Leader Of The (Mid) Pack

tbukela wrote: »

Well done, great read as always. It sounds like a really strong effort and an excellent time.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. More to come I hope!

scotindublin wrote: »

Great effort on a tough day J.....I think I can just about feel my hands again!

Thanks C, I would have found it harder to stand around for that length of time!

OOnegative wrote: »

Good man J, great to see, any PB ran in the Phoenix Park is hard earned. Delighted for you.

Thanks B, in over 30 races in the Phoenix Park, I'd never run up the hill from the hospital to the 15 Acres before.

Unthought Known wrote: »

Cracking run J and an amazing time! Congrats.

Thanks A, hope the recovery's going well!

Kellygirl wrote: »

Very well done J on a manky day. Great job.

Thanks K, much appreciated!

ReeReeG wrote: »

Well done!! Nice report, I haven't a clue of the Phoenix Park so mine will have way less location references!

Always glad to give a bit of extra detail :pac: Apart from racing there so many times over the years, I run there both alone and with the club too, so I'm quite familiar with all the roads, and a lot of the trails too

skyblue46 wrote: »

You dug in very well there J. Great running in the conditions. Congrats on yet another PB.

Thanks S, making up for a few "indifferent" years, slowly but surely

coogy wrote: »

Well done J! Didn't envy you lot out there today but looks like you didn't let the elements faze you one bit.

Great reporting as per usual!!

Thanks K, it was a bit easier on the less exposed sections, but having one or two to try and shelter behind was sometimes handy!

Baby75 wrote: »

Well done J great running and report I will be looking forward to hearing how the insihboffin HM goes

Thanks N ! Can't wait for that one. It will be totally different to the GIR! Hilly? Yes, very. Windy? Probably! But then the numbers are much smaller (about 150 in total between the HM and 10k), and I wouldn't consider it a PB course by any stretch of the imagination. Plus the field is a lot shallower. I'll be aiming for a top ten finish in that one, whereas in the GIR I was in the top 12 *percent*.

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Great stuff J. Super pb

Thanks P, fine run by yourself on Sunday too.

Murph_D wrote: »

Congrats, J. That sounds like a proper effort and congrats on the PB - even more impressive with the wind and the hills.

Cheers D, I'd rank it a lot higher than my K Club performance - in Kildare, there was no wind or hills to contend with, short course notwithstanding.

Singer wrote: »

Great going, congrats on the PB! Your detailed description of the course was very accurate

Thanks B, and a super performance from you. You were just behind our 3rd scorer. Being so familiar with the PP helps with the race reports :pac:

ariana` wrote: »

Another great race and report! Well done J. Delighted to see you going so well this year!

Thanks E! The good days are easier to write about, no doubt! Yes, this year has been a lot better so far.

AuldManKing wrote: »

Good man J - a super performance. Well done.

Thanks A, you're right back in the swing of things after Rotterdam!

The Black Oil wrote: »

Nice one! Distinct lack of Gaeilge in the report?

Thanks B ! Tá brón orm maidir leis an easpa Ghaeilge. Regular readers may (not) have noticed the general absence of musical or literary allusions, which I have a tendency to try and shoehorn into the longer reports :pac: I was under a little bit of time pressure on Sunday, so maybe I'll make up for all that when I get back from the West

aquinn wrote: »

Brilliant, congratulations on the PB. Were you not frozen in the singlet?

Thanks A! No, not at all! I'd been sitting in the car in my layers for aaaages before the photos, so all was grand - plus I didn't feel like hanging around at bag drop etc for too long afterwards. I get that I may have *looked* a lot colder than I actually was Hot weather is a very different story though! Cast your mind back to last year's Clontarf HM, for example #WinterRunner

eyrie wrote: »

Congratulations! Well done J, and well deserved PB. Sounds like you really toughed it out, always a good sense of satisfaction in that

Thanks C! Once or twice during the race, I recalled a quote from Krusty maybe a couple of years back, when he said something along the lines of always having to fight for PBs. Certainly, this one wasn't handed to me - I had to really battle when it looked like my time was going to fall off the cliff.

