Last of the Summer Wine

Jaysis, I mention how quiet things are, then go away for a few days and my log gets more action than it has in months - mostly baby talk! 😁

Well at least there are a few people still out there. And many congrats on the pending arrival, P.

Hijack away, it keeps the lights on!

Fri 17 Sep

8.4 kms @ recovery 

Down to the local Fairview Park for several laps of the parkrun course. I usually just cut through here on the way somewhere else so it was interesting to give it more time. Not everyone loves this park, which has some gruesome history, but it also has its charms. St Vincent has announced a concert here next summer, which will be a first. 

Sat 18 Sep

7.4k inc. Glen River parkrun

In Cork for a short break, and a chance to reacquaint with parkrun. We walked the 2k up the hills from the hotel and found the assembled runners, in a nice little riverside park. Just aimed for a good steady pace on the hilly course - which features one of the cruelest out and back sections I’ve come across yet, and you have to do it twice! We chatted briefly with the RD before jogging back down the hill. 

Sun 19 Sep

Long run: 15k easy

I was awake early after a fitful sleep. Cork is a noisy city - there was an aul lad drinking cans in a doorway across the road, roaring stuff like “Ye are Lucifers and not God!” at his companions. Anyway, out at dawn for an uplifting run along the Lee, Blackrock and some of the adjacent greenways, which are all being extended and upgraded at the moment. Brilliant to see, and I look forward to eventually running the Cork marathon again, on some of these routes. Loved this run.

• This week: 74k (46m)
• This month: 189 (118)
• This year: 2,543 (1,581)

Week of 20 Sep

Race week.

Mon 20 Sep - Fri 24 Sep

All easy runs, with a rest day on the Weds. Tapered, rested, hydrated. What could possibly go wrong?

Sat 25 Sep

Plan: Mullingar HM

Actual: Annoyed steady 22k

In retrospect, it all seemed too quiet as I parked up at 9:15, arriving just as planned for a race start of 10:30 AM, the time that has been indicated on the Mullingar HM website countdown clock for as long as I’ve been considering this race. I ambled up to the start line but it appeared I was so early they weren’t even setting it up yet, probably (I assumed) to keep Mullingar’s main street open to traffic as long as possible. I wandered around town to get some change for the parking meter, vaguely aware that there weren’t many runners about. None in fact. Must be a very small race this year, no wonder I was able to enter so late. Eventually got changed into battle gear and jogged up to the start line, taking a detour in search of the portaloos (none). Despite all these ominous signs, I was quite surprised to return to the Greville Arms to see not a soul about, just a lad dismantling the PA system that had been going earlier. Is this the start line, I asked. It was, says he. What do you mean, is it not starting at 10:30? I say. 9 o’clock, says he. Jaysus. Ah sorry, he says, and you must have been training all week.

If only it was a week. Bah.

I drove a few miles out of town and put in 7 marathon paced miles back along the canal, eventually joining the race route and passing the last six or seven finishers, all of them walking. I had the bib in my pocket and decided to collect the goodie bag just for the banana and granola bar, which I scoffed before handing the bag to a friendly old gent who’d asked about my race and commiserated when I told him my woeful tale. 

At least I got a decent long run in, with a few more steady miles on the return leg, and a few easy to finish off.

Even if I’d copped straight away that I was late, I don’t think I could have had a meaningful race, as I’d have been at least 30 mins behind the field, with probably no accurate chip time. I really should have paid more attention to the emailed race instructions, but at the same time, having the wrong time on your website and other listings is not very good form. The proceeds of the race appear to all go to charity so I won’t be kicking up a fuss or seeking any redress. And as someone pointed out, the other 500 runners all seemed to get it right.     

Sun 19 Sep

8.3k @ recovery

A few miles at Dublin Port, wondering what to do next. 

