Last of the Summer Wine

Murph_D

With only three weeks left of the year, I'm mainly just trying to keep the mileage on track for the annual goal, 2200 (3500 kms). I was comfortably ahead of this for much of the year but recent low mileage has used up most of the buffer.

Mon 12 Dec

40 mins recovery, Marino/Drumcondra.

Tue 13 Dec

40 mins easy, Marino/Donnycarney.

Wed 14 Dec

Winter League Round 2 (2 miles): 13:08

After last week's sluggish start to the series, I was hoping to be more with it. Didn't forget the shoes this time, but I found the going pretty tough, just don't have the faster gears at the moment. I did manage to pass 2 or 3 people in lap one while trying to keep touch with a lad I'd have expected to finish in front of, but I struggled to breathe well, not helped by the very cold air. Felt pretty pukey during second lap and finished about 16 seconds outside PB pace. 10k total for the evening.

Thu 15 Dec

No running. Met a running friend for some pints though. 😀

Fri 16 Dec

Another 'no running' day.

Sat 17 Dec

9k inc Shanganagh parkrun (21:48).

Out to Shankhill to tick the last of the Dublin parkruns off my list. A nice chat with local lad @nop98 before the start. Really enjoyed this run on a good course - the idea was MP but I ended up with a more progressive approach, just focusing on people ahead and moving through the field. Loads of kids running this one, which was great to see. A lap of the big loop to cool down, and a short chat with @BeepBeep67 on the way to the car park - reluctantly turning down the offer to join him for a few more miles.

Sun 18 Dec

LR: 2 hours +

Had hoped to meet up with a few folks from around here for a Phoenix Park run, but some last minute stuff meant I wouldn't make it in time and ended up heading out locally - very windy so I abandoned the seafront around Kilbarrack and headed back towards St. Anne's and did a loop in there instead - there was a race walking event happening on the main Avenue which was interesting to have a gander at while jogging along beside the course. Just shy of 22k for the morning.

• This week: 59k (36 mi)
• This month: 160 (99)
• This year: 3,413 (2,121)

Murph_D

Managed to run every day this week - no proper sessions, but a couple of parkruns at steady pace. Otherwise, just trying to keep on track for the annual target with a couple of 40-mile weeks to end the year.

Mon 19 Dec

45 mins easy on a loop around Griffith Avenue and down to Drumcondra. When I was a kid my mother used sometimes take us up here on walks around Christmas time as there were always some impressive Christmas tree displays that she liked to inspect. That's still the case, although most of the lighting is in the front gardens these days. LED technology!

Tue 20 Dec

53 mins easy, a loop through Artane, getting disorientated when I took the wrong turn off the roundabout and ended up running in the opposite direction to what I thought. Couldn't fathom how I ended up at back at Malahide Road when I was expecting Howth Road.

Wed 21 Dec

52 mins easy on the seafront, after hitting probably the biggest work-related deadline of the year. A decade of work coming to a conclusion, or at least towards the final phase: the beginning of the end. This cheered up an otherwise routine plod no end.

Thu 22 Dec

Easy hour back through Artane to get the route right this time, in reverse. Helps to bed in what might become a regular new route, although maybe not great at rush hour, too many road crossings in heavy commuter traffic.

Fri 23 Dec

55 mins easy on the seafront.

Sat 24 Dec

50 mins inc. St Anne's parkrun @ steady. C tried blind pacing 24 mins but we came in a bit hot. Enjoyed the run, good company with DD joining us also.

Sun 25 Dec

I like to do a Christmas parkrun when the opportunity is there and one again Waterstown provided the venue. Bumped into a few clubmates and warmed up with H before enjoying another good tempo-ish effort by the Liffey on a beautiful morning. Another lap to cool down before heading home for a long shift in the kitchen.

Happy Christmas all!

• This week: 64k (40 mi)
• This month: 224 (139)
• This year: 3,479 (2,161)

Murph_D

2022 Recap

Ah, that time of year again. 2022 was a good year for me. PBs have been rare enough in recent times and this year I managed two (10m and Marathon), following up from a HM best in late 2021, so a good reward for the lockdown-era training that had been all about rebuilding aerobic capacity.

The year began as usual with the Dublin Masters Cross Country, huffing and puffing around St. Anne’s in an unspectacular time as usual. It was the first of three cross country races - two more BHAA outings followed at Tymon and Maynooth - all of which felt hard, the way cross country races tend to be. In between though, I had an excellent February day at the John Treacy 10 Mile at Dungarvan, knocking 49 seconds off a PB that had stood since 2016. After completing the club’s Winter League series of short road races, I had a good run in April at the Cobh 10 - super race on a hilly course, definitely the hardest 10 I’ve ever done. Really enjoyed it, probably a better result than the John Treacy, relatively speaking. 

I ran a couple of sub-6 miles, one in the Winter League just before the Road Relays (which I could not run due to Covid) and one at the club’s ‘sports day’ at Morton Stadium, then in June there was a decent half marathon in Cork, about 85 seconds slower than PB but again, not a bad run on an undulating course. Ran a lacklustre Fingal 10k in the Race Series in July. Then in August, the third (and slowest) 10-miler of the year at the Frank Duffy in the Phoenix Park, but by then I was neck deep in marathon preparation for Chicago Marathon, the highlight of the year and a near 3-minute PB.

The racing year ended then with a couple of ordinary winter league races - probably a bit too long after the marathon block to benefit from that particular strength, while also lacking somewhat in motivation, probably. 

Ran a lot of parkruns in 2022 - a total of 29, in 16 different locations, finally completing all the Dublin ones. Next stop Meath. 😁 Most of these were steady runs, around the 22-24 min mark - didn’t race any parkruns or other 5k events this year, probably the first year not to do that.

