It's Official

My 100m PB has finally been ratified by the Cork County Board - 16.53 seconds. My third PB of the year after the 39.3 miles and the 100k, and unlike those races I was back running (racing) within 12 hours. McMillian gives me anything between a 3:03 and a 3:15 marathon for my effort - if only I had practiced using the starting blocks (practiced at all) and broke the tape at 14 seconds I'd be on my way to a 2:40 mara (all for the want of 2.53 seconds) - ah well there's always next time. . As I was toeing the line at the start of the race the MC announced over the PA system that the last race that one of the competitors ran was 100k (leaked from the club chairman). As the rest of the guys appeared to all know each other, they all looked in my direction - all I could do was shrug my shoulders as if to say "why not?". At least the spectators knew the reason for the 2 second gap to the guy with all the struggling slow twitch fibres.

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I celebrated my new PB by joining some clubmates on a tempo run this morning, most of whom are training for the National Half Marathon Championships in Waterford on 3rd September or one of the other HM's in Blarney/Charleville a week or 2 later.

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The plan was 25 minutes of fast running sandwiched between 1 or 2 miles of warmup/cooldown. Six of us in all met up in Carrigaline at 8 (Joe, Micháel, Norman, Paul Daly, Paul Hickey - out celebrating the birth of his firstborn - congrats Paul & Myself) for an out and back along the estuary walk to Crosshaven (old rail line) - flat and fast. After the warmup we eased into the faster pace - too fast for me at the start as I slipped to the back with the two Pauls shooting out the front. I maintained a steady pace in the mid 6:20's counting down the minutes to the 12:30 turnaround. Joe had told me on Thursday that the pace was going to be around 6:50 (must have been the salesman in him). with 12:30 on the Garmin we all turned and headed for home (avg pace of 6:24) - some with more ground to cover than others depending on how far they got. The return leg was a battle of mind against body as the rising fatigue in my legs coupled with the slow motion ticking of the clock eroded away at my resolve - yet the pace remained steady @ 6:24 and I ended my 25 minutes within 10 yards of where I started - good solid pacing - any faster on the outbound leg and my pace would almost certainly have suffered on the return.

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A slow warmdown to the cars and we were all set for the day ahead. Where else would you want to be on a warm summers morning.

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Measured my resting HR this morning at 35 (average over 5 minutes - min/max 33/39) lowest ever - maybe my HR monitor is malfunctioning as during some of my easy runs this week my recorded HR shot up as far as 170.

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Speedwork

I took it relatively easy on the running front following the race on Saturday as my quads were sore and achy - downhill running will do that for you. However that changed this evening when I returned to some faster speedwork.

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I jumped into the middle of the Thursday club session with JP, Joe, Eddie, Rónán, Maura, Pat and a few more who had 1 x 3.2k, 2 x 1.6k and 2 x 800m with 3 minute recoveries on the cards. I missed the opening 2 miles, which was run at about 6:10 pace and therefore was relatively fresh for the 2 x 1 miles @ 6:02 pace each and the 2 x 800 in 2:54/52 (3:00/2:58 in lane 3). My legs felt like jelly for the opening 100m of each of the 800s but they rallied pretty well and I was "relatively" comfortable throughout, even managing a sprint at the end of the final one - I reckoned I covered the last 100m faster than my 100m PB of last Friday.

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Given that it is a long time since I churned out 6 minute pacework at the track I was very happy with the session. To be quite honest I think I have been slacking over the last 6 to 9 months opting for slower interval paces and avoiding "short" races - perhaps because history has shown that speedwork inevitably leads to injury. Everything in moderation perhaps.

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Killarney Finish Line (relief)

When is a race not a race

It's not every day you get a PB, certainly not a PB where you come last and definitely not a PB where you come last and are only 6 or 7 seconds outside the world record - top class field. Well that was me in the 100m final at the Cork County Junior & Masters 2011 Track & Field Championships last night. Luckily I did not have to go through the heats and semi-final due to my form coming into the event.

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In summary my warmup strides were faster than my actual race, I couldn't use the starting blocks for fear of falling over 10m into the race and I did not want to DNF, I still had to get down on my knees for the ready, steady, go - flashbacks to racing my brothers on the beach as a kid. I was left standing over the first 20m and never regained my...ahem...lead. There were three in my age group (M45), the rest were older, I think the winner was over 60 - not fair putting the big boys in the same race - still I got a bronze medal for my effort (well I will when they figure out I came third). What possessed me I hear you say - I don't know, unknown territory?

