Ramblings of an Irish Runaholic

Weekly Update with Longest Run for a few years

2012-02-05T14:41:00.000Z

Week 5, of the 13 week plan, completed and another good week, without being over confident or slipping backwards. When I really got started on this at the beginning of the year, I did have my self-doubts as to how long I would keep it up for, and when would I drop back, mentally, into that frame of mind that has seen me have good intentions, but never carry them through, in the last few years. So far, after 5 weeks, the mental side of things seems to be under control, and no excuses have been needed for missing a planned run, and physically, things are heading in the right direction.

When I started the plan, January was intended to be about regular running, no speed work, no great distances, just getting used to heading out and actually training, rather than running when I felt like it, which had been a feature of my running for the last couple of years. January was a success, with more Kms run than any other month for a long, long time, in fact the first time over 100Km a month since July 2009. The weight too has been dropping off according to plan, and 5 Kgs in the first 5 weeks is a very acceptable level, and with the plan hoping to see a weight of 80Kg by Race Day in 8 weeks, the 1kg per week target seems well within reach.

What of this week. I started with a gym session on Monday, and a 5Km tempo run, as I seek to add one speed session a week in the February plan. This went well, with the run taking a little over 25 minutes. The weather broke a bit this week, with some storms and even floods in parts of the city, but these did not interfere with my running at all, aside from making the runs a little cooler after Tuesdays run, where I set out a little later than planned and felt the heat of the morning as I ran. I then managed three 10Km runs this week, all nice and steady, nothing special to write about, just steady mileage building runs, all of which lead up to this morning, and my longest run so far.

Because of the lack of interesting places to run around here, without travelling a distance for a run, something I will do later in my training, I decided that my 8 miler, would in fact be 14Km, which would consist of my usual 3Km run down to the Parque Dominico, and then I would complete 6 laps of the park, each lap is around 1.35Kms, making 3 laps 4Km. SO, by extending this run to 6 laps, I would be running 8 Kms in the park. Sunday's in this Parque are very interesting, as at one end, there is an open air market, where the main business seems to revolve around the selling of caged birds, budgies, canaries etc, and so there is a lot of activity for early Sunday morning. Obviously, I am not alone in using these green lungs as a training base, and it's always great to see, and acknowledge, other runners as you plod along, with the addition of many fitness walkers who use the circuit of the park for their own exercise.

The weather today was heavy and overcast, warm, around 26 degrees, even at 8am, but with the cloud cover, there was no burning sun to add to the heat exposure, and despite a lot of sweating, the weather didn't affect my running. I deliberately took things easy on the 3 Km run down to the park, and although not running to the watch, I did check the time to ensure I was keeping the pace in check. It was nice and steady to the park in a little under 18 minutes, and I then proceeded to complete each lap in a steady 6:40, relatively even paced for each circuit, before heading back to Avenue Belgrano and the asphalt trek back to base. I completed the run in 1:15:43, a pace of around 5:25 per Km, which is faster than I plan to be running my marathon, and although feeling the extra distance in the legs, overall it was a comfortable run considering how quickly I have managed to get to this point. I can continue my February plan with great expectations of success in maintaining my progress.

I add a little picture of the Parque where I am spending so much of my time at present, and whilst it doesn't do justice to the excellent running route circuit, it at least shows you where I am. The name of the Parque seems to confuse everyone around here - On the map it's called Parque Presidente Sarmiento, everyone refers to it as the Parque Villa Dominico, and this sign says something different - All I know is that it is the best place locally for me to run, and is helping me in my attempts to get Marathon fit by April.

Injury Worries, but weight continues to drop.

2012-01-30T14:33:00.000Z

This week has seen me nursing my Hamstring along, with controlled running rather than anything too dramatic. The hamstring is still very much a concern, as it isn't healing up - realistically, I need to stop running for a week to see how that helps, but with my timescale being tight, I cannot afford the break. I am alternating my running, with a harder/longer session, followed by a very light session the following day. The one thing I can say is that the injury does not actually affect me running, it's the hours following that is filled with discomfort.

On the plus side this week, I had two sessions which clearly indicate improvements all around. On Tuesday I ran a 10Km route, almost a minute faster than I had previously run this route, in under 53 minutes, without feeling any strain at the faster pace, and without increasing the pace as I would in a race situation approaching the finish. And on Friday, I used the gym to check if any speed had come back to me as I progressed with the increased distances. I ran a timed 4Km run on the treadmill, recording 19:51 for the distance, my fastest over a 4Km time trial since August 2009, so things going well on two fronts - distance and speed.

And finally, the icing on the cake. My weekly weigh-in saw the scales reach their lowest point in many a year - 87 Kgs., which is just under 192 lbs. I still have a way to go to get to my target on April 1st of 80 Kgs., but I am very happy with this progress, and it makes the sacrifices all worth while.

A Mixed week - Up and Down

2012-01-22T14:54:00.000Z

Whenever you start training specifically for an event, you start a countdown in your mind. On a good training day, the time to go to an event seems an age away, and when things don't go so well on a run, then the countdown clock seems to be running faster. This week, my clock has been speeding up and slowing down, all in the same few days.

I started the week with a good run with the Hash on Sunday. For many months I have been treating the Hash runs as simple jogs, with little effort, but this week, I ran with the front runners, and enjoyed a good 10Km run in the sun, albeit a little stop and start, but an enjoyable run, where I knew afterwards I had been running hard.

Monday is usually a rest day for me, but I jogged out and did 3Km in the sun, trying to get accustomed to the excessive heat, without pushing the body. Tuesday morning I was out early and had a good run down to Parque Dominico, where I extended the run to 10Km by running three circuits of the park, and feeling excellent - thinking the Santiago Marathon is a long way away...

Working on my alternative strategy, the following day was another "Run in The Sun" day, and an easy run to a nearby plaza, which is around 250 metres around, where I ran laps on the clock to see how I was doing, with the intent of using this plaza as a place to carry out interval sessions next month. I again ran out in the heat of the day, and certainly felt it, but was happy with the session.

However, Thursday, my left hamstring was feeling very sore, and although my plan was for a longer run, I decided to simply loosen the leg out and jog a short run. This I managed, using the Plaza Circuit again, and felt the tightness, so took things very easy. When I got home I iced the leg, and that countdown clock seemed to be rushing all of a sudden...

I decided that rest may be the best for the leg, so took Friday off, and on Saturday, the leg was feeling a lot easier, having had no hard run since Tuesday really, so took an easy jog to test. This morning, I decided to go for another 10Km run. With 10 weeks to go on that clock - 70 Days - I need to maintain these runs and extend them weekly to get the mileage in the legs, while balancing the tight hamstrings by stretching out. I ran 53:53 for the 10Km run today, not particularly fast, but I hope to race a 10K before the Marathon to judge the speed in March, we shall see.

So, up and down week, but satisfied with the running, just not happy with the hamstrings which I have to hand hold as I progress. We shall see..... On the weight front things are going in the right direction, which will obviously help the stamina, and will also help the hamstrings as I will have less weight on them :)... 2 Kgs lost so far, and creeping under the 90 Kilo mark, and with 10 weeks to go on that target as well, need 1 Kilo a week over the period.

Must tell you about this Madman....

2012-01-14T22:38:00.000Z

Mad in a nice way that is.

Last year I was contacted by the Irish Embassy here in Buenos Aires, to see if I, or people I knew here, could help an Irish Runner who was attempting to run around the world! Naturally, I said I would see what I could do, and I discovered the exploits of Tony Mangan, an Irish Ultra Runner, who I had come across some years ago when he was attempting a World Treadmill record for 48 hours at the Dublin Marathon. Well, now he is running around the World, and after finishing a leg running around Europe he was completing his North American part of the journey, pushing a stroller with his kit. Unfortunately, the terrain in Central America and into South America was not conducive to pushing a stroller and he was looking to ship it to Buenos Aires to collect when he reached here. I managed to help him with his request, by contacting another Irish ex-pat here who has a storage business here, and all is awaiting his arrival.

He has now completed North America, and is presently in Colombia, having just started the South American leg, and he is recording his exploits on his fantastic blog CLICK HERE - THE WORLD JOG and I recommend it as a great read, and also if you want to support his run in any way you can. There are some who might question his sanity in attempting such a feat, including himself, but I admire him for this, and his many other feats of endurance. Next time I find an 8Km run tough, maybe I should remind myself about Tony's Run, and zip my own man-suit up. Check it out......

Cooler days, no alcohol, good run, and YES, we have electricity!

2012-01-14T15:47:00.000Z

After 90 hours, we finally got the electric back on, amazing what you take for granted, and miss like mad when it goes out, at least for a day or so, then you get used to dealing without it - Having said that I am glad it's back on again.

Thankfully the last few days have seen cooler temperatures, with the hottest part of the day only getting into the high 20's - and never did I think I would be saying that the high 20's was a cool day! Compared to the 40 degrees it hit at the beginning of the week, it was almost time to pull out the thermals......

With the weather having drained me, and tight hamstrings I decided to take a rest for a serious run on Thursday and Friday, with just a coaching session on Friday as a modest run for me. So, Saturday morning arrived, after a night out Frinking, where I spent a great evening in the bar with friends, drinking Aqua sin Gas, and surprising a few at my determination on this front. Two weeks into the regime now, and all going well on that front. So, Saturday, and up for a morning run, with the temperature around 23 degrees, excellent running weather. the sun high in the sky and at 11am I was off. Ran the same as Tuesday, the trip to Parque Dominico, and two laps around the park. This time, no worries with the heat, and ten minutes faster for the 8.7 Km run. Felt freer and lighter in the legs, and very comfortable at this pace of around 5:15 per Km.

Heatwave and No Electricity

2012-01-11T21:30:00.000Z

Phew! What a scorcher!!!!

Well, the first couple of days this week have been unbearably hot - Temps hit the 40 mark on Tuesday afternoon, certainly not conducive for running. To make matters worse, our electricity went out at 10:22 on Monday night, and with midnight temperatures still around the 30 mark, and no air con, it was a very difficult nights sleep. But I managed to get up and out for an early morning run. I would have liked to have got out an hour earlier, but at 8.30 I was out - with the temp already reaching the 30 mark.

I had planned a 10Km run, using a regular route to the park at Villa Dominico, and instead of the one circuit I have been doing, I would make three laps, with each one being 1.3 Kms, hence my 10. However, the temperature was climbing rapidly as I ran, bit the air, and mine, and by the time I got to the park I was feeling the heat. I had tried to run in the shade on the road to the park, but once I arrived, there was no hiding place. I managed two laps, and was feeling the heat, so decided to live to fight another day, and cut the run short to 8.7 Kms, feeling terrible by the time I got home. The day got worse with the heat, and still no electricity!

Wednesday morning and, thankfully, the temps had dropped to the 20's, after some rain overnight, which had allowed a decent(ish) sleep, but still no electric! I was feeling the effects of the run from yesterday, so went for a short recovery run of only 3.25 Kms, and legs were feeling heavy, as one would expect at present. Clearly have to take consideration of the heat this month, as I build the daily runs, and the stamina in the legs, but happy enough with the progress being made.

First week of Santiago Training.... Great

2012-01-09T22:05:00.000Z

Despite the unnatural temperatures down here, I managed to survive the first week of training for Santiago, and it more or less went according to plan. I went dry from last Monday, and I was to be tested at the weekend, as a group of us from here were off to San Pedro, a county town on the River Parana, about 160 Kms from BsAs, where one of our group has a house. It was an extremely hot weekend, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees on Friday, not exactly conducive to running, and with the party atmosphere around, it was likely to be hard to sustain the alcohol free time, and get some runs in. But I managed both.... easily to be honest.

Saturday and Sunday mornings, Marlo, an Australian running friend who was with the gang, and myself were up at 7 and out with a run down to the river in the early morning heat (still around 25!), but before the day really heated up. Both runs were between 6 and 7 kms, with Sunday being slightly longer. One great thing about this run, was the long gradual hill back from the river, and while I am still in the early days of re-training, given there are no hills in BsAs to run, it was great to actually get a hill run in.

So the first week has been completed with 6 runs, and 35Km completed. Nothing fast, but the aim for January is simply to run 6 days a week and build the distance gradually, trying to ensure no injuries. Doing a body check today, I have a few aches, understandably, and quite tight hamstrings, but nothing too severe, so I can chalk week one down to a success. Now for week two, and with today my official rest day, thankfully, as it hit 40 degrees this afternoon, I look forward to tomorrow mornings 10Km run, along with the forecast for the week with temps dropping back to the high 20s, relatively cool.

Increasing the distance

2012-01-05T19:42:00.000Z

After my four days in a row, I needed a rest yesterday, my ageing limbs aren't used to all this exercise, so I put my feet up, and allowed the muscles to adjust. This morning, I woke early and checked the forecast for today, with a Max High of 33 showing, so after taking in some fluids, I was out on the road just after 8am, even though it was already up to 23 degrees.

Obviously, I need to increase the mileage, and as previously suggested, it's a balance to daily running and distance, without overdoing it. One of my difficulties for running from the front door is the lack of green space nearby. All runs have to commence with a fair amount of roads, and as the sidewalks/pavements here are terribly maintained, it is the road that I hit.

Today's run took me to the park, but it also takes a 3Km straight run along a main road to get there, and, naturally enough, it's 3Km back. But it is worth it, and whilst I don't plan to simply add laps of the park to make distance, it is easy enough, and won't get boring for a while. A lap of the park is around 1.25Km, so easy enough to build up distance by using this park. An alternative is to head to the Capital, and Puerto Madero, the modern docklands of the city, where there are loads of runners, and open spaces, without vehicles, but again, it's a long urban run to get there, around 5Km, so those runs will be a few weeks away once I start getting up into the high teens and above. But there is hope...

Back to today's run, and despite the heat, I ran steadily, enjoyed the lap of the park, also seeing a few other morning runners, not a common sight locally, and headed back as the intensity of the sun increased. No wild animals to report, a few urban ones, and a siamese cat who gave me an evil eye as I approached, and scooted off in front of me, looking back, before darting into a doorway - Oh well.... managed the run at a pace of a tad over 5:30 per Km, not feeling too bad, although the legs needed some good stretching when I got back.

Already 22.5 for the month, which is way ahead of last year - The pace may be slow, but the ~~miles~~ Kilometres are getting there...

Four days in a row - I must be getting serious...

2012-01-03T18:42:00.000Z

Day 3 of the year, and my fourth run in a row - It's been a long time since I wrote that. And to make matters better, the temperature had dropped a little this morning, and at mid-morning it was only around 23 degrees, so instead of a trip to the gym, I managed to get outside and enjoy a run I call Belgrano 4100, which is 4.2Km long, an out and back street run.

Pleased to report that although my legs could feel I have been running regularly, they eased into the run, and I reached the turnaround point without feeling any discomfort at all. I increased the pace a little on the return run, and, although breathing heavily, I finished strongly, and recorded my quickest time on this route. Now, whilst it is important not to be timing every run, or trying to beat my best time, what is important is to gauge the feelings of my body as I run. So, if I keep a check on my times for the distances, I can compare how I felt for each time I run a particular course. So, today, I went out easily, increased the pace a little on the return, and noted my breath levels, so I can judge in a week or so, when I do this route again - Today I ran 21:49, we will see what happens next.

Here is a picture from Sunday, which makes me look pregnant, something else I can compare with in a few weeks - Hopefully, just like my times, this will be coming down as well!

New Year, and here we go again....

2012-01-02T23:53:00.000Z

Well, I have started the year with confidence, if not fitness. 90 days to go to the Santiago marathon, and no target set, simply get to the start line and, all being well, to the finish line. So, with this in mind, I should report my main training resolution - I am off the pop for three months. Years ago, when I was running seriously, this was a regular occurrence, but in recent years I have failed to keep this up, but this year I have good reason. My weight at the start of the year is hovering around the 92 Kgs, and by the race I definitely want to be under 85 Kgs, and if I can get nearer 82 Kgs, I would be even happier.

With all this in mind, Sunday saw me running the first 75% of the Hash as a FRB (Front Running Bas***d), which was around 8Km, and at a healthy pace, given the temperature was over the 30 mark. Obviously the summer weather here does not make for ideal training conditions, so today, an even hotter day, I went to the gym, and did an easy 3Km run in 16:11. I aim to use the treadmill four times a week, with two longer runs outdoors, either early morning, or evening, to turn over a 6 day a week regime. Easy at first, and then adding a hint of speed work as the stamina increases.

No easy tasks over the next few weeks, but lets hope this years beginnings can be maintained over the 13 weeks left to me. If all goes well with Santiago, and that simply means a finish, then Rosario in June may be on the cards, and Punte de Este in Uruguay, come September, when the winter temps here are more conducive to training, should me races that I can target with a degree of confidence, ending with the plan to run the Dublin Marathon back home at the end of October, along with my son.

That's mapped out the year, now, on with the training.....

The end of the year... And a final run before the bell tolls...

2011-12-31T23:09:00.000Z

The last couple of weeks have seen little activity due to a couple of things. After my session in mid-month with a form of interval training, I suffered a reaction which I feared might have been a re-occurence of the problem I had earlier in the year - the dreaded Gout! Thankfully, I think this was more a simple stress injury in the tendon in my left foot, but I felt it best to lay off the running for a week, so as not to cause any more damage, and to ensure that it wasn't gout again.

So, this week I ventured to the gym on Tuesday, and managed an easy 3km, and followed this up tonight with the final run of the year, an easy 3.25Km run in 16:56, on a familiar route, which felt easy, and with no niggles as I ran. I conclude a roller-coaster year with very little to shout about, but a determination to put the problems behind me in 2012, and have a great running year.

Looking back on 2011, there were very few running highs to write about, with the exception of actually filling in the entry form, and paying for, the Santiago Marathon next year. But the obvious highlight of the year was the arrival of little Maisie, my first grand-child, and being there when she was just a few hours old - a new life entering the world - Let's hope she grows up to see a better place than the present state.

It's usual for people to make resolutions today, that last a week, if they are lucky, and every year we sit down as runners, and plan that the next year will be better, our training more structured, our goals set out, and by March we have forgotten everything. By way of getting myself motivated I have a plan in my my head, which will involve a number of Marathons, which mean a lot of training, hard work, and an ability to overcome the Hot Summer weather here, at least twice a week, for a long run, which I cannot complete in the gym.

I'm starting the year by signing up for Jantastic, a wonderful motivational bit of fun from the guys at Marathon Talk, a wonderful, weekly, Podcast which I thoroughly recommend you listen to if you haven't already tuned in - Their interviews each week are brilliant, none more so than the recent one with Steve Jones, who was my motivation back in the 80's when I started running seriously. Make yourself a resolution to listen in each week - well worth it....

The final note from me to the two people left who read this - Have a Very Happy New Year, don't celebrate too much, get a run in on New Years Day to Kickstart the year, and may you reach your goals for 2012, as I aim to reach my own.

Those darn legs

2011-12-16T00:34:00.000Z

As I said in earlier posts this week, my legs have been feeling tired, and added to that where some events that I couldn't avoid (not that I wanted to!), and so, I decided to let the legs rest for a couple of days, hoping that all would be well.

