Dream big, work hard, achieve your goals - My DCM '19 Journey

Bohermeen half marathon

Surprisingly I found my way without much of a hitch so already this was a good day
I was early enough so was able to park at the clubhouse. Note to self for future country races, wear old runners:eek: I stepped out of the car to meet D & do a warm up in my lovely clean runners to the muckiest carpark ever! Myself & D headed onto the track for a warmup. Nice easy paces & a chat around the track. Time to head down to the start line & managed to get behind the 1:40 pacers while D moved up.

Mile 1 - 7:24 - Started off nicely, not too congested. Was a bit of a downhill so just kept at the pace i had decided on.

Mile 2 - 7:26, Mile 3 - 7:32, Mile 4 - 7:24, Mile 5 - 7:30, Mile 6 - 7:27
I can't really remember all the miles separately, it genuinely felt like a very quick race,I couldn't believe I was already at mile 6! I stayed with the pacers for a couple of miles only because they were at the same pace as me but it felt great to move on myself & run my own race! It felt great up to this stage & I knew i could push on a bit more like my original plan. Got a shoutout from M here which really perked me up & made me smile

Mile 7 - 6:58, Mile 8 - 6:56, Mile 9 - 7:21, Mile 10 - 7:14
I pushed on for the next 2 miles and was happy at this pace, i even welcomed the rain as it was quite warm up till now. But then the heavens opened, it got windy & it decided to hail stone!! I was absolutely drenched but I think with the wind & rain behind me i actually felt invigorated:eek: I tried to get shelter but unfortunately i was between running groups so it was hard! Once the rain stopped it got warm again so that was good but the result was my hair resembled an afro in a bobbin:D As i ran i felt something constantly hitting my leg and looked down to see my lace open! I moved to the side & tied it, my legs felt a bit jelly like trying to get back to the pace but i managed it! At this stage i was passing a lot more people than were passing me which felt great!

Mile 11 - 7:25, Mile 12 - 7:13, Mile 13 - 7:04
I looked at my watch & knew if i could push on a bit more my time would be better than i even imagined!! I pushed on telling myself, you have this, all that training in the sh!tty weather will be worth it if you just don't f*@kin give up! I got a good few shouts of encouragement which was great! As we turned the corner heading back to the clubhouse for the finish i passed 2 girls that i had my eye on, this really boosted my spirits:) Then a man passed by me & said well done girl almost there! Well that was enough to speed it up...I could see the turn into the clubhouse and sped up as much as my little legs would let me! A nice sprint finish on the track to finish in a time of 1:35 taking 8mins off my half marathon last September:D Also finished 20th out of 127 in my age category!

Very happy with my time today but even happier with how I controlled this race from the very beginning! I listened to my head & my body & it really worked. I have worked hard this training block but thats not always a guarantee. Thankfully it paid off for me today!
A huge thanks of course to S, he puts up with me where others wouldn't haha. He believed in me which has also helped me push on as i am accountable to someone else not just myself:)

A huge well done to all who raced today too, some super racing

No laptop at the moment so will update my log during the week. For now i will have a well deserved Pink Gin

SuspectZero wrote: »

How have I only found this log now:pac:. Congrats on the race today, super time and running, you've obviously got a bit of ability and the work ethic to match. *straps myself in for 28 pages of catching up

Cheers, best of luck reading through my log, i do tend to waffle a lot

Yep defo not afraid to work hard!

Huzzah! wrote: »

Superb! Huge well done to you! Hope you enjoyed your well-deserved pink gin

I did thanks a mill, just the one to celebrate:D

AuldManKing wrote: »

super race and great progression!

great result.

Cheers A

ReeReeG wrote: »

Mahoosive well done E. The result and time that your dedication and training truly deserved. You seemed so in control judging by that report. It's so deserved on another level for the enthusiasm and passion to bring around these parts as well. Hope you're still enjoying the post-race-and-huge-PB buzz today

Thanks for the lovely words V (can feel myself blushing!) Thankfully i love running and i am happy it shows I was very fortunate to find boards & feel like this is where I started my real running journey, i am also very grateful for all the valuable advice i have been given up till now! Long may it continue & I hope to just keep working hard & running the best i possibly can

Tues 10th March - easy miles
51:41 - 5.18mi - 9:59min/mi

Ran this at lunchtime based only on my heartrate, trying to keep it as easy as possible!

Weds 11th March - more easy miles
47:30 - 4.71mi - 10:05min/mi

I couldn't do this at lunchtime so left work as early as possible. The heavens opened up & i hoped it would ease before i went out! Nope it was extremely wet & cold but in some way quite invigorating:) Glad not to have the added pressure of keeping to a certain pace!

