Berlin marathon review.

Now that the dust has settled its time to cast my mind back a few days and try to put into words what my Berlin marathon experience went like.


Anybody reading my blog all along will know that my plan was to run this race with a 7:15 mile a minute pace in mind. My best case scenario target was 3:10 and a back up of 3:15 if things were not going to plan.

So bottom line is that my marathon time was 3:18:58 and a chip time of 3:17:41. (Think I’ll take the chip time on this run) Now using my chip time this is an improvement on my PB of over 3 minutes. Am I happy with that result is the question that has haunted me this week. It’s a PB and a person should always be happy with a PB but to be honest in the back of my mind I feel that there should have been a 3:15 in me. Still, almost a week later the body has started to recover and it’s now time to look on to the next run.



Now for the marathon itself. A brilliant event and one I would recommend to anybody who likes the big day events. I’ve got to hand it to the Germans, it’s a very well organised event. Is there anything I would change about the day???? I don’t think so. Maybe paper cups or bottles rather than plastic cups but hey if that is the biggest problem I have in a race then I have little to moan about.

The day itself was a wet damp day. Plenty of rain just in-case I missed the Irish weather. I don’t really think this had an effect on the runners - more the spectators. Prefer to be moving than standing still. Temperature wise I would guess it was around 15 degrees. To be honest the weather was fine and I’d take that any day over the weather from last year’s Berlin marathon where the temperature was around 27 degrees.



Race start was due for 9:03 (Not 9 or five past) and after the song (This is the moment) by some German singer 9:03 arrived and the race was underway. Myself and a fellow club mate had been allocated section D on our race numbers so we were located in a good position close enough to the front. It took us just over a minute to get over the start line (Not bad considering there was 40000 in the race) and from there I started the watch.

Mile 1 to 5



Mile 1 seems to be my worse mile but considering the crowd this is probably normal. Mile 1 7:40, Mile 2 7:25, Mile 3 7:20, Mile 4 7:26, Mile 5 6:59. Now these times are from my garmin so even though the full race on the garmin shows as a 26.6 mile distance the splits give a good idea of how I was running. In summary the first 5 miles were not consistent and by mile 5 I was telling myself to concentrate on a 3:15 marathon as I hadn’t felt comfortable from the beginning.

Mile 6 to 10. Mile 6 7:18, Mile 7 7:04, Mile 8 7:05, Mile 9 7:07, Mile 10 7.28



This section of the race was probably my most comfortable period in the race. The 7.28 in mile 10 & 7:18 for mile 6 was due to a water stop so my average mileage was sub 7:07. Looking back I ask did I run a little too hard and should I have run around the 7:15 pace.

Mile 11 to 15. Mile 11 7:04, Mile 12 7:11, Mile 13 7:00, Mile 14 7:05, Mile 15 7.17



Myself and Aidan after the race.



Once again I enjoyed this section of the race. Up to the 13 mile mark I was running with Aidan (A fellow club mate) and he is brilliant at running steady. Just after 13 miles I pulled in to tie my lace and that was the last time I was running with Aidan. Up to 16 miles I could see him in the distance but around 16 miles I pulled in for water and it was bye bye Aidan. (Did get to see him on Eurosport later ha) Aidan did the first half in a time of 1:36:31 and the full marathon in 3:12:05. Now that’s steady running. He is a master of consistency. Well done Aidan.



Mile 16 to 20. Mile 16 7:25, Mile 17 7:17, Mile 18 7:29, Mile 19 7:18, Mile 20 7.23.



I have to say at this point I was feeling good. A lot better than any of my previous marathons but always thinking the real race starts at 20 miles. My mile splits were not perfect but I was happy enough overall.