Today, I went to the gym after classes, and decided to try a tempo based progression interval session, just to see what I may be capable off. I warmed up with 2 Km at an easy pace, then ran 5 x 400m, with 1 minute intervals, progressing from 12 Kph, 12.2. 12.6, 12.8 and finally 13 Kph, before finishing with an easy Km warm down. Have to say that while I didn't find these easy, nor where they too hard. At no point did I feel incapable of achieving the goal, and I was actually quite pleased with the workout. I appreciate these are not super fast, but another stepping stone to building up the legs and the cardio fitness.

We will have to see how the legs feel in the morning.......

Tired Legs

2011-12-12T11:16:00.000Z

An interesting weekend in my latest quest to regain fitness, and listened to some good advice.

After the race on Thursday, I felt good, encouraged by it, despite the relative slow time, and on Friday evening I attended the Despedida Hash here in BA for the imminent departure of our long serving GM. The run was around 6Km, in three stages, and I actually enjoyed the full run, no great pace, but consistently running along.

I had planned to race on Sunday morning, again over 10Km, but listening to experienced heads over at Kickrunners, and listening to my own body, I felt that it was a bit much to be asking the body at this stage, to run another 10Km at race pace so soon after Thursday. so, discretion took place and I didn't go to the race.

Am I glad I passed. I went for a morning run, intending to run an easy 7Km, but within 100 meters of the house, my legs felt like lead. Obviously the 10Km, followed by the 6Km had left their mark, and I was struggling. I hoped that they would loosen up after a few more minutes of running, but they didn't, so I decided to cut short the run, and completed a 4.2 km run in just over 22 minutes. Not a bad pace, given how I felt, but a wake up call to say how much work is still needed before I can expect to have great runs every day.

16 Weeks to Santiago and a heck of a journey of Hard Work over this period....

Finally - The race post - Hispano argentina maraton 10K - Dec 8th

2011-12-09T01:25:00.003Z

Don't get alarmed, they call every race here a "Maraton" you get used to it after a couple of years. Well, today was the day, my venture into 10Km races in this latest attempt to rekindle my running life. The lead up had not gone well, as we had a power cut from 11pm last night until 2:15 this morning, which with temps in the high 20's overnight, and no air con, was not the best way to get a good nights sleep.

Waking up at 6.30, with temps already around the 20C mark, and the sun cracking the flags at least meant that it would be a dry race.... I took the bus and the subte to Plaza Italia, and down to Plaza Espana, (We have a lot of Plaza's named for countries here - we were to run around Plaza Croatia in the race as well!), and met up with my pal John, wearing his County Mayo GAA shirt, rather than the Race Shirt. We had said we would wear Irish Shirts, but as mine are Rugby Shirts and heavy duty, there was no way I was tempting that today.

The build up was well organised, no queues for Chip Collection, or Baggage drop, and with quite a lot of runners milling around, I have no idea of the overall number, we waited in teh shade until the last minute before heading over to the start line. John was aiming for sub 50, while I was being more patient and seeking around 55 minutes, so we wished wach other luck, and right on time, (very unusual for Argentina.....OUCH!!!) the race was off, with temps probably around 28C by now.

STOP PRESS>>>>> Just as I was typing this, we had yet another power cut - This one lasted six hours, in which I drank a few glasses of wine over lunch with an old friend, and talked running.

So - view of the race. Here are my splits - 26:59 for first 5K (5:37 - 5:15 - 5:24 - 5:16 - 5:27). It was hot, heading towards 28C by the end, but I only needed to take a break after 7K, so my splits followed at 5:25, to 5:34, before the walk break resulted in a 5:59 eigth Km, but I persevered and managed am incredible 5:08 (fastest Km) at the ninth, maybe it was short, as my final Km was 5:42, and I know I was running hard over the last Km, as I passed quite a few people in the last 250 metres.

Completed the task, with a finishing time of 54:47, which works out at an age graded performance of 57.77% - Not great, but within my target and a good sign of keeping the progress going....

The shirt (and medal) from today....

I know I promised more....

2011-12-06T15:37:00.001Z

But we have exams this week, and things have been a little hectic. Plus at the weekend we had some power outages, and I was organising the Hash run for Sunday. Now, I have mentioned before in this blog, that not every runner appreciates that Hashers actually run - they see us as a bunch of drinkers, who walk or jog a little. well, some Hashes may be little more than a pub crawl, but I can assure you that the Hashes I have been running in the last two years, here in Buenos Aires, in Santiago, and in Sheffield, England, have been quite serious in the running part. So, this Sunday, I was laying trail, and laid a course of 10Km, starting at 8 in the morning. By the time the gang arrived to run, I then ran part of the course again - Probably, all in all getting an 8Km run under my belt - Not too bad....

Yesterday, I was tied up with things, and the planned rest day was just that. But this morning I decided to lace up the shoes at 9am, to try and replicate the conditions for my race on Thursday, the Hispano Argentina 10K. I decided on a flat course (round here, that is pretty much every run!), out and back to the Parque Dominico - with a lap of the park thrown in, and a run of around 7.3 Km. Clocked an easy 40:30 run, with a couple of delays for crossing busy junctions. I had no problems with the heat, which was around 23 celsius, but know that as summer bites, it will be tougher to run at this time.

The running season here comes to an end at the end of the year - ironically, given where I come from, the summers are too hot for regular races. But with Santiago on April 1st, these few races now will stand me in good stead for the build up to, what will be, my first Marathon (despite the fact that every race from 3Km upwards is called a Maraton here) in 4 years, with my last being Surf City back in 2008.

Here's a picture from after the Hash on Sunday, so you can see the need I have to reduce the weight.... :)

After a few butt kicks - I stopped reading and went for a run

2011-11-30T22:41:00.000Z

Despite the relatively reasonable, given the heat and the level of fitness I know I have at the moment, race on Sunday, I was feeling a little down yesterday, reviewing my time, and comparing it to what I was capable of running only a few short years ago. So, I went back to my old haunt at Kickrunners and posted a question regarding motivation, and how you got it back after such a long lay off, Well, I got a couple of butt kicks from old "friends" - well deserved I might add, and it has helped me assess the situation, and I know what I have to do - So I will.......

KSRUNR over there, came up with a great line for all of us who read far more about running than we actually run! His quote - "Quit Reading This and Go Run!" - So I did........

Well, to be fair, he posted that yesterday, and whilst not trying to find excuses, I didn't get a planned run in yesterday. It was well into the 90's all day, so i went to the gym for a treadmill run, only to find all the power out in that part of town, sadly a common occurrence in the summer down here - As soon as it gets hot, the AC Units are powered up at full blast, and the systems can't cope, so frequent power outages (we had three on Saturday at the house!)...

But I did today. At the weekend, I received personal delivery of a new pair of Asics Nimbus 13's from my good friend Vincent, who had brought them down from New York, on one of his many trips down to South America - the joys of being retired. It may seem a long way to bring shoes, but they cost twice the price here for last years model, as government import restrictions make it difficult for non-Argentine companies to compete in the local market, despite Buenos Aires having the largest growth for running related products in South America, but if savings are to be made, and I get the right shoe, I'm a happy chap...

So today, with power on, I went the gym, and ran an easy, even-paced, 5Km run in 27:12, feeling comfortable, with no after effects from Sunday, and no difficulties with the pace at all, which augurs well. I also weighed myself at the gym, and found I had dropped to 91Kgs, which leaves me with 11 to go to my target by April of 80Kgs - I started at 93kgs, and have a 14% weight loss target - at 1% per week - seems reasonable -

And as for KSRUNR's quote I stopped reading, and I ran :) - And it felt great..........

My new Shoes :)

UNDAV 8K (Actually 8.5K) Race - Avellaneda

2011-11-28T16:39:00.001Z

My first race in my attempt to get back to a good level of fitness for next April and the Marathon in Santiago. This race was being run locally in Avellaneda, and is free to enter, with a Tech T-shirt thrown in for good measure. Managed to talk a few friends to run the race as well, and so Team Frinking had a decent turnout with 5 of us running. The race was advertised as an 8K run, but after the race it transpired that it was actually 8.5K, which explained the last kilometre (or not!), but I jump ahead of myself.

The race was due off at 9am, and with around 2,500 people lining up for the run, we were faced with the prospect of a great, flat course, with the clouds being burnt away by the sun, and temperatures rising steadily, reaching around the 30C mark by the end. I was hoping to run under 45 minutes, and started at a modest pace, and lo and behold, the first Km was run in 5:08, although it felt easy. I didn't try and slow down, or ease up, just kept the legs turning over steadily, and the first few kilometers felt good. I reached the 4Km mark in 21 minutes, but by now the sun was heating things up, and a welcome hose down from the local fire brigade cooled me down for a few minutes. I missed the 5Km mark, but estimate that I had run the 5km in around 26:20, and around that time I had to take a walk break as I was overheating. A sixty second walk break to cool down, shouldn't lose me too much time, and I started off again, running slower now, but determined to hit my time marks.

I had plenty of time in hand at the 7Km mark, spot on 38 minutes, and knew I would be within my time goal. By now it had got exceptionally hot, and I was struggling with this, but I could see my friend Scott about 20 meters ahead of me, so I focused on keeping him in my aim, as I tried to increase the pace a little to catch him. I wasn't looking at my watch at all at this point, trying to concentrate on closing the gap. As we turned onto Av.Belgrano and the home straight to the finish line, I narrowed the distance to 10m, but with some 200m to go, Scott found his own second gear, and I knew I had nothing left in the tank, so I backed off and glanced at my watch to see that somehow the last Km was taking me over 8 minutes!!!!! Somewhat surprised with this, I gave one last sprint, overtaking a couple of people, and crossed the line with my watch at 46:40....

I subsequently found out that the race was actually 8.5Km, which explained the anomaly over the last stretch form Km 7.

Much needed water was plentiful, with fruit available too, and I met up with the rest of the gang, and the Race Director who was delighted with everything. The Team then headed back for a shower before meeting up with more Frinkers and we headed off to El Tano Parilla for a great lunch, followed by beer and wine for a very enjoyable day in the sun, after a decent race, which, thankfully, was longer than expected, making my time very acceptable for 8.5, with the 8 being around 44 minutes, well inside targetted hopes.

Next up is the 10K Hispano race in ten days time, and I will aim for 55 there.

9 am Running at 28 degrees

2011-11-25T21:06:00.000Z

As the race on Sunday starts at 9am, and with the summer having arrived this week, I decided to go out for an easy run at 9am today to acclimatise. It was already 28 degrees at 9am, and I decided to run for time, rather than distance, and a shortish 20 minute run in the sun was called for.

I'm laying the trail for the hash in a couple of weeks, so I ran the first 4 km of that route today, more or less. It was hot, and sweaty, but enjoyable, and despite having some chaffing on my inner thigh, I felt comfortable at this distance, and didn't have too much problem with the heat.

Sundays run over 8Km will be a little tougher if it is as hot, but I aim to be quicker than last years attempt at this race, and while not wanting to set myself too hard a target, given the level I know I am at, I shall simply look for around 45 minutes, nice and easy in this weather.

Entered the Hispano Race on Dec 8th yesterday, and got another great tech T-Shirt,all for 70 pesos entry fee, which works out around 12 euros - You couldn't buy a Tech Shirt for that, never mind get a race included as well.

An easy 5Km run in the gym

2011-11-22T19:44:00.000Z

With the temperatures starting to climb, in a reversal of what would be happening if I was back in Ireland, I am heading to the gym, where a fair amount of my training will take place. I have always had an affinity with treadmill running, having trained a lot on the machines in the past, mainly for the opposite reason, dark and cold winters in the High Peak. But with the day time temps hitting the high 20's at the moment, and already a nice shade of lobster, a steady run of 5K was called for, and I delivered.

A nice easy, even, pace of 10.8 kph, saw me clocking off around 5:30 per kilometre, and while it was tempting to click up a notch as I ran, I stuck at the even pace, and completed the 5K in 27:27, which according to my running diary, is the fastest I have run a 5K on the mills since July last year, although nothing to write home about. I was simply pleased to get the extra distance completed on the treadmill.

Just because we enjoy a beer after - It's still a Hard Run!

2011-11-21T14:04:00.000Z

I appreciate that to the dedicated runner, my enjoyment of the Hash House Harriers, and my participation in hashes every two weeks here in Buenos Aires, may seem like a diversion away from any attempt I may have to get back into serious shape to achieve my goal of the Santiago Marathon next April. Well, I can say that in BsAs we have many serious runners who partake in the Hash, none more so than this weekends hare, Gonzalo, who is a very experienced runner, tri-athlete, and medal winner at adventure races around Latin America. This past weekend, the hash had their annual weekend event, this year celebrating the 555th Run by the pack here, and we all went to Carilo, some 400km south of the capital, on the Atlantic Coast, set in a forest, with a wonderful hotel, and beautiful weather for running, and relaxing.

As it was a weekend event, we had two runs planned, late Saturday afternoon. and then again on Sunday lunchtime. We arrived on Friday evening, had a nice Mexican meal, and an early night, waking to glorious sunshine on Saturday. A stroll down to the beach, and dipping toes into the cold Atlantic - The air temperature may have been 28, but the Antarctic Drift ensured the water was freezing - I certainly caught the sun, and am presently a nice shade of lobster! After a light lunch, the Hashers got together and the first run of the weekend set off. With two runs planned over the weekend, and knowing that Gonzalo would not have set easy runs, I took it easy on Saturday, only running the shorter, and easier run of around 6Km, through woods, beach and sandy roads, but still felt like I had a decent run, and the disappointment of Thursdays gym session was forgotten.

After a party on Saturday night, with a lot of energy spent dancing, Sunday morning arrived with, once again, the sun shining, and conditions set for a serious run. Gonzo didn't disappoint, and as he knows that I am gearing up for Santiago, he pushed me all the way, with a tough run, along the trails, and up and down sand dunes, before insisting I ran the full distance, which amounted to around 12Km. Obviously, as this is a hash, this distance is a touch stop and start, but the last 4 Km was a full run with the better runners, and with one or two others potentially looking at marathons in the fall (southern hemisphere one!), I was happy that whilst not quite keeping up their pace (most of them 20 years younger than me as well!), I managed to get a great run in and I can confirm this morning that I felt it - My legs are aching, but in a good way - from hard exercise, and a new found belief that I can once again run a decent distance.

As my good friend Theia says, baby steps, and the hash has at least kept me going when other running may have been falling my the wayside. Onwards and upwards........

No run today - but......

2011-11-18T17:15:00.000Z

After yesterdays weak performance, no running today, as I will be travelling later to Carilo for a weekend of Hashing, which will involve two decent runs, albeit non-competitive, and a party on Saturday night :). Next week, the training starts in earnest.

After posting yesterday's picture of my daughter graduating, it's only fair to post a picture from today's Graduation Ceremony from DIT for my son, his diploma in programming, and he is progressing on the full degree course. Nice to see them both graduate in the same week.

Well, I never said it would be easy.

2011-11-18T02:39:00.000Z

After writing yesterday, and feeling like I had taken a decent step in the right direction, I decided to head to the gym today and try a 4Km run at even pace. I started at 11.1KPH on the speed gauge, and within a few hundred meters I felt lethargic, and finding it tough to breathe properly. By the 1k mark, I knew that 4Km was not going to be possible, I was overstretching, even at this ridiculously short distance. I persevered, and increased the speed a notch at each 200m clocked, having taken the decision to bail out at 2Km.

A short run, only 2km, some 40 Km less than I have to run in 4 months, and in 10:47 pedestrian pace. I guess I should believe the title of this post, it isn't going to be easy, I have let my fitness level drop to an alarming position. 2Km should be a warm up for any runner, today it was a struggle - Oh well....

On a brighter note - I posted yesterday about my son being an influence in me getting back running. I should also mention my daughter, who turned 24 last Monday, and the same week received her degree from Sheffield University. A degree she completed a little more than days before the arrival of Little Maisie her beautiful daughter, and my first grandchild. She achieved, what to many would be impossible. her final semester at University with the imminent arrival of her first child. But she stuck with it, and I am proud of her achievements this year (and every other one too!). I attach a picture of her graduation to show how proud we all are.

My grandchild has probably started school since I last wrote!

2011-11-16T20:25:00.000Z

I must go back over my blog and see how many times I have said, I am starting training again, and I have a new goal, and blah, blah, blah..... nothing happens! Well, guess what, I am training again and I have a new goal, so, here goes again.

For new readers, don't bother going over the old stuff - I used to be a semi decent club runner, back when I was young, but if I am honest with myself, I haven't really put a huge amount of effort in for the last 7 or 8 years, with a couple of exceptions when I trained for Connemara and Prague Marathons back in 2006. Since then I have only added one more Marathon finish to my name, in 2008 when I ran Surf City over in California, and my age graded best result since then was a 23:10 5Km race in Dublin in March a few weeks later. Don't get me wrong, I have continued to run in all that time, just never with any effort over a period of time. Some excuses were valid, the odd injury in my ageing body, but mostly, the reason for the lack of continuity in my training has been idleness.

Since moving down to Argentina back in November 2009, I have completed in a few local races, and in fact managed three races in Ireland while on holiday back home, none of which have been great feats of running to even challenge my own M50 records, let alone anything else.

Well, now I will be 54 early in the New Year, my weight is stagnant at around 93 Kg (205lbs), and whilst a good 5 Kg than I was at the beginning of the year, its still 10 to 15 Kg more than I would like to be. But the biggest motivation to get back into running has been the success of my son, Liam Og, who took up running this year, and completed the Dublin Marathon in 4:24:11 in his first attempt at the distance. He also bettered my M50 times for other distances, so I have a year to get those back!.... I should point out that, obviously, my son is not in the M50 category, having just turned 26 last week, but he set my times as targets, so one way of making sure he continues to run, may be for me to improve my times - And look at setting new ones at M55 in 15 months time.

So, I looked for a goal that was not only achievable, but not too far distant that I would lose interest. Living in South America, there are less options, but the Santiago Marathon on April 1st, some 4.5 months away, seems like a reasonable, if challenging, target. My aim, to finish faster than 4:24 - In the short term, I have an 8Km race on Sunday 27th, locally in Avellaneda where I live. Last year, an unfit me, completed this race in the awful time of 47:23, age graded to 52.29%, and I will be hoping to be a fair bit quicker than that whilst not challenging my M50 best time of 39:10 set back in Galway two years ago. We shall see.....

In the meantime, this morning, with the temperatures hitting 28 degrees, I went for a modest run of around 3.25Km, which I was pleased with, especially with the heat, and I can gradually build the distance, and hopefully some speed, over the months ahead.

Thumbs stopped, Maisie arrived, and I'm back running!

2011-06-27T22:07:00.000+01:00

Well, for once in my life I have a good excuse for not running much, and not posting either. As you know, I was hanging around between Ireland and England awaiting the arrival of my little grand-daughter. Well, needless to say she was a typical woman, - LATE! But what that meant was that I got to have a few nice runs around old haunts (see last post), and also managed to get a Hash in with the Sheffield Hash House Harriers, althoughg it was more like a Mountain Climb, as it involved an ascent and descent of Kinder Scout, and we didn't use paths.

I shot back to Ireland for a few days, spending time back in Banbridge and down in Dublin at my sons, before heading back to England on Tuesday June 21st, arriving in Sheffield as Maisie entered the world at 8lb 5oz, with mum and baby doing so well, they let them home within 6 hours of the birth.

