The Running Master

Itziger

Stazza wrote: »

And, Irelands second greatest poet is...


Heaney.

In good time, I'll explain why(imho )he's far superior to Yeats and yet a minor poet when compared to Himself. I saw Heaney reading in Oxford. He did a gig with Ted Hughes - top draw. Hughes blew Heaney out of the water and that did surprise me.

Lay off the Powers, Stazza. Or at least put a drop of water in the next glass.

Heaney greater than Yeats?

Swift must be up there, wha'?

W.B. Yeats

I'm not a Heaney fan-

Stazza

W.B. Yeats wrote: »

I'm not a Heaney fan-

I thought that might be the case. If you know your poetry, history, and politics, it's understandable why a Yeats' fan might not like Heaney. But you see, that's one of the many reasons why Heaney is the better poet. Genuine Heaney fans can appreciate and like Yeats - their is an obvious political irony there. But stick with me and I bet I can convert you... at least from the poetry side of things - I'd never try and influence a man's religious or political thinking: both are folly.:D

Also, you wanted some authenticity...

Tralee International Marathon 2015

'Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'

Recently, Ireland’s third greatest poet, WB Yeats, rose from the dead and spoke to me. He spoke about authenticity. Ever since he spoke to me, I’ve been troubled. For the first time in many years a person has managed to truly get under my skin - not in a bad way; I’m thankful.

Yeats’ words about authenticity triggered an awakening: An 'Irish Hobbyjogger' Foresees His Death. For the last seven years or so, I’ve been happy to plod along through life, content that I’d lived a life less ordinary, a life full of adventure, excitement, and meaning. I was content to ‘go gentle into that good night.’ Granted, three years ago I’ve gave up booze, shed 84+lbs, stopped smoking, and worked my way up to 100+ miles a week. Not bad for somebody in their late forties. So What?

And to be honest, the last three years have been a foundation. The grand plan (not the one I’ve waffled about here) has always been to run a marathon. Again, nothing earth shattering. But does it have to be earth shattering? No. Not so long as I’m genuinely happy. I am genuinely happy. But Yeats has ruffled my feathers…;)

Outside of family, I have two great loves: sport and literature. The sporting element is mainly focused around running and coaching etc. The coaching has been rewarding and, in the main, successful. The running, over the last three years hasn’t produced anything of great note. If I’m honest, I’ve run thousands of miles – twice a day -, allowed running to take up too much of my time, and the only verifiable reward was a 17:XX 5k.

Many would might say that for a man a few months away from fifty, 17:12 for 5k after smoking 40 tabs a day, shedding 84+lbs, and quaffing bottles of merlot like a hobbyjogger does gels/salt tablets, is a fair return. But it isn’t really; it's cruddy.

Likewise, I’ve dallied with the literature. I’ve helped many kids do well in exams, I’ve employed my enthusiasm for words in the real world and enjoyed the relative wealth that words sometimes bring. But in truth, I’ve messed about. My real love is poetry. Now, most poetry is crap. Even most poetry that is regarded as good is crap. All the same, it’s time for me to knuckle down with a few projects I have on the go and it is time for me to get stuck into the poetry (don’t worry, I’m not going to post my poems – unless you are naughty).

In January, I’ll be fifty. What a great age to get going again. After sleepwalking through my forties, I’m going to get out and attack my fifties. It starts today. Today is the first day of my Tralee International Marathon training. Today is the first day of working towards my poetry goal.

Tralee International Marathon goal: sub 2:40 – first marathon at 50 and will be a benchmark for future marathons. If the weather isn’t too crazy and I can stay healthy, then I think sub 2:40 is achievable. This may not seem like much of a goal – it’s what I’d call the border between hobbyjogging and running. Given my age, time back running, just coming off an injury, and that I’m about 12lbs overweight, then 2:40 seems like a fair challenge. It’s much harder to get fit again when you’re older – trust me on this one. Everything takes longer.

Poetry goal: Bridport Prize – longlist.

When Obama was elected, Heaney mentioned something about Obama being a writer and how Obama had looked into himself and how this was necessary for all writers. So, as I work towards my Tralee goal, I will dig deep into the darkness and look for chinks of light. Henceforth, Stazza is out of his comfort zone.