Mile 21 to 26.xx. Mile 21 7:32, Mile 22 7:32, Mile 23 7:39, Mile 24 8:18, Mile 25 7.41. Mile 26 8:24 , Last .63 of a mile 5:03 ( As per the Garmin) (8:02 per mile)

I will review this in 2 sections. Up to mile 23 I was starting to feel tired but nothing major. My times in fairness give an accurate indication of how I was feeling. My average mileage had gone up to the 7:30’s but I felt that all going well 3:15 was still possible.



From mile 23 things got a little harder. My friend the hamstring decided it was time to get re- acquainted with me and give me a little cramp. A few choice words were uttered at this point. Out with the bio Freeze and lash it on. Miracle stuff but takes a little bit of time to take effect. Anyway an 8:18 mile for my trouble here. Oddly enough as I was going slower the energy was starting to build back up inside me. Next mile was back to the 7:41 and sure there is a little bit of hope left. Mile 25 to 26 my left hamstring was feeling neglected and decided to look for some attention. No problem - a second bio freeze was called into action. Needless to say my shot of 3:15 disappeared in the Berlin rain at this time. The bio freeze worked a little but anytime I tried to increase the pace I could feel my upper leg muscles tighten. So a slow run to the finish at a very controlled pace rather than a hop over the line.



Some things to learn from this race. Be confident that I can achieve my target. Maybe its mind over matter but at 5 miles I was easily willing to give up on 3:10. Looking back now if my training was right then maybe this would have not have been so easy to give up on. All my races up to now would indicate that 3:10 was possible. Self belief is a big thing I suppose.



On a positive - In all my previous marathons I have suffered badly from cramps in my calves. Not once this time did my calves give me trouble. Compression socks did the trick here. Maybe I need an all over body compression suit. At this stage maybe a costume is required to cover my face also. ;-)

Hydration and nutrition. This worked well. 4 gels and plenty of water. Maybe it’s time to experiment with electrolyte drinks. Might help with the hamstrings.



It’s time to re-look at my training once again and see what’s next for me. The one big positive this time was the two 23 mile runs. I have to say I felt a lot better past the 20 mile mark then I have done before. I put this down to the extra miles on the long runs.

So back to where I started there is a mixture of happiness and disappointment in this race for me. The week has been a mix of wondering what I could have done different. I think I will stop now and just forget it. I was tempted to register for the Dublin marathon in 3 weeks time but to be honest do I think I would run any faster in Dublin. The answer is a big NO. Yesterday morning I went for a 3 mile recovery run and boy was my energy low. After a mile I was tempted to pull up. So no point in kidding myself with Dublin now.



Time to pick back up and look ahead to the winter training and change focus. I will now look to the 10 mile series that starts in January and train hard up to that point. Look at maybe giving the marathon a shot again in April. Maybe London.

For now its 2 week away in Croatia and Slovenia so running will be light and talk of marathons will be far away.



Till next time.

Paudie





Time to stop typing and start running.

730 miles, numerous bottles of water, 2 pairs of runners and 3 weeks of injury - it’s time to stop typing and talking and time to start racing. The beginning of June I started my current training program and to say it went without a hitch would be a lie. This was to be my most ambitious training program to date covering 18 weeks and a total of 900+ miles. A mid way a hiccup put me out of training completely for 3 weeks and meant I had to take it easy for the following few weeks of planned hard training. To be honest, looking back it could have been a lot worse and now I look at it as a rest period. Seldom do any of my plans go without a problem mid way.


Now I’m down to the last few days. From my previous experiences I decided not to drop my mileage as I would have done up to now. My taper started 2 weeks out and it was a 30% drop in mileage to 37 miles. This week has been a lot easier and I reckon a 3 mile stretch the legs jog on Saturday morning will finish off a 15 mile week. I started the week with a sports massage which was a welcome relief and although the muscles were tender for a bit the body is feeling good now.