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Unfortunately I didn't have time to wait around for the medal ceremony as I had to head to a funeral and forgo the possibility of more silverware in the shot and javelin, the other events I had entered for. All I can say is roll on 2012, bring it on!.....and who knows the other 2 guys in my age group may not show up.

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. I did come out of the championships with a slightly dodgy right quad (this is beginning to sound like Dervla O'Rourkes' Blog) which wasn't the best preparation for this mornings 15 mile "Maxi-marathon" in Killarney which had a substantial downhill section - not good for quads.

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Question: If a mini-marathon is anywhere from 3.8 (Cork) to 6.22 (Dublin) miles and a maxi-marathon is 15 miles, how long is a marathon?

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Answer: As long as you want it to be.

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Although if you favour the logical side of the brain and a "mini" and "maxi" are equidistant from the "normal" marathon you might come up with 10 miles or thereabouts. Either answer will do.

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Anyways, I was up this morning at the unearthly hour of 4:45 (When Thomas normally returns from his morning run) to travel to Killarney with John D and Donal (thanks for the lift Donal) so that we could catch a bus for the 8 a.m. start of this point to point race taking in the spectacular scenery of the lakes of Killarney.

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Lakes of Killarney (Ladies View)

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Thomas was at the start line well before us anxiously looking for someone to pace off. As John had a camera for taking pictures en route I suggested he track Pat O'Connor who was in similar shape and also intending to race. I did suggest to John that he run ahead of the two lads and take photos of them crossing the line, which they would appreciate ;)

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The day was overcast with a threat of rain, after all we were in Kerry - rain capital of the world.

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Here's how my race went:-.

• Uphill for the first 1.42 miles at a relatively easy pace - Mile 1 in 7:40
• Opened it up a little for the downhill miles Miles 2 to 4 in 7:00/6:15/6:40
• John was lamenting the grey day as he wasn't getting any good photos so I suggested he scoot along to the finish and take finish photos (including mine) - and the fecker did exactly that - releasing the brakes and powering off down the hill, leaving a wake of runners behind him.
• Levelled off a bit from mile 4 to 5 and more downhill until the 7.5 mile mark, which I passed in 49:57 (15 mile 1:40 pace) - I was feeling pretty good at this stage - Miles 5to 8 in 6:46/05/15/40.
• Some of the early mile markers were off (we were told that there were no markers as they had been pulled out by pranksters during the night)- the 10k marker came before the 6 mile one. The later markers appeared ok but were 0.1 mile short compared to the Garmin distance - "good, a short maxi is just what I need as I am beginning to feel the pressure".
• I slowed as the course levelled out - Mile 9 was my last sub 7 minute mile at 6:56. Mile 10 in 7:13 (1:07:38)
• The remaining miles were confidence bashers as those I had passed now began to pass me back as we moved off the road into Killarney National Park where the normally welcome paths killed my pace with the constant minor grade changes. I suffered on resigned to the fact that my legs were not yet prepared for the "speed/endurance" required for the "shorter" race.
• I crossed the HM timing mat in 1:29:12 (although the Garmin displayed 12.99 miles). Shortly after I was passed by a runner and again during mile 14. I could hear the footsteps of another runner behind me coming towards the finish but I managed to stay ahead of him before crossing the line - not that there was any increase in effort from me - just a "I hope to fuck he doesn't pass me" prayer. Can't beat the power of a well timed prayer.
• I finished the 14.91 (Garmin) mile race in 1:43:08 - ahead of my 1:45 target, but had to work harder than I expected - Miles 11 to 14.91 in 7:05/15/16/12/6:38.
• John was on hand at the finish line to take my photo - although he hasn't sent it on to me yet.

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Thomas and Pat had a right old battle for 2nd and 3rd M40 with Thomas hanging on for the win in a very impressive 1:xx:xx (I can't steal his thunder) - 8th overall.

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My efforts got me 39th out of about 700 starters (although this should be put in context - it was primarily a fun event - borne out by the fact that I saw some runners recovering with cigarettes)

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Post Mortem

Reflection

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The results of the Portumna 100k show that my second 50k (4:50:31) took 9.24% longer than my first 50 (4:25:57), which is not too bad considering that out of the 12 finishers I had the smallest positive split (the largest was 56%). However the guy who finished behind me incredibly had the only negative split (4:57:45 + 4:52:21 = 9:50:06) meaning he managed to climb 2 places during the second half of the race. While my pace had reduced to a pedestrian level by the time I had crossed the finish line I could have continued on if I had to, for how long I don't know. However 10 minutes later I could not have walked let alone run.

