One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Gavlor

Best of luck!!

Badreputation

Best of luck Tomorrow

ThebitterLemon

Ferris, all the best for tomorrow, looking forward to the report.

TbL

Killerz

Good luck tomorrow Ferris B. I see from connemarathon FB page there is some lad 'expecting to break the ultra course record tomorrow'. Clearly he isn't familiar with yo skillz at ultra running.....

Ferris B

Quick update between batches of pints...

Finished in 5:32:xx ( 3 mins outside target). Sorted the marathon spot on 3:30 and then the sh!t got real. Fuppin' cramps attacked my left calf from mile 30 till the finish which messed me up a bit. Considering the bitchin' wind in the last half I'm delighted with my time. Report to follow sometime after a few post mortum cherrys in downtown Clifden.

yaboya1

Good stuff Ferris.
Great base behind you going into Berlin training.
Enjoy tonight

Ferris B

How the west was won…sort of.

After a poor nights sleep I met up with Ultraman of this parish in Clifden who kindly gave me a lift to the start in Maam Cross. Peacocks Hotel was buzzing when we got there and I could sense the nervous energy in the room in advance of the race briefing from RD, Ray O’Connor. I felt a little intimidated after scanning the room and thought that everyone looked so fit, so prepared and all seemed to have that weathered look of having done this sort of thing many times before. A quick reminder to myself though that I had done my own training, I had my plan (right or wrong) so man up and get on with it.

The weather forecast suggested high winds and some rain at the start but that the winds would all ease off during the day. How wrong that would turn out to be. My plan was to run the first 26.2 in 3:30 (8 min/m or about 7:58 per the Garmin) and try and hang on for the last ‘half’ as best as I could. UM had a similar idea and we had a prior agreement to run together which suited me.

The weather wasn’t pleasant as we waited at the start line. It was cold with rain and strong head winds. While the rain eased just before the off, we had a tough headwind that lasted for the first 10 miles out to Recess . UM offered me a spare jacket to wear during mile 1 as I made a scholboy error of neglecting to bring a ‘throw away’ top and I was thankful for that and held onto it till about mile 6.

Our pace over the first few miles was slightly faster than planned about (7:45/7:50). This was possibly because we decided to catch a group for shelter rather than hanging back and battling the winds but at the same time I felt comfortable. At the time it felt like the right decision. Groups broke up and reformed over the next few miles. I can recall at mile 7 a group of 5 or 6 appeared suddenly behind myself and UM and he politely advised them there’d be a charge for joining our group! Some of them moved to the front after a while to take their turn into the wind. The right turn after Recess was very welcome and the wind was now at our backs taking us to the 13.1 mark. I was slightly ahead of schedule by about 30/40 secs at this point but the pace had reduced to target pace so all felt good. I also started to notice the scenery at this point which was stunning and I really felt privileged to be running in this part of the world.

At about mile 14 or 15 myself and UM were joined by runner from Galway. There was a chat amongst the three of us as to how many Conn Ultras we’d run: Galway man : 5, UM: 6, me:0 ! I felt like the apprentice. Around mile 16 or 17 though UM started to drop back a bit (leg problem I think) and I found myself with Galway guy and another runner from the North (Causeway coast?). I had a quick bathroom stop at mile 17 and took about 0.5m to rejoin UM. By then, Galway guy, who appeared to be running strong had gone way ahead and the runner from the North was also starting to slow. So by mile 20, around the turn for Leenane, I was on my own and would remain that way for the remainder of the race. I do recall thinking to myself that this was only the halfway point which was a little scary to say the least. I still felt ok though, but was starting to tire a little.

I had been warned about the ‘steep’ downhill into Leenane around miles 23/24 but actually found it quite gradual and just increased the pace a little to 7:45 ish. Near the bottom of the hill I was passed by another ultra runner who was running very strong. I overheard two girls running the marathon that the ultra runner in question had run the most marathons in the country last year so I didn’t mind being passed by some kind of superman.

A mile or so before Leenane village I passed a small group of 3 or 4 ultra runners who were together which gave me a little boost of confidence and then I crossed the magic marathon mark bang on target at 3:30. I spotted two other decent ultra runners (much faster than me in Donadea) stopped at the bag drop at 26 and was a bit surprised. One of them would pass me later. I had one of my two drop bags to collect at mile 26 which contained jellies and flat coke. The coke was delicious and gave a nice boost to get me up the first major climb.