Last local run this morning and Dublin bound I go later to catch my flight. At this point running is the last thing on my mind and it’s more about what to pack. Apart from me wanting to bring the kitchen sink (Never know it might come in handy) I am just doing my usual Noah’s Ark prep - 2 of everything. My flight is with good old Ryanair so to put my runners into the booked in luggage or carry it on? Hmmm.. dilemma. Only time my luggage has ever got lost was on a flight from Dublin to Shannon. Dublin Airport doesn’t fill me with confidence so maybe the runners might be best travelling in the cabin this time.

Lastly I suppose my plan is to go out and try to keep an even 7:15 pace on Sunday. Hopefully the legs hold up and it gets me close to 3:10. Anywhere close and I will be happy. The last marathon I ran I wrote the times of where I should be every 4 miles on my arm and found it handy. Shorts, Singlet, Runners, Gels and Biofreeze packed. It’s time to go. Oh yeah, lastly my Garmin. (Auto lap on or off?) Not sure.

Paudie

Time to taper. 2 weeks to go.

Well my last weeks of training have come to an end (Thank god) and it’s a 2 week taper that’s planned now. 18 weeks training was too much for me to be honest in the way of keeping my interest up. That said I feel good right now and I am looking forward to the marathon in 2 weeks.


My last week’s mileage has hit the 52 mile mark and it hasn’t felt like a hard week at all. Maybe this is a sign that I have trained enough at this stage that I find the 50 mile week handy. I won’t complain with that. My mileage over the next few weeks drops to a 35/38 mile week and on the last week I have an 18 mile week. Last year I started my taper 3 weeks out and I felt crap on the marathon day so hopefully this year 2 weeks will have me just right.

Today was the Cork half marathon day. St. Finbarr’s AC run this race every year and I usually run it to see where I am fitness wise before the Dublin Marathon. It is usually a well organised race and today was no different. Excellently run event & I look forward to returning again next year. This year was a bit different for me as its 2 weeks before the Berlin marathon and this is not the time to be racing a half. So today’s plan was mainly to run the half rather than a race it. My plan was to run somewhere between 1:35 to 1:40. Every year I have run this race I have always struggled and suffered bad after the hill around the 7 mile mark. Let’s just say it’s never been a race that builds my confidence. Today was to be a bit different hopefully. Handy run planned and one to enjoy. My friend is running his first Dublin marathon this year and the plan for him was to run a 1:40 time. We decided to stick together and it would help us both to keep close to the 7:30 pace.

First 4 miles of the race was close to target. We passed the 4 mile mark at 29:52 (Plan 30min). Next section of the race was the hilly section of the race. For my friend I knew that the next 4 would make or break him. Previous years this has proved a nightmare for me but today the 2 of us passed the 8 mile mark at 59:44 (Plan 60Min). Pace was exactly as we planned and more to the point the two of us were chatting and feeling good. From mile 8 to the end the pace started to increase. Its wasn’t part of the plan but we both just went with it as we felt good. At the 12 mile mark we passed at 1:27:32 (almost 2 and a half minutes ahead of plan) and then on to a strong finish at 1:35:43. The last few miles were sub 7 min and to be honest there was plenty in the tank to push it harder but with the marathon in 2 weeks time its important to remember what the target is. My Garmin recorded a distance of 13.25 miles at 1:35:43 time. Nice to finish this race and not feel that the services of a doctor were required. As for my friend I think he put in a great run and for his first half marathon. He finished at 1:35:50. Great time well done.

Now the racing is done and tapering begins I suppose there will be plenty of phantom pains and injuries that will torment me each day. As I type I wonder is my Achilles tendon 100%. Of course it is but it’s all par for the course. Concentration now starts on my diet more than running. Biscuits out fruit is in. Red meat out and white meat in. If I was a drinker then it would be beer out and water in but I live with soft drinks out and water in. Roll on the next 2 weeks and if they are as good as the last 2 then I’ll be a happy man. (Why the last 2 weeks.) Well the small matter of Tipperary picking up there 26th All Ireland last weekend and winning the under 21’s last night just topped off a dream week. Bit like the Carlsberg add. They don’t do dream weeks but it they did it would probably be last week.