Mr Yeats – here comes authenticity. I hope you like it. But then, it doesn’t really matter because this is all about me…

AuldManKing

Stazza wrote: »

I think sub 2:40 is achievable. This may not seem like much of a goal – it’s what I’d call the border between hobbyjogging and running.

Quick - someone get DrQuirky back on here.

pistol_75

McMillan gives you 2:47:36 based on your 5K and McMillan can be optimistic, especially for first time marathoners, no matter how good their poetry is

Good luck

Ososlo

AuldManKing wrote: »

Quick - someone get DrQuirky back on here.

It would end in a blood bath by about 6pm. Actually make that 5!

Stazza

pistol_75 wrote: »

McMillan gives you 2:47:36 based on your 5K and McMillan can be optimistic, especially for first time marathoners, no matter how good their poetry is

Good luck

After my ridiculous goal of 15:22 for 5k maybe I should set a different goal for the marathon... And as for my poetry, maybe I should be aiming for something in the nursery rhyme market/ditties.

Gavlor

Stazza wrote: »

After my ridiculous goal of 15:22 for 5k maybe I should set a different goal for the marathon... And as for my poetry, maybe I should be aiming for something in the nursery rhyme market/ditties.

At least you marathon target is consistent with your recent stories.....

Fairytale stuff from imaginationland aka stazzas head

Actually I'm not sure what is real and what is make believe in this log anymore!

Itziger

Gavlor wrote: »

At least you marathon target is consistent with your recent stories.....

Fairytale stuff from imaginationland aka stazzas head

Actually I'm not sure what is real and what is make believe in this log anymore!

I think that's the idea.

legit

Gavlor wrote: »

At least you marathon target is consistent with your recent stories.....

Fairytale stuff from imaginationland aka stazzas head

Actually I'm not sure what is real and what is make believe in this log anymore!

I'm a long time lurker around here and I always wonder are your running goals for real or just BS. This is not the first time you've made a outrageous statement

your very first post in this log!

I’ve decided to have another crack at keeping a log. As I’ve publicly announced that I’m going after the Irish M45 5k record of 15:22, I thought it only fair that I document my training and hold myself to account – publicly; at my age I should know better, especially given the current state of my fitness.

I see you've softened your target from a couple of years back. Maybe you're seeing sense or maybe one of your stable of elites is finally giving you some advice

bam.fastrunningblog.com

Gavlor

legit wrote: »

I'm a long time lurker around here and I always wonder are your running goals for real or just BS. This is not the first time you've made a outrageous statement

your very first post in this log!



I see you've softened your target from a couple of years back. Maybe you're seeing sense or maybe one of your stable of elites is finally giving you some advice

bam.fastrunningblog.com

My running goals?? Mostly BS, actually I never really race so it's totally BS

As for stazza, there are targets and then there are pipe dreams....

Stazza

legit wrote: »

I'm a long time lurker around here and I always wonder are your running goals for real or just BS. This is not the first time you've made a outrageous statement

your very first post in this log!



I see you've softened your target from a couple of years back. Maybe you're seeing sense or maybe one of your stable of elites is finally giving you some advice

bam.fastrunningblog.com

Finally seen sense. As I stated above, the 5k time was ridiculous. Even though there are 4 months of the year left, I'm not getting near 15:22. But we'll see where I am by the end of the year.

It would seem that a few lurkers/hobbyjoggers have taken offence. I understand your pain - Gavlor. You work for a long time trying to achieve a goal, hit it and then I come along and say that 2:40 is borderline hobbyjogger. But that's my definition. In fact, I actually think anybody who runs a marathon and can't hold 6 min pace is a hobbyjogger. Obviously, by definition, I'll probably fall into that category. And if you read the whole of the Bam blog I say it there too.

With regards to my running goals, they are genuine. Of course, as far as the 5k is concerned, I've got egg on my face now. And that's ok - I said that I wanted to hold myself to account -publicly - and I am doing that right now.

Thanks for taking so much time to read my Bam blog and this log, if I didn't know better I'd say you had a thing about me. If you have that's ok too. xx

Stazza

And for anybody interested in following my journey from lard arse to a sub 2:40 marathon runner in my first marathon at the age of 50, then here's where to begin.

