Mallow 10 By Numbers

It late in the evening so i'll be relatively brief. I got my 10 mile PB in Mallow today, but for the 28 seconds I knocked off my Ballycotton time 2 weeks ago (21 second PB) I went through a whole lot more suffering. Whereas in Ballycotton I suffered during the last mile (and still ran it in 6:02), today I suffered pretty much for the second half of the race. The race was also a polar opposite to Ballycotton, whereby my 55 second negative split two weeks ago was replaced by a 39 second positive split today - to be quite honest it felt as if it was worse, so perhaps the struggle over the second half of the race limited the damage.





Going Well to Mile 6

   

I started off a few rows back (in hindsight I could and should have started up front as there was no timing mat at the start and the first 400m was a struggle to stay upright as I dodged in and out between slower runners). I shared the first mile with Brendan and despite the fact that it contained a reasonable climb we managed to churn it out in 6:18. The road levelled out during mile 2 as we turned left onto the Cork/Mallow Road - Mile 2 in 6:15 (a bit surprised that it was not much faster). Clubmates Anne-Marie and Colin were 30 yards ahead (both with PB's well under 62), with John O'C 10 yards further ahead (PB about 61:58). I ran at my own pace and closed the gap over the gradual downhill mile 3 which came in a relatively fast 5:53. Turn left onto the Killarney Road - took a drop of water at mile 3.5 and joined a group with Colin and Anne-Marie - sharing the lead so as to shield the others from the frustrating head wind - Mile 4 in 6:07 (feeling relatively strong). Shortly after Colin and Anne-Marie began to pull ahead slightly - Mile 5 in 6:16 and halfway in 30:49.



Internal Struggle at Mile 6 or 7



I thought that if I could maintain pace and even split the race I'd get comfortably under 62 minutes. That was a big IF though, as there would be no repeat of the downhill 5:53 mile 3 during the second half. We turn left away from the headwind and onto a minor road with a few short ups and downs and I began to feel the pressure. Colin and Anne-Marie are about 10 yards ahead in a small group of runners, including Tom Sheehan of Bandon AC, whom I had shared a few of the middle miles of the Clonakilty Marathon with last December - he was looking very strong today. Mile 6 came in 6:16.

At this stage maintaining pace relative to those in front was becoming uncomfortably hard and there was no thought of trying to close the gap - just the negative thought of "when is the gap going to open up...I don't know how I can keep the pace going" To reinforce this negative feeling Mile 7 came in 6:26 which is my slowest so far and a real dent in my confidence as it is all I can to to maintain the effort. All i'm thinking of is the number of minutes left to run. A guy came on my shoulder on a short incline and I was fully expecting him to pass but I appeared to have a faster pace on the flat and declines and he yo-yos back and forth behind me for a mile. Mile 8, coming in 6:12 explains why I am still on the tail of Colin and Anne-Marie. I keep the leg speed going but the effort is becoming more and more unsustainable. Still I maintained pace compared to those in front with one or two of the group coming back to me. 1 guy , in particular shared most of the last 2 miles with me.

Mile 9 comes in 6:20. Just hang on for 6 more minutes. I keep the pace steady, knowing that I have nothing in my legs for the typical push over the last half mile. Left onto the Bridge over the Blackwater - 5 minutes left - cross the bridge and left again - 4 minutes left. The guy beside me begins to pull away, Colin and Anne-Marie also increasing the gap as the paces quicken in anticipation of the finish line. I am just hanging on, no zip left - just a minute left as we approach the last corner - I am passed by 3 guys in quick succession and have no response - legs like jelly - 50 yards left - I hear applause for someone behind and with the finishing line in sight my subconscious allows me to quicken the pace for the brief sprint to the line - 6:14 for the last mile - nothing like the strong 6:02 final mile in Ballycotton and 1:02:17 for the 10 mile PB. Glad of the PB but disappointed that I didn't get under 62 minutes.

I can't explain why I found the race so tough compared to Ballycotton - there's a fine line between comfortably hard and uncomfortably hard and I must have crossed it today. Certainly the day was warmer and the headwind didn't help - but I don't think they were much of a factor. Maybe there's a lot to be said for the slow start in Ballycotton - should I have aimed for a 31:00/31:20 first half so as to set myself up for a 30:40/31:00 second half? Still tough, considering my 5 mile PB is 30:24. Maybe last weekends 30 miler was still in my legs. Interestingly it took me more heartbeats to complete todays run compared to Ballycotton (627/km compared to 623 two weeks ago - and they say Ballycotton is tougher) Either way 62:17 was all I was capable of today and that's my first PB of the year, not bad for an old guy of 46 I suppose. The results put me in 78th place out of 1,088 finishers and 12th M45 (there's a few faster old guys out there). Well done to Mallow AC for puting on a fantastic, well organised race.