---

Yep. It feels like I did something good this time.

Three PBs in a row (not including a mid pace parkrun), so things are certainly looking up. Training has been better than previous years, although diet etc could still do with cleaning up. I'd like to think I could make use of the Conn HM plan again next year, although I may have to find an alternative route for the long midweek tempos, which I ran mostly in Laurel Lodge this year.

In the meantime, I'll keep ticking over till Bofin. Apart from relays and BMS 5k, I'm thinking of using the ARC Cancer Support 10k as part of my last long run before I travel West. From the house to the start is over 3 miles for warmup, plus 10k at HMP, then an easy run home to cooldown, should be perfect if I execute it properly. Thoughts?

Thanks A, glad you liked it! Seems it took a bit more out of me than I thought as I was typing...

Mon 15/4 - 3.62 miles@9:31/mi

Still very windy in D15, as I set out for my recovery run after work. Thankfully, I had company for a lot of my stint. I bumped into Emilia from Dunboyne about halfway through my first Carpo loop, and as we were both running at roughly the same slow pace, she turned around and joined me for the next 2 miles or so.

Tue 16/4 - Rest

As planned.

Wed 17/4 - Rest

Not planned :rolleyes:

Thu 18/4 - 5.85 miles@8:36/mi

The weather had changed for the better since Monday. I enjoyed this one, on a warm, sunny evening. Straight to Porterstown after work, alternating long laps with parkrun laps, four in all, before turning back out and heading home.

Good Friday - Rest

Well, no running. However, I finally cut the grass, for the first time this year :eek:

Sat 20/4 - Waterstown parkrun

The plan was to try a fast parkrun (Tyrrelstown) as a warmup for the Bristol Myers Squibb 5k on Wednesday week. However, with the fine weather, my wife wanted to go to Waterstown, which as many of you will know, presents different challenges

On another warm and sunny morning, I lined up at the front of what's usually a slow enough one. With no sign of serial first placer Josh (16:xx on that course!) the top positions seemed to be up for grabs. Two lads went off early, while I followed the next two young lads and a girl, as we went down the long, steep drop to the Liffey. The section by the river is usually into the breeze, but conditions were fairly benign this morning. I passed the girl roughly halfway along here, so then it was the two youngsters about 40-50m ahead. Although I reduced the gap considerably at times, I never quite caught them. I couldn't get out of third gear on the second lap, even on the long downhill slope on the way back. I suppose the fact that I've been eating tonnes of rubbish all week didn't help :pac: Anyway, it turned out I was a place higher than I thought, as one youngster was pacing the other, and he stepped off without going through the finish. I ended up with a seven second course PB, beating my time set last Christmas, which is about as good as I could have hoped for.

Time: 21:24
Position: 4/94
Category: 1st M45

Easter Sunday - 5.00 miles@8:21/mi

The above is a rough guess, as I forgot to start the clock when we left Castleknock Gate. I got dropped about two thirds of the way up the Khyber (dinner and drinks last night not helping my cause) and seriously considered leaving it at 5 - the solo trip up Chesterfield from the Phoenix roundabout seemed to take about 20 minutes! Off I went again with the 8:45 group. Before we'd even got to White's Gate, I was falling off the back. Pulled the plug and went home instead. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a bit more energy.

Next

At the time of writing, we've four lads interested in the relays next Sunday, including me. I'm planning to be the sub though. I've an entry for the Night Run, so we'll see how it all pans out. Happy Easter to one and all. Thanks for reading. J.

Very little to report this week!

Yes, it's since transpired that last Sunday morning I was in the early stages of another week of sickness. With other real life stuff added to the mix, the first five days of this week brought a sum total of zero miles.

Sat 27/4 - Porterstown parkrun

Not a great deal to be said about this one, apart from the fact I felt able to get out and do it. 23 minutes on the nose (5k at HM pace!) was good enough to get me into the top 10, which really isn't saying a lot, given that I could have been top 5 if I made much of an effort.

