Carb Loading Ain't What It Used To Be

With my training very much in the aerobic zone and no racing there's not much to blog about. Time has also been at a premium over the last few months so when I do have some it's better to go running than write about it. My weekly mileage had been relatively low and only picked up over the last few weeks, still very much in the aerobic zone. My focus since Connemara in August had been elsewhere and the weight had piled back on. No harm as the body needed to recover.

However all that changed a few weeks ago when I decided to embark on a two week carb depletion diet in order to kick start my fat burning metabolism ahead my Christmas Eve 48 mile looooong run. About three weeks ago, two days before pacing 3:45 in the Clon marathon, I had a bad reaction to overdosing on crusty white bread (I can be a bit of a junkie) and spent a whole day feeling like shite so the decision was relatively easy - i'd sandwich a two week depletion diet between the Club night out on 7th December and my work Christmas do on 20th December and gradually replenish the carb stores between the 20th and 23rd - a new slant on the traditional carb depletion/loading combo, although the purpose of the traditional practice is to fill the carb /glycogen stores to the brim for reuse in a race as opposed to my current philosophy of training the body to burn as much fat as possible for as long as possible.

The 3:45 pacing gig in Clon was the perfect aerobic conditioning training run as I managed to keep my heart rate on the hills just below my 138 MAF Hr. This was my 6th time running Clon this year (2nd on this "new" course) and my 6th time coming home in the same time as my Clubmate John D - we're joined at the hip when it comes to Clon. The pace was perfect for enjoying the scenery, which more than made up for the very hills that "made the scene". We had a permanent crew of between 6 and 8 runners, including Pat O'Toole, Gerry Delaney and Geraldine O'Sullivan (Bantry AC), who all ran within themselves managing to push on over the last few miles to finish a few minutes ahead of the balloons. Pat even managed to carry a backpack containing 2 full hot water bottles (5kgs worth) as part of his prep for Marathon De Sables next April - and he didn't even break into a sweat. He said he came across my Connemara race report through a link to "spring onions" - delighted to hear that my blog was reaching a wider audience - i'll have to post a few recipes.



Mile 24 - Heading for home

My 2 week carb depletion diet proved a bit monotonous and resulted in an over consumption of nuts (almonds, brazils and pecans) so much so that my initial 3kg weight loss regressed to 2kg by the time I was back on my "normal" diet - not helped by the fact that I did not run as often as I would have liked. I'll have to expand my eating options next time. But weight loss was never the name of the game - it was all about getting the fat burning engines stoked and ready for action. My running during these two weeks was typically slow and effortless. Although one or two runs were at the high end of the aerobic spectrum the resulting pace was relatively pedestrian - as if 8 minute miles had suddenly become hard work. This bothered me initially but I was more interested in knowing the cause and the only thing I could put it down to was the fact that I had set off too fast, pulling energy from my depleted carb stores and not allowing enough of a slow warmup to mobilise my fat stores sufficiently. Lesson learnt.

My Christmas Eve run started at 4 a.m. with clubmates Denis and Alan joining me at that cold and windy hour for an "easy" run before both of them headed off to work, Denis covering the first 12 mile loop from my house into Victoria Cross and Alan going for the full marathon distance (2 x 12 mile loops with 2.2 stitched on the end). What can I say? Hats off to both of them for turning up at my house at that god forsaken hour to accompany me on the start of my journey - Denis even managing to arrive 10 minutes early for the free cup of coffee. Given the forecast of heavy rain and strong winds, Alan was a bit doubtful as to whether or not I was going ahead with it, but nevertheless turned up just as I was about to head off.

My nutrition consisted of 2 x 750ml bottles of a carb drink (600 calories) and 2 x 200ml bottles of ensure meal replacement (300 calories) - less than a fifth of the calories I expected to burn - the other four fifths coming from my fuel tanks.  In reality I ended up taking about half of each and relying on my ample fat stores to make up the difference.

3:59 - Self Portrait With Denis (Loonies)



I walked the first mile, heading off ahead of Denis and Alan and commenced running when they caught up with me. The pace was a few seconds ahead of the 9 minute mile target but relatively effortless. I kept reasonably quite for the first few miles as I warmed into the run leaving Alan and Denis do most of the chatting. Heading out of town passing the Kingsley Hotel (Mile 7) I decided to hop over a low wall to relieve myself and misjudged my step and ended up flat on my face - thankfully on grass, although I did catch my shin on the top of the wall. I said I was fine and told the guys to run on and i'd catch up with them - the adrenaline masking any pain. Apart from this the first 12 mile loop passed without incident, with neighbour Ian joining us at about 5:50 a.m. for the second loop. The weather remains quite good with no rain and only a moderate wind. 

 

 

The pace for the second 12 mile loop remains under 9 minute miles, which is more challenging for Ian, whose HM PB pace is about 8:30 minute miles. The weather takes a turn for the worse just before 7 a..m (mile 19) when we are hit by a heavy downpour of hailstones and strong winds, the hailstones biting into any areas of exposed flesh - ouch!!!

 

With the second loop completed, I don a backpack containing my carb drink and remaining ensure, bid adieu to Ian and Alan and  set out on the 8 miles into town as far as the Lee Rowing Club on the Marina, to join the Eagle AC club run, scheduled for 9 a.m. The backpack adds a little to the effort and my heart rate climbs into the 130's as I maintain a sub 9:00 pace to ensure I arrive on time.

Mile 32 - Nice morning for a run

Unlike last year I manage to keep the pace on the club run as we head out to Blackrock and along the Mahon walkway, the expected strong winds replaced by a gentle breeze and sunshine, perfect running weather. After 6 miles of chatting we are back at the cars, where I pick up my backpack and head into town with a few others to offer support to clubmate Jo Fearon, who has just started running her 12th marathon of Christmas - 12 marathons in 12 days in support of Cork University Hospital's Neonatal Unit - and all on a treadmill. It's always comforting to know that there are others out there even more devoted to the cause of long distance running.

Mile 39 - 12th Marathon of Christmas

My legs limber up for the final leg of the journey as I leave my clubmates and head for home. Pat Twomey joins me for a few miles to the end of the Straight Road where I continue on at a 9:00 minute pace, a little surprised but happy that my legs have remained relatively fresh despite the increasing monotony of running for a long period of time.  I had planned on mixing it up a bit by introducing intermittent walking but as my legs were relatively intact I kept running. As the Garmin had acted up during the run, recording one or 2 miles faster than actual, losing the satellites for a spell and pausing accidentally I was unsure of the exact distance I had covered so I erred on the side of caution, taking the long way home and slowing down to a walk over the last mile, arriving home at 11:49, 7 hours and 49 minute after I had set out - covering 48.4 miles in 7 hours and 26 minutes.