I'm not sure which emotion was running highest on meeting my grand-daughter, but I sure felt proud of my little girl, as well as feeling a pang of ageing, especially when Melanie's partner, Gareth, kept saying, "Let Grand-dad hold Maisie"! Still, I still feel young, most of the time, and I am always have to remember that my own father still had five years to age from my youthful 53 years, before I was even born, so believe me, there is life in this old dog yet!

Sadly in many ways, I had to fly back to Argentina, leaving the young ones behind, and thanks to the Chilean Volcano allowing me to change my flights, I arrived back in Buenos Aires on Friday last, just as the Polar Ice Caps decided to freeze BsAs! I was suffering a bit of jet lag, and tummy trouble, so I rested over the weekend, after taking time to Wet The Babies Head in the time honoured tradition on Friday, Frinks Night!

But today, Monday, a new week, back to work, and back to the gym for a run. I managed a good 4Km on the treadmill, in a time of 20:51, my first run in my new Asics Nimbus 13's, with a progressive increase in pace, building up nicely. having had a week off, I was pleased with this run, but not half as pleased as I was with Maisie, so allow me the indulgence of a picture of the three generations of the family.... Now on with the running.....

Whilst Thumbs Twiddle, I get to run

2011-06-09T12:05:00.000+01:00

Whilst the nervous wait continues, I have the delight of being able to get out and run along routes that I remember vividly from my serious running days back in the 90's. This morning I was out at 7.30 and a run along the Peak Forest Canal in the opposite direction to yesterdays run. The canal finishes at, the delightfully named, Bugsworth Basin, which 15 years ago was filled with reeds and un-navigable. I am pleased to see that the canal is now completely cleared up, and boats are moored up around the basin, adding to the plesant atmosphere that canal running has always had around here.

The run this morning was around 3Km in each direction, which I completed under 40 minutes. A gentle run with my hostess Tracy, and the boys, Ruskin & Huxley, with no mis-adventures from the dogs today. We just about managed to miss out on a shower, which wet the place after we had got back, although I am pleased to say the sun is now out and I will probably take a walk to Hayfield, where I lived for my last 18 months in this area, and finally left in 2002 - Nice memories from around here, and great locations for running - Maybe Maisie Moo can hang on for a few more days while I catch up here..........

I've added some links to the area, just in case you want a Peak :)..... Just click on the names above...

Awaiting Maisie

2011-06-08T13:15:00.000+01:00

Since the race last week, I have moved onto England, and the main purpose of my trip north, to await the arrival of little Maisie, my first grandchild. In between, on Friday, I got out for a nice run with Liam Og around Ongar, on a pleasant evening, nice and steady pace, with a kick at the end as we ran around 5.3km, on the flat lands of west county Dublin.

Then on Saturday I made the journey by boat and a few trains, to the area where I used to live back in the 90's, Furness Vale, just outside New Mills, and my friends Peter & Tracy, who were kindly putting me up for a few days, and catching up over a few bottles of wine and great food. Went over to see Mels on Monday, and no sign of the baby coming just yet - Expected date was June 7th, but we still wait.

Tuesday saw me heading into Manchester, and my old workplace of the CIS, now CFS, and a great time catching up with Mark, Mike and Denise - Even though it is 12 years since I left there, it felt like only yesterday when I was there. Manchester itself has changed tremendously in the interveening years, with a lot of new build, and the old Arndale Centre has been completely revamped, to the point that it looked completely different - I couldn't find my way out! Thanks to a bit of Tu-inking, I didn't get a run in until this morning - and what a pleasure that was.

When I lived in the area, it was around the time that I was running seriously, and quickly, and the canal towpath along the Peak Forest Canal was always a favourite run of mine. While I might be slower these days, I could still recall the great runs along here, and it was great to get out for an ealy morning run along the canal, with Tracy, my hostess, and the dogs running alongside us, Ruskin & Huxley. We ran an out and back route, of approximately 9Km, taking a shade over the hour, a nice leisurely pace, great conversation. and perfect running weather - for June!

After a shower etc., I took a walk up to Whaley Bridge, and the local Tesco, where I was surprised to see, amongst their range of "World Beers", a NOT favourite of mine from Home - Quilmes, and hopefully, as can be seen from the picture I snapped from my phone, not quite at the price we would pay at the local store in Avellaneda..... Needless to say, I didn't buy any......

Now, I am sat here twiddling my thumbs as I await news from Mels. I have my flight booked for next Wednesday, so a bit more running, no finger nails, and soon, the newest addition to the Mycroft Clan should be here........

The results are in..

2011-06-01T01:06:00.001+01:00

After a weekend away in Limerick to watch the Magners League Final (Rugby for the uninitiated), it was back to Dublin today, and the eagerly awaited challenge between the "Auld fella"(Me), and the "Young Un"(my son). The event, a BHAA Race over 5 Miles in Dunboyne, a race I ran a few years ago, and recalled it being flat and fast. Liam Og has recently taken up running, and despite giving him 28 years (as any father would), it was looking like a close race from his training times, and my own return to running - would it be the case on the day.

The race was to start at 8pm, on a very pleasant evening in County Meath, with the sun still bright in the sky at start time, albeit the breeze did bring a little chill, which would be swept away once the running started. There was an excellent turn out for the race, and we set off right on time, with Og and myself lining up together.

I wasn't sure what tactics to employ, should I set off hard and see if I could burn him off early on, or should I hang back at a steady pace, knowing he was likely to run alongside, and simply try and out kick him over the last mile. I had thought that 8:20 pace would be good enough, and once started, I was surprised to find Og running alongside, as I set off at sub 8 minute pace, and the first mile was hit in 7:56, fast for me, but Og was still alongside - he looked confident....

Mile 2 was reached in 16:01, still around the 8 minute pace, and a little too fast for me, so I eased back, clocking 8:32 for the next mile, and Og pulled ahead... I was struggling a little, maybe the weekend had caught up with me, maybe the niggle in the back, but to be fair, i had felt fine at the start, and make no excuses for the next mile, which saw a terrible 9:04 time, and I knew I was in trouble, despite having caught himself before the mile marker - he had overheated, and taken a walk break to recover his composure.

The last mile. He was only a few yards ahead, but I knew that I couldn't increase my pace dramatically to close the gap. His youthful legs were turning over well, he had got his second wind and with less than half a mile to go I knew that tonight was going to be his night, as there was no way the gap could be closed, far from it, it was widening, despite my own increase in pace. I dug in, but with little effect, although I did overtake a few runners once we made the last 200m on the track at Dunboyne Athletics Club, but I only clocked 8:02 for that last mile, and a final time of 41:39, with Og having crossed the line some forty seconds ahead of me.

The challange had been accepted, and he deserved his victory. Obviously I hope that it will not be the last time we race against each other, and I am sure Og will get a lot faster as he builds his training, but I am determined to resume competition with him, although it might be in virtual races in the next year of so, until we can line up together at a race. I am proud of his achievement. Mildy disappointed with my own run, although my overall pace was exactly what I had in mind, I set off too fast and suffered for it mid-race....

That's my racing over for this trip home, as my next stop is Sheffield and the imminent arrival of Baby Maisie, the main reason for my journey - I'll get a few more runs in to keep my fitness together, and then it will be Grandad (Abuelo) duties before I return to Argentina and the next race......

The reason why I am in Banbridge

2011-05-26T15:38:00.001+01:00

This is why I have come home at this time - On June 7th or thereabouts, my little girl will become blessed with the arrival of her own little girl. Maisie is due to enter the world around then, and what self-respecting abuelo couldn't be home for this.

As for my legs, they are feeling the run from last night, and the back is still sore. I slept through until 10 this morning, but since then I have done a few jobs around the place, depsite the rain, and even managed to get myself a new pair of runner - my Asics Gel Nimbus 13's, with blue laces as well, but with a 20% reduction in price - Thank you! My treat to my running self.

A week passes, I switch countries, and take in a race when knackered!

2011-05-25T23:58:00.000+01:00

Yep - That headline about sums up things. As you know, I was heading home to welcome the new arrival to the Mycroft family, due very soon (don't worry, she will be posted!). Since the last post and chorus (prize for the first person to comment as to the meaning!), I ran an interval session (painful), laid a trail for the Hash, had a few dinners, did a bit of Frinking, and on Tuesday morning I set off for home for the imminent arrival.

The journey from BsAs to Madrid was relatively uneventful - chatted with an English/Indian doctor, who has been touring Argentina for three months, had a spare seat next to me (Thankfully, as the leg room was a little tight), watched a couple fo films, The dilema (comedy - 5/10- Ok on an airplane, and The Way back (much better))... Only managed an hour or so sleep, which was a pain, but we arrived in Madrid an hour ahead of schedule - so no hiccups. Onward flight to Gatwick on time and comfy - wish I'd had those seats on the long haul. Then the problems hit, with a three hour delay, but eventually we got back to Dublin, and BOY WAS IT CHILLY! I mean, it's meant to be heading to summer here, it was grey, damp, & I was so glad I decided to take my warmer jacket with me.

Finally reached the house at 5.30 p.m., and after dropping the bags off, I quickly got changed into my running gear (Yes, I am mad......), and despite my eyelids closing, I went and lined up for the start of the Bann 10K - the race I screwed up last year, taking 61:40, albeit on a hilly course - I had some revenge to extract.

I was tired, and I have to confess to a niggling pain in my lower right back - hopefully this was due to the poor seating on the long haul flight, and despite the light drizzle, I was determined to run the course and get my own back.

I have already written a lot here, and you can tell by my split times, where the uphill parts were, so here they are, they speak for themselves - 5:13, 5:08, 5:26, 5:55, 5:19 (Halfway in 27:01) - 5:20, 5:46, 5:41 (8km in 41:48 - see last race), 5:05 and 5:30, for a final time of 54:23.... Very satisfied with the time, if not the overall race. I struggled on the hills, mainly because training in BsAs, it is difficult to find hills to work on, but clearly an area that requires extra work. But clearly significantly better than last year (same course), and probably worth 90 seconds on a flat course.

I'll reflect tomorrow as to how I feel, and what I am really doing home at this time of the year - So, pop by (both of you) and see what I have to say -

The gauntlet is thrown down....

2011-05-18T14:47:00.000+01:00

You will recall I wrote, a couple of weeks ago, about my son, Liam Og, and his first exploit into the world of running races, having trained. As I wrote, I told him some time ago that when he was calling me an "auld fella", that when he could beat me in a race, he could crow. Well, I am heading home for a couple of weeks next Tuesday, and I've checked the diary, and the BHAA in Dublin have a 5m Race up in Dunboyne on May 31st, and it looks like we will both be lining up in the race - This should be fun.

Yesterday Liam Og posted a Tweet saying he was off to the park to do a Fartlek session, and had managed to set up an Athletics Club at his work. My daughter, more about her in my next post, responded on Facebook to her brother by saying "You are turning into dad!" - I think it was meant in a good way.

So, will age win out over experience? How fit is the younger Liam at this moment, and how fit is the "Auld one"? May 31st will be the first, of hopefully many, chances to judge.

I'm slipping up on my posts

2011-05-18T14:12:00.000+01:00

This past week has flown by. A combination of lessons to be taught, and classes to be taken in Spanish, along with a birthday, a business meeting, and another night out Frinking, all left me away from my computer. But I am glad to say, it didn't leave me away from running, and I have continued to run over the last week, recovering easily from the race, and hopefully building on the improvements.

I won't record each run in the past week, but yesterdays was a good example of the progress being made. I decided on a lunchtime run, which is not the best time of day to be running locally, as the schools all turf out around this time, and the planned route seems to go past every school in the area, but I trundled out anyway. The run was along the main road out to the parque at Villa Dominico, a lap around the parque and then back home. The run is 7.3Km, pretty flat all the way, and one I have done before at various times of the day.

Despite the kids on the street, and the traffic around, I had an easy run, didn't feel I was pushing anything, just getting my run in. I wasn't clock watching, nor did I put in a spurt at the end, just took it steady, and when I hit the button on the stop-watch, I was surprised to see that I had run 50 seconds faster than ever on this route, which equates to a 6/7 seconds per Km improvement. Obviously this isn't going to get my an Olympic Qualifying time, but it continues to show that things are getting better.

Amazed myself

2011-05-09T01:11:00.002+01:00

The alarm, woke me at 6:30 on a Sunday morning, and my memories switched back to the days when I raced 20 or 30 times a year, but this is 2011, and I'm 53, and to be fair, in recent years, I haven't raced that often, or anywhere near it. But today was the day that I had set as my first race of the year, and I was up and alert and jumping in the shower, with the expectations that a little child has at Christmas - yep, I have the BUG back - At long last....

The weather was divine, a perfect autumn morning, blue sky, crisp, and perfect for running. Races here are not much different to anywhere else, people mill around, we get our chips sorted, we stretch, we warm up - we wait....

The race set off at 9.30, temperature around 15 degrees, me and some 1600 others. The one difference here is that they give out the tech shirts when you sign up, and everyone wears the shirt for the race - Now I remember the advice that you never wear a new shirt for a race, always wear something you are used to running in, but here, that goes out the window, and I followed suit, so it was with my Puma Tech tee, along with the rest that we set off.

I wanted to break 45 minutes, which meant an even pace of around 5:35 per kilometre, as I felt I was in, or around that shape. At best maybe a 44 minute run with a 5:30 average was on the cards. The first Km was the same as so many, dodging the masses as we settled down, and I hit the first split at 5:32 - hey!, even at slow paces I am still good at this! I felt great, and well within the range, and then I hit a problem - I reached the 2 Km mark at 10:01 - clearly something wrong here as I had not picked up the pace at all - and this was soon confirmed at the 3 Km mark, as this one took 6 minutes, but I was running evenly and feeling great, obviously the markers were mis-aligned - thankfully in this case.

The course was flat, although a little head wind along this part of the course was troublesome, I was feeling great, running smoothly and evenly, and I just kept it going. I was easily under target times, without trying hard, no pushing, no strain, and I hit the half way point at 21:15, crap! I actually thought this was way too fast, but I wasn't struggling at all - why was everything going right?

I just kept going, running along, maintaining the pace, easing into each Kilometre mark, 5K at 26:25, over half way and well inside my target time. These few Kms were around a boring part of the Puerto Madero area, but I just kept going, still not feeling any problems, and before I knew it I was at the 7Km mark. A quick look at the watch, and I was under 37 minutes, and I knew that I could stroll home from here and be under 43 - NO WAY!!!!!

I kept the pace level, and then we turned onto the home straight, with around 600m to go, well - I never can resist a race wherever I am in the field, and no way is anyone going to get past me at the end of a race, so I picked up the pace - yep, it hurt! - and I picked off one after another, and kept going, each stride took me further up - I really don't know, but I think I must have passed around 40 runners in that last 400m, and I kicked again as we headed to the line, and crossed it, clicking my watch at 41:22 (confirmed by my chip time), WAY better than I thought I was capable of at present.

I ended up 568th out of 1615 finishers, 32nd out of 85 in my age group, and a very happy runner indeed. The training, and the weight loss, must have been working, and I can look forward to a few more races with greater confidence and belief in myself. To top it all off, after the race, I went and ran another 9k with the Hash to give me a fantastic workout for the day, which was supplemented with a few pints to celebrate - I think I deserved them today!

Picture - pre race.....

Runing Time Contrasts between Countries

2011-05-06T23:34:00.000+01:00

I've done it, I went and paid my entry fee, have the Puma Tech Tee, my number, and on Sunday morning I will be lining up for my first race of the year, the 8Km UCEMA Maraton (as they insist on calling virtually every race here). Today I ran a leisurely 4 Km on the dreadmill, at an even pace, and as I reported before I would love to run around 45 mins on Sunday - we'll see.

As I was leaving the gym, I picked up the May edition of Argentinas only running magazine, Atletismo Argentino. It's a monthly mag, obviously created by someone with a passion for running, and reminds me of something similar that was around in the North West of England back in the 80's, with race results and reports, a long way from the glossy Fashion Mag that Runners World (in all it's guises) has become.

This month's magazine has the Rankings for the country for last year, and I was surprised to see how shallow the depth of running is here. Now, I have never professed to be an elite athlete, but when I was younger and running seriously, I churned out a few decent times (see table to your right), and was a reasonable Club Runner, winning a few prizes over the years with my club.

Take for example the Marathon. The Number one ranked athlete, Miguel Barzola, has a very respectable time of 2:15:00 to his name last year. But, the 10th ranked Marathoner in the Country, Federico Braum, was there with a time of 2:42:42. Again, I never got near this, but I know a fair few members of my present club back in Athenry would find this time comfortable. Before anyone says that running is a low-participation sport, or that Argentina is a impoverished country, the local races regularly have 6 or 7 thousand taking part, and the country has a population ten times that of Ireland. One of my students is the Sales Manager for Argentina for Nike, and Argentina, and Buenos Aires in particular, is the fastest growing country in South America for running, and has overtaken Brazil (a much bigger population) as the Country deemed Number One for Athletic marketing - So why the lack of depth.

And it's not just in the Marathon. A look at the fastest on the track last year, sees a 100m best of 10.48, 200m of 21.43, and no athlete broke 48 seconds for the 400m at all. I am not 100% certain, and I will do some research now, but I don't believe that a single Argentine Athlete has broke the 4 minute mile barrier - ever!

What are the reasons? Maybe because Football is Religion here, there is no room for athletics to develop - but then again Rugby, Basketball, Volleyball etc., are all sports in which the Argentine national Team win medals, and Tennis has produced some wonderful players from my adopted country. Maybe it's a lack of government money being pumped into the sport, with resources going elsewhere, and kids not getting the opportunity.

Just to confirm the lack of depth, I looked at the results from a recent 10K Race here, one that had 7,000 participants. Taking my PR for the 10K, ran when I was 30, of 36:22, I would have finished 23rd overall, out of 7,000 - I know that is somewhat like comparing apples with oranges, but at that time I regularly ran under 38 minutes
so I don't think it's an unfair comparison - and I can assure everyone, that I have never finished that high up in a race with 6,977 behind me... And out of the 22 who would have been ahead of me, two of those were Kenyans, and three others part of the Fila Sponsored Brazilian team - Makes me wish I had come here 20 years to race :)

And now the running bit.....

2011-05-04T21:35:00.000+01:00

My running report is short, I missed a few runs due to the contents of the last ramble, but I managed 4K this morning on 21:59 on the treadmill, and have entered an 8Km race this Sunday in Constanera Sur, The UCEMA 8K, and hope to run under 45 minutes. My last 8Km race here, back in November, when I was very unfit and a fair bit heavier than today, took me 47:23, and I hope, damn, I SHOULD, be a lot quicker this time.

But the great news this week isn't about my running, but about my son's running. Now, I have to confess, Liam Og ran cross country at school, but didn't like it much, and as an adult he has only tun a couple of charity type races in the past, never really showing an inkling for the sport. As a computer geek, he has a sedentary job, and he certainly has put on weight over the last couple of years since he left University. Well, unbeknown to me, he had started running, and last weekend he took part in the ARC Mini-Marathon 10K race in Dublin's Phoenix Park, his first really serious race, where he had trained. And I am pleased, and proud, to report that he ran 56:14, finishing 264th out of 361 who finished the run.

