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Time for a New Adventure
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Wubble Wubble wrote: »Epic. Amazing tenacity and determination. Congrats!
Thank you WW
I'm finally thawing out mentally and physically from it Neady you are a legend, it was a pleasure and an honor to be out watching and supporting you fantastic running! It was an amazing day I am just in awe of you and everyone else who ran, it was not easy in the heat or the attack of the midges unreal. I grew up in the country as well and I never ever seen anything like it either:eek:
That is an epic report enjoyed every second of it
Huge congratulations on your 3rd place
Thanks again N, I'll never complain about the few midges down by the river ever again after that attack
Shell to Run wrote: »Ur simply class, congrats.
Thank you M, hopefully I'll catch up with you in Ballina soonBungy Girl wrote: »No words. Just awe. I would have bailed at the first midge to be honest. Barkley next ??
Cheers G, ha ha. I've a long way to go to get to Enduro standard to even consider Barkley but it's given me the confidence to start to consider something a bit longerKurt.Godel wrote: »Well done on a hard-earned podium Neady! That's a great read (have been saving it a few days to savour with coffee) and I don't envy ye running it in the direction ye did.
Thank you P, glad you enjoyed it. I cannot wait to get back on those hills, each hill and bump is etched on my mind.That was some report there S, unreal stuff and great recall on the detail. Congrats on the podium place, definitely well earned and that's some improvement on time on the route. A finishing prize of granite is very apt for one tough (I mean that nicely) lady.
Cheers D Before the race I was constantly going over each section of the route in my head to prepare myself, I think that helps me to recall what was going on with my body and mind throughout the race. Glad you enjoyed it. 0 -
shotgunmcos wrote: »That was some read! The mental torture more so. Well done on that hard earned podium. Granite woman more like it!
Thank you M, think I've landed on the discipline that I enjoy most. Days like the ones we had on the Turks really helped to prepare the body and mind for it.Annie get your Run wrote: »Excellent report, excellent result, congrats again Neady you're a total legend! I hope you're recovering well
Back to full health now thankfully AM and thank you, you really were a massive help out there.I finally got around to reading that epic report. Fantastic performance once again and a report to match. How do you remember so much? Nothing can stop you.
Will we see you in Westport mid July?
Cheers P. I remember it all because for the three nights that I couldn't sleep afterwards, I kept reliving each section until I finally got it down on paper
I'd love to P and it's on my radar. Kie tells me that I shouldn't be running around the place killing myself two days before the wedding and the girls in the office are afraid I'll trip over myself and get bruised all over but I'm all on for it 0 -
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I kept track of my recovery after this years WW in an effort to learn for future races. Last years recovery didn’t go well. I ended up cracking a tooth grinding my teeth while I was running the hill in Wicklow and this turned into a long drawn out procedure involving anti-biotics, pain killers and eventually a root canal in August. Using pain killers to numb the tooth ache led to a back injury (gym and pain killers don’t mix) and it was September before I was back running. So this year, I was adamant that this race wouldn’t set me back too much.
June 10th to June 17th
Monday: Went to bed wearing compression tights and propped my legs up on a few pillows. Woke at 3am last night with throbbing in my legs and couldn’t get back to sleep so I got up and lay on the floor with my legs up on the wall to see if an inversion of sorts would help. Fell asleep in this position so when my alarm went off at 7am, I figured that I’d head for the pool to do some stretches in the hope of getting an uninterrupted nights sleep tonight. Spent 15 minutes in the pool stretching my calves and quads and hopped into the sauna for 20 minutes.
Zero concentration in work. Warm Epsom salts bath in the evening. Normal service still hasn’t returned for my tummy so still on a liquid diet of chocolate milk
Tuesday:
Massage: 60 minute light massage with my physio. I pointed out a few niggles and he identified a few tight spots at the back of my right calf and my left quad. Feeling marginally better leaving him and with an appointment for next week so that he can go deeper on the knots. He says that I can try a light run on Friday.
Woke again tonight with throbbing legs.
Wednesday:
Slept through the night last night. Hit the gym for 30mins of S&C followed by 20 minutes in the sauna.
Thursday:
Appetite starting to return, hurrah. 20 minutes on the Wattbike and 30 mins S&C. MY legs have never seen so much of the foam roller.