I allowed pace to drop a bit (8:25ish) for the hill out of Leenane but was still passing lots of Marathon runners and was quite pleased with myself once I reached the top. I was getting plenty of ‘go ultra’ shouts which was encouraging. I was also familiar with this part of the course which made it somewhat easier. Then just as I was getting all cocky, bastard cramp grabbed hold of my left calf around mile 30. I thought I was goosed, game over. Somehow I managed to keep going slowly, changing my gait a few different ways in order to try and lessen the load on my left leg. I popped another salt tab and after a few mins of pathetic running, the pain subsided and normal service resumed but at a much slower pace. I think I passed Galway man soon after and we acknowledged the difficulties we were each in. Shortly after passing him, Bang, left calf again. The hobble process was repeated. Then the hail came. Then the winds picked up. WTF! What next? It was like the Gods were toying with me. Passed a female Ultra runner around mile 34 and I managed to grunt a ‘hello’ . This on / off cramp continued all the way to bottom of the Hell of the West and caused a serious reduction in my pace. I found the miles 33-35 ish not just very tough physically but really challenging mentally. In some weird way I was looking forward to the ‘Hell’. I think it was some sort of masochistic challenge to get to the top on 1.5 legs. The wind was horrendous by now with sudden gusts knocking everyone sideways. Everyone around me appeared to be walking as I shuffled my way at 10min + pace up the hill. I was determined wasn’t walking. “You’re not effin’ walking” I was screaming inside to myself. I noticed a female marathon runner nearby (100 mara club) who was the only person I can recall also running up the hill at that stage. I had seen her a few miles back looking comfortable, encouraging others. I wasn’t sure whether she was trying to pass me on the hill but every time a gust came, she’d be blown back only to reappear beside me when the wind subsided. As I crested the top she thanked me for getting her up the hill and promptly put the boot down and tore off! Going downhill wasn’t much easier into a headwind and all I could manage was a paltry 9.30 pace. I knew at this stage sub 5.30 was probably gone but I didn’t check the watch as I just hadn’t the energy to summon a faster pace no matter how much time I might need to make up. The final mile took an age but eventually I saw the finish gantry. My OH was about 30m from the finish with camera which was great so I put the thumbs up and managed a slight smile. Got a fantastic reception coming up the final stretch… ‘Here comes another Ultra’ over the pa system and I milked it, and loved the moment.

I crossed in 5:32:18 which was 39th place and 12th in the O40’s. The RD came and shook my hand which was an honour. I have no idea what I said to him. It took me a while to come to and warm up and I was really only back to myself on the bus back to Clifden where a pint quickly sorted me out.

What a day. Both my mind and body felt absolutely shattered straight afterwards, much more so than the 4 marathons I’ve run. While it was a success, there were lessons learned along the way. I think it was a bit like running your first marathon in that you need to run it first to figure out how to run it. I didn’t have enough in the tank for the last 8/9 miles. I had expected my pace to drop for the last ‘half’ but not to the extent that it did. My pace may have been a touch too fast over first 10 or even my plan for the marathon could may have been 3:40 . It’s hard to know. The cramps obviously caused me problems and I’m not sure what caused them and need to figure that out. I had used gels throughout the race and I got thoroughly fed up with their sugary taste. I really would like to explore the running without gels methods mentioned in other threads.

I’ll take a lot of satisfaction from the race though and I can safely say I’m delighted with my performance at my first go at this distance and who knows… I just might go back!

AuldManKing

My God, all that was missing was a kitchen sink being thrown at you.
Massive respect for that performance.

Aimman

Well done on that time, the conditions were savage, particularly the last two miles which should have been an easy downhill.

Ferris B

Aimman wrote: »

Well done on that time, the conditions were savage, particularly the last two miles which should have been an easy downhill.

Thanks Aimman. The last few miles were comical in a sadistic sort of way. Good to meet you at the start line.

Marthastew

Massive congrats from Mr S and I on a really superb race, fantastic result! We were thinking of you on the day.
Really enjoyed your race report:)

Ferris B

Marthastew wrote: »

Massive congrats from Mr S and I on a really superb race, fantastic result! We were thinking of you on the day.
Really enjoyed your race report:)

Thanks MS. Was actually thinking (post Conn) of your words of advice you mentioned in Donadea about holding back on the marathon to have plenty left for the last half. Not sure I did that! Live and Learn.:) Say 'Hi' to Mr S.

Ferris B

No running at all for 6 days following the Ultra in Conn to let the body recover and to nurse a slight calf strain I had picked up. Other than the calf, I didn’t seem to have any other significant issues which was great.

Sunday 13th April
5.5m ; 8:51 m/m

Nice easy recovery run with FBOT01. Good to be back running.

Tuesday 15th April
6m ; 8:39 m/m

Another nice gentle recover type run in the compnay of FBOT01. Managed to step in a pothole and go over my ankle while crossing the road after a mile which left me a bit niggly throughout the run.

