Last big week

Sorry for the lack of updates but I’ve been allowing time for my back to recover and thankfully both my back and ankle issue's have resolved themselves so its all back to normal and all systems go!

After discussing online with other runners I think I’m inclined to put the back issue down to over training.
While I don’t think I had moved into over training territory I guess after the 56mile run to Waterford so niggles can be expected.

Plus due to my ankle issue this would have affected my running stride which in turn would have caused extra load on another part of my body which could very easily caused the back issue to trigger.

Its less than 4 weeks to go to the Connemara 100 Ultra and I’m counting this week (16-22^nd July) as my last decent week of training before I start to taper and take it easy. So I kicked off this week with a 18mile run out to Stoneyford via Kells and back to Callan in very hot conditions on Sunday evening starting around midday…and boy was it hot!

So far this week I’ve been taking it easy with only for example a 3mile run this morning (Tuesday) but I’m aiming to up the distance over the week and to finish it with 8miles Thursday, 15-20miles Friday and finally 10miles Saturday.

Of course I’m not just running Connemara 100 this year and thats it, I’m running it and also raising money for a local organization so if I’m not running I’ve been knocking on doors around the community asking for donations and I must say the response overall from everyone has been great.

To everyone that has donated so far I would like to thank you very much, regardless of the amount donated it is all very much appreciated and every penny of it is going to Mount Carmel House Callan.

If you'd like to sponsor me and donate to Mount Carmel you can do so via Justgiving.com or by clicking the sponsorship image below.

Recovery after Waterford

Last week was all about recovery and it didn't get off to a very good start sadly.
To started with on Sunday after the run to Waterford I could barely walk due to the pain in my right ankle that I mentioned in my Waterford race report, but I tried to walk anyway and I put on my walking boots to head to the wood with the dog, it wasn't a very pleasent experience and I basically had to walk with the laces untied.

Due to the ankle pain I took Monday as a rest day but on Tuesday I headed out for a very, very easy 5km run, it went pretty good but I could still feel the ankle and it still hurt at times throughout the day.

The rest of the week was made up of slow 5mile runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to ensure everything kept ticking over after the 56mile run and I didn't seize up like I have when I've stopped running for a week after previously very long runs.      I had hoped to do a back to back 20mile and 10mile run on Saturday & Sunday but due to other commitments I wasn't able to do this and postponed it until next week.

This week I started off well with a 5mile run on Monday morning which was nice and quick but trouble started almost as soon as I got home, my back started hurting!  Throughout the day it was pretty painful but the more I moved around I'd find it would lesson the pain, sleep on Monday night was a very uncomfortable experience to say the least.

On Tuesday I had arranged to get the car serviced down in Waterford so I threw the road bike into the car and decided I'd cycle the Waterford greenway instead of running due to the pain and I managed to clock 32miles in around 2hours 20min at a handy enough pace, thankfully my back didn't hurt me during the cycle.

Yesterday I decided to try running again and headed out for a slow 4mile run with the dog, I could certainly feel the discomfort in my back but it went pretty well otherwise.

It's been a very mixed two weeks overall.

While I can completely explain the right ankle pain and slight swelling the back pain has just come out of no where and its not very pleasent, I simply don't expereince back pain at all generally so its concerning.   It's also pretty worrrying as I'm appreaching the 12/13th of August for the 100mile.

Waterford Viking Marathon Race Report 2017

As part of my training for Connemara 100mile in August this turned into a race with a difference and a race report with a difference as it's really less about the race and more about the journey.

Originally I had planned to take it handy doing the Tullaroan Ultra at the beginning of June and then to race the Waterford Viking Marathon at the end of June before moving onto Connemara in August.

However, things change and I was mindful that although I had ran the Waterford Greenway out and back I needed some longer runs, so instead I opted to race Tullaroan with the aim of placing in top 3 (succesfully!) and then to just run the Waterford Viking Marathon but with a difference.  That different was of course to run the 30 or so miles to the start line in Waterford City.

Passing under the M9 motorway at around 4am

So with that in mind after working all week and with only 2-3hours sleep on Friday I was up and out my front door at 2am,.  Just as I was starting my run I met my wife Grace coming back from a night out...she was (understandably) worried about me running so late at night on country roads.

As I ran through the town I only met two people, one person looking out their front door at me seemed pretty amused by the sight of a man with a headtorch wearing shorts and a backpack running through the town at 2am, I suppose who could blame them really?