Sun 28/4 - National Road Relays, Raheny

For the first time in three years, the club was represented at this event, which was the main thing really. I arrived early, hoping that the other three would turn up and save me having to splutter my way through 6+ minutes of torture. skyblue was in good form beforehand, not sounding too worried about having to race a mile :pac:

Mercifully, the last guy arrived about five to two, so I was only too happy to pass the number across! I did run a warmup lap, passing aquinn, mister paul, FBOT, Murph_D and annapr along the way. I sensed some disappointment out there when I said I wasn't running :pac: We were back in plenty of time for the finish of the Masters Women race, where HelenAnne from these parts brought Raheny home in third.

scotindublin was in the lead group of Masters Men (1 mile/2 miles/1 mile), and ran a strong leg, while skyblue was anchor for his team, and finished it out well. Our crew came in just under 23 minutes overall - closer to last than first I think, but we certainly didn't disgrace ourselves. Maybe next year I'll be fit and healthy for it - it's certainly something I'd like to try, although it's completely different from longer races.

As a backup, I had an entry for tonight's Dublin Night Run 10k, which I picked up through work. I still don't feel 100%, so I'm not regretting my decision to let it slide.

Next

The BHAA Bristol Myers Squibb 5k takes place on Wednesday evening in Ballycoolin. I earmarked this one for a PB attempt some time ago. However, since the GIR I've so little work done that I feel absolutely miles off the required state of fitness. I'll play it by ear, and make a call on it on the day. Thanks for reading. J.

Wed 1/5 - BHAA Bristol Myers Squibb 5k

Ok, so maybe I'll expand on this one a little bit.

Cheered by my interview success, I decided I'd be able for a fast (for some!) 5k fairly close to home, in spite of still not being over my illness. Even when registering after the short drive to BMS, I was coughing and spluttering while chatting to the large group of clubmates present (13 of us in total).

I didn't look or sound healthy warming up, let alone feel it. On my way back to the car to throw away the layers, I spotted mister paul, and we ran and chatted together for a bit. Back up to the start with the MSBers, and a decent crowd had gathered near the roundabout, which was the highest point on the course. I had a chat with quick feet (PB for him) while we were waiting for the shout to go. After having to wait for a plane to clear the grounds, we were away.

This was a 2 1/2 lap race, quite similar to last year's 5k in Pfizer. Downhill start, and even here I wasn't feeling up for it at all. Paddy, Bernard and Ronan were all in sight, but I made no attempt to stay with them. This was purely about getting around. Into the long breezy section, but I'd plenty of shelter. No hassle. Right again, through the 1k marker, shortly followed by the finish. Next right hander is a slight drag up to the roundabout. Even on the bit of downhill, I wasn't feeling the love at all. Roughly halfway through proceedings, P came sailing by, and rather than race him, I encouraged him to push on. Which he did.

Last lap, and I'm trading places with Podge on and off, and also there's an Eir guy on my left who keeps surging every so often to try and get away. Funny enough, I remembered us having a bit of a battle in the Pfizer race. This time I didn't care. Another clubmate, fresh from the Connemarathon, passed me with about 600 metres to go, while Podge followed suit as we turned for home. Sprint after them coming to the line? Forget that! Just finish. I shuffled across the line, very much in keeping with my overall effort levels - closer to parkrun than actual racing.

Time: 20:41
Position: 94/279
Category: 11/15 M45

Not much more to be said about it, apart from the noise I was making, as I continued to cough and splutter while we queued at the finish. Fastest 5k this year :rolleyes: It'll only be better when I'm in the whole of my health.

I skipped the post race grub, to shoot home for a quick shower and dinner, followed by a trip to the pub to watch the Reds. I've had happier sporting evenings, that's for sure.

