The Windy Road to Nowhere

API wrote: »

Please tell me you weren't carrying the Iron Gates as part of your running session. I wouldn't be totally surprised - It can be quite competitive on this site :pac:

Sat 17th July: 4.1 miles in 29:37 (7:14)

Sun 18th: 8 miles in 54:45 (6:51)

Mon 19th: 13.1 miles in 1:29:20 (6:49)

Felt a bit heavy legged at the start of this one but got stronger as I went.

Mon 20th: 6 miles in 45:13 (7:32)

Tues 21st: 7.5 miles in 56:12 (7:30)

Weds 22nd: 4 miles in 30:08 (7:32)

Thurs 23rd : 7 miles in 52:37 (7:30)

Fri 24th: 4 miles in 31 (7:44)

Sat 25th: 8 miles in 62:07 (7:19)

Fri 31st: 7 miles in 55 (7:52)

Sat 1st Aug: 6 miles in 43:29 (7:14)

We were down in Connemara and West Cork for another 10 days. Ran in Conn every day but took a little break in Cork.

Mon 2nd Aug: 16 miles in 1:51 (6:57)

Woke up shortly after 6 and decided to get out early. Hadn’t really planned what I’d do but settled into a good rhythm and ran 13 miles of this at 6:4x pace.

in other news, Cologne Marathon is cancelled sadly.

Mon 9th August: 11.25 miles in 1:17 (6:52)

I started off this run in Dundalk feeling a bit of fatigue from the previous day, but as has been typical lately, I grew into it and picked it up nicely.

Tues 10th: 6 miles in 48:52 (8:19)

I think I had food poisoning that day as I was in bits. Slowest run in about 5 years!!

Weds 11th-12th: Cycling on the Limerick Greenway. Very enjoyable couple of days.

Sat 14th: 7.5 miles in 58:41 (7:50)

Bit tired after a lot of driving, cycling and refereeing soccer matches.

Sun 15th: 4.1 miles in 30:58 (7:33)

Nice and easy, just shaking the legs out really.

Monday 16th: 13.1 miles in 1:24 (6:28)

Felt strong Monday, and without having had an actual plan of what I was going to do, I kept going through the gears, putting in a very decent effort. By my reckoning, that’s the fastest I’ve covered a half marathon distance since 2014, and there was probably another 2 minutes there if it had been a race. Felt good.

Tues 17th: 4.1 miles in 30:08 (7:21)

Legs felt fine after the previous day’s effort.

Weds 18th: 6 miles in 43:02 (7:10)

Looks like I was running fast, but I only really put in a shift on the uphill. With Connemara 2022 starting to come into a bit of focus, I’m determined to use my hilly locality to make it a real strength again.

Thurs 19th: 17.5 miles in 2:02 (6:59)

I hadn’t intended on doing so many miles at 6:4x-6:5x pace, but with running downhill towards Termonfeckin naturally giving some speed, I didn’t feel the need to pull back. Ended up doing 14 miles of this at a decent clip, the last couple of faster miles being a real test on the hills. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to push that particular route in the way I did yesterday, so felt good. Legs were dead after, but fine today. No need for any more long or fast running this week, just a few easy miles maybe.

Weds 8th Sept: 4.8 miles runmute in 36:47 (7:40)

Thurs 9th: 4.8 miles in 35:07 (7:19)

Fri 10th: 4.8 in 35:20 (7:22)

Sun 12th: 17.5 miles in 2:04 (7:08)

No hard running midweek, and long run was steady effort with no surges. About as easy a run of that distance felt in many years.

Mon 13th: 8.2 miles in 62:30 (7:37)

Weds 15th: 8.25 miles in 54 (6:34)

Last fast run before Monaghan marathon, not much more speed in my legs than mid summer, but less effort.

Thurs 16th: 5.6 miles in 42:15 (7:33)

Fri 17th: 4.8 miles in 36:50 (7:41)

Weds 22nd: 4.8 miles in 37 (7:42)

Quite an easy taper over last couple of weeks, but felt like my body needed a bit of an break, and from experience, that has worked previously.

Ready for race day, first race of any description since December 2019

Monaghan Marathon 2021 Race Report

This is one of my favourite races anywhere. Rossmore Park is a beautiful location, the lads and ladies in Monaghan Phoenix are friendly, genuine and decent people, and the entire event has a warm and friendly atmosphere. I placed 4th a couple of years back here, and vowed that some year, I would target the podium in peak shape.

