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Making every mile count

dublin runner

With DCM 2013 done and dusted it is now time to look forward to 2014. I have lurked around these parts long enough and now the time is right to stick my head above the parapet!

Background

I began running in Spring 2012. Running a marathon was always a life goal. DCM 2012 was the target as it was my hometown marathon. I enjoyed the day and ran it in a very enjoyable 3.46:17. I loved every step. Beforehand I thought that this would be it, marathon box ticked and now to do something else! In truth, this was just the beginning and I quickly realised I wanted/needed to continue and improve (I’m quite competitive!).

2013 saw big improvements, particularly from August onward (here I began coaching sessions). My PB for the half marathon dropped to 1.24:28 (Athlone Flatline) and the possibility of a sub-three hour marathon became a real possibility. Training went well and I peaked with a 90 mile week three weeks out from the goal race of 2013.

The plan for Dublin this year was simple, run with the 3hr pacers until Mile 20, let the pack do the work and hopefully push on. I knew I was in good shape and secretly thought a 2.56.xx was a really possibility, although never sharing this with the coach! The plan was executed perfectly to Mile 20 and I felt strong. Here is where I wanted to gradually wind things up and finish strong, bringing the miles down to the 6.20’s. Unfortunately, cramp struck from nowhere at mile 22. What a time for your first ever leg cramp! I dug in and motored on. To be honest I was in pain. The pace never slowed though and I finished in 2.58:53. I was delighted but annoyed at the same time. I was full of energy but cramp stopped me cruising to the time I secretly wanted.

2014

My 5/10k times are quite weak in comparison to my marathon time. November and December will see my first ever plan for these distances. January will see the start of a new marathon training.

Distance|PB|Goal
5k|18:24|>17:20
10k|40:09|>36:30
Half M|1.24.28|>1.20.00
Mar|02.50:53|02.49:59

The plan and goal is the Paris Marathon in April but I have a few fall back options in case that doesn't work out. My 10K time is particularly soft so I’m look forward to taking a chunk off that! These targets will motivate me until Spring.

Anyway. The days since Dublin involved way too much Guinness and bad food so time to get out those runners and get running.

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yaboya1

dublin runner wrote: »

Yasso sessions are definitely a tough one though. It looks a hell of a lot easier written down.

+1 to this.
I thought I'd sail through it last Friday, but it was way, way tougher than I expected.

dublin runner

Friday 19/9
8.30 Miles

AM

4.30 Miles Very Easy @7.50p/m in 33:40

PM

4 Miles Easy @7.30p/m in 30:00

A nice relaxed day before a heavy enough weekend. The 4 mile run in the evening was a nasty one. The heavens had opened but on I went. I felt surprisingly weak approaching the 3rd mile, quite unusual and a very rare occurrence. It just goes to show you the runs you don't worry at all about can be the ones the almost trip you up.

Saturday 20/9
15.14 Miles

-W/U 1 Miles
-W/D 1 Painful Mile

Dublin Half Marathon (1.30 Pacing)
-13.14 Miles @6.46p/m in 1.29:36

A very enjoyable morning with near perfect races conditions. I drew the long straw (or should it be the short straw?!). This meant I would be flagless, as last years flag went missing in action. Having only two flags bearers wasn't ideal as the large numbers meant some congestion but luckily it's absence caused no real issues.

The combination of narrow paths and a quick opening mile led to a lot of congestion. I won't even mention the runners wearing headphones....:mad: The miles ticked by quickly. By Mile 11 we built up a bit of a time cushion. This meant we could slightly ease back on the final mile which was tough one. I think this really helped our pacees as it meant they could either hold on to our coattails or even motor on home. It is a fine balance though. Rather than 'bank' time, it's simply about maintaining an even effort throughout.

Really great to see so many fine performances. A really great bunch of people and definitely the most prepared group of runners yet encounetered during my short pacing.

The walk back to the car was a disaster. Throughout the race a pain in my foot neared it's ugly head. Once the excitement of the race passed the pain grew. Stubborn to an absolute fault, I shuffled through my warm-down after the twenty minute walk back to the car. The pain meant the removal of my right runner quite horrific.

Breaking in a number of new runners during the week left my little toe area with a lot of dead skin and swelling (lovely, I know :eek:). It was particularly annoying as the legs felt great. The pain really impacted my day. Very annoying.

Great day though :rolleyes:

Not looking forward the 20 miler the tomorrow.......

