No Roots...

PositiveNegativ

Spur of the moment decision to run up Mangon's Lane to the end of the tarmac section. 14:28 of uphill to the gate.

On the way down I detoured down a savagely steep private access road for maybe 300m before turning and trying to maintain a smooth running stride back up.

Moving well, just have to stop twisting ankles for another few weeks.

PositiveNegativ

Hooked up with SloggerJogger for a 2 hour spin. We stuck to the flatter roads this morning, only a few climbs to really test the quads. Not that testing was needed, simply matching SJ's pace was test enough. When he manages to transfer his bike fitness to the hills there'll be some surprises.

My gears started acting up a bit at points so that was annoying, however this cycle and last nights run has me back on track after a week spent wandering. Tomorrow I'm helping at the LOC so don't know what I'm going to end up doing.

PositiveNegativ

Training today consisted of long slow periods of looking officious at the Leinster Orienteering Championships interspersed with short bursts of winding up Ocnoc. He's now very clear that in the good old days all the mountains were steeper, the runners faster and if I was 25 again...

I've set myself up for some monumental kicking if we end up toeing a start line this summer.

PositiveNegativ

Plan today was another fast paced run up the hill used on the 22nd of March. (4.2km uphill with 290m climb). Happy to report the plan was executed with precision.

I started out quite hard aiming to PB to the gate, then hang on. This I managed crossing onto the open mountain @12:37. The point of hard effort arrived much earlier today as I'd started so fast. A couple of minutes before the gate I'd already hit the point of looking within, racing brain engaged. All mental effort focused on the here and now, no thought given to anything beyond maintaining form, maximizing each push off, making sure every calorie burnt was burnt propelling me upwards.

For the last few minutes of the climb I was nearing the point of blowing up, definitely drinking from the well of fitness rather than pouring into it. But its a taste of what's to come, a small one, but useful. Topped out at 21:22 which given the soggy underfoot and wind is a useful improvement. Came down steady until off the mountain then jogged the road home, with for some reason, a head full of my school cross country races.

Will hopefully fit in one more shorter hard uphill run early next week.
Then try to figure out how to taper down from two runs per week?

PositiveNegativ

Back to the heavy lifting and leveling for some of the day, with one very interesting interruption. Very fortunate to get the chance to try out the DARE abseil.

Being 40m up in the roof trusses of the stadium with a large man saying 'just climb over that safety rail as if it's a fence on the ground' isn't an every day experience. The initial shock of walking out onto the gantry is the worst bit, from there it's about adjusting to the height, putting on the harness and committing to climbing the fence. Then it's pure fun.

Many thanks to Gearoid Towey and Paul Mahon for including me today.

PositiveNegativ

Quite blustery today so some headwinds to contend with. Set off without a route in mind, only target was at least an hour. Ended up taking in Kilcavan, Hillbrock and back down the Gap road. Good solid spin. A few niggles, but I'm putting them down to yesterdays lifting and dragging.

PositiveNegativ

Friday
Back at the patio job. About halfway done, knackered with the effort of trying to keep the levels and falls in line.

Saturday
Knackered and too disinterested to cycle or run.

Today
Long day. Helo exercise this morning. Looking down on Tonelagee was a nice boost to my flagging race enthusiasm. Being winched down from a hover is up there with abseiling from a stadium roof. Went for a cup of coffee afterwards, got home 7 hours and two live callouts later. Very fulfilling day.
Meet a convalescing Bordsie at one of them. No names But anyone automatically expecting to move up one result in most races this summer might have to rethink.

Must do some training.

PositiveNegativ

Ran up my usual route to my local top. Took it handy to the gate that leads to the open mountain crossing it @15:10 then put in a hard effort to top out @24:00. This was supposed to be a final pre-race sharpening run but felt the opposite. I felt slow and heavy, the gusts I was running into didn't help. Coming down I detoured to the first steep climb up along the fence I'd run with Donothoponpop at the start of this log. Gave it a socks to record a time of 3:50 again into the wind.

Coming down my guts were in bit's with a stitch. Got to hold back come race day, keep an even climb before hopefully letting rip on the last descent. Just want to get the race over with now, pity it wasn't yesterday.

PositiveNegativ

Back to basics, did the Tinahely Shillelagh Coolattin loop wondering how it is that it can rain and be sunny at the same time. Kept the cadence up and my backside in the saddle. Some headwinds early on which faded early. Quads a bit tired so yesterday must have been harder than I thought at the time.

I also spent time wondering where the last few months have gone. It seems like only yesterday that I started this log, while at the same time it feels like an age since I last ran on Annagh Hill or even Tonelagee. Without wishing to pre-empt anything it would appear that I've answered the first question posed by this log, could I get to the start line? I've been surprised by how effective road cycling has been in preparing for this short mountain race. I'm also surprised and pleased that my weak Achilles Tendon hasn't (as of yet) forced me to pull up.

The race itself is going to ask a lot from it. But that's a question for next week.

ocnoc

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

@14:30 really began to struggle with maintaining pace and my training session began in earnest. Physically I may have been running up Ballycumber Hill but mentally I was racing two thirds of the way up Tonelagee. Coming from an Orienteering background I place real value on visualisation training. In the past I've used it to great effect. When you've already run a race a few times in your head it's easier to put up with the pain in order to achieve the targets you've set yourself. Not going to say which runners were around me in this particular running of the race.;)

It is enjoyable spending hours and hours visualising. Preparing for that one moment of truth, where everything clicks, your climbing on air and descending like a runaway avalanche... No better feeling

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

Today
Long day. Helo exercise this morning. Looking down on Tonelagee was a nice boost to my flagging race enthusiasm.