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Recovery

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My recovery has taken a circuitous route. Naturally my legs were achy and stiff for a few days. My left quad in particular did not function particularly well – to get into bed or a car I had to use both hands to lift my leg from behind the knee. I also had a blister on the side of the base of my right big toe, which I had to lance. All good recovery stuff.

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Pain

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However as the aches and pains subsided on Sunday and Monday a new pain was developing in the big toe of my left foot. I assumed it was a sprain resulting from the race that I had not previously noticed but by Tuesday night the pain had got so bad that I could not sleep and had to hang my foot out over the edge of the bed as I could not tolerate anything touching my toe – water falling on it in the shower was enough to cause pain – it was red and swollen and walking was only possible without shoes and with a distinctive limp.

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Diagnosis

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So on the Wednesday morning I ended up at the Doctor, who promptly proclaimed “that’s Gout” when I revealed the throbbing digit. I had to tell her that the purple toenail was due to an unrelated previous “injury”. Yet she took precautions and prescribed antibiotics in case of infection, an anti-inflammatory for the gout and told me to avoid purine rich foods in my diet (alcohol, read meat – particularly organ meat, mackerel, sardines, tomatoes...)

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All Abina said is "It can't be Gout. Did you tell the doctor the distance you ran? "

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"She didn't ask but I did tell her I ran a very long race. If she though it important she'd have asked"

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"You should have told her" She replied.

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When picking up the drugs she even asked the pharmacist what he thought, filling him in on the details -"How long?" he asked - "no it can't be gout" - I think he just didn't want to contradict her - by the time I hobbled up he was more interested in where I ran and whether or not it was an organised event.

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Science Bit

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To be honest I was surprised with the diagnosis as I understood that gout was associated with a rich diet and copious amounts of alcohol but apparently other factors include a genetic predisposition ( I have a younger brother who suffers from gout) and an under-excretion of uric acid from the kidneys (quite possible given the reduced kidney function associated with endurance events). Also an excessive breakdown of cells (muscle breakdown in this case) can lead to uric acid build-up and uric acid crystals can become deposited in tendons, joints, kidneys, and other organs. This accumulation of uric acid crystals is called gouty arthritis, or simply "gout."

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Recovery # 2

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The meds appeared to work for a while but the pain was nearly as bad on Thursday night, which forced me to consult Dr. Google on Friday morning. After viewing a few sites I was almost resigned to a life crippling pain and no hope for a cure until I happened on this guys site proclaiming the benefit of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), which essentially increases the alkalinity of the body (blood/urine) thereby reducing the production of uric acid. After a day or two of self-medication I was on the road to recovery.

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Running

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I was sufficiently recovered by last Tuesday to venture out in a pair of runners, perhaps unwisely selecting the clubs track session for my first run. However I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to complete a ladder session at a decent enough clip (for me) - between 6:00 and 6:40 mile pace - but I could feel the dull ache in my legs during the 2 minute recoveries. I continued running for the rest of the week culminating in a hilly club run this morning over 11.7 miles @ 8:30 pace and while I can run I’m still a long way from full recovery. Plenty of time.

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Plans

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Apart from being accepted this week to pace the 3:30 group at the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October I have committed to no other race and so my current “training plan” is primarily recovery based – muscle recovery first followed by recovering some of the speed lost over the last 12 months. As Thomas is also pacing the 3:30 group in Dublin it will be our closest race to-date – forced to warmup over 40,095m for a 100m sprint ;)

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Lets go round again.........

............one more time...............by the average white man.

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Maybe we'll............... life, at times, feels like a treadmill, with its repetitive and predictable nature where each day/week/month/year is indistinguishable from the next - you just get on with it without thinking of an end game. This is the frame of mind you have to get into when running a long distance - start thinking of the finish and you are setting yourself up for a very tough ride. Going into the Portumna 100k knowing that I was going to be on my legs for 9 hours or so I knew that 4 hours in I would get absolutely no comfort at all from thinking that I had only 5 hours left - so I had to get into the Forrest Gump mindset and think of running as a natural part of my existence as familiar as breathing, if it hurts, embrace the pain and make it part of who I am.

