Man! I feel like a runner

Wubble Wubble

Ah jaysis sorry about solo Christmas. Thankfully you're well on the road to recovery by the sounds of it.

See you at the Masters 😀

ariana`

Ah V, really sorry to read this, nobody should have to spend Christmas alone. Darn Covid 😣

I hope you can make up for it with a New Year's get together.

aquinn

Ah V, am so sorry to read this. I sincerely hope you are ok. Sorry you had to spend Christmas solo, that is extremely tough.

Mind yourself and continue to sleep and rest as required.

Cross country savage, don't forget :-)

Even after Covid I can't see you coming last, or close, if you do enter.

Annie get your Run

Just catching up here, hope you are recovering well and nearing the end of your isolation - it's a pain in the ass, especially at this time of year. I doubt very much you'd be last, might be a bit of fun to take part, go for it I say :). Happy new year, here's to good running for all in 2022.

Dubh Geannain

Hope you're back recovered at this stage. That's a real tough one at Christmas. Well done for sticking to the isolation. One of my colleagues was in the exact same position (in a 1 bed city centre apartment). I made sure to contact him a few times but he found it a real struggle and didn't mask the fact.

ReeReeG

Thank you all for the kind messages. I’m out the other side safely, certainly some lingering effects from covid; the tiredness lasted til late this week, and the cough returns after any run really, regardless of pace, but getting less so, should all be a distant memory soon enough!

Fri 31st Dec - First day I was allowed out, was dying to get moving. The legs felt stiff alright, and the hips, but it just felt nice to get the fresh air! I did stop for a breather after 2 miles, but managed a 5k anyway. 9.35/m avg.

Sun 2nd Jan - Headed for a run avoiding training knowing I wouldn’t be up to that. Happily had a couple of chat breaks with club mates. 5 miles at 9.59 avg.

Mon 3rd Jan - Went over to the park to remind myself how spikes feel for a short and horrible mile 😂

Tues 4th Jan - went to strength class in the morning. Took it handier after the break, but was grand actually.

Avoided the evening speed work at UCD and met other club mates for ‘easy’ miles. Route was a little hillier than I was expecting! 5.6 miles at 9.15/m.

Weds 5th - nothing, was very stiff after S&C!

Thurs 6th - up to club training again. Plan was 40 mins and strides. I hung back with a few, but we went to catch up with the rest a couple of times (not my idea) and I was wrecked!! So I sneaked back to my car while everyone went to do strides 🤪 4.6 miles at 9.31/m avg.

Fri 7th - Having slept a lot early in the week, I struggled to sleep at all Thurs night. Skipped the S&C class as a result.

Sat 8th - More restless sleep but kept to the plan of my 100th parkrun, and to see how I felt about Dublin Masters the next day. I was still undecided until I realised while running parkrun with my sister that I’d rarely have as good an excuse for being useless 😃 we kept parkrun somewhere between steady and easy, 27.55 finish. I got goaded into a faster finish by my brother who’d come along too, silly. Nice morning though. About 4.5 miles total.

Spent the afternoon getting cold in Malahide watching ladies GAA all-Ireland QF. My friend’s club over from London lost badly :(

Sun 9th

Dublin Masters XC - 3k (very glad of gender inequality in this instance)

Don’t really know St. Anne’s park that well, so parked in the wrong place really and wandered around for a good 15 mins before finding the start area! Threw my bag at the club tent, and headed on a lap of the course. Mucky enough, still debating will I run this?! Back to the club meeting point, and a few drills etc, and before I knew it we were lining up.

Let’s just call a spade a spade - I was brutal! Compared to where I should be. But anyway, it’s my starting point now.

It took off hard enough, and I had no choice but to keep going or I’d be tripping people up, but I did enjoy oh maybe the first 400m? And then women started to pass me… and more.. and more.. ! I was struggling badly at halfway, energy low and bit light headed, but knowing it was halfway I just kept telling myself to finish. I realised the second lap around that while I was finding the grassy part tough, I was able to run in the forest so picked off a few in there surprisingly. The finishing straight seemed to get longer the second time around, and I thought I was gonna vomit, but got there in the end. (Thanks aquinn for the shouts along here).

I wasn’t on the last page of results so there’s that! Nice bunch from the club, but compared to other clubs not many really which is a shame. Raheny had a very impressive turnout unsurprisingly, and watching Clohisey destroy the men’s race was something else. 6k XC in 20.24, not bad 😆

Anyway, back into a routine from now and let’s see how it goes… need to clean up the diet too!

Murph_D

Well done, V, especially under the circumstances!

Annie get your Run

Glad you enjoyed it :) well done!! You can't beat the team spirit of a XC race no mater where in the pack you are!