So off I went into the dark of the night as I left the town, the roads for the night were not busy and for the first two hours or so other then seeing the odd bat or hearing animals in the ditches I only encountered maybe 2-3 cars and just as I crossed under the M9 motorway I encountered a truck.

After a pretty disappointing sunsise at around 5am I pushed on and after spotting yet more wildlife (a fox standing looking at me with a bird in its mouth) I finally reached Mullinavat, on the Mullinavat to Waterford stretch I did the most walking as I figured that it could do no harm, it was good training and I was actually 30min ahead of schedule for reaching Waterford as I had planned on a 6hour run and instead I arrived in around 5hours 30min mark.

At one stage I did manage to stumble on a cats eye on the road a few miles passed Mullinavat, while it didn't cause me any problems at the time it certainly did afterwards....more on that later.

At around 7.33am I finally reached Rice Bridge in Waterford City and finally I could sit down for a while and get some more sugar into me, by right I should have taken in some sort of decent solid food at this point but I didn't and this was perhaps rather foolish, but then I didn't really feel like it at the time.

After a little bit of a stretch and getting down to the finish line I got to sit down for a while and it was most welcome, as the race start started to fill up however I started to see some familar faces and it was good to chat to a few people and catch up on things and share stories and experiences.

Heading towards the toll bridge

My aim for the marathon was to stick with the 4:30 pacers, this also happened to be paced by JP and Anthony who happened to be with JP so I figured it couldn't hurt to have some company for the day, especially after spending the previous 6hours on my own.

At 9am we were off and I started my second long run of the day with 26.2miles to go. The race started at the Mall in Waterford City and it headed down the quays and over Rice bridge turning left towards the interchange which provides exits to the M9 motorway and the new bridge and bypass.

This was the first challenge of the day as the road up towards the intercharge is a long drag of at least 1mile, after that we headed down towards the bridge and ran through the toll barriers, this is likely the only time you'll get through this toll bridge without paying!

After that we crossed over a temporary footbridge and ran for the first of two times in the day on the Waterford Greenway. Up until this point I had been fine but by the time we reached Mount Congrave I was starting to flag and feel tired so on the hill leaving the Greenway I walked for the first time of the day. Once I started walking I pretty much knew my goal of a 4:30 marathon was gone but I wasn't too worried as this day was about distance and time on my feet so even if it took 5hours it wasn't a problem.

It was at this stage that it dawned on me that this new Waterford marathon route was going to be much hillier then I had expected it to be and to be fair I hadn't checked out the course elevation or route too much before hand so I guess this was to be expected.

Once I lost JP and the 4:30 pacers it was basically myself and Anthony until the finish, always good to have company for a long day like this!

The day had now warmed up a good bit and as the miles ticked on I was glad of being able to pour water over my head, it really made a big difference!  Between all the walking breaks during the marathon myself and Anthony knew this wasn't going to be a 5hour finish for the marathon and as we started to count down the final miles we knew it was going to be much closer to 5hrs 20min.

As we approached the finish we could see the clock was 5:22 and I was glad to finally cross the finish line, after 11hours and 8min of running and 56miles covered I could finally take a proper rest.

As I was crossing I was surprised to hear the announcer mention my 2am start and my run to the marathon start line which was a nice touch.

Credit: Noel Browne

So, why did I mention the stumble over the cats eye earlier in the day, well it seemed to have cause a problem with my right ankle.  While not an issue during the marathon I found after the marathon it was painful and the next day I could barely walk with the pain, its now 5 days later and its 95% back to normal now so its nothing serious thankfully.

However, other then this injury and a blister on my right foot I had no other issues so overall a good day :)

Oh, almost forgot, here's my garmin log of this entire run.

Connemara 100 - Take II

Yep, it's official I'm doing Connemara 100 again!

Last year I learned loads and I'm doing it again but this time I hope to pull off the sub 24hr time.

I came awfully close to it last year as I think I could have managed 23hours only for I hit problems from mile 86 onward but I think I've learned enough in relation to gear and nutrition to overcome the problems I experienced and to get under 27hours as a finish.

In addition to doing another 100mile race, for the first time since my first marathon back in 2011 I'm running an event in aid of a charity and this time its a local organisation called Mount Carmel House, here's some infor about the organisation.

Mount Carmel House is a voluntary centre, established for the supported care
of low dependency elderly people from the local and surrounding areas. The centre
provides supported living and respite care for a maximum of 20 residents requiring minimal assistance in a homely environment.  A lively Day Care Centre environment also allows people to socialise and take part in a variety of activities.   Mount Carmel also provides meals and other services to people in the local community.

