ARTist in the Spotlight - Kiely Unusual

smmoore79

Ladies and Gentlemen, please have your questions ready for Kiely Very Unusual!! He's a fellow Cru athlete and a long distance junky like myself. His most noteable race being the London marathon with Krusty where they crossed the line in 2 38!! His blog is linked below..

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056675715


I'll get the ball rolling;

Do you have any other top other than that bright green one
What other colour top would you like if it started raining tops?!
Will you ever like cross country?!?!?
2 38 was a savage time in London, how much lower can/would you like to go?
Which race did you think, sh1t, I could have done better?
Which race did you go above and beyond(excluding London)?
Best running memory? not necessarily a race
Any Cru ladies tickle your fancy?:)

digger2d2

Did you score yellow feather after the Beer Mile?

RayCun

Did you do athletics as a kid? Or any other sport?
If not from when you were a kid, why did you start running?
And why Crusaders?
How did you find this forum?
Any race time/position in a particular race that would make you think, "there's no topping this, I may as well retire"
Any races on the bucket list?

statss

Always fascinated to see how the guys like yourself at the fast end of things approach training, could you provide a brief summary of what you consider your key sessions in advance of London 2.38 were?

More seriously, can we get a pic for whoever the answer is to Smoore's final question????

KielyUnusual

Thanks Stevo (Cru 4 life)

Do you have any other top other than that bright green one

I have an assorted number of different colour tops but I just like to wear that one because I know the Raheny colours piss the rest of ye off

What other colour top would you like if it started raining tops?!

O what a rain that would be! I'd go for maroon for sure. They're the colours of the local club, Borrisoleigh. Club All Ireland champions in 1987, as I'm sure everyone is aware. I was all of a year and a day old sitting in the stands. Fast asleep, I'm told.

Will you ever like cross country?!?!?

I used to love cross country when I was 10 or 11 and getting mucky in the fields on a Sunday morning was the best sort of craic you could imagine. Now, I'm just old and cranky and like my creature comforts. Next year, I'll give it a proper go. Maybe;).

2 38 was a savage time in London, how much lower can/would you like to go?

I'm finding I have much less time these days with work and other commitments so I'm less certain than I was a year ago. At the time, I thought sub 2.30 in Dublin this year would have been a real possibility but now I don't think I'll even be running a marathon. I'm out injured at the moment. Going for a x-ray on my ankle tomorrow and it seems serious enough. This is something I haven't had to deal with before and it's another major factor that comes in to the equation. For now, I'll say sub 2.30 for a Spring marathon next year if things go well at the end of this year. The strength from all the cross country racing I'll be doing should see me in good stead:D.

Which race did you think, sh1t, I could have done better?

Definitely the Dublin Novice XC last year in St Anne's. I dropped out after two laps of a 6k race and I wasn't even injured. I had been training well, so there was no excuses. My head just wasn't in it, on the day. It's an experience I don't want to relive so I think dropping out should be a thing of the past.

Which race did you go above and beyond(excluding London)?

Definitely in London, I pushed myself further than I ever thought possible but outside of that I would say my second race ever. This was the race series half marathon in Phoenix Park. I was helping a friend train for the marathon, which I later decided to enter too and we signed up for the 10 mile and the half marathon as preparation. I had run 83 minutes in the 10 miler and had set a goal of 1.40 for the half. I was basing this on the idea that I was aiming for a 3.30 marathon and didn't even take my 10 mile time in to account. If I had compared the pace for the two, I'm not sure I would have went for the same target. In the race, we started a good bit behind the 1.40 pacers and I caught them at about half way (my friend had dropped back a bit). My original intention was to sit in but my momentum took me through and I continued on. Come 10 miles, my breathing was gone and I was on my last legs but managed to somehow struggle through the last 5k and came in at 1.36. This was the first time I realised what I could achieved if I really pushed myself and was a great confidence booster ahead of the marathon itself.

Any Cru ladies tickle your fancy?:)

I'm a taken man Stevo and she found out my Boards moniker the other evening so I best keep quiet on this one. We can discuss next time down at training;)[/QUOTE]

KielyUnusual

Did you score yellow feather after the Beer Mile?
I was just in awe of her beer chugging abilities so had to have a bit of a chat.

KielyUnusual

Did you do athletics as a kid? Or any other sport?

I did everything and anything Ray. I lived in the countryside so we were basically out from dawn till dusk with brief intermissions when our respective Mam's stood at the doors yelling at us to come in for our dinners. Most of the time was spent playing soccer but we didn't have any local team so this was just casual games in the back garden. Outside of that, hurling and gaelic football were really big and I played in these up to U16 level and the odd minor game. Then you had tennis, golf, rounders, cricket, basketball etc. to fill in the gaps.

