Ballycotton 2015

Krusty_Clown

jaggiebunnet wrote: »

Quick question - in terms of training, I am, as I am sure others are, training for Cork in June, not sure what mileage to do tonight - not going to do the Q run as per JD plan as I don't think I will recover enough to do a PB on Sunday if that is the case - anyone have any suggestions? supposed to be 13 miles tonight but was going to do 8 mostly easy with a couple of thresholds in there and then just 3 or 4 for the next couple of days.

Hi jaggiebunnet, it kind of depends on your mileage/aspirations, but from my own perspective, yesterday would have been the last day to run a tough session, without impacting on Sunday's race. It's still 4 days out, so I'd still consider an easier session (had I not done my session yesterday), but not anything that's going to be similar in terms of profile to the Ballycotton 10.

When you think about it, the 10 mile race is the equivalent of a very tough Q session (particularly if chasing a PB), so that should remove some of the burden of trying to get some quality done this week. I think your suggested approach sounds about right (assuming you haven't already done a Q session this week!). Aim for around 8-10 miles (depending on how many miles you typically run) and try to get some brief periods of race pace in there. For example:
2-3 miles easy
5 x 4mins@ 10 mile pace with 4 mins easy
Cool-down

Something along those lines, that will keep the mad urges at bay, give you a smigeon of quality without over-taxing, and give you a sense of confidence. Over the next few days, then plan on easing back the mileage, and perhaps throw in some strides on Saturday. On Sunday, with warm-up/cool-down, you'll likely run more than 13 miles anyway. Good luck!

jaggiebunnet

Thanks Krusty - your suggestion looks sensible - will give that a go!

CorkRunning

Directions & Parking for the 2015 Ballycotton 10 race HERE

As always, it's best to get there early.

Ecoenergy

Anyone know if there are any details on the elite field yet? Sergiu will probably be going for 5 in a row.

Condo131

Ecoenergy wrote: »

Anyone know if there are any details on the elite field yet? Sergiu will probably be going for 5 in a row.

So far, Sergiu going for 5 in a row. Maria McCambridge, who is in really fine form, going for it. Alan O'Shea running.

Few details yet...expecting to hear more later today.

Condo131

Ballycotton 10 Elite Line-Up, courtesy of John Walshe, Ballycotton Running Promotions

eoinín

Condo131 wrote: »

Ballycotton 10 Elite Line-Up, courtesy of John Walshe, Ballycotton Running Promotions

working link

http://corkathletics.org/Race%20Flyers/2015/BALLYCOTTON-10-Elite-Fields-March-2015.html

Condo131

eoinín wrote: »

working link

http://corkathletics.org/Race%20Flyers/2015/BALLYCOTTON-10-Elite-Fields-March-2015.html

Thanks!!:o:o:o:o

CorkRunning

Preview & Audio description of the Ballycotton 10 course... http://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2015/03/preview-audio-description-of.html

run_Forrest_run

With the wind set to ease a bit compared to today and the temperature to fall slightly it could be fairly good running conditions..but as many know, Ballycotton has it's own weather system :-)

Good luck to all running tomorrow.

FBOT01

Good luck to all running this tomorrow...ENJOY!!

kit3

Best of luck today

BeepBeep67

Big crew down from BR, hope the wind dies down and everyone hits their targets - run sensibly.

yaboya1

Best of luck to all running this today.

Krusty_Clown

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Big crew down from BR, hope the wind dies down and everyone hits their targets - run sensibly.

Certainly calmer today. Beautiful day out there. Will be a head wind for the first half, but tail wind for second half, so hopefully won't be too impactful.

viperlogic

Was racing yesterday in Schull so won't be racing today but will pace a few friends for 75mins. I'll be in a red/orange mizuno top. If u see me say hello or targeting 75min let me know

viperlogic

What a savage day, twas like the middle of summer, even think I got sun burnt! Paced a few friends until mile 8 and then put the hammer down from bottom of the hill to the finish. Will deffo come back to race this next year.

I had no real issues but I'm guessing there is going to be loads of comments regards the water station.

adrian522

viperlogic wrote: »

Was racing yesterday in Schull so won't be racing today but will pace a few friends for 75mins. I'll be in a red/orange mizuno top. If u see me say hello or targeting 75min let me know

Feck it, only saw this now, was targetting 75 ish. Came in just under 74

pampootie

My first ballycotton today-in fact my first 10 mile run ever since my training didn't go to plan! Was really hoping for 1 hour 45 but came in 1 hour 46.5, the last few hills killed me. Still delighted with it, great day in the sunshine, well organised and heaps of support along the route! Well done to all, can't wait to beat my time next year!

sixpack's little hat

Just barely missed out on sub 60 but finally got a top100 tshirt!!!

Has been a few years in the making, down from 78:xx in 2010 at a rate of about 3 or 4 minutes improvement a year. Sub 57 next year?!

FBOT01

Great event that I am quickly starting to love. Well done to all involved and thanks to all the volunteers that make it happen. See you same time same place next year!!

KrustyUCC

viperlogic wrote: »

I had no real issues but I'm guessing there is going to be loads of comments regards the water station.

should go back to mile 3 and 7 but have stations at different sides of the road and stagger them

old water stations break up the race

water station was poor this year esp with hot weather

by time i got to half way all new bottles were gone and we had refills of discards from other ppl

that being said we did get bottle of lucozade of guy to share out at mile 6 with was very welcome

also had gent give me water when i cramped up with 400m to go

ger664

KrustyUCC wrote: »

water station was poor this year esp with hot weather

Are u serious. Today was a nice day but it was not that warm.