Thurs 12th March - as above
33:33 - 3.55mi - 9:27min/mi

Heard the announcement about the schools closing and it made me feel a bit anxious...there was an extremely surreal feeling all around the office so i got my gear & headed out to just run & listen to my music & that's exactly what I did

Fri 13th March - easy miles contd...
33:01 - 3.52mi - 9:23min/mi

Another pleasant lunch run. Weird that usually today would be a day discussed for it's bad luck, well for those superstitious people but nope Corona virus was the only discussion:eek: Kids only off one day & was already getting calls of them killing each other! One quarantined to the sitting room & the other the kitchen...gonna be a long few weeks...

Sat 14th March - TBD when i got to the park!
1:23 - 9.05mi - 9:15min/mi

Headed into the PP to meet S for this run. Had a very strong feeling i was getting a UTI but kinda ignored it! Set off & f@ck it wasn't long before I knew it defo was one! The urge to pee was unreal but knew i didn't actually need to:eek: After our warm up we did some fartlek training, something i wouldn't know a lot about. We took turns to pick out different objects or landmarks to run to, varying the distances & speeds accordingly! One of us was much better at being specific with where we had to run to...and he made sure i knew it I really enjoyed this but think i would have enjoyed it better if it didn't feel like someone was using my bladder as a trampoline!!! On then to demonstrate long hill sprints & short hill sprints. The long ones i had done before but not the short one! Up a very steep hill which S explained it was more for form, i really enjoyed this & look forward to hopefully being able to add them to my plan! Headed off for the cool down & it became very apparent by my red face(which wouldn't be usual for me) and my extremely heavy breathing that yes i had an infection later confirmed by my irratic heartrate!! Luckily got my hands on some antibiotics and started them straight away! Decided to sleep on it & see how i felt for tomorrow's run

Sun 15th March - easy miles
1:21 - 8.40mi - 9:39min/mi

Woke up feeling much better so decided to try out a run. As advised by S if my heartrate was too high running easy i should just stop & head home. Took a risk heading into the PP but wanted to run there incase it'll be weeks before I get in again. First mile felt a bit iffy but thankfully after that everything seemed fine! It was a lovely morning in the park with a lot of people taking advantage of the fresh air. I totally switched off from paces, corona virus & other pressures & just really enjoyed the park, realizing how absolutely lucky i am to be able to run in such a beautiful place & even just to be able to run & enjoy it so much...bit soppy but who cares Really enjoyed this run!

34.4 miles for the week

As many others have mentioned on here, what happens next is very much unknown! As like most i have a few vulnerable people around me & they are at the forefront of my concerns & thoughts. At this stage personal responsibility is key, we need to protect these vulnerable people as much as we possibly can! The uncertainty is scary, there's absolutely no doubt about it but hopefully we will contain it & people will take heed to all that's being advised.

I sincerely hope i can get out to run as that is my sanity but if i can't, in the grand scheme of things then that's ok too...

Tues 24th Mar W/U, 5*2:30mins@6:35, 2:30 Rec, C/D
6:24,6:29,6:36,6:25,6:35

Went out for this session in the evening, absolutely gorgeous out. I found a stretch of road for these sessions that i can just run up & down which is great. I always hate passing people when i am doing the recovery parts because it seems like i'm running so slowly but love the buzz of zipping by someone when i'm running really fast:pac: I eased into the paces nicely & felt quite controlled which was great. Have to say i really did enjoy the effort & speed i put into this, great to shake up the easy runs with something like this!
Came back to a message from my daughter to say my grandson had finally gotten his Covid 19 test done. He had symptoms the week before & temp & cough persisted over a few days so doctor referred him. Thankfully his symptoms improved this week but he was still tested before the new criteria came in. We are waiting on the results now but really happy that he's so much better now!

Weds 25th Mar 1hr Easy
1:00 - 6.48mi - 9:20min/mi

Another absolutely cracking day, nice easy run:cool:

Thurs 26th Mar 1hr Easy
1:03 - 6.51mi - 9:44min/mi

Another gorgeous day plus i got to take out my vest top & try out my new Reebok Forever Floatride Energy runners. I ordered these along with a few other boardsies at a reduced price! The postman knocked early & my OH answered the door & with the size of the box there was absolutely no hiding these runners:D He just said oh look yet another pair of runners & laughed!
I ordered the runners in a white/grey/orange colour so will most definitely be kept for the lovely weather i'm expecting over the summer:cool: Runners felt so comfortable from the moment i put them on & all the way through the run! So overall very happy with these at a bargain price!