Friday:
3.1miles @ 9:45/mi. My legs work though they are heavy and slooooow.
Saturday:
3.7miles @ 10:10/mi. I had Spanish and Austrian friends staying last night who both run so Kie and I took them to Knocknacarra for parkrun. Having not heard of parkrun before, they both really enjoyed the inclusiveness and positivity of parkrun. So much so that my Spanish friend has put the wheels in motion to set up a parkrun in her local park in Madrid.
Sunday:
Rest
Totals for the Week
Running: 1hr 07 (6.8miles)
Wattbike/Turbo: 20mins
S&C: 1hr 10
Massage: 1hr0 -
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moved to a new home as requested.another retiree
Thanks Moss.
It's been mentioned to me a few times recently that I should relocate from the dark side so I figured that as I haven't a multi-sport or an adventure race on the horizon for a while, I may as well get some advice from the good folks over here on the AR forum
What started out as a log of an adventure racer has turned into a log of an ultra trail runner. My enjoyment of running and hiking has turned into a love affair of trail running and the longer the race the better.
My training doesn't have much structure at the moment (does it ever really) as my A race for the year, the Wicklow Way Solo, is over and at the moment, I'm mostly racing myself fit and enjoying every moment of it.
I've signed up for DCM and would love to have a crack at a PB there so I guess the focus for the next while will be on that (with a few trail runs along the way).0 -
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Hope this means more log updates
Are you looking at a plan for DCM:)
all going well I will see you before or after for a pint
If I can just get this up to date and hop on the plan, there will be more regular updates, I promise
I've downloaded the Meno marathon plan and adopted it to fit my club run on Tuesday nights in but I've a holiday coming up next week so I don't want to jump on it prematurely and then not stick to it.Great, another log for me to read! I hadn't realised you had one. Looking forward to reading!
Thanks Chickey, it's a bit of a mish mash of everything so hopefully not too boringWow, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.
Caught up on all now as was well behind.
From the 5km PB to Scotland and Wicklow. You are incredible.
I can't believe your determination and your memory, never mind your mental and physical strenght.
Congrautlations S. What a few months. Incredible.
Thanks you A Hopefully when I come back from holidays and get stuck into a plan that 5km PB will be reduced a bit more 0 -
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Some going there S, you sure didn't pick an easy half to run the day before doing no doubt not an easy full!!
Cheers D. It was more of a run tourism weekend but really enjoyable.The Black Oil wrote: »The west and north west always has good rewards. Thanks for brining another part of it to life with your words (and legs!).
There are some fantastic races over here, they may not be fast but they are definitely beautiful 0 -
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July 23rd to July 29th
Monday
Hike up Croagh Patrick: Probably the biggest test of endurance that I’ll ever do in my life.
Kie, two friends of ours, Rachel and Lorraine, Fr. John Kenny and I, set off from the car park in Murisk at 9am to head to the top of the reek for 11amish. With backpacks, full of shoes, candles and some paper work, on our backs, a suit and a couple of dresses covered in black plastic bags swinging wildly from our back packs, our small group made our way up the Reek. Driving out to Murisk we could see the sheets of mist pouring in from the sea and we were slightly worried that we may have to downgrade to Plan B however Rachel and Fr. Kenny were rearing to go when we parked up so there was no other option but to stick with the plan.
I’ve done many hikes over the years in so many beautiful places but this one was most definitely the best, most special and memorable hike that I’ve ever done. We had laughs and giggles from the moment we set foot on the Reek, we gave out about the rain and were overjoyed when the mist and fog ahead of us cleared suddenly to reveal the cone in all its glory – a special and somewhat romantic moment. When we got to the shoulder Fr. Kenny asked us all to pick up a small stone, which we did, and when we got to the small mound of rocks at the bottom of the cone, we each circled it, letting go of and troubles or any doubts and our stones with them.
Thankfully the rain eased off and we had a dry assent up the cone. At the top, Fr. Kenny gave Kie and I the keys to the little chapel and we had the honour of unlocking the great door to the most intimate chapel that you can imagine. Kie went about getting changed behind the alter and the girls and I changed in one of the “wings” that have been built onto the chapel. In the little wing there were buckets all over the floor as the roof was leaking and the floor was covered in rain water. Rachel and myself laughed about it being the most interesting transition area we’d ever been in talk about an adventure. It wasn’t the fastest transition ever but it wouldn’t have lost us the race either.