View from the top of Tonelagee at 09:30 was so clear we could pick out the trig point on Lug.

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

Training today consisted of long slow periods of looking officious at the Leinster Orienteering Championships interspersed with short bursts of winding up Ocnoc. He's now very clear that in the good old days all the mountains were steeper, the runners faster and if I was 25 again...

I've set myself up for some monumental kicking if we end up toeing a start line this summer.

You of all people know the power of the unknown. Keep your cards hidden until it is too late for anyone to do anything except to become dropped.

I may be young, foolhardy, arrogant and cocky but you and I both know that no race is ever won until you've crossed the finish line.
Ability is one thing, but the person who wants it more is always a very very dangerous person to be toeing the line with against.

PositiveNegativ

ocnoc wrote: »

View from the top of Tonelagee at 09:30 was so clear we could pick out the trig point on Lug.

Saw you guys heading up.

That mountain looks so small from the winch seat of a Sikorsky. Going to make it feel small on Sunday. See you at the finish line

ocnoc

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

See you at the finish line

Hopefully!
Count down to worlds selection is on. I don't know if i'll be racing Tonelagee. Debating it. We'll see.

PositiveNegativ

Had planned to do a short cycle today but the misty rain made running preferable. This would be great race weather.

Did the usual run up Mangons Lane as far as the gate to the open mountain. Topped out @15:30 so quite leisurely which was the intention. The turn around almost caught me by surprise in that I'd been daydreaming most of the way up. Running uphill, using as little effort as some people do when walking along a street as the mind wanders, is a great feeling. I'm quite pleased to have it back. Came down nice and gentle, this time excited to think the next downhill run will be in the heat of battle.

Had my first dose of pre-race nerves this morning. In the past they only came when there was something big at stake, like Knockdhu, a record attempt or a league. This time around? I'll find out on Sunday.

ocnoc

Nerves mean you want it.

PositiveNegativ

Put out a few markers for the first leg run in tomorrows WAR. Those steps up the spink really pull when taken at speed.

donothoponpop

PositiveNegativ wrote: »

So game over, do something else. But nothing else seems to do. So I've decided to pick a race, do what preparation I can without causing further damage and see what happens. So without recent training in my legs I'm going to see what can be done on one maybe two runs a week and some bike work. See if I can manage to get to the start line or finally have to accept as truth what the doctors said.

This a quote from your first post. You've picked and trained for your race, put in the work, now is the eve of putting it all into practice. The overwhelming majority of matter in this universe only see's a cold, unknowing, and motionless existence. You're lucky enough to be able to control what happens to your atoms, and the injury gods have good to you over the last while. This log is the start of something new. Tomorrow is yours, run a smart race, and the very best of luck.

PositiveNegativ

Inspirational stuff (as always) from Donothoponpop.

The last 36 hours have hardly been ideal - lack of sleep, twice up (at speed) and down the Spink board walks and a MR call out. All of which I could have said no to but hey there's more to life than a perfect glide down to a race start line.

Stand up for counting time. Deep breath, exhale, deep breath, hurt.

PositiveNegativ

Target 1: Get to the start line without causing damage to my Achilles Tendon. Check.
Target 2: Run up down up and down again. Check.
Target 3: Stay within a minute of the winner. Just missed.
Target 4: Win the M40 category. Check.

Targets 3 and 4 I'd kept to myself for fear of looking dumb if the wheels came off at some point during the race.

So far there's no reaction in my AT to the race, but I'll know better in the morning when I expect to be so stiff walking will be painful.

As for the race itself there's very little to tell.
I started at my own pace which put me in 3rd spot once we'd filtered into a single file. There was a bit of messing with Trunner which put me on oconc's shoulder. We swoped places a few times, just winding each other up, trying to gain some insight into who was looking to do this the hard way. Trunner slowly drifted back, I remember making a bit more of an effort for the last few minutes of the first climb to open that gap in the hope that T wouldn't see our route down.

Topping out side by side with ocnoc I went for a smooth rather than blinding descent, not that I had any real options. The one failing of bike training is that it doesn't simulate high speed running. ocnoc tucked in about 3 paces behind to follow my trail. I was under no illusions at this point that he was merely bidding his time but did take some comfort that his chat had stopped. He was having to work!

We crossed the river together settling into the steady arm swing needed to run up the next section, he went a little more to the right but we hit the saddle together passing out an early starter at this point. conoc then started doing this strange thing not covered in the name of the association, maybe he was temporarily confused, thinking he was in the IMWA. No matter he was just gathering himself while I kept plugging away opening a massive gap of about 5 metres at one point before the dam burst and he made his move.

The gap at the top was roughly 10 seconds by the bottom it was 70. For seperate reasons neither of us were prepared to make a high risk final fling down the mountain. He has massively important Orienteering races next week and I have two recently twisted ankles. Besides I was unpressurized from behind so was more interested in savoring the moment. Not a racers mentality but it is supposed to be fun.

And it was.

PositiveNegativ

It feels like I've gotten away with yesterdays race which is great news. My quads are the most affected by the hard uphill running and the bit of braking on the final descent. AT wise there is some stiffness but nothing worse than at any point in the last few months. In a day or two I'll hop back on the bike and start working up for another race, probably one of the nice boggy ones in June.

Thanks for the various comments and encouragements over the lifetime of this log.

Little left to do now but wonder how much of a storm these new tree's could withstand before being blown over.

ocnoc

Excellent news to hear your body has held up.

Old trees have deep roots