Anyway enough for now and last update will be on Thursday week. I have decided that 3:10 will be my target time for Berlin this year and all going well that should put me in a good place to maybe make an attack on the 3 hour next year. Plenty of work to do for that but that’s for another days blog.

Take care

Paudie

Heavy training almost done.

4 weeks or 222 miles today since my last update. I had planned 236 miles during this period but I am quite happy to be just 14 miles off.


Its been a good 4 weeks of injury free running. 3 races also during this time and I believe they were needed. I had felt after the Churchtown south 5 mile race on the 22nd of July that I had lost some of my sharpness. This was probably due to injury earlier on. First race on the cards was an 8k race in Galway on the 7th of August. A time of 32:23. A definite improvement there.

Next race on the cards was a half marathon in Clonmel. This race was 6 weeks before the marathon and the race I planned to use to gauge my fitness and to see what I should target in Berlin. Now to say the day wasn’t as planned would be an understatement. Roasting hot day and a course that measured 14.3 miles rather then 13.1. A mistake by the lead car taking the wrong route. I believe I passed the 13.1 mark at 1 hour 30. Time for the 14.3 was 1:39:xx. I believe myself that on a normal day and no confusion about the mile markers that I would probably be close to 1:28 maybe 1:29.

Last race of the last 4 weeks was the Ballycotton 5 miler last Thursday night. Time 32:07. Once again an improvement of nearly a minute in the last 4 weeks so I am quite pleased with that. Compared to my Ballycotton 5 time last year it is a 2 minute improvement so I feel I am slowly improving. The one disappointing thing about last Thursday night is that I was really hoping to make the top 50 in the 5 mile series. I was in 54th position before last Thursdays race and ended up gaining 2 positions. I was 14 seconds off the 50th position. Anyway there is always next year.

My weekly training has gone well over the last 4 weeks and the mileage been steady. Week 11, 55 miles. Week 12, 53 miles. Week 13, 57 miles and week 14, 57 miles. In this period I have also put in 3 long runs over the 20 mile mark. 2 23 mile runs and 1 20 mile. Today was a 23.3 mile run at 7:46 average pace and I have to say it was the best I have ever felt after a long run. Some days are like that.

Now that the marathon is just 4 weeks away its time to look forward to it. There have been points in the last few weeks that I have got bored with all the training. Arriving home from work day after day to head out for another semi long run was starting to take its toll. I have stayed clear of hills and speed work for the last few weeks for fear of injury. Maybe in the next few weeks I will add an odd session here or there.

Before last year’s Marathon I started to taper 3 weeks before hand. This year I am changing it a bit. I felt very sluggish last year and believe my drop in training was two severe with 3 weeks out. This year my mileage will drop a bit but not to a huge extent. The next 2 weeks will be in the 40s and then I will start a proper taper in the last 2 weeks bringing the mileage into the 30s and teens in the last week. Over the next 2 weeks I hope to improve my pace over the 10 mile distance and aim to run a lot of them at my target marathon pace. This I have decided to be a Marathon target time of 3:10. 7:15 per mile pace. Fingers crossed.

Anyway next update will be in 2 weeks time.

Thanks

Paudie

Plantar Fasciitis almost ruins the day.

Revised marathon schedule

5 weeks has passed since my last update and in a normal marathon schedule this should be a good time for me to build up my stamina. Should is the word. Weeks 12 to 8 of my 16 week program have not gone to plan. In summery the last 5 weeks have been a disaster. I have come to the stage that I always expect an injury now and again but I wasn’t ready for an injury called plantar fasciitis.

I got plantar fasciitis due to a number of things I believe. Increase in mileage, worn out runners, (that will teach me) Going out on a hard speed session with a niggling pain in my heel and lastly in the last few races I have been wearing flats. Not enough cushion in them and always felt sore after a race. I cannot blame any one thing but all put together it was an injury waiting to happen.

