ARtist in the Spotlight - edinrunna

Just a few short questions for now

1. How long did you play GAA and did you train consistently?
2. The reason I asked is because you mentioned consistency issues a few times in your log, any idea why you're struggling with that with the running?
3. What do you like most about running?
4. When lockdown is over and we have some races on the horizon, what are you goal times for each distance?

Thanks for setting this up B, don't think there's any questions I won't answer but maybe I shouldn't test ye!

1. What position did you play in GAA?

Ater around 16 it was exclusively hurling I played, very little gaelic football where I'm from which probably answers question 5 too! Under age I mostly played in the full back line but to be honest I despised it, started moving up the field slowly and by the time I finished I was mostly in the half forward line. I wasn't much of a scorer although I did take frees occasionaly, I was more up and down the line than an all out forward.

2. What brought you to Boards?

I'm pretty sure the first time I found the website was when I was doing my Leaving Cert, the forum here for that is a great resource. Since then I tend to dip in and out, when Covid hit I was reading a good bit too see what the perspective at home was like (some mad perspectives on here it turns out!) I'd also started taking running more seriously so found this forum, and I was amazed at the quality of info. The logs in particular were very impressive, so after several years of contributing nothing to the website decided to start my own. I've found it a big help, theres so much quality info on here and a great community to go along with it. I'll try to get more involved from now on!

3. List your PB’s?

This will be a short answer! Have only raced twice (one socially distanced)

5k 18.22 (Oct 2020)
10k 41.38 (Sept 19)

I've done some TTs too, 1 mile 5.27 and 3k 11.24 both in lockdown one. My parkrun PB is 21.24 I think!

4. Favourite beer?

Smithwicks was my drink at home, Tennents over here! Probably pretty clear that I'm not really drinking for the taste haha.

5. What county are you from?

The most successful hurling county of all time, sadly looks like it could be a while before we see any more success.

6. Favourite brand of runners and model?

This might be even worse than the beer answer! From 2019 until mid way through lockdown 1 I was wearing a £20 pair of runners made by a brand called Fabric. They lasted for a fair few miles before the soles gave in, so upgraded to a £40 pair of Nikes that I'm not sure of the name! However I think they may be an older version of Pegasus, but I could be imagining that! I'm aware that a better pair would be a very worthwhile investment, so I'm on the lookout for reccomendations!


7. Dream date?

Hard to even dream of one at the moment with Covid! In better times, something outdoors like a walk in the woods or in the mountains, then retreat to a nice countryside pub for dinner and drinks. Nothing too fancy!

8. What’s Edinburgh like for running, favourite location to run there and why?

I haven't tried any others but I'd say it surely ranks fairly highly. Loads of possible off road routes, particularly near where I live. There's the canal towpath 700m from my door which runs from Edinburgh to Falkirk and is pancake flat, although can be very busy and is quite narrow. There's also a horrible narrow bridge to cross about 3k out. There's a network of bike paths 1.2k from my door that total about maybe 20 miles and is reasonably flat, much wider and very scenic. It's where I do most of my runs now. There's a river called the Water of Leith that runs 13 miles from just outside Edinburgh and there's a footpath for about 90% running alongside. Quieter than the canal but narrow, it's more like a trail in some places. These three can be joined up at various points too. Spoiled!

There's also Queens drive which is a quiet road around Arthurs Seat (big hill in the city) which has almost a mile of steep climbing. This was where I did my first few runs here, the loop is just over 5k and my tactic was to run as fast as I could every time. Didn't last long unsurprisingly. Along with all these there's several decent and varied parks, and during lockdown I sometimes run through the city centre which can be a nice change.

One issue is there is only one track, and it never fully opened after lockdown, there's a new one being constructed so hopefully will have a choice in the future. The parkrun course is along a beach promenade, pancake flat and a decent turning point. Obviously it's quite exposed but on a calm day I'd say it would be a really fast course. I've only done it once, after a long long night and lets say I didn't enjoy it. Will hopefully get to a few when it's back and there's a few more close by that I want to try.