(The one thing very noticeable today was the amount of people 'shaking out' their arms. I spotted it countless times. A sure sign of tension in the upper body.)

Sunday 21/9

Long Easy Run
-20 Miles @7.08p/m in 2.22:44

I did something never advised. I reluctantly took some painkillers before setting out. The logic being that I was not injured but merely sore due to the abrasion caused by new runners. If I were injured I would have not taken painkillers nor would I have ran.

Needless to say it made no difference. Or did it?

Breaking down a 20 miler in four 5 mile runs makes the runs psychologically easier. Rather than think 'Oh God...another 14 miles', you create smaller targets within the larger one. The miles flew by before the foot became very sore. Every sharp turn was greeted with a grimace. If the painkillers did work they certainly wore off after 15 miles. More likely, the 80-90 times my right foot touches the ground finally irradiated the area enough to make the last few miles tougher than usual.

WEEK TOTAL: 94.74+ MILES

dublin runner

Monday 22/9
12.4 Miles Various

AM

4.40 Miles Very Easy @7.37p/m in 33:31

PM

8 Miles Easy @7.07p/m in 56:57

Ouch.

The opening mile has a hard one. The right foot continued to be a right nuisance. The pain was no worse but no better (probably not helped by the 20 miler the previous day). Brief thoughts of turning around and heading home quickly faded as the foot 'loosened' out or most likely, gave in complaining for a bit. The pain was a reaction to simply wearing too many runners the previous week so what did I do? I put on a brand new pair of Mizuno Ronins. Fresh out of the box but without doubt helped.

Tuesday 23/9
17.16+ Miles Various

AM

11.86+ Miles

Plan: 10 Miles @PMP (2.5 Miles reps with 2 min recovery)

-1 Mile W/D
-10 Miles @6.04p/m in 1.00:46
-.86 Mile W/D

A very enjoyable session with Ecoli for company. The plan was simple; a controlled effort at 6.04-6.06 pace. The foot was a real nuisance on the warm-up. All I could do was hope for the best. While the left foot glided over the tarmac, the right foot slammed. The body is obviously trying to compensate and avoid the area of pain. Luckily, the foot improved and caused no issues whatsoever during the session.

The idea with this session is to lock into a pace and hold it. This can be quite difficult as the tendency is usually to hit the ground running and go out too fast. This could cause a lot of problems later on. I struggled a bit to get into a groove but after a mile or two the pace and effort settled. The 2nd rep was a tough one, with a long drag into the wind up Chesterfield Avenue. I really enjoyed the 3rd rep. I hit the sweet spot of working hard but feeling very comfortable. We both knew the 4th rep would be the most testing as it repeated the climb of the 2nd rep. Fighting the wind up the Avenue was hard. The lap pace just would not drop (6.12). I had to work quite hard to get the 9th mile down to 6.07. The turn off Chesterfield was a welcome one. Here a comical exchange ensued with me unforgivably not knowing the way :pac:. At that stage it was every man for himself. I maintained the effort and was quite shocked to see the lap pace hit 5.37 with a half a mile to go. I eased back slightly as this wasn't the session to completely flog yourself

.

It proves once more the deceptive nature of Chesterfield Avenue. I had to work hard to hold any sort of pace but as soon as I turned off the pace dropped dramatically despite maintaining the same effort. It further emphasised that the opening few miles of the marathon should be approached conservatively.

PM

5.30 Miles Easy @7.25p/m in 39:20

Wednesday 24/9

Medium Long Run
-15 Miles Easy @7.02p/m in 1.45:30

If the long run is the bread and butter of marathon training what does that make the mid-week medium long run? That's right, the jam :pac:

Finding the mid-week run really enjoyable at the moment. I can also really see the benefits. What is even better is my that my foot is almost back to normal. I won't go into details but needless to say a scissors may have been involved......:pac:

dukeraoul

Great stuff. Thats a solid MP workout for sure... will you be my binky for Moone? (6:05) ???

dublin runner

dukeraoul wrote: »

Great stuff. Thats a solid MP workout for sure... will you be my binky for Moone? (6:05) ???

Binky? Haha.

Quite possibly! Just had look there at the course profile. Fast start, tough finish. Not sure how to play it just yet.

