Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads

The Black Oil

Week 6: Nov 8-14.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: Read two 2021 Flying Pig race reports on Reddit, 3:09 and 5:30, a Hal Higdon novice for the latter. Was very tired during the day. I'm hoping for a break from endless Zooms and document editing come December.

3.44 miles warm up at 11.01.

Club stuff: 5x1km at tempo, 1 slow lap active recovery between each km. The plan overall was to be a slower than last week. Made a mistake on the last k, was 200m short, turned out to be slow enough (8:11) anyway. Concentration had drifted. 4.25 miles for the session, 0.18 c/d. The kids were doing baton relays for a while, I tell ya, they were going at a rate of knots. The club now stands at over 700 members.

Weds: 8.01 easy at 10:40. Physio - planned appointment. He was happy with improvement in some of my flexibility, I had been doing the exercises.

Thurs: 6.46 easy at 10:05 in the morning. Caught up with a friend I hadn't seen in 5 years around lunch/mid-afternoon.

20-30 minutes speed session. 45 seconds very slow, 15 seconds fast.

Damp evening, but again a good crew of us out. We were under the whistle for this and it was good craic, absolutely flew by too. I decided not to try and capture the specifics on the watch and press the button when the whistle was going. It would have been easy to get it wrong, not every detail needs to be recorded. 2.34 miles at 8:34 or 20:05 for time.

There is a standard club warm up, essentially movement exercises, but our 5k plan leader felt we should do a few more, a and b skips, brief strides at 50, 70 and 90%, Superman poses, etc. After the session it was one walking lap and two jogging laps, 0.51 mile.

Fri: Rest and funeral.

Sat: Managed to put orange juice in my porridge. 6.21 at 8:52 with a few club heads, EOI route. 1.23 c/d at 10:34.

Sun: 14.02 miles at 10:16 over to Loughshinny and home via Rush. One of those great runs were everything was great, feeling, typical Irish weather, body felt good and could have kept going for more. Normally I find Sundays can be sluggish, being awake at 5am doesn't help.

47.24 for the week.

Week 7: Nov 15-21.

Both work's and the AC's Christmas dos have either gone or been postponed due to the current numbers.

Mon: Rest, but three Zooms about the same thing for north of five hours and up to 9pm, interactive, chatty. I was wilting before the last one.

Tues: Up at 5:30am to speak to a colleague in the southern hemisphere. All fine, after some initial technology gremlins. 4.12 easy afterwards, nice to see the sunrise. Evening. 3.12 bog standard easy warm up.

Back on the 400s, 3x400 with seconds rest between each and 3 mins rest after each set. We had the deputy leader for this, no less capable. I pushed on for rep 6 and 9, no guidance on pace, figured it should be faster than threshold anyway.

Set one: @6.46, 6:34, 6:39

Two: @6:32, 6:26, 6:04

Three: @6:55, 6:46, 6:09

2.47 miles.

c/d 0.34.

The kids were doing warm up exercises that we had done last Thursday, only they were likely more graceful.

Weds: 3.38 easy. Some good coverage about the club on Newstalk, thanks to our volunteers. https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/highlights-from-the-hard-shoulder/we-want-a-home-for-lusk-athletic-second-biggest-athletics-club-nowhere-to-run

Another night time Zoom. I've so much reading to do.

Thurs: 3.19 easy in the morning. 3.31 easy before the club session. We were under the whistle again. The main coach for this won't take people unless they do the secondary warm up, so we did some small hurdles (11 of them) with the other coach, really good for form and efficiency. Would like to do those again. A, B and C skips before hand too. Brilliant session. Turn on the watch, forget about it and go. 2.30 miles.

Fri: 7.02 miles easy.

Sat: 5.23 miles easy including Donabate parkrun, absolutely glorious morning for it.

Sun: Late enough with this due to work, including the bloody M50. 10.18 miles at 10:00. Sluggish and tired.

44.66 miles.

Not sure how things will go two weeks from now, hoping nerves don't get the better of me. Final official week of the plan is a pyramid session and same Thursday stuff, as before.

2021's only definite target was 2,000 miles.

YTD: 2003.33

ReeReeG

Congrats on hitting the 2000 mile target. I had also set it as a target for 2021 but eh.. be lucky to get 1000!

The Black Oil

Week 8: Nov 22-28.

Mon: Rest and evening Zoom.

Tues: 1.05 easy at 10:48 warm up and pyramid bash with the club.

200m and 1 min rest

@7:27

400m and 2 mins rest

@7:06

800m and 3 mins rest

@7:22

1km and 4 mins rest

@7:22

800m, 3 mins rest

@7:05

400m, 2 mins rest

@6:41

200m

@4:43

2.56 miles.

0.46 c/d.

A familiar sight above after syncing the watch this past while.

Weds: Rest, evening Zoom.

Thurs: Choice of hill repeats, or 20-30 minutes under the whistle. I went to Loughshinny with the hill repeat heads, cold enough evening. Kept it focused on form for the first several, then picked up the pace. 15x35 seconds, with 90 second recoveries.

0.78 miles w/u at 10:05.

Hills at - 6:43, 7:02, 7:44, 7:09, 7:12, 7:28, 7:04, 7:15, 7:05, 6:13, 6:19, 6:12, 6:15, 5:49, 5:46

0.90 at 9:32 c/d. Happy with that, think my last hill stuff was probably in the summer. I only looked at the watch for the duration of the reps and recoveries.

Fri: 3.43 easy at 10:58. Bad sleep, I was almost nodding off during the first webinar. Another cold evening, really biting on the face.

Sat: More bad sleep, so no parkrun. Christmas lights went up locally.

Sun: Rough sleep again. 7.07 miles easy at 10:00.

26.01 miles. Last official week of the plan. Nice not to think much about mileage. I know I've gone off script a little this last while, I didn't bother doing the plan/actual comparison. Weekends on paper were generally hill repeats, Ardgillan or Donabate parkrun and well-being run 70-80 mins slow to steady on Sundays. I mostly went longer and easy.

Week 9: Nov 29-Dec 4. Week of the hospital appointment, after waiting 15 months. I couldn't book any travel plans or race until this came up. It went well. Have further tests and possibly a minor procedure after. She said to fire away at holidays, though. With everything going in the country I thought the appointment might get cancelled, pleased didn't. Parking machines that only take coins can GTFO. My sleep was less chronic this week, not bothering to track it digitally may have helped.

Club plan was a tempo on Monday, repeats on Tues session and easy Thurs. I couldn't do Mon.

Tues: w/u 0.30 at 11:25.

Three sets of 2x400m, 1x200m and 90 second rest between reps, 3:45-3:50 minute rest between sets.

7:00, 6:29 and 5:25

6:54, 6:44, 5:47

7:05, 6:31m 5:49

c/d 0.46 at 9:48.