Friday 18th April
6m; 7:21 m/m

I had been considering entering Brian Boru 10 so the intention here was to test the legs with some intervals to see if they were in form for a 10 mile race. However with no intervals programmed in the watch I reverted to my preferred form of speedwork, a tempo run. Ran the middle 4 miles around 7m/m pace. It was hard work at the time but felt good after. Sprained ankle was annoying me for the first few miles. This was not helped later in the day when I dropped a heavy desk on the same foot.:mad:

Sunday 20th April
5.3m; 8:12 m/m
Nice easy Easter run to the end of the Bull wall and back.

Monday 21st April
Brian Boru @ ‘Battle of Clontarf’ 10m;

I decided to enter this for a few reasons: I wanted to support a local race , I’d never run a 10m race (guaranteed PB!) and Raheny Shamrocks normally put on a good show. My only concern was that I was probably not fully recovered from Connemara and I didn’t want to cause myself injury... too much, too soon etc. My ankle was still at me, but was only sore and didn’t seem to restrict me. I left it till saturday to sign up just to be sure I was ok.

Met a few boardsies at the start (MS, CL and Digger) which was nice. FBOT01 was patroling the park as spectating, unofficial marshal with Buster (if you were there, you’ll have heard him) and giving words of encouragement. The race route was all over the place with a lot of turns but I know the park reasonably well so I was happy I knew where we were supposed to go.

I had a vague plan of aiming for 70mins and would have been happy with that. MS mentioned she was also heading for similar time so I thought I’d hang in behind her group. First few miles went off a bit faster than planned (6:22, 6:46, 6,32). I think by mile 3 or 4 I wasn’t passed anymore and a lot of gaps started to open up. I was bit concerned the pace was a bit fast but at the same time was still feeling ok and able to have the odd word with MS. The sharp right turn at the tennis courts (about mile 4) badly needed a marshal. Luckily FBOT01 was there to point folk where to go. I think others went wrong at this point.

I slowed a touch for the next few miles fearing a blow up later (6:50, 6:38, 6:47). The OH and the kids (+dog) were out to support me at mile 5 and mile 8.5 ‘Speed up !’ they shouted (both times). They have no concept of the suffering us runners endure!! I had drifted ahead of MS at this stage and was now running along side a female Raheny runner and I think we swapped the lead a few times in our own mini race. She was getting a huge amount of support from the local Raheny crew.

I started to settle into a nice rhythm after 6 miles and ignored the watch and tried run more by feel. I had now moved away from Raheny runner and surprisingly caught up with CL and we more or less stayed together till near the finish. It was great to have the company as there was a good gap to the next runner and holding the pace on my own would have been tough. Miles 7,8,9 came in at 6:48, 6:41, 6:33 and while I wasn’t intentionly speeding up, it just felt right at the time. Miles 9 & 10 were tough but after I hit the 9 mile marker I knew I could at least maintain the pace even if it was hard and the breathing by now was fairly laboured. This wasn’t helped when the 130 bus pulled up right in front of us at a bus stop on mt prospect ave (thought the roads were closed :mad:) resulting in swift evasive action and a ‘wave’ at the driver. We hit the park again about 9.5 miles and and when we turned one last time to go down the main avenue I saw the finish line about 600m ahead. I actually wasn’t sure whether we had to do a mini loop again and this only become clearer with about 400m to go that it was just a straight run for the line. I didn’t think I had any thing left in the legs for a sprint but inspired by the crowd I managed but pick up the pace and just about about held it to the line crossing in 1:06:24 with a final mile split of 6:19.

More good news was to follow though. After changing and having coffee, myself and FBOT01 wandered over to the finish to cheer on the last few runners. The prizing giving was going on. Then over the PA, my name was mentioned…shock ….3rd place in one of the aul fellas category in The Leinster 10m championships:D:D:D. This was indeed a thrill. The last time I won a medal for running was 30 years ago in a school sports day when I was the emergency stand in for a relay team! Got some support from the boardises too (CL, MS, Digger, Dr Q, Ecoli, FBOT01) which was great. In fact, congrats go to all the running boardsies who seemed to be collecting medals all over the place.

I was very happy with my time considering the ultra was only two weeks ago. I would imagine a couple more minutes could come off that time on fresher legs. The category medal was certainly an unexpected bonus.

Now I just need to figure out what's next before the marathon training starts all over again.

yaboya1

Well done Ferris.
Nice warm up before the sub 3 Berlin training starts :-)

Ferris B

yaboya1 wrote: »

Well done Ferris.
Nice warm up before Berlin training starts :-)

fixed your typo.