Running wise, there was a club set up when I was around 10 but it only lasted a year. We mainly competed in the cross country and I loved it. Definitely would have kept it up but I don't think the general interest was there so it didn't last. In a small town, I was the only boy my age that went so that tells a lot.

If not from when you were a kid, why did you start running?

I re-started running a to help a friend train for the marathon. I had taken up Junior hurling with Na Fianna but was really unfit so said I'd train with him to help that side of things. I soon dropped the hurling and had signed up to the marathon too and it went from there.

And why Crusaders?

Crusaders was a marriage of convenience. I work out in Bray and live in Drumcondra so it's the only club where I can make the 6.30 training. As is the case with most marriages of convenience, we have come to love and respect each other and the relationship has blossomed in to a beautiful thing.

How did you find this forum?

I can't remember to be honest. I think I came across the forum when I was looking for some information for the Edinburgh marathon and we've never looked back.

Any race time/position in a particular race that would make you think, "there's no topping this, I may as well retire"

In my first five mile race, I saw the leaders bombing around the corner and I was so impressed. The winner that day was in a time of 25.0x and if I ever ran sub 25.30, I think I could retire a happy man.


Any races on the bucket list?

I've wanted to run in Ballycotton for the last year and a half but it looks like injury might deprive me of the opportunity this year despite getting the entry . Outside of that, I would like to run one of the American marathons (Boston, NY or Chicago) for the experience and the reports always seem really positive on here from those that have ran.

yaboya1

Hi KU,

Only read your log for the first time this evening. Absolutely savage stuff!!
One thing I noticed on your London plan was that you had very few rest days. So my question is:

Do you think it's essential to run 7 days a week (or do doubles) to achieve a sub 2:40 marathon?

blockic

Where did you disappear off to early the night of boards xmas beers and were you on your own?

KielyUnusual

Always fascinated to see how the guys like yourself at the fast end of things approach training, could you provide a brief summary of what you consider your key sessions in advance of London 2.38 were?

I think it's largely the same approach no matter what time you are aiming for and perhaps the biggest difference is your ability to put in higher mileage and learning to push yourself harder in training and during races as you learn your own ability

Below is the training I ended up doing for London.

London 13'

What I had planned was a little different and was essentially chosen to fit around work and a lengthy commute. Monday and Friday, I planned to run at lunch and run back home in Drumcondra in the evening (5+6/8). Wednesday, run home from work (13). Tuesday was the club track session (12*400 or similar). I took it a little easier on these so I wouldn't be too tired on Thursday. Thursday was the marathon paced run, starting from 8 and going up to 13 with a good 1-2 mile warm up and warm down. This was the one that I really had to push on and was always the toughest session of the week. Saturday was generally a 10 miler and then Sunday was the long run.

It was pretty simple in its format and I might have re-structured it if I had a bit more freedom. Definitely an easier day between the Tuesday and the Thursday would have been more ideal.

More seriously, can we get a pic for whoever the answer is to Smoore's final question????

I don't think MarthaStew would appreciate her picture being plastered all over the internet

KielyUnusual

Do you think it's essential to run 7 days a week (or do doubles) to achieve a sub 2:40 marathon?

That's a good question yaboya and I'm not really sure of the answer. My highest mileage week (84 miles) for London was on a 6 day week but that included 3 doubles. If you look at smmoore's blog, he ran sub 2.40 off relatively low mileage and, I think no doubles so it's certainly possible if you are that bit faster over the shorter distances. The main thing, I think is the consistency and doing enough mileage around your main sessions so that you're capable of hitting your targets within them. I always felt that as long as I could be on target in my marathon paced run, then the supplementary running around that was sufficient.

To be honest though, I don't think you'd be able to run a marathon that approached your potential if you were only getting 6-7 runs in a week. Part of the difficulty in marathon training is that you're always a little bit fatigued from the volume of work but that's also where the strength comes from and the pig headed stubbornness in the last 6 miles of the race

KielyUnusual

Where did you disappear off to early the night of boards xmas beers and were you on your own?

Like most Boards night's out my memory gets a little hazy towards the end of the night:D.

RayCun

Dictator-for-life of AAI - what do you do?

pconn062

Great choice!

What do you work at, at the minute?
How do you find living in Dublin coming from a small village, rural background?
Any more details on the injury?
How do you cope with being injured? (I'm injured now too, and it's driving me crazy!)
You have good speed, would you ever give a full track season a proper bash?
Rate in order of preference: x-country/track/road.
Favourite race (event), favourite race (distance)?

Krusty_Clown

KielyUnusual wrote: »

I'm a taken man Stevo

We held hands for 2 seconds max. That hardly constitutes a relationship. A bit presumptuous, if you don't mind me saying so.