So can’t complain - a very decent year. Mileage target was 2,190 (6 miles/day), which I hit on Dec 30, allowing a nice rest day today.

Hopefully 2023 will bring a few new highlights. Happy New Year all!

skyblue46

Congratulations on a brilliant year D. Lots to be very proud of in there.

Wottle

Super year Murph and I should have added a column in my log for runner that motivated me most, it was definitely you and your consistency.

Best wishes for 2023!

scotindublin

Great year D and all the best for 2023.

Laineyfrecks

Well done D on a brilliant year & so well deserved for all the consistency & hard work you put in😊

Happy New year 🎉

Swashbuckler

Phenomenal year. Was a pleasure to follow.

coogy

'22 was an excellent year for you D, must be very satisfying!!

Happy new year to you and I'm sure I'll bump into you somewhere along the way in 2023!

Murph_D

Tough going this week, especially the first half of it, recovering from the festivities. Feeling much better towards the end of it.

Mon 26 Dec

45 mins easy around St. Anne’s with C. Turkey and ham stories.

Tue 27 Dec

70 mins easy on a loop through Artane and Raheny. Feeling the excesses of the season on this one, slightly queasy.

Wed 28 Dec 

60 mins easy in Dublin Port. A while since I’d been down here, so it was good to see the progress on the planned greenway. Looking forward to its completion (god knows when) as it will make for a much more pleasant run in these parts, on the other side of the Tolka estuary from Clontarf.  

Thu 29 Dec

Decamped to Donegal. 50 mins easy around the local loop.

Fri 30 Dec

Final run of the year - 6 x 3 mins at around 5 mile pace (3 mins jog recovery). This session courtesy of skyblue. Drove into Killybegs to run along the shore road - a bit of a gale in one direction so some of the reps were wind assisted, some resisted, some a bit of both. Tough enough going but nice to end the year with a session. 

Sat 31 Dec 

A day off, having hit the year’s mileage target during yesterday’s session. No point in flogging it any further! December total: 275 kms (171 miles). 2022 total: 3,529 kms (2,193 miles). Highest annual mileage to date, and about 160 kms more than 2021. Ran 292 days - a bit low but took plenty of days off post-marathon, and also missed two full weeks in April with covid.

Sun 1 Jan

75 mins MLR. Headed down to Mountcharles with A and did a couple of loops of the Station Road / Mountcharles Pier circuit we used to walk for years before running became a thing. A beautiful calm day, not a breath of wind for a change, very relaxing compared to the conditions I’ve had to brave doing sessions here over the years. First couple of miles with A then pushed on to stretch the legs a bit more. A lovely run and a good start to 2023. 

Spent part of this run thinking about running goals for the year - really don’t want to do too much different from 2022. The main target will be the marathon again, Berlin this time. I felt there was a bit to spare this year so it’s reasonable to expect to knock a bit more off the PB, although it’s unlikely the race and all the stuff around it will go as perfectly to plan as this year. But if I can get a bit better at running well under conditions that are not perfectly ideal, I can still hope to shave off a few more seconds.

Mileage wise, I’ll be happy enough to make in the region of 2,200 again.

• This week: 64k (40 mi)
• This month/year: 13 (8)

Kellygirl

Congrats on an amazing year D. You really are an inspirational runner.

Murph_D

The main goal this week was to run every day and not to get too worked up over Sunday's Dublin Masters Cross Country race. 

Mon 2 Jan

70 mins easy on the local roads in Donegal. Very icy - nearly went on my ear at the top of a little slope, just spotting the black ice at the last minute and avoiding a near-certain spill.

Tue 3 Jan

10 mins easy + 10 mins gym + short swim.

In Galway for a funeral, just about managed a very short post-breakfast workout in the hotel leisure centre. 

Wed 4 Jan 

67 mins easy out to St. Anne’s after the long drive home from Shannon (the nearest crematorium to Galway, apparently). Have been in all four provinces in the past 60 hours. 

Thu 5 Jan

43 mins very easy around Drumcondra/Glasnevin. Annoyed by another footpath driver on Griffith Ave. Must not get too obsessed with bad motorists. 

Fri 6 Jan

72 mins easy out the coast to the Dollymount causeway, joined by M at the Wooden Bridge. Enjoyable catchup. 

Sat 7 Jan 

43 mins very easy including St. Anne’s parkrun, which I ran with G, shooting the breeze. @Ultraman100 was visiting - pinched my arse running past during his warmup.

Sun 8 Jan

Dublin Masters Cross Country

This is one of two races on the calendar that I’ve never missed since becoming a club runner in 2014. I probably mention this every year, but since I transferred to Raheny in 2018 I’ve always had a feeling of dread in the buildup to this race. It’s ridiculous really, because even though the club takes this event (held on home turf in St. Annes) very seriously, there are zero expectations on runners like myself beyond wearing the singlet and packing the field. But such is the level of home support that you are cheered the whole way around and you can’t take a sneaky little break at any point, you at least have to look like you’re giving of your best. And it’s a tough race anyway, coming where it does in the calendar when most of us are still half full of turkey and chocolate and beer.

I hadn’t been feeling great in the days leading up to the race - a bit lethargic, and a touch of gastric trouble in the middle of the Friday night. No lingering issues though. I was a bit edgy until I’d gotten into the race gear, finally feeling more relaxed on the drive over, parking outside St. Anne’s and saying hello to the legendary former Boardsie raycun on the way in. With both men’s and women’s events split into separate 35+ and 50+ races, it would be a bit different to the usual setup, and I wondered would there be enough people to chase in the older men’s race, which had 103 starters. I needn’t have worried though, it’s a decent field and quite a tight course in places and I wasn’t isolated at any point. 