Boggy and slippy in parts. The rain had pretty much disappeared after the warm up exercises. Good bunch of us out doing this again.

Weds: 3.34 easy at 10:49. Welcome to December. Zoom From 8:30 until 11:35pm, no breaks. :/

Thurs: 3.48 miles easy at 10:47. Project submitted, freedom from that for a few weeks now, hopefully.

Fri: Stressful evening in work. Rest.

Sat: Target - Malahide parkrun today. 2019 PB here was 21:30, in the run up to Wexford 10k, iirc. At the start of the current training plan I was thinking 20:45 or so would be doable. Thinking back on the paces now I'd never have imagined doing them before the plan, 4:43 above isn't a typo. The training (and communication) was fantastic, even when it was tough going, I loved the hills last week too.

I was awake at about 6. After taking off various layers, I cracked on this morning, maybe a little fast at the outset. Second corner I was at about 6:30, didn't look at the watch any further. Other club people were about 3-4 metres ahead. Trying to keep some positive mental notes in mind throughout and had them on hand. Was around at the tennis courts soon enough, then up a bit and back around into the forest, the others were a few more metres on now, I used this time and into the trails to pick up a bit. Watch beeped at 2 miles (?) somewhere in here, no desire to check. As we moved out of the trail I felt strong in the pelvis I guess you might say and that helped physically and mentally. After the tennis courts, I was nearly at the top of the incline and my stomach felt a little uncomfortable, but not nauseous.

21:37. I was disappointed with the time. In hindsight, I knew from the familiar faces around me that it wasn't going to be a PB. That said, more than happy with position 33, I'll take that any day of the week. And an improvement on Nov 6's 22:42, plus 3 of us Lusk heads finished in succession, I never fully lost sight of them, really. Body felt great afterwards, taking that as a positive too. I'll have to give a belt another time and try and get under 21 and suffer a bit more earlier on.

Garmin 21:38, 3.04 miles at 7:07.

7:02, 7:13, 7:10 (5:28). Might shake out the legs tomorrow, we'll see. Way behind on podcast listening!

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And so we begin.

Singer

Good going on the appointment and parkrun. Looks like the Lusk setup is doing you good, despite the lack of facilities!

The Black Oil

Didn't run on Sun Dec 5. The quads felt the parkrun a little. 13 miles for the week and 338.51 for the 5-10k plan. Tricky week in work.

Dec 6-12. Tues was quite cold, if memory serves. Great crescent moon out. Friday was positive - got word that the project that easily took 65 hours on Zoom since the summer was approved. Late on in the game, I offered a two sentence conclusion somewhere after 11pm as the draft one was unwieldy. Nailed it. Saturday was a damp ish morning and what became a slog of 22:05 at Malahide parkrun, after a week of fairly bad sleep. Spotted a few internet types from this parish. Then headed to the Pavilions for seasonal shopping i.e. being surrounded by 4,000 scented candles. Mucky runners not great for trekking around the place. Sunday, did nothing. Went to try the new Lidl in Lusk, pretty busy. 9.98 miles this week.

Dec 13-19.

Mon 6.51 easy at 11:00. Cold on the hands starting out. Tues club 3.23 at 9:18. Weds solo 400m repeats. Thurs final bit of seasonal shopping. Fri rest. Sat 7.07 easy at 9:45. Sun Ardgillan with the club. Thought it was going to be hill repeats, but it was more so a loop starting away from the main grounds, with no one pushing too much. After one click of the lap button I didn't bother with it for the rest. 4.15 miles at 9:28. Good to be on grass and into the trails. I hit some stumps and launched forward twice, but didn't go splat. A few of us did some extra, the watch didn't record that part.

28.16 for the week.

Week 1/18: Dec 20-26. Prep.

Mon: 5 miles, standard easy fare at 10:51. Average HR 116, wrist based as usual so grain of salt. Haven't seen it that low over a run. Started to get through a backlog of 20 hours of podcasts.

Tues: 6 miles at 8:12/marathon pace. Solid enough. A little traffic negotiation, as is the norm around here.

Weds: Moderna booster. The doctor could not have been more pleasant.

Thurs: Felt a little ropey, mostly tiredness.

Fri: Nephew visiting. Best thing about Christmas.

Sat: Timekeeping. A fairly damp one and the grey shoes soon became mucky. Solid enough crowd of 217 out doing it. The leader on the first lap faded later on. 6 miles at 9:58 after, mostly wet. Mulled wine and chocolate in the evening.

Sun: 9 miles at 9:30. A nice enough day to warrant sunglasses and OK temperature too. Earbuds didn't charge properly, just footsteps for company. There's a channel in the ditch at some of the houses up Featherbed Lane, water was moving very fast with the volume of rain.

26 miles for the week, gentle start.

Week 2/18: Dec 27-Jan 2. Prep.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: Very bad sleep, frustrating as the night before was OK. Slipped and fell when going to put stuff in the wheelie bin. Marshall at the local 5/10k shortly after. Some Vaporflys were in attendance. The leader of the 5-10k plan I followed previously was the first home, just under 20 and she wasn't pushing it.

Weds: 1 mile easy. 6x3 minutes at interval/5k pace, with 2 minutes rest and 1 mile easy.

1.01 at 10:16.

6:53, 7:02, 6:45, 7:06, 6:51. I was thinking about the fall and ended up pressing done, so the sixth interval was recorded separately 6:54 and also, rests were more so 2:30...I've felt less tired in the legs/pelvis doing these in the evening time.

1 mile at 9:23.

Earbuds were on the blink again. Put the shorts back on after taking a shower. Autopilot, I guess. Covid started to hit my wider family, aunts/uncles/cousins, etc. Haven't seem them since July 2020.

Thurs: This was supposed to be 6 easy and 6 strides. I fell just at the corner of the bypass. Left hand and right knee took the brunt of it. Had they not my face and glasses probably would have. After getting up I felt OK, decided that was enough for the day and no point in going on dripping blood around the place. 5.74 at 9:56. New plasters and alcohol wipes from the pharmacy.

Fri: Rest.

Sat: 6 miles at MP, 8:08. Could have done this Friday, but thought it best to leave it due to the fall. It was a bit of a slog. Started a bit fast for 1-3 and didn't enjoy most of it. Throwing it in here as I started to think about when runners might reach their natural limits. It comes to mind now and then.

Sun: 11 miles easy, 9:49. Standard Sunday, lovely run to the edge of Loughshinny and home. Awake from 4am, though.

27.45 miles.

There is some 'strength training' as a non-specific suggestion in the plan. I do my own, could always do more. Foam rolling I tend to do little and often/

2021 as a whole: Hit the mileage target of 2k (2116.93), got down to club training more often. Better personally and professionally, I became an uncle and did some high profile media stuff which was good for confidence and I enjoy doing it. The less good stuff was the no end in sight with Covid and not getting back to the office, a fire at the neighbour's and someone hitting my car when it was in for NCT. Fawlty Towers carry on.

