A little bit of everything, just faster

Art O'Neill race report

Build up wasn't ideal but had put in some decent long runs so was hoping to go reasonably well in the race. Compared to previous years, there were more runners, a few I recognised, so arguably it was the most competitive field so far for the race. Plan was to go under 8 hours and aim for closer to 7.

Got to Dublin Castle just before midnight and checked all my kit in and settled in for the 2 hour wait.

Dublin Castle to CP 1

Plan was to aim for 4.30min/km pace for the first 10 miles or so. First few kms flew by and soon found myself running with Dogsly and two others. Pace felt fine and we weren't too far behind the leaders and the kms flew by. My knee felt fine but on a slight downhill over a bridge, I got a sharp pain in the knee so downed a neurofen. One runner who I knew came by us and put in a decent gap on the first climb towards Stone Cross. We would be of similar ability but I decided I wasn't going to get into a race yet.

Around 14km in, Dogsly started to pull away. I was kind of relieved. I wanted to run my own race and at times I wasn't sure if I was running his or my pace. The climb was fairly steep and got into a nice rhythm. I was on my own and enjoying the solitide. After the climb, around 16km in, the first descent was painful on my knee. Wasn't too concerned as it was fine on the flat and climbing and if anything, it was probably stopping me from hammering the descents. Went through a bad spell shortly after the downhill. There was still another 10km of road and my feet and legs were just dead. No spring in the step. I tried to up the tempo but legs wouldn't respond. I wasn't tired or sore, just legs were dead. Was hating the race at this stage. Got caught by a big bunch of runners here and was contemplating throwing in the towel here. Head was gone.

Legs recovered a bit in the small off road section and eventually reached the first checkpoint. A very quick change of runners, necked a bottle of lucozade sport and grabbed a chicken soup to drink on the run.

CP 1 to CP 2

Legs started to come back alive on the off road section. Tough boggy climb to reach the open mountain which allowed me to catch some runners. The fog was really thick, people 15 metres away would disappear, despite head torches. I didn't recognise any of the terrain, just an idea of the general direction I should be going. The idea is to hit Billy Byrne's Gap whichi about 32km in. Then you can either head straight for the river and follow it to the forest or stay high on the solid ground which is faster but harder to navigate.

Took out the GPS which showed I was on the right course to stay high. I met two runners, one of which was the guy who passed me earlier on the road climb. We were heading for the same route, contouring around the river and staying high. I was glad of the company as it was a bit freaky walking across the mountain on my own, completely blinded by fog.

We only knew we reached the top of the pass when the terrain started going downhill. Most of this section was hiked, picking up the pace once we were out of the fog. We nailed the navigation and hit the gap in the forest bang on and ran into checkpoint CP2. I was feeling great. I knew we had picked up a lot of places on that section and we were still moving well. The three of us stayed together and agreed we'd run the last section together.

CP2 to Art's Cross to finish.

Bouyed by the good middle section, we hit the last section running, keen to catch anyone ahead and more importantly, not be caught. A look at the watches suggested we could get under 7 hours so that was the aim. Felt v strong on this section and was able to run most of the open mountain section. We decided for the route to Art's Cross. It's about 500 metres longer than the alternative route but it's more runnable except for the last climb which is a hands on knee/ground affair. It was still dark climbing and we could see lights chasing which pushed us on. Eventually we topped out and could see two runners ahead. We gave chase immediately and seemed to catch them by surprise as they suddenly up the pace. The runner I knew dropped off so now there was just two of us chasing the two ahead. 47km and we're now racing to the finish. Again we nailed the navigation, we had good visibility so could see a ridge in the direction of where we should be heading.

We caught the two lads on the boggy section. One of them dropped off so it was now just the three of us on the last descent. It was manic running, slipping everywhere as the race was still very much on. We crissed crossed the river 6 or 7 times, on the heels of each other before reaching the main trail. The runner we had caught just took off and we both let him go. Didn't have the legs to give chase and knee was v sore.

The pair of us decided to run in the last 3km together. It was a good partnership. He dragged me along in places and I saved us a bit of time on the first off road section. It was nervous last few minutes, would've been sickening to be caught now. Crossed the line for joint 6th in just over 6 hours 35. Knocked 90 minutes of last year's time. Really happy with the time if just a little bit disappointed with the road section. Happy that I was able to dig in after the bad spell. Speaking afterwards, a lot of mountain runners found the road tough. I don't think I've run enough miles on the road which killed my legs.

Feeling relatively good afterwards. Left foot is a bit sore from the uneven terrain and left knee is still sore. Superb race. Hope it's back next year although looks unlikely at the moment.