HelenAnne

FBOT01 wrote: »

Great event that I am quickly starting to love. Well done to all involved and thanks to all the volunteers that make it happen. See you same time same place next year!!

Well done! And thanks for the cheer at the end!

boydkev

Really enjoyed my first ballycotton 10, Great atmosphere. Managed to finish in 78mins which was under the planned 80mins.
Very happy with the time as it was my first race back from snapping my ACL in November (No Surgery).
I hope the lad who collapsed around the 8.5 mile mark is ok, Seemed to be in a bad way.

KrustyUCC

ger664 wrote: »

Are u serious. Today was a nice day but it was not that warm.

each to their own i suppose

the amount of discarded vests etc around the course was unreal

i know one girl collapsed round 7.5 due to overheating

http://corkrunning.blogspot.ie/2015/03/results-photos-of-2015-ballycotton-10.html

Conditions were almost perfect for this years Ballycotton 10 mile road race. The temperature was about 8 deg C, a gentle breeze with blue skies and sunshine. At times though, it felt an awful lot warmer. Once we turned that corner about 5.7 miles and the wind was to our back, the heat seemed to soar and it felt more like mid July than March.

RunningFree 2014

This was my first Ballycotton 10 also and I really enjoyed it. It was really well run and the atmosphere was fab. I ran a much better race than I ever have previously and I will proudly drink from my finishers mug for a long time to come!

jaggiebunnet

It was warm but not overly so I thought. The water station was grand apart from taking the lid off the bottle - it is just as hard to drink as a cup then. Other than that made no difference.

PB for me by around 2.5 minutes, sub 70 for the first time on Ballycotton so a good days work.

KielyUnusual

Jaysus. Glad the race wasn't on today. Horrific weather outside. Coastal post PB beers recovery run may have to be cancelled.

Great race as per usual yesterday and I think this will be a regular calendar fixture for me in the future where possible. Slightly windy but really you couldn't have expected much better running conditions.

My favourite thing down here is the casual nature of the town. Everyone is so relaxed and everything is 'not a bother'. Now back up to the big smoke .

Toblerone1978

What an event!!


It’s very evident the amount of work that goes into this from early on and it has to be the best value for money. DCM has an absolutely brilliant atmosphere + crowd but this was different even if smaller - probably because Ballycotton town seems to shut down for the best part of the day and the race organisers take over. There’s music blaring out over the speakers, signs for every 200m of the last km been put up, starting line been worked on, Nike signage place around the route, lovely scenic backdrop… the atmosphere just builds up nicely. The sun coming out to play helped too!


For the race itself, I was hoping for a sub-63 even though recent races and training sessions suggested I wasn’t at that form. Not helping, on Thurs evening I got “something”, a bit of a sniffle or a cold, etc. It got a bit worst on Fri and while it wasn’t anything too bad, it was two days before an ‘A’ race and it put my participation in serious doubt. I put plenty of lemsip and benylin into me, drank + eat loads of vit C (probably counter-productive) and by Saturday afternoon I decided to travel and chance it. I felt good on Sunday morning and I decided to go with the original target of 63mins and see how long I can keep it up. The one bugbear I have with the race is the start, with the amount of people in the sub 65min and sub 75min sections that had no business been up there, particularly women. I couldn’t get into my section at the start, due to the numbers in them, and it held me back for the first mile trying to get around them – although maybe it was a blessing in disguise... After about four miles, I was averaging 6:16 and felt reasonably good. I was tipping along nicely, passing plenty of people (always makes the race easier!) but around mid-point, my pace started to slack - I felt if I dug in anymore, I’d pay the price later, particularly on the hill in the last 1.5 miles, even though I felt sub-63 was slipping away from me. Still the race was good, the conditions were really nice, I was still picking plenty of people off and I was still “enjoying” myself so I didn’t get too upset by it. Got to the 1.5miles to go marker and from talking to others, I got the impression that the race actually start at this marker! It’s mostly a draggy uphill run to the end line. So I asked myself to dig deep for the last 10 mins and I was very happy by how strong I felt running up the hill, still picking off runners - running up hills is usually my weakness. Obviously the tailwind helped but still surprised no one passed me out and I was passing out some. With the 1km to go marker, it was my first glance at my time and I notice that I had about 4mins to run the last km to get under sub-63 – I pace myself in miles but I knew a km in 4mins was achievable despite the drag to the end line. I asked myself to upped the tempo again and I was pleasantly surprised to see I could. With 600m to go, I had another bit in the tank and surprised myself with a “sprint” in the last 200m to get in at 62:40 – happy days.


The result is very satisfying. As I said above, between recent races + the small bout of sickness, I really didn’t know if I’d be up for a sub-63mins. No doubt, the conditions helped and were very favourable (headwind at the start when loads of people in front to shelter from) to a tailwind to help you up the last 1.5 miles and for me, the temp was just right. I was following one of the 10 mile training plans from Pfitzinger’s new book and although plenty of people on this forum has said it already, I’m only appreciating now the need to thrust these training plans more!


This was my first time running Ballycotton 10 but when we got off the bus in Ballycotton, it became very obvious that this race is special and different – I think it’s something that only history can provide – no guy in some marketing dept would be able to replicate the atmosphere that this event has. And as KU, maybe it’s also because of the general relax pace of life down there. So big thanks to all involved in organising this special event, I’m already looking forward to the next one! I’m delighted with the new mug, lovely souvenir to have but like a lot of other people, I’m thinking I got to get my hand on of those tshirts, although that’s a long way yet.