Ososlo

Stazza wrote: »

And for anybody interested in following my journey from lard arse to a sub 2:40 marathon runner in my first marathon at the age of 50, then here's where to begin.

Enjoy everyone. You're in for a treat:D

pa4

I think sub 2:40 is very achievable for someone Stazzas age. If my uncle could run 2:48 as a 56 year old after taking up running only a few years previous then Stazza shouldn't have too much trouble. Did I mention he was a smoker for 25 years before he started? If your willing to put in the effort and make the sacrifices then it's very achievable.

For someone too say they'll never be able you can be certain they'll never achieve it.

Ososlo

pa4 wrote: »

I think sub 2:40 is very achievable for someone Stazzas age. If my uncle could run 2:48 as a 56 year old after taking up running only a few years previous then Stazza shouldn't have too much trouble. Did I mention he was a smoker for 25 years before he started? If your willing to put in the effort and make the sacrifices then it's very achievable.

For someone too say they'll never be able you can be certain they'll never achieve it.

You serious? Was he very fit and did he do other sports when he was younger?
I love those kinds of stories:D

pa4

Ososlo wrote: »

You serious? Was he very fit and did he do other sports when he was younger?
I love those kinds of stories:D

Me too they always give hope! But yeah I'm serious. He was a 20+ cigarette a day smoker for over 25 years and enjoyed the drink a bit too much! Decided one day he was going to quit and start running. His first run was to the top of the road and back which is 400m in total. Built it up from there. He was 52 when he got back and 4 years later ran a 2:48 marathon in Dublin!

Ososlo

pa4 wrote: »

Me too they always give hope! But yeah I'm serious. He was a 20+ cigarette a day smoker for over 25 years and enjoyed the drink a bit too much! Decided one day he was going to quit and start running. His first run was to the top of the road and back which is 400m in total. Built it up from there. He was 52 when he got back and 4 years later ran a 2:48 marathon in Dublin!

Great stuff. Hope he's still running. That's just brilliant.

what brand of fags

W.B. Yeats

Stazza wrote: »

And for anybody interested in following my journey from lard arse to a sub 2:40 marathon runner in my first marathon at the age of 50, then here's where to begin.

Quick- take it down, it took me a training plan and 3 PBs to get the golden keys and now you're giving it out for free!

legit

Stazza wrote: »

It would seem that a few lurkers/hobbyjoggers have taken offence.

I haven't taken offence so no need to worry. Just to give you a bit of context I have a sub 15 min 5k PB and ran 15.13 in my 40s and also a sub 2.30 (2.28, PB of 2.25) marathon in my 40s. I know it's your own definition but I think you are being a bit conceited saying 2.40 is a hobby joggers pace. For someone with a 2.10 PB it sure is, it's slower than training pace for them but I don't think you've ran a marathon so you might be in for a major surprise at how hard it actually is to string 26 * 6 minute miles together!

Running is a hobby for all but the few elites in Ireland, and there are too few of them but we are not all joggers.

Good luck and I'll check back in the new year to see your progress. Message me if you need any advice on structuring a masters marathon plan.

pa4

Ososlo wrote: »

Great stuff. Hope he's still running. That's just brilliant.

what brand of fags

Ya he's still going strong! He smoked major I think.

Gavlor

Isn't everybody on this forum a hobby jogger?

Except maybe chivito and oregano state. They are hobby sprinters!

Seriously though, none of us are professional top end athletes therefore we are all mere hobby joggers, granted some put more effort into their hobby than others.

Edit: sorry for hijacking the log!

Stazza

legit wrote: »

I haven't taken offence so no need to worry. Just to give you a bit of context I have a sub 15 min 5k PB and ran 15.13 in my 40s and also a sub 2.30 (2.28, PB of 2.25) marathon in my 40s. I know it's your own definition but I think you are being a bit conceited saying 2.40 is a hobby joggers pace. For someone with a 2.10 PB it sure is, it's slower than training pace for them but I don't think you've ran a marathon so you might be in for a major surprise at how hard it actually is to string 26 * 6 minute miles together!

Running is a hobby for all but the few elites in Ireland, and there are too few of them but we are not all joggers.