As the starter was saying a few motivational words, I glanced down and noticed one of my laces undone, barely managing to get it tied before we were sent on our way. I had a decent starting position and was well settled by halfway around the first of the four laps. It felt like I was managing to progress modestly through the field, a few places per circuit (haven’t seen the usual lap by lap breakdowns myrunresults usually publish yet). The atmosphere was really electric, and I put in an honest if unspectacular effort. Picked my way slowly through the mid pack, having a bit of a ding dong with a few lads from Brothers Pearse, MSB and Clonliffe. A good fourth lap and a nice pickup at the end, passing an age category rival and two or three other runners in the home straight. A race always feels good when you do that, even if I hadn't been particularly strong throughout. Finished in 57th place out of the 103. Considering it’s quite a decent field of local club runners, that’s respectable enough. Placing and time suggests that if the races had been combined as they have previously been, I’d have finished about where I usually do, about two thirds of the way down the pecking order (rounding in my favour). 😉 

Although not anywhere near the various placings today it was nice to finally pick up my 3rd place team medal for last August’s Frank Duffy race (Dublin 10 mile championships). It’s not every day you get handed a medal by an Olympian!

A decent start to the racing year. Nice to say a quick hello to @Lambay island afterwards.

• This week: 63k (39 mi)
• This month/year: 76 (47)

Wubble Wubble

Thanks D, enjoyed that report. Always nice to have a few to battle it out with, especially when you can find the energy to pass a few at the finish. I noticed the standard was pretty high !

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083307#Comment_120083307

Thanks J - sorry you didn't make it today yourself, or at least I didn't see you on the course or in the results for your race.

Edit - never mind, just read your log. I think you're making the right decision re this week and next, no point in flogging it. Time to rebuild.

MisterDrak

Nice to say hello again D, and as you mentioned above probably a better race now that its thinned out somewhat.

The course was in a fair state with the usual muddy spot not proving to bad.

I bet you are already looking forward to the Leinster XC ? 😀

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084845#Comment_120084845

Thanks D - you'll notice my report left out the part where you passed me at the end of lap one, never to be reeled back in. 😉 Nice running yourself, looking strong. Yes, I did feel good enough about the race to throw my hat in the ring at then last moment for the Leinsters - see you there if you're doing it.

Murph_D

A bit of variety this week with a return to Donegal for a few days. Trying to get back to logging twice or three times a week rather than the weekly catch up thing.

Mon 9 Jan

Stopped off at Ballyshannon on the way to the Donegal base as I didn't want to be running in the dark. A few miles along the Assaroe reservoir at the edge of town, one of @OOnegative's favourite spots. The legs were heavy after yesterday's race. The run felt like a bit of a chore, so I decided that...

Tue 10 Jan

...would be a rest day, the first in 24 days I think. I don't do a lot of fast stuff, but sometimes rest is better than recovery.

Wed 11 Jan

An absolutely miserable day (as was yesterday). I had stuff to do, both inside and outside, and was either looking out at or in the thick of some pretty shite weather. At one point I was staring out at sheets of hail while a short thunderstorm raged, then I had a bit of maintenance to do in howling wind. It would have been easy to schedule another rest day but I had to go and visit someone and togged out to get the run done on the way home. Headed to Killybegs where there's about a mile and a half of street lighting, did a thirty minute sub-threshold run with 15 min warmup and cooldown. The rain returned about halfway through but as long as you've gone out in reasonable conditions it never feels too bad. Enjoyed this actually, clicking back into a familiar feeling effort, looking to keep HRR between 75-80%. More of these will be following.

In the way that you find your mind ruminating on certain things while running, I was reflecting on that team county bronze from last year's Frank Duffy that I'd picked up the other day. I have a few medals (mostly M50 team) at county, province and national level, but this was the first since 2017 and the first with a Raheny team, which is nice. M50 team medals are not particularly hard to come by if you're regularly on a club team with at least two reliably good scorers, but to get any sort of M50 medal in your 60s isn't too bad, I reckon. Anyway, I stuck it on the special hook I reserve for competitive bling.

• This week: 19k (12 mi)
• This month/year: 94 (59)

babacool

I’ll “see” ya Sunday (i think if I read the entries correctly 😁)

Laineyfrecks

Well done again on that medal, you should feel very proud 😁

Murph_D

Thu 12 Jan

40 mins recovery around by Collins Ave. Good to get out after the drive from Donegal.

Fri 13 Jan

No running. Knee deep in work stuff. Nothing to do with triskaidekaphobia. 😉

Sat 14 Jan

67 mins easy, incorporating Fairview parkrun followed by 5k out the coast with some strides.

Sun 15 Jan

Leinster Masters Cross Country - 126th place (of 136). 9th M60 (of 10)

Not a great result or performance but I am really happy to have done this race and lined out for the club on probably the toughest course I've ever run, short of an actual mountain run. It really is a great setup in Avondale Forest Park - big car park, toilets, good spectator facilities, and most of all an undulating course that certainly tests your mettle and conviction to finish the race without walking! There's a kind of uphill drag on nice springy turf to start, followed by a sharp descent through leaves and mud where you're just glad to stay on your feet. Then there's a sharp turn, a short out and back on good ground and back down the hill before another drag and a turn at the bottom before coming back up the other side of the course which is pretty much the same as you've just done, in reverse, including a b*tch of a hill over rutty ground before you're back on the springy turf. Then you do it all again. Lap one was all about staying on my feet, finding a rhythm, not getting too worried about being way back in near last position. On the second lap, it was really just between me and a MSB runner I'd been duking it out with last week in St. Anne's. I was getting close to him on the downhills and losing some ground on the drags. I passed him at last in the flattish section after the right turn, then found myself gaining on a clubmate who'd finished a few places in front of me last week. When I say gaining though, there wasn't much progress and I think he was aware of my presence and doing his best to not give me much hope. Finally though he blew up on the big hill and started run/walking and I blasted past, delighted with myself for putting a couple more lads between me and last position. And that was that, closing it out over the final little drop and turn before the uphill finish. Probably should have done a bit better, as one of the other lads I got the better of last week finished five places in front of me. Feckin' tough going! Loved it in the end though, when it was all over. 😀

Good to meet @babacool before the off, nice result from him too.

