IAU 24-hr World & European Championships 2012

24-hr World & European Championships 2010.

This is the one I've been waiting for and can now confirm that I've been selected to represent Ireland in the 24-hr World & European Championships 2012 which is less than 3 weeks away.  My year was planned around this race and even though confirmation of selection only happened recently I had trained as if I was doing it.  All races have led to this point and my peak and taper was planned around the race date.

The following appeared on the Athletics Ireland Website.

The World and European 24 Hour Championships takes place in Katowice, Poland on 8/9 September.  Ireland will have teams participating in both men’s and women’s events.  The men’s team will consist of John O’Regan and Eddie Gallen.  John is the reigning national champion having won the title at the Energia 24 Hour race in Bangor, Co Down on July 6/7.  Eddie finished third in this race and was runner up to John in 2011 also.

The women’s team will comprise of Deirdre Finn and Ruthann Sheahan.  Deirdre was the national 24 hour champion in 2011 and also included the Bangor 24 Hour race as part of her preparations for Katowice.  The weather conditions were very wet on that occasion so the team will be anticipating a different challenge in Poland.

Each of the team will have a support person in attendance to assist with refuelling and race strategy in what promises to be a gruelling competition.

Defining Moment nominated in 2 categories.

Defining Moment has been shortlisted in 2 categories at the Action on Film International Film Festival 2012.
The categories are:

• Best Documentary
• Best Documentary Cinematography. 

Screening takes place at 6pm in the Krikorian Theatre, Monrovia, Los Angeles on Tuesday 21st August.

Preparing to Taper.

Photo by Alan Rowlette.

It's been a tough 2 weeks with a lot of quality sessions including double days, gym sessions and track work but I'm glad to say it all went to plan and I'm now preparing to Taper.  My plan for next week is reduced volume with increased intensity which will include steady runs of up to 1 hour and maybe a track session.
This day last week I ran the Celbridge AC 5K and finished in 18:05,  way off my PB but still a 2 second improvement on the Donadea 5K from 2 weeks earlier and it show's that at least I'm not going backwards with the training.


  

Peaking again. Again.

In anticipation of my next race I'm midway through a 2 week peak which consists of a high volume week at low intensity followed by a lower volume week of higher intensity finishing with a 5K race.  Recovery since the 24-hr race has gone very well and thats one of the benefits of not getting caught up in a race especially when there's a race of more importance so close.  Heart Rate profiles in the attached are not exact as there were quite a few unexplained peaks & troughs.

Saturday.

This run was a recce for  Sunday's run as I needed to work out timing and distance to join up with my club mates doing a shorter trail run as it meant a lift home.

Sunday

Mentally & Physically this was a tough run as I ran it on tired legs following Saturday's run with deadlines to meet.  Very happy with how it went and finished knowing I could have kept going.  I'll decide what I do tomorrow when I wake up.

Donadea 5K.  27/07/12

Attached photo from a recent race thanks to James Shelley of LeCheile AC.  I ran this race during my recovery and was hoping to finish in approx 20 minutes running by feel.  I wasn't sure what to expect so soon after the 24-hr race but after 1K I felt good and stayed steady but didn't get carried away.  Approaching 4K I decided to push a bit and then got caught in a race with another guy and we stayed with each other until the last 400M and I happily crossed the finish line in 18:07.  Not a PB but better than expected and a sign that my recovery has gone well.

Action on Film, International Film Festival 2012

Lateral Vision Productions Feature Documentary "Defining Moment" is an Official Selection at the Prestigious Action on Film International Film Festival in Los Angeles, California, 17th - 25th August 2012

Post Race Recovery. Energia 24 hr 2012.

My race didn't entirely go to plan but on the plus side I still got a result and recovery is a lot quicker.  My goal distance was 240K and I felt well capable of running same but a problem beyond my control meant changing my game plan from pacing to racing.
I travelled to the venue with my team mate and training partner Eoin Keith and we were both looking forward to a long and tactical race and joked about it during the journey.  Eoin started at his usual steady pace and I settled in behind and then beside for the first 3 laps but when making a lap timed calculation I knew we were well slower than 240K pace so I decided to take the lead.  With less than an hour gone I felt a painful urge to use the toilet and thats how my race continued.  I was forced to stop every 3rd lap and it wasn't long before I had to accept the fact that my 240K goal was unachievable.  Eoin had a problem with his stomach and was pulled from the race and that had me worried as I knew there was a chance that the same might happen me. The race director had noticed I was having problems but I assured him it was manageable and I was making sure to balance my intake of fluids with what I was loosing.  With Eoin gone there was less pressure and I wasn't too worried about slowing and did just enough to stay ahead and not put my body under any unnecessary extra stress.
With the race over I had a shower and put on my recovery leggings before heading off on the journey back to Leixlip.  I spent the next day wearing the recovery leggings and it was back to work on Monday.  I managed to get an appointment with the Physio in No 17 for Tuesday morning and the damage was assessed.  I was told that apart from some swelling around my left knee there was nothing to suggest that I'd ran for 24 hours and it shouldn't be too long before I'd be back running.  Finished the day with an Epsom salts bath and on Wednesday I went for a 3K run and all felt good but I didn't push my luck.  Had a follow up session with the Physio on Thursday morning and was able for some deep tissue massage and got the all clear to start back running so I finished the day with 5K.
Friday I did 10K, Saturday was the same and today Sunday I went for a 14K trail run with the terrain dictating the pace and I'm happy to report that everything feels like it's back to normal.
Tomorrow it starts all over again....

Race Report.

Energia 24 hour race & Irish 24 hour Championships 2012

Successfully defended my title having won the Energia 24 hour Irish Championships in Bangor at the weekend.  Still a bit tired after the race and will try put a race report together shortly.

There's a good selection of race photos available from Peter Mooney and race results are available from Precision Timing.