Anyway:
What was the cause of the injury? What have your learned from it?
You have made incredible progress over the last couple of years. Do you think that progressing that quickly carries an associated increased risk of injury?
Are you still hurling?
What's the main goal for this year?
Remember that buddy of yours at the coal-hole? Did he ever run that marathon? Did your brother break 3 hours?
Do you ever go out drinking in Bray (on Bray Runners turf, so to speak)?
Any desire to run an IMRA race?
How do you plan on improving your beer mile time for this year's race?

ThePiedPiper

Great choice here:

1. As a former hurler, have you ever been tempted or courted to return to the playing field?
2. You seem to have natural talent in bucket loads. Where do you think you could have been now if you had done athletics as a junior?
3. At what stage in your preparation for Dublin 2012 and London 2013 did you realise you were probably going to knock nearly 15 minutes off you PB each time?
4. How easy was the sub-3 pacing in DCM 2013 having ran a 2:38?
5. Could yourself or KC have done any better individually, or did the running together maximise the potential you both had on that day?
6. What age are you?
7. What is unusual about you?
8. Are you related to anyone famous?
9. Do you think Tipp can sort themselves out in the hurling after the disappointments of the last couple of years?
10. Which would you prefer, an All-Ireland winning hurling medal or a sub 2:25 marathon?

ecoli

Favourite distance?
Favourite Session?
Least favourite session?
Favourite Irish athlete?
favourite international athlete?
favourite post race beer?
Who was sandbagging in London you or Krusty?

KielyUnusual

Dictator-for-life of AAI - what do you do?

I think the main thing in athletics is to give young people the opportunity and then you can think about promoting the games in a broader sense. Most small towns don't have clubs and the clubs up in Dublin only take a limited amount of youngsters for legal reasons. If you don't get involved as a youngster then the chances of taking it up in a serious capacity at a later stage are slim.

I have other gripes too but I think like a lot of people on here, my interest in athletics is largely on a recreational basis and my knowledge of the inner workings of the AAI are limited. I do think the funding of athletes is a joke and is far too formulaic but its easier to do this from a bureaucratic point of view rather than taking any risks in investing in promising young athletes.

From a personal point of view, I think the organisation isn't too bad and it's afforded me the opportunity to run with a really good club, enter a plethora of well organised races over different distances and hasn't burnt a massive hole in my pocket, so I can't complain.

thirstywork2

Favourite training shoe and racing flat?

KielyUnusual

What do you work at, at the minute?

Hey Patrick, I'm working as a Device Development Engineer for a medical device manufacturer out in Bray. Its interesting work but its a bas**rd of a commute and eats in to a lot of my running time.

How do you find living in Dublin coming from a small village, rural background?

I love it and never really had any issues settling in. Like yourself, I like my music and do like the fact that there are plenty of gigs to go all year round. I love getting back to the country though and will probably settle down there eventually. I miss the country salute as I'm running along back home. Even with strangers, there's the acknowledgement that though you may not know each other, its a small place, and you probably should.

Any more details on the injury?

Had an x-ray today and there's no break or fracture anyway thankfully enough. It's been lingering for a month and a half now and flared up after two tempo runs in Phoenix Park and the Raheny 5 mile. It was particularly bad after the PP tempo on Sunday and I couldn't put any pressure on it at all. It's improved significantly today but still gets very sore after 10+ minutes of walking so a way to go yet. Just going to rest it for the week and assess on Friday.

How do you cope with being injured? (I'm injured now too, and it's driving me crazy!)

I don't know do I cope :rolleyes:. I'm learning the piano at the moment so at least that is a distraction while I'm recuperating. I also find playing the guitar a great stress reliever. True Detective is pretty good too:D.

You have good speed, would you ever give a full track season a proper bash?

Definitely. I love the track races. I don't think I have great speed but I love the mile/3k distances. This summer, I hope to run a 1500m or two and of course have another bash at the 10 round numbers thread. Might be the marathon that lets me down this time if all things go well:rolleyes:

Rate in order of preference: x-country/track/road.

Track/Road/XC

Favourite race (event), favourite race (distance)?

Favourite race I've ran was the Dunshaughlin 10k. Brilliantly organised race and the names of the past winners emblazoned on the road as you neared the finish was a class touch.

Favourite distance to race would probably be the mile. I got 3-4 in last year and thoroughly enjoyed each one. You can't beat coming up on someone's shoulder on the last bend for the sheer thrill.

KielyUnusual

We held hands for 2 seconds max. That hardly constitutes a relationship. A bit presumptuous, if you don't mind me saying so.

You city slickers are so cruel. Down the country, holding someone's hand actually means something....something real.

Anyway:
What was the cause of the injury? What have your learned from it?

