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Better late than never

denis b

Started life here as a DCM 2015 novice and I have just graduated!!!! A slow starter but I have run on and off over the years, always trying to maintain some degree of fitness. Fell off the wagon a couple of times along the way but had a "moment of inspiration" in September 2013 whilst sitting in the car one evening.

One of the kids had decided to take up competitive rowing, so here I was sitting there looking out through the windscreen, on his first week, thinking that this will be a long winter. Decided there and then that with the Phoenix Park beside the boat club that I would try and get fit again. It felt like "one more throw of the dice". I was almost 51 and wondered what was I capable of doing if I worked at running for a couple of years. I had always cherished a dream of running a sub 4 hour marathon, and this year it has happened. DCM 2015 3:54.

Will explain, but the chapter became a book over the last 2 years and now I move on to the next phase - to try and better my pb's over 5km (21:00) and 10 km (47:02) over the next 4 months.

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annapr

denis b wrote: »

It reminds me of the "gentle incline" in St. Annes on the Parkrun course up from the bridge and passing the Dog Enclosure. Hardly noticeable until you are at your limits. There is an 8m differential from Pond to Top of course and the headlong breeze and expanse made it feel harder than it is. Still think it is the most favourable course for a Parkrun pb all the same. Have noticed your own enthusiasm and extra sessions of late. A target in the offing?

Yeah, i know what you mean... the stretch at the dog park in St Anne's felt like the hell of the west to me on Saturday

My first target is not to embarrass myself at Terenure... then hope to start training for Charleville HM, all the cool kids doing that this year

Annie get your Run

denis b wrote: »

Still think it is the most favourable course for a Parkrun pb all the same.

I was going to suggest you try Hartstown, very flat and only one and half laps, but then I looked at the sub 17 table for both parkruns and see Krusty did 16:49 in Hartstown but 16:40 in Poppintree! The course record is also 5 seconds quicker there too so looks like you're right..

jake1970

Congrats on the PB denis, great running.

What race are you doing in Athlone at the weekend? the reason I ask is that there was a 10k race in Athlone last weekend, I hope it wasnt the one you were targetting.

denis b

Annie get your Run wrote: »

I was going to suggest you try Hartstown, very flat and only one and half laps, but then I looked at the sub 17 table for both parkruns and see Krusty did 16:49 in Hartstown but 16:40 in Poppintree! The course record is also 5 seconds quicker there too so looks like you're right..

Nice research A. Mine was more of a hunch :rolleyes:. Thanks for that and the idea of a lap and a half (everything stays fresh) is well worth pointing out. Its all about the 1% gains from here on in

denis b

jake1970 wrote: »

Congrats on the PB denis, great running.

What race are you doing in Athlone at the weekend? the reason I ask is that there was a 10k race in Athlone last weekend, I hope it wasnt the one you were targetting.

D'oh When I said Athlone I meant The Oram Way, 10km Castleblaney

:o:o. Thanks for the heads up Jake. Would have been a downer to arrive in Athlone, without The Tardis, looking for a race that was over a week ago. Quick search and found the above which is closer to home and looks to have a decent profile.

Now what else did I forget

denis b

annapr wrote: »

Yeah, i know what you mean... the stretch at the dog park in St Anne's felt like the hell of the west to me on Saturday

My first target is not to embarrass myself at Terenure... then hope to start training for Charleville HM, all the cool kids doing that this year

I have both of those races in the diary Anna, the REAL ONE. Would be even more embarrassing to "toe the line" for a race that wasn't happening

. See ya there.

Murph_D

Castleblaney is flat? Plenty of drumlins around there if I remember correctly! You're pretty good on rolling territory though, I think - important to strike when the iron is hot, and the training has been very consistent.

Kennyg71

Best Luck Denis, you seem to be in great nick, so go have a great race.

denis b

Murph_D wrote: »

Castleblaney is flat? Plenty of drumlins around there if I remember correctly! You're pretty good on rolling territory though, I think - important to strike when the iron is hot, and the training has been very consistent.

First thing I thought were drumlins and no horizons D. Chased poor ould Kavanagh away but the race profile looks reasonable. 2 laps of a course with a 25m elevation difference. One descent and one long drag type ascent. The ascent part, which appears to be quite even, is over 2.5km so no complaints.

Yep....definitely don't want to put this off if and was prepared to head to Letterkenny for another 10km, if necessary.

