IN WHICH WE CELEBRATE AN ANNIVERSARY, CONTEMPLATE THE ‘HOLY TRINITY’ OF MARATHON RUNNING, BID A SLOW AND FOND FAREWELL TO THIS YEAR’S BOTANICAL BOUNTY, SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT GEL, AND REMIND ONESELF THAT THERE ARE OTHER SPORTS IN THE WORLD TOO… Well let’s get the training week out of the way first. Monday: the standard … More The Long Run
“Precious time is slipping away But you’re only king for a day It doesn’t matter to which God you pray Precious time is slipping away” Precious Time Van Morrison Another week has ‘slipped away’. There’s no need for an in-depth existential discussion on time; David Tenant*, as Doctor Who in the TV series of the … More Tippin’ away
Ireland is currently getting the sniffles from the full-blown Atlantic storms that are born far west from here; the sort of weather patterns that give rise to tornadoes and hurricanes. The ones that have caused so much devastation in the Caribbean and Florida. After Hurricane Karina, some unkindly soul in Ireland posted up a picture … More A brief note on Irish weather
IN WHICH THE TRAINING PROGRAMME GRINDS EVER ONWARDS AND WE STRUGGLE MANFULLY TO HIT OUR TARGETS, WHICH WE DO, MORE OR LESS. SORT OF. MOSTLY. IT’S A RUN OF TWO HALVES… Why did I pick a running programme with so much running? I suppose the simple answer is fear. Fear and pride… well, fear, pride … More 8 days a week
Given the personal tragedy behind the lyrics, it’s a piss-poor co-opting of a song title to start a blog post, but I suspect Billie Joe won’t mind (and hey, we bought Foreverly with yourself and Norah, so hey-ho… swings and roundabouts and all that). Anyway, the point, if indeed there was a point, is that … More When September Ends
We near the end of another week, and with one more long run to go in the morning, I will probably recap on the week’s training tomorrow. ‘Coz I know your week wouldn’t be the same without these regular updates… But just a quick one on a running-related matter. I run in the local park … More Ah, seriously!
A quick recap of the week: Monday: 10k recovery run of reasonable pace. Tuesday: Speed work. Yuk. Has to be done. Over 14k of laps, around and around and around the pitches… Wednesday: Another recovery run of just over 10k. Thursday: Tempo run of just over 13k, below the target pace of 5:35. Friday: Recovery … More Checking in
… but perhaps still stumbling around somewhere in the shrubbery. I might need to explain. Getting back from the week’s holidays and missing a few runs, not to mention the over-indulgence in food and drink, was always going to require a poke in the arse with a sharp stick for some much-needed motivation. As it … More Not out of the woods yet…
A WEEK IN WHICH WE MAKE TRACKS, FIND NEW TRACKS, AND THEN TRY AND GET BACK ON TRACK…OKAY, MAYBE THAT’S ENOUGH TRACKS FOR NOW… ISN’T IT IRONIC? NO. The problem with a week’s holidays is that it just isn’t enough. We split the week in two: a couple of days in Waterford, and a couple … More One week is not enough
IN WHICH A TEMPO RUN TURNS INTO A RUN-LIKE-HELL RUN, WE DISCUSS THE FASCINATING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MILES AND KILOMETRES*, AND HOLLY SAYS… WELL, WHAT SHE ALWAYS SAYS… When you’re in a six-days a week programme, life becomes a bit of a blur. If you’re not checking the weather to see when’s good to run, you’re … More Week Four
unironedman 