Will get back to logging more now.

Murph_D

There's quite a lot in that update. First, Malahide parkrun - You were chatting to B at the end and I knew you looked familiar. I should have said hello, apologies.

Two falls, that's bad luck. Were you turning a corner with slippy shoes during the strides? It's a while since I've taken a tumble but always found it a bit unnerving.

Natural limits - you've been running about as long as I have, and I know what you mean, but I'd say you have a way to go yet. Your Aerobic Base thread suggests you probably suspect this yourself, and if you get that right I can see plenty of potential improvements, all else being equal. Happy New Year.

The Black Oil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118407671#Comment_118407671

I wear different glasses compared to when I spoke to you in McGrattans* in 2019. Still getting used to meeting people again, with the way of the world.😎

I fell near a telecomms or electrical cabinet which is just before the cycle lane and path. It was a wet day and there's a metal lid thing near it too, think I slipped on the concrete. The shoes are pretty worn alright, more quickly than a previous pair of the same make/model. Your question made me realise I had probably misread the plan, 6 miles with 6 strides...I understood it as the strides coming afterwards, rather than throughout. Doesn't matter, really. Have some this week too.

There's probably some aerobic base stuff in the P&D book, I'll have to revisit.

*When you also mentioned @Wubble Wubble as having a good engine.

The Black Oil

Week 3/18: Jan 3-9. Prep.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: Hills. 2 miles easy, 6x60-90 hills, walk down recovery and 2 miles easy. Certainly chilly. Had to think about the hills, could have gone done to the Dublin Road, however it's pitch black there (save for car headlights) and not great for winter running with basic lights, imo. I went by the school which doesn't have big elevation, but it's probably a little longer. Down by train station didn't even occur to me.

Weds: 5 miles at 7:58. Happier with this than the previous MP stuff, possibly a touch fast. Another cold one, I used the hub gravel outline/track. HR came back as being very low again avg 112, bizarre.

Thurs:

Fri: "Bluetooth disconnected"...earphone battery? Nope, iPod conked out about an hour in. 8 easy at 10:40.

Sat: Rest/walked parkrun. Lead bike and leader were heading to the end just as I was finishing the first lap. SAR helicopter on the left hand side towards the end of lap two. Cleaned my shoes at home.

Sun: 3 easy, 3 tempo, 3 MP and 3 easy. Didn't enjoy this very much. Stopped at 6 to cross the road and take a little breather. The middle stuff wasn't 100% on point and felt slog ish.

30.86 miles this week.

Week 4/18: Jan 10-16. Recovery.

Mon and Tues were rest. Tues would have been a run, only for working quite late, with not much notice. Haven't been on the M50 in evening darkness in a while.

Weds: Progression easy-tempo. 6 miles at 9:25.

10:54, 11:04, 9:24, 9:14, 8:17, 7:36. Cold in the bones for this one.

Thurs: 6 easy at 10:35.

Fri: Rest.

Sat: parkrun, preceded by a round of applause for Ashling Murphy.

Sun: 11 easy at 9:43. A 4pm gathering, minute's silence and walk for Ashling Murphy, with the AC, GAA and AFC.

It seemed like a volcano of sorrow erupted across the country this week.

26.07 miles for the week.

Been meaning to start a thread on long runs in the main forum. Will get around to it.

Murph_D

You've probably mentioned above, but what is this plan, and what's at the end of it?

The Black Oil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118489107#Comment_118489107

It's a plan from Ben Parkes https://benparkes.com/collections/marathon-plans. I bought it in 2020. Current objective is to run Cincinnati on May 1.

Week 5: Jan 17-13. Build.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: 2 easy. 6x60-90 hills. 2 easy. Went down by the train station for this. Was struck by the feel of concrete.

Weds 7.01 easy at 10:11, with 6 strides. Not as cold as Tues, I thought.

Thurs: Rest. Watched someone from GTN take on the David Goggins 4x4x48 challenge.

Fri: 6.01 at 9:12, progression. 10:34, 10:33, 9:18, 9:10, 8:2, 7:18 (7.02)

Sat: Rest.

Sun: 13 at 9:21.

10 easy 10:17, 9:34, 9:48, 9:37, 9:40, 10:04, 9:56, 9:44, 9:38

3 with a bit of effort 7:52, 7:43, 7:45.

The gel was pretty chilled when I opened it. I'd say all the ones I have are out of date at this point, as I hardly use any in 2020 or last year. Featherbed to the edge of Loughshinny and return to the bypass for the final 3.

Tbh, it's taken a while to get my head around the restrictions stopping. It seems so weird.

32.07 miles.

Week 6: Jan 24-30. Build.

Mon: Rest. Evening Zooms back on the agenda.

Tues: 3 mile warm up at 10:38. Should have been 2, but I was thinking about work and forgot what I was doing.

6x1km intervals: 7:27, 7:30, 7:25, 7:24, 7:13, 7:17, with 500m recoveries. Nice little session on the bypass. 5.31 miles at 8:23.

Weds: Rest.

Thurs: 6 miles easy at 10:08, with 6 strides. New pair of Brooks GTS 21s, same model I've used before. Broke them in walking around the city centre earlier on.

Fri: 6 easy 10:40, 10:44, 10:44, 10:46, 10:08, 2 tempo 7:26, 7:23.

Sat: Rest. Saw a Labrador with a big stick, seemed very happy.

Sun: 15 miles at 9:05.

5 easy 10:36, 10:19, 10:06, 9:50, 9:39, 6 MP 8:09, 8:05, 7:59, 8:02, 8:03, 8:00, 4 easy 9:18, 9:30, 9:24, 9:17. Man O War route and return and then into Dun Emer and bypass again, lovely spin. Occasionally a little quick on the MP stuff.

37.31 miles.

One third of the way through the plan now, madness. Not a lot of detail in these posts, will try to change that. I was looking around and spotted the Equinox marathon, which may be something for 2023.

The Black Oil

Week 7: Jan 31-Feb 6. Build.

Mon: Rest and tired.

Tues: Hello February. 2 easy at 10:48. 7x60-90 second hills. No real pace in mind, just effort. 2.40 miles. Then 2.01 easy at 10:11. ESB pole was buzzing on the home stretch. Slipped a little near the end.

Weds: 3.02 miles easy at 9:51, with 6 strides.

Thurs: Rest.

Fri: Cold, with a crescent moon. Listened to the Brain Science podcast which mentioned how easily owls can hear mice, etc, i.e. lunch. There was bit a in there too about athletes, though I forget it now. First time too hearing a 'meh' from a scientist. 5 miles at 7:58. Should have been 6, I got fed up.