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Best Luck Denis, you seem to be in great nick, so go have a great race.

Cheers G and best of luck this weekend as well.

Annie get your Run

Good luck Denis!! Where ever you end up

nop98

Good luck Denis!

Bungy Girl

Give it socks !

jake1970

Best of luck tomorrow Denis, PB all the way!!

Mrs Mc

Have a good one Denis

hot buttered scones

Best if luck with the race. Hope the hard work pays off.

denis b

Wednesday 26th April
Probably one of the first recovery Runs that I have ever done at the right pace. Realised that I had got the wrong date for my goal race (Tip off from Jake) and did a quick scan to find that as luck would have it the famed Oram 10km was on next Saturday. Booked. Race profile showed a 25m height differential. Further advice from Murphy D, about the rolling nature of drumlin country did not dissuade me :eek:.

To be honest I was going to run come hell or high water and strike while the iron was hot (Murph D, 2017).

6km 6:02/km and 133hr

Thursday 27th April
Rest Day.

Friday 28th April
Last recovery run (with 4x100m strides) and escaped out to a gem of a run in Limerick by UL. Just jogged through the campus and down along by the water front, by the UL Boat Club, heading back to Rhebogue to collect the car. I will be back to further explore this scenic path.

6km 5:48/km and 138hr

Saturday 29th
Race Day: I had missed the planned flattest 10km course in Ireland at Athlone the previous week and found the most rolling and hilly one I have ever run on. Oram, Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan.

Arrived at 9.15am and collected my race number and pins in the GAA Hall which sports a larger than life sized mural of Big Tom, who was also a Club and County GAA star in his day. Impressive.

Headed out and decided to bite the bullet and take a tour of the 5km loop to see what damage was out there. I had expected, from the mapmyrun elevation profile. that the loop involved a 2.5km descent and 2.5km ascent. Mother of Jaysus how deceptive can a low resolution profile be. The descent involved a series of 4 undetected very sharp pulls which then rolled on down. One of them, the last, was a potential stopper. And that was only the descent!!!!

The ascent by comparison had no surprises as it just climbed, and quite honestly so, for 2.5km. That was the easy bit. Ok so....decided to play the hill series by slowing marginally when I naturally slowed down but pick up speed on the downhill to win my time back. I would try and bag a few secs for the 2nd loop. Similarly I was going to try and run the first lap at old pb pace and then judge the second lap as much as I could. Well laid plans

:rolleyes:

Warmed up and did the usual 3km and 4x100m strides before we were marshalled in front of the flat bed lorry for the pre-run exercises. Actually it was good crack and there was a decent crowd for the 5/10km run. I would describe it as a community run with a sprinkling of club runners and lots of GAA jerseys.

The 10km crew were ordered off down to the bottom of the hill to some predetermined start beside a pole in the ditch. We were chatting when suddenly we heard a horn from the top of the hill and 2 high viz people waving their arms. Somebody decided that maybe we had better start as the 5km group on the top of the hill, beside the start line, were gone.

Started off at a decent pace heading uphill and quickly people began falling away. Ahead of us there was a formidable line of buggies from hedge to hedge with the 5km tail walkers cresting the hill to giggles and banter from bystanders. Our leader spotted a gap and the buggies parted mystified as to where we had come from.

1km down and I realised that I was in 4th place. ****e, I'll collapse and be exposed as a jackeen fraud on the hills. We tore downhill past the lake and hit the the mini hill series. I was closing ground on No 3 who seemed to know everybody we passed. Kept running to a rhythm fast, roll into the hill, slow and crest before picking up speed as quickly as possible. I had never ever encountered anything like this. By the 3rd km I could see that perhaps I might be better off treating this as a race rather than a pb attempt.

Km 1,2+3 4:26, 4:28 and 4:26. I had bagged my 10 seconds but at what cost, and this was only the downhill :eek:.

On the 4th km I had pretty much caught No 3 and I looked to overtake him on the long rise which twisted and turned every 50 metres. He reacted and pushed on again. Being 30 years my junior I was cautious but I sat right on his shoulder and pushed up the pace a little more as the hill steepened. We hit another severe S bend and I grabbed the racing line making the most of the couple of feet it saved. This racing is good. It just feels different from chasing a time for once. Right, where is he. No don't look. Just make the next km on the hill count. I crested the hill (halfway) breathing really hard and had noticed that my HR was at a new Max :eek:. Still I felt I could keep going. I want to hold 3rd.

