ARtist in the Spotlight - edinrunna

Murph_D wrote: »

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!

Hey Murph, thanks for the questions! Yeah love them both just not together!

1. Favourite A/R running log(s)?

I'll give 3 and hope no one feels left out :pac:

Healy's "It's all in the try" is a great example of long term improvement, unreal to see how far he's come since the first post. Serious consitency and sensible increments along the way.

Dubh Geannins "Sub 5 minute mile" is a really good success story, starts with a simple target ends with the achievment, overcoming some difficult obstacles along the way. Done on low mileage too, very efficient training.

Laineyfrecks "Dream Big" since the pandemic started is crazy impressive. Again serious consistency and sensible increments, loads of huge PBs in TTs, when racing returns she's gonna be taking huge chunks over all distances. Still improving rapidly too, some great times to come.

The Boggers Log is fairly entertaining too :pac:


2. Best live gig ever?

I've been to very few! Never been something that I've really been into, nothing particularly against concerts or anything though. I went to TRNSMT in 2019 with two friends from home, Gerry Cinnamon was headline and it was pretty good!

3. Favourite session (running, that is).

Not sure the way I do long runs would count as a session, so I'll say one I've done recently which is 20 x 1min on/off. I like the idea of varying the paces a bit throughout and trying to do it progressively - cover more distance as the weeks go on.

4. Speaking of sessions, favourite beer?

Already answered so I'll tell you my least favourite - Carlsberg. And I used to actually like it when I was 18 or so, maybe a few bad experiences and now I can't stand it.

5. Any qualms about the gambling industry? How’s it doing during COVID?

Yeah it has its issues alright. There is definitely a sort of seedy/underhand side to some of it. The big one is obviously problem gambling, which is not dealt with effectively at all. The operators generally do the bare minimum required, the training and tools available aren't great. Self exclusion is really the only tool used and it's terribly ineffective and doesn't address the majority of the problem. Having said that more regulation isn't always the answer either, it's a difficult problem to solve. As seen with the US going for legalisation in a lot of states outright banning might not be the answer either. Although it could be said that the states doing so are legalising in spite of the issues associated rather than because of.

There is definitely a happy medium when operators can turn a profit without having to rely on income from problem gamblers. Problem gamblers are easy to identify and easy to ban. If the will to do this was there then maybe it could be done, but it doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. At least the support available is improving and some of the stigma is slightly reducing.

A big talking point at the moment is the advertising, especially during sports events. I'm not sure this is a big an issue as it's made out to be, although it certainly doesn't help. I just don't think banning it would have as much of an effect as some people think. As I said, not an easy problem to solve but it wouldn't put me off continuing to work in the industry!

Bookmakers have had a great time since Covid, again that's a slightly depressing thought. Shops were closed but increased revenue online more than made up for it. Gambling and drinking tend to go hand in hand, so the theory is that what they saved on pubs being closed they spent on betting. Probably is one aspect of it, although there would certainly have been an increase in boredom, a sense of excitement etc that can all lead down dangerous paths.

When shops opened again they were limited capacity but to be honest as busy as ever in a lot of cases. Restrictions/guidelines have been a bit ambiguous/confusing in some cases and like most retailers they chose to interpret them as loosley as possible. I'm actually surprised there haven't been any outbreaks linked to the shops I work in, they "clientele" are by far the worst at following any social distancing guidelines out of anywhere else I've seen. Any pub I was in had far better compliance.


6. Go-to running gear - any favourite items or are they all the same?

All much the same to be honest! Have loads of t shirts in various brands and colours, I tend to race and do big sessions in a black nike t shirt, it's just very comfortable to run fast in and suits most weather.

Cheers Murph

shotgunmcos wrote: »

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?

Thanks for the questions shotgun, if I ever need reminding that I could be training harder a quick look at your log always does the trick!

How many pairs of running shoes, shorts, tees do you have?

Shoes - 1, this needs to change!
Shorts - 3, 2 black and 1 navy Karimoor ones. They have a key pocket but i generally hold my keys in my hand. Suitably short to run fast!
Tees - not sure, 10+ although some of them come in and out of rotation. Mostly Karimoor, Nike and a good few cheap ones from sports direct.

What are your pet hates about running? About life in general?

There's a tendency to be a bit self critical, I experience this myself sometimes. A few friends that do a bit of running tend to think I'm wasting my time running at their easy pace. Or that there's no point improving their times as they're too slow to begin with. I even find myself thinking this sometimes too, that I'll never get fast enough to be in real competition. At the end of the day though I remind myself and my friends that that's all irrelevant, comparison really is the thief of joy and the best competition you can have is with yourself. Like when I think about it, I was nowhere near the top level at hurling and I still loved it so why should running be any different? And in terms of running slower paces, it's always beneficial no matter the pace and running with company is very enjoyable. It's actually a great aspect of running, that two people with a large gap in times can still train together and get the same benefit.