DogSlySmile wrote: »

Wuss!:P


Having ran both the longer route to the cross and the shorter route bypassing the cross I think the route straight up to the cross is the better option. At that stage in a tough race taking the option with the more runnable ground is the right choice even if it is slightly longer.

Ha! Three's a crowd. I didn't even think about upping the pace at that stage. Got stuck in no-man's land then for a while tho.

I think I made the right choice re last section, not that it was planned. The time for the section was pretty good. One of the lads reckon it'd be quicker via the cross but would go the other way if I knew the route well. Discussion was on how well we knew the route and which was more runnable.

Sunday easy five mile

Spent morning marshalling IMRA race. Good craic to watch the races, lots of different techniques on display, people were easily making 5/6 seconds on just one muddy corner depending on how they took it.

Easy flat five miles, felt pretty good. Core work, planks (hold for a min) and other exercises. Planks never get easier

Monday 10km
Hungover to bits doing this. Over indulged watching the Super Bowl. Knee got a bit creaky for the last 500 metres.

Tuesday 2 * 2miles reps 8.5km
Plan was to do the reps before the storm hit. Alas, the storm hit before I went out the door. It was refreshing until I hit the coast line and was met with driving rain. It was actually unrunnable. Some poor cyclists had to abandon their bikes such was the wind. So headed for shelter and had a fantastic run in the rain. Good dj mix, one of the tunes that came on was "impression of a rainstorm."
Core work out

Wednesday 3 * 1200 metres 11.5km total
Lunchtime run, lovely blue skies, not a hint of wind.

Had plan to run 1600 metres but turns out the road I was using was only 1200.
Pace was 3.40km/min, 3.35, 3.39.
The last two were more comfortable than the first. A further 6km as the weather was lovely.

Still testing the knee so keeping the mileage low. The odd niggle but no problems doing intervals. Seems to get a bit stiff around 11km mark but that's up from 7km last week.

Plan is to follow Daniels 15km plan again while introducing longer runs with a plan to aim for Mourne Ultra. Had hoped to to Wicklow Way Ultra but I think the 26km race will be far more beneficial in the long run.

Monday 13km 611 metre climb

Powerscourt and Sugar Loaf

Plan was to run up to Djouce but the weather took a turn for the worst with winter showers of sleet and snow just as I was getting to the shoulder. Decided to retreat. Lovely run though, wasn't too wet up there. Managed to run the whole route, usually hike the climb out from the River Dargle heading back to the carpark.

On the drive home, I decided to give Sugar Loaf a go, maybe even bag a Strava KOM. Only 3km out and back from the south side of it so it's a fun scramble. Kept a decent pace right up until the point you have to use your hands. Crazy wind at the top so didn't hang around. 4th overall on Strava. I reckon 1st is for the taking, will make it a mini-project on runs back from Wicklow.

Knee feels 99% now so hopefully get back to full training this week and start increasing the kms and race IMRA at the weekend.

43.5km for the week

Sunday Trooperstown IMRA race 9.7km

Ouch. First IMRA race of the year. First race back, I wasn’t sure who I should be chasing/staying behind.
Race started off at a decent clip, 2km on the fireroad. None of the real fast lads where there which meant I was in touch with 1st place until we got onto the trail. Was running with a regular foe when a familiar face came by and I decided to go with him. Far more comfortable on the off road and we started to open a gap.

According to strava, I was 15 seconds quicker on the 800 metres to the first summit than last year. Sloppy Caught a quick look at the views from the top, a few snowy peaks in the distance. Struggled on the following downhill, 1.5km or so.

It’s a gradual slope but my legs were struggling to turnover and could hear runners behind me closing in. Was in around 10th position with 9th in sight. In the distance, I could see a group of 4 or so. I was getting caught from behind but at the same time, we seemed to be gaining on the group in front.

The final climb was tough, a gain of 100 metres. Strava has me one second quicker than last year over the first section. But I remember that year I was in a heap, this year, my legs felt strong on the climbs. Nonetheless, I was caught by one or two runners here. I tucked in behind and stuck to their heels to the summit, one second slower than last year.

Onto the descent and I was still in touch with 2 runners or so. Caught one lad early on and hammered the descent, picking up another place over a rocky section. Strava has me 12 seconds quicker than last year over the 1.1km descent. Picked up another spot on the road section and another one when the runner I went it at the start missed the final turn in the forest section, 50 metres from the finish.
Knocked off 90 seconds off last year’s time. Hard to compare given conditions etc .