Even effort or even pace?.......hmmmmmm!!!

dublin runner

Thursday 25/9
12.9 Miles Various

AM

4.30 Very Easy @7.38p/m in 32:49

The usual morning route in reverse. That's the way I roll at the moment....on the edge.

PM

8.60 Miles Easy @7.01p/m in 1.00:22
-inc. 10x30 second strides @5k effort

I had it in mind to either do a floating mile session or a solid steady run but decided against both. With a hard run to come on Saturday, I was concerned that I may have tipped myself into the red by pushing myself a bit too much. At this stage there is more to lose than gain.

So, the Moone Kilomarathon this weekend is proving a difficult one to plan tactically. The race training run should help me settle on a possible target time for Dublin. I like my targets

. One thing is certain, I won't be fresh but that's the idea. Running on tired legs is never pretty but hopefully it will prove effective.

In other news I have signed up for the Athlone 3/4 Marathon next week. That will simply be a good old fashioned hard run. Old school. This will be my third year in a row running this so it'll be interesting to see how I compare to previous years. It's a challenging course but fortunately memory fades with time. Already looking to the Alpe d'Huez climb at the end

.

(P.s Really enjoying reading some of the marathon threads at the moment. Keep it up everyone....classic stuff

)

blockic

dublin runner wrote: »

4.30 Very Easy @7.38p/m in 32:49

The usual morning route in reverse. That's the way I roll at the moment....on the edge.]

Emjoyed that!

dukeraoul

Great run today man. Impressed.

dublin runner

Moone Kilomarathon

A very good day.

Today's run was the most important session before Dublin. After a few dodgy races it was important to do well today. The plan was to run my planned marathon pace. If the effort became too high I knew it was important to back off. Today wasn't for racing.

I will write up something tomorrow as it's a busy weekend work-wise.

-16.22 Miles @6.06p/m in 1.38:59

7th Place (7/196)

Onwards and upwards

dublin runner

dukeraoul wrote: »

Great run today man. Impressed.

Thanks. Good run yourself on a tough enough course. Frankfurt will be a breeze in comparison :pac:

jebuz

Great stuff DR, sounds like a very positive day and that's exactly what you needed to affirm your training is going well, delighted for you

dukeraoul

dublin runner wrote: »

Thanks. Good run yourself on a tough enough course. Frankfurt will be a breeze in comparison :pac:

Still spaces/ flights ...

dublin runner

dukeraoul wrote: »

Still spaces/ flights ...

Haha! Don't tempt me :pac:

The thoughts of all the lovely beer is almost enough!

dublin runner

Friday 26/9

45 Minutes Easy
-6.25 Miles @7.14 in 45:11

In attempting to strike the right balance for tomorrows run, I slightly lowered reduced the planned mileage. The plan for the Kilomarathon is to feel tired but not to feel completed flogged. Struggled to keep the pace down, despite waking up quite tired.

Saturday 27/9
18.07+ Miles Various

-W/U .5+ Mile*
-16.22 Miles @PMP (6.06p/m) in 1.38:59
-W/D 1.35 Miles

*never one for the long warm-ups ImageProxy.mvc?bicild=&canary=%2fMygN83kzwl%2b3Q45LoaYXaG9LXRVo3A6EEmZWRk9Mh4%3d0&url=http%3a%2f%2fb-static.net%2fvbulletin%2fimages%2fsmilies%2fcool.png

ImageProxy.mvc?bicild=&canary=%2fMygN83kzwl%2b3Q45LoaYXaG9LXRVo3A6EEmZWRk9Mh4%3d0&url=http%3a%2f%2fb-static.net%2fvbulletin%2fimages%2fsmilies%2fcool.png

Moone Kilomarathon

Time: 1.38:59

Place: 7th

Splits:

1.5.59
2.6.04
3.6.05
4.6.07
5.6.11
6.6.07
7.6.12
8.6.12
9.6.15
10.5.59
11.6.06
12.6.07
13.6.00
14.6.02
15.6.07
16.6.07
.22.6.07

The word of the day was effort. The goal was to maintain a pace that felt comfortable and one I could possibly hold for the marathon distance. The idea behind this long training run was marathon day simulation, built on tired legs. The course profile enviably leads to a fast first mile, despite the short drag right at the start. I planned to run the opening by feel before settling into a groove for the next 13 or so miles before we returned to the village. The closing mile or two looked tricky on paper, with a few testing climbs. A tough finish. The short drive down meant a bit of time for doubts but I felt confident.

