Mum on the Run

BHAA Government Services 5 miles (Dunboyne)

34:56 gun time (PB)
Garmin Splits (6:55, 6:59, 7:01, 7:05, 6:51 + 3 seconds to make it to the finish line)
199th overall, 20th ? F, 5th in age group

After panicking all day that I wasn’t going to make it to Dunboyne on time, I arrived with over an hour to spare :rolleyes:. Did a 2 mile warm up, out and back the last mile of the route at a snail’s pace to waste time. Strolled towards the start line, met FD and a couple of clubmates along the way, then lined up 6 or 7 rows back. There was a big crowd (450+) and I didn’t want to get in the way of the faster runners but at the same time I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t make the target by a few seconds having started too far back. Turned out to be fine, I ended up with similar paced runners quickly enough without getting elbowed and settled into a comfortably hard pace. I reckon I lost about 5 seconds getting to the start line so it was tight in the end (yes, Meno, I agree !) and a chip time would have given me a bit of breathing space. But it is what it is and I started the watch on the gun so I wouldn’t be kidding myself.

The course is lovely – country roads, flatish but a few little bumps here and there to make it interesting. And of course the weather was just perfect, warm but not too warm, a gentle breeze but not windy.

I had remembered to set the watch to pace/time rather than the pace/distance setting I had used for Terenure. And of course the lap beeper gizmo that flashes up each mile split which is really handy (this is probably old hat to all you Garmin addicts out there, but I’m like a child with a new toy).

First mile was grand, felt easy. Second mile was ok (at this point in Terenure I was already dying…). Third mile I was starting to work hard. Fourth mile I may have waved that magic wand. Fifth mile I had to tell myself to HTFU or I wasn’t going to make it and having got that far it would be a bit defeatist to not give it everything for 7 minutes. 7 minutes – less than an episode of Charlie & Lola, less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea. But this 7 minutes was the longest of my life. The magic wand wasn’t working, my legs, lungs and abs (not the Flabs though) were in bits. There was a marker at the 4.5 mile point, if I could just hang on I was going to make it. Told myself if I got to the final turn before the track by 33 minutes I was going to make it. 33:00 on the button. Oh holy feck the track is going on forever, just keep going for one more minute then you can stop I promise, 30 more seconds, 10 seconds, 5 seconds more. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I definitely don’t want to see any race photos. I have no doubt I look like I was being chased by the devil around that track. The things we do to get our name in lights on a spreadsheet.

Congratulations to Firedance on her shiny new PB and to Meno on his official one. Good to meet AMK and Mulberry too. Thanks to Dubgal for the tapering advice, that must have been what clinched it .

That’s me done with the 5 milers for this year. I really don’t think I can improve over that distance for the foreseeable so going to try for a 10K PB then hang up the racing shoes for the summer to focus on base building.

• 7 miles incl. 5 @ 6:59 . No cool down (tut, tut)

Oh, and as an incentive for the sub 35 I had promised myself a pair of these beauties.

RedRunner wrote: »

Woohoo! Delighted for you BG. I was just scrolling through the results there looking for your name before coming on here and as I got closer and closer to the 35 min mark I was shouting C'mon G (in my head!)hoping you had clinched it. Well done!:)

Ha ha, kept you guessing down to the wire I'd say. Thanks a million RR, it was close but on the right side of 35 finally

Thanks so much everyone for the kind words. I thought briefly about retiring after reaching the Holy Grail that is The Table but now I'm thinking about maybe getting a second time on there before the year is out....

It really isn't that long ago that a stand-alone sub 7 min/mile was beyond me so it's heartening to be making progress and stringing 5 of them together which is something I would never have thought possible.

Thursday - Easy
Back to it today. Plan was for 4 miles easy. Legs felt good, to the point where I must have been running 'in the zone' as I found myself continuing for an extra lap oblivious to the fact that I should have turned off for home to get ready for work

• 4.2 miles (38:00), on grass mainly