Running changes everything

RubyK

Sun 28/10 - Arrived at lunchtime Sunday, and headed out to the RDS to collect my number. The nerves kicked in goodo, so it was a case of getting in and out of there as quickly as possible. Then I headed back into town and spent far to much money time on my feet that afternoon, the lure of the shops was just to strong to ingore Ah sure it distracted me for a few hours from the FEAR. We had a lovely dinner in Cafe Topolis that night, and headed back to the hotel early, in the hope of a good nights sleep.

Mon 29/10 - Dublin Marathon 2012

Woke early, after a few hours sleep and headed to breakfast. Found it tough to get the toast into me, just didn't feel in anyway hungry. Back in the room I had everything laid out and ready to go, so it was a stressfree exit from the hotel. Met up with friends at Stephens Green, and we made our way to the startline. I was worried about the crowds that would be around the 3.45 pacers, so made the decision to start at the back of wave 1, and pray Claralara and her troupe wouldn't catch me Mile 1, I found it very hard to get the pace up, although there wasn't much conjestion, certainly not like in 2010. A couple of unexpected things I saw were, a few people walking, who obviously started up near the front , and then the pleasant sight of the Ambercrombe & Fitch guys offering their support It took me til mile 5 to get to the planned 8.30 pace, so I was already down nearly a minute, which didn't help the head. Enjoyed running through the park, but it was freezing. Caught up with a couple of running buddies, which was great. Miles went by grand but all of a sudden around mile 11, I felt that there was an awful lot of effort in keeping the pace, it shouldn't have felt quite as tough. Once I got past the halfway mark I started to relax a bit, and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Made sure I took a bottle at every station. Took a glucose sweet at mile 16, and a gel at mile 18 and a couple of jellies. Was relieved to get over the hill at mile 20.5, but the left hamstring started to get very tight, thankfully though, my right side co-operated brilliantly, no doublt thats thanks to my great physio! The last 3 miles felt endless. I thought I'd never get to the finishline. There was a few people suffering around me, and I tried to give them a few supportive words to keep them going, but don't know if I was helping or just annoying them. Spotted a turtle at mile 24, and was not letting him beat me, so I dug in, and got passed him :pac:. Saw my husband at mile 25 and club members, all amazing in their support. Have to say the stewards along the final stretch were brilliant, and really pushed me on to the finish.
Delighted to cross the line in 3hrs 44mins 20secs

Younganne

Congrats Ruby that a a great time and sounds like you had a great race. Delighted it went well for you and the body held out.

How would we manage in Dublin if the crowds didn't line the streets. I reckon they'll never know how the support really helps runners when they are struggling!

RayCun

RubyK wrote: »

Spotted a turtle at mile 24, and was not letting him beat me, so I dug in, and got passed him :pac:.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? Yeah, he's in my club, he finished in 3.45.43
Well done, that was a great run.

menoscemo

Well done RubyK for hitting your target.
Pity you didn't decide to run in our pace group, it was great craic

tunguska

RubyK wrote: »

Spotted a turtle at mile 24, and was not letting him beat me, so I dug in, and got passed him :pac:.

See this is thing, you cant ever get beat by someone in fancy dress, it would be psychologically crushing. I nearly got skinned once by a lad in a banana costume......it still haunts me.
Well done Rubyk, thats a great comeback after a pretty horrendous last year or so. If you can keep yourself in one piece I reckon next year you'd knock lumps out of that time.

DigiJem

Great running Ruby, congrats on hitting your target in Dublin, well deserved.

RubyK

RayCun wrote: »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? Yeah, he's in my club, he finished in 3.45.43

Yep, that was him, my Mr. Motivator to push on!

menoscemo wrote: »

Well done RubyK for hitting your target.
Pity you didn't decide to run in our pace group, it was great craic

Thanks meno, it was a last minute decision. Fair play on the pacing! Great job done again.

tunguska wrote: »

See this is thing, you cant ever get beat by someone in fancy dress, it would be psychologically crushing. I nearly got skinned once by a lad in a banana costume......it still haunts me.

Have to say I didn't think you guys had to worry about being beaten by fruit! He must have been one hell of a banana-man

If you can keep yourself in one piece I reckon next year you'd knock lumps out of that time.

Thanks a mill, I'm looking forward to London. Read your report, that was some gutsy running you did. Incredible time, imagine what you could knock out when you are running on 100%.

RubyK

DigiJem wrote: »

Great running Ruby, congrats on hitting your target in Dublin, well deserved.

Thanks DigiJem

RubyK

Sat 03/11 - Tested out the legs this morning. All in all quite happy with how it went, as there are no serious niggles, just a bit of tiredness. 5.21 miles avg 8.46 pace.

RacoonQueen

RubyK wrote: »

Spotted a turtle at mile 24, and was not letting him beat me, so I dug in, and got passed him :pac:.

A teenage mutant ninja (hero?) turtle?

Well done last week, forgot you were doing it, didn't even look out for you.

jcsmum

Delighted for you A

RubyK

Mon 5/11 - 5.50 miles avg 8.54 pace

Tues 6/11 - 4.15 miles avg 8.49 pace

Sat 10/11 - Tried the new Waterford Half route. First half fast and flat. The second half, neither fast nor flat :eek: 13.80 miles avg 8.45 pace.