Great atmosphere and it felt good to be in the club colours on an away day for a change, some great results among the group including a storming performance from the M35 women and men. An excellent day out for the club. Nice to finish it off with a pint in Gaffney's with a few of the lads.

• This week: 46k (29 mi)
• This month/year: 122 (76)

coogy

Well done D, sounds like you really toughed it out at the end of that race. I have nothing but admiration for anyone who throws themself into a challenge like this and digs deep the way you need to, given the conditions.

I would dearly love to give it a try some day..........just not now........😉

Dubh Geannain

Well done Murph.

I was looking out for you yesterday around the finish line but never managed to spot you. It was a very tough course alright that seemed to have everything - dangerous downhills, bog in a handful of places, slippy parts, solid parts, path and of course that bloody hill. I was thankful it was sheltered from the wind and that the rain held off.

Best description I heard for the route was that it was in the shape of a cross. I certainly felt crucified after coming up that hill on both occasions having to dig very deep to not walk there. Apparently, a few years ago it was 3 laps of a different route but that hill had to be climbed 3 times.

Wubble Wubble

Well done lads, enjoyed that read D. Fair play for toughing it out. @Dubh Geannain yes, different route for the National Masters there in 2020....first a short lap of 1k, then we had to go up that hill towards the end of each of the three 2k laps that followed ! Real cross country running in Avondale, at least it's fairly sheltered !

babacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114614#Comment_120114614

Funnily enough j was thinking to myself “why those out and backs? Skip them and you have a nice 2k Loop and are able to climb that wall 3 times” - I honestly would have preferred that 😂. That wall was pure fun

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114614#Comment_120114614

Ah, I should have realised you'd be around and kept an eye out for you. How was your race? Looks like a decent enough placing!

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120117253#Comment_120117253

Your idea of fun, maybe, but you’re right, it’s certainly different from anything I’ve run (except Run The Line) and there’s nothing like a new experience. See Wubble’s post above - 3 laps used to be the the standard alright.

Dubh Geannain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120117502#Comment_120117502

Looks can be deceiving 😃. Hoping it's just the cross country lack of experience and not post COVID blues.

I really enjoyed my day but expected to feel stronger and kind of hoped I'd be further up the field. 43rd overall. One of my teammates helped get me through the second lap when I started to feel it. The club came 5th which they were happy with at least.

Murph_D

This week I was in Gran Canaria on a short solo holiday. Yes, I know, I'm a lucky man. I'd have preferred if the missus had joined me but she had other priorities and waved me off, probably delighted to be rid of me for most of the week. Kept the runs off Strava til I got home, wanted to get away from social media as much as possible.

Mon 16 Jan

60 mins very easy

The airbnb was in pretty bland mass tourism surroundings, but near enough to some decent running routes, including the famous Maspalomas Dunes. Have travelled very light, only one pair of shoes, the old trail runners. They are very firm and not comfortable on the hard tiled footpaths. Crossed the dunes on this run, which was pretty difficult. Very windy on the exposed beach.

Tue 17 Jan

67 mins easy along local beaches and promenades. Late enough in the day, most of the beachgoers had gone home. Lots of outdoor dining on the promenades mean it sometimes feels like you are running through the actual restaurant.

Wed 18 Jan

87 mins very easy before breakfast. Enjoyed this one, in the opposite direction from yesterday. Definitely bored with the trail shoes by now though, as very little running has been on actual trails.

Thu 19 Jan

45 mins easy, the best part of it along the spectacular El Confital beach (a major surf destination, apparently, and it was obvious why from the roaring waves). It's not really a beach, as the water comes right up to that red post-volcanic earth that is common in the Canaries. The roar of the surf was deafening. A fairly wild and windy day up here in the Northern end of the island, after a spectacular drive over one of Gran Canaria's highest peaks. A wet and cool day in the mountains, very poor visibility but the cloud forests were very atmospheric. A beautiful island.

Fri 20 Jan

No running today. Instead I put the trail runners to better use on a pretty strenuous hike over a 510m mountain (that's three Howths) to Gui Gui beach, which is popular with the local teenagers who like to hike in and camp for a night or two. Was impressed with the size of some of the backpacks these young wans were lugging over the very steep trail. Only 5 kms but took over an hour and a half each way, with a refreshing dip in the middle. Unfortunately the tide was in which meant I couldn't get to the reportedly nicer part of the beach as it was cut off. Fantastic day.

Sat 21 Jan

50 mins easy before heading back to the airport. Enjoyed this little break, which got better as the week progressed. I like beaches, but get bored quickly. Here it is all about getting into the mountains, I reckon. Some very memorable vistas. A UNESCO biosphere reserve, where they have actually torn down a good bit of the beach tat in some areas. Hopefully will get a chance to discover it more at some point.

Sun 22 Jan

20 kms easy out to St. Anne's and Dollymount via the Howth Road and back through Clontarf. Legs were tired enough after the week's adventures. All easy running but the volume a bit better than the previous couple of weeks. Time to start adding a bit more structure though.

• This week: 69 kms (43 mi)
• This month/year: 191 (119)

coogy

Lucky??? I'll say!! 😉

Sounds like a nice week away! What were the temperatures like over there?

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144226#Comment_120144226

How did I fail to mention that? Around 23-24 daytime, good bit cooler at night. Tricky enough to pack for and stay within the Ryanair carry-on limit, hence the trail shoes compromise!