Mile 48 - Survey the damage

 

Apart from the cut and bruises from my fall at  mile 7, pointed out to me when I joined the club run at Mile 32, my legs were reasonably intact and there was none of the post run aches and pains over the following days that I had after the 100 miler - it's all about the pace....and the preparation.

 

Wishing a belated happy and peaceful Christmas to everyone.



Dublin 2013

The annual pilgrimage to Dublin began a day early this year as I took in a bit of international rules football in with Ani, Saran, Robert (Cousin), Rob (Uncle)  Dave and Dermot on Saturday evening. I wouldn't class myself as a fan of this makey-uppy game that is a mish-mash between Australian rules and Gaelic football that is only played once a year between said nations. This year the Australians didn't appear to take the test seriously (apparently they didn't practice enough with round balls, they being used to the oblong ones) and the match was very much one sided, except when it came to the frequent bouts of fisticuffs, where they very much held their own (The first bout came before the start whistle was blown - the match was 5 minutes old before I saw where the ball was).

Sunday was a laid back day with the only activity involving a stroll in the park with the kids followed by the short trip into the marathon expo to pick up my race number and pacing gear, bumping into Thomas near the pacer stand, both of us sporting our Connemara 100 hoodies (wearing a top with the longest race distance all part of the play).

Monday morning turned out to be mild and sunny, despite the warnings of wind and rain. It was still cold waiting around at the start, where I met my fellow 3:20 pacers Fran and Dom. 

 
 

Killing time before the start

The early rise had me yawning as we waited for the gun, not very encouraging for those expecting me to pace them to the finish. We placed ourselves in the middle of the first wave ( < 3:50), starting at 9 a.m.


It was only when I went to power up my Garmin that I realised that it was the old one, that does not pickup the satellites and to compound my rising frustration at how stupid I could have been the "low battery" indicator came up on it. So much for my meticulous preparation. In searching around for solutions I noticed that Dom was wearing two watches so I explained my predicament to him, without going so far as to ask him for one of his watches. He didn't appear to take the bait or else didn't want to part with one of his watches as he replied that I'd be grand as all i'd have to do was follow him and Fran. Yeah! me and couple of hundred others. I though the purpose of having three pacers was that each could pace independently. I only had myself to blame. Luckily who should I spot but the guy who prepares for all eventualities and has got me out of more holes than I care to remember , clubmate Denis Looney. Sure enough he has two watches and does not hesitate in offering me one, showing me briefly how it works. I just hope that his lack of a spare does not hex his marathon PB attempt.

At last we are off and I begin to warmup as the pace picks up. Still it takes us a couple of miles to get on pace as it is difficult to run freely within the crowded field.



Mile 0.25 - Rounding the first bend



I find the first 3 or 4 miles to the Phoenix Park quite challenging, but gradually get into my stride. I get chatting to a few runners including two girls from Raheny Shamrocks who were both aiming for 3:20, their coach telling them to stick to the 3:20 pacers. At each mile marker we are only ever a few seconds either side of a 3:20 finish. As always the crowd support is top class and with people shouting out my name I realise that it is printed on my race number and I am not as popular as I thought I was.

Clubmate Keith flies past me shortly after the 9 mile mark, well on his way to a sub 3:10 PB finish, having started well back the field (the only way too race). He is followed a mile later by Denis Looney, also on his way to a PB finish, although I would see him later.

I can't say I was relaxed but I was reasonably comfortable. We cross the half way timing mat in Walkinstown a few seconds under 1:40 (chip time). There is always a good group around us, but at times it's difficult to differentiate between those running with us and those running around us. The sun begins to shine and it gets quite warm for a bit, glad I did not put on the compression top I was tempted to wear (but did not have), hanging around in the frigid morning air at the start line.

Over the next few miles my legs begin to tire as the lack of mileage over the preceding months begin to tell. An endurance base is only as good as the previous months training and 3 runs per 35 mile week will expose a few cracks when put to the test.


Denis comes back to me shortly after mile 18, where I inadvertently take a bottle of lucozade sport instead of water and have to chuck it away after taking a tentative sip (too sweet for me). The last hill of the day takes us past the 20 mile mark and onto Fosters Avenue. A few drop off the pace along this section. but most stick to the pace. Fran informs me that Dom has dropped out due to nausea and vomiting, so it is down to us two and with 15 seconds in the bag we commit to add a further 10 second cushion over the following miles. 

Mile 21 - Fosters Avenue "We are this much ahead"


 

 To be quite honest the last few miles are not fun and while I offer encouragement to those round me I just want it to be over - "Just 20 minutes of pain left, keep pushing, one foot in front of the other". Its my tiring/achy legs rather than any lack of fuel/energy (Apart from the sip of Lucozade I took on no calories) that is the week link in my chain. With all my training long runs on grass the impact of tarmac is having a toll. Miles 24/25 are particularly challenging as we are hit by a headwind and have to up the effort just to stay on pace (cushion of about 20 seconds at mile 25), not the best for those around us. At this stage those that had a bit of energy left pushed on for a 3:17/18/19 finish and a few more clung on to us for dear life, pushing hard to stay on pace and no doubt a few fell off the pace. At last we are rounding College Green and heading down Nassau Street and onto the home straight crossing the line in 3:19:4x (chip). Another pacing job complete, and although not my fastest it felt the most challenging.


It's difficult to know who or how many relied on you to pace them part or all of the way until they come up to you at the finish and thank you, which makes the whole effort all the more rewarding.

There were plenty of PBs among my Eagle clubmates (including Denis and Keith, who I met on the course and Elaine who I met at the finish line) A big well done to all.


This time last year Dublin marked my 25th Marathon, this year marked my 43rd - so between the two I ran 17 marathons/ultras, pacing 6 (and a half), setting 4 PB's (2 marathon and 2 ultra) and participating in a few unusual ones (midnight & back to backs). I don't think I will be as prolific over the next 12 months. Where to from here? I don't know yet.  I have a few thing floating around in my head but i'll have to get out on the roads more that 3 times a week if I am to stay in the game.





 

Comfortable

Pacing 3:20 in Dublin on 28th had me a bit concerned that I would not be sufficiently recovered to get the legs and body back into shape for the task ahead. After all 7:38 pace over 26.2 miles commands a bit of respect.................and a bit of form also as respect alone will not do much for me on the day. To keep the pressure off my Achilles I kept my runs to grass as much as possible although with only 2 short runs during the week (totalling 11.5 miles) it was all down to my long run this morning to see where I was at. With 15 miles in the bag last weekend the plan was to up it to 18/20 miles today between 2 warmup/cooldown walking miles.