As described above it's been a bit of an on and off thing for the past month and a half. the muscle below my ankle got a little sore at first but nothing that I would have worried about. Then after a tempo run, it got bad enough that I took a week off. Ran in Raheny, had to take two weeks off. Was almost better and did the same tempo run on Sunday only for it to flare up again. It was in a bad way Sunday but its recovering very quickly so I think my initial assessment might have been a little over dramatic. I'll air on the side of caution this time though.

You have made incredible progress over the last couple of years. Do you think that progressing that quickly carries an associated increased risk of injury?

I've been lucky over the past two years with injury but in retrospect I was tethering on the edge before the '12 DCM. I thought it was normal at the time but I increased the mileage quite dramatically and I was creaking around for a few months. Since then, I've felt that I approached things quite sensibly but perhaps the odd injury is just inevitable in this sport. Unless you're you!! :mad:

Are you still hurling?

I have a puck around regularly enough down in Fairview Park but I'm not playing for any team. I played a few games of Junior 'E' hurling (yes, it exists) over the summer but it was a casual enough affair and I think my days of competitive hurling are behind me. I was never very good at it anyway.

What's the main goal for this year?

I really don't know. I'd like to run a good mile time maybe and get in to the 4.30's. The sub 60 400m would be nice. Showdown, this summer :cool:


Remember that buddy of yours at the coal-hole? Did he ever run that marathon? Did your brother break 3 hours?

Poor auld Marthastew was convinced that he would give it a go but lets just say I was reasonably confident that he was talking bull. If he ran to catch the bus, I'd be surprised. The brother ran 2.57 on the same day. Good day for the Kiely's all round

Do you ever go out drinking in Bray (on Bray Runners turf, so to speak)?

I've had a few pints in Brady's in Shankhill. More of a liquid lunch kind of thing though. Only night out I had in Bray was in the Martello during the summer. I wouldn't be brave enough to rough it up in a proper Bray pub for a night. This innocent face wouldn't last a few minutes.

Any desire to run an IMRA race?

No, but I'd give it a go if there was a crowd doing it.

How do you plan on improving your beer mile time for this year's race?

Probably not a good thing but I've gotten in some proper preparation over the last three months.
I think the specific sessions are where it's at. Our half beer mile was great preparation last year. We'll have to up it to the three quarters this year. I fancy a place on the podium

KielyUnusual

Great choice here:

1. As a former hurler, have you ever been tempted or courted to return to the playing field?

I've played for Na Fianna and St Joseph's OCB up in Dublin. I love it but every time I go back, I realise how truly rubbish I am. I think it's going to have to be an armchair sport from here in

2. You seem to have natural talent in bucket loads. Where do you think you could have been now if you had done athletics as a junior?

I've done well in the marathons since I started but making the step from where I am now up to the very top of the field is where the real talent comes in, so that's still an unknown. I don't think I'd have that single mindedness that is required anyway. I tend to spread myself across a few projects at any given time.

3. At what stage in your preparation for Dublin 2012 and London 2013 did you realise you were probably going to knock nearly 15 minutes off you PB each time?

I think the important thing in both was that I set out with those approximate targets to begin with. I started both with a 6 mile marathon paced run at the beginning of the program and at that time, I did not think it was possible. It was only with about a month to go in each where I thought I'd be in with a chance.

4. How easy was the sub-3 pacing in DCM 2013 having ran a 2:38?

I don't really want to say. It wasn't too bad.

5. Could yourself or KC have done any better individually, or did the running together maximise the potential you both had on that day?

KC would be too nice to admit this but he pulled me around for the first 15 miles of that race. I'm 100% certain that I wouldn't have kept on pace if it wasn't for him driving us on. It was unusual in that I felt good from 15-20 and then I like to mentally dismiss the last 6 miles of the race. If I get that far then there is no way I'm slowing down.

I'm fairly certain KC would have ran there or thereabouts regardless. I don't think me running 10 metres behind him for most of the race was much help:D

6. What age are you?

Straight in there. I'll be the big 2-8 in a few weeks

7. What is unusual about you?

Ah sure, we're all a bit unusual, aren't we. No? It's just me.

I had a couple of different usernames floating about, all based on the premise that Kiely sounds like highly. KielyInsightful, KielyEvolved etc.

8. Are you related to anyone famous?

No but I got my bass and amp from Brendan Gleeson's son. That's about my most interesting celebrity encounter.


9. Do you think Tipp can sort themselves out in the hurling after the disappointments of the last couple of years?

Big time, but the competition is fierce this year. Despite our troubles last year, I really enjoyed the season as a whole and living beside Croke Park, I got to see some absolutely quality games up close and personal. I'd settle for more of the same next year.