Murph_D

Back to reality yet again, and back to work as a new term begins. Hopefully will get a bit more out of the gym membership this year - if not the weights and machines, at least the pool and sauna. 😉

Mon 23 Jan

6 x 3 mins CV

After a week of easy running, this set of 3-minute repeats at around 5 mile pace felt pretty different. As usual, it took a couple of reps to get into it but it felt good (as in good for you) towards the end. A nice calm evening on the seafront helped. Certainly felt much much stronger than when I did this same session a few weeks ago in windy Killybegs. And while I'd normally do a session like this in the Saucony Speeds or at least the Zoom Flys, these were in my NB 1080s 'easy day' shoes, which felt fine.

Splits (pace/km): 4:20 4:18 4:10 4:13 4:11 4:08

Opened the Raheny 5 envelope today. Nice bib, colour coded green for the club. However not amused to see I’d been placed in the M65 category. Must get on to myrunresults! 😞

Tue 24 Jan

Just under 40 mins recovery around the usual Marino locations. Watched episode 2 of The Last of Us afterwards. Better than episode 1. Will give it another chance.

Wed 25 Jan 

Just over 50 mins easy around the South City before lunch. A nice soft morning, with a bit of cooling drizzle. Love those conditions, actually.

 

• This week: 26k (16 mi)
• This month/year: 218 (135)

Already about 15 miles short of where I should be on track for the annual target. No matter, the mileage and time on feet will be increasing soon enough.

MisterJinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120155835#Comment_120155835

I'd something similar with my run results but in an age category lower M45. I'm not sure how the age cats work but I'm 46 so it must be wrong. I emailed them but no reply, must get onto them again.

Good to hear about episode 2 of The Last of Us. I was a bit underwhelmed with the first one and I love a good zombie series or film.

Cracking consistency out of you as always, put the rest of us to shame so you do!

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120158389#Comment_120158389

That's the right category: M45 means 45-49. I'm well under 65 myself though!

Edit: re Last of Us, I'm not a huge zombie fan and liked E2 become I felt it was less zombie-like (or at least zombie-different). But it's a fine line. ☠️

MisterJinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120158819#Comment_120158819

Thanks - everyday is a school day

I like a good end of world series as well as the zombies so hopefully e2 is good. Will watch it this weekend and make a call on it

babacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120159468#Comment_120159468

Who needs zombie movies 🤣 just go to Phoenix park on a Sunday morning and you will find plenty of brainless maniacs running around over there 🤣🤣🤣

MisterJinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120161751#Comment_120161751

3am in Dublin city centre is the zombie apocalypse 🤣🤣🤣

Murph_D

OK, so where were we? I suppose this half of the week is a bit of a mini taper with Sunday's race in mind.

Thu 26 Jan

30 mins easy around Drumcondra. Very easy really. Maybe too easy.

Fri 27 Jan

40 mins easy out the coat to Vernon Ave. Hooked up with M who joined for the homeward leg. Logistics chat about Sun's race (M had a lot of marshalls to keep in line).

Sat 28 Jan

Stayed in bed and took a parkrun holiday. Had to to go up to the club in the afternoon with the mrs so I jogged home from there, 33 mins downhill.

Sun 29 Jan

Raheny 5 mile (33:51)

I'd been realising in the last few days what a bad idea it was to 'challenge' @Lazare to a race. What was I thinking? Anyway I tried to put it out of my mind as I got ready for the 3pm race start. I had a feeling the race would be a good event. There were a a lot of sign-ups. The course had been remeasured, and measured again. Spray paint had been sprayed prominently on turnabouts. Root and branch reviews. The conditions looked good, except the wind was up a bit more than you'd like.

I'd started the day wrangling goody bags into massive piles at the finish area at 7:45am. Some poor sod was going to have to guard the stash then for the rest of the day. The sun was barely up but the atmosphere was already crackling. Our clubmate Ronan of Myrunresults was setting up the gantry. Cones everywhere around the start/finish area and beyond to try to discourage parking on the course. There's only so much you can do, but it looked like the club was doing it.

I've marshalled the last couple of Raheny 5s so I didn't feel guilty about running it this year, although I probably could have helped a bit more with the preparations. Anyway, like everyone else I spent the day counting down the hours to the 3pm start. Had a decent lunch (pancakes!) just after noon. Then eventually drove over to meet @skyblue46 and @Laineyfrecks for a quick bag drop in the hall and a warmup in St. Anne's, jogging the last mile-and-a-bit of the course to eyeball the turnabout on the Avenue. Everything looked good and there were plenty of athletes zipping around the place. Bumped into Lazare and we were well placed to get a good place in the pen. Could have pushed right up to the cordon but we chose a not too ostentatious position. The 20 mins counted down quickly enough. I discarded a sacrificial layer (old Terenure 5 tee). C had estimated a 4:04 pace. This would not work for me and my only hope was if he blew up. This didn't seem very likely, so I didn't dwell too long on it. My own target was to be somewhere around my own PB (33:23) from this race three years ago, although there wasn't really much basis for expecting such a result.

On the siren, I set off a little hot, reluctant to let C off too lightly but soon copped on and settled back into something more appropriate. We weren't held up at all and apart from just being careful in the congestion, the going was good, although I hit a speed bump a little uncomfortably not far from the start which reminded me to watch my feet. Passed a woman on the ground on the first corner - hope she was ok, looked a bit rattled and I doubt she completed the race. Settled in, and when the first km beeped at around 4:10 I hardly looked at the watch again for the rest of the race. I wanted to try to feel my way around and there were plenty of visual references and targets.

