The breaks even out in the long run

Netwerk Errer

Thanks for all the support folks!:) I'm quietly confident about my chances. Here's hoping!

annapr

Best of luck tomorrow... Looking forward to hearing if you still feel like a 'solid sponge' (?!) after it... Enjoyed your Tom Crean report above!

Tom Joad

Best of luck tomorrow - go get the sub 19!

martyboy48

DO IT.... It's in you... Best of luck NE

tang1

How'd you get on NE?

Netwerk Errer

tang1 wrote: »

How'd you get on NE?

This is slightly embarrassing. I slept straight through my alarm clock this morning:o I woke up at 9:50 and knew I wasn't going to make it on time given it would take an hour to get to Ennis. I'm a disaster!

I'm still going to be racing this weekend but it's going to be the Kieran O Rahilly's 10k in Tralee tomorrow. Here's hoping I make it to the startline this time.:o

JohnDozer

Netwerk Errer wrote: »

This is slightly embarrassing. I slept straight through my alarm clock this morning:o I woke up at 9:50 and knew I wasn't going to make it on time given it would take an hour to get to Ennis. I'm a disaster!

I'm still going to be racing this weekend but it's going to be the Kieran O Rahilly's 10k in Tralee tomorrow. Here's hoping I make it to the startline this time.:o

Was thinking I didn't spot you there! Was looking forward to the celebratory smoke and all :-)

ThebitterLemon

JohnDozer wrote: »

Was thinking I didn't spot you there! Was looking forward to the celebratory smoke and all :-)

Maybe NE should take your Boards moniker

TbL

Netwerk Errer

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Maybe NE should take your Boards moniker

TbL

Haha!:D I think Netwerk Errer is just as apt TbL!

Netwerk Errer

JohnDozer wrote: »

Was thinking I didn't spot you there! Was looking forward to the celebratory smoke and all :-)

Haha JD! I thought we were the newest smoking pioneers of boards.

yaboya1

I totally missed that you were supposed to be doing a race today.
It seems you did too :pac::pac:
Good luck tomorrow!

Hannibal Smith

Netwerk Errer wrote: »

This is slightly embarrassing. I slept straight through my alarm clock this morning:o I woke up at 9:50 and knew I wasn't going to make it on time given it would take an hour to get to Ennis. I'm a disaster!

I'm still going to be racing this weekend but it's going to be the Kieran O Rahilly's 10k in Tralee tomorrow. Here's hoping I make it to the startline this time.:o

Lol . Good luck tomorrow... Both in getting there and with the race.

laura_ac3

Good luck with setting the alarm and the race!!

MaggotBrain

Dubgal72

JohnDozer wrote: »

Was thinking I didn't spot you there! Was looking forward to the celebratory smoke and all :-)

Hmmmm, thought last Monday was D-Day? (Or even the Monday before that?!)

Netwerk Errer

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Hmmmm, thought last Monday was D-Day? (Or even the Monday before that?!)

Nearly got away with it:)

Last Monday was the day and didn't stop then(slipped my mind). Thursday was the day I stopped so today is my fourth day smoke free. Feeling edgy at best!

Bahanaman

Netwerk Errer wrote: »

Nearly got away with it:)

Last Monday was the day and didn't stop then(slipped my mind). Thursday was the day I stopped so today is my fourth day smoke free. Feeling edgy at best!

Yeah but you're smoke free! Fair play...keep it going.

Dubgal72

Channel that edginess today, rip that 10k up good luck! And well done.

JohnDozer

Burn up the roads of Tralee... Best of luck!

Netwerk Errer

39:54 today! Only 8 seconds away from a PB! Report to come later:)

JohnDozer

Nicely done! Those 8 seconds might be found next week...

Netwerk Errer

Sunday 1st Feb- 10k in 39:54

First of all, Thanks again for all the support folks!:)


It was an up and down weekend. If yesterday was a race that nearly happened, today was one that nearly didn't happen (drama as usual:rollseyes:.Set off for Tralee at 8 in freezing conditions and treacherous roads, the temperature hitting -4 passing through CastleIsland so care was required on the drive down. The trip took just over 75 minutes so it was a 9:15 arrival time which was cutting it tight for a 10 o clock start but little did I know that this would be the least of my problems.


Arrived into registration only to be greeted with a two word sentence and nothing else, that sentence being "sold out!" I was bulling:mad: and muttered every expletive imaginable walking back to the car. Stewed for a few minutes in the car and I said screw this and headed back in for a chat with the fella at the desk. I told him I was after driving all the way from Ennis (may not be true:p) to which he replied "online entry has been open for 4 months and on the day registration was given on a first come, first served basis".