. Denis, our logistics man, having heard of our nights sleep before Connemara, booked a B&B 3 miles out of town, where Paul was staying. A 100m exclusion zone would have done, but Denis was taking no chances. . Breakfast consisted of a tin of ambrosia cream rice, courtesy of John, and a cup of coffee at the race briefing. The 100k was starting at 6 a.m., the 50k at 8 and the marathon at 10. There was also a 5k scheduled for 1 p.m. The course, a 5k loop through Portumna Forrest Park is shown below:- .

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Denis dropped Paul and I to the start line with John the official photographer.

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My nutrition consisted of 3 x 3 hour bottles of perpeteum (1 bottle premixed with water). coke, various gels, a flask of chicken noodle soup, endurolyte (salt) tablets, pancakes and caramel rice crispie cakes, percy pigs jellies and 2 bottles of vanilla ensure. Paul gave me a 500ml bottle of High 5 and 3 anti-inflamatories just in case (never took them before in a race). I ended up leaving most of the solid food in the bag, not because it disagreed with me but it just felt too much of a hassle to take and I was doing fine on the liquid refreshments - perhaps if I was going longer ;)

Before the off

And we're off

We toed the line at 6, no one pushing to get a quick start like you’d see in most other races. Then again with 13 starters it was unlikely that the potential front runners would be held up too much in the opening 100 yards. . Soon we were on our way and after 50 yards I found myself in 3rd place. However 50 yards later I had slipped to joint 6th, my only thoughts were on establishing my early pace of 8:50 miles. Paul had said beforehand that he would run the first 20 miles with me. I warned him that my early pace would be 8:50/9:00 dropping to 8:20/8:30 over 6 miles (2 laps). “That’s fine” he said. Yet within the first km he was gone – chasing down the three front runners – not wanting to be left behind.

Are we there yet? 1k done - 99 to go

I ran the first few laps with 100 marathon club wannabe Pat O’Keeffe, who’s plan was to get a couple of “fast laps” in before he slowed down, with his primary aim of just finishing. He finished last years 100k in about 13 hours. .

I stopped after every lap to pick up nutrition and walk the short out and back over the timing mat, depositing my bottle back in my bag before resuming running. After about 3 laps I parted company with Pat and spent the remaining 85k running on my own, except for a brief interlude with Ger O’Brien, where I accompanied him on the last 1.5k of his first 50k ultra - well done Ger.

Lets go round again - 17 more times

My first 5k loop had taken 28 minutes, reducing to 27 for lap two and then settling to an average of about 26 minutes for the next few laps. I was lapped by the front runner on completing my 4th lap – I couldn’t believe it – blistering pace for a 100k. I now had a marker for how the rest of the race would go for me compared to him. Assuming we followed the same progression curve he should lap me again at the end of my laps 8, 12 & 16 (laps 10, 15 and 20 for him.)

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I was halfway through my 5th loop when the 50k started at 8 a.m. As part of the loop was an out and back section I had a good idea where I was relative to others. I could see the opening stages of the 50k coming against me as I headed in to complete my 5th loop – only 15 laps to go.

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Paul was about half a lap ahead of me at this stage and we more or less remained in than relative position for the next 75km. The next 5 laps to the 50k halfway point were relatively uneventful. The lap pace was averaging 8:15 to 8:20 minute miles increasing to the 8:20s to take account of my “walking breaks” at the end of each lap. The second placed guy had lapped my just before the 30k mark (lap 6) – While this didn’t instill confidence I wasn’t upset as I knew I was still on target. If I felt good later I could always up the pace. Lap 8 came and went without the front runner passing me – I didn’t see him until lap 9.5 – proof enough to me that I was holding my own (relatively speaking).

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My initial plan was to hold back until I had passed the 50k mark and up the pace for a lap and see how I get on, with the intention of starting the second 50k faster than the first 50 and holding on for even split race. With 4:26 on the clock at 50k I had a 4-minute cushion on my 9-hour target.

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The pace gradually slowed which only became noticeable when the lap pace entered the 8:50’s after lap 12 (60km) going over 9:00 pace average when crossing the timing mat after my walking breaks. I accepted at this stage that I would not make my 9-hour target and after making a quick allowance for slowing even further pushed my target back half an hour to 9:30 with the big 10 looming in the back of my mind – while I felt reasonably ok I just didn’t know what the next 40k would bring – I had escaped relatively unscathed so far and who knows how long that would last.