Marthastew

Fantastic run and a great report. Congrats on your championship medal also!
Thanks for being such a good pacer, it was nice to be warned about that hill, especially as we had to run up it twice (and I know it wasn't bad it just felt bad)


You should definitely pop into Irishtown some Tuesday evening and see if it would suit you, ask to speak to Michael or Susan. Everybody in there is extremely welcoming and you'd have plenty of runners at your level, we have a big group going to Berlin. Another plus is that your annual membership gets you use of the gym and of the track so you could use it any time you like (some restricted times)

ThebitterLemon

Well done Ferris, podium finish, you da (auld) man!

TbL

Ferris B

Update...

Things have been a bit quiet around these parts for the last while as I've been out of action due to a calf injury caused by stupidity ie overdoing it since the Ultra in Connemara. Ultra + 10m race + fancy plyometric routine + 400m intervals does not a happy calf make.

Summary of runs just prior to injury

Thurs 24th April
7.2m, 8:19 pace.

Took a few days rest after Brian Boru 10 on monday (due to right calf being quite tight) and ran a gentle 7m along the seafront. Felt ok.

Sat 26th April
10.8m, 8:23

Med-long run with FBOT, meandering around the environs of marino & drumcondra. Ran a bit further than planned. I recall rh calf being quite tight at the time but basically ignored it and hoped it would go away.. the start of my downfall.

Sun 27th April
6m, 7:30
Any sensible person would just run an easy few but I picked up the pace (think i was in a bad mood) and ran much quicker for a weekend run, not to mention I was still supposed to be taking it easy.

Mon 28th

No running but I introduced some plyometric exercises to my very basic gym routine. This is in an effort to strengthen my glutes which apparently need work. It was the right think to do but I probably over did it.

Tues 29th
3m wu 6x400 3x400...crashed and burned

I had plans to do Maynooth 10k or Terenure 5m so thinking only of that (and conveniently forgetting my previous 3 weeks), I decided to jump into the last few weeks of a HH 10 k program which on this day called for 400s. I lasted 3 of them before calf really tightened up so I slowed to a jog. Then 50 yards up the road my calf sent the rest of my body a not too subtle message when I felt a significant twang...PAIN... resulting in much yelping and whimpering from me followed by a hobble towards home. FBOT01, who of course had been doing a sensible recovery type run (the swot) found me lying in a gutter and drove me home the rest of the way

I haven't run since and have been trying to get better with rest, exercises and some physio work. I've been banned by the physio from even attempting terenure this sunday (which I had signed up for) which is probably a good thing as the main goal at this stage is to be fit and ready for the start of the 18wk P&D programme for Berlin.

Previously when I've been injured or having down time, the diet has suffered and I start eating crap out of frustration with the lack of running which normally results in the double whammy of lose fitness and get fat. This time though I've managed to eat healthier than ever which I'm quite pleased with. Long may it last.

Other than Berlin I've made no other definite plans, I think I'll wait till I'm running again before setting any targets. I do want to race more (10k and up) than last year but with the hard lessons learned (see above) I will need to listen to my body.

Oh and I also did what all self respecting auld boardsies in a mid life crisis do....I invested in a chin up bar. I'm up to 5 now...(that's excellent for me) though think my arms are getting longer.

Rather than running this weekend I'm heading off for a few days of golf and I'm quite looking forward to it...might even have a pint or two:)

Finally, need to change my log title as 'into the west' no longer applies...suggestions on a postcard....TbL I'm waiting...

ThebitterLemon

Sorry to hear about the injury Ferris, hope it sorts itself out soon.

All the trendy nursing homes have chin up bars with wannabe Auld Duaningtons hanging like bats from them, but 5 is impressive, trying to impress nurse Ratchet are we

I'll be following your progress towards Berlin

TbL

ThebitterLemon

"Into a thermal vest"

Yea I know!

Give me time I'm just off a plane!

TbL

Ferris B

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

"Into a thermal vest"

Yea I know!

Give me time I'm just off a plane!

TbL

TbL your first post has given me the answer. Cheers.

Ferris B

New log title…

With the start (stutter) of a new marathon program and having already completed my mission out West in the Conn Ultra, I thought it was time for a new log title. Over the past few months, many relations ( the non running variety) have commented to me ..”39 miles, are you crazy!”. Well this log title is for them. Maybe I am a little enthusiastic about running but God help them if they read the logs of some folk around these parts who really run serious mileage.