Sat: 10.06 easy at 9:20. Enjoyed this, if a little quick. Standard Featherbed and return. Lusk AC won Development Club of the Year. Not surprising, tbh.

Sun: 15 miles at 8:59. Easy/MP on/off type thing. 10:12, 9:33, 8:09, 8:17, 8;22, 10:02, 8:39, 8:14, 8:08, 9:58, 8:17, 8:29, 8:22, 10:04, 10:06.

A touch blustery out there. I stopped to rest briefly at the train station in the first block of MP stuff. Kept ticking over OK ish for the rest. Enjoyed it more than the early stuff, but not entirely. Being awake a few times this week at 3am didn't help.

39.49 miles.

Week 8: Feb7-13. Recovery.

Mon: Rest. Late and chatty Zoom. Did yoga again for the first time in ages.

Tues: A damp one alright. Probably went a bit fast on the first one. Warm up 1 mile easy at 10:28.

1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 pyramid

Supposed to be 1 at 90%, 2 at 85%, 3 at 80%, 4 at 75%.

6:39, 7:26, 7:30, 8:06, 8:08, 8:02, 7:26, 7:02

3.22 miles

cool down 1 mile at 10:21. But for looking at the phone/app I couldn't tell you where I did this.

Weds: 6 easy at 9:36, with strides. Took the morning off due to working late.

Thurs: Spoke to my GP about a few things for the first time since Jan 2021. Went well, dosages of meds have gone up. Will see how they go.

Fri: 3am sleep nonsense. :/ 6 miles easy/fartlek 250m surges. Made it 6.21 at 9:58.

Sat: Plan 5 miles easy. 2 miles doodling before parkrun. Rain for about half of it, easier to see over the rim of glasses. Watch didn't record, so assume the usual 3.04 miles. 29:46 from the results page. Caught up with a family member I hadn't seen in about 18 months later on.

Sun: 11 miles at 9:03.

7 easy 10:05, 9:31, 9:42, 9:39, 9:39, 9:44, 9:25

3 MP 7:53, 8:05, 8:09

1 tempo 7:37, this got away from me a little.

33.47 miles.

Frantic week trying to get webinars organised...much tiredness is looming. Fit to drop.

Halfway point next week. Madness.

The Black Oil

Week 9: Feb 14-20. Build.

Mon: Rest. Looked into more travel stuff for the trip in April.

Tues: 2 easy at 10:38, 10:42

6x1 mile at 80%, with 2 minutes rest/recovery.

8:45, 8:39, 8:52, 8:33, 8:35, 8:39.

Figured a few degrees slow than MP would do it. 6.13 miles at 10:14.

1 easy, at 9:29. Wet evening for it.

Weds: Evening Zoom until 10:30.

Thurs: 6 easy at 9:50, with 6 strides. Cold. More of those electric scooter yolks doing the rounds.

Fri: 2.01 easy at 9:38. 2.08 miles at tempo, 7:22, a little over as I was distracted by podcasts. 0.50 miles easy at 10:12 and 2.01 tempo at 7:32. 2.43 miles at 9:45 easy. Quite cold out and a fair few puddles. Enjoyable.

Sat: Rest.

Sun: 15 miles at 9.09.

10 easy 10:02, 9:24, 9:42, 9:26, :924, 9:37, 9:31, 10:05, 10:01, 9:47.

5 MP 7:55, 8:07, 8:10, 8:03 7:58 Dipped into tempo occasionally.

Easily the most soaked I've been in a while, particularly on the stretch to and from Loughshinny. I didn't go fully the end of the harbour as I didn't want to get hit by a wave. The tide was full. Did see someone going in in just a basic swimming gear. Said hello to a few other runners who were out too which is always nice when it's bucketing down.

39.17 miles.

Week 10: Feb 21-28. Build.

Mon: Rest. 3am crap again.

Tues: Blood test in the morning. Evening should have been easy/hills/easy. Initially put on my gear. However, I was overly tired and ropey and didn't feel there was much point in going out to tick a box. Think that's fine 10 weeks in.

Weds: Still very tired. Fartlek primarily easy, with 5x250m surges. Happy with it. 5.65 miles at 9:28.

Thurs: Snow, what snow? Quite cold. Rest. Working late due to an interview/filming thing.

Fri: 5 easy 10:01, 9:27, 9:39, 9:55, 9:49 and 1 tempo 7:19. There was discussion of Peaky Blinders on RTE Arena. Not a show I've followed.

Sat: 18 miles at 8:55.

2 easy, followed by 3 mile blocks at MP, 1 easy and repeat.

10:02, 9:38. 7:58, 8:14, 8:02. 9:27, 8:24, 8:18, 9:55 (oops), 8:07. 8:15, 8:14, 10:24, 8:19, 8:17, 8:14, 10:20, 10:24. A few issues with this. Returned home after the two easy to use the facilities. Some of these weekend runs are not fun if I'm distracted or unsettled before leaving the house. I presume some of the rest of ye create a mental map of where you're going. I stopped just before 4 and at 5, then again at 15. Two gels were grand.

Sun: 6 miles easy at 9:50. To get out on tired legs. Mild feeling on the right.

35.65 miles.

Marshal duty at the local 4 mile next week. Only a few weeks go until the peak of the plan.

The Black Oil

Week 11: Feb 28-Mar 6: Build. Had the dates of Week 10 wrong, was Feb 21-27.

A busy week with some 9-5 webinars and evening ones too, meetings with document editing and discussion. Recording and editing. Bound to impact things.

Mon-Weds: Rest due to being very tired and some bad sleep. Also felt an ache on my right hip area on Weds, and my left upper back on Thurs. Couldn't really pinpoint why. Being hunched over the laptop so much probably doesn't help.

Thurs: 5.28 miles easy at 9:18. This was just to test out the ache situation a bit, went fine.

Fri: Should have been 12 easy. I was wiped from a full on week at work and still a little achey. Figured rest was the best choice.

Blood test was normal, save for one thing which has come up before, but an improvement on the previous one. The P&D book, iirc, flagged runners having issues with iron deficiency. Bingo.

Sat: 17 miles at 9:36. All easy, bar 16 which was 7:42, final two should have been tempo. Finally, a long run where sunglasses matched the conditions all the way. And I remembered the Vaseline this time.

Sun: Marshal with about 70 others at the 4 mile. Good crowd, glorious sun, atmosphere. New course record of 18:27. It does sound like some marshals were subject of abuse (not by runners) by drivers unhappy with the road closures/diversions.

I was wiped from work for this week and in bed around 9:30pm.

22.28 miles.

Week 12: Mar 7-13. Recovery.

Mon: Physio. Went well. This was largely based on my GP's advice for men's health issues, rather than running. I had seen him before and he checked the aches too. Might be something that addresses the sleep in the future, we'll see. The SAR chopper was low over the sea.