Good luck and I'll check back in the new year to see your progress. Message me if you need any advice on structuring a masters marathon plan.

Haha - good man - I take it you're a man. So we're pretty much about the same standard given y(our) pb's. If you're still running, then maybe we could have a wee chat. I'm open to hearing what you've got to say about masters marathon plans etc.

And just to be clear, I didn't say everybody in Ireland was a hobbyjogger. I said, my definition of a hobbyjogger was somebody slower 2:40. It's important to get these things right otherwise some might not take you seriously. Although, I think I'd call it more in the, slower than 2:37 range. I stand by that. But remember, it's just my definition/thoughts.

And regarding elites in Ireland - we'll have to differ again. For me, 2:15 or quicker is the bottom end of elite. That's not to say somebody running 2:18-2:24 isn't a good runner. That area is what I'd call sub elite to decent club runner.

Itziger

Stazza wrote: »

Haha - good man - I take it you're a man. So we're pretty much about the same standard given y(our) pb's. If you're still running, then maybe we could have a wee chat. I'm open to hearing what you've got to say about masters marathon plans etc.

And just to be clear, I didn't say everybody in Ireland was a hobbyjogger. I said, my definition of a hobbyjogger was somebody slower 2:40. It's important to get these things right otherwise some might not take you seriously. Although, I think I'd call it more in the, slower than 2:37 range. I stand by that. But remember, it's just my definition/thoughts.

And regarding elites in Ireland - we'll have to differ again. For me, 2:15 or quicker is the bottom end of elite. That's not to say somebody running 2:18-2:24 isn't a good runner. That area is what I'd call sub elite to decent club runner.

Stazza is smoking something stronger than Major, that's for sure!

Stazza

Itziger wrote: »

Stazza is smoking something stronger than Major, that's for sure!

Based on what Legit posted, our pb's are similar. Let me explain it to you:

Legit posted that his/her pb for the marathon is 2:25 ( a fine pb for a club runner). He/she/it: (might be a troll) also posted that they'd run under 15 mins for 5k. Now, most people I know who've run in and around 15 mins for 5k tend to run between 2:20 and 2:25 for the marathon. So while this suggests that Legit is 'weaker' over the marathon, it would still be in the right area. Similarly with the masters pb's, although the marathon time seems to be weak compared to the 5k time, it's still in the right ballpark.

I'm assuming that the 5k time is only a bit under 15 - given the marathon time. If that's the case our pb's are about the same - if the 5k's sub 14:50 then Legit 'was' faster than I ever was - and that's fine and dandy.

This might be difficult for you to take and I get that, but it's a fact. If you really have got a hard-on for me, I can supply you with the details and you can scuttle off and spend time researching the many times that I've run under 4 for 1500m and the handful of times that I've run under 15 for 5000m/5k.

But to make it interesting, if you really want to play the game, you could start by contacting the ESAA and ask them to furnish you with details about me: races I ran where you had to have qualifying times that were minutes faster than you'll ever run - sorry lad, but this is gonna hurt you. To help them find my details you could start with Yeovil 1981 when I raced against Adrian Passey. And on that front, given that my best running was 16-19, it's gonna hurt you even more - I was only a kid and pretty much stopped running , although I did do the odd race here and there.

But seriously, all this jealousy/begrudgery isn't healthy. It's no big deal: I don't consider myself to be a great runner, now or even 30 years ago. 15 mins for 5k was crap in the adult world of running. 2:30 for the marathon was the benchmark for club runners. If you could run 2:30 for the marathon, you wouldn't even make most teams in the area 12 stage road relays. Times have changed...

Itziger

Stazza wrote: »

Based on what Legit posted, our pb's are similar. Let me explain it to you:

Legit posted that his/her pb for the marathon is 2:25 ( a fine pb for a club runner). He/she/it: (might be a troll) also posted that they'd run under 15 mins for 5k. Now, most people I know who've run in and around 15 mins for 5k tend to run between 2:20 and 2:25 for the marathon. So while this suggests that Legit is 'weaker' over the marathon, it would still be in the right area. Similarly with the masters pb's, although the marathon time seems to be weak compared to the 5k time, it's still in the right ballpark.