So between now and then I'll be aiming to raise funds for the local chairity, if you'd like to support the organisation please fee free to donate online at JustGiving.com or if your local to me let me know and I'll drop by with a sponsorship card.

Over the coming months they'll also be some fund raising events as well.

Onwards and upwards!

Waterford Marathon.....with a difference?

Although the Waterford Marathon has been on for a few years I've decided this year will be the first year that I'm going to do it. However its not a "goal" race and I never planned on racing it and finishing it in any specific time, instead I'm going to run it with a difference...

How, You may ask?  Well, thats mainly down to how exactly I'm going to get to the marathon start line. Origionally I was planning on treating it has any old race and arriving as normal but as this is a local race I've instead decided to run to the start line.

If you know your geography you'll know this isn't a 5 or 10mile run however, Waterford City is approx 31miles from Callan via the old N9 road, so this means I'll have to run 31mniles before the marathon and then run the 26.2miles of the Watrrford marathon. It's a big ask and its going to mean a very, very early start to the day.

I've run the 31mile route to Waterford twice already so I know I can do it but the challenge will be then to run the marathon afterwards without walking and to push me I plan on sticking with the 4:30 pacers.

So here's the plan, it's going to be a 2/3am start which will allow 6hours to get down to Waterford City, this will mean 11:30min/mile pace for the 31miles. To finish the marathon in 4hours 30min this will mean a avg pace of 10:18min/mile so its going to be a challenge to up the pace to complete the days 57miles.

Few people I've mentioned this to have asked do I plan on running home afterwards...no, certainly not. I think 57miles is enough for the day.

Waterford Marathon takes place on Saturday the 24th June, It's going to be a challenge thats for sure but its an ideal very long training run for what I have planned later in the year.

Below is the route I'll be taking and the elevation for the run from Callan to Waterford City

Tullaroan Ultra-marathon (39.3mile) 2017 Race Report

Welcome to another race report, its the June bank holiday weekend and that means the Tullaroan Half/Marathon & Ultra took place on Saturday.

This is the forth year that Tullaroan AC have put on a 5km/10km/half & marathon races. Last year they added a 39.3mile Ultra for the first time after previous requests for the distance and you can read all about my race report from last years running of that course here.

It's been exactly a year since I ran a 39.3mile distance and prior to last years run I hadn't run this distance since Connemara Ultra in 2014 where I managed to finish in 5hrs 52min 19seconds.

Last year in Tullaroan after running part of the third loop way too fast and experiencing a good bit of cramping from the 34mile mark onwards I finished it in 6hours, 3min and 36seconds and came in at 4th place.   I was determined to improve on this and maybe, just maybe finish top three!

As always it was an early start for the Ultra as it set off at 7am, it was a small enough field with only 13 taking place and I got number 12!

and we're off....

This year I had opted to take on less food during the race and to only carry 4 gels and because I hate carrying water in my hand, I opted to use my Ultimate Race pack for the day.
In all honesty I didn't need the race pack and I could have just dropped the gels at certain points before the start but I didn't bother.

We were off at 7am and it was a slow and steady start with the aim of averaging an 8:30min/mile pace for the entire race. For the first 4miles or so I was chatting to a few people but after that I was pretty much on my own for the rest of the day.

I knew from this early stage in the race that I was actually in 3rd place (overall) and 2nd place (male) as both the 1st place male and female had raced ahead of the main group after the 2mile mark and we lost sight of them.

Although I had set the goal of running an 8:30min/mile avg pace early on I had noted that I had run the 1st loop at an avg pace of around 8:20min/mile so I opted to slow things down a bit and do my best to stick to my goal pace on the second loop.
This started well enough but I pretty much knew anyone I was spotting behind me after the 13mile point was also part of the Ultra as both the 8am & 7am marathon starts were in front of me. After spotting somebody at around 15miles I kept the slightly faster pace but I did drop it down to around 8:23min/mile average.

By the time I hit the 26mile mile mark I felt I was in decent shape, unlike last year I completed my second 13mile loop ahead of the half-marathon start who I had actually met up with just as I started my 3rd and final loop. I did however meet some 10km walkers and on some of the hills I ended up walking and chatting to them from the 28mile mark as the hills were starring to really effect the legs.