As for my favourite, I think it's the bike path. Most of my miles have been on there, it's also where I did a few TTs. I only discovered it during the first lockdown (or rather how close it was to me) and I did most of my running after 9pm. It was so quiet, I'd also see loads of foxes and other wildlife, I think it really helped keep me sane through the ordeal! I run without music and mostly alone so I really like to be somewhere aesthetically pleasing, the paths tick all the boxes for me.


Thanks for the questions, seems I care about running routes more than I knew!

skyblue46 wrote: »

How's it going. Nice to see this.

1. Who did you play for?

2. Is there any risk in running with an unrepaired ACL?

3. You are very young by the standardson this forum and already running really good times. How low do you think you can go in mile, 5K and 10k?

4. Whats your favourite biscuit?

5. Have you adopted a soccer club in Edinburgh?

6. Will Scotland vote for independence?

Thanks for the questions

1. Who did you play for?

I was only a club level player, we were junior/intermediate for most of my playing career. Have gone up to senior this year though! Missing the county final win was maybe the worst part of not being at home so far.

2. Is there any risk in running with an unrepaired ACL?

Not massively as far as I've been told, the main function of the ACL is for twisting motions so as long as I'm running in reasonably straight lines it's no problem. One significant problem however, is running steep downhills. I can't do this fast at all or the knee will flare up. Similar with a rough cross country surface. So that's definitely something I need to be wary of, without the protection of having the ACL functioning further damage could be very dangerous.

3. You are very young by the standardson this forum and already running really good times. How low do you think you can go in mile, 5K and 10k?

Ah ye aren't that old appreciate that, I think in terms of times I have a lot of room for improvement if I can consistently chip away at them. A sub 5 mile is very appealing, if I felt like I was close to that at some stage this year I'd probably give a go at following a plan for a while and make an attempt at it. For 5k and 10k, at the moment I think I could keep knocking good chunks off both for another while. I'd love to head towards 17 and 37 minutes respectively. These are ambitious enough targets and I have no chance of achieving them if I'm not consistent. So that is the real focus for the next while at least. I know once I can get that, stay injury free and put in a decent amount of work the times will get faster.

4. Whats your favourite biscuit?

Haha don't want to have to go looking up definitions so I'll play it safe and go for chocolate rich teas. Not that popular but I love them with a cup of tea.

5. Have you adopted a soccer club in Edinburgh?

Of course, there was only one option the mighty Hibees. I moved here in Sept 16, 4 months after they won the cup for the first time in 114 years.

This was one of the best cup finals of all time, beating a resurrected Rangers 3-2 with a late header from captain David Gray, an Edinburgh local. Dubliner Anthony Stokes scored the other 2 for Hibs in an unreal performance.

At full time Hibs fans invaded the pitch like so many counties have in Croke Park. Unfortunately there were a few nasty incidents, and I happen to have gotten to know one of the idiotic perpertrators. Eventually the mounted police calmed things down, followed by the below rendition of a great Proclaimers song (Leith locals!). Pretty spine tingling stuff.

The Leith area where the club is based is the setting of Trainspotting, a former port town that merged into the city and with the decline of the ports the area became ran down and the centre of Scotlands heroin epidemic in the 80s. The area is going through regentrification over the last few decades but it still has a community and almost hard luck vibe to the place. Hibs are one of those teams that often come close but rarely get to win the big prizes, apart from a great spell in the mid 1900s. Winning the cup in 2016 was a massive deal to the club and to the area, and I hate to say I missed it by only a few months!



6. Will Scotland vote for independence?

I think they will yes, but I think it could take a while before they get another chance. However with the way politics has gone recently who knows, it could happen sooner than we think. I think it's a problem that most people decide their vote rather emotionally, it's almost tribal so there is not a huge percentage of voters that could be swung. At the moment I think that percentage is siding with independence but that could also change.

