We Make Plans ......And God Laughs.........

 "Then I'll rip the head off ya give it a new name buy it an Nintendo get it all the games and I'll make em dance for us to an old tune find a girl to love who'll kinda do I keep on running, planning running planning oh yeah, I keep on running planning running planning oh yeah"

Running/Planning-CMAT

Not the week I thought I'd have in or out of training but that's the beauty of life  it'll throw you a curve ball  from time to time.....question is how you'll respond?........

Tuesday November 11th Perhaps the proverbial  writing was on the wall  for the week when I sat out Monday lunchtimes planned run, the two races on Saturday had been  a challenge and no point fronting my calves were still a little tender from Mount Drago so in that time honoured  adage of " listen to what your body's tell ye" I figured an extra days recovery was called for........however  for all my talk of "Gypsy Blood" had I been able to predict Wednesday was going to get shot to shit because of work I would've taken the option of an easy run......#IfIKnewThenWhatIKnowNow.....

As it was lovingly referenced in my socials post run it was a "Winnie The Pooh" type run......cos t'was a feckin' blustery day I forget the actual temps 45 degrees maybe? but the wind was fair savage out there as I logged a decent 42.39.8 off 8.28 mile pace and also  a negative split out in 22.02 back in 20.37, was it wind aided.....? maybe but I seldom cop a plea when I'm battling strong headwinds out there so " turnaround is fair play" if the wind was at my back today

Thursday November 13th So Wednesday got shot to shit due to work which meant Thursday now became an untimed run, I was happy out to be out running period but given the situation at work it was a much needed stress reliever, w/out going into a full blown diatribe re the work place let's just say  not for the first time this year there is "trouble in the sandbox"  and it's now to a point as well as counting the weeks till my vacation {four as of Wednesday} I'm now counting the workdays till I depart for Dublin, I made a Fenian Advent Calendar w/ a picture of the Samuel Beckett bridge in Dublin covered w/ small yellow Post It  Notes  w/ the days written on them, at the end of each day a Post It Note gets removed and I see a little bit more of the bridge......I just hope I don't throw myself the feck off of it into the River Liffey below when I finally get to Dublin.....tis been a long feckin' year and I would just like to get through the remaining 16 work days till Tuesday December 9th when they can.....and I quote form a line to kiss my " lilly white, South London, mother fuckin' Irish areshole.........BOOM! mic drop.......

Friday November 14th As a rule there's a reason I don't work on my birthday as I like to remove the potential for being aggravated on it.......sadly this year that wasn't an option and what do ye know I was aggravated to the feckin' back teeth all feckin' day........said birthday falls  on the weekend the next two years{thank christ!!!!} but best be sure however many more years I have to work till I retire either in  2030-2033 I WILL be off

When I'm that beaten up/beaten down by work I can't do a full blown Tempo Run there's a problem I settled for a quasi Tempo Run and still managed a semi respectable 42.26.5 off 8.24 mile pace my 4th quickest time of the  thirteen hill runs  I've been doing since Oct 7th  and for good measure another negative split, out in 21.38 back in 20.48

Little did I know this was to be a Porky Pig run ........"that's all folks!" I had hoped to get out at least Saturday or Sunday if not both days....that didn't happen.....and ya know what?.......that's ok.....I have for the last  12 weeks thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at my training, maybe a three day/15 mile week is what I need right now, most runners won't schedule an easy/low mileage week unless they're injured, ill or the weather isn't cooperating, the week of  August  11th-17th I only logged 17 miles  and then went on a run of 12 weeks  where I logged:21-32-21-29-33-22-25-20-28-20-21-33 so if this week is the springboard to another 12 week run like that I'll happily take a  backseat this week and resume things next week starting Monday

I still have 54 miles logged halfway through November so the potential for a fourth  consecutive triple digit mileage months  is  w/in my grasp, shur that requires work to settle down and the universe to stop feckin' w/ me  but as the auld saying goes " hope springs eternal" tomorrow is a new day and a new week......

Shamrocks,{Rocky Run} & Shenanigans

 "And the old religion humming in your veins some animal instinct starting up again and I am wound so tightly,I hardly even breathe you wonder why we're hungry for some kind of release so tired of being careful, so tired of being still give me something I can crush, something I can kill A lightning strike, a fallen tree and I'm afraid oh don't let it find me but you can't outrun yourself, you'll see and I am powerless, oh don't remind me"

The Old Religion-Florence & The Machine

A 5 day 33 mile week for the second time in  seven weeks, three more medals to the collection......oh and a long overdue age group win......not  yer average week for the Shamrock Warrior.........

