GFA.

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Congrats C, well done,

Enjoy the celebration

TbL

Killerz wrote: »

Great stuff, congrats Colm - enjoy the pint(s)!

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Nice one C enjoy that pint a milestone moment for you here's to London well done

Thanks for all nice words..report to follow...

Ferris B

Sun 5th June
3m Recovery; 8:42

A gentle early morning leg shakeout along the seafront before heading to Albert Park parkrun to support my younger daughter who performed admirably. Murph_D and Annap acted as able volunteers in this first outing.

Mon 6th June
Cork City Marathon 2016

If you're stuck for time, head for the conclusions..

This was my first foray back into marathon racing after a 2 year enforced break. Last marathon run was in fact Conn Ultra in Apr 2014. While I had trained for a 3:00 ish time for Berlin in late 2014 ( which I subsequently withdrew from, 6 weeks out ) I was nowhere near that level of fitness and certainly didn’t have the necessary base mileage for that sort of time. As a result, I didn’t set myself any overly ambitious targets but started a training programme (P&D 18/55) based on a 3:10 time with the aim for at least a PB. ( DCM 2013 3:12:20).

The programme was interrupted a few times with injury, sickness which meant a few of the longer sessions were missed. With a couple of late injuries, coupled with the rising temperatures as race day got closer, I altered my race day target from 3:10 to nearer to 3:15. If things were going well on the day, I would try to get a minute or three back in the second half and maybe secure that PB. If the PB wasn’t on, another important goal was to try and secure a GFA for London which for me was sub 3:15.

I stayed in same hotel as Kenny_G so we headed to the startline together and met up with Murph_D as arranged. Annapr, who has running the inaugural, Cork 13.6m F*ckupathon later in the morning, abandoned her lie in to give us her support. After the group hug and Good Lucks we took up our respective starting positions.

I lined up with the 3:15 pacers. I spotted wrstan in same group by his bright orange singlet which he’d mentioned in the main thread and introduced myself. Nice to meet you B. We had a quick exchange of plans. He was heading out from the off at 3:10 pace (7:15) whereas I said I’d hang with the pacers and maybe push on after a while. In fact I jumped ahead of the pacers straight away but only just. With the heat, I knew water would be essential from early on and I preferred a clear run at the water stations rather than possibly missing some being in a group. The wind was light also at this stage so drafting wasn’t essential.

My Garmin pace was quite a bit off from the first mile and it had beeped well in advance of even the first mile markers. This got worse during the course of the race so I simply ignored the watch pace and relied on the stopwatch and mile markers to gauge my pace and also judging the gap between me and the 3:15 pacers behind.

Miles 1- 5 went by relatively easy. A bit of a climb into Blackpool was the first of many hills throughout the day. The heat was already a significant factor though as I was sweating quite a bit in these early miles. A gentle head wind along the north quays was welcome though and kept me relatively cool. The left glute which had been a recent injury started to cause some pain. Nothing I couldn’t handle, so long as it didn’t get any worse.

The first relay change over point was at mile 6 so all marathoners got a good cheer from the waiting relay runners which was a boost. In fact, everywhere there were spectators they were mostly vocal with encouragement. Because of the new runners joining in though, you would suddenly be passed a few newbies which was unsettling at first until I got used to these blow ins and ignored them. Some mind you were suffering quite a bit running their 10k leg as I trotted past them. Took a gel and a salt cap around mile 6 before the another climb up the ramp to the Dunkettle rdbt.

The downhill into the Jack Lynch tunnel was nice as was the lower temperature. I followed the racing line along the short curve on the left while I noticed 90% were on the other side. I did question myself who’s right here but stuck with it. That actually would be repeated quite a lot. There’s a long drag for the second half of tunnel which continues beyond it but I thought I was quite steady and well ahead of the 3:15 pacers. But then next thing I hear the shouts echoeing throughout the tunnel ...‘come on the 3:15 ers’. Oh sh!t , either they’re too fast or I’m slowing . I had a chat here with a guy with a conn Tee on and between us tried to figure our pace but didn’t really succeed. Maths was starting get complicated and this was only mile 8. Was starting to tire a bit and got a little concerned what lay ahead. I expected difficulties from 18/20 but this was a bit soon. I think though, the thought of the chasing pacers kept some focus and I ploughed on.

Other than the odd relay person, the marathoners were quite strung out by now. Miles 10 – 13 were quite lonely as route went out went out via a coastal path (Mahon Point?) where there was just the odd man and dog. Passed one or two marathoners ( I think) along here. Very happy to finally see the half way point up ahead which I crossed in 1:37:40 (121st place I found out later). Thought I might have been a touch faster but no panic. Couldn’t hear the pacers at all but they can’t have been far behind if they were on target. Realised at this point though, if I wanted a PB, I’d need to gain a couple of minutes on the back half. A difficult ask but I decided to have a go. Another gel and salt tab in this section.