• This week: 60k (37m)
• This month: 250 (155)
• This year: 2,604 (1,618)

Like I say, it all seems so obvious in hindsight, but it was too late anyway by the time I arrived in town. I was a bit stressed by the need to find parking coins (have barely touched cash in years, and especially since the pandemic forced the cashless holdouts to convert) and didn't really consider the surroundings properly until I was parked up and togged out. Of course I discovered a bigger, emptier and cashless car park later, but that's another story!

Yes, I am considering Galway, although I deferred the entry. I'll be checking whether I can undefer, or else I might run with Ferris's bib, which seems to be available - assuming I can switch from M to HM. It's an option at least.

How about yourself? The weather looks like it won't be too bad. 😉

Week of 27 Sep

Reload! Race week (again).

Mon 27 Sep

I’m back in the office full-time from today for the next 12 months, taking up a writing project I deferred in January. Didn’t get a run in. Hopefully that’s not an omen.

Tue 28 Sep

7k recovery

A few miles down and around the port. Strangely enjoy running this odd location.

Wed 29 Sep

6 x 800 @ HMP

Having decided to reverse the Galway deferral, I asked the lads for a session suggestion as I didn’t want to just repeat the all-easy taper week on the Hanson plan. DD suggested this one, with “loads” given as the recovery period. 800m reps at race pace feel incredibly short when you’ve been churning out 5, 6, 7 miles, so this gave me a good bit of confidence. Took 5 mins between the reps. Enjoyable. 13.8 kms for the morning.  

Thu 30 Sep

8.4k easy

Hooked up with M for a few easy miles in St. Anne’s. Always a pleasure. Green with envy hearing about the Greek hols. I love Greece and can't wait to get back there.

Sept total: 279 kms (174 mi)

Fri 1 Oct 

No running. I’d planned to do a few easy miles with a few strides along @ThebitterLemon's Corrib riverside haunt, but we were derailed on the drive down by huge tailbacks from two accidents on the M4, turning the 2 hour journey into a near soul-destroying five hours. Got checked in just about in time to get a last order of fish ’n’ chips in the hotel restaurant. Pretty good feed, and Alf Tupper would have approved (cultural reference for old people there). Early to bed. Poor sleep as usual.  

Sat 2 Oct

Galway Bay Half Marathon (1:34:23 official)

Obviously after last week’s SNAFU I double- and triple- and quadruple-checked the start time every day this week, while enduring all the predicted wisecracks from far and near. Scoped the start area out while collecting the race number after breakfast. The marathon was underway and the setup looked good. Back to the base to rest and change before the unusual 12:15pm start. Decided on a change from the usual gear, wearing the Sanctuary Runners singlet which is softer and a better fit than the club gear.

Warmed up with a few dynamic stretches and strides along Nimmo’s Pier, before lining up a bit closer to the front than usual in the well spread-out pen.

The course consists of a short lap around South Park and then two longer laps along the main Salthill road out to the golf course and back on the coastal footpath. The breeze was manageable enough at first, a headwind on the outward leg giving way to a nice helping tailwind back towards the start. The short lap went smoothly enough, and I noticed right away that I needed to rein it in as the pace felt so easy in the first few miles, always a good sign for me. Heading into the second lap I started feeling the wind as the field started to thin out so I gently accelerated to join a group of five or six runners ahead, mostly from Westport AC. The pace was bang on so I thanked my good fortune and tucked in. Slightly taken aback to see some of the Mayo contingent start fiddling with gels, only about three miles in, but I was glad of the cover through Salthill and on the unadvertised fairly long drag/hill up to the turnaround point at the western end of the course. As the tailwind kicked in, all was in good shape pacewise, but I noticed the group was starting to slow a little, so soon after the five-mile point I made a decision to push on, knowing the conditions would be ideal for the next couple of miles. Passed a few runners on the coastal path, starting to enjoy myself now, reminding myself to not let up in the middle third, get to the end of the lap on time and see how things are feeling. For a while I had the impression I was getting well ahead of the pace, maybe because of a couple of poorly placed mile markers. I reminded myself not to be too dependent on the average pace (4:28/k) showing on the watch, which was possibly a little off in terms of elapsed distance, although I was doing my best (unlike many runners around me) to run a good line through the long bends.