I'll leave you with another table comparing some of my shorter distance PB's with the corresponding times for these distances I ran today - maybe it's time for some short race training. Have a good week.

Ballycotton 10 - Not What I Expected

My plan for today in Ballycotton was to run a sub-65 minute ten miler in the vibrams. To be quite honest at this stage I think there is no difference between what I could achieve in the vibrams versus "normal" running shoes. My strategy was to go out at a steady pace just below 6:30 miles. With no satellite reception on the Garmin I aimed to run comfortably hard and check my splits at each mile marker.

.

I accepted a kind offer of a lift from Thomas who was en route from the Kingdom and filled up his car with neighbours Pat and Ian who were also running. The day was sunny, with a cold north westerly wind, which meant we'd have it at our back for the last 5 miles. As I wasn't heading for a PB I wasn't too concerned about placing myself near the front of the 2,500+ field. Having said that I joined the queue to the race start a little later than I wanted and spent most of the time before the start pushing my way up through the throngs to get reasonable starting position. With chip timing I knew that my actual run time would be recorded.

.

It still took me over 20 seconds to cross the start line after the gun went and the first mile was spent weaving in and out to get ahead of slower runners in front. I quickly caught up with Brendan, who was running his first race in over 2 years (and his first as an M40) and knowing that his target was also sub-65 I decided to hang on to him. The timekeeper was calling out 7:0? at the first mile marker, while the garmin gave me a split of 6:36, not too bad for an opening congested mile, albeit behind target pace. We continued on with the downhill second mile, which came in a much faster 6:14 ,which I put down to the downhill. We continued to pass runners, maintaining a steady pace, as the field spread out Mile 3 coming in 6:20 - building up a bit of a cushion on the 65 minute target. As the Garmin was displaying lap time and HR only I had no idea of total time, which was probably a good thing, especially later on.

.

Brendan began to show some signs of distress during mile 4 as his breathing became a bit more laboured, despite the fact that he had done his fair bit of surging during the previous miles. We continued to pass others, which is always encouraging. Mile 4 came in 6:24, still under target pace. At this stage I began to harbour notions of getting under 1:04 as all I'd need is to average 6:24 per mile - i'll see how I get on as there are 6 miles left. Running in the vibrams felt very comfortable with no sign of discomfort. The clock at the 5 mile mark displayed 32:10 as I Passed it - Mile 5 split of 6:16. 1:04 certainly felt achievable, provided I could maintain pace for the remaining 5 miles. We turned South East shortly after mile 5 and the wind was now at our back. As I had no idea of current pace I continued to run by feel and was reasonably comfortable, still reeling in runners in front of me. Mile 6 in 6:14 - the wind must certainly be helping. Crossing the 10k mark I saw 1:19 on the lap time (39:23 for 10k, although I didn't know at the time).

.

I continued to reel in runners in front of me, albeit a bit more slowly, which must have meant that I was running faster than average pace - Mile 7 in 6:08 more or less proved this. I could be heard well before I was seen, and as I came on runners shoulders, they would instinctively look down to see what the hell was making all the slapping noise. I could see two Eagles ahead, in their distinctive Eagle singlets, but couldn't make out who they were with my myopic vision. I gradually closed the distance, passing Mile 8 in 6:09 and with about 1.5 miles to go I was on the shoulders of clubmates Vivian and Diarmaid. My feet at this stage weren't too bad although it felt as if blisters were forming on the outside of both my big toes - nothing that would trouble me during the race but possibly afterwards.

.