The first 6 miles were incredibly enjoyable. The pace felt easy and controlled. I made the conscious decision not to look at the watch, preferring only the momentary glance. The marathon paced miles on Tuesday really helped to lock into running 6.06 miles. It felt natural.

I was running solo but for once I was enjoying the peace and quiet. I had a nice target of a fellow club-mate and S, a Tallaght runner I remembered from the half in Bohermeen (ran with Ecoli, I think) just ahead. The gap between us grew shorter by the mile before finally evaporating just before the 10th mile. It was great to have company after running solo for nearly 10 miles. They were slowing so my introduction meant a small injection of pace (5.59). This was a bit too fast and I found myself racing so I smartly eased off. Working with S really helped keep the pace honest and in many ways we both saved each others race. The heat was becoming more noticeable with every passing mile but the abundance of water stops meant a nice water bottle shower every few miles

.

The last two two miles were as predicted with a few nasty climbs making you work for the finish line. Delighted to finish with a bit left in the tank. Another 10 miles at this pace? I would give myself odds of 9/2 (not that I am a betting man or anything! :cool:).

A highly recommended race. It's a fair but challenging route so perfect preparation for Dublin and the October marathons.

Sunday 28/9
11 Miles Various

AM

5 Miles Very Easy @7.38 in 38:11

PM

6 Miles Easy @7.25p/m 44:38

WEEK TOTAL: 92.78+ MILES

While slightly under the mileage target for the week, I won't beat myself up about it. I could have ran more but that would have been mile chasing and something I promised myself I would not do. All in all a big week, with over 26 miles at planned marathon pace.

I plan to do two more long runs before taper, with 20 miles steady in Athlone this Sunday before a long easy 22 mile run next week. After this week the mileage will begin to drop as I felt that the two-week taper employed in April was a mistake.

The makey-uppy training schedule continues. Will it work? Tune in to find out.......:pac:

AuldManKing

You not being coached anymore?

AuldManKing

You not being coached anymore?

dublin runner

AuldManKing wrote: »

You not being coached anymore?

Not at the moment. This will hopefully change when I get back to serious training in December. I am getting advice from a few people in the lead-up. It's not ideal but in some ways it's a good learning curve to be on.

dublin runner

Monday 29/9
16.30 Miles Various

AM

8.10 Miles Easy @7.19p/m in 59:20

PM

8.20 Miles Easy @7.16p/m in 59:32

Nothing to see here. Let's move on.....:rolleyes:

Tuesday 30/9
15 Miles Various

AM

5 Miles Very Easy @7.38p/m in 38:14

Body telling me to get off the road.

PM

10 Miles

-W/U 2 Miles
-6x1,200m @5k effort (5.30p/m) with 400m active recovery
-W/D 2.25 Miles

The morning run told me one thing. Road running is obviously tough on the body, particularly when you run less than 1% of your training on grass. I dislike (hate!) grass and avoid it at all costs. This is one of the reasons why I am avoiding running XC for my club this year. With all that in mind I took myself down to the gym and to the same treadmill I always use (quite important this). I put on a decent gradient and hit the right effort level.

I just love gym-goers. The young lady beside kept me suitably entertained. I was impressed she last for 5 seconds at 16mph :eek:.

Wednesday 1/10

Medium Long Run
-16.20 Miles Easy @7.13p/m in 1.56:51

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/603040141

I decided to take in a good few miles of the first half DCM course. I also decided not to look at the watch for first 10 miles. At this point I would have to be careful to get home with 16 miles completed. The 2 hours went by in a blink of an eye. The run got me thinking about how to tactically approach the marathon.

So, with 16 miles in the bag I ran by Jerry Keirnan. It was obvious he was very impressed by my running form and general running efficiency. I can tell these things in the 2 seconds our paths crossed

.

''Oi, Jerry! Any chance of a bitta coaching man, yeah?''........

yaboya1

dublin runner wrote: »

I ran by Jerry Keirnan. It was obvious he was very impressed by my running form and general running efficiency. I can tell these things in the 2 seconds our paths crossed .

''Oi, Jerry! Any chance of a bitta coaching man, yeah?''........

No chance if he finds out you're a fan of the GAA

dublin runner

yaboya1 wrote: »

No chance if he finds out you're a fan of the GAA

I often wondered who is the fitter, an intercounty player or a marathon runner?!

FIGHT!

I'm not going to start that old debate again!