In life in general, I suppose something similar, or more not appreciating slow but steady progress. Sacksian had a post in his log the other day, that he'd rather do 100 sessions at 95% perfection than 2 at 100% and get injured, blow up etc. I think that can be applied to lots of things, maybe with some things we're drifting towards "if it isn't perfect it isn't worth it", rather than applying the better logic Sacksian talked about.

What makes you swoon?

When I first moved here I lived in a sort of student accomodation with mostly EU students and mostly girls. I'd struggle to pick a top 5 of accents, certain French ones and Portugese probably come near the top though!

When was the last time you belly laughed?

On a walk yesterday a friend was telling me about his experiences managing a team of call centre workers working from home during the pandemic. Nothing too outrageous by itself but the culmination of all the issued has him in a state of disbelief!

When was the last time you cried?

I get awful emotional hangovers sometimes Watched The Fox and The Hound over Christmas with a friend one day I was particularly tender, there's a few moments in that that would draw tears from a stone!

Ireland's Call or Flower of Scotland?

It's a tough one, but the 2018 6 nations match against England seals it for Flower of Scotland. I was watching in a pub near Murrayfield and the atmosphere was out of this world. I'd never seen the Scottish so confident of a win, they could just feel it in the air. The lone piper on the roof of the stadium, just the crowd singing, we could hear it from the pub. Then the piper stopped for the second half and it's just the singing, crystal clear responses to the Proud Edward lines, you just knew it would be something special. It was sang again towards the end, then over and over again all over the city all weekend. Probably the highlight of my time here so far!



What was your first impression of this forum?

The first time I ever saw it was before I started running, I looked at the DCM thread and was surprised that so many posters were actually running the event. I was used to sports forums like GAA and soccer where it's just spectators. So obviously this one would be much different!

When I started running I was impressed with the wide range of information here. Everything from beginner to almost elite, over loads of different distances. Loads of interesting discussion and in a very instructive way. Again I suppose this comes from the posters actually being the ones competing the events, rather than armchair quarterbacks with other sports!


How many push ups can do in one go?

With my elbow at the moment 0 I had gotten into a good routine of 5 sets of pushups 3 times a week before this happened, the reps would range from 10-15 although never to failure. I'd guess 30, maybe a few more.

Favourite season to run and why?

All of them have their upsides but I love summer nights at twighlight, just as it's cooling down. In my mind the ideal running conditions. During the first lockdown I went on a run through the city centre around 9pm, it was deserted but for some wildlife, and every landmark looked like a postcard picture in the sunset. One of the highlights of the lockdown!

Great questions shotgun, had a good think about some of them cheers

OOnegative wrote: »

Not a fan of it to be honest with you, 3 reasons:

1. He’s from Kilkenny.
2. Drinks Tennants.
3. Hadn’t the fookin manners to say my log was one of his favourites after picking him for this gig!!!!!!

1. Anti Kilkenny sentiment surely has to end, Dublin have won 5 all Ireland's since we last did and will probably win 5 more before we next get 1!

2. The Tennents is probably indefensible but in an attempt to defend it at least it's everywhere here! (Becoming less and less true, lots of breweries and chains stopped stocking it a couple of years ago it seems)

3. There wasn't a whole lot of running going on in there the last few months, good stuff lately but too little too late!

Are there any questions you wish someone would ask but hasn't?

And if there is - what are those questions?

BeginnerRunner wrote: »

Are there any questions you wish someone would ask but hasn't?

And if there is - what are those questions?

I like this question! Nothing I can think off right now but I may come back to it!

I was expected to be asked my favourite distance, but with only two races I suppose it's not much of a choice! The answer would probably be 5k anyway, although my opinion might change as I get to experience more distances.

Cheers

Jaysus I'm forever in competition with D

I'll chip in on this thread...hoping I don't ask too many already asked questions...

1. Should Cody have the right to decide himself when to resign, given it's been (relatively) so long since Kilkenny's last AI ?
2. Can you see Dublin winning a hurling All Ireland any time in the next 5 years ?
3. What did you think of Neil Lennon managing Hibs ?
4. I've read a lot of Irvine Welsh's books, although it took me a while to get used to the vernacular writing style. Have you ever actually heard the words "weedgie" or "soapdoadger" in your time in Embra ?

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

I'll chip in on this thread...hoping I don't ask too many already asked questions...

1. Should Cody have the right to decide himself when to resign, given it's been (relatively) so long since Kilkenny's last AI ?
2. Can you see Dublin winning a hurling All Ireland any time in the next 5 years ?
3. What did you think of Neil Lennon managing Hibs ?
4. I've read a lot of Irvine Welsh's books, although it took me a while to get used to the vernacular writing style. Have you ever actually heard the words "weedgie" or "soapdoadger" in your time in Embra ?

Hey Wubble Wubble, thanks for the questions! Good to see your log getting a bit more active recently!


1. Should Cody have the right to decide himself when to resign, given it's been (relatively) so long since Kilkenny's last AI ?