I remember some years ago when we both ran the Dublin Port Tunnel 10K, where he finished ahead of me in a fun run, I said, wait till you beat me in a competitive race, then you can gloat - Well, I am guessing that the time for that is fast approaching, and I look forward to seeing him develop as a runner, and enjoying the sport that has given me a lot of fun over the years, I hope it gives him as much. Here's a picture of him competing, the first of many....

What a busy week !

2011-05-04T20:12:00.001+01:00

When i missed a few days in posting last week, I apologised. Little did I know how busy I would be this past week, and how I hardly had 5 minutes to spare to think about posting, and even on some days, to think about running. So, I have to confess that not a huge amount of running has been completed in the past week, but there were reasons, not simply me being idle, and as I am only running for myself, and for the enjoyment of the sport at the moment, I will not lose sleep over it.

What kept me busy? I hear you ask - Yes, you !! The three of you who read my ramblings (thank you by the way). Well, my teaching career is really keeping my busy as I mentioned before, two new students this week, which not only means more class time, but more preparation time too. Friday night saw the last night of Frinking at one of our favourite bars here in San Telmo, as the small, intimate Irish Bar, Breoghan's, was closing it's doors for the last time, before opening a larger venue a couple of blocks away (launches tonight as I write), and a good night was had by all as we raised glasses to the old, and the new venture.

Saturday saw Leinster winning their Heineken Cup semi, followed by a birthday party to attend, and here in Argentina, that means a Parilla, and a late night, playing Trucco (I have no idea, some card game with strange cards that I had no clue about), and as a special treat for me, (not that it was my birthday), a nice bottle of Irish Whiskey was uncovered, opened, and consummed. We got home at 5 am on Sunday morning, so any thoughts of running the 10K race taking place that morning had well faded, and instead I watched Liverpool win against Newcastle, before completing my day by heading to the wonderful Feria del Libro, the largest, by a mile, International book fair in the Spanish Language, and after talking to a writer friend, probably the largest in any language worldwide.

My invitation to the Feria came from my writer friend, Donigan Merritt, who was reading from his latest book, The Last Island, which is only available in the new format of e-books to download, available from Amazon, and a delightful read it is too (pluggng here for my friend), and only €2.99 as well - The whole place is amazing, a vast range of book stands, authors, entertainment, and naturally, books!

Mondays are exceptionally busy days for me, with classes from 7.30 am until 9 at night, with no time to train, so this will have to be a rest day. And so the days went on.... It's Wednesday afternoon as I type, and hardly a mention of running. I have done a little, but I'll make another post about that as there is something great to write about, but I'll save that for the next post...

Longest to date

2011-04-26T23:51:00.000+01:00

Tuesday and I missed a few days postings, although not a huge amount to report until today. On Saturday I managed a short time trial on the treadmill, working on the tempo build up of pace that I have been doing over the slightly longer runs (I find it hard to call 4 or 5 Km a "Long Run"), ending up running at a pace of 5 minutes per Kilometre for the second of a 2 Km run, having started at 5:45.

Sunday saw my regular fortnightly Hash, and although I covered the distance, as we had a visitor from Australia in town, who wanted to walk the trail, and no walkers out as it was Easter Sunday, I walked most of the trail with her, so she wouldn't get lost in a strange city. So, to be fair, I can't really claim much of a run on Sunday, which was a shame as I was feeling good, and the weather was excellent for running.

Mondays are awkward for me, as I have classes all day at odd times, not really leaving much of a window for runnning. Under normal circumstances, with a decent run on a Sunday, Monday can fit nicely as a rest day, but aside from being a weigh-in day, it didn't see any running.

BUT - I made up for it today, as I went for a walk this morning, on a beautiful autumnal day, with the temperatures climbing into the low 20's, and not a cloud in the sky. I finally walked to the parque at Villa Dominico, 3 Km from the house, then walked around the parque to get a feel for how far it is (approx 1.25Km around), and walked home. After a class in the afternoon, once the temperatures had dropped a little, I decided to run the same route, and it was great to get around this route, which finally gives me some off-road running, albeit after a 3Km warm up to get there. I ran the whole route, out and back, with a loop of the parque, for a run of around 7.25 Km, and inside 40 minutes as well. I felt strong at the end, and actually felt I was kicking a little over the last couple of blocks to home - Maybe the tempo runs are starting to have some affect.

One thing I forgot to mention - Weigh-In yesterday, and Yes, another Kilo disappeared - down to 88 Kilos now - Well on target, and feeling better and better...

I attach a picture from November last year, and you can spot the belly!!! - Pleased to report that this is one area that the weight loss has been especially focusing on.

Two days in a row!

2011-04-21T19:53:00.000+01:00

Today here it is a Holiday for Holy Week (as is tomorrow), so no work, although the gym was open, and as they have opened a new sauna up this week, I thought that it would be good to try a consecutive day run, especially as I wasn't too happy about yesterdays effort, and conclude the session with a sauna.

I had no preconceived session in mind, but started out at 10.6kph and ran a tempo run of 5Km notching up a click each Km. Felt really good today, unlike yesterday, and eased through the run to complete 5Km in 27:28, at an average pace of under 5:30. OK, it isn't fast, in fact it's the slowest I have run a 5K on the treadmill, but as I am not worried about things like that, I was happy to see, and feel, the progress over the last few weeks. This was my first attempt at two in a row for a while, and whilst they were not hard runs, they show great signs of better things to come.

I have a goal in mind of the 10Km in Banbridge on May 25th, although I will not make a prediction yet, except to be under the hour that I crawled around last year. Five weeks to go to the race, time will tell.....

Hump Day and The Treadmill

2011-04-20T20:10:00.000+01:00

The weather has sure changed here this week, with Autumnal Storms having kicked in. I was awoken at 4 this morning with Thunderclaps that shook the house (at least that is how they felt), and rain bouncing around outside. Thankfully it had stopped by the time I got up, but the skies were as dark at 9 than they would be at 7 other days. Heavily leadend with rain, and so, I decided to head to the gym and the Treadmill.

Many years ago, back in the 1990's, when I was almost a decent runner, I used to do a lot of training on the Treadmill, due to long working hours, and living in the countryside where there were few street lights for winter running Monday to Friday. I actually used to enjoy the regular runs, switching from Interval Training, to Tempo Runs, even enjoying (if that is the right word) the long runs of 10 miles plus on the machines. Mind you, I was running at under 7 minute mile pace in those days, even kicking out sub 6 minute Mile Intervals at times.

These days, it's a different story. Obviously age has caught up with me a little, :) but I still feel frustrated I can't bang out a 5 Mile treadmill run in under 35 minutes (I haven't done that since 2001!). To be honest I haven't run under 39 minutes since 2006, not that I run on Treadmills quite as much now, but my On-Line Running Diary shows my runs over the years, and I can see at a glance how slow I have become.

But today, I was looking at only 4 km, and a Tempo run, starting at the sedate pace of 10.5kph, roughly a tad over 9 minute pace per mile, and notching things up a click every 500m. The first couple of kilometres were easy enough, but the last 500m was actually a stuggle, and relistically it wasn't that fast that it should have been, so I was disappointed to clock 22:12 for the 4km, feeling deflated at the slow time, given how I was feeling.

Maybe it's simply because it's Hump day, and I was feeling the hump!, let's hope, as I have been feeling good for the last few weeks, genuinely feeling that progress was being made. I'll just have to keep working at it, and work a little harder to get the times down, and the distance longer, and maybe not feel quite as crap at the end. We'll see....

Slipping Up on Posting

2011-04-19T12:39:00.000+01:00

Naughty me, or was it busy me, but I missed a few days of postings, but glad to report that I have been running, amongst the busy times.

Teaching is taking up a lot of time for me, and I will never again state that Teachers have an easy life with all those holidays (although I do like them!), and finishing work at 3 pm etc... In my relatively short "career" as a teacher, I am finding out how much time goes into preparation of classes. One on one students are hard enough to prepare for, but when it comes to setting up a 2 hour class for my teenage First Certificate in English Class, it can take 5 hours a week to prepare for the one class! getting the materials together, preparing handouts, designing the class to keep their attention, and then assessing how it went afterwards - Much as I love the teaching, I think I would have burnt out long ago if I had decided on this path from school - And these are all students who want to learn - So hats off to all those who are teachers in the "Real world".

Anyway, back to running, and I am still operating on my alternate days strategy as I rebuild, and it seems to be working. On Friday, I decided to head to the gym, and did a range of exercises, including some good stretching. I am still feeling a soreness (can't really explain it much better) in my right hip, upper thigh, and whilst not stopping me run at all, or impede my movements, I am still keeping an eye on it, and will head to the physio when I am home next month. After my warm ups, i went for a treadmill run. It was only a short one of 2Km, but at under 11 minutes, it was quite sharp, and, I have to confess, not as easy as I expected at that pace, but I was reasonably happy at the progress, and went out of Friday night, Frinking with a spring in my step.

Saturday was one of those alternate days with no runs, and on Sunday morning I was out on a cool damp morning, after a heavy rainstorm overnight had lowered the temperatures to something more akin to a Dublin day in October. I ran my 5.8 Km run that I have started to use as a measuring stick, and again, iI didn't feel I was trying hard, simply running smoothly, and with light traffic resulting in no junction delays, I completed the course almost a minute faster than previously. For those concerned about running to the clock, I am not clock watching, just using the results to gauge the improvements. Realistically, I should be running this course in around 27 minutes, and when I do, I know I will be capable of running under 50 minutes for 10 km - Still a long way to go.... Sundays was 30:31...

Monday was an alternate day, spent preparing classes for the week, and teaching, but it also involved my weekly weight in - And I can report more success, as I dropped another kilo, down to 89 Kgs, 196 lbs, which is a little milestone in iself, as under Imperial Weight that is the 14 stone mark. I am well on target for my goal of 176 lbs by the end of June, and exactly half way from the starting point of 216 lbs back in February - So, whilst my speed may seem slow when I'm running, the weight loss is continuing at a great pace.

Next run will be later today after my classes, so hopefully I can get another good run in amd start to maybe add an extra run a week in as the build up continues.

Over the Hump

2011-04-13T23:49:00.000+01:00

Monday was a planned rest day, but Tuesday wasn't, and I have to confess to be a little lazy yesterday. I had intended a run in teh early evening, after teaching a couple of classes in the afternoon, but when I got home, I sat down, started to watch football (the mid-week European evening games are on around 4 pm here), and by the time they had finished it had started to go dark, so I chickened out of a run.

So, today I wasn't going to be a wimp. The temperatures were hanging around the high 20's all day (80's to US readers), and getting home in the early afternoon, I wasn't going to head out in that heat. Those temps are high for mid-April here, as we should be cooling down as autumn is 1/3 rd in already here. So, i waited until the sun was at least heading down, and at 6 I laced up, and out I went for a steady run along a familiar route just short of 6 Km. The traffic was heavier than usual, given the time of day, and I got held up at a few junctions as this is very much an urban run, but I still managed to run around the same time as the last Sunday morning run over this route, and I felt I was only jogging, so all going well.

Looking at the race calendar for the next few months, and not sure when I will run my first race of this new birth, but it should be in teh next month or so, just to test out the legs over a race condition, not that I will be truly racing. One race I do hope to do is the Bann 10K, back home in Banbridge, which takes place the day I arrive home for the imminent arrival of my first granchild. There aren't many races around Banbridge, and I ran this one last year, and made a pigs ear of it, so I have some revenge to get on the course. Last year, I ~~ran~~ or more like ran a bit, walked a bit, in over the hour - OUCH!!! I will get my own back.....

Over the Cold

2011-04-11T20:01:00.000+01:00

As Theia mentioned, an update is required on my cold and what's happening. Well, I'm glad to report that I have just about got rid of the cold and chest infection which laid me low last week. Suffice to say I didn't get any running done while I was ill. If it had just been a head cold I would have run through it, but the coughing and chest problems made me stay off the road, and I'm glad i did.

However, I did manage to run yesterday, Sunday. And it was one heck of a run. As you know, I hash with the Buenos Aires Hash House Harriers, and yesterday, we joined forces with our colleagues in the Uruguay Hash, and held the First Hash del Rio Plata, in Colonia de Sacremento, Uruguay. It was an early morning call, and the boat across the River Plate to Colonia, meeting up with friendly hashers from BA on the boat, and arriving nice and early for the hash, with the sun sitting high in the sky, and a beautiful warm autumn day was at hand fo rthis inaugral run.

All in all there were around 50 people out for the run, and the hares did us proud as they took the run across beaches, through the river, up a hillside (and back down again), through the old town of Colonia itself, with cries of On On getting strange looks from the tourists wondering what was happening. We clambered over rocks, slid down grassy banks, got wet, ran on the beach and finally got back to the starting point, with a run of around 12 kilometres under our belts. My legs certainly feel the run today, and yesterday I confess to feeling tight on the chest as the last remnants of the infection hung around. BUT, I am back running after the little illness break, and promise more details as I progress.

I did get on the scales this morning, and unsurprisingly as I took no exercise, my weight has remained at the 90 Kilo mark this week, but I am happy enough with that, knowing that I will be back upping the miles (or should I say Kilometres), as this week progresses.

Stinky Cold !!!

2011-04-07T00:40:00.000+01:00

Just as I started to get going again, I come down with a damn cold. The only thing running at the moment is my nose! Nasty little cough to go with it too - And being a guy, naturally I feel like crap - lousy patient!

On the plus side - At my Monday weigh in, I clocked 90 Kg, which takes me under the magic 200 lbs figure :). Hopefully I can get back running before the weekend, and keep up the good work.

April arrives, and no fooling!

2011-04-03T19:56:00.000+01:00

Where is the year going, that's a quarter gone already, summer has turned to autumn, and next month I will be heading home to welcome the arrival of my first grand-child. In the meantime, April fools day came and went, along with an excellent evening on Friday at a new Frinking venue, Treffen, which is not only a bar, but also a beer museum, and serves some excellent artesnal beers, although I was good and limited my consumption to a few pints. Whilst the doctor did tell me that beer isn't the worst thing I can take with the gout, he did suggest limiting to only once a week, and so far I have been a good boy! (Well, OK, three times a fortnight isn't too bad, is it?).

I had planned to go to the gym on Saturday for a timed workout, but once again, it was a holiday here. Yet another feriado, this one being "el dia del veterano y caidos en malvinas", 29 years since the invasion of the islands commenced, back in 1982. It meant the gym was closed, and instead, I watched football - which I wish I hadn't, seeing as all three of the teams I follow lost! In the end I didn't get a run in, but I would on Sunday.

And I did!

The weather has changed a little in the last few days, and this morning the skies were leaden as I put on my shorts. I wanted to extend the distance a little more, as I had set myself a goal of 5 Km by this weekend, and I planned a run to the park at Villa Dominico, which I have run before, a year or so back!. Naturally, before I went 200m the heavens opened, and a cool rain began to fall. Clearly being from Ireland, running in the rain is something I am used to, so it was not a bother, and I eased along at a slow pace, enjoying the quiet Sunday roads.

Still feeling the discomfort in the right hip/top of leg,(I must look up the name of this muscle group!), and keeping a careful eye on it while I run. It isn't hindering my running at all, at least not at the pace I am presently running at, but something I am aware of, and need to be wary of as I extend the distances, and hopefully, begin to pick up the pace.

A long post today, but the run was uneventful on the way back from the park entrance. I didn't go into the park today, but that will be a feature soon, I hope. The rain had stopped, and I was feeling tired as I passed 25 minutes running, but I plodded on to the house, and completed the run of 5.75 Km (according to gmaps) in 31:27, a pace of around 5:30 per Km, still very slow, but speed is something to worry about in a couple of months. At the moment I'm hoping to build over this month, so I can be running 10 Km comfortably by the beginning of May - We shall see..

Thirsty Thursday and another route

2011-03-31T15:13:00.000+01:00

Sticking to my "Every other Day" plan up to now, and having rested yesterday, it was time for another morning run before heading to work this afternoon and evening.

As I am trying to build slowly, I am having to find new routes to run, maybe adding a little distance at times, or simply trying to find a more runner friendly route. In order to get to the nice park where I can run traffic free, I need to be up to running around 10 Km runs, and I am still well short of that - It's 3 km to the park, so today I went the opposite direction than my otehr runs (and the park), and another urban route, but with a little excursion through a small linear park, which at least got me away from the traffic for 500m or so.

I started to feel tired after 20 minutes running, which I guess is understandable, but hung on to complete a run of around 4.25 Km (thank you gmaps pedoemeter), in 23:25 - a pace of around 5:30 per Km. The same distance as one of my other recent runs, but anything different is always useful, so won't complain.

This brings us to the end of March. I have totalled 35 Km this month, not huge, but with February being Zero, and January coming to an end before the 15th, it's not a bad way to re-start, and with the weight coming down, I can build on this throughout April. I may even set myself some goals next month......

A Bit More Drops Off

2011-03-29T15:42:00.000+01:00

If you have been following (thanks to both of you), you will see that as part of my re-birth as a runner, I have a goal of a substantial weight loss, from the dizzy heights of 98 Kgs or 216 lbs, or for those still working in Imperial Stones, 15st 6lbs, or simply TOO HEAVY.

I decided that Monday would be the best day to weigh myself, allowing for any weekend extras, and yesterday I scaled in at 91.5 Kgs, or 201 lbs. 6.5 Kgs dropped off in 4 weeks, well inside my target, which is around 1.1Kgs per week, with the ultimate goal of being 80Kgs, (176 lbs), {12st 8lbs}, by the end of June, lets hope I can stay on course.

Having extended my runs to 10K with the Hash on Sunday, I rested on Monday, and have to admit my legs still felt heavy this morning, but I laced up my shoes, and off I went at around 10:30, with the sun shining, temps around 20 C, and, surprisingly a spring in my step (seeing as its autumn here!).

I wasn't deliberately trying harder, I only planned to run an easy 2 Km, but straight away I felt that my cadence was better, and leg speed seemed quicker. I didn't kick on, or make a sprint for the last 50m or anything, but when I stopped my watch, I was 38 seconds faster than when I first ran this loop a couple of weeks ago, and with no apparant extra effort - Something is going in the right direction.

Hashing in Buenos Aires

2011-03-28T16:16:00.000+01:00

It's Monday morning and my legs are certainly feeling the aftermath of yesterdays Hash run with the Buenos Aires Hash House Harriers. Many who may see the words "Hash" will only think of the drinking side of the a Hash group. Let me say right now, that I enjoy that side of it too, but in my experience of hashing in different parts of the world, the running does not play second fiddle at all, and although most hashers may not be competitive runners, they equally enjoy the run.

Yesterday, it was the 536th time that the BA Hash has got together, going back to 1993, and for me, the last few times have seen me walking, jogging a little, and even taking a lift back when the gout was severe. With the running that I have been enjoying in the last week or two, I decided that I would want to run the macho trail - the longer run. All hashes set trails to suit all abilities, and here we have a macho and a wimp trail, which I guess are self explanatory. Yesterday, the macho trail was around 10 Km in length, and while broken up into segments, it still meant a lot more distance than I have been doing.

The trail took us down to the river, the Rio Plata, in a very nice part of the city in Nunez/Vicente Lopez. The riverside walks are well laid out, and the weather yesterday was ideal, with many locals out enjoying the autumn sun and warm weather. As we ran along, kites were flying, and at one point I was buzzed by a model aircraft, it was a pleasure to be running. Once the trail came off the water, it was into up and down climbs amongst the up-market real estate of the area, before a steady run back to house we were running from.