Cheers

Good choice B

1. How long do you think you will stay in Edinburgh?

2. Who is your fav sportsperson?

3. King or Tayto?

4. Lyons or Barrys?

5. Do you plan to run a Marathon? If so which marathon would you pick (post covid)

6. Do you enjoy training alone or with people?

7. Would you consider being coached?

8. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be & why?


Cheers

Laineyfrecks wrote: »

Good choice B

1. How long do you think you will stay in Edinburgh?

2. Who is your fav sportsperson?

3. King or Tayto?

4. Lyons or Barrys?

5. Do you plan to run a Marathon? If so which marathon would you pick (post covid)

6. Do you enjoy training alone or with people?

7. Would you consider being coached?

8. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be & why?


Cheers

Thanks for the questions Lainey, good to see your base building is going well

1. How long do you think you will stay in Edinburgh?

Very much up in the air with this one, I finish my degree this year and after that I don't really have anything tieing me down here except my job but that's only a part time one to keep me going during my studies. At the moment I'd be leaning towards trying somewhere new but it's probably not the best time to think about it with lockdown. We've been under pretty heavy restrictions since September with only a brief amnesty over Christmas. There's still a lot I want to do in the city and around Scotland so who knows, I might stay on for another while!

2. Who is your fav sportsperson?

So many to choose from, I'll go with Roger Federer. Incredible career, insane longevity, and seems like a very nice guy all round. Love his one handed backhand, and how he has almost no exploitable weaknesses. Made all the better having Nadal, Djokovic and I'll reluctantly include Murray as competition. Some of the Wimbledon games against Nadal are better than any other sporting events I've ever seen.

3. King or Tayto?

King, but I'd take either over here! Can get Northern Irish taytos but they just aren't the same.

4. Lyons or Barrys?

I was never able to tell much of a difference bewteen them amazingly! Similar to the crisps though I'd take either over here, Tetleys just isn't the same. In fact I drink far less tea here because of that.

5. Do you plan to run a Marathon? If so which marathon would you pick (post covid)

Somewhere down the line absolutely but I don't think I'd be willing to commit unless I knew I was going to give it a good rattle. When I eventually do Dublin, Edinburgh and Berlin all look pretty amazing. Boston seems to have a lot of prestige which is appealing too! If I got to a point where I was running them fairly regularly I'd probably like to try a few around Europe and use it as a way to do some travelling too.

6. Do you enjoy training alone or with people?

I do the vast majority of training alone, a few friends dip in and out of running, most of them are out at the moment! I definitely enjoy running with company, it helps me keep the pace sensible and it's just a nice activity to do with someone. Longer runs in particular can fly by with a good conversation. Having said that, solo runs are great too and I do like to be alone with my thoughts sometimes. They can be a great head clearer and I've yet to feel worse after a run than before it really. I think the get the most out of my running though I will have to train in a group eventually.

7. Would you consider being coached?

Definitely, ideally as part of a club. However there is a small bit of satisfaction for me in "winging it" and seeing results all the same. I'm very aware of the benefits of being coached though and as I said in an earlier post I think it would really help me stay disciplined. For now though I'm flying solo so I'll be keeping it as simple and straight forward as I can!



8. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be & why?

To be honest I wouldn't have any great travel yearnings, at least not too far away. There's loads of European cities I'd love to visit or maybe live in, I only speak English though so that rules out quite a few - that could be rectified I suppose. Any of the capitals, Paris, Berlin, somewhere Nordic, anywhere really!

Cheers!

1. Favourite Social Media platform?
2. Preferred winter weather: arctic cold and crisp or wet and mild?
3. You have an entire Saturday morning to yourself (non COVID times), what do you do?
4. Ryanair or Aer Lingus?
5. WAs JJ Delaney better at wing back or full back?

crisco10 wrote: »

1. Favourite Social Media platform?
2. Preferred winter weather: arctic cold and crisp or wet and mild?
3. You have an entire Saturday morning to yourself (non COVID times), what do you do?
4. Ryanair or Aer Lingus?
5. WAs JJ Delaney better at wing back or full back?