Km 4+5 4:33 and 4:38

I rounded the corner close to the church when suddenly I could see No 2 ahead. He had a relaxed running style and we had chatted on the start line. Again I was giving him 3 decades and began to wonder should I hold back and pick my chance to overtake on the hills when least expected. Just as quickly I had passed him and I could see that he probably was in no position to follow. Time to attack the mini hills again but this time the last one really caught me hard....an absolute stinker, short and very steep. But I knew what followed and there would be some recovery then. Give it everything. A quick glance over my shoulder on the hilltop showed that No 4 had caught No 3 and a small pack were 100m behind them.

KM 6+7 4:24 and 4:25

Good ground ahead and running on my own I knew there was a water station coming up. Had not noticed the wind earlier but it was picking up. Push hard and keep the momentum up. If someone catches me they will have had to work and the hills ahead would make that early effort all the more difficult. Choked on the second sip of water and just dropped the bottle catching my breath.

Km 8 4:23

Really beginning to hurt now. I had never been in a position like this before. It might be just a small race but it mattered and it hurt and I could manage that. I ran close to the hedge for protection from the wind and used the best line through the bends again. I had a quick look at my watch for the first time in a few kms and saw that I was also very close to a pb. The hill steepened and I pushed as hard as I could for the last 1400m's never looking at the watch. I have no idea what happened over the last 800m but the legs stayed strong and I didn't fall or slow. I was completely oblivious to anyone, totally in my own space and just ran through the mats. There was no barrier to lean against and I just bent over, alone with my own thoughts for several seconds. I could soon hear voices again and the world slowly came back into focus.

Km 9+10 4:35 and 4:25

I had finished in second place and I had run as honestly as I could. There was to be no pb as the chip time determined the race was run in 45:01. I had made it 44:43 as I paused my watch before accidentally restarting it again when I finished. It wasn't really all that important to be honest. There will be another day. Avg hr was 167 which is 3 points higher than my pb run last year.

Shook hands with the winner and cheered the rest of the field in before everybody headed back into the hall for an impromptu concert with the tea and scones. Well what do you know I recognise that man: It was Big Tom himself supporting the community fundraiser, shaking hands and larger than life itself. Not a bad way to be at 80 years of age.

P.S.
On the drive back to Dublin I thought about what the race meant for me. I was certain I had run well. I was delighted I had followed through and made a commitment to racing when it was difficult to do so. I would also look to race again, as soon as possible, and get that 10km pb.

St. Annes Summer Series 10km booked. Now, what day is that on again......

nop98

Good going, Denis! Well done!

Younganne

Well done Denis. great running.
Did you get a Prize?;);)

jake1970

Well done Denis, congrats on the podium finish.

hillsiderunner

Very well done.

When I was reading the intro I was thinking you should have no reason to fear a few hills!

hot buttered scones

Well done on the result and a podium finish too! Great racing.

Singer

2nd! Did the locals treat you like royalty?

Definitely sounds like an experience, very different from the larger races (Big Tom!). Looks like a very decent effort, on a very challenging course. It looks like the competitive juices kicked in, but you could expect to do a little better with a stronger field around you, and of course most 10ks aren't on as challenging courses

annapr

I have to say that report made me laugh out loud several times.... big Tom (life size and in person!) and drumlins, you could only be in Monaghan :pac:

Great performance on a tough course

Murph_D

Outstanding, Denis - great report too. Kudos. And Big Tom in the flesh has to be the icing on the cake. Hope there was a prize! Congrats.

Kennyg71

Super result Denis delighted for you, really well raced, and great read.

Annie get your Run

Absolutely brilliant Denis !!! You can't beat the feeling of a proper race for position, I was on the edge reading that report !! Well done indeed

conor_mc

Well done Denis, great racing there! As you said, different (better?) experience than chasing a pb!

Bungy Girl

What a great report! I was on the edge of my seat reading that. Who cares about PBs when you can race like that and leave those young lads in your dust. Brilliant stuff. You really must try XC next season, I'd say you'd love it.

Now, set a reminder on your phone for the next 10K...:rolleyes:

diego_b

Ah great stuff Denis, well done on keying into the race you were running and not the pb attempt..excellent result (and time) on the hills on hills!

Neady83

Nicely done Denis

That has to be much much sweeter than a PB? It sounds like you really enjoyed racing. I hope they gave you a decent prize

p.s. great report too, edge of the seat stuff.