Tues: 2 easy at 9:53 and pyramid of 4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4 with 4 at 75%, 3 at 80%, 2 at 85% and 1 at 90%. 2 minutes rest recovery. Didn't look at pace, focused on effort. Was 2.66 miles and I did the first just over 5 minutes by mistake. Pyramids were 8:41, 9:12 8:15, 6:59, 7:23, 7:53, 8:40, 8:31. Evenings are getting a little longer.

Weds: 6 miles easy at 9:36, with 6 strides. Standard Irish weather, bit damp.

Thurs: Medical scan, with a good bit of water taken in advance. Then a link and an app with a few dozen images to show the physio (next appointment), etc.

Fri: 2 easy 10:09, 9:37, 2 tempo 7:27, 7:28, 3 easy 9:36, 10:16, 10:08. This should have been 2 easy, 5 tempo and 4 easy.

Sat: Rest and a friend's birthday. Social gatherings, eh? Home at a sensible enough time of 11:30pm. First time getting petrol under the newer prices.

Sun: On paper it was 8 easy, 6 MP, 3 easy. Reality: 8 easy 10:01, 9:13, 9:30, 9:20, 9:34, 9:47, 9:53, 9:53, 3 MP 7:59, 8:09, 8:06, 6 easy 10:00, 9:50, 9:48, 9:48, 10:03, 9:39 including a stop at 14:52. Tired legs for the first 5 miles or so. Decent bit of sun, brief spell of rain as I was returning from Loughshinny. Forgot the Vaseline this time, but no issues. 17.01 miles at 9:27.

34.67 miles.

I've been reflecting on things, mostly the struggles. Between blackout curtains, an eye mask, increased medication, no fluids after 8pm, then that changed to 6pm (though I do take some chocolate milk), being sensible about staying off the phone, etc...nothing has really helped with sleep quality. I've known that was always likely because of the underlying part being physical. I was hoping to get this sorted before the trip, the seems unlikely now as things are moving quite slowly with the health system. That, and the lack of a clear answer. And weekends seem even more tiring. Any log around here has the good, bad and ugly of what we do, or some combination. A few times I've thought about throwing in the towel and making Cincinnati as 'just get around' day and finish the remaining Sundays as easy only. Mostly because the weekend stuff hasn't always worked. That was the case for a chunk of yesterday. I was looking forward to it, as it doesn't even seem particularly long even before I lace up and get moving. The will is there, even if the body isn't, then the mental battle starts as things get difficult. I felt a lot better when I got home and took off the running gear, so perhaps not all is bad. Still foam roll, fwiw. Better days lie ahead.

20 miler this Sunday. 3 weeks of heavy lifting, then taper. It's gone by in no time at all. There is also The Batman which needs to be seen. @Comic Book Guy

The Black Oil

Week 13: Mar 14-20. Tune.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: Phone call with the GP and a clearer picture of what's going on from the medical scan, to a point. 6 miles easy at 9:45, with 6 strides in the evening.

Weds: 5.36 miles at 9:16, fartlek with 5x250 metre bursts. Full moon.

Thurs: 3.25 miles at 8:17, with about 20 or so from the club as a way of kicking off St Patrick's Day. Good to see the parade and community back. Finished Squid Game in the evening.

Fri: 8.6 miles easy at 9:30. This should have been longer, on the Thursday and mostly tempo. I knew it was unlikely with tiredness.

Sat: Rest. BBC 5 Live had a text from someone doing his 195th marathon and something else doing 365 in 12 months.

Sun: 20 miles at 9:25. Sunny all the way. Home before 12pm, happy with that. Couple of other runners out by Loughshinny too.

10 easy 10:19, 9:40, 9:53, 9:54, 9:56, 10:11, 10:10, 10:27, 10:11, 9:46.

8 at 8:24, 8:26, 8:34, 8:32, 8:19, 8:21, 8:30, 8:31.

2 easy 10:13, 9:57.

Quite tired towards the end. Thought about stopping at 18, decided not to. Happy with how it went anyway. Water and electrolyte, one gel, one bar. Last week's illegal dumping was cleared.

43.21 miles.

Week 14: Mar 21-27. Tune.

Mon: Rest. Started to get upload stuff for my flights. My Covid certs were rejected by Delta, despite repeated attempts. Didn't really get a reason from them beyond a 'glitch'. Hopefully things will work closer to the time. Fair bit of paperwork will be in the hand luggage.

Tues: 2.01 miles easy at 9:49.

6x3 minutes at interval pace and 3x1 minute at 90%, with 2 minutes rest recovery.

7:30, 7:25, 7:39, 7:28, 7:22, 7:27 and 6:56, 7:13, 7:14.

1.10 easy at 9:45.

Weds: Further medical appointment early in the afternoon, finally a specialist's opinion. Puts a bit of doubt on the scan mentioned above. Still need further answers, though.

Thurs: 8.24 miles easy at 9:44, with 6 strides.

Fri: 8.01 easy at 9:45. Nice sunset.

Sat: Rest. Watched a video the Arc of Attrition 100 miler, tough going. Impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWKAqVytVUU

Bought a new suitcase.

Sun: Plan 23 miles. 5 easy, 5 MP, 5 easy, 5 MP, 3 easy.

Actual 22 miles at 9:30.

10:26, 9:50, 10:00, 10:15, 10:21, 8:46, 8:27, 8:52, 8:32, 8:12, 9:45, 10:03, 10:37, 10:20, 10:25, 8:39, 8:46, 8:36, 8:26, 8:30, 10:51, 10:29.

Another fine morning out in NCD. Longest run since Sept 2019/meno plan. Met more cyclists than runners, though sometimes saw the same people twice. Tide was well out at Loughshinny, probably why horse boxes were headed that way. Was a bit sweaty out that way alright. Felt the hammering of the concrete from 15-20 a bit alright, the relentless of paths are unforgiving. Stopped at 20 for a rest. Final podcast I was listening to was a little close to the bone re personal stuff, so I stopped it about two thirds of the way through.

44.35 miles.

Dunno where the last 14 weeks have gone. What's April going to bring us? A good few on here are back on marathon duty.

The Black Oil

Week 15: Mar 28-Apr 3. Tune.

Mon: Rest. Started packing.

Tues: 2 easy at 10:14.

8 x 60-90 second hills fast up/jog down. 7:19, 7:32, 7:23, 7:32, 7:45, 7:44, 7:43, 7:26.

2 easy at 10:05. Sunny, kept the focus on form.

Weds: 6.2 miles easy at 9:44. Some what seemed to be broken car glass on the Skerries road.

Thurs: 3.1 easy at 10:09.

Fri: Had a weird dream - part Black Mirror, Stepford Wives and Squid Game. At this stage, I don't remember what it was about.

One month until race day.

Sat: 5 miles at 8:56, 2 easy 10:17, 10:07 and 3 tempo 8:03, 8:18, 8:18.