Still, I didn't forget I was in a race and I knew I was still in 2nd place for male finish of the Ultra so this spurred me on. I passed the 31mile (50km) mark in 4hours 31min which was a personal best for this distance and eventually the half marathon runners started to pass me coming up to 32miles.

Still, it wasn't all bad, but the time I hit the aid station at the Valley Inn I was still in pretty good shape and unlike last year I didn't cramp up and end up on the ground, thats always a good thing!

Shortly after the Valley Inn from around the 35mile mark it was a run/walk to the finish, although I didn't know it at the time one of the male Ultra runners past me between the 35 and 37mile mark, at least this is when I'm pretty certain they passed me as from 37mile to the finish line nobody else passed me and prior to this I had kept an eye on the race bibs for the people passing me. I pushed it on for the last 2miles and I kept up pace with one of the half marathon runners I finished the last mile in 7:51min.

As I crossed the line I was pretty sure I was top three but I wasn't certain if somebody had passed me or not while I was walking so I checked things out with Vincent the race director and was delighted to be informed I came in as 3rd male for the Ultra.

Considering I came in 4th place last year I'm very happy with this results and it'll be my first top 3 finish for anything other then a 3mile race I once did a few years back.

Official finish time was 05:47:58

As always you can check out my Garmin of the race here and you can see the full race results on the myrunresults website.

If you're interested to know how this 39.3mile Ultra compares to the Connemara Ultra held in April each year check out last years race report.

Finally a trophy for the cabinet!

As always, an enjoyable event put on by Tullaroan AC, well organised and plenty of stuff at the aid stations. Thankfully it wasn't as warm as last year but the course will always make it challenging!

Wexford Half Marathon Race Report

Back on the 23rd April, I ran the Wexford Half marathon, but there was no tapering before it and there was certainly no personal best set during the race as this time I was pacing the 1:45 finish for a change.

It's been awhile since I've done a pacing job and it was nice to do one again, I've previously paced 5hours at the Limerick Marathon two years in a row and decided it was time to pace another event but this time I opted for a half marathon event instead at an event much, much closer to home!

The last time I ran in Wexford at this marathon I busted a gut trying to get a PB and I did by finishing in 1:42:07 which I was certainly happy with at the time. So this was going to be a refreshing change where instead of pushing myself I could instead get in a handy training run.

Myself and Grace headed down to Wexford bright and early on Sunday and when we arrived it looked like it was going to be a pretty cool day. But by the time I had picked up my number and pacing balloon the clouds were starting to break.

I met up with Michael who would be the second 1:45 pacer and we headed down to the start line, but the time we reached the start it was looking like it was going to be a very warm day!

The day did not disappoint and It certainly warmed up during the race, it also didn't help that I missed picking up water at two of the water stations...but I was more concerned with letting others pick some up.

Although we had a group at the start this seemed to drop off a bit especially in the last 3-4miles of the half-marathon but we still got a few people home under the time and I was happy to finish in 1:44:33, about 10sec earlier than planned but not too bad overall.

Waterford Greenway Out & Back Training Run

Finally got around to writing up this training report!

A week ago on Saturday the 15th April, I finally did the Waterford Greenway out to Dungarvan and all the way back to Waterford. Of course, I wasn't just me doing this on my own, there was, of course, a group of us that did the run.

It was an early start so I headed down to Waterford City and picked up Paul Croke and JP Tierney and we headed to the quays, just before we did this we dropped a few supplies with JP's wife Nicola who would be our crew for the day.

At the quays, we met up with John Boyle & Stephen Brennan. Myself, JP, John, Stephen & Paul would be the core group that would run the entire greenway out and back but we had others that either met up near the start or at the half way point and they'd run between 20-30miles each.

Overall it was going to be a productive training run for everyone!

The Starting Line, Courtesy of JP

So a quick picture of the group before we got moving and we were off, we started a pretty relaxed pace of 9:40-10:20min/miles.

However in hindsight, this was actually too fast and we'd have been better off actually slowing it down further as it would have meant we'd have kept a more consistent speed overall....but more on that later.

Before we knew it we were at the WIT Campus in Carrigmore beside the greenway and we met up with David Sheridan, he had planned on doing a 24hr event on Saturday only to find it was canceled a few weeks back so he opted for this training run anyway.

Throughout the run, we all chatted with each other and before we knew it we had 2hrs done and we were near the quarry a few miles out from Kilmacthomas. At this point Stephen decided he had enough miles done for the day so he headed back to Waterford, he'd still finish the day with around 26miles done by the time he got back to the quays.