Lambay island

Fair play for taking it on and well done 👍

shotgunmcos

Good stuff, a mucky starting point 😁

ReeReeG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118446417#Comment_118446417

I was going to say I'm not sure I enjoyed it, but you know what, I didn't hate it as much as my other cross country attempts 😂 thanks, and yes there's a lot to be said for club solidarity.

Wubble Wubble

100th parkrun and a XC race in the bag counts as a good weekend in my book. Especially considering what you've been through lately. Fair play to you for staying with it today.

Swashbuckler

Tough as nails you are. Fair play. XC is tough going.

ariana`

Fair play V. I really admire your ability to embrace everything - XC, Road, Track... Well done, I agree with the @Swashbuckler, you are tough as nails and won't ever be kept down for long. Looking forward to seeing where you go this year, I have a sneaky feeling it's going to be a good one, the foundation is certainly there.

Laineyfrecks

Well done V on the 100th park run & the XC 😊

ReeReeG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118447838#Comment_118447838

God, I wish I had your faith in me! I feel the opposite, there's no real foundation at all? Routine has been non-existent. I used to write out my weekly plan on a Sunday evening / Monday morning, of what I was running each day and when, as well as S&C, so I did that last night for this week hoping to kickstart that habit again. Doesn't give me the opening of will I/ won't I run now etc.

crisco10

That's a cracking weekend tbf. Well done! Must admit to trying to spot ya in the Facebook video clip of the start of the ladies race - I failed. You must have hidden in the pack long enough! ;-)

ReeReeG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118448526#Comment_118448526

I think that's why I enjoyed the first 400m, I was in a pack! It's not like I'd be towering over people either🤣

Bluesquare

Good weekend for you ! Fair play doing the XC even after the Covid - tough as nails as Ariana and SB pointed out above !

Dubh Geannain

Great to see you back at it so quick. You'd already put in a hard weeks work too, never mind coming back from Covid. Not many would have even taken that race on.

ReeReeG

I had a long draft written up the other day with my thoughts on this week’s tragic events, but having seen some of the online commentary, I am reluctant to potentially draw some of those voices into my training log. RIP Ashling Murphy, and let us all hope that nothing like this ever happens again to any person.

Mon 10th - evening walk.

Tues 11th - Morning S&C, 40 mins.

Evening club session in UCD. This week’s session was planned to be 4 x 1 mile reps at 10k, but I only did the 3 reps. It was tough, not sure if post XC tough or not as fit as I’d like tough, but I certainly wasn’t hitting the pace I’d expect. (8.11, 8.20, 8.18). I was working on my own for most of the laps too which wasn’t great I suppose. Approx 5 miles total for the evening.

Weds 12th - Lunchtime run in Santry park. Beautiful day for a run, which made the news that night extra chilling somehow. 3.5 miles @ 9.30/m. Walk in the evening with a friend in UCD.

Thurs 13th - Evening run with the club. 5.5 miles @ 9.30, plus 4 x 30s strides. Was going to do more strides but left calf got tight so I thought the smart thing was to stop early.

Fri 14th - Morning S&C, 40 mins. Lunchtime walk.

Sat 15th - Club session with Maria McC. 1 mile warm-up, then into the spikes for mixed intervals around the football pitches in St Enda’s, approx 100, 200, 300, 400 metres (2 sets). This was tough but I tried to keep the legs lifting and keep the reps even paced. Could have gone better but practice will make perfect (or at least better). Half a mile cool down. Nice crowd out for this first session with Maria.

Sun 16th - Met more of the club this morning in Marlay and we headed up to Massy’s wood, nice and handy pace. I thought I’d need more walk breaks but only took the one towards the end of the ascent. Nice to change it up, and the surface in the woods is lovely underfoot. 8.1 miles @ 10.31/m average, (last km steady back in the park). 26.3 miles for the week.

Murph_D

I for one would like to read those thoughts. If you can’t write this kind of stuff in your running log, what’s the point? But I know what you mean. Something somewhere is broken, although it’s not that hard to see what it is.

Runster

Maria McCambridge - I wondered where she went, if she was still racing.

The last time I really heard anything about her was when she won DCM in 2013 and the picture of her partner hugging her at the finish.

It was a great race for her that time.

ReeReeG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118485280#Comment_118485280

What's the point is exactly the thoughts that were in my head this week, and I have been very heavy hearted so if a comment was made like some I've seen.. No thanks. I'd rather not invite that.

That said, one of the texts I received from my father during the week included the words "But we must keep going." He's right.

ReeReeG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118485829#Comment_118485829

She was 2nd in Dublin Masters last weekend. Ran at Jingle Bells too.

Her husband coaches our Tuesday evening sessions. We're in good hands for 2022!

Runster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118485996#Comment_118485996

I remember seeing pics of her husband training Fingal kids Tri as well.

Not sure if he's still doing that.