As well as the increase in distance I also wanted to push the pace at little closer to "race" pace from last weeks 7:59 miles. After a 12:30 warmup mile I ended up running at a reasonably consistent pace between 7:25 and 7:45 per mile for the next 20 miles (average pace of 7:33) before warming down over a 13 minute mile, happy to have bagged a decent run, even if I was tiring towards the end, with my heart rate drifting from the mid 130's to 152 for the last 2 miles. The marathon course, other runners and the crowd support in Dublin should be more motivational that this mornings 9.5 laps of the grass track at Murphy's Farm.

I took the opportunity to trial my pacing gear, which arrived during the week - the fit was good and there were no issues - so all looking good.

 

 

 

 

 

Marathon No. 40

The Waterford Viking Marathon last Saturday was my 40th Marathon/Ultra and 13th this year - I certainly have gone off the deep end over the last few months. Technically Waterford was an ultra as mile 1 was in fact 1.2 miles long, adding 0.2 miles to the overall course. This was not confirmed to us until Mile 21, which made pacing the 3:15 group all the more difficult. We were over a minute behind at all the early mile markers, not willing to push the pace to catch up in case the overall distance would come good. When we crossed the halfway timing mat in Tramore about 40 seconds behind our 13.1 mile target we decided to start banking a little more time as insurance against the possibility of having to run a longer course.

 

Mile 14ish - Tramore Promenade

 

The sun came out as we hit the sea front at Tramore making for more challenging running conditions, particularly on the short sharp hill up through the centre of the town. From here to the finish the rate of attrition began to increase and the temperature increased as we returned along the undulating road to Waterford.

 

 By mile 21, when I was told that the course was actually 0.2 miles longer, I was about 5 seconds behind on the mile marker and only had two runners on my shoulder. Over the next couple of miles these two fell off the pace, which was made all the more challenging by the fact that I had to increase the pace marginally to build some cushion on a 3:15 finish. While it may not have appeared much, increasing the pace by 5 seconds per mile over the last 5 miles of a marathon, can be the straw that breaks the camels back for those that are running at the limit of their ability. My fellow pacer was about 40 seconds ahead of me at mile 23, obviously more concerned than I about making the 3:15 deadline ;-).

 

The last few miles of the course was all about trying to encourage those that I came across to run with me to the finish, with all but one unable to take me up on my offer. So over the last mile I had one guy with me, who ran ahead to come in under 3:14,  followed by yours truly in 3:14:27 - delighted that I had the endurance base to complete the course the day after racing a 10k PB. One of the guys who had dropped off the pace at mile 22, suddenly came sprinting out of nowhere to collapse across the line a few seconds under 3:15, straight into a waiting wheelchair and the medical tent - reminiscent on my own wobble across the line in Dublin 2011.

 

 Apart from the serious error over the length of the opening mile, the marathon was well organised and supported on what turned out to be a beautiful if somewhat warm day on an interesting and challenging course. Apparently the City Council extended the barriers on the mile 1 out and back section along the City Quays to avoid roadworks, inadvertently adding 0.2 miles to the course without informing the organisers!!!

That's the end of marathons for a few weeks as I am steering clear of the Sixmilebridge 10 in 10 in order to save my marriage ;-) With 2 down and 8 to go, best of luck to all those competing.

Marathon Training Week 6 of 10

Week 6 of my marathon programme only has one key workout - 3 x 4 miles at MP with 3 mile recoveries. This is the key workout of the whole programme. Nail this and I got the whole programme nailed. However as I was "volunteered" to pace the Inaugural Killarney Lakeside Marathon on Saturday I decided to defer my key session and swap it with my secheduled 22 mile long run from the end of week 7. My rationale was that pacing Killarney was only an additional 4 miles. However since all my training programme long runs have been close to 7:20 pace I requested the 3:15 pacing gig (7:26 pace) in lieu of my traditional 3:30 slot.

  Session 1 - Tuesday (1830hrs - 2030hrs)

With no specific speed session in the programme I used my Tiuesday track session to complete the 5 mile evaluation run, the results of which I covered in my pervious post.


15.66 miles in 1:58:28 (7:33 pace @ 128 Hr = 601 Hb/Km) with 5 mile Evaluation in 34:18 (6:52 pace @ 138.4 Hr = 590 Hb/Km).

 

Session 2 - Saturday (0900hrs - 12:15 hrs)

Killarney Lakeside Marathon

I travelled down with Ian (running the half), Denis (pacing 4:15) and Killian (pacing 3:30) for this reasonably low key marathon with all but the first mile in the Killarney National Park, over three laps between the Castleross Hotel and the old Copper Mines beyond Ross Castle - beautiful off-road course. When getting ready I noticed that I had brought my Asic Gel Tarthers instead of the DS Racers - I hoped the lightweight shoe would not cause much discomfort. I also forgot my heart rate monitor, which was a little dissappointing as I wanted to see how my HR would vary over the 26.2 miles.

This was my first time pacing 3:15, but I was not too concerned eventhough I was on my own. Still I decided to warmup for a few minutes as the pace would be steady from the off. I met up with Thomas before the start as he had planned to run with me for the first half. Tom Enright, who organised the pacers, joked that should Thomas and I be in the lead coming into the finish, that I was to let Thomas win, as it would not be appropriate for a pacer to win. No worries on that score as there were a few serious runners, in addition to Thomas, lining up at the start line.

Relaxing before the off with Clubmates Denis & Killian



Thomas stayed with me for most of the opening mile, pulling me along closer to 7 minute pace before he reminded me that I might be banking a bit of time - and then he was off, chasing down podium contenders.

There were about 12 runners in front of me including the leading lady with 3 or 4 around me over the opening miles. However most of these fell away by the time the first lap was complete, with the exception of John (using this as a 16 mile training run for his 3:15 attempt later in the year) and Brendan (PB 3:09), who was content to run 3:15 pace. We picked up Seamus at the end of lap 1, running his first run since completing the Prague Marathon last Sunday (a 26.2 mile recovery run). The miles seemed to fly by as we chatted away. We were pretty much on our own until mile 20, when Brendan began to push on.

Mile 19 - Brendan, Seamus and I

Between miles 20 and 22 we passed 4 runners, including the leading lady.

The Garmin indicated that the course was a bit short, but then again the tree cover may have interfered with the satellites, as the organisers had confirmed that the course was officially measured. I wasn't taking any chances though and made sure I had enough of a cushion to cover all eventualities. With no one within a few minutes behind me there was no point in hanging around for a 3:14:59 finish and with over a minute and a half of a cushion I ran into the finish line with Seamus, completing a very enjoyable run, my feet none the worse for wear having worn the lightweight Gel Tarthers. Certainly a very encouraging run, finishing 10th out of 121 finishers, at no stage feeling under pressure. The leading female, was first in behind me in 3:19:18, fully justifying my decision to finish a bit early.

