A mixed week.

The Outsider Crew at the Adventure Weekend.

With Mark Pollock & Gearoid Towey for the Outsider Think Tank.

Finished off last week with an early trail run over a familiar route not to far from home which gives a great workout for a short amount of time.  As I was due at the Adventure Weekend later the same morning I made the most of my available time by running out for 60 mins which is almost all uphill before turning to retrace my steps and returning home.  The talk went quite well and although nervous beforehand I got so into it that I wanted it to last a bit longer.

All of last week was spent with easy runs of between 10-20K making sure to keep my heart rate in the aerobic zone and I put a bit more effort into my stretching and mobility exercises as prescribed by John Belton.  Tuesday & Thursday included a 2 hr gym session with Mark Pollock continuing with the Project Walk routine and Saturday I was back with Performance Therapy Ireland to continue my strength and conditioning programme.  I was wiped out after my session but know it hit the right spots so a big thanks to Stephen and John.

Finished off the week with the same run as last week but went a little bit further and turned at the top of 2 Rock mountain.  Starting off I could feel my legs were feeling the effects of yesterday's gym session but my heart rate was right were I wanted it to be so I took it slow and steady.

Pacing,Training, Coaching and Crossfit. A busy week..

Kildare Marathon

I'm slowly getting back to where I want to be and training is going as planned with continuous improvements rather than peaks and troughs.  I was asked to pace the 3:15 finish for the Kildare Marathon last Sunday with only a few days notice.  I reluctantly agreed but was glad I did as it turned out to be a perfect test of my fitness.  Approaching the race as a long training run I ran it without any fluids and managed to complete the distance with my heart rate staying at the lower end of my aerobic zone and at no time did I feel any discomfort.  I did carry a gel just in case I started to feel any drop in energy and if needed I would of course have taken some fluids.

Training since then has continued as normal with all runs staying aerobic but I have noticed that my pace is starting to increase as I need to push harder to get into the zone.

Train the heart and the body will follow!

Mark Pollock

Yesterday I met with Mark Pollock, Simone & Simon O'Donnell in Trinity College sports centre to train in techniques to assist with Mark's rehab.  These training sessions last up to 2 hours and include a variety of exercises which are a follow on from Mark's time spent with Project Walk and the objective is to train Mark's legs how to walk again.  I'll follow up with a more detailed explanation of what's involved as I get more involved.

Learning how to Deadlift properly!

Today I met with John Belton for a training session in Performance Therapy Ireland (Crossfit North Dublin) and went back to basics.  Turns out I couldn't do as much as he was hoping to do because of my restricted range of movement and rather than complete the session he had planned I ended up spending the time working on my mobility although I still went home feeling sore.  I now have a series of exercises to complete every day for the next week and if running I've to also do them pre run.

Hip Flexor Stretch.

My daughter Aisling came along and managed to do what I couldn't which was a bit embarrassing but it now means I have a new training partner.

Aisling learning how to front squat.

Crossfit Endurance Trainer's Course, London, March 2011.

Left to Right: John Belton, Brian Mackenzie, Doug Katona, Me, Stephen Weinmann (Owner Performance Therapy Ireland / Crossfit North Dublin).
My thanks to John & Stephen for today's training session.


Tomorrow I'm taking part in a Questions and Answers session at 'The Adventure Weekend' in the RDS on a panel with Mark Pollock, Gearoid Towey as part of Outsider Magazine's Think Tank.

Superhero Fun Run Phoenix Park, Dublin 2011

And now for something different!!
On Sunday 08th May I took part in the Superhero Fun Run in the Phoenix Park in aid of Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin.  Hundreds turned up to help raise much needed funds for the hospital and the event was also a world record attempt for the most number of people dressed as a Superhero in the one place.  We failed to break the record but it's an excuse to try again next year and a great day was had by all.
Here's a few photos from the Superhero Fun Run.

The Fun Run was a world record attempt and a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital.

The mini Superheroes 100M dash.

Start Line.

Cian leading the way in the main event.

Running past Eamonn Coughlan,
(not many people can say that )

Heading home after the race.

Taking a step back before going forward.

Feeling that something wasn't right during my race in Perth I've been taking it relatively easy since then and have also taken the proactive step of going to the Doctor for a check up which included getting my Prostate checked just for piece of mind.
It's important not to sacrifice health for fitness and sometimes when training intensity increases to improve performance our health can be neglected.

I now know that I'm on the mend as my pace is starting to increase for the same effort which as always I base on my heart rate.  Almost all of my recent training has been Aerobic with the exception of a 5K race today that I ran comfortably hard and didn't allow my heart rate go any higher than it did during a recent 10K race.

Approaching the finish line, LeCheile 5K.

Training by the clock will tell you that you're getting faster but it won't tell you if you're getting fitter or overtraining / under recovering.  A heart rate monitor will give an objective view on your current condition as it's not influenced by personal feelings.  Train hard but train smart.