Training

The last 18 months have been excellent for me, steady and consistent running, base building, and good motivation. I’d a very good spring, fell back a small bit in terms of consistency in summer, but nailed the important long runs. Training paces suggested a marathon time of about 2:54 on a fast course. Monaghan is the opposite of a fast course, but I wound up the training block feeling stronger than at any time since 2014.

Target and race day

When pressed on a target during the week, I hoped there might be a possibility of a win, and reckoned 2:59-3:01 was on the cards. I woke up this morning at 3:30, full of nervous energy, gave up on trying to get back to sleep at 4:15 and got myself busy eating breakfast. Arriving in Rossmore at 7:15, temperatures were about 16 degrees, humid, but nice conditions for running. There were about 30 of us for the marathon. Sizing up the potential opposition, which is a fairly impossible skill, I thought there might be a couple of guys that could cause me problems, but stuck myself up on the start line. An old friend of mine was the official starter and offered his tactical advice that I should go easy the first couple of miles. Unlike other years when there was a loop on the road into and out of town, this years race was to be 5 laps of the park, with just 7-8 miles on tarmac. In any case, I replied to him that I didn’t agree, and set about laying down a marker.

Mile 1-10

The whistle sounded at 8:02, and off we went. A couple of lads went out the front for 20 metres, cheered and had a laugh, then eased back, leaving me out front. Couple of hundred yards on tarmac, then onto the trails. Vaporfly had felt alright on the sections I did the warmup on, and I was content enough with the choice of shoe. I’d a motorbike out in front, with the rider giving me plenty of tips as to where the worst surface areas were to be avoided. As expected, the GPS was all over the show in the forest, so just ran on feel. About three miles in, I stopped to get the first of a few stones out of my shoe. This hadn’t happened at all in three previous marathons here, so it was a bit of annoyance. Laps were about 5.25 miles, the last 1.5 being on the road. Pace once on the roads and out of the tree cover was about 6:3x. After first lap, took first gel and a drink of water.

On the second lap, I’d no motorcycle in front, and apart from a few people out walking and a youth group leaving the forest with their camping gear, I didn’t have much interaction with humans. Spotted a good few squirrels, but they weren’t much into supporting me. More stones in my shoes, which I figured I’d have to take out, as 15 miles of that couldn’t be good. Took the second and last gel I’d in my pocket and headed off on Lap 3

Lap 3-5

A couple of friends were marshalling and informed me I had a very good lead. However, as this was the first time in many years I’d the lead in a race, I was nervous about getting caught. Figured my best approach was to keep pushing on, and keep stretching the lead. With more pebbles and grit making their way into my socks, I decided I’d accept 10 miles of discomfort and deal with the consequences later. Unfortunately, one of the consequences was my heel started bleeding. Nothing to be done about it, it was a welcome distraction in ways, give me something to think about apart from stones, muck, leaves and squirrels.

I started lapping a couple of people and passed a lot of the 10k runners who’d started at 9. That was an enjoyable few miles, felt strong. My remaining gels in a Chinese takeaway container meant I’d to stop at the end of each of laps 3 and 4, but not to panic. I’d still a sizeable lead, of some unspecified time and distance.

After the social interactions and mini dramas, the last 5 or 6 miles passed by in quite a lonely fashion. My friend who’d been out on the course was gone once the 10k was over, taking away various paraphernalia, and gaps between lapping people stretched out. GPS useless, but my rough mathematical calculations were giving me about 6 minutes to run the last mile to get in under 3. I don’t know why I started getting paranoid again, but I must have looked backwards 10 times on the last lap in fear that somebody was going to blitz past me. Coming back to the park entrance, I finally accepted that I was going to win a marathon. I spotted my wife’s car, and long before I saw them, I heard my 4 kids cheering for me. They ran out to meet me, and ran alongside before they backed off to let me break the tape. 1st place. Absolutely delighted. The time was 3:00:45, but for the profile of the course, it mattered not a bit.

Celebrations

A local photographer, who I’ve known for about 30 years, was on hand to capture what was a fantastic moment for me. My mother, wife and children joined me and a few friends who’d been marshalling and running offered their congratulations. After a change of clothes, some coffee, a trip to the playground for the kids, we went back to the finish line for the presentation. It’s been 8 years since I last won a race. It’s about my 10th fastest marathon, but it is right up there with my best in terms of performance. My dad was delighted for me when we went home with trophy in hand. Until today, John Tracey was the only marathon winner he’d ever met. The slightly battered legs are worth every bit of it. The emotions and joy of all the family will stay with me forever.