26.22 Miles in 3:13:25 (7:23 pace & No HRM)

Weekly mileage - 69 Miles
Avg Weight - 77.4 Kg
RHR 40 (recovery from Marathon)

Marathon Training Week 4 of 10

Session 1 - Tuesday (1800hrs - 2000hrs)

4 x 2 miles @ HMP with 90 second recoveries between 4 mile warmup and cooldown.

A repeat of the session I did 2 weeks ago. It felt less stressful (relatively) this time out - the benefit of adaptation. Like 2 weeks ago my reference time was 13 minutes for 8 laps in lane 3 (equivalent to 6:17 pace). After the 4 mile warmup I was at the track,  ready for my first 8 laps, which went by in 13 minutes even. Following the 90 second walking recovery i was off for my 2nd 8 laps and while the pace was challenging, it was manageable. Long story short the remaining 3 intervals went by in 12:58/58/47 (6:16/16/11 pace) pushing the last one over the last few laps just to emulate the closing stages of a race. The 4 mile moderate warmdown was at a steady 7:10 pace (flat route compared to 2 weeks ago)

16.87 miles in 1:59:52 (7:02 pace @ 144 Hr) with 4 x 2 Miles @ 6:17/16/16/11 pace.


Session 2 - Sunday (0900hrs - 1230hrs)

22 Mile easy long run.

This is the longest run on the programme. My long runs todate have averaved around 7:20 pace. This time out I decided to cut back on the pace and increase the mileage - so that I could head to Limerick and pace today's Marathon. Perhaps if I wanted to keep the pace similar to my previous long runs I should have headed out with the sole 3:15 pacer (7:25 pace) but instead decided to stay with clubmate John pulling a few along, including Kate, who was with us all the way from the start. We got a bit carried away over the last mile as Kate was gaining on two girls in front of her and with our encouragement (and injection of a bit of pace) she passed them both and hung on for a 3:28:xx finish, with John and I hanging back until the clock was counting down the last second to 3:30. Another great day out. 37 minute after finishing I received a text with my official chip time (3:29:30) - that must be some sort of record.


26.22 miles in 3:29:30 (7:59 pace @ 125Hr - 620 Hb/Km)

This certainly was one of my most effortless pacing gigs. Don't get me wrong, there were times when the going felt a little tough but overall I was very confortable with my Hr below my MAFF hr of 138 for all but a few minutes.

I took no rest day this week as I made it my highest mileage week of the programme, with the aim of gradually cutting back the mileage in favour of faster paces. 



Weekly mileage - 79 Miles
Avg Weight - 78.1 Kg
RHR 39

Beautiful Day

I broke my week long fast this morning. Or should I clarify - my week of intermittent fasting. Sat at the breakfast table in the Brandon Hotel (Tralee) nursing my black sugarless coffee, watching John, my fellow 3:30 pacer, scoff down a plate of scrambled eggs and toast after a bowl of rice crispies was enough to sent me scurrying to the buffet for a plate of ham, egg and sausage -mmmm! After all I had a responsible job and needed proper fuelling.

I had already suffered at the hands of Tom (head pacer)  the night before over a pint, warning me that I better not collapse on the course from malnutrition or bonk and come in a few seconds over 3:30 (that's a mortal sin apparently, punishable by 4 penalty points and regulation to the second division - the graveyard of "standby" pacers - only right too if you ask me - fair play Tom, it pays to have high standards in sport ;-)

It was the perfect morning for running, just above freezing but getting warmer as the sun rose revealing clear blue skies with the snow capped Mount Brandon clearly visible off to the west at the end of the Dingle Peninsula - this was going to be a great day for Tralee. The town had changed a lot since I worked here 20 years ago, learning to dive off the Magherees, long before I took an interest in running. My memory of the course, or what I knew of it (patchy as it turned out), being that from the perspective of looking over a steering wheel - relatively flat with a few undulations. I had heard there were a few hills, but coming off the Clon B2B's , I wasn't worried.

There was a good buzz at the start line, next to the Aquadome, with about 600 lined up for the marathon start at 9 and at least the same for the half marathon start, 20 minutes later. Irish International ultrarunner, Keith Whyte was the sole 3 hour pacer, with John and I at 3:30, Denis (whom I travelled down with the night before) and Tom at 4:00, Eamon at 4:30 and Pat & ?? taking up the rear at 5 hours (a nice tidy crew - the A-Team). Denis, John and I had manned the Pacer stand at the expo for 20 minutes the night before, with the only enquiry coming from fellow Pacer Eamon asking where he could get some food and a pint.

I met clubmates Annemarie (going for her second sub 3) and her sister Colette (running the half) and wished them well, along with Thomas (also going for his second sub 3). After the wheelchair start (Gerry Forde) and a group of local charity runners the main field was off, through the streets of Tralee, to great cheers from onlookers.

We settled into a steady pace with a good crew of runners, including clubmate Ann, heading out towards Ardfert with road undulating, but generally up for the first four miles. Great support at Ardfert (Mile 6) as we turn left along quiter country roads towards Barrow. The locals in the group were warning everyone about the short steep hill around the 10 mile mark and the long drag at Mile 21 as the worst of the hills. We pick up the pace a little on the downhills to make up for the slower uphills. Mile 9.5 to 11.5 is an out and back, where we spot Thomas, working hard on his own ploughing a lonely furrow, well ahead of the Keith's 3-hour group (including Annemarie), which pass a minute or two later. We slow the pace for the quarter mile steep hill at Mile 10 - certainly a challenging climb as the 50 second cushion is whittled down to 5 seconds by the time we hit the 11 mile mark on the return leg, passing Tom's and Denis's 4 hour group heading out. C'mon the 3:30's - still a good crew with us.

We now turn south passing the halfway mark with a 20 second cushion and heading for Fenit, a few ups and downs challenging us along the way. The next out and back from Mile 14 to 16, takes us through Fenit and out to the end of the pier with music and fantastic crowd support to keep everyone motivated. After the turn, we notice Ann has fallen off the pace a little. The cushion turns to a 37 second deficit as we pass the 16 mile mark - it must be in the wrong place as our pace over the last few miles has been around the required 8 minute mile mark. We can't take any chances though - what if the earlier markers had been wrong and out cushion was never there - unlikely perhaps but we up the pace to the 7:30's over the next  downhill mile, passing the 17 mile mark with a 10 second deficit. The next mile is the shortest as our 7:4x pace takes us to the 18 mile mark with a miraculous 90 second cushion - back on track.

The road in from Fenit, through Kilfenora and Spa is busy with traffic, but marshalls ensure there are no issues and most motorists slow down and offer support as we pass. There's still a good group of 8 to 10 runners with us as we pass the 20 miles mark and turn right heading south through the Kerries with the 90 second cushion still intact. We lose some of this on the long rise between mile 21 and 22 as we enter Tralee. A right turn takes us west away from the town towards Lohercannon and Blennerville with the cushion now down to 50 seconds. Most of the group we had been pacing are about 100 yards ahead with us picking up one or two in their wake, including Mike, who is suffering - aren't we all at this stage in a marathon. It seems to take forever to reach the end of the road before we're heading back east along the canal path towards Tralee.

