Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Sorry, I thought you said get faster before the 100th Marathon
Options
Comments
-
-
-
-
-
Early start this morning to head to Le Chéile club house to be ushered to the start line near Furey's Bar.
There was a 7M out and back section in the opposite direction along the canal as part of the Canal was closed off to restore the banks beyond Enfield. There were parts along this section that made the Bogtrotters Marsh look like the 18th Green just before the Ryder Cup starts. we reckoned that the nearer we got to Dublin, the better the conditions would get.
(Until I lost control running down a slippy mucky slope after crossing a road and looking like a flailing reject from Dancing on Ice) 
As I barley accumulated 28 miles in the last 2 weeks, but gained the weight equivalent of a baby elephant over the same period, any notion of a PB or respectable finishing time was thrown out the window along with the turkey carcass and bad cracker jokes (actually, to be honest, I kept some of the jokes to use in people's logs in 2013)
Considering that the Dingle 50M and Mooathon passes the finish line half way and you loop back for the 2nd half, I think this is my first Point to Point marathon. It was all along the canal tow path with no opportunity to jump into a shop to buy supplies so it was a proper Bear Grills run with your own supplies, although we did get to leave a drink to collect at half way.
I stayed with Oisin458349 and a few others up to the 16M mark. After seeing his shoe disappear into the mud and watch him fish it out, I reckoned I'd take the last 10M handy seeing as all the slipping and sliding was putting a bit of pressure on the ankles and I was damned if I was getting an injury on this race.
In a lot of places, the footing was very dodgy and it was hit and miss about either falling into the canal or into the hedgerows. It got to the point though where I gave up on trying to side step the swamps and just charge through them. At points where it didn't make sense to run, I walked a bit and facebooked, or as Brian Ankers has now coined it, racebooking.
I was surprised at the amount of encouragement I got along the way from strollers and dog walkers. Seems like everybody along the canal route knew about the race. I'm indebted to a lovely woman between Enfield and Kilcock who lives in a house by a bridge who topped up my water bottle.
Despite running solo after 16 miles, I was delighted to eventually see a small procession of runners dotted along the canal in the distance with 2 miles to go. I put the foot down (very carefully...) and managed to overtake one of the runners ahead. I was gaining on a Le Chéile runner in the last mile, but didn't fancy the effort to gain a place but decided to savour the last mile of the year.
Back in the clubhouse, there was a most appreciated cup of soup, sambos and endless supply of biscuits to devour.
Since I got the 100 Marathon Club membership for Christmas, this was my first race ever as a club member.
Highlights of 2012
Miles Run....2078
Racing Highlight........ Dublin Marathon PB 3:43
Bonkers Idea Highlight......... Two Marathons in One Day 23rd June in Lexlip and Salthill
Ultra Highlight......Eddie Murphy Ultra Double Marathon in baltic weather conditions
Pacing Highlight........ Dingle Marathon, encouraging a newbie in surfer shorts and plimsolls in the last 2 miles to make 4:30 then standing at the side of the finish line with Runningcoach enjoying a can of Grafenwalder
Crewing Highlight....... Accompanying Ultraman1 to Antebies to help him during his 48 hour race
Crewing Lowlight........ Assisting Ultraman1 after he thought it was just a fart.
Number of Marathons in 2012....... 20
Overall Number of Marathons....... 50
That just about wraps up the log for 2012, lots of plans for 2013, but big thanks to all my friends who gave me support / encouragement / HTFU wake up calls etc.
Happy New Year to everybody and looking forward to seeing you all back on the road in 2013!!!!
0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
E, your log is all about the crazy!
What a year 2012 was for you! Hope 2013 is as amazing and marathon filled.
It was certainly an eventful year, I'll have to work a bit harder to top it
Wednesday - 5M at lunchtime @ 9:33 pace, 82% max? Think yesterday's faster run too a bit out of me
Thursday 13.7M @ 9:18 pace 80% Max with Meno. Soggy cold run. Was going well, taking in the climbs up Taney and Goatstown to Foster's Avenue. Left hammer was feeling tight for the last two miles and the pace had dropped off towards the finish. Didn't give me any trouble after I finished though. Had visions of needing someone to dig their elbow into the back of my leg to free it up. I noticed I don't have as much flexibility in it recently when I stretch. Maybe I should stretch more often.
0 -
-
-
Advertisement
-
Right, its that time where my log is on page double digits and needs some TLC
Saturday 19th 10M Group run with a few hills in St. Catherine's Park and discovered some back roads of Lexlip.
Monday 21st - 4M easy run at lunchtime
Tuesday 22nd - Lunchtime speed work. 8 x 400m along with warm up/down. Laps were not consistant but hoping it will improve with more regular speed stuff
Wednesday 23rd 9.7M ramble with Meno around Ballier and Clondalkin. Brough my new Tesco's Camel bac to try it for comfort. Will be handy in the Summer for long runs in the mountains without worrying about carrying bottles or looking out for shops.
Saturday 26th Kelleigh Marathon. Took this one handy, but brought the Camelbac to avoid all the stops at the car to pick up water etc. Limited the Gels to just one at halfway. I won the Mental Challenge competition halfway around the first loop which finally proves I am mentally challenged... eh no.... hang on...
Monday 28th Handy 5.1M Lunchtime run
Tuesday 28th Another 8 x 400 speed session with warm up and cool down, but for some reason, the 800m loop I was running on always seems to be into the strong gusts of wind.0 -
Wednesday 11.3M re-enacting the Whitney Huston & Kevin Costner film. Running around Chaplizord, Ballyfermot and Clondalkin with me in tights and my Bodyguard Ultraman in his Buff. Although the only ham acting was my left hamstring acting up in the last few miles. Not sure what the story is with it, but it doesn't have as much flexability as it used to during a run and can't stretch it as as far as I used to. Anto said not to worry as it happens to a lot of guys and its not that big a deal. :rolleyes:
Thursday - 4.5M lunchtime run. Decided to run from Bluebell towards Newlands Cross but the headwind was very strong. Was relieved to turn around and run with the wind back to the office. Even more relieved to just have missed the almighty downpour of golf balls and torrential rain
Friday - 10M run with Meno around the posh places. MC Hammer needed a stretching again, but once it's done during a run, the problem seems to go away.
Saturday - 5.6M (W/U, 5k and C/D) Headed to Malahide to try and jump-start the legs but the legs were just not in competition mode. I feel like I started out well but the central governer was still in bed and settled into too comfortable a pace. The overall pace of the race wasn't that bad, but I could have done a lot better.
Sunday - 10.5M This was one of those days that stated off not keen on running, considering having a duvet day, then donning the gear and just going for it. Legs felt great along with everything else. Ran waded/skated/snorkled the tow-path from Lucan to Celbridge bringing back many muddy memories of the New Year's Eve marathon into a bit of a head wind. Was blessed when I just passed a side path where a large herd of ponies were just being brought out to walk along the Canal. A minute later and I'd have been wedged behind a mass of asses and not in a good way like some races I've run;) Trainers were four times heavier with muck and water by the time I got back onto Terra Firma. Had a great run back along the road and I was running a good pace with ease. It was that comfortable that it felt like I was running downhill with the wind at my back, until i realised I was running downhill with the wind at my back.
Mileage has finally come up to a more respectable level this week and no marathon to pad it out.0 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
Advertisement