Rachel and I were shooed outside and we took shelter at the side of the church while a mystic fog swirled around us. In just a few minutes Rachel, followed by me, walked through the door of the Chapel. My eyes were focused on Kie, standing in front of the alter, as I walked into the small Chapel. As the priest started the short but powerful and memorable ceremony, Kie whispered to me that he couldn’t believe that they were all here. I turned to see eight of my best hiking buddies inside the chapel. Snailsong, from around these parts, and his beautiful daughter were among the group that had carefully orchestrated a stealth hike up the other side of the Reek in a bid to surprise us and surprise us they did. It was the sweetest and most heartfelt moment and I can’t even put into words how much it meant to Kie and I. I dang nearly ruined whatever make-up was left on my face (after the rain) because of them
but I’ll forgive them for that.
Luckily we had some prayers of the faithful so all of the group were able to take part in the mass in some small way. Fr. Kenny gave a heartfelt and touching rendition of the words of the song Tabhair dom do Lámh to close the ceremony (the less said about the Belgian tourists snapping away and kind of stealing the moment during this part, the better ). Before we knew it, we had said ‘I do’, signed on the dotted line and were walking around the top of Croagh Patrick in a white dress and a suit. Unfortunately, there was no view of Clew Bay from up top but lots of fog to create a very romantic setting in true Irish mountain style. All too soon we were changing out of our frocks and back into our trusted hiking gear for a hike down the hill.
Fr. Kenny, the man who thinks of everything, had brought a mini speaker and put together a playlist of the most classic love songs and played them aloud as our small group practically danced our way down the hill. Half way down the hill, the fog and mist cleared and it was suggested that we do a quick change of clothes so that we could get some photos with the beautiful view of Clew Bay as a backdrop. Nothing for it but to put back on the dress and suit (as you do) with nothing to hide behind (the poor tourists) but it was worth it as we have some really beautiful photos.
Before long we were back in Murisk car park as husband and wife. It’s tradition to have a drink in Campbells so in we went for a beer and some snacks before heading off to the hotel for a meal with our families. It was the most perfect day in every way.
Tuesday to Friday
Recovery and on Thursday we took a flight to Verona and got a train to Bolzano. We’d booked this trip before we got engaged so we more or less fitted the wedding around it. The reason for the trip was to do the Sudtirol Sky Run. Kie signed up for the 27km and I had originally signed up for the 69km however I dropped to the 42km once we decided to make it would be part of our honeymoon. On Friday we registered, picked up our race packs, arranged logistics with some friends of ours who live there and were going to do the 27km race and hit the hay.
Saturday: Sudtirol Sky Race: 26.9miles with 3,000m of elevation gain (7:25)
This race starts in Bolzano at 280m and climbs over Soprabolzano before making it’s way through Pemmern and reaching 2,260m at Corno Di Renon. There’s a short descent after the feed station at Corno Di Renon before we climb once more to 2,460, the highest point of the day at M. Forcella Sarentina. From here we descended for the final 12km and finished in the small town of Sarentino.
With 3,000m of elevation gain in the first 30km, I was interested to see what kind of a race this would be and it was unlike any other race that I’ve done. The climbing is just incredible, difficult and ball busting, it’s steep, technical and slow but bloody beautiful. We passed under cable cars, through forests, we traversed through boulder fields, around lakes that are cut off from everything and through tiny villages in the mountains. It’s a breath taking and well organised race however over the first 30km there was more fast hiking than running. Little sections were runnable and I ran as much as I could but in total not that much really.
I was really looking forward to the last 12km of downhill and finally ticking off the miles at a decent pace however after a short mile on forest trail, the route took us through some very steep technical trail in the forest which made the going quite slow. Loved this race though and would love to give the 69km route a go next year.
Sunday:
To get out of the heat in Bolzano we took a cable car up Soprabolzano and then the train to a little village called Renon where we did some hiking on the trails and visited the Pirimidi di Terra. An interesting trip up the hills and out of the blistering heat of Bolzano.
Totals for the Week
Running: 7hrs 25mins (26.9miles)
Hiking: 9hrs (very slow)0 -
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