Anyway this week was supposed to be week 1 of P&D 18/70 in preparation for Berlin. Unfortunately my calf has not healed yet from an injury (partial tear) sustained 4 weeks ago, so running is still on hold. I think I am actually going a little crazy with the lack of running endorphins so I wouldn’t be surprised if Nurse Ratched and her men in white coats come calling for me soon. I’ve been getting various forms of physio including manual therapy, dry needling and even two sessions of hydrotherapy (my OH works in this area) in the hope of a quick fix but I’m finally coming round to the realisation that what is also needed is time. Hopefuly another week should see me good.

While there has been no running I’ve been keeping up the core work so that‘s a positive and my diet has been better than ever. I do need to get out on the bike though, to work the heart and lungs.

My dilemma now is, when I get back running, how quickly can I ramp up the mileage as I’m sure I’ve lost running fitness. I thinking maybe jump in at week 2 or 3 of P&D 18/55 and start with 70% of the mileage and build up slowly to the 70mpw prog over the next 5/6 weeks which is the sort of mileage I was doing for Connemara. Other thoughts are maybe do the 16wk BAA program but start with low mileage. Or I could possibly do a 12 wk prog preceded by 3/4/5 weeks of building up the miles again. Hmmm decisions, decisions….I really need a good coach.

To finish on a positive note (I’m learning from MS ), the chin up bar is getting plenty of use and I’ve even managed to to hit double figures…just.:D

Finnt

How'd you change the log title?

Ferris B

Finnt wrote: »

How'd you change the log title?

I PM'd a moderator and asked him nicely.

Ferris B

Frustration got to me so I snuck out without the warden seeing me for a tester run.

Mile 1 ..no calf pain, mile 2 no calf pain, mile 3 .... and so it continued for 5 glorious miles without a squeak from the calf.

5m @ 8:07

Now I just need to figure out how to get back on program.

Ferris B

Friday 30th May
6.2m. Pace 9:00

Continuing my rehabilitation, after my first day back on Wednesday, I took a rest day on thurs and ran a pre-breakfast recovery 6m on friday in the company of FBOT01. Calf still appears to be fine.

Saturday 31st May
10m; Pace 8:23
After a morning’s gardening (doubling up as core work) I headed out along the seafront. The program called for a 15m lsr this weekend but I reckoned 10 was all I should do at this stage. Lovely afternoon for it too. Good to be back into double figures.

Sunday 1st June
5.9m; Pace 9:58

I used the opportunity of accompanying the younger daughter on a bike ride to get in a recovery run. As I was keeping an eye on her it forced me to keep the pace down which was probably a good thing. She was chuffed at doing ‘a just under 6 mile’ cycle and bragged about when we got back but of course blamed me for slowing her down.

While it wasn’t the ideal first week of a program with only about 50% of target mileage complete, at least I’m back running and am feeling good.

Week 1 mileage: Program 54. Actual 28.5.

Monday 2nd June
Rest day from running so took advantage of the nice weather and headed out on the bike to Howth summit and back.

Tuesday 3rd June
6.9m; Pace 8:13

The program called for 8m with some strides but again I reduced the mileage a bit and did no strides as I’m still cautious about overloading the calf. Ran the first few with FBOT01 before he headed off for more miles. Want to be ready for mid week med-long run tomorrow. Did a few exercises when I got back including some lame burpees. Apparently they're good for runners. Can't decide which I hate more though, burpees or chin ups.:(

ultraman1

Good to see u back in action Fb,take it easy..

ultraman1

Good to see u back in action Fb,take it easy..

Ferris B

Wednesday 4th June
9.6m; Pace 8:11

The program called for 12m Med-Long run but as i'm still on a rebuilding phase I aimed for 10m. Ran out of time to complete the 10 due to child collecting duties which was probably good for me.

Thursday 5th June
5m ; Pace 8:47

A gentle 5m recovery, mostly on grass along the seafront. Took the orthotics out of the runners for this run for the first time in about 3 years, per a suggestion from the Physio as a start towards running without them. I'll only be doing this on the odd short run initially. The idea is that as I strengthen glutes, core etc I eventually may be able to manage without them altogether which would be nice.

Friday 6th June
7.5m ; Pace 8:12

Conscious about the long run coming up at the weekend I only ran 7.5m out of the programmed 9m out southside to Sean Moore park and back. Quads were a bit tight.

Saturday 7th June
5m; Pace 8:41

Another recovery run. I joined the parkrun in St Annes for part of this run which made it nice and sociable. Ran in the pack in the company of Murph_D and was disciplined not to push the pace. The Bros Pearse AC were in force today like viking invaders from the southside swooping in to pillage our podium spots.

Murph_D

Nice to make your (virtual) acquaintance. Pack running is all the rage these days.