Now anything I have read about plantar fasciitis says that it usually takes from between 6 weeks to sometimes 6 months to recover. Any runner in the middle of a training program knows how this would go down -Like a sack of spuds! I decided the only thing to do was get physio, get cross training and get ready to get back out running.

Recovery: I started using a physiotherapist in Limerick a few months ago when I had a back injury and found her to be really good so went to her for a couple of sessions. Decided it was time to get the bike onto the road. I have built up my mileage on the bike to a weekly average of 60 miles. One week in particular I did a 50 miler - Hard on the ass but good on the legs. Lastly I ordered a plantar fasciitis foot splint. I wear this all the time while resting and sleeping. An awkward piece of equipment but it really does the trick. I’d recommend it to anybody who gets this injury.

To be honest I am very lucky as 3 weeks after I got the injury I hit the road for a slow 5 mile run. I really wanted to compete in the Chruchtown south 5 mile race the following night so had to test the foot. Churchtown south went better than expected with a 32.59 time and still keeps me close to the top 50 for the series. (Currently in 54)

This week has been a case of building up the mileage again. My week in total is 42 miles with an 18 mile run at 7.55 per mile today. All went well and I am really happy that all the miles were run at a steady pace -all between 7:30 and 8 min.

I have had to modify my schedule to take into account the miles missed due to the injury. No point in trying to pick up at 70 miles a week. So, on to my new program and fingers crossed that I can stick closely to it. I haven’t put in speed sessions or hill work for now but as the foot gets stronger I will add them in.

Over the next 4 weeks I am going to try to continue with the bike for an element of cross training. I also have 3 races ahead. Streets of Galway next Saturday and Ballycotton 5 at the end of August. I am also thinking of running the half marathon in Clonmel in 2 weeks to see where I really am. I need a gauge to know what pace I should try in Berlin.

Talk in a few weeks time.

Paudie

So far so good.

My marathon training program consists of 18 weeks training broken up into 4 cycles. The first and second sections are both 5 weeks long and the third and forth are 4 weeks each. Each section has a purpose and hopefully put together will put me in good shape for Berlin.

Today sees the end of the first cycle. This section was about building up the miles and trying to keep it consistent. So far so good and each week has returned 50+ miles and a 5 week total of 243 miles. The only downer was in week 4 where I had planned to bring up the mileage close to 60. A toe injury knocked me out for a night so that put an end to a 60 mile week. The week ended up with 52 miles. If that’s the worst thing to happen me then I won’t lose any sleep.

This first session has also seen me get in my first 20 miler. A gradual build up over the weeks has help me put in a 20 at 7:40 average pace. Last week I put in an 18 mile run and did it with one of the lads in the club. It was a lovely run and time seemed to fly. This week however the 20 mile run was done on my own and it was a difficult run. Left home at 7:40am and drove the course to put water for my run at the 6, 10, 14, 17.5 mile marks. Started the run at 8:00am. From mile 10 I felt like I was running from water stop to water stop and breaking down the miles in my mind as if this was going to make it go faster. Running on my own is boring but if anything it teaches good discipline. This evening my legs feel tired but today I wore compression socks and the normal stiffness I suffer after a long run is not there. I have used these socks before while doing hill work and they work a treat in the prevention of calf cramps.

Last Thursday night saw me making the trip to Shanagarry for the Ballycotton summer series. This series consists of four 5 mile races. My target is to end up in the top 50 after the 4 races. Coming into last Thursdays race I was in 67th position.

I found the race itself tough but enjoyed it. Keeping to form I went out way too fast in my first mile. 5:45. I knew I would pay for that. Mile 2 was 6:00, Mile 3 was pay back time. 6:46. I really suffered in this mile. Mile 4 6:33, Mile 5 6:34. The next race will be Churchtown south. I am going to try target even splits. Need a pacer I think. Total time 31:46.