By the time we reached Kilmacthomas David had been having issues with an injury so he decided to head back to Waterford, although we lost David we picked up another runner Paul Brunnock.

Paul had actually run out from Dungarvan to meet us and was now planning on running back to Dungarvan with us, this would mean he'd finish the day with around 30miles done, not bad considering he had taken part in a 4mile race the night before in Co Waterford.

We refueled and topped up our water and we were off again as we approached the Kilmacthomas viaduct we got a lovely view of the Comeragh mountains and the day had brightened up.

Approaching Kilmacthomas, Courtesy of JP

From Kilmacthomas onwards we finally started to meet people and it got increasingly busy as we approached the Ballyvoile tunnel, for those that don't know what the Ballyvoile tunnel is. It's a 400metre long brick-lined tunnel that was previously part of the rail line.   The approach to the tunnel is what I like to refer to as "Jurassic Park like".

Entering the tunnel, Courtesy of JP

Leaving the tunnel, Courtesy of JP

We crossed the third of the greenway's old railway viaducts and we then got to see Clonea strand below us, from here there is a nice 2-3mile downhill as we start to approach Dungarvan and this section was even busier than the tunnel.  In fact, as we approached the last 3miles into Dungarvan it got really very busy.

Considering we're not even into the summer I was surprised by how busy this section of the greenway was, it should be interesting to see just how busy the greenway is in the summer and how the numbers hold up as the years go by.

Clonea Strand, Courtesy of JP

Finally, we reached Dungarvan for the turnaround point.   The marker of the greenway start/finish in Dungarvan is a giant modern art sculpture of two fish so we rounded that and we started our return.   But before we left Dungarvan we met up with JP's wife Nicola for some food and drink which I think at this stage we were very grateful for.

After the refuel, we left Dungarvan and Paul Brunnock also left the group as he headed home. The rest of us crossed the causeway out of Dungarvan and started the 2-3mile slight climb up towards the Ballyvoile tunnel and not for the first time we also started walking on and off.

As we approached Kilmacthomas we met up with Nicola again and for a quick refuel and we also picked up another runner Anthony O'Neil, Anthony had decided to run with us the remaining 22-25miles back to Waterford as a training run. We were delighted to have him, the more the merrier.

Fuel stop before Kilmacthomas, Courtesy of JP

We headed off once again and our plan was to continue to Kilmeaden where we'd meet Nicola again for the last crew stop.

I will say that at this stage especially in the last 2miles coming up to Kilmeaden I was certainly starting to feel it, I also got my first blister of the day but like always I ran through it to where it stopped hurting me anymore.

Finally, we reached Kilmeaden and we had around 4-5miles to go to the finish. As we sat down a cyclist pulled up and sat down at one of the tables next to us and asked how long we were out for? We mentioned since 7 and he had to stop for a second and as "7 am??", we explained we'd been out since 7 am and were just coming back from Dungarvan after running to Dungarvan.   He seemed very surprised at the whole idea of this.

Me at around the 55mile mark

We then headed off for the home straight and again it was very much run/walk from here until the finish, I was happy when we reached Bilberry which is the actual the official start of the Greenway in Waterford City but I was happier still to see the Clock Tower on the Waterford Quays which had been the start of the day's training run (also my car was parked near it!).

Overall it was an enjoyable day out and it was fantastic to have a group training run like this as it made the time fly as we chatted to each other, this was especially good as we had spent the bones of 13hours running and when you're on your own and you're tired this amount of hours can start to feel awful long!

Now, who's for doing the Waterford Greenway Ultra 50km & 100km as a race event!? :)

For anyone interested you can find the Garmin log of the training run here.

First training run over 50miles of the year!

The countdown is on to the 98km Waterford Greenway group run this Saturday, I'm sure I'll find it hard going towards the end bit I'm really looking forward to it.

Its funny how these things change, back in 2014 I ran my first 100km and it was a massive deal to do it. It took my awhile to recover after it as well. But for this I'm just seeing it as a long day on my feet.

It's strange how things can change so much....

Thanks Dog

I mentioned in the last post that our dog knocked me to the ground on Monday and I hit my knee on a rock which caused a lovely bruise.          Well, the next day she knocked into me again and caused another bruise, this time on my shin (though thankfully no where near as painful)

So for getting the dog out and about I end up with two bruises on the same leg within 2 days, my knee still isn't 100% yet but its not far off it thankfully.

she's an awful hard life our dog!