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I was surprised to see my heart rate, which had climbed into the 140’s, drop back into the 130’s suggesting that the “effort” wasn’t as tough as it had been. Was I taking it easy? Could I push the pace slightly? Just enough to get the HR back to where it was? I had never seen this in a race before – except in Connemara, but then only because I was injured and had to slow down. My legs appeared to be my limiting factor - as if the number of muscles available for recruitment was gradually reducing and there was noting I could do to change that. It would have taken a disproportionate amount of effort to increase the pace, not what I wanted to risk so far from home – maybe if the finishing line was within range but not 30 to 40km out.

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While I could feel the dull ache of fatigue in my legs there was no huge discomfort or any sign of tightness. A dull pain had developed on the inside of my left knee, but it did not get worse. When I completed the lap I rummaged around in my nutrition bag for the orange anti inflamatories Paul had given me – all I could find was the dissolved remains of what appeared to be one tablet. The weather varied from full sun to heavy rain – I remember feeling the heat of the sun during one lap and reminding myself to apply sun screen when I next passed the start/finish area but by the time I got there it had started raining heavily and it didn’t seem appropriate to be applying factor 50. I enjoyed the cooling effect of the rain. My mind also began to play tricks on me - I remember at one stage picking up 2 gels from my nutrition bag and putting them in my short pockets and feeling like I had just added 2 bags of cement - the additional weight almost too much to bear – luckily the feeling wore off after a few 100 yards.

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The marathon had started at 10 (4 hours in) and every so often runners would go flying past. I was also passing through the back of both the 50k and marathon field, particularly later on where quite a number of competitors were reduced to walking. John and Denis started crewing for Paul and I when they finished their 50k and we still had 5 laps to go (25k) – I was allowing 30 minutes per lap, telling John I had another 2 and a half hours plus to go - with 6:47 on the clock I was predicting a 9:20 to 9:30 finish.

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At 1 p.m. (7 hours in) the 5k race started, but I hardly noticed the runners pass me as they appeared from a different world and it was all over in 1 lap. As I was walking in to complete my 17th Lap (85k) the 100k front runner came through to lap me for the 3rd and last time to finish well ahead of the field in 7:46. I came through 10 seconds later to claim 2nd place – no such luck but at least my spirits were good – only 3 laps or 15k to go - single digit miles!

Coming in 2nd at 85km

By this stage my pace had slowed to a pedestrian 10 minute mile – still glad to be moving forward and within sight of the finish, churning out mile after relentless mile. Coming in for the start of my last lap I felt great, joking that I had just arrived for the 5k race after a 95k warmup – I had waited a long time for this - the last time I would pass the now very familiar landmarks out on the course. My pace quickened temporarily but my new found energy was primarily psychological, not physical. I counted down the last 5k with a smile on my face. At 97km I even had time to take a gel that I found in my pocket. I had planned on doing a little dance coming into the finish line and going down on my knees to kiss the ground. However I don't think I pulled it off as gracefully as I had anticipated - but at least I had a smile on my face -

I didn't even get a chance to compose myself before getting my finishers medal. Official finishing time of 9:16:28 - Well done to Seb Locteau and his tream for putting on a great series of races.

My recovery has been a bit chequered, partly explaining why this post has taken so long, but more about that later.

I think i'll sleep downstairs for a while!

Where do I start? At the finish I think as this is not going to be a long post, except for Ewen.

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I didn't quite make my 9 hour target, although I was on pace for the first 25k - 2:13:59, and the second 25k - 2:14:01 giving a first 50k of 4:26:00. I dropped off the pace from about 60k with my third 25k coming in at 2:21:19 and the final 25 at 2:29:27 giving a second 50k in 4:50:46 and a new 100k PB of 9:16:46 (8:58 pace) - the chip time may be a few seconds faster as I was well over the line when I stopped the Garmin. Delighted with my run particularly as I don't think I could have done anything better, except perhaps organise my nutrition bag a bit better - rummaging through gels, bottles of this and that, flask of chicken noddle soup (worked great by the way) and assorted congealed sweets & salt tabs in a pool of water (did I mention the downpours) after running 75k is an art in itself.

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My legs held up pretty well, with no cramping - just succumbing to fatigue as the miles wore on. I remember completing lap 12 of 20 and thinking that I was on the home straight with only 8 laps to go until it dawned on me that this still amounted to 40k - it's all relative I suppose.

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The winning time was 7:46 - I just happened to be crossing the finishing mat at the same time, but alas with only 85k in the bag.