In the second mile S eased past on All Saints Road looking as smooth as ever. I'd been expecting this, it's part of the race experience at this stage. E would probably not be far behind and sure enough she drew alongside on the short blustery Howth Road section. I didn't even have to look down, recognised the stride from the corner of my eye. It was tight here and not much room to get past people - there were already a few flagging runners. I was feeling OK but not great, looking forward to the downhill on Sybill Hill Road. E must have been looking forward to it too because she took an opportunity to dart through a gap and push on a bit.

I hate the next section down Mount Prospect to the park, it seems to last forever. I briefly sneaked ahead of E again, although not convincingly, just really the way the crowd was thinning out with gaps opening here and there. She pulled ahead again and I concentrated on a clubmate D, who was coming back to me. Passed him then noticed @MisterDrak just ahead. This surprised me, as initially I thought he was coming back too but it must have been the other way around and he'd actually passed me, possibly when I was concentrating on D. All this distracted as far as the bottom of the avenue and I girded myself for the awful up and down, not getting the kind of inspiration talked about by Lazare, especially as he was one of the speedy lads gliding past on the opposite side, offering a cheeky wave. A few of the lads were on the turnabout and gave some encouragement to kick on with just over a mile to go.

But I was kind of done. I hate the section past the dog park and up to the gate and it got to me. (It shouldn't - it's on the parkrun course, and whenever I'm pacing, people tend to fall off here on the second lap, so it's not like I haven't spent a lot of time trying to convince people that it's just a short little drag, nothing to worry about.) Once out the gate things got even worse with a good few runners streaming past, including a young clubmate, R, who'd been in the vicinity for much of the race. I was feeling awful here, and it wasn't til I got another kick up the arse from M at the bottom of Wade Ave, site of so many Winter League and Road Relay finishes, that I got a belated second wind. A clubmate B passed. Decided I wasn't having that and pushed determinedly past him again, with R in my sights as well. I knew I'd get away with a hard sprint around the last two bends and the finish straight and I was up on the toes for this, passing a good few as I finally found a bit of form. I'd even closed the gap on E but I spotted her up ahead putting in a sprint of her own and I was genuinely happy enough to have gotten the gap down to whatever it was, seven or eight seconds.

Took a moment on my knees past the finish line. C came over and offered some nice words. I could tell without asking that he'd had a great result, Fair play to him. Bumped into @MisterJinx in the goody bag line, then @AuldManKing on the shuffle back to the hall. We were both a bit bonked and deflated, maybe A more than me, there will be better days ahead!

Good to have a couple of pints afterwards and deconstruct the race with everyone. There's never a bad day when you're racing, and runners are the salt of the earth.

If you can't run well, at least look good - delighted with this picture from Deryck Vincent (some of ye will be sick of seeing it already). 😉

• Previous PB: 33:23 (Raheny 2019)
• Target: 33:2x
• Actual: 33:51
• 643rd position (of 3,871)
• 5th M60 (of 75)
• VDOT: 48.3
• AG: 78.8%
• Verdict: On reflection, 2nd best 5-mile to date is not a bad result.

Well done to all who ran, and thanks for supporting our race.

• This week: 58 kms (36 mi)
• This month/year: 250 (155)

Lazare

Brilliant prose as always D, a fantastic report.

You should be so proud of your club, you guys put on such a wonderful event each year. Truly magical.

By the way, I put a lot of thought into that cheeky wave. 😀

I actually did, I wasn't sure what to do if I saw you, didn't want to look a d1ck, so I just waved hello.

ariana`

Well done, great effort and attitude as always. Super shot - great arm action and you look so composed. It's no surprise though, I recall from the one and only time I had the pleasure of running behind you (and meeting you afterward), that you are indeed a lovely looking runner 😉

MisterDrak

Great stuff D, great report and well done on executing a well run race. As you say the Mount Prospect section seems endless and does drag a bit before the right turn along the park. You were running smooth and well when I caught you and Dave the Ref...

Agree that the day was a great success, from the Organization, Marshaling, route to the run in, all top class.

Great Pic also :)

py

Fantastic photo. A new profile photo for all of your accounts. Great racing too.

Dubh Geannain

That's a great time really and not a million miles from your PB on a day when you say it didn't really happen for you. So well done. Fantastic read as always.

Laineyfrecks

Super report as always D & only delighted to be part of it, it's great reading the race reports of those around us on the day. Hmm I have a stride you recognise🙂

I think you ran a really good race & should be very proud, I was always expecting you to creep up ahead of me, but sure there's always next time😉The chats & company afterwards really topped off a great day!

Class pic, defo a profiler😎

Murph_D

Another week, another race. When I signed up for the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 that I don't think I realised it was the week after Raheny. That makes four races in five weeks, which is probably pushing things a bit in my book. But I have the bib and I'll drive down and hope for the best! So this week is just about ticking over with a tiny mini session and a few strides.

Mon 30 Jan

Rest.

Tue 31 Jan

75 mins easy. An all fella told me it's illegal to be running in the bus lane (it was a cycle lane). Good intentions I suppose.

January total: 263 kms (164 mi). A bit less than last year, when I probably had my best start to the year.

Wed 1 Feb

20 mins easy. Not quite with it today. Headed out from work with an hour in mind, but then suddenly remembered the Winter League was on tonight. So cut the run short, but then later realised I couldn't make the scheduled 3-mile race anyway. Would have been treating it as a steady run at best so probably just as well to remove the temptation.

Thu 2 Feb

40 mins inc. 2.5kms @ T

With Sunday's race in mind, I wanted to get a little taste of the pace at least. Headed to St. Anne's and did one lap of the old parkrun course. A bit of a breeze out so I had to be patient and trust the effort until the tailwind in the last four or five mins made it possible to hit the right number. All good really but felt harder than I'd like. Added a few strides at the end of the cooldown.

Fri 3 Feb

65 mins easy, meeting up with M and D on the coast for a few kms en route. M is doing Dungarvan too, seems just as unexpectant as I am. A few strides through Marino towards the end.