Mile 14 was another quiet mile along railway pathway before I managed to up the pace a bit during mile 15. Cool soaking sponges were given out here which were pure bliss and gave some welcome relief. Not sure the actual pace but it was 6 seconds quicker than the last two miles. Mile 16 was 4 seconds faster again and mile 17, another 15 seconds on top of that. Only got these splits later as at the time I was just running by feel and sums were just too much effort. Mile 17 was certainly helped by getting a great shout out and high fives from the Missus and both daughters as the route passed back by the quays at the point where the half Marathon start became a cropper.

I had been playing leap frog with a female runner from Watergrasshill AC couple of times through the race and passed her again on this fast mile 17, my fastest mile. She’d chick me later though and go on to finish 3rd female.
By mile 18 I started to get that jelly legs feeling and wondered was it all about to go pearshaped. While I knew I had gained some time I wondered could I hang on to it. There seemed to be far more hills than I recalled from my last trip here in 2013 although the course had not changed. I think it explained the state of my mind though. I was starting to struggle. I can remember one corner in a housing estate coming up to mile 19 where I turned and suddenly it felt like the power output from within had been instantly reduced. A gel and a couple of jelly babies from a spectator seemed to steady the ship a little but I knew I was starting to leak seconds. Came across wrstan around here struggling up a hill and tried to pull him with me but he too was having his own issues. Miles 20 – 22 were 20s slower than previous miles. Still ok but could I hang on? Really didn’t have a clue what my projected time was at this stage but thought I might still have a chance of a PB.

Miles 23-25 though were my slowest. The bloody Carrigrohane Straight (24 &25). I hate it. 2 straight endless miles of nothing, going on forever. Then in the middle of mile 25, my slowest of the day, I heard the dreaded shout outs ...’come on the 3:15’s’. Oh FCUK!!!!! Well that’s the PB gone. I’ve never been passed by pacers in any race and it’s not a nice experience being chased down and having that helpless, inevitable feeling as the reserves start to diminish. I’d been doing most of the passing for the second half (other than when that very talented runner finally chicked me for the last time) but now the hunter had become the hunted.

Right at the mile 25 marker they got me. However the 2 pacers only had party of just 1 or two runners. Fair play to them, having lost most of their brood, they immediately adopted me as one of their own with their shouts of encouragement, screaming at me..’ Come onnnnn’ ...’Come on Crusaders, you can do this’, ‘ Pain is temporary, pride is forever’. Cheesy or what but it started to take effect. I somehow managed to squeeze a bit of extra pace from out of the depths. While they had gone ahead by maybe 40 yards, I slowly began to gain on them and I guessed and hoped they would have 20-30s in the bank so I could at least now secure that London GFA time.

I kept them in my sights heading up the north quays and before crossing to the south side. They crowds were shouting now, encouraged by the pacers, and I fed off it. They were brilliant. The Missus and the kids were at the 26 m marker, another huge boost. Maybe I can do this? As I turned onto Patrick St the volume from the crowds went up a few notches. It was great. Then expecting the finish line, it wasn’t there. ‘Where the F is it!!!’ it seemed to take an age for it to appear around the curve of Patrick St. When finally saw it though,the clock over the gantry was reading gun time of 3:14:53. Ohhhh sh!!!t. I knew I only had about 10s extra to play with. Fuel tank was empty now and was running on fumes but from somewhere, I pulled out a 30m ‘dash’ for the line to cross in 3:14:53 by my watch, adjusted later to 3:14:54 official.

Wrecked but delighted.

Had the pleasure of having my sister in law and her husband (also my regular golfing partner) present me with my medal as they were part of the volunteer crew and knew my expected arrival time.


Official Time: 3:14:54
Position: 76th out of 1094. (122nd at half way)
Category: 12th M45
12 second positive Split

After a rub down in the tent, I linked up with the family and Murph_D who had also finished by now. Kenny_G was nowhere to be seen but thankfully turned up later having been bundled into some van at mile 18 without his permission! A tough day for G, but he’ll be back soon, I’ve no doubt.

Obligatory pints followed later with post mortems. The family and Kenny G headed back to Dublin after a while and I stayed on to play the gooseberry with Murph and Anna over dinner where, while dissecting the results we discovered Murph’s fine podium category. Well done D.

Verdict: I think, considering the conditions, it’s fair to say it wasn’t a day for PB’s. Could I have done better though with slightly better pace management, maybe, but not by much and would have missed out all the fun over the final straight. Considering where I was 2 years ago though, completing another marathon and this result means a lot to me. Very happy with my lot.

PS. Mr Stew had texted me a few days previous. 'You're never spent with a stent!' Too true.