All in all, a run of around 10Km, and today my legs certainly know that they travelled the distance. Having said that, I don't have any other niggles, so really pleased with the run, and whilst I won't venture out today, I look forward to tomorrow, and maybe a nice easy 5 Km will be on offer.

Saturday Running & Football

2011-03-26T20:34:00.000Z

The weekend came early this week, with the two Public Holidays on Thursday and Friday, and after a very enjoyable parilla and fiesta at friends on Thursday evening, followed by Frinks at Breoghan's in San Telmo on friday night, it was back to normal today, and after preparing my classes for next week, it was time to relax with the weekends sport.

The morning saw England wave goodbye to the cricket World Cup at the hands of Sri Lanka, and then I listened in to hear Stockport County actually win a game and come off the bottom of the League, at least for a few hours anyway. Then it was the turn of England and Wales at football, with England comfortably winning in Cardiff. Now I have to say I didn't watch the England games, but kept an eye on line with the scores, I did have work to do.

But as the afternoon wore on, and I did have two matches I really wanted to watch, I thought about a run. Should I go before the Ireland game, or wait till it was over and go out before the Argentina match starts? On the plus side, if I went before the game, I could sit back and relax with the two matches, on the minus, it was 4 pm locally and still in the mid 20's, a couple of hours and the temperature would be cooler. OK, I decided to go before the game, and enjoy the sun.

The build up has been steady, and today I was looking to extend the run a little. The same basic route along the main road, Belgrano, and pushed the turn around point further by 5 blocks, making a run of 4.2 Kms, a Kilometre more than previous runs. It was warm under the sun, but I took it easy, at around 8:40 pace, and although feeling the extra distance, I finished the run in control, and at 22:25, it was a steady run, and another step nearer the first goal on the re-birth, to complete 5K.

Now I am settled down and watching the football. Ireland are already 2-0 up against Macedonia, and I have a brilliant streaming feed today, the wonders of the Internet. At 8 local time, I will watch the Argentina v Estados Unidos match, which is a friendly, but should be interesting. Damn, as I type that Macedonia have pulled a goal back, right on the stroke of half time. Think I'll put the kettle on at the break.

Tomorrow, I will be out Hashing with the Buenos Aires Hash, which is always fun, and I'm hoping I can run the Macho Trail this week - we'll see.

Feriado Running

2011-03-24T14:12:00.000Z

Having missed a planned run yesterday, I was itching to get out and shake my legs this morning (surely a sign that things are going in the right direction). Today is a feriado here, a public holiday, as is tomorrow, making it a four day weekend, and no classes, either way, until Monday for me.

So, at 9.30, on a clear sunny morning, with temps slowly climbing to turn the 20's, a much more conducive to running temperature, I was out on the quieter streets and turning the legs over again. I ran the 3 Km route from Saturday, an out and back urban run, and felt comfortable easing into it. I have a slight discomfort, stiffness, in my right upper leg, but it eases off once I get into the run, and while I will keep an eye on it, it isn't affecting me at the moment.

Enjoyed the run, and the pace was a little faster than Saturday, but that isn't important. What is may be that I am ready to add a little more tomorrow, as I aim at the goal of 5 Km in a week or so. I also have a Hash on Sunday, and hopefully I will be able to run the macho run - we'll see....

Another week, another Kilo....

2011-03-21T13:06:00.001Z

It's Monday, and the start of a three day week here, as Thursday and Friday are Feriados here, basically it means Public Holidays, so we get a 4 day weekend next. Whilst ordinary holidays are not high here (except for teachers!), there are an awful lot of feriados in the year, and it's hard to keep track of them all. This weeks is el dia nacional de la memoria por la verdad y la justica, which started well on Sunday, when a football supporter was killed at a local game between Velez and San Lorenzo, apprantly by the police - no doubt "truth & justice" will get to the bottom of it all - So sad....

Anyway, on with my slow re-build, and this morning I was up early before it got too warm on this first day of autumn, where the temperatures still are hitting the high 20's (that's high 70's to low 80's in farenheit), and I ran the shorter 2 Km route I was running last week. Whilst making no attempt to run faster, just taking it easy as I ran, and with a couple of busy crossroads to naviagte with the morning traffic, I still managed to run some 10 seconds per kilometre faster than last week, and as I say, that's without trying. Augers well...

On the second front of my target to regain fitness and running respectability, I have been dieting and cutting out the worst offenders of weight gain, and gout. When I returned to Argentina from Ireland in February, I had reached a gigantic, by my standards, 98 Kgs (216 lbs), and without question that is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I have set a target of getting down to 80 Kgs by the end of June, thats 176 lbs, some 18 Kgs, or 40 lbs to get rid off. A lot will depend on the running, as once I can get that up to a moderate level of consistancy I know the weight will be less of an issue, and the target will be attainable.

I weigh myself on a Monday morning, and on Feb 28th, I was at the starting weight of 216 lbs (98 Kgs) - Well, today, week three into the plan, and I am already down to 205 lbs (93 Kgs), a loss of 11 lbs, or 5 kilos in three weeks - an impressive start, but as I was carrying excessive "holiday weight", it was expected. The target is a kilo a week, that's 2.2 lbs, and from here on it will be interesting to see how I manage this.

All in, I am happy with the start, and all being well this week will see a little more mileage into the legs, and further positive news as I progress.

Well, it is a Running Blog, so.....

2011-03-19T21:50:00.000Z

I went and had a run.

After the delight of the rugby, I decided that I needed to loosen the legs, and so, with the temperatures still around the 23 degrees mark, at 6 PM, local time, I laced up the shoes, and out I went. I had managed a couple of 2 Km runs this week, and with no side effects being felt, I went a little further today, extending the out and back route by 5 blocks, making a total run of 3.25 KM, which is more or less 2 miles.

Felt a little heavy on the run, and the legs are having to put up with all this extra weight, but, aside from it being a slow pace, I was pleased with the run and the way that I felt whilst running. While I have a long way to go, the journey has to begin with these first steps.

Annual Slaughter Maintained.......

2011-03-19T19:42:00.000Z

OK, I know this is meant to be a running blog, but as I re-invent myself as a runner, and as a blogger, I feel the need to post about other things that have my interest. Today, it was the Rugby. I love the game, and over in Lansdowne today, the English arrived with the belief that they only had to turn up to complete the Grand Slam in the 6 Nations Championships.

Well, somebody forgot to tell the Irish, and once again, England leave Dublin with their tails between their legs - OK, they may be Champions, but they were humiliated in front of the Irish Crowd, by a tremendous performance by the Boys in Green, and the resulting scoreline of 24 points to 8, flattered Martin Johnson's men. From the very first play of the game, to the final whistle, Ireland ran them ragged, and my only regret is that I wasn't listening to the commentary from the BBC - I wonder what the excuses will be this time.

I can say "This Time", as this is the 7th time in the last 8 seasons that we have beaten the English since they won the World Cup back in 2003.... Whilst the overall performance of Ireland in the 6 Nations wasn't great, they saved the best performance to the last, and with Brian O'Driscoll scoring his 25th Try in the 6 Nations, he becomes the Highest Try Scorer in the history of the Championship.

Roll on the World Cup in New Zealand in September.... We can build on this performance, and the future looks bright, the future is Green!

And now, I think I will go for a run .....

This would be hilarious - If it wasn't true....

2011-03-18T17:49:00.000Z

It does say in My Blog Title - Ramblings.... So, this post has nothing to do with running, but I felt the need to write it anyway. normal service will be resumed soon.

As most of you know, I relocated to Argentina as part of my sabatical from work, and have been living here for nearly 18 months now. The place is different to Ireland, obviously, but also there are differences that begger belief.

Many that have known me for, (too) many years, will be aware that I used to work for a Trade Union, back when I lived in England, and I have always been pro-union, and believe that Unions serve an essential roll in protecting their members from the worst employers. However, I have always been a progressive trade unionist, and I understand the need of the employer to create the jobs in the first place, and there is little place in a modern society for Unions to exert a political control on the economy. In general, that's how Unions work today in the UK, Ireland, and (Wisconsin aside), the US, with Partnership being the key phrase.

Well, here in Argentina, the unions live in another world - I like to think of it as Cloud Cuckoo Land... next Monday, there is to be a National Strike of the Transport Union here, bringing all modes of transportation to a halt - Trucks, Deliveries, Trains, Buses, even Taxi's, if it moves - it won't on Monday.

Why you might ask? Are the truck drivers under paid? Has their been a major employer conflict between Capitalism and The Workers? NO !!!!

No - The strile has been called because the Leader of the CGT (read TUC or AFLCIO), a guy called Hugo Moyano, is being investigated by the Swiss (yes, that's Swiss as in Switzerland!) Authorities for potential Money Laundering. He happens to be the leader of the Transportation Union as well, so naturally, in order to put pressure on the Swiss Authorities, the people of Argentina are to suffer on Monday, to protest about some judge in Sitzerland investigating a crime. The gnomes of Zurich will be quaking in their boots with this strike, there will be mass demonstrations in Geneva calling for the head of the Swiss Police, Basle will be brought to it's knees..... etc., you get the picture? - Yeh, right!, Like they will even notice, and certainly they won't give a damn......

Now, when I was young, you occassionally heard of strikes taking place, really as an excuse to have a day off, but next week, Thursday and Friday are National Holidays anyway, so effectively, next week will be a Two-day Week for many, thanks to the disruption that will be caused for NOTHING.... It beggers belief....

Here is a link to the, brief, story in the local english language newspaper
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/61938/more-cgt-unions-join-call-for-national-strike
Naturally, there is far more to this than meets the eye. The Union Movement is a Law onto itself here, and this is a Political move of the worst kind - Sadly, the people follow, accept it is inevitable, put up with it all, shrug their shoulders and life goes on... As I say, sometimes, it beggers belief.....

OK - Think I will go for a run now.... Rant Over.....

St Patricks Day, and a run.

2011-03-17T12:28:00.000Z

As I am sure I do not have to mention, today, March 17th is St Patricks Day. The patron saint of Ireland, my homeland, and a day when millions around the world become !Irish for the Day". It's a regular feature in American cities, but surprisingly, here in Buenos Aires, it is also celebrated with much gusto, and green beer.

Obviously, the Irish ex-pat community, which is relatively large, celebrate in their own way, and last night I was invited to a reception held by "El Embajador de Irlanda". Today there will be official celebrations at the Cathedral and at Recoleta cemetary, where Admiral William Brown, founder of the Argentine Navy, and son of Mayo, is buried.

Tonight, the streets will be lined with "Plastic Paddies", all decked in green, wearing Guinness hats, and getting completely hammered. Me, well, I will be working this evening, but may grab a pint at the end of the night, to raise one to all the friends back home, who will all be tucked up in bed by then.

But before all that, I managed to get out for a morning run. Again, not a long one, just another little step as I regain some fitness, before starting to think about training, as against turning the legs over slightly faster than when taking a brisk walk. I ran the same short 2km as on Tuesday, albeit some ten seconds faster than then, although I am not trying to run for time, and I am glad to report no ill effects.

So, on with St Patricks Day celebrations, and to one and all,

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Now added back all my race results

2011-03-17T11:22:00.000Z

Well, thanks to the SAVE button, I managed to retrieve my marathon results, and along with all my Race Results, over the 26 years (gulp!!!) I have been running, I have included them here for your delight (or in case you are suffering with insomnia).

The decline can easily be seen, but there are some fond memories in there.

While I have been away...

2011-03-16T20:49:00.000Z

Well, having redesigned the front door, I thought I better explain a few things as to what I have been up to while I have been away from posting. The last couple of years have been a dry period, to say the least, in my running. Oh, I managed a couple of little races here and there, but in reality, I haven't even been going through the motions of serious training. With the latest upset (the gout!), and the arrival of another birthday, it's time to refocus, before it gets too late!

Whilst I haven't been doing any serious running, I have been keeping myself in some sort of athletic state, by becoming a regular participant with the Hash House Harriers. Firstly in Dublin, then when I moved to Argentina, I became a regular with the Buenos Aires Hash. Many purists, (Mick!) scoff at the idea of the Hash, and dismiss Hashers as a bunch of drunks, who maybe run a few miles, not helped by our own motto, that the Hash is "A Drinking Club, with a Running Problem".

Well, I can honestly say that I have met a lot of serious runners who enjoy taking part in a Hash event. They are sociable, enjoy the fun, and find it a relaxing way to run, away from the pressures of a HRM, Intervals, and trying to take a couple of seconds of their PB's. And lets be honest, how many serious runners don't enjoy a Pint after a hard race, or club training session? I like to think of the Hash as a form of Social Running, and I will continue to take part in the BA Hash while I stay living here.

So, I will report on my running, and, naturally, on my Hashing. They are inter-linked these days, and just so you can see that not all running has to be taken seriously - Here is a picture from last Sundays Pre-St Patricks Day Hash - No apologies for the apparel!

And a new Design too.....

2011-03-15T17:42:00.002Z

Maybe the new design will encourage me to use the site more - although I appear to have lost my records - Hope you like it..... See, I do run at times.......

Gout

2011-03-15T17:13:00.002Z

OK, I would be the first to admit that my training hasn't been too good for the last year or so since my move to Argentina. However, along with a couple of friends here, we had agreed to train for the Rosario marathon in June this year. I had started back into training in December, and whilst not setting anything on fire, I was beginning to feel the benefits when I flew home to Ireland in early January for my summer holiday.

I managed 5 runs back home, before waking up one morning with one hell of a pain in my big toe (left foot). Now, this has happened before, and I always put it down to tendonitus, and in the past, a few ibuprofen, and the pain had gone the next day. This time, it got worse. the toe was very inflammed, and the pain was such that I couldn't walk. I took the opportunity of heading to the doctor as I was home, and lo and behold, I was diagnosed with a severe case of Gout.... And let me say, it darn well hurts like hell.

Well, after two weeks of virtually being housebound and a check up for kidney stones, the de-tox regime, along with the anti-imflamatories started to work, and I was able to return to Argentina at the end of February. Whilst the pain has subsided, it hadn't gone away, and the toe was still sore when trying to walk at any pace, so no running.

Last Sunday, I went along to the St Patricks Day Hash (yes, I know, I am a hasher as well, but I believe you can be both!), as I was laying the trail, and once the pack started off, I managed to jog a couple of easy kilometres to test out the toe -.
Thankfully, there was no reaction. Whilst I can tell its not 100%, there is no more inflamation, and today (Tuesday) I manged to run a proper 2 Kilometres - I know its not much, but i have been out for nearly 2 months.

Whilst in Ireland, and obviously not running, I put on a few kgs more than i would have liked, and with the new anti-gout diet, I have managed to drop 4 Kgs (8.8 lbs) since I got home, leaving me at 94 Kgs (207 lbs). My target, both as a runner, and because of the gout, is to get to 80 Kgs, which is around 176 lbs. Obviously, I don't expect the speed of weight loss to be maintained at the present levels, and I have a target of the summer, and a build up for a spring (southern hemisphere) marathon...let's hope.

So another dawn, one of so many in recent years, but I still know I can run the good race, and with the added incentive of ensuring no more bouts of gout pain, I am more determined than ever to reduce the weight, and get back to running, which is the best way to maintain weight there is.

I suppose occassionally I should update this

2010-10-21T15:11:00.002+01:00

Not really sure why I should even think about writing anything on here, as to be brutally honest, I am hardly running at all at the moment. I Hash with the Buenos Aires Hash House Harriers every two weeks, and in between, I pop to the gym and jog on the treadmill, if I'm honest, twice a week would be a good week!

Why has it come to this?

Well, unfamiliarity with the local area was the initial reason, coupled with the hot, humid weather when I first arrived in Argentina. At first I did manage to "train" a fair bit in the gym, and for the first few months here, I was keeping relatively fit. Then a couple of silly injuries were used as excuses, and the real truth started to hit me - I'm not 30, or even 40 any more!, and weight seems to creep up on me whenever I am inactive, and these days, its so hard to shed it when I re-start to run. I have to confess to having hit 94 kilograms, which works out at almost 15 stones, or for my American friends, 207 lbs..... That's the heaviest I have ever been.

Other Problems

Motivation is very hard right now. Given the excess weight, naturally my speed is so slow. When it becomes hard to maintain an 8 minute mile pace, for one mile, and feel really tired after a 3 Km (less than 2 miles) run on the treadmill in 16 minutes, it's tough to go back the next day. It's not that long ago, I could time trial a 5:15 mile, and run repeats over 400m in 75 seconds, seriously within the last 5 years, that was within my range. When I run 400m on the treadmill in 2 minutes, and struggle, it simply becomes impossible to raise a smile and be enthusiastic about coming back again tomorrow.

So, What can i do about it?

Well, I can moan and do nothing, but that isn't going to get me off my butt and do anything about it. Maybe by writing this down, it can help, expressing my thoughts to the world (well, OK, both of you who read this!) I am shaming myself into doing something. I'm not going to pretend that I will diet, cut out beer, train 7 days a week, and drop 30 lbs, run a 3:30 marathon etc..... It's not going to happen like that. What I can do, is watch my diet a little more astutely than I have been. Cut out the silly junk sweets and biscuits that I indulge in. Reduce my drinking to Friday Nights (Can't beat Frinks!), and after the hashes, and start to train with a little more method. If I can organise myself to go to the gym three times a week, the work should start to pay off after a month or so.

No targets, no goals. We'll see what happens over the next couple of months, and maybe then I can set my sights on realistic goals for 2011. I know what I would like to aim for, but that isn't going to happen unless I take these first steps, and reduce the weight and regain my mojo.... Hopefully it will come......

An even longer gap.....

2010-07-11T19:22:00.002+01:00

I am so bad at keeping this thing up to date. The main reason is that I have been doing very little running. I have continued to Hash in the first six months of the year, and I am still in Buenos Aires. But, I have done very little serious running. I started the year well, with good intentions. Managed a steady 40 plus miles in January, followed by 30 plus in February, but since then its been down hill.

My first six months of the year have seen a total of 108 miles added to my career history, with most of them being from Hashing. I did manage a race of sorts in May when I was home in Ireland for a vacation, the Banbridge Spar 10K, but the least said about that the better, as I had forgotten two things - One, I wasn't fit, and Two, Banbridge is Hilly! I took over the hour for a run/walk, gasp for air, trip around the town, but at least I finished. Then, as soon as I got back to BsAs, I went and turned my ankle which saw me off running for four weeks.

Well, it's July now, and I have already amassed more miles in ten days than the last three months, mind you, that wasn't hard! So, I am trying again, and as an eternal optimist, I am planning on a half marathon (or possibly two) in September, with the Buenos Aires Marathon on 10 10 10 as a hopeful ambition, we shall see. At the moment, running 5 Km would be a challenge, so I will have to do a lot of hard work in the next two months to get even close - We shall see......

This is a new record

2009-12-06T23:17:00.002Z

Yep - This must be the longest I have gone without recording anything in my blog. I am sure that nobody bothers to check in anymore as there has been nothing in over three months, but here I am, alive and well, and with a lot to tell, although sadly, not too much in the way of running.