10. Which would you prefer, an All-Ireland winning hurling medal or a sub 2:25 marathon?

You're asking the wrong question there. Id take the 'Cross' in the back pocket over a sub 2.05 marathon. Heck, i'd settle for a North Tipp Winner's medal with the local club.

KielyUnusual

Favourite distance?

As I've said earlier, I love the mile distance and I suppose you could throw the 1500m in as well.

Favourite Session?

I love the 12 X 400m with short recovery or 8 X 600 with 200m active recovery. I think the 600 might win out. I really like the continuous nature of the session and the 600 distance just seems like a good distance that works on a lot of things. Speed endurance and strength are two of my weaknesses so I think this is a good session to work on these.

Least favourite session?

We do a session around the acres in Phoenix Park of 3 X 2.5k with 75s recovery. If the ground is soft, this is absolute hell. I'm always struggling after the first one and come the second half of the third one it is race effort. I don't know what it is about running on grass but my effort levels just go through the roof and people whom I run all the other sessions with and with similar race times just get away from me.

Favourite Irish athlete?

From old, I really like Eamonn Coughlan and it's nice to think that you're training on the same loop that a world class athlete trained on (Munich Laps in Phoenix Park).
From the current crop, I like Paul Pollock. He's so determined and single minded and the marathon he ran in the World Championships was immense given the conditions.

favourite international athlete?

Haile Gebraselassie was a big favourite from my youth and still to this day. What he achieved from 5k to the marathon was incredible and then there's that smile:D.

favourite post race beer?

No fancy beers here. Tend to drink Heineken because it is served every and removes the thought process. Buckfast is the post marathon recovery drink of course. Don't judge me!

Who was sandbagging in London you or Krusty?

Krusty.

KielyUnusual

Favourite training shoe and racing flat?

I got a pair of Adizero Adios 2's from your sister store in Bray and I wear these generally for sessions and races. Sometimes on just general runs. I really like them. I tend to go with the Adidas Boston 3's for my longer and easy runs. I also wore these in both the Dublin and London marathon with no issues. I've narrow feet and find the Adidas runner's a great fit, especially around the toe.

Timmaay

I don't really have any questions for ya, but if you're working in bray, and training for middle distance then feel free to jump into any of our sessions in greystones on either tue or wed, and friday at 7pm. Hmm actually are you up for a sub4.30 mile smackdown with me this summer, if ya get over the injury!

KielyUnusual

Timmaay wrote: »

I don't really have any questions for ya, but if you're working in bray, and training for middle distance then feel free to jump into any of our sessions in greystones on either tue or wed, and friday at 7pm. Hmm actually are you up for a sub4.30 mile smackdown with me this summer, if ya get over the injury!

Thanks for the invite Timmaay but last time I went out to Charlestown, I wasn't back home until 11.00 :eek:. It's a heck of a trip if you don't have a car. I'm considering getting a car at the moment so it would be a good possibility if that were the case. Should head out there if the mile invitational goes ahead again this year, in any case.

By the way, I said 4.3x mile not sub 4.30 mile. That might be a bit of a stretch this year. Might use you as an advanced pacer like I did the last time though. If I'm ~2s off your pace each lap then I won't be doing too badly.

Timmaay

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Thanks for the invite Timmaay but last time I went out to Charlestown, I wasn't back home until 11.00 :eek:. It's a heck of a trip if you don't have a car. I'm considering getting a car at the moment so it would be a good possibility if that were the case. Should head out there if the mile invitational goes ahead again this year, in any case.

By the way, I said 4.3x mile not sub 4.30 mile. That might be a bit of a stretch this year. Might use you as an advanced pacer like I did the last time though. If I'm ~2s off your pace each lap then I won't be doing too badly.

Sorry read that wrong! If ya did a 2.38 marathon you should defo have a sub4.30 in ya. Agreed no point aiming too high for this season yet, but stranger things have happened ha. Afew of the other lads in around the 4.40 mark here also, so should always be someone to pace ya! And hmm yeh car defo needed for charlesland. I'll let ya know about any other miles on also.

wrstan

KielyUnusual wrote: »

last time I went out to Charlestown, I wasn't back home until 11.00 :eek:. It's a heck of a trip if you don't have a car.

Or you could always move to Bray!

PaulieC

If you had a girl baby, would you consider naming her Kylie ?

Micilin Muc

Who's on your music playlist? (Running, or non-running)

KielyUnusual

wrstan wrote: »

Or you could always move to Bray!

I could but its very far away from everything for an unmarried man like myself. I should definitely move closer though.

KielyUnusual

If you had a girl baby, would you consider naming her Kylie ?

It's a great name no doubt and she's a great woman but would i be setting up the girl for a lifetime of abuse? I think so and I couldn't be so cruel to my own flesh and blood:P.