For the last two miles we have a group of 4 or 5 running along the tow-path and pick up one or two more (Russel from Maidstone Harriers and Nick, running for Cork Simon who had been with us from the start and had gone ahead at mile 22), offering encouragement to keep with us over the last 10 minutes - no time to quit now, so close to the finish - Mile 25 passes with a 45 second cushion. Soon we are off the path and heading through the streets of Tralee. Mike who had miraculously hung on over the last 3 miles has gone ahead . We pass Mile 26, turning left past the Brandon as the crowd support thickens (great turnout), shouting back to "Maidstone" (Russel) and "Cork Simon" (Nick) who have fallen off the pace, using the cushion to slow down so that they can bridge the gap to us - left into the town park for the last 200 yards, great finishing chute, turning to encourage two final runners to cross the line in front of us, with about 15 seconds left on the clock before the 3:30 bell rings.

You couldn't have asked for a better day to run in the inaugural Tralee Marathon - beautiful cool sunshine, scenic course, excellent crowd support all along the route, with plenty of water stations and attentive marshalls and a great finishing experience in the town park to cap it all off. Well worth it.

Well done to Thomas and Annemarie on their second sub-3 hour marathons and 1st place finishes (M40 & Female), great acheivement to you both. As for me, i'm very happy with my 3:29:44  95th place finish, which should keep the pacing gaffer happy, for the moment. I'm sure he'll acknowledge it in due course ;-)

I've spent the rest of the day pigging out and am feeling pretty bloated so it's time to come off the glucose high and return to the slow fat-burning monastic diet tomorrow. It was good while it lasted.

Have a great Paddy's Weekend.

No. 23 - The Viking Marathon

The inaugural Viking Marathon in Waterford on Saturday was my 23rd Marathon (including 5 ultras) and my 7th as a pacer. With 5 marathons under my belt this year alone and the possibility of 3 more pacing gigs, I appear to be slipping into the abyss that is occupied by those who think nothing of running two marathons in one day (and no I'm not referring to a 52 mile ultra) and have to organise their own marathons to feed their addiction. Sure enough the usual suspects were on the start line at the Mall on Saturday morning, with some sharing the early miles with me, slagging each other off and having a bit of craic before falling off the pace as the memory of their most recent ultra or marathon hits their legs - all well capable of running sub 3:30, if only they allowed themselves to recover, their legs in a perpetual state of stress/recovery.

Pat Purcell of Kilkenny City Harriers was my pacing buddy for the day and for his first pacing gig he took to it like a duck to water and appeared to thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It's off to work we go

We got singlets with the word "Pacer" emblazoned across the front and back, which certainly helped us to stick out from the crowd. The day threatened rain and sunshine in equal measure, typically Irish weather, the light rain before the start washing off the sun screen that some of the the runners had applied liberally in the warm sunshine less that an hour before.



Enjoying the First Mile



The course was a mixture of urban and rural roads around the south side of the City before heading out the Cork Road at Mile 9 and south to Tramore at mile 10.5. Unusually for a marathon the mile markers were "miles remaining" as opposed to "miles completed" so anyone with a standard pace band was fucked left slightly confused as "16 miles remaining" meant you were 10.22 miles into the race for which you had no split time on your pace band. Pacing 3:30 at 8 minute miles wasn't too bad as 16 miles reamining meant 2:08 time remaining, indicating that I should have 1:22  or slightly less on my Garmin . 

There were a few drags, particularly the mile or 2 before halfway, where we got a good cheer from the half marathon runners lining up to start just over 15 minutes after we passed through. We slowed the pace going up the drags to even out the effort a little and picked it up slightly on the downhills.



Miles 16 to 19 consisted of a loop around Tramore where the support again was  very good. Through the last relay changeover point at the end of the Promenade and heading for home. A few runners began to drop off the pace here but we still had a good core group of about 10 to 15. Miles 19 to 23 were back in towards the City along the main road and it was a question of keeping the head down and not letting the fatigue take over. The course took an out and back diversion along the ring road at mile 23 - just to mess with your head a little. I could see Chris O'Connell about 50 yards ahead - the last time I saw Chris was just after he crossed the finish line in Limerick last year in 3:30:05 and this was his first marathon since. I shouted out "Don't let me catch you Chris" and he gave a wave of acknowledgement. The out and back section finished just after Mile 24 - two straight miles to the finish - time to keep the head down and ignore the pain - well that's what Pat was telling anyone who would listen. Chris was still ahead and if anything had increased the gap between us. With a mile to go we had about 50 seconds of a cushion and so we eased up slightly to encouage a few stragglers, with the core group of about 8 going ahead to finish comfortably under 3:30. We managed to get 1 or 2 more over the line with a few seconds to spare, with 1 guy cramping badly about 400m from the finish and hobbling over the line just in front of us (he was actually behind us in the shot below) - Clock 23:29:57 (3:29:45 Chip). Chris came in comortably in 3:28:something - Well done on your first sub-3:30 Chris.



What time is it? I can't wait around much longer.



I did my usual post marathon/ultra recovery routine of lying down for 10 minutes and keeping my legs elevated when this guy passing said "There's a man who knows what he's doing" and I look up to be greeted by none other than John Tracy, the silver medalist in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Marathon (behind Carlos Lopez). If only he could say that about my training ;-)

While my legs recovered pretty well after the marathon an easy run in the vibrams on Monday revealed a tight right calf, which got progressively more tender as the run went on. A similar easy run on Wednesday morning (this time in more conventional running shoes) was no better and while the first mile felt good an ache developed in the calf, which got progressively worse as the run went on, forcing me to slow down - the last mile was over 9 minute pace!!!

I think I have a mild strain/tear so it's no running for a week or two. I had been thinking of running a long ultra in August but couldn't make up my mind - at least now it 's made up for me as i'd have had to ramp up my mileage over the next 3 weeks to get some ultra specific training in my legs. So i've switched to the bike, which is less stressful on the legs and will keep me somewhat motivated, particularly as I have agreed to cycle the Ring Of Kerry with a neighbour over the summer (not the organised one this weekend with 6,000 or 7,000 expected to take part).

Finally all the best to Thomas who is heading into unknown territory when he completes competes in the oddessey that is known as the Belfast Bangor 24-hour track race. An exciting time for him. I wish I was there. If you wish to offer support please text words of encouragement via. his support crew @ 00353 (0)86 3840587. All the best Thonms!!!

Dingle - 3:29:Something

Fantastic day in Dingle today. The rain and wind cleared overnight for a bright and mild morning - perfect for running a marathon.