You are very lucky to have such talent training your club. An inspiration as well for any Masters women

Annie get your Run

We must keep going, for Ashling, for ourselves. I don't want to draw unwanted commentary either though so I will leave it there.

Love the sound of that session with Maria.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118485986#Comment_118485986

There are so many different opinions from men & women everywhere, no matter what anyone's opinion is, a young women violently lost her life, that should not happen be it woman or man, no one has the right to harm another person. I for one will still run, not a lot will change, in saying that I have always been careful picking my route, checking around me etc. We lost a female relative to a violent murder & it did bring it back. Society as a whole needs to change, it can't happen overnight but we have to start somewhere, right?

RIP Ashling Murphy

Swashbuckler

You should feel free to post your thoughts, especially in your own log for two reasons really.

1. Those types that seek out drama are lazy. They're looking for thread titles. It would take too much work to find drama in a thread titled "Man, I feel like a runner" 😁
2. It's your log so your entitled to tell anyone you like to pi*s off , unlike a regular thread on Boards where you'd be reprimanded - and we all got your back 😉

Personally, I struggle a bit when the general term "men" is used for a catch-all, particularly in this case with Ashling. I completely understand , agree with and support the female viewpoint on what you all have to deal with. I also agree that something major needs to change and hopefully thats one positive that comes out of this awful tragedy. What I struggle with is it quickly becomes a "men" vs "women" thing. I consider myself a "man" and like most (if not all) of my male friends we are ordinary decent loving dads, brothers, husbands. I think when it comes to unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate behaviour like that then I agree we need to teach or sons and male friends that its simply not acceptable. So if I see a buddy of mine being an as*hole to a girl then i'll call him out on it. But what happened last week was more than that. It was a violent, unprovoked attack. It takes a special type of unhinged lunatic to do something like that. A friend of mine posted on facebook about it and said "men, talk to your friends". It just really irked me. I mean , do we really think that lunatic didnt know what he was doing was wrong? Is it really a case that his Dad didnt tell him when he was a child - "Son, dont be a violent lunatic". The law needs to come down firm and hard in cases like this and cases of sexual assault, misconduct etc. Like there needs to be serious serious consequences. Too often its a slap on the wrist and walk on to the next victim.

Anyway, sorry V - I went off on a bit of a ramble there. In summary - your in a safe place here so feel free to talk about it. (well as safe as someone can be online!)....

P.S. - hopefully nobody takes any of the above in the wrong way.

ReeReeG

Mon 17th Jan - Rest (short walk only)

Tues 18th - Morning S&C, 40 mins.

Evening club session. 1 mile warm-up, 15 mins or so drills etc. Session was 3 x 10 mins tempo, off 90 seconds jog recovery. I haven’t a clue what my tempo is so myself and another club mate kept it probably too handy for the first 10 mins (approx 9 min mile), the next two reps were approx 8.35/8.40 pace. We had ended up with one of the tri-club runners (its a combined session with the two clubs), and she was to do a 4th rep as she’s in marathon training, so we did another 6 mins or so at 8.40ish to keep her company for a bit. We were chatting all the reps so I definitely think it was too handy a pace to be tempo. Low 8s will be the target in future I think. Mile or so cool down. Felt full of energy.

Weds 19th - Easy lunchtime run in Santry park. 3.5 miles, 9.39 avg. Started out very easy but quickened as the legs loosened out.

Thurs 20th - Got my 50 mins easy done in the morning before work as I needed to drive down homeward direction that evening. 5.2 miles at 9.59/m avg. Legs very slow to wake up!

Fri 21st - Morning S&C, 40 mins. Lazy day otherwise.

Sat 22nd - Club session in St Endas again (plus some cameras from Athletics Ireland 🤨). Mile warm-up around the park, few drills, and into the spikes again (getting used to them anyway) for 10 x 75 seconds, 60 seconds off. A whistle was in use which worked well. I took off way too hard for the first rep (avg 6.33 pace), the temptation to try to keep up with the people ahead is too much, and I honestly thought I’ll never complete the 10 reps. BUt I copped on for the next lot and managed to keep going and hitting roughly the same spot on the loop each time (avg between 7.10 - 7.20 pace). Mile cool down and done!

Drove to Donegal town and back then for a visit to a friend and her baby, lovely scenic drive until I got a flat! Same wheel as I seem to often get a flat on so its time to accept the problem is between the steering wheel and the driver seat 🤪

Sun 23rd - Got myself out for the early club run, 8.1 miles from Marlay to Massy’s and back, same as last week. There’s an awful camper on the road though which was annoying my ankle. Must investigate how to counteract that.

27.3 miles for the week. Hopefully hit a 10 mile Sunday run next week. I’ve decided to skip Raheny, getting the long runs and consistent training is the priority for me right now. Happy with the week though, and have to say the club camaraderie with the new coaching setup is really fantastic. There’s a good buzz with everyone at the moment.