One of the reasons I went AWOL was that old adage - injury struck! Yep, around the beginning of September that niggling groin injury became more acute, and I had to rethink my plans for the autumn, as clearly I wasn't able to run the half marathon, or train to take part in the Dublin Marathon at the end of October. I still managed to get out most weeks and hash, and whilst the groin wasn't hurting while running, every time I ran, the next day I was in some discomfort. So, I took my usual self-diagnosed advice and took some time off from running seriously, just the hashing.

Around this time I was planning other major life changes, firstly deciding to take a career break from work, As this is a running blog, I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, on October 30th, I spent my last day at work for three years - or at least my last day working with the Revenue Commissioners for three years anyway. The second big change is my location. Having taken the time off, I needed to take myself off, and here I am, typing this update on a hot, sunny, December day (obviously not Dublin!), in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

And so back to running, and the real purpose of my update. Well, I have been gently running again for a few weeks now, very light, short distances, and, touch wood, with no recurrance of my groin niggle. Today, December 6th, I took part in a local, low-key race over 4 Km, only 20 pesos entry fee (that's €3.50), for which we received a tech T-Shirt, water, and a calendar at the end, and a decent prize list for the winners, along with spot prizes. There were around 100 in the main race, along with a fun run/walk over 1.5 Km which had around the same number again.

The race was a straight forward out and back one along a main road, after leaving the Bridgestone tyre plant in Llavollol, and whilst I felt I ran well, my time shows that the course must have been well short of the 4 Km, as I am not in the shape to be running 17:15 which is the time I recorded, and I know I was not running sub 7 minute pace. More likely the race was around 3.5 Km, and I finished around 30th out the hundred or so particpants, which was fine for me.

Unfortunately, despite the weather being far nicer than at home, the running season is coming to an end here, as January and February are usually far too hot to hold races, so I may not get as many races as I would like in over the next few months, but I can't use the excuse that it is too wet or cold to train, so hopefully, by the time that autumn arrives I will be in good shape to carry on running, and carry on updating this thing, if only for my own amusement.

No races, but training going as well as it has been

2009-08-31T18:50:00.003+01:00

Since the Frank Duffy race two weeks ago, it has been into training mode and a couple of weeks away from hard racing. This year has been a slow build up, but July saw a lift in my mileage, and August has continued in the same vein, as can be seen from the table below (at least I hope it shows as a table!).

August: 76.0 Mi
July: 74.1 Mi
June: 37.0 Mi
May: 27.4 Mi
April: 34.6 Mi
March: 2.2 Mi

As can be seen, the second half of the year is progressing in the right direction, and with a few races to sharpen my speed up in September, and a half marathon at the end of the month, hopefully September will continue in the same way.

Although I am planning on the Marathon in October, clearly my mileage is well below what is required to run well, so it will be a jog around Dublin, enjoying he 30th anniversary party, before I refocus my targets elsewhere.

Frank Duffy 10 - Yet another race for me !!!

2009-08-17T17:07:00.000+01:00

Another week, another race. For the first time in a while, I am writing that
in confidence. Whilst I might be running slower than ever, I am, at long
last, at least getting some consistency, in that I am racing with more
regularity, hence I have something close by to aim for. Maybe, in recent
years, I have set my targets long-term, and as such, have not focused on the
building blocks I have always referred to when coaching others along the way.
So whilst I may have the Dublin Marathon as a goal, each race along the route
has become important in its own way, and not simply a gauge as to how I am
progressing.

So, this weekend, it was the Frank Duffy 10 Miler in the Phoenix Park, the
second race in the Adidas Dublin Marathon build up series. In recent weeks I
have run the 5 Miler in this series, and the 8K Streets of Galway run, and
now I was preparing to step up to 10 miles, and my longest run for over a
year. My last venture over anything like this distance was in May 08, when I
ran the Brussels 20 Km Race in a little over 2 hours, an average pace of
around 9 mins 45 secs per mile, an absolute disaster. Whilst not in the shape
to crack the 80 minute mark I would like to be under for a ten mile race, I
knew I was not, barring accidents, unlikely to be as bad as that run.

Race morning greeted me with rain lashing against the window, and things did
not augur well as I headed up to the Phoenix Park. Much as light rain can be
welcome in a long race, and it was warm so no complaints on that score, as a
wearer of glasses rain makes life a little awkward. So, I left the glasses
behind, and lined up with a throw away t-shirt and my Marathon Maniacs
Singlet as the rain thankfully stopped, and the sun started to appear. Lining
up in corals was actually surprisingly easy, with the majority of the 4,500
filed being sensible and seemingly getting into the right, self-seeded,
coral, before a little after 10, the tapes were dropped, we bunched up, and
off we went.

The route was to be two laps of the Park on the south side, down Chesterfield
Avenue, then around by the Military Road before descending to the bottom of
the Kyber Road, up the hill, down the S's and up another hill towards the
start line, and a second lap which repeated much of the first, with the
exception that this time we ran down the Kyber Road, hitting the quads at
Mile 6...

I deliberately set out to try and run 8.30 pace which would see me home in 85
minutes. I felt confident that I could realise this time after last weeks
clocking of 39:10 for 8 Km. With the long run down the first mile on
Chesterfield completed in 8:36, I was a little outside, and surprisingly this
pace seemed to be my bench mark for the entire first lap, as each mile was
more or less the same, irrespective of the ups and downs. The half way point
was reached in 43 minutes dead, slower than I had hoped for, but I was
feeling good at this pace, and felt confident of a decent time.

After the quads had been hit going down the Kyber around Mile 6, I struggled
a little on the climb back up, and the next couple of miles were slow and saw
me starting to struggle. I knew that the last mile would be flat, and a good
effort there would enable me to claw back a little time, but the lack of
miles in my legs was starting to tell, and as I finished the final hill
around Mile 8 ½ , I felt 87 minutes would be my finish time. Once I hit the 9
mile mark in 78 minutes and change, a simple calculation meant I had to run
under 8 minutes for that last flat mile to be anywhere near 86 minutes, and
that was doable, and certainly I would be under that 87 adjusted target, so I
knuckled down and tried to keep a steady pace, accelerating gradually, and
starting to pass people, without kicking too soon.

The announcer had stressed at the start that the last turn towards the finish
still left some 400m of running, so I bided my time before really trying to
run hard until the final turn, and then I set my targets ahead. In my hey day
of running, I prided myself on the strength of my finish, only ever losing
one sprint for the line, and in 25 years plus of racing, I must have passed
hundreds, if not thousands, and I am not exaggerating there, in that last
400m of races, and today was to be no different, despite the slow pace
overall. Age may have slowed me down overall, but comparatively I still have
that long kick in me, and here again, I passed 5, 10, 20 runners in that last
400, increasing the speed with every stride, and crossing the line in full
flow, with the clock stopping at 86:04, and a sub 8 minute last mile.

On the face I of it, almost perfect splits for the run, but the second half
was inconsistent as the lack of miles showed, but at the pace I was running I
was able to kick hard at the end and make the times look more respectable.
Overall I was very happy with the run, even though I would have liked to have
been under 85. The age adjusted percentage was a slight drop to just under
60%, but again, given the mildly tentative pace I ran at, this was to be
expected. I finished 1805th in a field of 4,500, and 45th out of 75 in my age
class, all in all a satisfactory performance.

Next up for me is due to be a drop back to 5Km on September 5th in Malahide
Castle, Dublin, although there is a Half Marathon in Longford in two weeks I
am toying with. Both of these are preliminaries for the next targeted run,
the final leg of the Adidas Series before the full marathon, the Dublin Half
Marathon on September 26th, where I am hoping to be under 1:50 and a final
decision can be made as to participation in the 26 Miler at the end of
October. Now, back to training..........................

Athenry AC at the Streets

2009-08-09T15:28:00.000+01:00

Streets of Galway heading in the right direction

2009-08-09T14:56:00.002+01:00

Well, keep those fingers crossed, as things do appear, for once, to be heading in the right direction. Headed over to Galway for the Streets of Galway 8Km, a race I have run four times previously, and a chance to meet up with my fellow club mates, most of whom these days I have never met :). I am a member of Athenry AC, a club based just outside Galway, and when I first came home to Ireland, Mick Rice, a founder member of the club and a great runner himself, persuaded me to join the club and become something like the sixth or seventh member of the club. Today, some 6 years later, the club has well over a hundred members, but I'm glad to say that Mick is still a stalwart of the club, and it was great to see him in great shape, he runs a 100 Mile race next weekend, so this was just a short jog for him!

After a three hour drive, it was a very sunny, warm, summers day in Galway, a rare treat, and after the photcall with the club in fornt of Jury's Hotel, it was a 7 pm evening start for the race in perfect running weather. Having run 41:10 for the 5 miler in Dublin a couple of weeks ago, I was hoping to run around the same time or slightly better, having had a few days loss of training in between due to flu.

The run started smoothly on a realtively flat course, starting on the Claddagh in Galway, and heading into the city centre along Merchant Road, passed a few bars where revellers enjoying the summer evening were in fine force cheering us along. There were around 2000 entries, so a mass throng was pounding through the pedestrianised streets, around Eyre Square and past Brown Thomas before heading out to the Cathedral and through a residential area. I managed the first Km in 4:53 which was surprising given the crowd, and I kept going, running around the same pace, reaching half way in 19:05.

I was going a little too fast for my level of fitness, so I eased back a little as we ran the turns around the houses, as it was very warm for here, and the sweat was dripping off me. Between 5 and 6 Km I had to stop to wipe my glasses as I had steamed up, I couldn't see with the sweat on my shades, but then again, I couldn't find any dry part of my clothes to wipe the sweat off, so ended up running the last couple of Km's with blurred vision :) -

The run drops down onto Salthill promenade, and turns for home. I had eased off the pace by now, but as I approached the 7 Km mark, I worked out that I had 5:15 to spare to bring me home under 40 minutes (my best projected time), and so, despite the sweat impeeding my sight, I knuckled down to make sure I made it home as quick as I could. With 500m to go, maked on the road, I kicked, and started to overtake folk in front. I felt I was running strongl, but within myself, I didn't want to go for an outright sprint, but as we approached the right hander to turn to the finish, I had my sights on a few people and with 80 to go, I kicked on, passed my targets and crossed the line in 39:10, a good two minutes faster than the Dublin 5 (I know its not quite the same distance), and very happy.

This may not have been the fastest Streets for me, but at an average pace of 7:53 per mile, and a positive run, I am going the right way in gaining fitness, and next week I have a 10 Miler to "enjoy". Lets hope that continues the progress. I finished 657th out of the 1973 who completed the course, around a third of the way, so again, heading in the right direction.

2009-07-24T17:30:00.001+01:00

Before the Adidas Race - The Crowd was Big - And I look a lot better here, than at the finish!

Another week, and still improving

2009-07-24T17:12:00.002+01:00

Yep, making a welcome change in that I am not writing about taking two steps backwards after a week of improvements. After last weeks healthy race over 5K, I started the week with another race, the 5 Mile, Adidas Irish Runner Challenge in the Phoenix Park. They were unable to get the car parking at Castleknock College as in previous years, so I decided to go via Public Transport, which ended up with me walking around 3 miles as a warm up - maybe not ideal, but I'll live - Had to walk the same back, which wasn't quite as much fun :).

With the time I had managed over 5K earlier in the week, I was hopeful of breaking 40 minutes for this 5 Miler. However, I hadn't accounted for only 60 hours between the races, and I knew very quickly that the heaviness in my legs was not going to see that sort of time getting near. This race is part of the build up to the Marathon in October, and there were around 4,500 participants, and so with the legs heavy and the size of the field, I was reconsidering my strategy right from the off. The course also has its surprises in that there are a number of hills which slow you down, and with each mile clicking over 8 minutes and 20, I was struggling from the start. But once I had reached 4 miles, I needed to kick hard, and see what inner strength I might have, well, OK, the course had flattened out here, and I hoped I could run faster - Well, I did, not wonderfully, but fast enough to record a 41:10 finishing time, which in hindsight I was happy enough with.

Since then I have had a good week. Sunday saw me hashing over 5 miles, with a gym session beforehand, rested on Monday, 5K on Tuesday, 6K on Wednesday, and on Thursday I decided on a speed session to see where I am at that score, and ran a hard 3K on the treadmill in 13:48, again a time I was more than happy with, given my present levels of fitness.

All in all, a good week, and with my next race two weeks away, the Streets of Galway 8K, time to build from this and certainly look at that sub 40 there.

Irishtown 5K - Improvement is clear

2009-07-15T21:30:00.004+01:00

Running is a funny sport, and running at a more mature age sometimes throws up surprises, that even an experienced veteran of 30 years of tieing up the laces,
finds fascinating, and one of the many reasons those 30 years have encompassed this hobby/sport for me.

For the first time this year I went to a BHAA race, the Business House Races, I have enjoyed over the years. With injury and lack of fitness, I have missed the first half of the BHAA season, but there are still a few races I can fit in. Tonight was the Dublin City Council organised, Irishtown 5K, a race I have enjoyed in previous years, both as a particpant, and also I have marshalled in the days I worked for the council.

The race starts on the track at Irishtown Stadium, running the first Km on the track, before exiting and heading into the adjoining park, for three laps there, before returning to the track and a lap to finish. The run is flat and in 2005 I managed to run 23:46, followed up by a 23:50 in 2007. Missed the rcae last year due to injury, and with my last outing just ten days ago being a 24:34, I had no high hopes of bettering those times, maybe I could be closer to 24 minutes than 25, but no expectations or plans to push early.

I started gently amongst the 200 or so runners, and hogged the inside line on the track, giving up time to ensure I kept the shortest route, there would be plenty of chances to overtake once I got into the park, so the first Km on the track was only just under 5:00. Once out of the stadium, I started to go past runners, and into the park, we seemed to quickly reach 2Km in 9:35, obviously a little pacier, and still I was overtaking. I used to do speed work on this loop, and know thats is's around 950m a lap, so I dug in, and gradually reeled in guys and gals, two ro three each lap, and nobody was catching me. 3K was 14:12, so I was running around 4:37 pace, and on this lap I caught a young guy in a blue T-shirt, he didn't seemed too pleased, so he spent the next 8 minutes trying to surge away, and each time I caught him back.

The second lap was over quickly, and coming up to the 4Km mark, i checked my watch, 19:02. Here is where I started to feel surprised. I was feeling good, and as I was easily going to be capeable of a final Km of under 5 mins, the maths was starting to look good, and my mind was wondering what my body thought of this pace, and was it expecting a sub 24 time. Blue T was still trying to surge, but with 800 to go I decided to run for home, I surged myself, I heard him behind me as we left the park and headed around to the stadium, my old strength at the end seemed to be there in a small way, and gradually the breathing behind became more distant. I caught another runner as we entered the track, but he was slowing, and with the 350m to run on the track, a quick glance at my watch had me startled as to the likely time. I can't say I Kicked, but I pushed on, and whilst I had no chance of cathcing anyone in front of me, I was conscious that Blue T might have a sprint finish, seeing as he must have been 20 years younger. But I never look back, head down, last bend, push off the bend, last 80m, see the clock, try and "sprint", cross the line, wow!!!! 23:39 - Where did that come from? (PS - Added the pic which shows that Blue T was trailing in)

Seriously, I had no thoughts of realistically beating previous times here, and hence I was pleasantly surprised - onwards and upwards. Saturday sees the first race in the Adidas series, the 5M Irish Runner Challenge, a race I have done a few times before, the last three times failing to break 40 minutes, so hopefully, if I recover OK, that will be my target there.

Family Fitness 5K

2009-07-05T11:52:00.002+01:00

Yep, I maanged my race this morning. Now, given I did enter a few weeks back, and have telegraphed this race here, I was still a doubt last night, thanks to the British & Irish Lions fabulous victory over South Africa yesterday, and a few celebratory pints as we sat in the pub disseminating the entire tour!

Anyway, I managed to get up, out, and down to Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park here in Dublin. The event was billed as a Family Fitness Day with the 5K kicking events off for all the family. There was a good turnout for the event, and good to see Paul McNamara fron my club, although he was there in his working for Athletics Ireland mode today, and not running, but we had a brief chat and he's gearing up for a crack at the Dublin Marathon in October.

Sonia O'Sullivan was the Official Starter, and off we went at 10.30 on the roads around the Park. As ever there were slower runners near the start, but in general terms the start was orderly and I quickly settled into an easy rhythm. Amazingly, given this was organised by Athletics Ireland, there were no Km or Mile markers, so it was hard to gauge the pace, but having a good idea of the lay out of the Park, I could tell I was running inside my 25 minute target, perhaps a little too fast, but it was only 5K!

Nothing really dramatic to report about the race really, I plodded on, felt the Guinness from yesterday around 20 minutes into the run, so had to ease off the gas, and when we re-entered the Farmeligh estate we only had 400m to run, and a quick check on the watch showed I had a comfortable margin of ewrror, so I didn't bust a gut in sprinting too hard, and finished comfortably with the watch at 24:34.

A decent time, but not a great run, thanks to the Guinness and the lack of distance markers, but a reasonable standard for the summer and the plethora of races I have lined up. Next up is the DCC 5K at Irishtown on the 15th, and I'll be targetting a better run and time there.

Speed work

2009-07-03T21:31:00.002+01:00

Well, OK, it many ways, its slow plodding work, but given that my legs haven't turned over at much more than 8 minute mile pace for quite a while, and I do want to duck under 25 mins on Sunday, I thought I would foresake the sunny evening, head to the gym and have a go at running with some "speed".

So, the gym it was, and a treadmill session. A warm up eased me into it, and then I hit the speed dial, and ran a 2K time trial in 9:23 - Not fast by so many standards, except my last 12 months of running :) - So I enjoyed it, warmed down, went and had a sauna and hope that this will translate to a decent run on Sunday - Stay tuned!

July arrives - Where's the year gone? <17 weeks to Dublin

2009-07-01T23:59:00.002+01:00

Realised tonight as I was running in the sun (for a change), that the Dublin Marathon is less than 17 weeks away, and my training is on par for a decent 10K in 17 weeks, rather than a 42K run.

Notwithstanding the above, I ran a nice 5 miler along Sandymount Strand, nice and easy, just under 41 minutes for the run, and a lot of sweat. Stands me in good stead for Sundays 5Km race in Farmleigh. It really was a lovely evening for running, the sun was out, the temp was gorgeous, and it was great to see so many others out on the strand, kind of makes those winter wet runs all worthwhile.

Oh Boy! There goes another month

2009-06-27T10:23:00.002+01:00

Where dows time go to - Must be a sign of getting older but the months seem to tick by so quickly, and at times so slowly. They rush by when you are injured and have a marathon planned for 20 weeks away - oops - make that 17 weeks away - see another three weeks missed! - When you are waiting for something nice to happen, the days tick by slowly, tick, tock, tick tock.....dragging out each minue, each hour....

Well, it's the end of June, and my Marathon, Dublin, is at the end of October. Another month has passed when my training has been more like that of someone training for the school sports egg and spoon race. On the plus side, I managed another race, a 10Km whilst in Argentina, and I clocked 52:14, which isn't too bad, but on the minus side, just as I got my training into a pattern, I came down with flu, so ten days lost... C'est la vie!