Congrats on the result by the way. Your race report was very interesting to read. It pretty much summed up my marathon and pre-race anxiousness felt in April. Great result and much more to come.
.
I have a sneaky feeling on that you will run even faster in Dublin. Enjoy the break before then though!

dukeraoul

dublin runner wrote: »

Monday 29/9
16.30 Miles Various

AM

8.10 Miles Easy @7.19p/m in 59:20

PM

8.20 Miles Easy @7.16p/m in 59:32

Nothing to see here. Let's move on.....:rolleyes:

Tuesday 30/9
15 Miles Various

AM

5 Miles Very Easy @7.38p/m in 38:14

Body telling me to get off the road.

PM

10 Miles

-W/U 2 Miles
-6x1,200m @5k effort (5.30p/m) with 400m active recovery
-W/D 2.25 Miles

The morning run told me one thing. Road running is obviously tough on the body, particularly when you run less than 1% of your training on grass. I dislike (hate!) grass and avoid it at all costs. This is one of the reasons why I am avoiding running XC for my club this year. With all that in mind I took myself down to the gym and to the same treadmill I always use (quite important this). I put on a decent gradient and hit the right effort level.

I just love gym-goers. The young lady beside kept me suitably entertained. I was impressed she last for 5 seconds at 16mph :eek:.

Wednesday 1/10

Medium Long Run
-16.20 Miles Easy @7.13p/m in 1.56:51

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/603040141

I decided to take in a good few miles of the first half DCM course. I also decided not to look at the watch for first 10 miles. At this point I would have to be careful to get home with 16 miles completed. The 2 hours went by in a blink of an eye. The run got me thinking about how to tactically approach the marathon.

So, with 16 miles in the bag I ran by Jerry Keirnan. It was obvious he was very impressed by my running form and general running efficiency. I can tell these things in the 2 seconds our paths crossed .

''Oi, Jerry! Any chance of a bitta coaching man, yeah?''........

You also ran by me and I have ya a toot of the horn and a raised middle finger

dublin runner

dukeraoul wrote: »

You also ran by me and I have ya a toot of the horn and a raised middle finger

Haha.

I thought that was you! I usually try to avoid car beeps. Usually a motorist trying to run me over.

dublin runner

Thursday 2/10
11.50 Miles Various

AM

5 Miles Very Easy @7.40p/m in 38:22

PM

6.5 Miles Easy @7.21p/m in 47:48

Two mundane runs that come with training for the marathon. The type of day that I will not miss come November! Enjoyable all the same.

Friday 3/10
15.85 Miles Various

AM

12.85 Miles
-inc. 6 Miles @PMP

Splits: 6.00, 6.02, 6.05, 6.02, 6.05, 6.05 (laps started a bit late so different to Dr.Q)

I decided to do my bit for the community and help Dr.Q with his training (he doesn't need any help at all but I do like to see the competition :cool:). All messing aside, a really good session. Once again the marathon paced stuff felt comfortable. The weather was truly awful but you'd barely notice when ticking over at a decent pace. He will have a great run in Frankfurt.

Like a drowned rat I waved my goodbyes to the man himself and did a spot of awkward stretching against the car. Thoughts soon turned to a nice hot cappuccino and the like. One problem. One big problem. I stupidly locked myself out of the car. One thing is for sure, the Papal Cross carpark on a wet morning is not the place you want to be when faced with such a dilemma. What was in the car I hear you ask? Only my money, phone, house keys and well, our only set of car keys. The northsider that I am I tried to smash in the back window, carefully looking around. Unfortunately I am a runner so obviously have no upper body strength whatsoever! Disaster.

Here is where the comedy gold really began. The Simon Community have a race tomorrow so I approached the marque and the men at work. The plan was to ask for a hammer and do in that stubborn window, like the man I really am. At this point I was a shivering mess. Without hesitation they provided their assistance. They kindly offered to try and open the door using some tools. Tools that real men use. After much effort they opened the door. I could have kissed them. All delighted I thanked them profusely. It was such a pity though that they allowed to door to close.....back to square bloody one! All I could do was laugh. Cue more laughter, a further ten minutes of hard graft and I was in

.

Time to donate to the Simon Community. They wouldn't even consider taking my offer of some much deserved cash.

Heroes. Simply heroes.

PM

3 Miles Very Easy @7.42p/m in 23:08

A simple shakeout before the long drive to the West.