When I think of poor Neville Neville. The cruel parents that man must have had.

KielyUnusual

Who's on your music playlist? (Running, or non-running)

I set up a folder on Dropbox recently for sharing music between friends of mine and it's been working pretty well. I suggest it for anyone who's getting tired of listening to the same old music. I've gotten some good suggestions and it's encouraged me to start listening to new music again so I can actually contribute.

Some of the good ones I've discovered have been:

Quadron - Avalanche
Jessie Ware - Devotion
Django Django - Django Django
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Haim - Days Are Gone

Old reliables would be the likes of PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsom, Grimes, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, White Stripes, Interpol etc.

I'd basically listen to anything though, as long as it's good:cool:

nerraw1111

Re doing IMRA race.

Should get a boards smackdown at Bray Head in the summer. It's a short race, on the dart line, steep ass climb, flat section, and a steep ass descent. It's all over in 30 mins or so.

What's the key lesson/session that you took from going sub 3 to sub 2.40? I hope to run sub 2.50 next time I do a marathon but seems to be a fairly steep step up in training.

runsir

Did you get your free Garth Brooks ticket sorted yet? If not, I'll have a limited supply of free front driveway tickets.

KielyUnusual

Re doing IMRA race.

Should get a boards smackdown at Bray Head in the summer. It's a short race, on the dart line, steep ass climb, flat section, and a steep ass descent. It's all over in 30 mins or so.

What's the key lesson/session that you took from going sub 3 to sub 2.40? I hope to run sub 2.50 next time I do a marathon but seems to be a fairly steep step up in training

That's a good idea for the IMRA race. I've ran half way up Bray Head as alunch time run but the second half looks the most daunting. I'd be up for that anyway although my mountain running skills aren't my greatest asset.

Going 3.06 to 2.48 was definitely due to the advice of fellow Boardsies like RFR, village runner and Clearlier. They told me the right things to be doing, I followed their advice and I progressed pretty quickly. Going from 2.48 to 2.38 was more of the same really but just with a higher volume and the sessions were that bit more intense. The structure of my running was the same. 3 sessions a week, Tuesday Track Session with Crusaders, Thursday marathon paced run (up to 13 miles) and Sunday long run with occasional marathon paced miles put in (up to 10 miles at MP). I added in more doubles when training for London and the easy paced runs were extended in length by about 20% but the sessions were the exact same more or less.

James seems to have had great success with his plans last year. Would you consider following his? What marathon are you aiming for?

KielyUnusual

Did you get your free Garth Brooks ticket sorted yet? If not, I'll have a limited supply of free front driveway tickets

I'm hoping to get tickets so that I'll be out of the country when he is in town. Having to listen to that for 5 nights in a row would do serious damage to my mental well being and you're even closer to the epicentre, you poor misfortunate. Don't even get me started on the One Direction gig:(.

I signed up to the ticket scheme years ago along with a few people from our house but never a word. The community liaison officer is actually uncontactable through any means. I was hoping to get in to the draw for a chance to buy All Ireland tickets the last few years but any responses I get from GAA HQ are just fobbing me off I think. 'You're in the draw, we'll contact you if you're name is pulled out' sort of thing.

Have you had any better luck?

runsir

KielyUnusual wrote: »

Did you get your free Garth Brooks ticket sorted yet? If not, I'll have a limited supply of free front driveway tickets

I'm hoping to get tickets so that I'll be out of the country when he is in town. Having to listen to that for 5 nights in a row would do serious damage to my mental well being and you're even closer to the epicentre, you poor misfortunate. Don't even get me started on the One Direction gig:(.

I signed up to the ticket scheme years ago along with a few people from our house but never a word. The community liaison officer is actually uncontactable through any means. I was hoping to get in to the draw for a chance to buy All Ireland tickets the last few years but any responses I get from GAA HQ are just fobbing me off I think. 'You're in the draw, we'll contact you if you're name is pulled out' sort of thing.

Have you had any better luck?

Not a peep from them, like you, got the letter that I'm on the committee but that's it so far!! I say they look after themselves first anyway when the tickets are released....
I'll be in Belgium at a little known music festival called Tomorrowland with another 150,000 souls jumping up and down for 3 days when it's on anyway...I'll call it cross training!

nerraw1111

KielyUnusual wrote: »

James seems to have had great success with his plans last year. Would you consider following his? What marathon are you aiming for?

I might do. Plan is mountain running/ultra till July/August and then might start a marathon plan for DCM. All going well.

Bray is good craic. Nothing too mad.

career_move

KielyUnusual wrote: »

my mountain running skills aren't my greatest asset.

Ya right :rolleyes: You were doing a good impression of a fairly lively mountain goat on the Wicklow Way .....