Monday November 3rd Off the back of Sundays  brisk 10k at the Bridge Run I needed a shake out run to get any lingering crap out of my legs.....also w/ a rare Saturday race/races on the schedule I wanted to get my reps in Monday through Thursday so I could be fresh come 7am/8am Saturday morning

The morning at work had been a bear so I was only too happy to duck into the empty office I use to get out of my work gear and into my running gear this lunchtime and blow off a little stream, a semi respectable  46.26.0 off 9.04 mile pace which for a recovery/easy  run is fine, having ran my fastest 10k in 2 years the day b4 if ever there was a day to ease off the gas a little it was today

Tuesday November 4th Mercifully a less " all hands on deck" morning in the office and an untimed run on tap......now wonder I was smiling when I did my post run socials, the sunshine and the 62 degree temps didn't hurt either........

Wednesday November 5th NOT the fireworks last weeks Tempo Run produced on  Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night sadly but none the less my second fastest time on this course over the last five weeks

No sub 40 or negative split this week but at 41.21.6 off 8.16 mile pace  it wasn't something to be sniffed at either, having thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the Radnor 5 Miles and Bridge Run 10k in the past two weeks it will be interesting to see what kind of time I can register Saturday in the 5k, the last 18 weeks have seen me rededicate myself to my training and I'm finally starting to see the rewards now in training and my races, granted the season is winding down but unlike last year where I pretty much mailed it in post Dublin and then didn't resume training till late January once December 7th's season finale is ran I don't plan on easing off, even if it means using a treadmill in my hotel in Dublin while I'm away for 10 days

Thursday November 6th The big takeaway from this run was how badly it effected my fingers post run, at 55 degrees it was hardly cold out there and certainly no need for gloves{that friggin' cheque is in the mail trust me,maybe not December  but I'm sure come January!} however post run from my fingertips down to the middle knuckle turned ghostly white and trying to operate the frigging  Remote Data Link handheld on the 4pm mail run was problematic  to say the least......

I know I'm cursed w/poor circulation to begin w/ it's always my extremities, fingers and toes that feel it first on a run......but I wasn't expecting it to happen in early November, reasonably sure HR won't sign off on Whiskey as a " medicinal beverage" pre run so I may just have to keep an eye on this and see if it was a one off or if it happens again

Saturday November 8th For the eighth time in nine years{2020 being the outlier for obvious reasons} yours truly was not only getting the feck up at 5am{I know tis insanity, as a hand held sign between mile 8 and 9 read today "You paid to do this!!!"}  but also was doing the "Italian Stallion Challenge" the 5k and 10 miles......why?..... simple cos they offer a bonus medal......that's feckin' why!

In 2017 when I returned to road racing after 10 very fruitful years running Masters Track my medal count was  #157 I started thinking about getting to  #200 so when I saw that The Rocky Run offered a bonus medal for signing up for the "Italian Stallion Challenge" I signed up......and have kept signing up ever since in 2019 the 5k yielded #200 but since I then turned my focus on #300 so the thought of either the 5k or the 10 miles hasn't really played out,on my current trajectory I believe #300 could come at the end of the 2027 season or early 2028 so that means for the next two years its ye auld "Italian Stallion Challenge"

I paid more attention to the fact it was going to be raining at 5am than what the actual temperature at race time/times was going to be..... it was almost my undoing in the 10 miles as I had opted for a base layer which I actually didn't need but for all my yackin' about being a Boy Scout and "Be Prepared"  I never  brought or thought to bring compression shorts opting instead for my 3/4 length running tights, boy did I sweat in them and the long sleeved running shirt under my running vest......t'was honest sweat in fairness and I'd rather sweat than be under dressed and be cold out there

22.19.8 for the 5k off 7.11 mile pace my second fastest time in the last 2 years, at Cupid's Chase in February of 24 when I was in a rich vein of mileage I logged 21.02.5, this is why the fact the Penn Relays 5k clashed w/ the Rocky Run this year is a double pisser, A one less medal and B the chance to run a 5k w/out holding something back for the 10 miler, guess I'll have to wait 14 weeks till Cupid's Chase  26 to run my next 5k.......motivation to "keep er lit" over the Winter.......

I won't lie, I had some concerns about the 10 miler going into this, since PDR on September 21st my longest run  was 8 miles on October 19th as I opted to focus on the shorter distances but again in "full disclosure" the plan is 10 mile long runs between now and years end minus my time in Dublin so that come the first weekend in January I'm ready to step up to 12 miles and  by late January/ early February I'm upto 14 miles as my sights will be on the Love Run half marathon on March 29th

8.04 for the opening mile,I was hoping for something around 8 min mile pace/1.20 finish....give or take, when I logged back to back 8.08 splits for miles 2 and 3 it felt like I'd gotten into a good rhythm and 8.10 at mile 4 confirmed that

Not sure how or why mile 5 ballooned  upto 8.23 pace......I suspect I was preparing for "Mount Drago" a series of up hills that would make or brake me, again this is why I've spent several weeks on the hills of Sedgley Drive,Lemon Hill Drive and Kelly Drive doing hill work........although in fairness those hills have feck all on these yokes, sweet mother of God these are some serious feckin' hills to begin w/ and it's just over half way in the race/races for those of us insane enough to do both distances