• WTD: 36 kms (22 mi)
• MTD: 22 (14)
• YTD: 285 (177)

Murph_D

Sat 4 Feb

42 mins / 6.8 kms inc. Fairview parkrun

A fifth anniversary Sanctuary Runners celebration at Fairview parkrun this morning. Such an interesting group - got to run with a great bunch of international refugees as well as at least two Irish international athletes. And all just down the road in the local park. There was a celebratory egg and spoon race at the end and although I fancied my chances I ended up giving away my egg and spoon equipment to a kid who ambled up and looked like she wanted to join the action. Avoided the three legged race. Fair play to @Bungy Girl for organising an excellent morning, with plenty of cake too.

• WTD: 42 kms (26 mi) 
• MTD: 29 (18)
• YTD: 292 (182)

Murph_D

Where are we now, where are we now?

The moment you know you know, you know.

(David Bowie)

John Treacy Dungarvan 10 Mile (PB)

I caught the second half of a film a few weeks ago on the telly. A crime thriller in the Se7en tradition, with Denzel Washington in the Morgan Freeman role. It was all about how the basic mistakes find you out. The irony being (spoiler alert) the bad guy didn't seem to have made any. The Little Things, it was called. Highly recommended. I caught up with the rest of the film on Amazon Prime just the other day, filled in some of the gaps.

The little things...

At this stage of my running and racing life, any win feels like a big win. You learn that not all days can be good days. Disappointment trades places with hope, satisfaction with renewed expectation, elation with the near certainty of a soon-to-be-experienced reality check, a return to earth, disappointment. Which of course brings hope back into the equation. A circle of emotions. A cycle that nevertheless can be intermittently extended, expanded, suspended. If you pay attention to the little things. They can keep you in the game. The basics. The controllables. The daily miles, the structure, the discipline. Mostly the miles. The instinct, and also the instinct to know when the instinct is wrong.

Today's race was the fourth in five weeks. Dublin Masters, Leinster Masters, Raheny 5, Dungarvan 10. Obviously this was a January after the best training year ever, 2022. Reasons to be cheerful, hopeful. But those previous races had been mediocre. All I deserved really, after an old man Christmas of drinking beer and eating shite. How long can you get away with this kind of thing? Maybe not long. Certainly not much longer. I had had a great 2022 but felt the strength fall away after the intensity of the long marathon season dwindled. Cross country racing can shore you up a little bit, maybe, but not enough to get away with Raheny, not me anyway. But can you race your way to fitness, that old conundrum? I never thought so, until today. Today I felt the ordinariness of those three outings converted into enough intensity that, combined with the residual strength from last year, came together to deliver an unusual and exhilarating feeling of strength when it mattered most.

A day trip to Dungarvan for an 11am race means leaving Dublin at about 7am. I picked up Mark in Clontarf. He'd done the driving last year, so it was my turn. A cold morning with a beautiful moon rising over the frosty midlands fields. The freezing conditions were hard on the car battery. But Dungarvan's conditions promised to be perfect. We got lucky and were able to plug in at the car park. 40 mins warmup then released the fast charger to the next guy in the queue. Jogged to the start line. Every time I go to a Munster race I seem to bump into @MiketheMechanic, and sure enough he said hello at the start line (and again a couple of miles in). Mark lined up a few rows in front of me and after a while waiting in the crowded start area the siren finally sounded.

Raheny is a good prep for the start of this race, which is similarly crowded during an early loop around some narrow Dungarvan streets lined with parked cars. In mile 2 the congestion eases as the field fans out on the main Youghal road and you can breathe a bit more easily and get down to business, thankful to have survived the throng. I'd put last week's Raheny time into the calculator the previous day and was surprised to see a 10-mile estimate that would actually be a small PB. So despite last week's minor disappointment, I could now take a bit more from it - the confidence that my performance at this race last year (a highlight) could be justifiably challenged. In theory anyway - like all races you have to get the first bit right and put yourself in a position to achieve. So I found myself glancing at the watch in these early miles, pulling it back to 4:23/km pace (about 7:03/mi). No need to be an early hero. I tried to channel a bit of the @skyblue46 here, as S is the master of the sustainable start. Early systems check - feeling good. Discarded the throwaway VHI hat (parkrun sponsor bling in fetching bright orange, never worn before), thrown expertly to the feet of a steward on a roundabout. And soon we were out in the country, heading up the road that last year had a headwind howling down it. Much more benign today in the perfect, cool, calm conditions. I looked around and found myself with plenty of coalescing groups to tow along with, moving when necessary to the next, sometimes dropping back a tad. Starting to becoming aware of a few runners who were sticking around and might become rivals as the race developed. A Clonfliffe Harriers gent who looked like he might be in my age group. A small but powerful looking woman in a Ballintotis Fit for Life tee shirt, reeling off steady seven-minute miles (Ballintotis Fit for Lifers seem to be a hardy bunch). And one or two more.

About four miles in I decided that the stars were aligning for sure as I knuckled down and concentrated on keeping it steady. I felt tall and strong while a few people around were starting to feel the pinch, especially the lad on my shoulder who sounded like he was dying. A little push to get his distracting grunts and splutters out of range. I was moving smoothly, alert enough to run good tangents, trading places with Clonliffe and Ballintotis here and there, enjoying the to and fro of it all, and taking some confidence from the sparse but encouraging support out in the Dungarvan hinterland. Incredibly there seemed to be a Raheny supporter at a lonely intersection and I got a nice encouraging shout. At half way there was a large roadside clock that read about 35:37. A glance at my watch confirmed I had about 24 seconds leeway in terms of chip time. So a feisty enough opening five but feeling good about it, not dying at all (yet).