Anyway, Thursday I was back to work and back to the gym, and an easy 4km, and this morning I went out and ran one of my favourite, albeit short, training runs, The Two Bridges I call it, using the Liffey quay as my base. It's been a regular sounding board for my levels of fitness over the last three years, it's only 2.4 miles, but a good guide, and today I ran 19:38 on a plesant sunny morning. It felt hard, as it should given I had missed those ten days from a low base in itself, but I got around and feel good for the run.

A 5K race next weekend is on the agenda, and despite everything June will be my highest mileage of the year to day - again, the base wasn't that good, so nothing to write home about, but hopefully, all is going in the right direction again.

Recovery Run

2009-05-20T20:08:00.001+01:00

I could get to like this running lark!!! After yesterdays race, and a day with my books, I went the gym and managed a recovery run in 14:53 for 3Km on the treads... Is this a sign that I am a runner again - two days in a row :)......

Hey - I'm a Runner Again! I ran a RACE!

2009-05-19T20:55:00.003+01:00

I know there hasn't been a lot to read, two steps forward. then one point nine steps back - But, finally I managed to get myself into some form of shape that I could actually line up on the start line of an actual race.

I checked - it's been almost a year to the day since I last crossed a finish line, and I could be forgiven for thinking I might never bother doing it again, but despite all the setbacks, and the aches and pains of mellowing age, tonight I made it to the start of the Docklands 8Km road race. Well, I had little excuse for not getting to the start, seeing as it started 100 yards from my front door, so along with over 1000 others, I lined up for the race around Dublin Docklands.

Given its been so long, and my training (if you can call it that!) has been sporadic, I had no idea what would happen, or what time I might run. I had a figure of 45 minutes in my head as a worse case scenario, that's nine minute miles, and knowing the course was measured in kilometres, I sort of had 44 mins, 5:30 pace in my head. I haven't run farther than 5 Km in 6 months, so this was going to be a shock to the system.

It's a flat course, through the Docklands, as it's name suggests, with only two little climbs over water, and to be honest, there is not a lot to write about. I ran the first couple of Km's inside my target time, hit 5Km in 26:02, then felt a littler sick, so took a walk break, and picked it up at the end to finish with a sort of kick, clocking 43:09, not my best ever race, but not bad given where I have been.

I'll let you know how I feel in the morning, but at least I have raced again, and I can but improve from this, and I know I can do it again...... I had begun to doubt that.....

Feckin Inevitable!

2009-04-30T16:21:00.003+01:00

Wouldn't you know it - Just as I start to feel I am heading in the right direction, something goes wrong. I can't even tell you what happened, but my left foot is killing me. So bad, I can't walk easily, let alone run - Maybe I should just give up any thoughts about running well ever again, degenerate into an old fat slob, and watch TV......

I hate this.............................................

Another week passes

2009-04-25T10:08:00.002+01:00

A relatively easy week, not a huge amount of running as I want to tread carefully and not go overboard. On the plus side, I ran a 3 Km Time Trial, of sorts, on Thursday evening, and managed to run 14:46, which despite seeming slow by some standards, is the fastest I have run 3K in over a year.

It's a long way from the heady days of running a full marathon (42K) at that pace, but its yet another step in the right direction. The weight doesn't seem to be moving down, although thankfully not up either!, and I'm hovering around 196 lbs, a long way to go on that target - But, onwards and upwards, and Saturday coming (May 2nd) I have the RTE 5 Mile race to enjoy (or should that be endure!)... On On.....

Amazing - Another Post

2009-04-16T00:39:00.002+01:00

Another week passes, and my weight is hanging around 198 - Lat night it was a 4 K run, adn tonight, I managed 3Km in 15.37 which is as quick as anything I have run recently, if not earth shattering...

I have an idea of a race on May 2nd over 5 Miles, and the 8K Docklands run on May 19th, then we can assess the rest of the year - Looking at Fall Marathons, and BA is looking good, and Dublin's 30th anniversary - Lets see how May goes first.....

That's where I left my Blog!

2009-04-09T21:52:00.002+01:00

Amazingly, it is 4 months since I last wrote anything on here. I know I have been lax in the past, but this just about takes the biscuit...

Have I been running - well, not really. I managed to acquire a groin injury before Xmas last, and I found it difficult to shake it off. Must be old age! What it meant was, I could run on a Monday, the groin would stiffen up the next day, I would need 48 hours for it to "de-flame", and then on Thursday I could run again, and go through the stiff/de-flame process again - so as you can guess, very little real training was done.

So here we are, Easter 2009, and I am glad to report that after a complete rest from running through March, the groin has cleared up, and I am back running on a daily (ish) basis. Obviously taking it gently, step by step, not helped by the fact that my weight ballooned up to around 205 lbs, but I have actually got into double figures for mileage this week, and I can build from here.

My first challenge is likely to be a 5 Mile Road Race on May 2nd, part of the BHAA series, but it will be a very gentle excursion, and will indicate how much I need to do before I can realistically start to set goals for the second half of the year. The only real goal I have is to run injury free for 6 months - Mind you, I think I have set that one before!

Dear Santa - Just let me have a few weeks without getting injured

2008-12-05T12:52:00.002Z

Maybe Santa Claus will help, because everything else seems to go wrong and I cant get more than a few weeks without another piece of my ageing body breaking down! I'm sure nobody wants to hear about YET another Liam Excuse/Injury, but I decided that the start of my training programme for Virginia Beach was obviously going too well, so I decided to pull a tendon in my left foot! Meant I could sit on my arse for three weeks and do no running!

Well, the good news is that its 90% cleared up now, and I have started running again. Monday night I rejoined the Dublin Hash and took part in an easy low key run on a chilly evening. Wednesday and Thursday I went to the gym and ran short 2Km runs each evening, hard enough to test the foot was OK, but short enough not to cause too much presure on the foot - Two short runs, but the foot seems to have got through the ordeal OK, and hopefully I can get going again - Don't hold your breath, something is bound to go wrong before the Year is out!

Well, so far so good...

2008-11-06T17:58:00.003Z

The world hasn't stopped spinning on its axis, and Barack Obama will be President in 74 days - Welcome Back to the World America :)

But onto more serious matters - my running!

Well, for the first time in a very long time, I have managed to make the treadmill and run 5 days in a row, and in fact 7 out of the last 8 days, only Saturday last being missed. At the moment, I am taking very small steps, with next to no distance being undertaken, but I am doing the improtant bit, I'm lacing my shoes and getting out there. Yesterday was difficult. My legs felt very tired, I felt tight on the chest, and things were "yucky" - and I was only running 8:30 pace, and had to cut the run to a miniscule 2Km. Today I managed 2 miles, and felt a lot better, so I'll continue on the easy build up, and keep working hard.

Election Day - The World awaits with bated breath

2008-11-04T20:50:00.002Z

And while we wait, I went to the gym and did a session on the treadmill, along with some leg curls and a sauna session. The run was average, only 2 miles at 8:22 pace, positively pedestrian, but it was another run, and I didn't feel too pressed at this pace - understandably. I need to start building up a mile or two each week, as I build up to the 10K run on Dec 6th - Slowly slowly -

Lets hope that the election in the US produces the "right" result, the world is hopeful, lets hope the Americans don't let the world down.....((See, I can be topical too!)...

Halloween Fun

2008-11-03T17:06:00.000Z

This is the Picture I missed posting - Showing me at my best :)

Week 1 of 20 - The Countdown Begins

2008-11-03T16:51:00.002Z

Well, I promised I was going to start again, and this time get there, so here we are, the start of a 20 week programme with a goal in mind. I have no excuses at the moment, apart from the excess weight I am carrying, so here I am, embarking on another Marathon, and once again its a US one.

Some time ago I we were invited to go to St Louis, for a Green Dress Hash Run for St Patrick's weekend, actually the run is on March 13th, and we were looking at making it a long weekend. But having now been invited to the
Shamrock Marathon Fest in Virginia Beach it's looking that the trip will encompass the Hash in St Louis, and then a lesiurely drive across country to Virginia Beach for the Marathon on March 22nd - That race being exactly 20 weeks away!

So today, Day 1 of Week 1, and in the 6 weeks of base building that my plan involves, it was a 4Km trot in 21:37 on the treadmill, an easy, even-paced run, a start which will be developed as we progress. I have a couple of local races in December which will begin the speed/interval phase, so won't be expecting anything spectacular there, one is a 10Km, the other a 5Km, so we'll see.

Just so you can see how much weight I am carrying, I include this lovely picture of me from this weekend Halloween Party - Boy have I got a job on my hands!

New York Times - Big Marathons Article

2008-10-29T09:19:00.001Z

A few weeks ago I was called my a journalist on the New York Times and we had a telephone discussion about the state of play of large city Marathons - Here is a link to the article from today's NYT.

Big Marathons, Already Packed, May Still Grow
By JULIET MACUR
Published: October 29, 2008
Race directors are looking for ways to make their marathons even bigger, while somehow maintaining a safe and enjoyable experience for runners.

Wonder what others might think - Seems a very fair piece to me -

Dublin Marathon Weekend 2008

2008-10-28T15:11:00.002Z

As I reported earlier, obvioulsy I wasn't running this year, but it still meant a busy weekend at the Adidas Dublin Marathon. Went to the expo on Saturday to check out the stands, catch up with a few friends, and generally get re-enthused about the Marathon.

On Sunday, I was hareing a trail for the Dublin Hash House Harriers, and we welcomed a group of Runners/Hashers in from Sweden, along with a couple of Americans, and the usual Dublin crew. This was a sightseeing hash and a gentle run was planned for those taking part in the Marathon on Monday, and an enjoyable time was had as I showed them the sights of Dublin.

This took me through to Monday and Marathon Day. This year, it was no trip down to the start to wave good-bye and await the return - We were off at 7.30 to Terenure, and Mile 15 of the race. The Hash operate a Water Station here, and we arrived to find 10,000 bottles sat on pallets, tables awaiting building and a few like minded souls looking forward to the day. It was clear, cool, but dry, all in all a perfect day for running, and we quickly erected the tables, started to unpack the water bottle, having to pull off the plastic tops on 10,000 bottles. Then the van arrived with some banners, the FM104 Girls arrived in their Beetle, and 20 boxes of gels were dropped off for us - we were prepared -

At around 10.15 the lead car was spotted, and before we knew it the leaders were among us - and as quickly as they arrived, they were gone, their special drinks collected, drunk, discarded - water taken, and not a stride broken as they sped off. Gradually the rest of the field started to appear - Strung out at first as the leading Irish runners came through, then those looking to break 2:45, we spotted a few familar faces, some looking worse than others, and before we knew it, the masses were upon us. Hundreds of tired runners, pounding their way thru Mile 15, over half way, and starting the countdown to home.

Water was collected, dropped, gels ripped open, thank you's called to us volunteering. The kids helped us, handing out bottles without getting in every ones way, they were a welcome help - Runners must be the most polite people in the sporting world, as they thanked us for being there, we were all glad to help. After two hours of constant masses, the runners started to become walkers, the numbers dwindled, but still they came. Simon Baker, who would go on to set a world record for completeing a marathon on crutches, came by and chatted with us as he rested his arms - His "minders" complaining he was going too fast! We saw the Toucan, a friend of mine from Wales was yelled at - and went on to run 4:22, most looked great at our station, and the happy smiles of the walkers at the tail of the field said it all as they enjoyed their day out in Dublin.

Many were raising money for charities close to home, many just aiming to complete the run for their own satisfaction - One would come first, but everyone was a winner. Having run a fair few myself, I recalled the pleasures and pains of a marathon, part of me missing being out there running - As we wound down the operation as the numbers became a trickle, we waited for the last runners to pass, cheering them onwards to their own goals - I know I want to be a part of this again. Next year is Dublin's 30th Anniversary, my shoes will be laced, my training done, and I will be back on the streets of Terenure, and beyond - I'll be looking for my water at Mile 15 - On On ..

Stop - Start

2008-10-24T12:45:00.002+01:00

Just in case I am talking to myself these days - I deserve to. I have been so irregular on here, I would be amazed if anyone has any patience left with me.

On the plus side, I am now injury free. I am still hashing and this has allowed me to keep some semblance of running in my life. This weekend here in Dublin, it's Marathon time. Obviously I am not running it this year, but I am contrbuting by Volunteering at a water station on Monday (Mile 15!), and I am also leading out a hash on Sunday for those visiting, a Sightseeing Hash!

But where does that leave my running. I had been thinking of running the Cross Country this winter, but knowing that being out of shape and running X-Country are not ideal friends, I will postpone those until the New Year, but I will target two low key races in December as runs. A 10K on Dec 6th, the Aware Race, and the Jingle Bells 5K the following weekend.

The biggest problem I have at present is my weight. I crept over 200lbs a couple of weeks ago, but glad to say I am back under again, and really will have to work on getting this back down to my Running Weight, which is below 185 - We shall see.....

Little acorns

2008-09-24T21:51:00.002+01:00

You know the old saying about acorns, well, tonight saw a small step for Liam, a giant leap for my running! I headed to the gym, and ran a 3Km session. It was slow, painfully, 15:57. But it was a 3 Km run with no niggles as I ran, no running through pain, no feeling every muscle as I ran.

It's a long road back, I have 20 lbs extra around my belly - and a long way before I can honestly say I will be race fit again. Probably no real chance of anything this side of Xmas of note, but I will work at it, and get back. I love running too much to give up on the project....

Maybe not quite - But it's a start

2008-09-23T08:24:00.002+01:00

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, and I didn't take advantage and run! But I did have a lovely day - walked around Greystones, had lunch al fresco, watched some soccer.... and that continued into Sunday.

But Monday, and a Hash in Santry! Now, hashing can sometimes be far more about the drinking afterwards, and little of the running. But Monday's was a run, and a good one to boot. For those not atune to hashing, it's nothing to do with smoking anything, it's running, following a trail laid by a hare before we all follow on, and it's all good fun, with a few beers at the end to justify the exercise! Well, last night we had a good run of around 75 minutes, and I got a good workout. OK, it's not a structured exercise routine, but it was a good run around Santry and Beaumont, and I felt it was well worth it as a way of kicking off the campaign.

Feeling stiff this morning, and will aim to go the gym tonight to work on a stiff right quad as well as take a nice sauna. I've added a little pic from the weekend, which shows my newly added weight quite well :)

Light at end of tunnel

2008-09-18T19:34:00.002+01:00

Some of you will recall when I used to be a runner - Hey! Even I can just about remember the days, the Alzheimer's hasn't kicked in quite yet. This summer has been a write off - story of so many recent summers, but this year wasn't just me being lazy. The muscle in my back has cost me hard, and a virtual ten week layoff has ensued. Now, I can confess to Hashing a little, well, every week to be honest, but those of you who have hashed yourselves will know, that running is not the most important part of a Hash.

Well, 20 lbs extra from when I was in Cincy in May, clothes that barely fit me, and a chubbiness that I detest, here we are in mid-September, and I am ready to start running again. Ironically, I should be running a half-marathon on Saturday, but instead, I plan to start with a gentle, easy 2.4 miles around docklands, and as long as I can put one foot in front of the other, Saturday morning will be the start of something big.

Obviously any plans for this year are shelved, but I aim to be back running, with a proper level of fitness for the BHAA Cross Country Season. Now I hate cross country at the best of times, but I have to make a realistic target, and the road race season will be over by the time I am prepared again - so the BHAA Teaches XC on Oct 18th, over 4 miles, will be my comeback attempt.

I do plan to write garbage on here, to get me going again, and so my posts may actually make some sense :) - Here we go again - Come along for the ride...

Oh My Gawd - What happened to August ?

2008-09-02T10:32:00.004+01:00

Where did it go - Did I sleep through it?

Well, I sure as hell didn't run through it at 90 miles an hour - or even ninety miles a month! My serious running has certainly taken a nose dive over recent months, and whilst I continue to Hash, the training in-between hashses has been sporadic at best, and non-existant in any structured plan. I have been struggling to run more than 5 km, and will continue to do so for a while, as my weight is only just hovering under the 200lbs mark. I could use excuses, I did incur an injury or two, but these were relatively minor, and normally I would have run through these, so what is it?

As I say, I am enjoying my Hashing with the Dublin Hash House Harriers, and have taken part in most of the runs since May, culminating in The Hash In The Bog last weekend, and a couple of pics are attached - although, sadly I'm not in any of them, I had the camera :), but you get the idea. Maybe the time has come to accept that my Serious Running Days are over for good, and I should just enjoy the fun that Hashing brings - a new set of friends - Maybe the next few months will tell me the direction to go - Maybe I can lose 10 lbs and start to run better again, and get motivated to run hard - Maybe Oasis will have a hit album!......

Time, as they say, will tell........

I am still alive - No, really, I am

2008-07-31T17:14:00.003+01:00

As you can see the operation was a complete success and I'm now able to run again having had a Red Dress Transplanted onto my body.....

OK, maybe not, but he truth is, apart from Hashing I haven't been running for a month, as I pulled a muscle on July 5th, in my lower back, and couldn't run. No whave the all clear, have added 10 lbs in weight, and will be chuggling along slowly as I lose tehweight and get back into shape. Don't you just hate getting old!

Back to the Phoenix Park

2008-06-08T13:33:00.002+01:00

Slowly but surely getting back into it. After a busy start to the weekend with a trip up to house in the North to get the builder set as he makes good the water damage from last week, it was home and an early night after watching the first games in the European Championships from Austria/Switzerland. With no Ireland, and even England failing to qualify, it's open as to who to cheer for, and tonight sees a potential good game between Germany & Poland, I have a lot of Polish friends here in Ireland, including my builder, so I'll be wanting them to win tonight, and I have drawn Croatia in the sweep at work, but it will be Spain that I will be following most attentively, they have 4 Liverpool players im their squad, so Viva Espana!

I digress away from running.

This morning I met up with my training partener and friend Kieran in the Phoenix Park and we took a leisurely 5 mile run around the park, catching up on our American trips, as he ran Cleveland Marathon while I was in Cincinnati. He is in better shape than I at present, so I let him run off on me (truth told, there was no way I could keep up!) over the last mile, and I have a lot of work to do to get back into proper shape.

24 weeks to Philadelphia, with Dublin 20 weeks tomorrow - The clock is ticking!

Update and Up and At Them

2008-06-04T08:58:00.002+01:00

Thought I'd bring you up to date with what has happened since my run in Cincinnati, and where I'm planning on going next. Well, after the race, it was vacation time in San Diego and Palm Springs, and I only managed a few little runs between pool time, but it kept me ticking over, and the relaxation gave me the chance to re-charge the batteries, and take stock of whether running was still in the plans - maybe it was getting too hard to keep the fitness levels.

Well, I took stock, and decided that as running is in my blood, there is no way I can relinquish the adrenalin that comes from a good run, or a race finish, so it was home, and the Dockland Fun Run over 7.75 Km, starting right outside my front door. I ran it steadily, clocking an unimpressive time of 39:44, but happy enough, and then flew off to Belgium to run the Brussels 20Km Road Race, as part of a team from Irish Revenue, where on a very warm day, and avery tough course, I ran 2:01:26, to finish around 12,000th in the race, but with a further 10,000 behind me! It wasn't the time that I had hoped for, and I have to admit that it is not a race that I would want to repeat, the course is too hilly and the numbers too high for the size of the roads, but I did enjoy my weekend, where our Belgian hosts treated us superbly.