An easy day tomorrow before the Athlone 3/4. I have yet to decide how to run this but the main thing is not to go out too hard. Time to play it smart. It will all depend how my body feels on the Sunday morning. This is my third time running the race so that should help.

Now, where are my keys?.......;)

TRR_the_turd

dublin runner wrote: »

What was in the car I hear you ask? Only my money, phone, house keys and well, our only set of car keys.
[/COLOR]

I read that and initially thought to myself, what the feck is he doing with a monkey in his car?

AuldManKing

Another bloody pic of you with your buddy in Irish Runner

Have you been asked for autographs yet?

dukeraoul

Oh no DR! I feel bad I left so quick- that sucks!(but is slightly hilarious as well) glad you got it sorted and FairPlay to the Simon dudes

dublin runner

AuldManKing wrote: »

Another bloody pic of you with your buddy in Irish Runner

Have you been asked for autographs yet?

Not quite!

Some 47 minutes off the world record so a bit of work still left to do!

Must have a look at the article actually.

dublin runner

dukeraoul wrote: »

Oh no DR! I feel bad I left so quick- that sucks!(but is slightly hilarious as well) glad you got it sorted and FairPlay to the Simon dudes

Yeah, they were great. Was not too bad. I felt like I got away with something!! Bloody soaked though.

dublin runner

Saturday 4/10

6 Miles Easy @7.28p/m in 44:52

Sunday 5/10
20+ Miles Various

W/U-.35 Miles*

Athlone 3/4 Marathon (19.66 Miles)

9th (9/717)

2.06:07 (6.26p/m)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/606393104

Today confirmed what I always really knew. For many reasons this is my favourite course in Ireland and one can really get stuck into. It's also a course that cannot be bluffed. If you are untrained, over-trained, poor at pacing etc. it will punish you. With it's many hills and beautiful peaceful countryside there are few better places to be on a Sunday morning.

The plan today was a long steady run before the three week taper commences tomorrow. After a decent drive from Sligo, registration was quick and easy. No race is perfect and the long walk down to registration (and back up) was a bit of a pain. Luckily I was early (for me). With no real pressure on this race, barring wanting to run steady (6.25-6.35p/m), the opening miles sped by. Coming to the first mile marker I waved my club-mate on. I didn't want to run at marathon pace or anywhere near it. Happy as Larry to be running solo. Just me and the sound of my shoes bouncing off the ground. I know I am in good shape when this happens.

As mentioned, this race cruelly exposes you if not running well. The closing miles are very challenging. With that in mind you need to pace yourself correctly and leave a small bit in the tank. There is a particularly nasty section just after the 18 mile mark (aka Alpe d'Huez!). This climb in particular is always tough and today was no different. It brings you close of a standstill. Having such a climb at the end of the race is one the reasons I love the race.

Splits (3/4): 41.59, 41.55, 42.14

I am particularly happy with the consistency of the splits as I barely looked at the watch. Not looking at the watch? Another good sign.

The effort and controlled and I finished with a big smile on my face for the paparazzi. Already looking forward to next year.

*the plan was to ease myself into the race, I swear. No need for a long warm-up, right?

Athlone 3/4 Results:

2012: 2.40:18
2013: 2.14:50
2014: 2.06.07

Steady progress, if you don't mind me saying. Even with 80+ miles in the legs for the week, today was by a distance the most comfortable I have felt finishing.

WEEK TOTAL: 100.85+ MILES

One more big week. Next week won't quite reach the heights of this week but that's all in the plan. By plan, I mean the listening to your body/running by feel/make-uppy type of plan.

I am confident that I have put myself in a great place heading into the last few weeks. Whatever happens on the day happens. One thing struck me during the week when out with the Doctor. I am now extremely comfortable running 6 minute miles. For that alone, the last few weeks graft has been worth every single drop of sweat and tears

.

P.S. One last thing. I would like to mention the runner who passed me on their voucher for a free lunch today at the hotel. What a kind gesture.

AuldManKing

[QUOTE=dublin runner;92490893

Athlone 3/4 Marathon[/U] (19.66 Miles)

Athlone 3/4 Results:

2012: 2.40:18
2013: 2.14:50
2014: 2.06.07
[/QUOTE]

Amazing progression, DR. Really amazing - you're in good shape.

You are dead right - no bluffers on that course, so many hills and a tough finish. Great running by you today.