Sun: Another weird dream from Saturday night, this time with a medical focus. Not surprising, given the chasing of appointments, etc.

21 miles at 9:58.

10:41, 10:25, 10:21, 10:24, 10:32, 10:20, 10:20, 10:52, 10:38, 9:48, 8:53, 8:40, 8:24, 8:39, 8:31, 9:49, 10:15, 10:29, 10:27, 10:20, 10:32.

Lovely peaceful morning out the backroads, few things are as good as this where it's just sun, fields and calmness. Headed over to Loughshinny as usual, tide was well out and some horses already on the strand and more driving over. Bumped into someone from my club after the return from Baldungan, we did about 2 miles before going our separate ways. Tried a new gel. Easy to forget how sweet these things are. Note for the future - if removing earbuds to talk to someone don't put them in the same pocket as the empty gel packet. Might have been on this where I was listening to the tail end of the Train Right podcast where the guest talked about getting people to be 'strength curious'.

42.03 miles.

5 scam calls this week too, nuts.

Week 16: Apr 4-10. Taper.

Final page of the PDF/plan.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: Didn't sleep that well on Mon night, awake at 4am and that.

2 easy at 10:28. Then 6x1km at interval, 3x400 at 90% effort and 2x400m at 90%, with 2 minute recoveries. Dull enough day out there.

7:31, 7:21, 7:28, 7:37, 7:28, 7:35. Wasn't sure about 90%, so figured maybe faster than interval. 7:11, 7:22, 6:58, 7:14, 6:59.

Weds: Rest.

Thurs: 8.5 miles easy at 9:58. Very busy with work this week, not too much time to think about taperology. Blister on the right middle toe, back in my scouting days we were shown the needle and thread method.

Fri: 4 easy 10:12, 10:05, 10:01, 10:16 and 2 tempo at 8:00, 7:49. Chilly enough at the start, following some hailstones. Feeling like the back end of the plan is here now.

Sat: Frosty and sunny morning. Family thing in the afternoon, Confirmation party. First family do since summer of 2020. Shaking hands and hugs were on the cards again and taking the mick, that wavelength never changes, pandemic or not, thankfully. And you know things are going quickly when a young cousin has gotten his first phone, when you first saw him in hospital all those years ago. Congratulated another who got her doctorate on a very long road. I skipped the trampoline and bouncy castle in case of injury. Next time.

Sun: Slept badly, even with a sensible bed time. Wide awake on about 4 occasions. A typical night I'm up about twice, a bad night could be 5-7 times which no medication can put dent in. Anyway, I will come back to that topic after a day procedure in late May. The last time I spoke to my GP she mentioned not trying to interfere with my 'sleep architecture' - it's hard to know where the balance is sometimes. Anecdotally, getting up earlier seems to have improved the day long tiredness that can be pervasive, that is, when sleep is less disrupted.

Plan 15 miles, 1 mile easy, 10 at MP, 3 easy. Actual 14.01 miles at 8:40. A small group from the club, that then became smaller. Knew from the feel of the first few miles that the pace was above my station over distance, which was going happen given the group. The smaller group split off towards Ballyboughal. I've not run through here before and found this stretch a bit tough. There's plenty of red in the HR from the earlier miles. I fell behind initially 10-15 metres, then a bit more. I kinda knew by feel I was doing OK ish...just bloody tired. Things did improve a bit in the later miles and I moved past the middle guy, then stopped to wait for him at about 11.57 miles or so. Overall, a morning out of my comfort zone. Didn't check the watch much. An easier start might have made the main bit sustainable. This isn't a complaint, btw. Now for that part - you know when your pelvic area has eff all power, then later the body feels like head to toe depleted resources...grinding away, physically and mentally. Still, had I done the plan to the letter and solo I may have stopped once or twice.

7:57, 7:54, 7:57, 8:28, 8:43, 8:34, 8:27, 8:35, 8:45, 8:58, 8:53, 9:04, 9:23, 9:37 (8:01).

35.29 miles. I keep forgetting to tot them up.

I've not looked at my DCM 2019 report or training in case of paralysis by analysis. Perhaps after Cincinnati is done. It was the meno plan.

2 weeks and 6 days and some 19 hours until gun time. I've quite a lot of self-doubt at this point and I'm thinking of dropping down a wave. I don't know. That's come from a few things, not being too confident in the training throughout and feeling the wheels will come off quickly. The anxiety of breakfast before heading to do the bag drop, with all of this in the back of my mind, being on the start line and it moving from the back to dominating the head because you want to do X, as you wonder if you're up for it at all. The peaks and troughs of being an athlete.

A mere 8 miles next Sunday.

Murph_D

Hey, catching up a bit here. That's a tough run you just did alright, and at this stage of the game, unless the terrain was very undulating, I'd be a little concerned at the large variation in pace there. If MP is supposed to be in the early 8:00 range, I'd consider paring back a little on the day next week, especially with the travel involved. What is the target at this stage - has it changed over the plan much? Not meaning to introduce any self doubt by any means - but if you struggle with pace runs, adjusting the pace is the rational think to do.

That said - grinding out good mp runs when tired and fatigued is what it's all about, so that part is on track!

The Black Oil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118908450#Comment_118908450

Thanks Murph. There won't be any 8 minute miles from me over 26.2, that's certain. The plan all along has been to go with the 3:50 pacers and see how I'm feeling around mile 21 or. The course is a bit hilly, so I'll keep things sensible. I only spotted one long ish video (10 mins) breaking down the Cincinnati marathon pre-Covid. I've not gone back to it or the race reports in Reddit as I want to put social media chatter to the back of my mind. Quickly, that video did refer to what it called the 'dead zone' and there might be a bit of that as it on the official map it looks like there are no spectator areas after mile 11 until 22. We'll see. PMA. I'm used to quiet mileage. This handy site that @Singer posted in the Boston thread is useful too. https://findmymarathon.com/race-detail.php?zname=Cincinnati%20Flying%20Pig%20Marathon

Week 17: April 11-17. Taper.

Mon: Rest. International driving permit arrived.

Tues: 1 easy at 10:26. 3x2miles at MP, with 2 mins rest recovery.

8:24, 8:40, 8:24, 8:37, 8:23, 8:36 and 1.5 easy at 10:14. Damp ish evening. I think there's a field near here that has those Highland cows, they weren't close enough to confirm. As I've said elsewhere, their hair is such that they should be on an album cover.

Weds: Rest. Evening out to see Nick Mason and co with the folks. What I know about Pink Floyd wouldn't fit on the back of a stamp, btw.

Thurs: Filming thing for work, in person. Must have left the watch running as it said I had travelled 14 miles or so (train and DART). The 5k and other times it reported were rather amusing.

6.01 miles easy at 10:21.

Fri: Did the ESTA.

