Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge

RoyMcC wrote: »

Never mind the race, let us in on your pub secret :mad: Oh, great run and report btw

If I told you where that pub was, it would be closed down. Suffice to say, it only opens it doors at 11:30pm in the evening and doesn't close until around 2:30am. They only have two beers on tap: Guinness and Smithwicks, for which they will charge you €3.55 for the privilege of a pint. They serve food, as long as you class macaroon bars as a food. The pub's proprietor is in his late 80s, and it is rumored that as soon as he dies, the place will be closed down, as it does not satisfy any health and safety regulations. The pub was last painted (a nice beige colour) long before the smoking ban. The walls of the pub are now a nice mellow brown colour. The gentlemen's facilities are outside in a separate building, where you can opt between pee'ing in the toilet, or against the wall, or on many occasions, both in the same visit. The only indication that a pub exists in this location is a Guinness sign hanging off of the chimney. People with foreign accents will not be served, unless introduced by someone 'local'. A foreigner is anyone who lives outside a three mile radius of the pub. Approximately twice a year, a secret gathering will take place in the pub, for which invitations are only delivered in spoken hushed tones. The secret gathering will include: A teacher, a priest, a farmer, a plumber, an electrician, and anyone else who has earned the respect of this motley crew. Once assembled and suitably warmed up, songs and tunes that owe their roots to ancient chieftains of old can be heard interspersed wit the songs from a more modern era, from artists like Mary Black, Christy Moore, and Bono. The Gardai are welcome to enter as long as they can play a musical instrument. the secret pub's name shall not be spoken in this thread.

toomuchdetail wrote: »

Did none of it hurt ? ....looking for something that tells me a regular plodder can do this ....at some stage .

Sure of course it did, but not until I crossed the 26 mile threshold. After that stage, it was quicker to keep heading to the finish line, rather than heading back to the start. Of course a plodder can do it, didn't I just prove that? However, it takes an extraordinary runner to run it well. Check out Abhainn's race report!

Slogger Jogger wrote:

Your staying powers despite not doing ultra specific training is unreal. 5.15 in a 1st ultra is amazing and shows that you are capable of more given the right route / conditions.

Two hours for the final 13.1 miles speaks otherwise (though it is just 8 minutes slower than my first ever Connemara half). Would you not give it a try? I'd say you'd be well suited.

A fab picture by the mighty Daniel Kowalczyk, of me and the fellow runner I started the race with (17 marathons so far this year).

Thanks Kenny. I passed her around mile 7 but she went on to finish comfortably. She was seized with cramps after crossing the finish line, and would like to make it known, that if anyone on Boards was among the gentry-folk who helped her alleviate aforementioned cramps while she lay prone and writhing on the ground, she is eternally grateful!

This was her second half (after the Adidas half in Dublin in '09) and was slightly slower, which is to be expected given the heat and hills. She's doing the 'Great' Ireland 10k next week (and my daughter is doing the junior run), and has signed up for Berlin marathon, which makes my job of persuading her that 'a holiday in Berlin in September would be a great idea' that much easier! It was she who first started this running lark, a couple of years ago with a commitment to train for the wimin's mini marathon. I followed suit (albeit not for the wimin's mini marathon), but was not following for very long as my obsession quickly surpassed her own. There are four of us in the family, all participating in different sports, so the washing machine is on an endless cycle of washing sports gear.

theboyblunder wrote: »

My HR gets higher than that while yawning

Mine is steadily higher in work. Despite being a desk jockey, I think a day in the office is like an all-day tempo session!

If I could swim more than 33m without having to stop for a break, I would be signing up for the next available sprint on the calendar! Do any beginners take a break every 50m for a breather (he asked hopefully)?! I must plan another open-water swim in the wet-suit real soon.

Krusty_clown wrote:

Think I need to take a couple of weeks off of running

Woddle wrote: »

I wish I had just a small slice of your discipline

shels4ever wrote:

Smart move

Yeah, Well...So... That didn't happen. No smartness or discipline here. Went for a swim on Tuesday, and did a few lengths. Nothing strenuous. By Wednesday morning, I felt nothing in the calf at all (the lady doth protest too much).

So when I got home after work, I hit the park for an easy 5 mile run before the physio. I didn't realize I had the watch on average pace instead of lap pace (since the ultra in Connemara) so ended up running these miles way too fast, but they felt comfortable, and still no twinge from the calf. Mr physio made me writhe in the usual agony, and managed a brief more general sports massage too, which has left my quite tender, but optimistic of making it to Limerick in 9 days time for marathon pacing duties. I will do a long run this weekend at Pacing pace (7:48/mile) and use that to determine if I am up for the job.

Summary: 5 miles in 35 mins, @7:01/mile, HR=148.