In general I was happy as I usually find this race a lot harder than the first and usually loose about a minute between them. This time the difference this time was 24 seconds. Maybe the hill running on Saturday morning is starting to pay off. Not that it felt like it at 2.5 miles :-)

As this is the second race there is usually a natural drop out from the first race. My starting position was 67 and after last Thursday I am now in 56th. I would think that most of the people that ran the first 2 races will now complete the final 2. This will mean that every second will be important. Fingers crossed for the next race.

Anyway on to my second cycle of the marathon program. Another 5 weeks but this time the mileage should hit a max of 66 miles in week 8. Along with the mileage increase my Tuesday night speed work will change a bit. Most of the runs will be 8 to 10 mile runs with roughly 5 miles run at 10 mile race pace. Saturday morning will continue with hill work for this cycle and I do plan on doing a 21 mile run. Next Sunday see’s a drop back to 15 miles - Time for the body to recover before the next big hike. Next race will be the 22nd so here’s hoping that I will get back under 31:30.

Next update in 2 to 3 weeks.

New year new marathon plan

It’s been a long time since I have updated this blog but as I wasn’t training with any marathon in mind the blog was also on a break. All that has changed in the last few weeks. Training has begun and it’s 15 weeks to the Berlin marathon. My program is made and I plan to stick as close as possible to it. As always there are always the odd week that training can get interrupted due to work and injuries but now is not the time to worry about what might happen so I will take it week by week.

It’s no secret that long term I would love to break the 3 hours for the marathon so I look at each marathon to learn what I need to do differently to bring me closer. With that in mind I have changed a few things in my program this time. First thing I am planning differently is going over the 20 mile mark on 2 of my long runs. With 10 weeks to go (week 8) I plan on a 21 mile run and with 6 weeks to go (week 12) I plan on running a 23 mile run. The second thing I hope to try differently is to run 2 long runs at marathon pace. On week 7 I hope to run 18 with 12 miles at marathon pace and on week 15 for my last long 20 miler I hope to run 13/15 miles at marathon pace. If I can get these into a race then that’s all the better. I find it hard to keep a steady marathon pace while training so I’ll be looking for some help with this.

Race wise I don’t plan on doing that many this year during my program. I plan on running the Ballycotton Summer series and the Streets of Galway 5 mile as breaks from the normal routine and to see if my sharpness is improving. I would really like to get a top 50 position in the Ballycotton series. Other than those races I will just concentrate on training and probably try to fit in one or 2 races over 10 miles during the program. Maybe run them at marathon pace.

Onwards to the training. The program is 18 weeks in total and started at a 50 mile week. Normally this would be way too much for me to start at but I was putting in 40 to 45 mile weeks over the last few months so my body should be well able for it. There are some problems that I can see in the schedule for example between week 6 and 7 shows a big jump in mileage. Nearly 13 miles. This will need to be changed but I will look at this closer to the time. Previous experience has proved that I get injured if I increase mileage too suddenly.

I suppose for now my main target is to get the first 5 weeks of the program done. This should give me a good base with my mileage increased and plenty of hill work to help build up stamina. With 14 weeks to go my weekly mileage will be up to 60 miles and a recovery week ahead.

Mileage so far.
17 weeks to go 51 miles

16 weeks to go 38 miles. (Drop is due to Cork half marathon on Monday the 7th. No long run on the Sunday)

15 weeks to go 52 miles.

Next update in 2 weeks.

Winter training paying off

I’ve being promising myself to update my blog for some time now but wasn’t until tonight that I realized that it was last November since I last updated it so I need to stop promising and start updating.

Now, on to the last 2 months. Training went really well for me in December. I started on a pretty strict routine.

Mondays - a 6.6 mile tempo run. My target in this was to cut down my times for the 6.6 mile loop I do where I live. Normally it would take me 50+ minutes. I have now got this down to 46+ so I’m well happy with this.