Sat: 3.07 easy at 10:35 and 3 at 8:15, primarily by feel: 8:14, 8:25, 8:06

Sun: 9 miles at 9:32.

10:46, 10:06, 10:21, 10:28, 8:28, 10:33, 8:23, 8:29, 8:16. Illegal dumping back on the scene, this time in storage boxes.

29.57 miles.

Week 18: April 18-23. Taper.

Mon: Rest.

Tues: 2 miles easy at 10:24. 3x1km at interval pace 7:29, 7:11, 7:16, with 2 minutes rest recovery.

Weds: 3.25 easy at 10:09.

Thurs: Rest.

Fri: 5.67 miles at 9:30.

10:19, 10:19, 8:12, 8:21, 9:58.

Sat: Oldbridge parkrun. 23:31, position 11 - quite surprised by that. Only 61 people, mind. Decent hill or two and a few laps, huge open space. People were kinda running in an orderly manner too, covering well worn ground, rather than trying to overtake at any opportunity, though it was briefly competitive on one hill and you go back down it later I was turning into the last field as the leader was heading for the home stretch. Lovely grounds up at the Boyne Valley visitor centre. Friendly people. Thanks to the volunteers as some of the marshals are well out on the course and sticks have to be put out far too. Watch 22:32, 3.07 miles at 7:40 or 7:48, 7:41, 7:35 (6:57).

Sun: Rest and more packing.

16.3 miles

Plan Dec 20-April 24: 595.25 miles.

I'm staying about half a mile from the start and less than a mile from the expo. Been scrambling things together, both my general travel list and stuff to remember for the race, in between searching for jet lag tips. No idea how I'll feel until I'm at the airport and on the plane. It's gonna be an adventure. A little conscious of time on the feet once I arrive so not sure how much sightseeing I'll do. Do have the Saturday to buffer before Sunday so can take it easy after the expo on Friday or Sat.

Weather in Cincinnati (Steven Spielberg's home town) is currently in the high 20s, but seems to be dropping a little after I arrive. BBC forecast for May 1 was 10C 6am, dull and maybe a little rain. Now they're saying 13C.

Goal situation.

A: 3:45:59

B: 3:46-3:50

C: 3:51-3:59

D: Finish.

The Black Oil

Afternoon, evening.

Got to my accommodation around 11pm on Wednesday night. Flights were 6 hours and 2 hours, went fine. 'Rough air' has apparently replaced 'turbulence'...ok.

Took a while to get off to sleep and inevitably woke before 4am local time. Got up to unpack some more and prep my race stuff. Felt ok then, but tired enough a few hours later.

Walked around a fair bit yesterday, to get my bearings and sense of the place. It's easy to forget how wide US roads can be as a pedestrian. There are a few race banners up on lampposts, so expect a few hard miles due the road surface and drag feeling.

Will take it easy tomorrow and not walk much. Haven't notice many cyclists here, but they do have something similar to the Dublin bikes and e-scooters, I think.

Main concern for Sunday at the moment is the weather. BBC, AccuWeather and phone app are estimating 17C for 7am. About 50% chance of rain. I've put on a bit of suncream for going out. And now it's gone up to 18C. BBC say 16C for 6am.

The other issue is fatigue from travel...

Well, the race is on my mind a lot.

We head over this.

I was in a supermarket yesterday and got approached in supermarket by some guy on food stamps, wanting to link up, that it would cost me half or I'd give him half after. I played dumb tourist and said no thank you. A few other signs of poverty about too. Pleasant enough city overall.

Last night I tried brown sugar bacon strips which I can't say I'd recommend. Christmas ham they ain't. Reminded me of fizzy sweets you would see kids with, not from the taste, more the visual side.

I am about to head to the expo.

This sign was at the airport.

This is just around the corner from me. Loads of street art in the city.

Singer

Interesting journey so far. I can strongly reccomend suncreaming the sh!t out of yourself, I still haven't gotten over the Massachusetts sun 😐️ - make sure you're well hydrated before and during the race. Hope it goes well!

diego_b

Best of luck with the race, hopefully a good one for you.

The Black Oil

Thanks both.

I used P20 in Vietnam and it seemed to work well that time so I'll lash it on tomorrow. Looks like it could be 20C by 10am. Have a cap too. The event guide has a traffic light system of flags re race conditions e.g. running slower in heat due to the risk. Medical personnel have the right to make you go for a checkup if all is not well. Seemingly, there are approximately 8,000 volunteers involved in the weekend which is incredible. Expo was decent.

I'm 26 minutes by foot/1.2 miles from the Paul Brown stadium which is the bag drop and corral/wave area. I'm in C and it's a staggered start between 6:30-7am. The bag isn't as strong plastic or big as DCM's, but I have little to put into it. Think I'll leave my accommodation at about 5am. There is a bit of loud cars and tunes where I am in the evening. I've a few things for breakfast so I think I'll take small bits of each, rather than a big one. Looking forward to being on the start line.

There is a table, chairs and an umbrella on the ground floor where I am based, so I might sit out for a bit later. DIY dinner.

I'm heading soon to see The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare) to relax. Yesterday, I visited the Underground Railroad (slavery) which was powerful.

Murph_D

Remind me again how you chose Cincinnati? Don't know anything about it, but I've always been interested in the city ever since I was a kid and a neighbour who was visiting relatives there brought me home a Cincinnati Reds t-shirt. I can still picture it - wore it for years!

All the best for the big day, run well and be confident.

ReeReeG

Best of luck tomorrow, enjoy the run!

marathon2022

Hope you have a great race 🙂

The Black Oil

Morning.

The Black Oil

A rollercoaster. My slowest marathon. Dunno what is it officially, 4:37 on Garmin Tough in the early stages, physically and mentally. And I walked maybe half a dozen times after mile 19. I've never seen this many people stopping in race, I'm fine with it. As an event it can certainly shred its participants.

That said, I don't feel defeated. It was never horrendous. The support great. Got talking to an Irish guy around mile 5, he lives here and was part of a guide team for a deaf/blind runner, fantastic to see that. He pretty much said to me 'Lusk, as in Lusk - Dublin?', pleasant surprise.

Coming back to my earlier point, pack your stamina parachute.

Glorious day here, rest and then Colorado on Tuesday.

I'm doing a walking food tour and going on the local Luas tomorrow. 🤪

marathon2022

Well done, pints and steak now ourlad.

Singer

Ah that's tough, well done finishing it. Enjoy the holliers!

diego_b

It's another one ticked off, well done on getting it done. Enjoy the break and look forward to the report.

The Black Oil

Hello...

I'm going for a summary, rather than a report. I don't think I'd do a traditional report justice. I arrived back in Ireland around 9:20am on May 10, having been up from 5am the previous morning to do Denver-JFK-Dublin. We left an hour late and arrived a little early. Returned the rental car without any issues, they were recording damage on ones as I was parking up. I've been scribbling away here trying to remember stuff. One of the people next to me on the first flight home was an explosives engineer, so that was pretty cool and she then had under 30 minutes to catch her next flight. We both noticed someone two rows ahead was drinking like a fish.