I returned from Belgium with a BIG Blister on my right foot, so I took the whole week off running to allow it to heal - This was down to new shoes, that I thought I had broken-in, obviously not, so they will be discarded as running shoes, and I'll switch to my new Asics Gel Nimbus 10's, over those 9's -

June is here, and I have a plan. I was always intending to run Philadelphia this year, a Thanksgiving Vacation to Pa is a regular occurrance now, visiting family, and Dublin is 4 weeks before Philly. So, Starting on June 9th, I have a 24 week build up to Philly, with Dublin being my last long run before Philly, which I will run as a long training run, and hopefully help a pal reach a goal of his own at the same time. He can reach his goal, and I can contain myself and treat the race as a 2 minute slower than desired pace, training run.

I would point out that my weight has crept up to 196 lbs again, and this WILL be reduced to 175 by the time of the races, and with a summer of running to look forward to, I intend to make this one to remember. Last night I ran with the Dublin Hash House Harriers for a bit of fun too, and will continue to do this, and maintain the fun element of running alongside my serious training.

Swings and Arrows

2008-05-30T09:06:00.002+01:00

As you can probably tell, when my running is going well, I post on a daily basis, but when it's not - There are HUGE blanks on the blog and it becomes dormant. The latter has been true in recent months, with the PF causing training to be curtailed and the running going down hill, and not with the wind behind me!

So, what have I been doing in these past weeks? Actually a surprising amount, but SLOW! April was a lean month, with only 39.2 miles run in total, but I was booked on my vacation and I was going to run something while I was away, so May 1st, we flew out to Cincinnati and the Flying Pig Marathon. I have been fortunate enough to make it to Cincy on two previous occassions, and really enjoy the friendliness that this race shows - and my good friend Jenny was there to meet us, and make us at home. On the Friday night I rekindled my affair with Hashing, taking part in the Sin City Hash which was great fun and prepared me well for Saturdays 5K race, part of the Marathon Weekend.

I had decided to run the 5K to see how I was feeling and to see that the foot would put up with racing - it also had to put up with torrential rain on the morning of the race. I took it steadily, and ran a 24:41 time, finishing 135th out of 918 participants, and 5th in my age group - If I had been actually racing this, my time from the St Patricks Day race would have had me 2nd in my age. The positive news was the foot was OK, no reaction.

With a pasta party at Jenny's on the Saturday night, I was prepared for the Race on Sunday, wisely having switched to the Half Marathon, but with no real running worth talking about in the month preceeding, I was uncertain what to expect. Cincy is a tough enough course, with a fair few hills in the 13 miles, so I set about a strategy to walk the worst hills, and jog around the rest - today was a day of testing the foot and not breaking anything :).

I was actually feeling bad after 3 Miles and almost ready to drop out of the race. The bridge you cross back into Ohio at this stage was a tougie, and my lack of training was showing dramatically. 3 Miles! And I used to run Marathons for breakfast! But I persevered, got running again, and stuck to my plan. I ran as much as I could, then when the hills came, I strolled up them, chatting to a fellow Marathon Maniac, also walking, although he had a better excuse as this was his Third Marathon in 8 days :) - We parted at Mile 9, and from there on in, it was easier. The long downhill stretch back into the City saw me picking up the pace, and almost flying along - who needs training when the road is down?

Lets just say I managed to finish the race in one piece, nothing spectacular in the last mile or so, did feel I picked up the pace, and nobody went past me, but it wasn't because of the time that I raised my arms as I crossed the finish line, it was the very fact that I had completed 13 miles with my foot feeling attached and no residual pain - maybe I could get back into running again. For the record, an all time PW of 2 hours 8 minutes and 34 seconds, which is of course my M50 PB, and something to aim at - I was 2721st finished out of 7357, so maybe not quite as bad as I thought, and I lived to fight again, go to California, enjoy a proper vacation around a pool, and start to think about Racing properly again and training hard for Philadelphia in November :)....

Injuries - Injuries - Injuries

2008-04-16T16:56:00.001+01:00

Suffice to say the posts have been blank as I have done little running of late. My PF flared up again, and as such I had to withdraw from the Half I had planned and the Connemara Marathon. Not a great start to my M50 career :( -

Hopefully things are improving, and whilst I won't be super fit - I will be in Cincy next month, so maybe something to write about :)

Happy St Patricks Day

2008-03-16T14:10:00.002Z

Well, it was a day early, and after the hectic last three weeks of studying, exams and school, it was a relief to be back running without thinking about Taxation! And as an added bonus the Dublin St Patrick's Festival Race was back in the City Centre, having been run in the Phoenix Park over 4 miles in recent times. Thankfully the City Council and the Race Organisers were able to recreate a City Centre 5K and the numbers were clearly up as there was a good turn out, with more than one fancy dressed St Patrick on show.

For me, I was guaranteed a new PR as a M50, as this was my first race since my birthday last Wednesday, but I was unsure of how I would run as I have to confess to a few pints on Saturday watching the Rugby - but the least said about that sport the better, at least this week!

The race was off around 10 am, and the weather was pleasant enough for March, with a little chill in the air, but dry and only a light wind. I am never too sure about how to run a 5K, as I am used to starting slowly and getting quicker during a longer race. You can't really do that over 5K, so I was unsure of myself. Although there were a lot of participants, as soon as we turned onto St Stephen's Green the race thinned out and there was no problem with other runners, and I heard the 1K time called at 4:45 - which seemed about right.

I didn't think I was speeding up but the 2K mark came around in 9:05 which meant I had run 4:20 for this Km, and as we ran along the Grand Canal I was feeling the effects of the beer from yesterday a little, so just tried to keep the pace going, checking my breathing and running easily hard - if you know what I mean. Obviously, 5K is fast for me as I train for Connemara and the Pig. so with 3 and 4 coming along in 4:55 and 4:50, I was happy enough and could try and see if I could run harder over the last 1000 metres.

Being in the City, it was a flat course, and I knew that the last 600 or so would be a long straight on the Green followed by a 200m run down Dawson Street to the finish outside the Mansion House, so as soon as we turned onto the straight I tried to pick up the pace and catch a few of my fellow runners. We passed the Shelbourne Hotel and as we did, Superwoman flew past - She must have been on her second lap, or had been sand-bagging, as she left me for dead and even though I was running past a fair few others myself, she probably finished 100m ahead of me! Back to me, and as we turned onto Dawson St, I kept up the accelerated pace, and kicked home to record a 4:20 last Km and a total time of 23:10 - A PR for M50 :) - and an age grade run of 63.67%, which is actually my best over 5K since 2003 - so not a bad day out.

After the race and a welcome cup of tea, managed to catch a few words with Eamonn Coghlan, whose father had been the inaugural Race Director of the St Patrick's Race back in the 70's, and he still looks as fit as in his days as the Chairman of The Boards - A true gent and a great athlete.

Next for me will be a Half Marathon up in Omagh in two weeks - probably different tactics - and definitely no beer the day before :)

Ballycotton 10

2008-03-10T09:52:00.002Z

Life has been hectic in the last few weeks with Work commitments taking over from anything else as I had to prepare for my exams which took place last week. A week of studying and a week of exams, five in five days, meant that training was not top of my agenda. But Friday saw the last exam and relief allowing me to travel down to Ballycotton in East Cork, for the Classic 10 Mile road race. This is a race I have run three times previously, and it takes place from a remote fishing village about 20 miles from Cork City in the South East of Ireland. I have no idea why, but this race attracts 3000 entries for a race where the weather can be suspect, and the roads are tight.

This year, we were expecting the worst as a major storm front was forecast to blow in on Sunday evening, but incredibly, upon arrival in Ballycotton, we we welcomes by a dry, still day with teh sun shining brightly - it was chilly, but not cold, almost a perfect day for running.

As I knew I wasn't in the best shape with, effectively, the last two weeks off, I hung back fom my Athenry Team mates and was looking to run around my marathon pace, and see how I felt. The first mile from the start is down hill, so I hung back with the pack, which wasn't that difficult given the numbers trying to traverse the narrow village streets at the start, and eased into my running. That first mile was completed in 8:39, nice and steady, and we left the village and out into the country. The view as you run this race are great on a day like today, with the headlands of the bay glimmering in the sunlit afternoon, and the green fields showing the best of Ireland off.

Mile two was a quick 7:59, again a little downhill here, and I checked back to ensure that I was within my 8:25 average pace goal, and Mile 3 was am 8:18. The first three miles and the last three, in reverse, are the same in this race, and just after Mile 3 the loop into the country takes place which is relatively flat and amongst the fileds. I look around at my running partners here and take stock of the various shapes and styles of runners around me. I realise what a diverse range of folk we are that run, and how anyone can do this if they put a mind to it. Mile 4 soon came along, at 8:24, and Mile 5, the halfway point was an 8:13.

It was just after halfway that the wheels nearly came off. My right leg started to go to sleep! I can't explain this sensation, it happens from time to time when I run. It usually goes away again after a short while, but its kind off like Pins and Needles, just a numbing of the lower part of the leg. I have no issues with circulation or anything, I have had it checked and nothing can be found. Whether its the camber of the road which effects it, I'm not sure, but today I had to drop to a walk and stamp my foot out, a strange sight I am sure to those around me, but after a while it started to "wake up" and I was back running again. This resulted, not surprisingly, with the slowest mile of the race, a 9:05, but I was back running again and Mile 7 saw the loop completed with an 8:12 mile.

I was trying to do the math in my head as to what I needed to finish under 84 minutes, my target, but was also aware that those last two miles were uphill, so needed to conserve my energy to ensure a strong finish, but I was disappointed to see an 8:37 mile at the 8 mark, and thought this would be tough. I was tiring and the climb back to the main Village road was taking its toll on me. I hit 9 miles with a slow 8:55 and thought my target was shot.

But sometimes, you can dig deep and find energy reserves that you wern't sure were there. The day before I had been running with Keiran in the Phoenix Park and had stopped a couple of times during the run as I was feeling full of indegestion, but as we neared the end of the run, we sped up and had a tremendous burst of energy, and as Kieran said, "It got the run over". So, I thought of that as I hit the rolling rises and dug in to get the run finished, and started to pass people who had been passing me over the previous couple of miles. I kept pushing, with the cruel twist that I knew the race ran through the village where the crowds were, but there was still 400m to go and I kept pushing, kept passing, got cheered on by a few of my Club Mates, and finished with a race best split of 7:28 for the last uphill mile - I got the run over!

A total time of 1:23:50, inside my target, but not exactly a perfect run of even splits, and now I sit back having run my last race as a M45, with the knowledge that as I step up a class on Wednesday, that every race in the next few weeks will be a new PR, at least in my new M50 category. The first race is on Sunday coming, and a St Patricks 5K here in the city - Here's hoping for a more consistent run and a sub 24 show.

Spring is in the Air

2008-02-16T12:24:00.002Z

Saturday morning and an absolutely beautiful day had dawned. You know when, in winter, you get a day when the sun is shining, the temperature, while still on the chilly side, is just between when you are thinking of less layers and trying to remember where you put your lighter running gear - Well, today was one of those days.

I had a run planned with Keiran, and just after 9:30 we were in the Phoenix Park and raring to go. We decided that we wanted a 50 minute plus run and set off along the grassy trail on Chesterfield Avenue, the main drag, and we were not alone in our desire to enjoy the day - there were oodles of other runners out and about - It was like we were all the squirrels, fresh from our winter hibernation, scurrying around the parklands.

We turned off the main path and ran down where the deer were lying around soaking in the sun, and pushed on along the glen road, hardly noticing the climb, before heading back to Farmleigh, detouring to the Castleknock Gate before running back along Chesterfield Ave and the 2 mile or so back to our car.

A nice easy spring run, enjoying the weather, and happy to be able to run on such a glorious day - long may spring be like this.

Back into it

2008-02-13T09:27:00.002Z

Well, since I got home last week, I was laid up in bed with a nasty little cold and chest bug. Thanks to flying in a metal box so far, the germs were distributed into my system and I ended up in bed for a few says laid low.

Thankfully it has now all but passed through my system, and I was able to get to the gym last night and managed a 3 mile treadmill run in 23:44 to turn the legs over. Absolutely no reaction from the legs, which were given the luxury after the marathon of a few days in bed, but the cardio was a little lacking, understandably.

Will just take it easy over the next couple of days, and rebuild gradually before racking up the training for the next set of races in March. I have two 5K's, a 10 Miler, and a Half marathon lined up next month as I build up for Connemara. Racing is the motivation to keep me progressing - fingers crossed it will work.

Post Race comments

2008-02-05T20:23:00.000Z

Surf City Marathon - Or Wet and Wild Adventures

2008-02-05T15:29:00.000Z

OK, the picture above was taken on Saturday morning, 24 hours before the Marathon in Surf City, Huntington Beach, California. I didn't get a chance to take a picture on Monday morning, but it was a typical sunny, warm, California day. Unfortunately for everyone, the race, the inaugral Surf City Marathon (replacing the former Pacific Shoreline Marathon), was run on the Sunday - And This was more typical of a winters day in Ireland, in fact, to be honest, we don't get days quite like that at home either!

Let me start at the beginning... Last year I was aiming myself to run a Boston Qualifier at Philadelphia, but came down with PF and had to curtail my training in October. As I really wanted to make Boston this year as I celebrate my 50th burpday in March, I looked for an early marathon where the weather would possibly be conducive to running the 3:35 I needed, and plumped for Surf City in California, I mean, It Never Rains in Southern California!

What added to this being special was the fact that a large group of friends from Kickrunners were going to be there too, and a fair number of them are in the pic above.

In the build up to the race, I was aware that I hadn't done enough training to merit a crack at 3:35, but as I had paid my airfare, booked the hotel, I was going to fly a 24000 round trip and have a great time. I was planning on hooking up with Elizabeth, a fellow Kickster, who was planning a 3:50 crack at her own Boston qualifying time, so the plans were made to run together, along with another friend, Joe. All in all there were 5 of us running the full marathon from the group, with the others planning on running the 5K and 1/2 marathon - although there lies another story for some :).

I flew in on Friday, a few delays meant I didn't get in until 8pm, so went for dinner on my own and tried to have a reasonably early night, trying to adjust my body clock rapidly. Saturday was bright, sunny, and warm, if the race would have been run then, it would have been perfect. The expo was busy, easy to navigate, and the Crocs bag a welcome gift, along with the long sleeve technical shirt. We gathered around outside as new arrivals appeared, and I was delighted to meet Amy, one of the race organisers, who has been following this blog, and eventually we all wandered off to Wahoo's for Fish Taco's, taking over most of the restaurant.

After a return to the hotel, Joe and myself drove over to Brian and Becca's condo, or honeymoon retreat, for the pre-race gathering. What a blast, and I have to confess it's the first (and I'm guessing last) time that I turned up to a party with Kitchen Towels. A big thank you to all the chefs on the day, and meeting everyone and chatting away for a few hours was a great way to relax the day before the race.

OK, The Race Day!

I woke up at 3:15, looked out and it was dry! Maybe the forecasts were wrong. I went back to bed for an hour, only to woken by the rain lashing against the window - Oh dear! Why were the palm trees bending over at dangerous looking angles? Great, wild winds too, just what we needed.

Joe and I walked down to the start, were soaked before we got 100 yards, and met up with Elizabeth, Nettie and Tim were also around, but the Kick Tent was nowhere to be seen - It was too windy and horrible to even think about putting it up.

We lined up with the intention of running 8:35 pace, and at a little before 7 am, to the backdrop of Wet Sounds, as against Pet Sounds, we were off! The Marathon only had 1000 entrants, so it wasn't too packed and we soon eased into a steady pace, running Mile 1 in 8:38 along the sea front, although we had as much water coming down on our heads as the ocean was showing. Just after Mile 2 we turned off the PCH up Seapoint, and crossed a timing mat at Mile 3 - 25:29 (official time). Elizabeth had to make a potty break not long later and Joe and I pushed on, hoping she would be able to catch us up.

The race turned a few times around here, through parklands, with narrow paths, and great support from a lot of youngsters encouraging us all, despite the rain - they were a highlight of this part of the race. Joe and I were running very easily at this point, and another Timing Mat at Mile 6 had us at 50:42, an 8:27 average pace, and no sign of any wheels coming off. Joe was running very strong, and as we came out of the parklands, back onto the roads, we knew there was the only real hill, at Mile 8, and it came, we buckled down and reached the top, only to blown away with a Force 9 gale , and still it rained!

Just before Mile 10 we turned onto the PCH again, and passed the very appropriately named Bolsa Chica Wetlands - they were! Around this point I felt that my hamstrings had not warmed up at all, and were still very tight, something I would suffer from if I continued at this pace, so I told Joe to head on and keep up the good work, I would ease back and wait for Elizabeth to catch up, she couldn't be too far behind - she wasn't and was going well. I ran with her for a short while, and at Mile 12, another timing mat showed 1:42:31, still averaging 8:33 pace, and I made the half way point in 1:52:40 - I was very happy with that, but my legs were starting to cramp up a little, and still no loosening of the hammies.

It was around Mile 14 I met Tory, who was struggling badly. We walked a little, ran a little, she tried to persuade me to run on, but I couldn't leave a damsel in distress, so I made the decision to effectively end my race, and spend a couple of hours trying to ensure that Tory finished her 13th marathon with company. We turned off the PCH just before Mile 16 and ran along the coastal path for most of the rest of the race, meeting up with Tory's husband and kids around Mile 18, and chatted away, running lamposts, turning at Mile 20 and heading towards home. The running bits got shorter, and the walking a little longer, but we were determined to get to that finish line, so we persevered. The rain actually stopped somewhere along here as well, so not all was lost.

We plodded along, trying to keep Tory going, passing a few people, who then passed us as we walked, then I spotted my hotel, it was only a 10 minute walk to the finish from there, we were nearly done. Those nasty race organisers tried to inflict one last sadistic aside, with a little loop towards the pier and back, with a photographer waiting for us too - so we ran that bit, then climbed back onto the PCH and the finish was in sight. Tory was stuggling, but she gritted her teeth we passed Mile 26 and ran home - all the way she was chanting "Yes I can" - and she could, we crossed the line together...relief was on her face, and Jeff, her husband was thanking me for bringing her home and staying with her - I enjoyed the run with her, and so my final time of 4:31:14 didn't really reflect my own capabilities on the day, but I was happy to have helped, and I have my little surf board medal to show.

Joe ran a PR of 3:42 and Elizabeth made her Boston Qualifying time with 11 seconds to spare, and the beer garden was cold, but a welcome beer all the same. We then returned back to the hotels, before Joe and I walked up to Oggi's and watched the Superbowl with the gang, drank copious amounts of beer and ate pizza's - You can do that when you run a marathon :) - Nettie also made her PR and Tim had to drop out due to injury, but all in all a good weekend for the Kickrunners on Tour.

If I am being honest, I wasn't impressed by the course. Too much isolation along the coastal path, not helped by the awful weather. The fans were very thin on the ground, understandably, and maybe if the weather is better on another day, I would have a different perception of the race. On the plus side, the medal is awesome, the shirt was cool, and the enthusiasm of the youngsters in the park was great to behold. The flatness of the course does make it reasonably fast, at least on a good day - So maybe I might come back and run it again, just to spot the difference, as long as someone can guarantee the weather.