- who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?

- 3 things you'd bring to said island?

- 4 people you'd like to have dinner with

- you can live somebody else's life who would you chose

- how many cups of tea do you drink per day?

- what's your opinion of people who drink peppermint tea?

KielyUnusual

Ya right :rolleyes: You were doing a good impression of a fairly lively mountain goat on the Wicklow Way .....

That was great craic and what a day for it. We'll have to stick that one in to the calendar for this summer too

- who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?

I was thinking about this at work and there are a lot of considerations:

1. It would have to be a woman for obvious reasons but lets not get too crude about it
2. It would be handy if she was a decent runner 'Another lap of the island there love'
3. She has to be a celebrity of some sort as this is the whole point of the question. If I say Mary from down the road, because she's salt of the Earth, it's just not going to work

Feck this, I'll just go with Audrey Tautou. She's so lovely.

- 3 things you'd bring to said island?

1. A hurley
2. A sliotar
3. and Willlssssoooonnnnn!

- 4 people you'd like to have dinner with

Cyril Farrell is a dead cert. I could listen to that man's voice all day long. Can I change my answer to question 1:rolleyes:
I'd probably go Ken Early too. It's many a night I've fallen asleep with that beatiful, drole, sarcastic voice in my ears.
I'd bring Nigella too so she could cook up some outrageously indulgent meal. She might be good for the after party too. Eh eh!;)
I'd give Lisa Hannigan an invite too. She could fit in ably as my desert island woman too. Sigh.


- you can live somebody else's life who would you chose

I'd be Vladimir Putin. Wouldn't mind seeing what he gets up to on a day to day basis.

- how many cups of tea do you drink per day?

I'd be on 5 or 6 a day I'd say but I was a late starter. Drank my first cup when I was in my twenties so I've plenty of lost time to make up for.

- what's your opinion of people who drink peppermint tea?

There's peppermint tea

statss

lol, love the Ken Early comment. I walked by him in town yesterday at the very second he was speaking into my ears via the second captains podcast. My brain was very confused for a moment.

KielyUnusual

statss wrote: »

lol, love the Ken Early comment. I walked by him in town yesterday at the very second he was speaking into my ears via the second captains podcast. My brain was very confused for a moment.

We saw him come out of shop in town and a friend of mine felt the need to go up and say something to him. In a panic, he didn't know what to say so he just walked right up to him and said 'You're Ken Early'. He said 'Yea'. They stood awkwardly for a while and then he just walked off.

Needless to say, we all found this very, very funny.

TRR

Hi KU

favourite book
Favourite film
Favourite tv show
Glenroe or fair city?
You are quite a lean guy mind me asking what you weigh and your height (no need for phone number )
Are your family interested in your running?
Favourite meal?

AuldManKing

Some q's that I get asked that I thought were good 'uns:

* You have just finished your marathon, what would be in your dream goodie bag?

* Top 3 all time sporting heroes?

* If you could go back 20 years and give yourself just one piece of advice, what would it be?

* Handicap 10k race boardsie race where the seeding is perfect so it really comes down to pure guts/ wanting it more( not running ability). Who wins?

* If you had to be mentored/coached by a Boardsie for a year then who would you pick from the following list: TRR, Krusty_Clown, Stazza, T Runner, Tunguska, or Ecoli. And Why?

* Any interesting facts you can tell us about yourself?

* on behalf of MarthaStew: if you had 6 months perfect training, what would you run 1 mile in.

KielyUnusual

Hi KU

HeyTRR

favourite book

Probably The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

Favourite film

I really like There Will Be Blood but there's a few contenders

Favourite tv show

It's recent but True Detective is great.

Glenroe or fair city?

Glenroe. Perhaps its just the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia that are taking it somewhere above the level of rubbish.


You are quite a lean guy mind me asking what you weigh and your height (no need for phone number )

5'11" and 65kg or so (this varies a bit)

Are your family interested in your running?

I guess so. The oldest brother is big time in to his running and a couple of the sisters were out supporting at the Dublin and London marathon. They're definitely supportive of it. Interested might be a stretch:).

Favourite meal?

Bacon and cabbage and spuds for sure. That's the death row meal for me. Falsely convicted of course.

Cleanman

AuldManKing wrote: »

Some q's that I get asked that I thought were good 'uns:

* You have just finished your marathon, what would be in your dream goodie bag?

* Top 3 all time sporting heroes?

* If you could go back 20 years and give yourself just one piece of advice, what would it be?

* Handicap 10k race boardsie race where the seeding is perfect so it really comes down to pure guts/ wanting it more( not running ability). Who wins?

* If you had to be mentored/coached by a Boardsie for a year then who would you pick from the following list: TRR, Krusty_Clown, Stazza, T Runner, Tunguska, or Ecoli. And Why?