Absolutely not in my opinion, and I'd feel fairly strongly about it. Look, he's been a great manager and the success he's had will never be rivalled. But no one should be untouchable and that's what it's starting to feel like. He's shown a very stubborn unwillingness to adapt to certain things. And without adaptation the team will go backwards. Of course the pool of players available is not as strong as it once was, but in some ways this is exposing him a bit. It's a lot easier to have a single minded attitude and plan when you have a very willing Henry Shefflin, Tommy Walsh, JJ etc to see it through.

I think the time for change was 3 or 4 years ago now, and sport is full of examples of great managers, even players, staying on too long and when the time eventually comes the job for their succesor is so much harder because so many resources are drained. The paralells with Man Utd are very obvious, and when you see how low the expections of Utd have fallen in the last decade it would be worrying. Of course KK are not going to win the All Ireland every year but in a competition with such small numbers it should be a target. It's starting to feel like winning a Leinster or a one off game is becoming enough for a season to be considered reasonably succesful.

If it was any other manager in charge since 2016 they would have been lucky to get 2 seasons based on results. That should be the same for Cody, someones suitabilty for a position should be based on what they can do in the future not whats happened in the past. At the moment it's hard to see a Cody team winning an All Ireland, better players are getting older and their replacements aren't nearly of the same standard. This is a wider issue than just Cody but most of the problems seem to stem from an almost arrogance that everything we did 20 years ago was succesful so it will surely work again. I think a replacement and a fresh start would at least be something to reverse the trend. Look at poor Offaly! ReeReeG is traumatised from defeats to Kilkenny, it would be awful if Kilkenny started to feel the same towards Wexford - but we haven't beaten them in what feels like forever!



2. Can you see Dublin winning a hurling All Ireland any time in the next 5 years ?

The next 5 years, no I wouldn't give them much of a chance. However the long term trend is in the right direction. They've had some great moments already, the last few years have maybe stagnated a bit though. If Con o Callaghan ever decided to switch codes I'd give it a much better chance. One of the best hurlers I've seen and he only plays a few weeks a year!

3. What did you think of Neil Lennon managing Hibs ?

It was never boring anyway! He was reasonably good for his first few seasons, but it was inevitable that it would end in chaos. Having him over Hibs and Craig Levein over Hearts at the same time made for some great entertainment. Scottish football is filled with great characters but these 2 are up near the top.

I wasn't surprised that he went back to Celtic after Rodgers left but I was surprised they kept him on for a full season and even more surprised he's still there now. Like Cody he can't take the full blame for Celtics demise but he surely isn't helping.

4. I've read a lot of Irvine Welsh's books, although it took me a while to get used to the vernacular writing style. Have you ever actually heard the words "weedgie" or "soapdoadger" in your time in Embra ?

I only read the Trainspotting series when I moved here and to be honest I'm not sure I would have been able without hearing the accent regularly. I found myself having to read it in an Edinburgh accent in my head. Most of the vocabulary is 100% genuine, "weedgie" is very common although "soapdoadger" not so much. There is very much an Edinburgh/Glasgow rivalry like any 2 close by cities I suppose.

I should have also put this in an answer to Comic Book Guy, the charcters even today are very relatble. The Leith area still has its fair share of Begbies, a lot of Spuds and hopefully not to the same extent but a few Sick Boy type swindlers too. I can only imagine what it was like during the time setting of the books!

Cheers

jackc101 wrote: »

Good reading so far;

1. Battered Haggis?
2. Battered Mars bar?
3. Any other cultural delights you were surprised by there?

Thanks for the questions

[*]Battered Haggis?

I find haggis to be very hit and miss in general, battered haggis being no exception! When it's good it's good, when it's bad it's horrendous. Avoid in places like Greggs and Wetherspoons it's usually pretty good!

[*]Battered Mars bar?

Only tried this once and the place I got it wouldn't have a reputation like some places. Still pretty good, but not as enjoyable after the first few bites. Just gets a bit sickening then! Some places are supposed to do them really well but I'm not sure how you could go wrong with it! Not really something I'd go out of my way to try again!

[*]Any other cultural delights you were surprised by there?

Just the variety of things they batter, fried pizza is a big one I think it's pretty bad. They call baps rolls and will put pretty much anything in them, pies are a big thing in a roll. A macaroni and cheese pie in a roll is actually pretty good! Plenty of carbs anyway!

Edinburgh apparently has its own "chippy sauce" which I think is just brown sauce mixed with vinegar. Very popular most people would never get plain chips always with chippy sauce.

Pretty similar to Ireland culturally though, although people from further north are a bit more unique. Aberdeen accents are pretty bewildering, loads of weird vocabulary. And they consider themselves more "Scottish" the further north you go in general. Further north still some of the islanders don't really consider themselves Scottish in some cases.

Cheers

Yeah fair play lad. Was good to get to know more about you. That's what these threads are all about!