We ran on together until we hit the hill before the 9 mile mark and the other 2 began to move ahead of me. This was the first time during the race that I felt under pressure as it was the first time anyone pulled ahead of me (except perhaps for the opening half mile). The timekeeper was calling out 57:0? as we passed the 9 Mile mark - garmin showed a lap time of 6:22, the hill blunting my speed. I had no idea of what finishing time I was heading for, other than it would be under 64 (conservatively adding 6:30 to the 57:0? called out by the timekeeper - forgetting the 20+ seconds it took me to cross the start line). I pushed on at a steady pace - my lack of any real speedwork training showing as the other two, particularly Vivian began to pull further ahead. In fact as we entered the last half mile Diarmaid began to come slowly back to me, the effort of sticking to Vivian probably taking its toll. I began counting down the time left with the last km broken down at 200m intervals......"800m to go"......I could hear the MC at the finishing line "120 passed the finish line so far".......push......through the narrow Main Street of Ballycotton, which appeared to go on forever.........."600m to go"..........counting down the number of strides left in blocks of 90 (about 1 minute)............"400m to go".........one lap of the track........Vivian was gone at this stage......my neighbour Pat just ahead (62:34 last month in Dungarvan) I must be doing good.........."200m to go" keep pushing, but no finishing sprint.....the end is in sight..........I see 1:03:04 on the clock just before I cross under it, stopping my watch, where I think the finishing line is (no mat just a gantry) - 6:02 for Mile 10.

.

My overall time was 1:02:45 (avg HR 159), I couldn't believe it, just 7 seconds outside my PB. I wouldn't mind but I wasn't aiming for a PB, if I had I'd certainly have given myself a better chance at the start, do a proper warmup (instead of the half mile jog) and get in a better position at the start line (I wouldn't have killed myself going for a 6:20 opening mile). Although I think I ran a good race, going out relatively conservatively (in hindsight) and negative splitting by nearly a minute(31:50/30:55) An encouraging run, although my feet were quite sore afterwards - the outside of both big toes and under the ball of my left foot - enough to limit my warmdown to a slow walk back to the carpark with Brendan and watch Thomas (Great run he had) complete his two mile warmdown before getting a lift home. All in all a good day out. Someone told me after the race that if I ran in normal shoes just think what I could do - I reminded them that it's my legs and feet do the running, not my shoes. I'm beginning to think I'd be faster in the vibrams. maybe I should give the Asics an outing in Mallow in two week time.

Dungarvan 10 - A Race Of Two Halves

Since I first ran this race in 2009 The Dungarvan 10 has gone from strength to strength and is fast becoming one of the most popular races on the racing calendar. Certainly West Waterford AC put on a great event. Where else for €15 would you get a goody bag with a technical running top, sports drink, banana, crisps, oat cookie, and bar of chocolate, not to mind as many bottles of water as you could carry, hot showers, and as much tea/coffee sandwiches and cake as you could eat. And that's all in addition to the main event - a chip timed 10 mile road race over a flat fast course, with timekeepers at every mile marker, stewards offering words of encouragement and pacers for 70, 75, 80, 85 & 90 minutes, if you were looking to break any of those milestones (so what if they carried balloons that you're more likely to see at a kiddies party). Fantastic.

.

The race is called the John Treacy Dungarvan 10, in honour of local running legend John Treacy, twice winner of the world cross-country championships (78 & 79) and silver medalist behind Carlos Lopez in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Marathon. Not only that, but John would be running the race.

.

As I am still in base building mode (i.e. taking it easy for a while) I was never going to race today. Instead I decided to pace clubmate Denis Looney to a sub-70 minute PB. I know there were pacers out there but none of them were prepared to say "you're looking great Denis, c'mon you can do it" ;-) . In hindsight, with a PB of 72:5x, getting under 70 in the first race of the year was going to be a tough task for Denis. I traveled down with Michael and his Wife Nuala, Denis and Ian (All Eagles), with only Denis and I having run a 10 miler before - so we'd be returning with a least 3 PBs and possibly 4.

.

The day was a bit damp (Irish for light rain) but the termerature was a relatively balmy 7C and there was no wind that you could talk about - perfect. To make it a bit more interesting I decided to wear the Vibrams - aiming for my first vibram sub-70 ( I ran Ballycotton in them last year, finishing in 72:xx). I was a bit worried as I had slightly skinned the top of 2 toes on my right foot when I ran in them on Thursday, but I was willing to take the risk, covering the digits in vaseline before donning the flip flops, as some people call them.

.

The warmup consisted of running the half mile to the start line and standing around chatting before the gun went off. Despite the few drops of rain I did not feel cold in the singlet. Once the gun went Denis and I settled into a fairly comfortable pace just behind the 70 minute pacers on a short loop through the town before heading out the Cork Road for a larger loop through the countryside. My Garmin ran out of power during the first mile - some pacer I am. Luckily I had the pacers to guide me. We hit mile 1 in 7:08 which suggested we were behind pace, but I reckon the timekeeper was slightly out. Mile 2 came in 13:51 - well within 7:00 pace. It became a bit congested when we hit the narrower country roads, particularly as there was a sizable group in the wake of the pacers. Miles 3 and 4 came and went with us still maintaining a pace just under 7:00, with about a 20 second cushion on the overall target.