Thanks for the questions crisco, hope the hands have warmed up after Saturday!

1. Favourite Social Media platform?

Not a huge fan of most social media these days, have deleted most of my accounts! Forums like this if they count as social media are very good though, the sheer quantity and quality of information is brilliant. At this point I think the world would benefit hugely if Facebook was just deleted from existence. Twitter has it's uses and can be good for things like sports news, but it's also full of negativity, pointless arguments and a lot of self congratulation which I wouldn't be a fan of.

2. Preferred winter weather: arctic cold and crisp or wet and mild?

Despite my recent woes with ice arctic cold all the way and as much snow as possible thrown in. Absolutely love it. Even in the last few weeks my beloved bike paths were beautiful surrounded by the snow. Having said that I do enjoy a run in the rain too! I tend to like more extreme weather, although I'm no good in the heat. 20 degrees is plenty warm for me, don't get too many above that over here!

3. You have an entire Saturday morning to yourself (non COVID times), what do you do?

I love when there's a super Saturday of sport with several big events going on. Most jobs I've had I work most Saturdays but I'd often try to make sure I'd have a day off for soemthing like this. An early soccer match, a big horse meeting, a round of 6 nations games, maybe a big boxing match or UFC fight later in the night. On days like that I'd probably have a few bets in the morning, then retire to a cozy pub with a few friends and there's not many places I'd rather be. Maybe I'd go for a run beforehand too! :pac:

4. Ryanair or Aer Lingus?

Haven't flown on Aer Lingus in years, the Ryanair ones from here to Dublin are usually dirt cheap and it's so short I'm willing to sacrifice the comfort. I generally leave check in till the last minute literally, so can often get a good seat without paying extra. I've gotten the seat right at the front door a couple of times, which is a godsend with a hangover.

Worst ever flight however was coming back from a lads holiday in Malta in 2015, a 4 hour Ryanair flight on zero sleep and 7 heavy days in 35 degree heat was no fun. I think I'm still traumatised. Any flight over 90 minutes now I'm not sure I'd even consider Ryanair.

5. WAs JJ Delaney better at wing back or full back?

Wing back for me but what makes him the greatest was the transition to full back at the end of his career. I think what made Kilkenny so hard to beat had a lot to do with how many clean catches JJ made from opposition puck outs. Nowadays most teams will flood the half back line for opposition puckouts, no need with JJ there he almost always had the beating of his man. So not only could the opposition not win their own puckout, KK were launching attacks from them.

As a full back he really encapsulated the art of defending, nothing fancy and was happy to simply have the beatings of his man, no huge clearances or anything just win the ball and lay it off to a free man. Not many socres came off him but some of his battles with Canning and Callanan (two best non KK forwards last decade for me) were enthralling. "The hook" on Callanan in 2014 was probably his top moment.

Cheers again, hopefully races return before long and I can continue trying to chase down your times :P

Whats your pre race routine? Any race superstitions?

Do you do many sessions on a track? If so how accessible are 400m tracks in Edinburgh?

MY BAD wrote: »

Whats your pre race routine? Any race superstitions?

Do you do many sessions on a track? If so how accessible are 400m tracks in Edinburgh?

Thanks for the questions MY BAD, follow your log keenly as I feel it's one I can learn an awful lot from.

Whats your pre race routine? Any race superstitions?

Preperation for the few races I've done hasn't been great! The only parkrun I've done here was on a hot summer morning after an enjoyable Friday night in the pub. Almost ditched the idea but I was meeting a friend there so rushed out without taking so much as a sip of water. Still somehown fancied myself to break 20 mins! Had to pull over a couple of times to dry retch and don't even know what time I finished in, the second half was at least a minute slower than the first though.