Fri 27th Mar Easy miles with 8 hill sprints with 2min Rec
5:46,6:16,5:42,5:59,5:57,6:10,5:50,6:16

Went out to the PP for this run. Parked at The Popes Cross and took the same route as last week. Park wasn't too packed but good to see most people adhering to social distancing. I took my jacket off & tied it to one of the poles then started my hill sprints & ran with a decent effort. The 45 secs brought me up past a white bench where 2 women were sitting, a good distance apart but still chatting. There was a bloke there doing his hill sprints too but his were slightly further than mine - on the recoveries we kinda gave each other that i can feel your pain kinda look! I jogged the recoveries very slowly & really enjoyed these. After about the 5th one the women actually started encouraging me & nearly cheering me on which was really nice! As i ran by them for the last time i said cheers ladies, that really helped & they replied well done girl you were flying them, felt like my own little motivational team right there:D Turns out i ran these a bit too fast, should have been at 5k effort so that's noted & more attention will be paid next time Boss;)

Sat 28th Mar Easy Miles - Lockdown
1:15 - 7.52mi - 10:03min/mi

So after the announcement last night this felt a bit weird getting ready for a run. I mapped out a route within a 2km radius with the help of a friend & ran that. I also made a conscious decision to get up early for my runs so that i avoid as many people as possible & try avoid any disapproving looks:eek: Not many people out at all so very happy with that. Passed by 2 garda cars & had my map etc ready to show them if they stopped me, which of course they didn't:pac: A much colder morning & a lot breezier than the last few days. Happy to get my 1st lockdown run over & done with!

Sun 29th Mar Easy miles
1:30 - 9.50mi - 9:33min/mi

Stayed up latish last night playing bingo loco online & face timing a few friends! Had a few cans of bulmers light then went onto the pink gin:eek: I am such a light weight these days haha I actually had a pain in my stomach from laughing with my friends about absolute crap! We than had a dance off which was even funnier on line:D Have to say it was exactly what i needed with everything that's going on - a little bit of sillyness in a world that's on it's knees fighting a pandemic!
I had my alarm set for 7 so even though i felt tired i just got up & went out! About 20mins into my run i realised the clocks had gone forward so no wonder i was so tired:rolleyes: This morning was eerily quite! Passed 1 jogger & a couple of people but on the other side of the road! Ran the route i ran yesterday then just ran up & down a part of the road to add the extra time on! Enjoyed the run but was bollox*d tired when i got home so jumped back into bed for a while & watched a few more episodes of Tiger King - what a fu*ked up programme:eek:

Miles for the week 45.1

I have been following a few threads on here about social distancing etc & really wanted to comment but decided not to give into the Trolls! Even before all this i always gave respect to others on a path, walkers fellow joggers etc. To me this is just good manners, if i can move out of the way safely i will always move it's just easier! I don't think attacking each other at a time like this is neither constructive or helpful! Have your opinion, say it once then that really should be it. I know most runners follow the same etiquette so i really wouldn't be getting into pointless arguments with trolls! I run because i love running but now more than ever i need it for myself! Since starting training for my marathon last year i have taken very few days off because running is now a way of life for me so i don't feel selfish trying to get it done whilst adhering to all the guidelines given. If i am told to stop running then there's absolutely no question, i will stop but until then i am doing what keeps me sane right now:)

Also have to say i am loving reading all the different Marathon race reports!

Keep safe everybody:)

Tues 31st Mar - W/U, 5*3mins@6:30, 3min rec, C/D
6:33, 6:49, 6:33, 6:36,6:38

I'm sure by now people have guessed that session days indeed are my favourite days & now even more so! Went off on my w/u & the 2miles brought me to the Katherine Tynan road which is a nice straight road. The side i ran was along the Luas line, a fence on the inside & bushes along the side of the tracks so once on it there's no way across till the end of it! I was happy with the 1st 3mins, then headed into the next & was flying along when yes you guessed it, a huge dog came around the corner:eek: He scared the fook out of me & i froze... He started to walk towards me & i honestly thought i was going to have to try my hand at high jumps & hop over the fence:pac: Luckily his owner came around the corner & he went over to him! I gave him a bit of a look but i don't think he really cared! I went across the road which is the same stretch of road but not enclosed. I hit the rest of the paces(a tiny bit slow) but felt great afterwards!

Weds 1st of April Easy Miles
1:00 - 6.42mi - 9:26min/mi

Nothing much to report - nice easy run!