Into mile six with some bumpy roads and a couple of sharp turns, and I was holding my own with still plenty of runners around to work with. Ballintotis was there, a little in front; Clonliffe just a stride ahead. The odd person ploughing strongly past, but the field pretty established at this point. The course seems to be slightly net uphill but there are some delicious downhills, one of them quite a long drop in mile seven, which I really enjoyed, using it to pass a slew of runners who had the brakes on. I'd been conscious of staying strong through the middle third of the race and suddenly found myself at mile seven still feeling good, even daring to push the pace here and there when the topography suggested it might be OK. I was waiting for the smoother road I remember from last year, mile eight along by the Brickey river. I think a little bit of course knowledge can be so valuable. The expectation of the nicer surface sustained me for a couple of miles before hitting it, and once on it I found myself able to push the pace, at least until the sharp but short little climb up onto the main road and the turn back towards town when inevitably the hurt starts to kick in for sure. To be fair to my fellow competitors, everyone around me in this mile nine seemed to be solidly pushing to the finish, dragging me with them, maybe me dragging the odd one too. I'd passed Ballintotis by the Brickey, but she pulled ahead again on the main road. She reminded me a bit of @Laineyfrecks, similar size, similar strengths, similar conviction in the way she'd passed each time, but I was feeling a lot stronger this week than last and maybe not as easily beaten.

I'd put Clonliffe to bed a good way back and was still trading places with a few lads, but I felt Ballintotis was the target most likely to tow me home. As the 9 mile sign is passed she's maybe eight places in front. There's a noticeable resolve among the whole field as we hit the final mile - really impressive, hardly anyone seemed to be dropping off with people coming through strongly from behind also. I'd been concentrating a lot on my breathing throughout the race, consciously expanding the ribs, getting the air in, refocusing on the drill of it every mile or so. The vaporflys were doing a job (I'd changed to a thinner sock since last week, seems to help me feel the road more and feel the response from the shoe more). Hanging on now but still feeling I have something for the challenging final half mile, now wondering where the hell is that left turn that takes us up the blasted hill that nearly destroyed my race last year. Again, a bit of course knowledge helping. Ballintotis was still in front, so I picked out another strongly running blue singlet to help take me around the corner and up the hill, passing a 600m-to-go mark sprayed on the road. Blue responds and I find myself matching stride for stride and pulling ahead, now half way up the hill, flagging but not as much as I'd feared. Ballintotis seemed to be flagging more - I passed her for maybe the fourth time. Or so I thought, it turned out to be a different but similarly built Ballintotis runner. 😂 Then at the top of the hill, it's a question of pushing through a couple of little turns in the final 250m.

By now it's been obvious for a while that a PB is almost in the bag. But how much of a PB? I'd refused all week to entertain the idea of a sub-70, but then you turn the final corner and can see the clock at last. Jaysis, it's actually on, although the gun time has ticked over the 70 and I'm already eating into the 24-second buffer. A final gathering of steam and an old man unleashing of some sort of faster shuffle towards the gantry. Looking at the numbers all the way, pushing it, begging the clock to slow down. I fairly powered it (in my own mind) over the line, the momentum taking me a good way through the finisher throng before I dropped to the side for a bit of a breather and a gathering of the senses. I'd stopped the watch at 70:01, but how far after the line? Delighted anyway with the big PB as I queued for the goody bag and tee shirt - really excellent swag on all counts. Found Mark who'd had a decent run too. A creaky jog back to the car. M did the honours and looked up the prelim results which confirmed a time of 69:58. Cue PB pints later in Gaffney's. 🍻

How about that? Every second counting, almost nothing to spare. Every mile run, every session run, every race experience contributing a little bit individually and a huge amount collectively to that result. Little things combining to become a big thing, pushing you over the line to a time you'd wondered would you ever achieve. A better performance, relatively, than the marathon I was so delighted with last year. Suggesting of course there's more to push for. I've always said I'm a slow learner, and this was a real moment of discovery.

Isn't that the best thing to take away from a good race?

Splits (approx): 7:06 7:03 6:57 7:04 7:03 7:05 6:57 6:51 7:06 6:46

• Previous PB: 70:44 (Dungarvan 2022)
• Target: 70:35 (from the calculators)
• Actual: 69:58
• 621st place (of 2,743)
• 9th M60 (of 48) - good bit more old man depth this year.
• VDOT: 48.8
• AG: 77.7%
• Verdict: Out of the blue

And there you have it. I'd put this down as one of my best ever races for sure. I don't think I've ever run with such belief in the second half of a race. A rare negative split and a time that shifts the graph a little bit more towards where it should be in terms of converting shorter distances to better endurance. A glimmer of hope that the marathon season can be a success again with the right approach. One that pays attention to the basics. To the little things.

Hats off to the Dungarvan race organisers. They put on some show down there.

• WTD: 67 kms (42 mi)
• MTD: 53 (33)
• YTD: 317 (197)

MiketheMechanic

What a brilliant race report and a fantastic achievement. Great to see you yesterday. As I said to myself at the start line, I can't wait for the race report! It didn't disappoint! Some great times posted yesterday. Conditions were near-perfect. Thoroughly enjoyable day. You gotta celebrate the wins when they come. Beir bua, Denis 💪🙂

See you at the next one.

MtM

MiketheMechanic

PS - I spotted an orange hat being tossed through the air and landing right by the steward just around the 1 mile marker. It was a few metres ahead of me, so I was wondering if it was you 😂

The start was quite congested all right. Nearly 2450 finishers I think. My first my split was 7.06 - difficult to make progress untill the Youghal road, like you said.

MtM

Kellygirl

Brilliant report D and brilliant race. As always you write so well. Delighted it went so well for you. Did you figure out where the first Ballintotis girl was in relation to you at the end?

scotindublin

Brilliant report to match an equally impressive race.....very well done 👏