Mon 12/11 - Shouldn't have done this run at all, wasn't feeling 100% but went out with a couple of friends for a few easy miles anyway Got a soakin, and paid for it for the rest of the week. 6 miles avg 9.49 pace.

Tues 13/11 - Fri 16/11 - Sick

Sat 17/11 - 4.20 miles on the beach. A shockingly awful run.

Sun 18/11 - Sick

Mon 19/11 - Hill repeats, feeling ropey. 4 miles covered.

Tues 20/11 - 6 miles avg 9.39 pace.

Wed 21/11 - 5 miles avg 8.36 pace

Thurs 22/11 5.25 miles avg 8.34 pace

Sat 24/11 - 10.15 miles avg 8.53 pace. Bad choice in route, the hills killed me.

Sun 25/11 - Recovery run on the beach. 3.30 miles avg 9.10 pace.

RubyK

Mon 26/11 - Hill repeats. With warm up/cool down 4 miles covered.

Tues 27/11 - 6.20 miles avg 8.26 pace

Wed 28/11 - 4.2 miles avg 8.19 pace

Thurs 29/11 - 4.80 miles avg 7.50 pace

Legs finally feel a bit more alive this week Signed up for the Dungarvan10, looking forward to it.

banner_phoenix

Sorry Ruby, only getting around to reading your DCM report now - tiny bit of a boards hiatus . Congrats on your sub 3:45, cracking time and you seem to be coming back to form again afterwards.

RubyK

Thanks banner, nice to see you back

Sat 01/12 - Wasn't feeling 100% and couldn't muster up the enthusiasm for a LSR, so opted for the beach and sandhills instead. A lovely run in the sunshine. 6.05 miles avg 9.01 pace.

Sun 02/12 - A wet and miserable morning for a run, but that's what I get for putting this one off from yesterday. 11.25 miles avg 8.43 pace.

RubyK

Mon 03/12 - Hill repeats x 10. Thought I was going to collapse after the last one With cool down, 4 miles covered.

Tues 04/12 - Nice run this evening. 6.01 miles avg 8.26 pace.

Wed 05/12 - 4.30 miles avg 8.47 pace.

Thurs 06/12 - Progression run, in truely miserable conditions. 4.56 miles avg 7.56 pace, plus .44 cool down @ 9min pace, to make up the 5 miles.

RubyK

Sat 08/12 - An early start for this one. Freezing cold and slippery roads and paths made it interesting to say the least :eek: 10 miles avg 9 min pace.

Sun 09/12 - Didn't get out for a recovery run.

Mon 10/12 - 10 x hill repeats. With warm-up/cool down 4 miles covered.

RubyK

Tues 11/12 - A windy night out there, especially down by the seafront, twas bitter too. 6.05 miles avg 8.34 pace.

Wed 12/12 - A quick few miles in the rain, 4.10 covered avg 8.33 pace.

Thurs 13/12 - This was a bad run. Never felt comfortable at all, and could not pick up the pace. 4.56 miles avg 8.27 pace - 40 sec per mile slower than last weeks run, with a short cool down to make up the 5 miles. Just one of those nights to forget.

RubyK

Sat 15/12 - LSR day. A really enjoyable one this morning, a reminder of why I love this running lark 13.60 miles avg 8.33 pace.

Sun 16/12 - 4 miles avg 7.48 pace.

Mon 17/12 - A nice recovery run with a friend, as the legs were a bit tired this evening. 5.50 miles avg 9.45 pace.

RubyK

Tues 18/12 - Hill session. 10 x repeats, a bit dodgey as there was only a light at the start of the hill and the top of the hill. 5.04 miles covered with warm-up/cool down.

Wed 19/12 - Progession Run, legs a bit tired for this. 5.05 miles avg 8.33 pace.

RubyK

Thurs 20/12 - Recovery run. 4.10 miles avg 9.10 pace.

Sat 22/12 - Medium Long run. 10 miles avg 8.29 pace.

Mon 24/12 - Hill repeats. 5.5 miles covered. Not pretty.

Tues 25/12 - Turkey wrestling, no running done.

Wed 26/12 - Progression run in the rolling countryside. 6.50 miles avg 8.37 pace.

Thurs 27/12 - Long Run. 13.5 miles avg 8.30.

Fri 28/12 - A short trot in wild winds. 4.10 miles avg 8.44 pace.

Sat 29/12 - Rest day.

Sun 30/12 - Baldy Man Beach Run. 4th time running this, 4th time swearing Never Again :eek: A dreadfully tough run, not helped by the soft sands and savage wind we had to endure for the last 3 miles or so. 5.40 miles in 43.23 mins. A pb by nearly 1min 40secs from last year, so it was nearly worth the pain.

Mon 31/12 - Feeling a bit under the weather and v tired after yesterday, so no running done.

Tues 01/01 - Still not 100% so this felt tougher than it should have. 6.05 miles avg 8.27 pace.

