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Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end
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Fair play to you for running the race, especially when you haven't been feeling 100%.
I took your water belt out for a test run on Saturday, it worked a treat! No more hiding bottles in ditches for me
Thanks again for your generosity 
Sorry - it only took me 2 months to get back to you
. I'm glad the belt is working out - it's great that someone is getting some use out of it at last! 0 -
I wondered whether it was best to just let my training log die a natural death or if it was worth doing a final post for “closure”. Since I’m stuck at home with little to do this week I decided to summarise the past couple of months, and close off this log for good.
I started 2012 with Ballycotton in mind, and was very focused in my training and racing and was making good progress. Running 34:48 in the Raheny 5 was something I wasn't expecting, and was a real high point. I had a lot of other stuff going on in my non-running life, but the training was a good escape, until a couple of weeks before Ballycotton when I experienced a major crash in my energy levels. Looking back it is no surprise – everyone has a breaking point.
Ballycotton itself was a bit of a disappointment, and for a few weeks afterwards my body seemed to shut-down and I couldn’t get moving at all. I was still getting out 4-5 times a week but every run was a drag and I couldn’t hit any sort of pace. I had planned to train for a 10k later in the spring but with everything that was going on I decided to give myself a break and just run for enjoyment for a few months. Even without the pressure I couldn’t get my legs moving, and just over 5 weeks ago I was out for a gentle 4 mile jog on a nice flat track when I felt pain in my foot, identical to what I suffered back in September/October. This time there was no inflammation and the diagnosis of a stress fracture came quickly (3 different physios missed this in September, though in fairness I couldn't fit my foot into a shoe as it was so swollen). An MRI confirmed the worst – 2 fractured metatarsals. So at the moment I’m on crutches and aawaiting further scans etc.
So... I was a “runner” for 2 years, and I loved it. I started from zero fitness in Feb 2010, and there were many highs, and just as many lows. I was injured A LOT (I reckon approx 30% of the time) and I never achieved any remarkable times, but I discovered a real love for racing and being competitive, and made lots of great friends (some of them boardsies!).
For now I’m concentrating on healing. In a few of weeks I hope to start swimming a couple of times a week, and cycling at the weekends (on my new bike2work bike!). Once I'm fully healed I'll have to start a strength programme, to build up the ol' bones! I’d like to think that one day, maybe a few months from now, I might be in a position to run 5k maybe twice or three times a week, or maybe even take part in the odd BHAA race (wishful thinking?!). Who knows?! All I do know is that my days of following training plans are over. I’m just not meant to be a runner, in any serious way, so any running I do from now on will be slow and short, and hopefully painless!
So, to summarise a brief running career:
Best performance: Raheny 5 mile, 2012 (34:48)
Proudest moment: Running sub-50 in the Dunshaughlin 10k, 2011. I had trained with the sub-50 in mind, and it was the first time that putting in the training had paid off for me.
Stupidest moment: Running the Dublin Half 2011 on a fractured foot (In my defence I didn’t know it was fractured at the time – I just knew it was agony!)
Lowest moment: Dublin Half 2010 – fainting at 12.5 miles.
Biggest regret: I had always dreamed of a sub-45 min 10k; that was my “ultimate” goal. I wish I had raced 10k around the time of Raheny to see how close I was, I reckon I would have got 46:xx...
Best of luck to all, and thanks to those who have given me advice over the past couple of years – I am trying to keep away from the ART forum as it just makes me jealous but it’s a bit addictive so I'm sure I'll be keeping an eye on all the exploits. You never know - I might turn up like a bad smell at some 5k or other in 2013!
And finally - remember to enjoy your running!0 -
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Really sorry to hear you are in bother again, with injury
Sounds like you have been through the mill. You made serious progress in two years, and should be well proud of your times.
Take the time you need to heal and strengthen up. You're right in that it's about all about enjoyment at the end of the day, and that doesn't sound like that was the case for you for the past couple of months. But, you will get back to enjoying it all again. Mind yourself, and please let us know how you are getting on 0 -
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