Defining Moment

Back in April 2001 I went for my first training run of 5K in preparation for the Dublin Marathon and struggled to run the distance without stopping and walking.  I stuck with it and went on to complete the Dublin Marathon 6 months later and used that race as a stepping stone to a race that had first put the idea of running into my head.  This race was the Marathon des Sables, a 150 mile self sufficient foot race across the Sahara Desert and making the decision to run this race was to become my Defining Moment.

Lateral Vision Productions feature Documentary on Irish Ultra Runner John O'Regan.  Shot on location in Ireland, Greece, UK, French Alps. Sahara Desert, N.Pole Antarctica, and the Yukon Territory.
A fascinating case of one person against the elements.  What are the ingredients that make an ultra runner go through such grueling mental and physical pain?  How is an ultra runner different from a marathon runner?  This intriguing documentary reveals what makes him tick using the background story of his participation in the 2010 “Spartathlon”.  Four hundred and fifty of the world’s top ultra runners passed the stringent entry criteria for the 246km non-stop race, but just 128 crossed the finish line within the 36 hour limit.

Establishing a new routine.

Antarctica 09th January 2006.

Looking back over old photographs helps me get into the zone when planning ahead and some times I wish that I was still planning the races I've already done.  It's unlikely that I'll ever return to these places because I believe that some experiences should be remembered and not repeated as the next time might not be the same.  Having said that I still might repeat some of the races if the opportunity arises but I won't purposely try to make that happen as there's still so much to do.

My recent injury seems to have cleared up and the in the past week I've managed to run just over 150 Km with 12.5 hrs of training.  This was made of of lunchtime Tempo runs coupled with evening Recovery runs and the occasional Steady run as my commute home from work.  My weekend was as usual with a long run of just under 40K on Sunday.  

I'll follow this same routine for the next two weeks to see if it fits around my life schedule without having to make too many sacrifices and then I'll try increase the volume by starting my weekend runs earlier and maybe adding in the occasional run before work.  I'm guessing this will bring my training time close to 15-16 hrs and when that gets comfortable I'll start to run it faster which of course will increase the distance.

The best training plan is one that fits around your life rather than trying to fit your life around the training.  When sacrifices need to be made the first thing I give up is sleep and that can be made easier by going to bed earlier.

Richard Donovan wins Antarctic 100km.

Photo copyright Antarctic Ice Marathon.

It was quite tempting to stay in bed this morning after looking out the window and seeing the roads and cars covered in a layer of frost and snow but I had arrangements made and people to meet.  Returning to my house 18 miles later my hands were frozen and I thought back to this time in 2005 when I was in training for the first Antarctic Ice Marathon.  Back then I was almost praying for a frosty morning and the colder the better to help prepare my body as best I could for the conditions in Antarctica.  


The attached news report is from Ultrarunning Ireland.

Richard Donovan won the IAU-labelled Antarctic 100k for the third time on December 14th.

The race, which is the world's southernmost ultramarathon, was held at 80 Degrees South in the interior of the Antarctic.

Conditions underfoot were extremely tough this year due to snowfall. Windchill temperature was -14C.

Richard also organised the event, which incorporates a marathon, and is called the Antarctic Ice Marathon & 100k.