There’s a strava running app now.

It’s fantastic for comparing your times to previous years and see where you lost time in a race. You can compare times to anyone who raced that day and uploaded their stats. I recorded the same downhill time as the guy who came 2nd but 15 seconds slower on the climb.

Monday 11.5km

Recovery run. DOMS everywhere, legs, shoulders, back. Lovely jaunt around the trails of the park.

50km for the week
Slowly upping the kms. Knee felt fine in the race and on the recovery run. Ran five days out of the seven.

Tuesday easy 8km

Easy run 4.51km/min. Legs were a bit jelly but not too bad.

Wednesday 12.8km

4.44km/min pace. Upping the kms midweek. Legs were still tired from Monday so time on feet instead of a session. 60 min run.

Thursday treadmill session

3km warm up. As per last week, headphones in, incline to 10 degrees and off I went. Stuck speed at 10.3 km per hour. Target was to hang on for 17 mins, one minute longer than last week. Managed 20 mins in the end, much easier mentally to aim for a target. Think I'm finally getting a handle on these sessions, finding what sort of pace/time I can aim for. Legs were burning for the last 5 mins or so.

2 mins rest and another six minutes at 10km/hour. 3km warm down.

Saturday 10km

First Saturday run all year I think. Avoided Friday night beers too. Tough going. Legs didn't wake up till after 5km. All very slow and awkward. 5.05min/km but great to get a run in on a Saturday.

Monday 20km hill run 667metres climb

Glendalough to Scarr. Probably the best run of the year so far. Gorgeous blue skies, stunning views for miles and a lovely single trail for a lot of the run. Followed wicklow way trail which winds through a forest. Tough climb up Paddock hill but the surface was like a putting green. Sloppy trail for a fair bit of the climb up to Scarr, lots of puddle jumping but all v runnable. 4km of climbing with the odd stop to admire the views. Got to the top with 9km on the watch. The run back was even better, lovely flowing downhill for most of the way back besides a brief 1km climb at the 15km mark. This is what running is about for me. Beautiful day, feeling great, amazing views and the kms were just clicking by with ease, crossing rivers, through forests, open mountains and a stash of chocolate.

62.62km for the week

199.1km for February

Tuesday 9km recovery run

Tired legs from previous Monday’s long mountain run

Wednesday 12.7 km (8 mile)

Part road/trail/cobblestone out to Poolbeg lighthouse. The sea wall is a bit trick to run on due to uneven surface but good for ankle strength. (Probably)

Thursday treadmill session 11km

25 minutes at a slope of 10 at speed of 10.3km/hour.

The training seems to be working. Was able to complete the full 25 mins at speed of 10.3. That’s compared to 16 mins three weeks earlier and 20 mins 2 weeks ago. Using the same treadmill so should be comparable. Rough calculations has it around 440 metres of climbing.
3km WU, 3km WD.

Sunday Hellfire route 12km ish, 550 metres climbing

Decided to combine a handy run with marking the IMRA race. Only 5km so would be easy to do. Only it wasn’t. Trees down on the course made for a lot more marking, guiding runners around fallen trees and back on to the course.
I then couldn’t find a turn off which made for lots of frantic running back and forth, all the while time was running out before the race started. Stressful. Eventually got it done and no-one appears to have got lost.

Just finished the marking as the race started so was back running another lap to remove the tape. With all the running back and forth, I probably covered an extra 2km of the route.

Monday 20km steady 4.32 km/min pace 1 hour 31.

Nice run with a few kms sub 4.20 km/min pace. Felt great and was running smooth. Three nights on the beer left my stomach a bit tender, so I picked a route that passed numerous pubs in case of emergency. Decided to end the run a few kms early for safety reasons.

Total for the week 65km off five runs.

Happy with that and no niggles to report. 6 runs a week should bring me close to 80km (50 miles) easy enough.

A step back week this week. Wicklow Trail 25km race is on Saturday which is an A race for me.

Will give a shot at finishing under 2 hours. Did it in 2 hours 14 last year in the snow. The snow and ice looks to have added around 13 minutes to the finishing times. It’s a superb race that requires good pacing, particularly on the long tough down hills.

PaulieC wrote: »

Was out there on Wednesday myself. It's a lovely run that you can't enjoy due to the surface.

Ah I like the surface. Keeps it interesting.

Tuesday 9.5km

Easy run. Besides the weather. All four seasons, sunshine, strong hail to the face, gusts, sunshine. Strangely enjoyable.