A great shout from the mrs and her Galway friend who’d come out for the entertainment as I faced into the final lap, now with far fewer runners around than earlier, and unfortunately fewer options for cover. I joined two lads just as they decided to take turns into the wind, but the lead fella (Yellow shirt) just ran off into the distance. I tucked behind Purple for a bit, then went in front to take a turn but he seemed to take umbrage at being passed and just went around me and accelerated away (for now 😉). So I was in no man’s land, facing a freshening breeze in mile nine and ten, with the hill to negotiate as well. Past Blackrock, the drag / wind started to really take a toll and I noted a slow (marathon pace) split flash up on the watch. Shite. I was starting to slow badly, and my less than stellar uphill form wasn’t going to help. A big tall lad bounded past but didn’t get too far in front, as I eyed the ground and just tried to keep the feet turning over as the hill ended at last, giving way to a sharp downhill through a kind of laneway back to the coastal path. I passed Purple easily on this downhill, drawing alongside Tall fella as the tailwind started to kick in. The average pace on the watch suggested I was forty or fifty seconds off target by now, thanks to the difficult patch, but I was still feeling strong as the run for home got underway in earnest. Tall lad was in close proximity. His elbows seemed a bit wider than necessary and although the pace had picked up considerably, I decided to put the eggs in the basket and make a break for it.

Thus began two of the most exhilarating miles I’ve ever had the pleasure to race. I was passing runner after runner in the business section of the race, kind of amazing myself at how strong I was feeling, in a part of the race where I’m usually really starting to hurt. A spectator (who looked like she’d probably just run the marathon herself) gave me a terrific shout “Body strong, wind at your back”. Kept reeling them in, as the average pace on the watch kept dropping back towards the target. Jaysus, this was just great. Passed another Westport runner who moaned and stopped to walk just as I went by. He and his clubmate, now just ahead, had been way in the distance earlier, and I passed her too as she took too wide a berth around a park stroller with a loose dog. The finishing area was now in sight and I continued reeling them in, finishing like never before, closing now on Yellow. And there was the mrs and friend, shouting me on, "Pass them!". This unfortunately clued Yellow into my presence and he injected enough pace around the final turn to hold me off. I could see the clock now, counting over 94 minutes and agonisingly past my old PB time as I closed in, passing yet another runner in the short finish straight before crossing the line in what turned out to be 51st place.

Such a blast, those final miles, and I didn’t even have to take the customary recovery position or pukey moment in the finish area, as I ruefully realised I’d left just a little bit too much in the tank. Oh well. It was worth it for the finish.

Four out of last five HMs (including last year’s TT) have been in the lowish 94:xx region, typical of the distinct plateau at all distances that's been apparent over the past few years. But sometimes the performance feels better than the numbers, and this was definitely one of those days.

Previous PB: 1:34:17 (Charleville 2017)

Target: 1:33:59

Actual: 1:34:23

51st position (of 693). 2nd M60 (of 12)

Age grade: 76.6% 

VDOT: 48.3

Verdict: 6 bloody seconds. 🙄 But Bohermeen 2020 monkey off the back.🤩

Sun 3 Oct

No running, just some junior parkrun volunteering (plenty of talent in the jr generation) and an afternoon watching the Road Relays. Good day for the club, but a disappointingly small number of teams this year, probably inevitable with the timing and short notice.  

• This week: 51k (32m)
• This month: 22 (14)
• This year: 2,655 (1,650)

Young lads, aul lads, aul wans and young wans, as long as I’m going by it feels good enough! The joys of the mid pack.

Mullingar would have had a deeper field and maybe more runners to stick with towards the hour mark, so it definitely would have been a different kind of race.

Well, you will be quite the scalp if I ever manage that feat. Not looking likely! Good luck at the weekend yourself.