* Any interesting facts you can tell us about yourself?

* on behalf of MarthaStew: if you had 6 months perfect training, what would you run 1 mile in.

While this is an absolutely smashing question, I'd be more interested to hear KU's advise to himself 10 years ago! KU, imagine you can go back to an 18 year old version of you studying hard for the leaving cert while day dreaming of winning an AL with Tipp, pucking in long accurate ball to Eoin Kelly! What would you tell him? Move to the big shmoke. Study engineering? Take up running and forget about the hurling?

KielyUnusual

Some q's that I get asked that I thought were good 'uns:


Good questions for sure. Especially the coach one. I was thinking about that when I saw it posed before. I actually think my ideal Boardsie coach lies outside the group though

* You have just finished your marathon, what would be in your dream goodie bag?


An inflatable chair and a bottle of Buckfast would be pretty good.

* Top 3 all time sporting heroes?


Bit of an unusual one but I was always a big fan of Declan Browne when I was younger. Corner forward on the Tipp football team. Even won an all star. I was really in to my Gaelic Football when i was younger because it was the one sport that I was half decent at. He was always someone that I aspired to.
No Tipp man who was at the 2010 All Ireland Final couldn't have Lar Corbett as one of their sporting heroes. What a man:).
Paul McGrath would be up there. I read his autobiography and the s**t he went through when he was younger was unbelievable. He had his problems but seemed like such a genuinely lovely lad and obviously an immense centre back.

* If you could go back 20 years and give yourself just one piece of advice, what would it be?

I'll take Cleanman's advice and go for the 10 years option. I don't think my 8 year old self would quite grasp the gravity of the situation so all that effort in travelling back in time would be wasted . What a downer

I actually think there's an inherent problem here, in that me from 10 years ago is still me so I'd listen to the advice and just do what ever I was planning to do regardless. I'd probable just tell him to 'Kop the f**k on' for a laugh and see the look of shock on his face. It's weird talking about yourself in the third person.

* Handicap 10k race boardsie race where the seeding is perfect so it really comes down to pure guts/ wanting it more( not running ability). Who wins?

Got to be Moorsey. Any man that runs that amount of XC races has got to be hard as nails.

* If you had to be mentored/coached by a Boardsie for a year then who would you pick from the following list: TRR, Krusty_Clown, Stazza, T Runner, Tunguska, or Ecoli. And Why?

I think I'd go ecoli. I like his approach to training and I reckon as a coach he'd be good at catering a plan towards the individual. He's also got a good long term outlook and I lack that a bit in my training sometimes. They'd all be good choices though. An awful lot of running knowledge and experience in that group.

* Any interesting facts you can tell us about yourself?

This is embarrassing that I can't think of anything. I have 6 sisters and 3 brothers, which is somewhat unusual and I'm the youngest of the lot.

* on behalf of MarthaStew: if you had 6 months perfect training, what would you run 1 mile in.

I'd like to aim for low 4.20s if I had 6 months dedicated to it. Love the mile race so this might actually be something I do somewhere down the line.

Kurt Godel

Which is the better region to sample to excess the night before a sub 3 marathon- Bordeaux or Beaujolais?

How many times have you googled "Marathon du Medoc"?

When you throw out an old stinky pair of runners do you ever pause and contemplate De Selby's atomic theory?

career_move

A running genie (think jesse owens coming out of an Olympic torch ) appears before you. He offers you the power to compete in the marathon in Rio and become the fastest Irish marathoner ever in exchange for one of the following:

- take a drug that will never be detected

- cheat on your girlfriend by sleeping with Audrey Tautou

- sacrifice one of your family to a terminal illness

What do you do and why?

KielyUnusual

Which is the better region to sample to excess the night before a sub 3 marathon- Bordeaux or Beaujolais?

My knowledge of wine is quite scant. I know one good tonic wine from an abbey in Devon that I sample quite frequently:D. That Fleurie before DCM was a good one. May have had just the one glass too many though. Standing around in the freezing cold was bad enough without the spliitting headache on top of it:(.

How many times have you googled "Marathon du Medoc"?

Just the once but its reputation precedes it. It sounds like the messiest 26 miles you could possibly run. Seems to be on a lot of people's bucket list marathons so a Boards on tour may have to be done.

When you throw out an old stinky pair of runners do you ever pause and contemplate De Selby's atomic theory?

Not until now but never again will I be able to throw them out without considering how much of myself I am losing. I've a very heavy footfall too so I'm bound to lose more 'me' atoms than the average person:mad:. At least its another good reason not to take up triathlon (if there weren't enough already). I enjoy being able to stand up without having to prop myself against a wall.:D