I'm assuming that the 5k time is only a bit under 15 - given the marathon time. If that's the case our pb's are about the same - if the 5k's sub 14:50 then Legit 'was' faster than I ever was - and that's fine and dandy.

This might be difficult for you to take and I get that, but it's a fact. If you really have got a hard-on for me, I can supply you with the details and you can scuttle off and spend time researching the many times that I've run under 4 for 1500m and the handful of times that I've run under 15 for 5000m/5k.

But to make it interesting, if you really want to play the game, you could start by contacting the ESAA and ask them to furnish you with details about me: races I ran where you had to have qualifying times that were minutes faster than you'll ever run - sorry lad, but this is gonna hurt you. To help them find my details you could start with Yeovil 1981 when I raced against Adrian Passey. And on that front, given that my best running was 16-19, it's gonna hurt you even more - I was only a kid and pretty much stopped running , although I did do the odd race here and there.

But seriously, all this jealousy/begrudgery isn't healthy. It's no big deal: I don't consider myself to be a great runner, now or even 30 years ago. 15 mins for 5k was crap in the adult world of running. 2:30 for the marathon was the benchmark for club runners. If you could run 2:30 for the marathon, you wouldn't even make most teams in the area 12 stage road relays. Times have changed...

WOW! Talk about touching a nerve. Take it easy there fella. If you think I'm interested enough in your running history to go research your times and contact bodies about races you did 30 years ago, you really are in cloud fooking cuckoo land.

"Eh, Hello, yeah, this is a random Forum poster here, I'm checking up on a lad called Stazza, looking for his times from the 1980's, yeah. Lovely, Tanks!"

I'm not jealous/envious of your times and I'm not jealous/envious of your current training and injuries. I do what I do quite happily. There's a good few hobby joggers here faster than me and I'm faster than quite a few in turn. If you re-examine the last few posts and live in today's world, you'll see that I found it rather funny that you compared yourself to a 2.25 marathon man/woman. (We can probably stop playing that game).

A day or so after telling us all that you're aiming for sub 2.40.

Stazza

Itziger wrote: »

WOW! Talk about touching a nerve. Take it easy there fella. If you think I'm interested enough in your running history to go research your times and contact bodies about races you did 30 years ago, you really are in cloud fooking cuckoo land.

"Eh, Hello, yeah, this is a random Forum poster here, I'm checking up on a lad called Stazza, looking for his times from the 1980's, yeah. Lovely, Tanks!"

I'm not jealous/envious of your times and I'm not jealous/envious of your current training and injuries. I do what I do quite happily. There's a good few hobby joggers here faster than me and I'm faster than quite a few in turn. If you re-examine the last few posts and live in today's world, you'll see that I found it rather funny that you compared yourself to a 2.25 marathon man/woman. (We can probably stop playing that game).

A day or so after telling us all that you're aiming for sub 2.40.

No nerve touched. Apologies for not getting the gist of your posts. So now that we've sorted that out, maybe we can move on...

dukeraoul

Longtime lurker here. Can you post us your marathon and half marathon PB's? Also aside from a couple decent 1500's and 5ks as a Junior what exactly qualifies you to call yourself a "running master". I was really good at draughts as a 12 year old- can I call myself the "draughts master".

Also any reports on your stable? How are they getting on?

Finally- if you use the 2mins you fell short of your 5k Irish record attempt and use that as a bench mark, I'd put your marathon debut at about a sub 3:15....firmly in your "hobby jogger" camp.

Stazza

dukeraoul wrote: »

Longtime lurker here. Can you post us your marathon and half marathon PB's? Also aside from a couple decent 1500's and 5ks as a Junior what exactly qualifies you to call yourself a "running master". I was really good at draughts as a 12 year old- can I call myself the "draughts master".

Also any reports on your stable? How are they getting on?

Finally- if you use the 2mins you fell short of your 5k Irish record attempt and use that as a bench mark, I'd put your marathon debut at about a sub 3:15....firmly in your "hobby jogger" camp.

Oh my little fwend - I love you so much. xx

dublin runner

After seeing this thread at the top of the feed for the past few days I unfortunately decided to take a look. No offense but this is not a training log. Hopefully it will return to resembling a proper training log and if it does, I will return.