Not much better for my real race debut in the 10k, went wild the weekend before so did no running at all during the week. Planned a couple of easy runs the two days before but it was my birthday on the Friday so was coaxed into a sensible celebration." Needless to say getting a good nights sleep on the Saturday was about the best I could manage in preparation. Actually felt great then for the race on the Sunday though.

Last years 5k was a lot better! Did some good sessions in the weeks leading up, did 12x400 off 1 min fairly steady a week out which was a big confidence booster. Kept everything short and easy then until race day. I'll probably follow something like this going forward!

In terms of on the day I don't like eating too much pre race, maybe just some toast and a banana, a cup of coffee and sip on water. I did a fairly good warm up for the 5k too, a lap of the course some activations and even a couple of strides! Could probably do with making this a habit for sessions too.

No real superstitions, lots of mind games though. The middle half of a race or even sometimes a session is usually spent thinking up of some sort of excuse to stop, I find it passes the time! Thankfully apart from a couple of 3k TTs have no DNFs. I think 3k is one of the hardest distances to get right but I stopped both at exactly 2k so definitely just gave in mentally.



Do you do many sessions on a track? If so how accessible are 400m tracks in Edinburgh?

I've only been on the track once for a 5k TT in December 2019. It was a couple of months after the 10k and my first sub 20 although it might have been short as I ran in different lanes and used the watch (for the first time!) to measure.

Had always planned to start using the track before Covid hit, it's about 3k from my door so ideal location. Accesibilty wise it has long opening hours, 9am-10pm I think, and can be used pay as you go or a subscribtion so couldn't be much better.

Since Covid, it only opened for a couple of months but was only available for club bookings and has now closed again.

At this stage I really want to get using a track, I've kind of switched to time based intervals lately because GPS for short reps probably isn't all that accurate.

There is a new sports centre under construction that will have an indoor and outdoor track so hopefully that comes along soon.

Oh and I did find a sort of gravel track to do the 10 minute distance trial last year, had an awful experience with it and don't plan on going back any time soon!

So yeah, not a whole lot of options for tracks particularly right now. The sooner that changes the better!

Have you had the chance to see much of Scotland since you've been over there? Lived in Dundee myself for a year and really enjoyed my time there. Lot's of good spots to escape to for the day I found.

healy1835 wrote: »

Have you had the chance to see much of Scotland since you've been over there? Lived in Dundee myself for a year and really enjoyed my time there. Lot's of good spots to escape to for the day I found.

Not nearly as much as I'd like to have unfortunately, Dundee being one place that's on the list of places I want to go. Have been to Glasgow a fair few times, and the Loch Lomond area is one of the nicer places I've been. Had great plans last summer to climb Ben Nevis but between weather, Covid restrictions and work the plans kept getting delayed and then cancelled. We'll hopefully get there as soon as restrictions and weather allow this summer.

I definitely want to do the West Highland Way at some point, which is a walk from just north of Glasgow to the foot of Ben Nevis in Fort William. There's actaully a race along the route and all! And maybe head further north and to some of the island would be great too. Yeah, plenty of exploring I still want to do here. If there's one positive I hope I take from the pandemic it's to just do more stuff. Myself and it seems a lot of my friends are great for making plans and not following through, hopefully this will teach us to take action while we have the chance because you never know when it won't be possible!

Completely agree with you on the music while running thing. Even though I love music.

1. Favourite A/R running log(s)?
2. Best live gig ever?
3. Favourite session (running, that is).
4. Speaking of sessions, favourite beer?
5. Any qualms about the gambling industry? How’s it doing during COVID?
6. Go-to running gear - any favourite items or are they all the same?

Cheers!

Fresh read so far, thank you.

How many pairs of running shoes, shorts, tees do you have?
What are your pet hates about running? About life in general?
What makes you swoon?
When was the last time you belly laughed?
When was the last time you cried?
Ireland's Call or Flower of Scotland?
What was your first impression of this forum?
How many push ups can do in one go?
Favourite season to run and why?

Note to self, don't catch up on edinrunna's spotlight whilst otherwise occupied!