.

Around the 4 mile mark we caught up with race -walker Jamie Costin, who maintained a steady pace behind the pacers - amazing to watch how he could keep such a relatively fast pace while keeping one foot on the ground - strange sport. Shortly after this Denis's wheels began to wobble slightly - "I'm not going to make it" he said, "I went out too fast". We slow a little and the pacers and their entourage gradually move ahead. However we keep a steady pace and the pacers are still in sight as we pass the 5 mile halfway mark a few seconds under 35 minutes. You could say still on target for a sub-70 but in truth we has lost most of the 20 second cushion we had at mile 4. On the plus side the road was a lot less congested, poor comfort for Denis really.

.

On we ran with one or two runners coming on our shoulders and going ahead. We passed mile 6 with the timekeeper calling out 42:24 - just under 7:30 for the mile. With 4 miles to go I reckoned that if Denis could maintain a 7:30 pace he'd finish in 30 minutes and get his PB comfortably (72:2x). With those words of advice and my feet reacting well to the vibrams, I sought permission to chase down the 70 minute pacers, so that I could keep my sub-70 target. In truth I abandoned Denis in his hour (half hour) of need, there's no end to my selfishness when it comes to running.

.

My pace increased as I hit the biggest downhill section of the race in mile 7, passing those that had passed me earlier, the increased landing force not adversely affecting my feet. The mile 7 time-keeper was calling out 48:57 as I passed - 3 seconds under 70 minute pace, with the pacers still about 100 yards ahead. The road became congested again as I hit the back of the group, but gaps opened up every now and again as those in front took evasive action around puddles and I splashed straight through, the fun part of running in vibrams. I felt strong, running about 6:30 pace but still reasonably comfortable and not under any huge pressure. Past the 8 mile mark in about 55:2x - over half a minute cushion on the sub-70. Left onto the main Cork/Waterford Road for the final push to the finish, continually passing those around me, including the race walker, who was well ahead of the 70 minute pace group. My arrival on the heels of those in front was well advertised with the slapping noise from my mid-foot strike in the vibrams.

.

Mile 9 came in 61:47 (I think) - over a minute cushion and heading for a sub-69 - could I get a sub-68? keep pushing. Those in front were not coming back to me half as quick as they were a mile or two back. 1 km to go and I pass 2 guys, with one of them coming back on my shoulder, having increased his pace noticeably to keep up with me - I imagined him thinking "No fu#k*r in a pair of flip flops is going to beat me". The 800m to go sign came and went with the guy still breathing down my neck as we passed a few more. "I don't have much of a finishing kick so i'll have to burn him off soon or at least make him work harder to keep with me", so I increase the effort - he's still on my shoulder passing the 600m to go sign. "Fair play to him" was all I could think, "he's stubborn and if he's in the mix in the last 100m he'll deserve to beat me" I kept quite though as I didn't want to encourage him. I felt a bit guilty though as he was unaware of the advantage that I had over him in that I was technically only racing 4 miles to his 10.

.

From 600m out I picked up the pace for my long finishing kick and the guy eventually left my shoulder. I kept pushing and while the effort was tough it felt more like running an interval at the track as opposed to the energy sapping feeling I would normally feel at the end of a 10 mile or HM race. 400m came and went, left at the roundabout, now at full tilt (all relative) passing a few more - 200m to go, I could see clubmate Neil ahead and increased the effort to see if I could catch him, but he had his own finishing kick and managed to stay ahead of me as I crossed the line behind him in 1:07:52 - covering the last 4 miles in 25:28 (6:22 pace) and the last mile in 6:05 - very pleased with my day out as it showed that I can run hard in the vibrams without too much trouble - well apart from the pain of skinning the top of one of my right toes, which I didn't feel during the race - but no bio mechanical issues as far as I am aware.

.

Denis did indeed get his 72:2x PB , which he was well pleased with. Great to be able to stick with it when the primary target is gone and your pacer ditches you mid-race. I only did it to toughen him up ;) So I was the only one on the drive home without a PB, with Michael covering the distance in 1:08:55 , Ian in 1:18:24 (still in his first 6 months of running) and Nuala in 1:19:19 - so congratulations all round and as usual a great day out.

.

.