Tuesdays- the first of my speed sessions. This was 30 second sprints with 30 second recovery in between. The aim was to be able to do 15 to 20 of these per session. In the beginning getting past 8 was a problem for me but now I usually get over the 15 and managed the 20 once.

Wednesdays - I pull back a bit. Mileage goes up to around 8 to 10 miles but I bring the pace back to anything between 7:30 to 8:30. This I enjoy and I make sure that I take it easy on these nights. Some nights, I run with the club in Mallow and other nights with some friends from Limerick. Main thing about this is I don’t like to run by myself on this night. I find it great to meet up with people and it breaks up the training. I find the week flies from there.

Thursdays – it’s a hard nights running. The university in Limerick are running a winter series. 3 nights of 5k, 3 nights of 7k and 3 nights of 10k. I use these for training purposes. When they are not on I am trying to run 3 by 10 minutes at 6 min mile pace. I find this really hard and have not achieved the full 3 sessions. That’s the winter target.

Fridays - rest day

Saturdays - I always try a hilly run. Doneraile park is the venue. Usually about 6-7 miles but really tests the lungs.

Sundays - to finish the week is a long run - anything between 13 to 17 miles.

All said it’s usually around 45 miles each week. Not much difference in the mileage than this time last year but the training style is totally different.

This has been my training for December. Well - up to the 25th of December. Then came the frost and snow. Try doing a speed session in ice!! I don’t think so. This lasted up to the 14th of January. Getting out the odd time and making the best of the treadmill. This worried me to be honest. I felt that any gains I had made since November had been lost and during December I had hit a PB for a local 5 mile race so the question was had I done enough to get me through the ice age.

Since the 14th of January normal service has resumed. I had previously targeted the Mallow 10 mile to see how my training was progressing but that was called off due to the weather conditions. (Now rescheduled for February 07th) My target changed to the Dungarvan 10 mile race on the 31st. A friend from work has been advising me with my training and he advised me to run as if I was targeting a 65:XX time. If I burned out then at least I would know where I stand. Anything under 66 would have me happy considering my 10 mile PB was 67:15.

Anyway on to the Dungarvan 10 mile race. Weather was perfect. Preparation I was unsure about but had got a good night’s sleep, so felt good. Targeted time was 6:35 per mile.

A great crowd at the race. Just under 1000. A busy start but I got close to the front and was well happy with the start. It did feel like there was a bit of a pull up in the first mile but I think it was more about cold muscles at the start. By mile 2, I was starting to feel comfortable. Mile 1, 6:18 and mile 2, 6:16.

Miles 3 to 7 went well for me. At no point did I feel I had gone out too fast. My miles were consistent enough for me. 15-20 seconds variation. Mile 3, 6:24. Mile 4, 6:25. Mile 5, 6:33. Mike 6 6:32. Mile 7, 6:25.

Between mile 7 and 8 I started noticing people around me that up to now I have only ever seen the back of. Either they are running slow or I’m running well. When I find myself running with these people – I start to think “You have gone off to fast and will suffer in the last few miles”. Still I continued on up to mile 8. Mile 8, 6:25.
Mile 9 I dread from last year. It a little pull and I suffered a bit last year. This year it did hurt a little but nothing as bad as last year. Mile 9 6:36. My slowest mile but onward to the last mile.

Last mile went well. A guy from Middleton AC was running beside me and he really helped me to keep my pace up. (Thanks) Coming into the last half mile I was feeling tired but really happy with the times I had clocked up. Once I saw the finish line I got the last burst of energy. Finishing time 64:28.

To say I’m happy with that time would be an understatement. 2:47 of my previous PB. Now to enjoy the rest of the day and get back into training. Next race is the Mallow 10 next week so I have no idea yet how to plan the week. I would like to give it my all next week as it is a race organised by my own club.
After that it will be Ballycotton. Now that’s the course I would love to put in a good time on. Fingers crossed.

Till the next time - happy running to you all.
Paudie