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Clubmate Paul Daly came in about 15 minutes ahead of me in 4th position (he didn't wear a watch or check the time but thinks he didn't get under the 9 hour mark) - I was 6th. To put this in context there were about 19 starters. My time would have got me 2nd place last year (less than 30 seconds ahead of the guy who actually came second)

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Clubmates John Desmond and Denis Looney completed the half (50k) in 3:48 and 4:40 with John taking second spot after the two front runners pulled out due to injury. This is on the back of his win in the marathon here last year. So a great day out for the Eagle Ultra boys (code for crazy old men).

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My legs are naturally stiff and who knows how long recovery will take but the afterglow of completing my first 100k will hopefully last longer.

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I don't know if the race report will be much longer as there's not a lot you can write about running around in circles, without the risk of repeating yourself.

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I must go off now and find a quite place to lie down for a few weeks.

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The six mile cut-in and other stories

A while back Kevin Sieveright from the club dropped over a box of "Marathon and Beyond" bimonthly publications from the States he had been keeping in his attic. I read an interesting article in one of the them about a pacing strategy for a marathon involving the "six mile cut-in" which recommends starting your marathon at a pace that is 30 seconds per mile slower than your target pace for the first two miles, 20 seconds per mile slower for miles 3 & 4 and 10 seconds per mile slower for miles 5 & 6 and running the final 20.2 miles at target pace.

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For me this advice is the opposite of what I (and most others) instinctively want to do for the first six miles of a marathon - lose all that time for no reason, you got to be kidding me. All you lose is 2 minutes - obviously the target pace for the final 20.2 miles has to include making up these 2 minutes. For example for a 3 hour marathon the average pace over 26.2 miles of 6:52 would have to reduce to 6:46 per mile for the last 20.2 miles to allow for the 6 mile cut-in. I can hear you say "6:52 is difficult enough to maintain and you want me to run 6:46 pace - for the last 20 miles - you're joking right?". Well perhaps if you are thinking this you're not in 3 hour marathon shape (or 3:30/4 hour whatever the case may be). Certainly if you adopt this approach you'd be running against the popular tide - and this is why I think it is one of the best pieces of advice I have read in a long time - because the success rate of the popular tide is not very impressive.

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Think about it - for most races below the marathon distance we warm-up over a few miles with the last few 100 yards at race pace - same as the six mile cut-in (elites can warm-up for the marathon and can therefore do without it). It beats the hell out of stressing about getting on pace during the first 30 seconds of the race - you can relax and enjoy the opening miles and let those around you fight over the square yard of road in front of you. If you find that when you reach target pace you can't sustain it for 20.2 miles, you've lost nothing as it goes without saying that you couldn't have maintained a slightly slower pace (6 seconds per mile for 3 hour marathon pace) for a further 6 miles. This in-race "warm-up" becomes more and more important the longer the distance as it introduces race pace slowly, gets your body gradually used to the effort with a gradual increase in HR. Ever notice that if you go out too fast in the opening miles of a marathon your HR will never recover even if you ease off on the pace? Anyway my opening 6 miles of the race on Saturday will be a six mile cut-in experiment of 1. Now if only I could decide on a target pace!

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In unrelated news Abina continues to amaze me in her continued interest in my well being although the focus is shifting more towards my nutrition strategy.

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"I got you foamy ice creams (sweets) in Aldi" she said to me on Tuesday.

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"They melt in the mouth more easily than the Percy Pigs I got you in Marks and Sparks and they have more carbs".

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Sure enough they did - 80% to the 78% in the Pigs. I'll get her to crew for me yet. although....... .

Things turned more sinister last night when she said out of the blue

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"Will you have to poop in your shorts on Saturday"

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"What!!!"

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"No, it's not a requirement of the race, why???"

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"Angela ran the Cork marathon and she said there were loads of people in front of her who had pooped in their pants - and you'll be running for a longer than them on Saturday and you'll be eating more"

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"They will have portaloos"

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"Oh! I thought you couldn't stop"

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She spent the rest of the evening cracking jokes with Keevsa on how I could wear incontinence pads or carry a poop scoop with me. The joys..................

Finally, a few marathon photos

The Marina - Mile 15.5 (Heel Striker)

Respect to Ian (755) - Who held on all the way (There were other - promise e.g. the three guys on the left in the previous photo - Gearóid(309), Stephen (377) & Mark (1345)

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