Thurs 2nd April As Above;)
1:01 - 5.95mi - 10:23min/mi

Nice early run, didn't pass many people but when i did come close i always moved across the path or out onto the road. Had a taxi driver give me a very scolding kind of look on the Katherine Tynan road, usually wouldn't be bothered but for some reason he did piss me off! Like ffs i'm on my own doing absolutely no harm to anyone... I was so tempted to give him the finger but decided against it:D

Fri 3rd April W/U, 2*10mins@7:15/20, 2min rec, C/D
1:04 - 7.25mi - 8min/mi

Again i loved this session! Felt the effort was very even for the 2*10mins & enjoyed running it at the faster pace. Decided to run up & down the KT road as it was the easiest way to do it so that i wasn't crossing any roads. I even earned myself a little Strava crown which i will take as praise from anywhere at the moment is greatly appreciated:D

Sat 4th April Easy miles
1:32 - 7.96mi - 9:32min/mi

After a few too many drinks Friday night i turned my alarm off at 7 & fell back asleep. Got up to drop my daughter to work then headed to Aldi to get the shopping but the queue was quite long but family members needed to be fed & they were relying on me to come home with the goods so i stuck it out:cool: I went home & got the shopping away then went upstairs to get changed for my run... but stupidly i lay on my bed:o An hour passed, then another, watching tik toc videos, checking boards, looking at everyone elses run on strava but not moving my a$$:rolleyes: I felt absolutely no motivation at all:eek: I spoke to S who told me just to head out & i would feel better after, nope still didn't budge! So a little bit later he messaged & asked if i still felt unmotivated to which i replied yep... so he said no point pushing it, just bail on today's run then head out tomorrow! Wait what???? was i missing something???? S was being nice telling me to just rest & not worry about it:eek: I smiled to myself & thought cool i'll put a film on, then my mind started, you're not someone who bails on runs! Get your fat a$$ off the bed & get out!!! So up i got & was ready in 5 mins! Proudly i messaged S to say i was heading out & he just laughed saying he knew that's exactly what i'd do:eek: Crafty haha ... so folks relax he wasn't being nice just a bit of reverse psychology;)
It was a much busier run & i ran through a small park that i've only been using as part of my new route but it's not the best tbh - 3 lads ahead of me with a horse kept looking behind & sneering so i ran as far to the side as i could but one of them did something with the rope & the poor horse freaked a bit & went into my path, i went further across & just shook my head! I really don't get that kind of mentality:mad: The rest of the run was grand but my HR turned out to be a little on the high side for an easy run so something to keep an eye on! Overall glad i didn't bail on this run:P

Sun 5th April Easy miles
1:32 - 9.44mi - 9:46min/mi

Got up early again for this run & off i went. Nice warm morning but very breezy. This run i concentrated on keeping my HR below an average of 135 which i found easy enough to do once i slowed down! Happy to finish the week off with this run:D

Miles for the week - 44.7

Bluesquare wrote: »

Your some woman ! I love your positivity and ability to be driven in these crazy times !

Haha cheers! Keeps me relatively sane in this crazy times :P:D

Tues 14th April W/U, 5*4mins@6:30, 3mins recovery, C/D

6:32, 6:42, 6:37, 7:00, 6:48

Warm up felt grand, didn't run on the stretch of road i have been doing these on as there seemed to be a few more people out than usual. Started off at pace & felt fine, hard to get these spot on but that's what i have been aiming for. The 2nd one felt fine for most of it but then it got tough. By rep 4 i wasn't sure what was going on? Why weren't my legs responding? I felt like i was putting the effort in but instead of the watch shaving seconds off it was adding them on! When i seen the 7min on the 4th i really felt disheartened, almost stopped but didn't!!! I debated if there was any point in doing the 5th one but knew i couldn't just leave my session like that so did it! I'm not sure if it was the effects of the bad hangover(not as young as i like to think :rolleyes: ) Anyway excuses aside i simply couldn't do the reps to the pace required! I jogged home feeling dissapointed with myself but knew i had to just put it down to a bad day.

Weds 15th April Easy miles
1:00 - 6.24mi - 9:39min/mi

Gorgeous sunny morning for some easy miles. Decided to wear my Liverpool jersey for the day that's in it! Hard to believe it was 31 years ago. I was just shy of my 11th birthday & i remember my dad sending me over to the local shop to buy The Sun newspaper for him. I'll never forget the horrific images on the front page! Nobody should go to a football match & never come home...

On a happier note today is my daughter's 23rd birthday & she got to call down with my grandson to have some Lemon fancies & a cuppa tea in the garden:D