Pre-race

I was a little surprised to see people boozing early in the morning at Dublin airport. As noted elsewhere, the place was in a bit of a state too. The CBP officer asked why I was heading to the US so I mentioned the marathon and he was keen to chat about it. Cincinnati airport is actually in Kentucky and was only about 20 minutes from where I was staying. I had booked a pickup and the driver was friendly and this continued through my time in the city, including with people I spoke to after the finish line. The driver had done the half another year. It was nice to arrive in at night and see the lights.

To answer Murph's question on why Cincinnati, it's easily the most common question I've gotten. A big reason is where it falls in the calendar. I liked the website, how the race was described and all that too, plus an opportunity to explore a new city.

Race time: Highs

The city, the support. The spectator dressed head to toe as Batman. The other guy with a big placard of Will Smith's face and 'slap!' written underneath. Such humour was much appreciated. Plenty of people went up to indulge. I did not.

There was a good atmosphere at the start. I said thank you to one of the volunteers and she said thanks for running it. A notable hush fell on the crowd for the US national anthem, which got the biggest cheer of the morning. Us wave 2 people walked towards and crossed the start line with some confidence, I thought. Welcome to the Jungle blaring through the speakers helped.

Even though the first 6 miles or so were a bit tough I felt a lot more confident around 8, though this was a bit short lived. There was a part that reminded me of running through the Phoenix Park.

Lows

Somewhere between mile 3 and 4 I lost my water bottle and therefore electrolyte. I had been having a little difficulty getting it back in the belt and figured it might go flying at some point. I was going to adjust my belt to pull it all around to the front...I didn't. It was then either a tap on the shoulder or a 'hey, you lost your bottle back there'. Tbf, I managed put it out of my mind for the race and I got stuck into water at the aid stations, without an issue. It was a bigger bottle than what came with the belt and it had seen me through training and previous races. Gels were still with me anyway.

Being passed by the 2 hour half pacers was probably the main 'ah feck' moment where I knew things were slipping, I can't recall where this was, I think probably after the first 10k or a little later.

I'll put mile 18 here because we were on the freeway and it's just a bastard of a surface to run on at that point. I do also have to include 26 or 26.2 or however you want to refer to it. Just wanted it done and having been preceded by various stoppages it felt quite long. Even when I saw 25.90 on the watch I knew this was mere Garminspeak.

Somewhere around 22.5 I looked at my watch for the first time and saw 3:51 which surprised me as I thought I was on 4:20. Should never have stopped and walked at all, tbh.

Random stuff

People were handing out I think individual hand wipes. Late on too there were pre-soaked decent size hand towels and the sun was strong. It was mostly overcast until about mile 20. Somewhere around 15 I think it was I saw options for stopping at a prayer/healing tent, if that's your thing and a bacon station too. Here I think I was passed by the 4:10 pacers. It was only into mile 12 that I remembered to eat something.

Immediate after

A lovely day, plenty of fruit, fluids and some pizza at the end and friendly people. Two days after I was a bit stiff alright, nothing major, mind. A few blisters, none that were sore. One on the inner side/edge of the foot which I don't think I've had before. Another toe was quite angry looking for some days, the nail looked odd and has calmed down since. Someone asked me for feedback and the only negative was I think maybe not everyone would recognise the marshals. Blue t-shirts with white writing known as 'grunts' (keeping with the theme), yes, you'll see them, but I think the big jackets in DCM are clearer. I'm nitpicking a little here. Tbf, there were medical volunteers on two wheels too.

4:37:07

26.50 miles at 10:27

8:57, 8:53, 9:07, 8:57, 8:57, 9:23, 10:09, 9:40, 9:18, 9:15, 9:34, 10:07, 9:41, 10:42, 10:47, 10:21, 10:43, 10:38, 10:47, 12:44, 10:59, 11:34, 13:39, 12:40, 13:44, 10:50 and 10:01

Official 4:37:04

Would I do it again? 100% yes. Time in the city - that's where I'm unsure. It didn't fully grab with me, sorry to say. The walking/food tour guide said a lot of people are still not back in the office, but I don't think it was that. He had done a good few US marathons himself. I'd go for a hotel next time as the Airbnb had a few street characters and loud music outside. Perhaps going to a parkrun first and then heading to Cincinnati.

Other after

A young student approached me to do a short interview on why I run, etc. Hope he got what he needed. I saw a fair few people hunched over during the hills, I don't think I have this.

I suspect I underestimated the recovery and the need to bounce back mentally that's a little hard to plan for (?) which hit me at some level in my time in Colorado as I felt burnt out. I jammed a lot into the trip and booked it all from the flights to hikes. I overpacked - too many clothes.

It was my first time driving on the other side of the road. All in, I think I only got beeped at three times during 6 days of driving which I'm counting as a success. I only went to the visitor centre at the Garden of the Gods, rather than the trails and I was too wiped to spend an hour driving to Pikes Peak the following day. I got a few recommendations such as Estes Park should I return to the state and one of my Airbnb hosts has done Pikes Peak marathon. I went on a sunrise hike, saw the Red Rock amphitheatre shortly thereafter 7am, barely a sinner. Some $$$ tickets for gigs and it's also where people do fitness stuff. I went to see and fed some alpacas via another organised tour which was just great. Earlier on in the week there was a hike of Mount Falcon, more of a walk and everyone felt a touch of shortness of breath here and there.

Nederland - one for @nop98

This was a fun drive from Boulder because it's a 14 miles upward stretch of blind bends and not being able to do more than 30-45mph. Up this way there's the Sugarloaf road too. With the sunrise hike I got to tackle leaving this area in a different way at about 4:30am. It required no less concentration skills and had some impressive hairpin bends and I came home that way too.

South Boulder parkrun. This was great. Friendly people as you'd expect and had a good chat with them afterwards. The timekeeper came from an hour away and seems keen to get something going in Fort Collins. The day before I had gone up the Royal Arch trail on foot which has impressive views. There were a bunch of young people in graduation gear (college). It was about 25C that day. I'd driven there from Colorado Springs. The drive into Boulder and to Chautauqua Park with the trails has some quite spectacular views (below). The spin up to Nederland is similar too, for the most part there's tree cover, but when it breaks, wow. I did see some people using this road to train and it would be a good cycle too or half.

I had no real issues with the altitude until my final night. I woke up feeling short of breath like something was pressing against my chest, along with some unpleasant nausea. Given I had been at this level and up and down for a few days I didn't quite follow why. It was a cooler that night and I thought that might be why.

No other runs on the agenda now. Perhaps a 10k or 10 mile.