Wed 02/01 - Head still fuzzy, so just an easy run this eve. 5 miles avg 8.54 pace.

RubyK

Thurs 3/01 - Sun 06/01 - Wiped out due to flu. Haven't really been feeling great since doing the baldy man beach run, so it caught up on me. Disappointed to have missed the weekend LSR, but hopefully I'm back on track again.

Mon 07/01 - To try and make up for the lack of training the previous 4 days, I did a longer than usual Monday run. It went better than I was expecting, given weather conditions. 10.25 miles avg 8.34 pace.

RubyK

Tues 08/01 - A nice easy few miles this eve. Legs appreciated the pace, as they were quite tired. 6.05 miles avg 8.55 pace.

Edited to add table, so I can keep track of where I'm at.

Month|Miles|No. of Runs
Jan|27.35|4

Total|27.35|4

RubyK

Wed 09/01 - Another nice run. Legs feeling better than last nights one. 5.31 miles avg 8.52 pace.

Thurs 10/01 - Progression run. Really enjoyed this one. Splits: - 8.49, 8.01, 7.49, 7.30, 7.08. 5 miles covered.

Month|Miles|No. of Runs

Jan|37.66|6


Total|37.66|6

RubyK

Sat 12/01 - This was tougher than I planned, due to taking a wrong turn at mile 5, and ending up in the middle of nowhere. The hills were not nice. 15.50 miles avg 8.45 pace

Sun 13/01 - A handy recovery run on the beach, just before the rain appeared. 3.50 miles avg 8.55 pace.

Mon 14/01 - Had to drop my Dad to an appointment in Dublin, so while waiting for him, I resisted the call of the shops, and put the runners on instead and headed out along the seafront, from Blackrock towards the port and back. I really enjoyed this, and the miles passed by quickly. 7 miles avg 8.26 pace.


Month|Miles|No. of Runs
Jan|63.66|6

Total|63.66|9

jcsmum

RubyK wrote: »

Sat 12/01 - This was tougher than I planned, due to taking a wrong turn at mile 5, and ending up in the middle of nowhere. The hills were not nice. 15.50 miles avg 8.45 pace

Sun 13/01 - A handy recovery run on the beach, just before the rain appeared. 3.50 miles avg 8.55 pace.

Mon 14/01 - Had to drop my Dad to an appointment in Dublin, so while waiting for him, I resisted the call of the shops, and put the runners on instead and headed out along the seafront, from Blackrock towards the port and back. I really enjoyed this, and the miles passed by quickly. 7 miles avg 8.26 pace.


Month|Miles|No. of Runs
Jan|63.66|6

Total|63.66|9

Nice LSR there at the weekend!

RubyK

Tues 15/01 - Group run. Wasn't feeling the love for this, and found myself at the back of the group by mile 1. Fell into a better rhythm after mile 2, and picked up the pace, and catching up with the next group. Progression run of 7.06 miles avg 7.55 pace.

Wed 16/01 - Didn't get a chance to run. Just one of those days.

Thurs 17/01 - League Run. Wasn't looking forward to this due to the monsoon weather, but knowing everyone would befeeling exactly the same, I SIU. Mile 1 was tough, even though the wind was pretty much behind me Decided to not bother looking at the watch, just concentrate on getting to the finish line. This was supposed to be a progression run, but there was a blip at mile 3, when I hit the wind and long drag with it. Presumed my time would be well down on last weeks same route, but turned out I was only 4 secs slower, so happy with that 5 miles avg 7.59 pace.


Month|Miles|No. of Runs

Jan|75.72|11



Total|75.72|11

RubyK

Fri 18/01 - Got out of work a bit early today so had enough daylight to head to the beach for a few miles. 4.10 miles avg 8.59 along the backstrand. Lovely.

Sat 19/01 - LSR. Slept it out, was supposed to be up at 6.45am, but woke up at 8.05am for 8.40am group run :eek: Forced some toast into me, and shot out the door to the meeting point, so this really wasn't a good start. When I heard the route we were taking, I knew it was going to be a tough morning, but it had to be done. 17.03 miles avg 8.45 pace. Legs tired after it, and right quad a bit achey.

Sun 20/01 - Back to the beach for a recovery run. Never felt cold like it before :eek: Skinning. Right quad loosened out after a while, and felt better. 4.05 miles avg 9.11 pace.

Month|Miles|No. of Runs

Jan|100.9|14



Total|100.90|14

Marthastew

Delighted to see you're well recovered after the Baldy Man run (it's sounds like so much fun:D)
You're well on your way to London now. Any races planned along the way that we might cross paths at? If not I'll see you at the Start line in London:)

RubyK

Marthastew wrote: »

Delighted to see you're well recovered after the Baldy Man run (it's sounds like so much fun:D)

Yep just about recovered from the Baldy Man episode, but the memories will stay with me for a long time

You're well on your way to London now. Any races planned along the way that we might cross paths at? If not I'll see you at the Start line in London:)

I'm thinking about Bohermeen half on 3rd March, but I haven't committed to it yet. I'd say that will be the last race I do before London. What about yourself? Anything else planned in between Donadea & London?