Showing posts with label Kildare Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kildare Marathon. Show all posts

Monday, May 14, 2012

Kildare Marathon 2012

The Start

Yesterday I paced the sub 3:15 pace group in the Kildare Marathon and although I wasn't looking forward to the responsibility it went quite well and I finished in 3:14.22.  Since returning from the 100K World Championships less than a month ago I haven't been feeling 100% and more than likely I'm still recovering from that race both physically & mentally.  It's the mental recovery that I was most concerned about as this was effecting my concentration which would also effect my pacing.  During a few practice runs I found that my pace was always drifting back to my 100K pace whenever I lost concentration and it was only during this Marathon that I managed to get back in the zone.  Maybe thats because I had the extra responsibility and wasn't running just for me.

It took a while before I started to get into the run but once I warmed up which was probably after 30K it felt like I could just keep going and was half tempted to run the a 10K race that started 30 minutes after I finished the Marathon.  I mentioned that idea in conversation and then a few others started talking about it so I changed my mind.

Approaching the finish.

Photos thanks to Peter Mooney.
Kildare Marathon Results.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Thinking about next year.



Can it get any better? This time last year I was thinking to myself that it can't get much better than the year I'd just had and if 2011 wasn't better then it was a close second so maybe next year can be better and I'll do my best to make that happen.

I now have a list of possible races and one or other other projects that are yet to be confirmed and if they go ahead they may change some of my other plans.  At the moment I'm training for the Donadea 50K on Feb 18th and following on from that I was planning on racing the Kildare Marathon in May  but I've now ruled out Kildare as it's too close to the World Masters Athletics 100K Championships which I hope to run if fit enough and that's in Italy on April 22nd .  Unfortunately the WMA 100K is  also on the same weekend as the London Marathon so that rules out a weekend in London yet again.

The Energia Belfast 24-hr race will have a change of venue next year due to works at the Mary Peters Track and for 2012 will be held in Bangor on 6th/7th July.  I'm hoping to run this race yet again but it may conflict with something else so it's yet to be confirmed.

I also plan on running as many shorter races as I can fit in with my preference being 5K & 10K and for starters I'm thinking about the Ballybunion 10K on April 7th.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

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


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!



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.