Back to the car again to stew and I opened up the race webpage to have a look. This time BINGO! and straight back into him. Showed him the webpage which had no mention of a limited entry. He said he would see what he could do and if someone didn't collect their bib, he would give me it. So here I am 10 minutes before the race start with no number and no idea if was going to be able to run when I meet a clubmate of mine who was running as part of a work team said one of the lads didn't turn up. Number sorted and free entry because their company paid for the entries. Win win!:)

The Race

Buzzing on the startline but I had no gameplan besides go out as hard as possible.

1km

Tried to ease myself into a rhythm and felt like I was absolutely cruising. Don't wear a garmin in races because I find it distracts me too much but I was curious about how I was travelling so I asked a guy next to me about the pace and then an oh ****e moment, he said "6 flat". Not again, will I ever learn!:rollseyes:. Dialled back the pace but not by much as I was thinking the damage is already done and It's all going to end in a world of pain. Passed through 1k and had to do a double take of my watch, 4:11. Aaah! Sneaky £*#*# had lied to me:D.

1km-3km

The first test came just after the first km in the form of a steep hill(my biggest weakness). Repeated the mantra short and sweet to myself over and over again, keep the turnover high and the stride short. Found myself in the unusual position of passing groups of people on the way up. Confidence was starting to soar, I was in the zone and I knew what was to come next. What goes up must come down and now I'm into my comfort zone, kamikaze downhill running. Popped out to the front of the little mini-pack of 6 we had formed with the intention of blowing their wheels off. Shed all but one guy who was about 3 metres behind, just close enough that I could hear him clear his throat every few strides. 2nd Km: 8:05, 3rd Km: 11:48

3Km-5Km

The downhill ended as abruptly as the uphill started and back to heaving up another biter. I was starting to get a bit isolated here with the guy behind taking cover in my footsteps and not willing to share the pacing duties no matter how many times I asked him nicely take a pull out front. It didn't matter though as I felt like I was in total control and swimming in positive thoughts. I put the foot down just enough to hear him going backwards and relaxed back into my rhythm on the downhill section. Still felt good through 4.5k but I could hear a pitter patter of feet that only a group makes. The group I had dropped earlier had racheted up the pace and breezed by me at the 5k marker. Missed the 4k split 5Km: 19:51

5k-8k

I was aware at this point that I was in uncharted territory for 10k and still feeling fresh and just kept asking myself, am I pushing myself to the limit, am I pushing myself to the limit! There was yet another steep hill, this time it was short and steep where I just eased into the bottom of it and built up faster and faster until I crested which gave me good momentum to attack the downhill waiting at the other side. I could spot two guys slipping off the back of the pack just ahead so I put down the boot to catch them and mananaged to reel the gap back to about 5 metres but just couldn't quite close it. The legs were starting to turn to jelly and we faced the toughest part of the course which would be familiar to anyone who has run the Tralee 10 miler. It's a pretty steep hill that goes on for over a km. My watch had fogged up but I could see that passing through the 8k marker, I had slipped outside sub-40 pace.


8K-10K

Crested the hill battered and bruised at 8.7ish Km but I could see Tralee laying low in the field of vision which really spurred me on and gave a sense of rebirth at breaking 40. Cracking downhill section the whole way to the finish but I was still outside 40 going through 9k. The thudding off every step was now becoming deafening but the legs were still spinning. Finish line fever was building up and I found myself at a near all out sprint from 200m out. Rounded the last corner to spot the clock just tick over 39:50. Crossed the line in 39:54 to the welcome of dry heaving which turned into the inevitable dryheavings messier brother.


Absolutely stoked with this performance! Everything clicked and I knew I owed myself something after last week. 1 minute and 44 seconds dropped in a week and I fancy myself to go even quicker next week on a fairly flat Caherclonlish course:)

overpronator

Nice job, things going in the right direction for you now, well done!

tang1

Well done, some difference in a week. Well worth the drama, be interesting what you'll run on a flatter course.

adrian522

well done, probably lucky to get to run at all!

Netwerk Errer

tang1 wrote: »

Well done, some difference in a week. Well worth the drama, be interesting what you'll run on a flatter course.

should be interesting alright tang. The head knows the body can do it now. Just have to keep myself grounded on the startline again and see what happens.

MaggotBrain

Great going NE, especially to reel in the sub 40 in the last km. Good luck next weekend!

career move

Nice work NE. Well done

SamforMayo

Good man yourself, great racing!

hillsiderunner

Well done NE, sub-40 is a great time & sounds like you'll be knocking more time off it soon :-)