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The pacers met up the night before in the "Blue Zone" restaurant for a bit of carb loading before retiring to the B&B. I was sharing with Shane (the 2hr Half Marathon Pacer), who came with the gang from the "Bridge" - soon to surpass Dublin as the most prolific marathon destination in the country. If you haven't run a marathon in the Bridge you haven't lived (I haven't lived - yet). Tom (head pacer) and Paul also made the trip from the Bridge to pace the 4:30's. Frank was down from Dublin for a bit of gentle 4 hour pacing after surpassing the 100 mile mark in the Belfast 24hr. He had Ken in tow, pacing 1:45 for the half and doing a hard sell for sponsorship for some charity walk he is doing in NYC in November. Thomas was over from Killorglin to keep me on the straight and narrow, with Niamh as official photographer and cheerleader. Aonghus, pacing the sharp end of the half at 1:30, and his wife completed the ensemble.

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Thomas and I wore our pacing kit from Cork (the promise of gear for Dingle did not materialise) with Balloons tied to our back (My balloon burst about 5 miles in - can't keep anything, me). With an undulating course and the worst hill at mile 21 our plan was to run by effort more than pace and to bank about 2 minutes by the time we reached the 21 mile mark. To cut a long story short (See Thomas for the long version) we more or less stuck to the plan, but despite our best endeavours we lost all our pacees - we had 6 followers at mile 18, whittled down to 2 at mile 21, including the 2nd female (we think) but lost them going up the hill and passed a few more on the way. Hit the top before the 23 mile mark and exchanged places with a few guy on the road down to Dingle - our Female pacee nearly caught up with us on the downhill but fell back as the road levelled out - she wasn't too far behind us at the end though. With the finish line in sight and no one to pace, Thomas showed his competitive spirit and sprinted the last 50 yards to come in a few seconds ahead of me - if he's any gentleman he'll let me have the "win" in Dublin.

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After the race I met John Meade, fresh from winning the half for a second year in a row - great running John - and Denis Kelliher who swore after the Connemara ultra that he would never race longer than 5 miles again - a man of his word (tells me Dublin will be his 13th and last marathon)

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While the course was the most undulating marathon I have run I was relatively comfortable throughout, leaving the 2 "insurance gels" in my pocket with my fuel consisting of water, a quarter of orange and a few jellies at mile 18 and a banana at mile 21. A great run on a perfect day for running - over a very scenic course - what more could you ask for? Well how about a pink digital skipping rope and an XXL reflective cycling bib (that would be a hazard to cycle in)that greeted me from my goodie bag at the finish - just what every runner needs (someone must have been clearing out their attic).

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Focus

Target

At last I have decided to focus on another race as the 100k fades into the memory banks and some speed reluctantly returns to my legs. The 15 mile Maxi marathon in Killarney a few weeks back showed me that I still had some way to go to get back on form. Over the last few weeks I have jumped into the twice weekly speedwork sessions of a club group training for the upcoming national half marathon championships in Waterford on 3rd September. As I will be pacing the Dingle marathon on 3rd September I have signed up for the inaugural Charleville HM two weeks later on 18th September - hopefully the hills of Dingle will be out of my legs by then.

I had the opportunity to cycle the route of the Dingle marathon on Saturday evening as I dropped Ani and Saran to visit their cousin Robert who is on holiday there for a few weeks. An undulating course but more than made up for by the spectacular scenery - leaving the Killarney Maxi marathon (promoted as the worlds most beautiful road race) well in the shade. Similar perhaps to California's Big Sur Marathon, except the road is about 10 foot wide. On the Sunday morning I ran an 18 mile out and back run taking in the last 7 miles of the marathon course and the 1.2 mile brute of a hill at the 21 mile mark - it certainly will be a challenging pacing job, where pace will be based on effort and not speed - banking time on the downhills for the slower uphill sections - looking forward to the challenge. And there's always Thomas to fall back on.

I spent the rest of the day on the beach with the kids getting in my first swim of the summer - the water was surprisingly warm (relatively speaking) and the 15' waves great fun.

Training Pace

As I haven't raced a short distance in a year (my 5 mile PB at Churchtown South 2010) and my training for the ultra wasn't exactly peppered with fast runs I don't know what my training paces should be . Based on peak form in the past these would normally be:-

Repeats @ 5:00/20 (38 second half laps, 80 second laps) - 200s/400 - mile pace

Intervals @ 6:00 (90 second laps) - 400s to 1600s - 5k pace.

Tempo @ 6:20/30 (20 minutes and up) - 10k/HM pace up towards 6:50 MP for 60 minutes.

Steady @ 6:50 to 7:20 pace

Easy @ 7:20 to 8:00 pace

Recovery @ 8:00 to 8:40 pace

Any speedwork on the track up until the past month has been at a slower 6:30 to 6:40 pace for no other reason than I didn't think my ultra training needed anything faster and I didn't want to risk injury by combining high mileage and speedwork. Now that the long slow stuff is behind me (for the moment) and my weekly mileage has reduced considerably, my legs have recovered sufficiently to enable me to concentrate on getting familiar with faster paces again. I had nearly got into the mindset that 6 minute pace was too fast for me but getting pulled along in the group sessions the last few weeks at the track has proved otherwise, with paces varying from 6:13 for 2 miles to 5:44 for 800m.

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My tempo pace has similarly proved fairly consistent with a 6:23 pace on a 30 minute club session last weekend, similar to the 6:24 pace average for the 25 minute session 2 weeks ago. These group tempo sessions are fairly tough and made more interesting by their split time out and back nature whereby at the 15 minute turnaround those that have covered more distance are chasing down the slower guys on the return leg - if everyone ran an even pace for the 30 minutes we should all end up where we started at the end of the 30 minutes. Of course you could take it relatively easy on the outbound leg and up the pace on the return but you'd only be fooling yourself.

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Evaluation

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I hit the track this evening with my HR monitor for a 5 mile evaluation run at a constant HR of 140. I completed 4 of these during my aerobic base training between January and March - progressing from 37:18 (7:28 pace) to 34:24 (6:53 pace) over the 2 months. While I knew my aerobic base was pretty solid I did not know what to expect - hoping to get somewhere close to my last evaluation on 29th March (6:53 pace @ 140.4 HR).

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After a mile warmup, stretching and a lap to get the HR up to 140 I was on my way:-

Mile 1 - 6:43 (140 HR)

Mile 2 - 6:47 (141 HR)

Mile 3 - 6:53 (142 HR)

Mile 4 - 6:56 (140 HR)

Mile 5 - 6:58 (140 HR)

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Overall 34:17 (6:51 pace @ 140.6 HR) - I won't get much better than that. The effort felt surprisingly comfortable for the paces achieved, although the variation over the 5 miles shows an appreciable reduction in speed.