Next

I've entered the ARC Cancer Support 10k, taking place on Monday morning. However, I'm not intending to race it. The plan is to run from the house, timing my arrival as close to the start time as possible, then the 10k itself at HMP, before running home. That will bring me up to about 12 1/2 miles for the day - if it goes well, I can feel a lot more confident about the Inishbofin HM. Thanks for reading. J.

Sat 4/5 - Tyrrelstown parkrun

I'd promised myself a return trip here, after an enjoyable run the week after it started last September. So keen was I on getting there, that I only realised as I was passing Corduff that I'd forgotten my barcode. I'd enough time to turn around and retrieve it, but it meant the warmup was curtailed somewhat.

Small numbers (46), with nobody around that I recognised. I decided to push the pace early on, and see who came with me. Two did. Ok, let's see if I can make this work. The early part of the lap we had the wind behind us, then a slight downhill towards the playground. Of course, it felt really easy. The leader (a Dunboyner) overtook me on the way down to the right turn for the playground, then the other fella passed me at the top of the little hump which passes for a hill in Tyrrelstown.
Into the exposed finishing straight, and I was battling into the breeze on my own, feeling a little bit foolish after burning myself with a 3:45ish first k. Laps 2 and 3 were simply a matter of keeping some vague attempt at rhythm going, as I knew there was no realistic chance of me catching anyone or being caught. My time of 21:00 was slower than my previous time there (20:42). On that day, I'd a guy to chase for the first two laps, and then the challenge of keeping him behind me for the last. It does make a big difference, regardless of whether you're "racing" or not.

Sun 5/5 - 7.05 miles@8:02/mi

Lovely run on the trails of the Phoenix Park, as 14 of us headed away shortly after 8:45. It's changed a lot from my early Sunday runs with the club, when I'd be huffing and puffing to keep up with the faster lads almost right from the off, and dropped altogether before we'd even 3 miles covered. Now there's a lot more around who are at my standard, and without a doubt it makes a big difference. In the evening, I went for a walk in St Anne's Park with my wife. Well we weren't two minutes in the park and who did I see, only Duanington weaving his way through a crowd of teenagers. Can't go anywhere

Mon 6/5 - ARC Cancer Support 10k, Phoenix Park

Originally, I'd planned to run from the house for this one, but the number didn't arrive in time, so my wife dropped me to the Park instead. I had to curtail the second warmup triangle in case I missed the start (my fault, ar$3ing around chatting). skyblue made it in, so I had a minder for my planned HMP (7:25/mi) stint.

I won't go too deep into it, as I wasn't racing. Having S there was a massive help, as there were a couple of instances where my eyes weren't on the road or my hands were slipping off the wheel. The temptation to try racing was strong enough at times, especially when there were a couple of familiar faces up ahead on lap 2 - a guy from work, and DF The Ref (who wasn't racing either, but even so ). There wasn't as much chat out of me on the second lap Anyway, we got in ahead of schedule (44:31, 25th place), and as well, another fella tagged on to us, who ended up with a big PB, so nice work all round. 3 mile+ cooldown run home brought me up to well over 12 miles for the day, and feeling more confident about Inishbofin.

Caution is advised here though. If I'm able to maintain that pace on the island, I could be in with a shout of a podium finish. A clubmate finished third last year in 1:35, a time which in some other years would have been good enough for overall glory. However, with all the undulations on that course, I might be better off taking it easyish early on. If I try to pull a stunt like the one on Saturday in Tyrrelstown, it could be a very long and painful experience, for all the beautiful scenery out there! Thanks for reading. J.

The Black Oil wrote: »

Congrats on the job. Super mentor? Mentors mentor? Mad how Inishbofin creeps up on the calendar so quickly!

Thanks B, like I say, it's been a while coming, which should make it all the sweeter if and when the move actually happens. Yes, just over a week until I head West. Can't wait.

Unfortunately there's no such thing as a "Super mentor" sure if there was, I doubt I'd be in the running anyway. Not to worry. Most of you probably know this already, but for those that don't, this year's Novices thread is up and running. Check it out.