Thursday 8km
Just ticking over ahead of the Wicklow trail race. Used Adidas Adizero tempo 5 for only the second time. Calfs were tight afterwards.

Saturday Wicklow Way trail
Had a tight left calf on Friday morning. I was in two minds whether to do the race but I felt I had a good performance in me. I had tight calves previously which loosened during races so decided to risk it.

Saturday morning was v cold. A rain jacket was mandatory so opted to wear a gore-tex jacket over a lighter Adidas one. Started near the front and after 1km or so, I was a few seconds off the leading pack of 5.

Was climbing well, settled into a nice pace and was happy to let the lead pack open a gap. Was joined by another runner and we swapped places as we climbed the fireroad towards the boardwalk and the incredible view over Lough Tay.
Left calf was still tight but nothing too bad.

Was able to keep a good pace running up the steps. The wind on the boardwalk was crazy. Difficult to stay on the boardwalk, let alone run on them. A couple of times I was blown off. Tricky passing the ultra runners. Involved stepping off the boardwalk, speeding up and then trying to get back on the boardwalk without getting blown off the other side.
Reached Djouce and caught one of the trail runners. Had a good run around the side of the djouce which is a bit technical. The sun was beating down and with the trail sheltered by the wind, I was sweating in the jacket.

I opened up a gap on the super grassy descent. Was in around 6th at this stage. Moving great and picking some nice fast lines down and then bang, face-planted into the ground on one of the easier sections. Saw stars getting up but seemed ok besides a cut knee and got back running. Two mins later the left calf just seized up, similar to a cramp and it was game over. Tried to run it off but not a hope. Made for a long walk to the next checkpoint where luckily I was able to get a lift back to the finish line.

V frustrating as I felt I had a good shot of doing well in the race. When I pulled up, I saw that I had a good gap on some fast runners and felt I could’ve maintained that gap throughout the race. Ho hum.

Calf still tight now and pulls when walking. Hopefully it’s not too bad. Google says it’s on the minor side of calf tears/strains.

career_move wrote: »

Bummer :mad:

Are you going to see a physio type person about that?

Yup, went to physio, grade 2 calf strain. 4 - 8 weeks recovery. Partial tear.

Which means bike training starts this weekend Every cloud. Just as well the clocks go forward this weekend.

Ten weeks to Beast of Ballyhoura.

Need to start upping the mileage and bike sessions over the next 10 weeks.

Monday 5.32km

Easy run after the 13 miles the previous day. Legs a bit tired.

Wednesday IMRA Scarr 8km 382 metre of climb.
Kerrist. This was on a new course. I usually run well on this mountain but still getting back into racing after the lay-off.

Started off close to the runners I usually race against. After 1km they seem to be gaining on me, even on the downhill.

The new course brings you up the side of the mountain which has a barely there trail. It was steep and full of heather which made for a tough climb. It was hands on the knees all the way up. Couldn’t get any momentum at all and at one point, I got tangled in barbed wire. Fairly miserable climb and got passed by a couple before the turn off for the main peak.

The main peak was runnable but boggy in places. I recovered a bit and had high hopes of catching people on the fantastic descent. People I was finishing ahead of earlier this year had at least two minutes at the turnaround.

I made two places back hitting the descent and could spot Slogger Jogger and two others in the distance. Was unable to close the gap and finished outside top 20. Enjoyable run and it was the first IMRA race I have managed to finish in three attempts! Probably lacking a bit of mental toughness from lack of racing. Probably backed off too easily at times.

Thursday 10km 4.48 pace
Legs were a bit tired but no major niggles.

Saturday 16km 4.40 pace

Handy run with a few faster splits towards the end.

Sunday Bike 46km 750 metres of climb

Sports massage on Saturday. Planned to cycle 100km but I forgot my bike shoes and cycling that distance in runners on clip in pedals was a non-runner.
Enjoyable ride, starting to feel a bit of bike fitness.

Total 40km run for week, 46km bike.

Decent week but an unexpected midweek night out left me wrecked.

Monday 16km (12km at 4.18 pace and 4km at 4.38 pace.)

Planned an easy run after sports massage. That was until I went to overtake a runner in the first 1km of the run. I went to pass him but misjudged his pace so ended up having to run a lot quicker just to make sure I didn’t look like a
fool if had to pass me ten seconds later.

Legs felt super after the massage and decided to hold the pace, running 12km at 4.18min/km pace, not too far off sub 3 hour marathon pace.

Also discovered a nice route out to Clontarf via Eastpoint Business Park avoiding East Wall Road. Lovely gravel path. Decided to slow down after 12km to be on the safe side.