Clock - 3:29:52.........

.........Chip - no bloody chip. Left it at home this morning in my eagerness to remember to bring everything else. Chip about 3:29:25 as there were 2 runners between me and Frank, the other 3:30 pacer. A good day for running a marathon, generally overcast and relatively cool - the best since Cork restarted in 2007 - although it was a bit warm for the first hour or so.

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To be quite honest I didn't feel great, with slightly tight calves from pushing the pace a bit on yesterdays 34 mile bike ride and a reasonably full bladder from the start. I contemplated stopping for a whiz, but with a baloon strapped to my singlet and "Sub 3hrs 30" emblazoned on my back, I thought it might be a bit unprofessional - pacers are not supposed to be human ;).

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Despite the 7:54 average pace on the Garmin we passed the 8 mile mark, 7 seconds in deficit (1:04:07) - we changed this to a 10 second surplus by the half way stage and over the next 4 miles we extended that to about 40 seconds. There was a sizeable group with us but it was difficult to know who exactly was "with us" as the field was still reasonably congested. I began to feel good after about 15 miles, with the urge to pee gone and bio feedback indicating everything in good working order. My HR fluctuated between 125 and 140 - rising above the 140 on some of the "hilly sections".

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Crowd support was very good particularly as we passed through relay changeover areas. The group remained reasonably intact, as we crested the last rise on the Model Farm Road at mile 21.5 and dropped down to Inchagaggin Lane and the Straight Road. I could see clubmate, Paul Cotter, ahead who had paced me on some of my looooong training runs over the last few weeks. Following his strong 3:34 finish in his debut Marathon in Dublin last year, Paul was targeting something in the low 3:20's. With about 3 miles to go I pull alongside him, but can only keep him on my shoulder for about 3/4 of a mile - complaining about going too fast after the tunnel f#ck*ed with his Garmin (my words not his) - the mind does funny things when faced with data that conflicts with it's own reasoning. He didn't fall too far behind as I could still see him 100 yards back as we ran along the Mardyke towards the 25 mile mark. Over the bridge along the UCC river walk and into the last mile with about 9 minutes to spare, still a good crew with us. Out onto the north quays, scooping up a few stragglers on the way with those with a bit of spare energy pushing ahead, right turn onto Patricks Bridge and the last 400m to the finish...stopping briefly before the finish to scoop up 2 more sub-3:30's - job done and legs feeling great, the best they've ever felt after pacing 3:30 (3 to-date).

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A half mile jog to the Lee Hotel with previous pacing partner, Tony (now promoted to the 3:15 slot with Thomas), a quick shower, share some ultra nutrition tips with Tony (who's coaching the Irish team for the Trail World Championships) and off to the Long valley for a well earned pint of plain - carbs never tasted so refreshing.

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Well done to all those who raced today, plenty of PB's out there.

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I'm a bit pissed off that I won't have an official result, but then again I'm not looking for membership of the 100 marathon club (The annual sub is hardly worth another medal, no matter what it's made of - I can always fabricate my own) and will just add today to the 7 other "unofficial" 26.2+ mile runs this year - only 2 "official" ones.

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Mile 3.5 - Early Days

Interesting People & Lovely Balls

This post is for Rónán, who told me this morning to update my blog.

Marathon Pacing (Great Limerick Run - 1st May 2011)

This pacing job gets you to meet all sorts of interesting people -

Following the pacers briefing last Saturday evening most of us retired to a local Italian restaurant for a bit of carb loading - if you can call 2 cups of coffee and a baileys cheesecake carb loading - well I already had a belly full of pizza at the briefing. Mick Rice, the 3 hour pacer brought his friend Lezan, who sat beside me. I could tell he was a fast guy even if I hadn't known that he was 5 times winner of the Connemara Half marathon. He was hoping to achieve a sub 2:20 in Limerick - well, I thought he has come to the right place - a restaurant full of marathon pacers!. He told me his PB was 2:13 which he got when winning the Dublin marathon in 2004. Not wanting to waste the opportunity I quizzed him a bit more:-

"What fuel do you use during your marathons" I asked.

"Water" he replied.

"Right" I said - "Doh".

He left shortly afterwards, leaving half his dinner behind him, which means he didn't get any dessert (I have the same rule in my house).

Tom, who organised the pacers, was hoping to break 3:30 with my assistance the following day. Tom's medium terms goal is to get 100 marathons under his belt by the end of 2012, after which he will concentrate on the shorter distances (he has 30 something done already). He's taking the patient route to a fast 5k ;). He's one of those crazy guys who ran the route of the Connematathon (Director's invitational) the day before he completed the ultra with the rest of us. He's also organising 5 marathons in 5 days in Sixmilebridge this July - well he's got to feed his insatiable appetite somehow. I shared a room with David, who was pacing the 1:40 group in the half marathon. However he got to sleep in as his race wasn't starting until 11:30 compared to my 9 a.m. start. No snoring this time out.

I had breakfast with the 3:15 pacers and was joined by Finnoula who was pacing 4:30. If that wasn't enough she was overnighting in Dublin after the race and driving to Belfast in the wee hours to complete the Belfast marathon on Monday - all part of her training for the 90km Comrades marathon from Durban to Petermaritzburg this June.

I was pacing the 3:30 group with Tony, my pacing partner from Cork last year, and an old hat at the job, compared to me. There was a great buzz at the start line as runners psyched themselves up for the long road ahead. Tony certainly went to the motivational school for marathon pacers as he really got the group going. Not being familiar with the route I found it quite good - the out and back past the 10k timing mat where you could see the front runners coming against you and have the craic with the other pacing groups - through the UL campus - through the historic City. We lost Tom shortly after mile 10 due to stomach issues.

It wasn't all plain sailing though - the long drag out past the 15 and 16 mile mark and the wide and windy St Nessan's Road back towards the City centre. We certainly lost a few along these sections. Still we had a core crew of 10 to 12 with us until about the 22 mile mark. Chris, a friend of Tony's, whom Tony has been pacing towards a 3:30 finish for at least the last year, was nowhere to be seen as we crossed Sarsfield Bridge (21.7 miles). The drag up past Thomond Park and the 23 mile mark was particularly challenging as one or two dropped off the back and those who had held back a little were advised to push on towards the finish. I held back a little to keep some sort of connection with 2 guys who had fallen back by 10 or 20 yards but there was another drag up past the Gaelic Grounds and the 24 mile mark and the two guys were unable to close the gap - I could certainly emphatise with them - the last few miles in a marathon are a huge physical and mental challenge, particularly if you have nothing left in the tank - still I reckon even pacing is the most efficient way to get around a marathon, the challenge being the selection of the correct pace, which you may even have to change on the start line depending on conditions - no point in heading out at PB pace into a strong wind or a hot sun - receipt for disaster.

Mile 21 - Group still Intact

The last 2 miles were spent encouraging those we caught up with to keep pace with us and come in under 3:30. Three guys, in particular managed to dig a little deeper, snap out of the fatigue induced autopilot shuffle that we all experience in the latter stages of a marathon and cross he line before the clock struck 3;30 - one poor guy discovering, when a volunteer came to remove his timing chip, that he had left it back at his hotel.

The first guy to cross the line after 3:30 was Chris, who had cramped just before the 22 mile mark, stopped and stretched and put in a super human effort to get back on pace covering the last mile in 7:26 and denied his sub 3:30 by 7 seconds (3:30:06) - although he was gutted he still managed a 4 minute PB, which he wouldn't have got had he thrown in the towel after cramping - gutsy performance Chris.

While my legs seized up a bit after the race (hammys in particular) a bit of walking loosened them out a bit. I met Lezan, who's "John Wayne" gait was worse than my own (even the fast guys suffer) and congratulated him on his second placing - 2:24 - beaten by his compatriot Freddy Keron.

Muzan - sharing 2nd place with Sergiu Ciobanu at mile 21.7

I got a lift back to the hotel with Chris and Tony, used the pool to loosen out the legs a little before heading back to Cork with John D (3:45 pacer), stopping off in Charleville for the obligatory burger and chips.

Ultra Training

With my eye on a 100k ultra in June I though it would be a great opportunity to used the 26.2 miles in my legs for some 100k race training and so the following morning I hit the grass of UCC farm shortly after 8 - opting for the 2.2 mile circuit so that (i) I wouldn't be too far from the end (ii) I didn't have to carry fuel, placing my High 5 drink at the start of the loop and (iii) emulating race day monotony - 20 x 5k loops. My plan was 3 hours at an easy pace between 8:30 and 8:50 (straddling my 9 hour target pace of 8:42 - don't know where it came from and I could be out by an hour or two). The light rain that was falling was in stark contrast to the sun of the day before. The first 2 hours went pretty well with an average pace of 8:38 and my legs holding up pretty well. As I felt relatively comfortable (it's all relative) I decided to up the pace for the last hour, trying to get the feel of negative splitting on race day and surprised myself by averaging 7:47 pace for the hour - glad to be finished though.

As ultra training is all about back to back weekend long runs I took it relatively easy during the week, getting two 5 milers in, the first on Wednesday at a recovery pace (100k race pace ;) and the second on Thursday with a 5k tempo thrown into the middle of it - my attempt to introduce some speedwork into my training after a long absence. The 5k at 6:42 pace (20:53) was tough but manageable - i'm a long way off a 3 hour marathon at the moment (a 1:30 half is even out of the question - unless it's downhill)

A rest day on Friday and I was ready for my long weekend, getting out the door shortly before 6:30 yesterday morning for a 3:30 run in the regional park - more mind numbing loops. I did mix it up a bit by taking different trails, which slowed me down a bit as I negotiated my way around tree roots and puddles. From the start I did not feel great - maybe last weekend was finally catching up with me. I averaged 8:41 pace for the first hour and 8:26 for the second hour. I decided to change tactics for the third hour by introducing fartleks starting with 7 mins fast followed by 7 mins slow and down to 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 minute. I had read somewhere that introducing faster running in an ultra can help with the fatigue and monotony of a constant pace (a bit like an interval session at the track) It started off reasonably well getting down to 7:35 on the "fast" sections and about 8:25 on the recoveries! averaging 8 minute pace overall - but I was toast for the last half hour struggling to maintain 8:30 pace, delighted to finish and wondering how the fuck I was going to run for 9 hours or (much) more, having visions of being on my knees before I am halfway through the race. I thought I might have entered the realm of "overtraining" but my resting heart rate this morning was 38, down from 39 when last measured on 20th March. An elevated resting HR is a typical indicator of overtraining.

My original plan for the weekend was 3:30 on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday. The way I felt after Saturday's run had me thinking that running on Sunday would be both painfully slow and short. Still with an air of optimism and reasonably recovered legs, I headed out this morning on a Club run of about 15 miles over relatively flat terrain from Mahon to Passage West, Monkstown up over the 1.5 mile hill to Rochestown and back to Mahon, picking up the two Pauls at Pairc Ui Caoimhe en route. I refuelled with 500ml of High 5 and half a bag of cheese and onion crisps, the Kids had left in the car, before heading back out around the estuary loop to Blackrock Castle to meet up with Paul Cotter who had headed back to his car for refuelling (only to find he left his gels at home) and was coming in the opposite direction. The wind along this section of the Cork Marathon route reminded me of last years marathon where horizontal rain was added to the mix to make for a tough run. We also met up with Paul Daly, who had finished his run early (faster pace) to pick up Amanda, a visually impaired paralympic runner who he is guiding - if you thought pacing was difficult try guide running along a busy walkway on a Sunday morning with other runners, walkers, cyclists, dogs, all preoccupied in their own conversations/activities - you get the picture.

I dropped Paul Cotter to his car with 3:10 on my watch and headed out for another loop towards Blackrock Castle with Paul and Amanda, eventually pulling ahead of them for the final solo leg of my run. My legs still felt reasonably good although as I entered the last 15 minutes of my run I was beginning to feel the effects, primarily due to lack of fuel - Paul had teased earlier about what we would have for breakfast - "butter melting on a hot scone", which was nearly enough to send me back to the car early. I replied that the best thing about 4 hour long runs is that by the time you have breakfast it is lunchtime and you can double up. I stopped with less than a quarter of a mile to the car as I hit the 4 hour mark and walked in - tank empty. I took a chocolate/orange GU thick gel with water once I got to the car to give me enough fuel to drive home - Heaven!

25.1 miles on Saturday and 27.8 miles on Sunday gave me 52.9 (85km) for the weekend (still 15km short).

Lest you think I did nothing else for the weekend apart from seven and a half hour of running and put my feet up to recover for the rest of the day think again. With Abina working I was on duty to ferry Saran and his buddy to GAA (hence my pre-6:30 start yesterday) and on to McDonalds, organise a sleepover for Ani's friend and drop her home, drop Safan to town and Keevsa to her friends birthday party and today to meet her boyfriend for their six month anniversary and decide on such issues as whether self-raising flour would make any difference to the roux for the meatball sauce for todays dinner - thankfully I found the plain flour. In fairness they're nice meatball. If you don't believe me ask Abina. She took them to work a few months back, openend her lunch box in front of her colleagues and said "These are Grellan's balls and they're lovely"

Recovery week #3 (Run 47 miles, Bike NIL, Swim 3.8km)

Build Week #1 (Run 85 miles, Bike NIL, Swim NIL)

ps: I can't seem to control the line spacing in my posts - I close the gaps while editing but it appears to do it's own thing - any advice in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

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