9.11 at mile 6 just after the final uphill now I don't quote Sir Isaac Newton that often.....if ever........however "what goes up must come down" and I knew there were downhills back onto West River Drive so the fact mile 7 was a 7.53 split shouldn't come as a great surprise

Maybe it was the momentum of the downhills and the decent mile splits at mile 7 but mile 8 was another 8.08 split, there was no doubt in my mind now I was finishing this and doing so w/out stopping, I don't know what the official temperature was at 8am-9am but it was warm and sunny and in the second weekend of November ye'd take it every time

8.02 at mile 9, granted my average mileage per week of late has been  mid to low 20s but I had racked up some decent longer weeks at the tail end of August, early mid September when the Philly Marathon was a consideration so I had that "muscle memory" in the legs

7.32 for the final mile as I crossed the line in 1.21.41 off 8.09 mile pace.........remarkably quicker than Broad Street in May which was 1.24.29 on a very  humid  morning, last year post Dublin Marathon I ran 1.30.27 here which was my slowest ever time for 10 miles.......what a difference a year makes!

I won the 60-64 age group in the 5k, got 4th  in the 10 miles{at least it wasn't feckin' 5th for a third week in a row!!} 2nd in the  Italian Stallion Challenge and 5th in the Mount Drago challenge ......not a bad mornings work if I say so meself!

Normally I'd be half way through a five week cycle of Fall Road races,next weekend would've been the Penn Relays 5k and the following weekend would've been either the half marathon or the Rothman 8k neither of which are happening this year......which is grand as I can hopefully log three 10 mile long runs the next three weekends b4 the season finale Schuylkill River Loop on December 7th and finish the season on a high note not the bum note last season ended on and the fact it took till the last week of January to get back into the swing of things......a fully motivated Shamrock Warrior is a dangerous Shamrock Warrior....

Revenge Is {Almost} A Dish Served Smoldering.......

 "Burning  drives me wild yearning for the snow child blind men cry but shed no tears see no evil but speak in tongues and hearsay all lovers leap 'cause there's no other way across waters deep fuel the fire and the fool is learning to run from flames of bridges burning"

Bridges Burning-The Mission

A couple of missed runs but still managed another triple digit mileage  month b4 another missed podium at this weekends race......all  grist for the mill for the Shamrock Warrior.........

Tuesday October 28th So stop me if ye've heard this one b4.......but I missed a training run at lunchtime because of work......... hence why my week began on Tuesday

As I say when it happens my running schedule  has to fit around my work schedule not the other way around.......however that said I would've liked to have gotten out Monday as it was the 41st anniversary of the auld fella dying and it would've been nice to honour his memory w/ a run  period but especially over 5 miles as that was the distance he chased me and his godson Liam home in the middle of a particularly  rainy night back home in Berrings County Cork in August of 72...........were he still alive today we'd probably joke about it but trust me it was no laughing matter that night, I was convinced he was going to kill the pair of us

As for Tuesdays run I went the untimed route and even though it was a day later than I had hoped for it was good to get any lingering crap out of my legs from Sundays race,at 55 degrees and overcast it was short sleeve weather the thought I might get away w/ sleeveless the final week of October was wishful thinking

Wednesday October 29th On the 38th anniversary of leaving home in South London for Philadelphia a run for the record books

I was planning to make this a tempo run to begin w/ but I decided it would be a tempo run on the hills, last week in a quasi tempo run over the hills I went 41.24.8 off 8.17 mile pace w/out truly  droppin' the hammer today I was channeling my inner Thor" to me,my hammer!!!!"

A brisk opening mile on the Parkway in 7.43 I then dropped an 8.03 on Lemon Hill, I clocked 19.57 at the the turnaround near Lemon Hill Mansion, if I hadn't gone  off half cocked this was going to be fast 8.31 at mile 3 one final downhill on Lemon Hill Dr/Sedgley Dr b4 an uphill on Kelly Dr upto the Art Museum,7.54 I knew this had potential to not only be fast but maybe sub 40.......

7.30 for the final mile 39.41.9 off 7.55 mile pace AND for good measure a negative split out in 19.57 back in 19.44.......no wonder I looked like the Cat that got the Canary all afternoon at work........ also I was now at 98 miles for the month, another triple digit mileage month was there for the taking w/ two days to spare..........

Friday October 31st So I'd know most of the week that Thursday was going to get rained out which meant Friday would be my last chance to get miles in to maintain my run of triple digit mileage, that couple w/ it being Halloween or Samhain as we refer to it back home and the fact the new Florence & The Machine album "Everybody Scream" not only got released but was having a listening party on South St after work probably all put a little pep in my step at lunchtime

While not as blisteringly fast as Wednesday 42.58.5 off 8.36 mile pace ranks as my third fastest time on this course over the last three weeks, it was also another negative split out in 22.23 back in 20.35

#103 miles for the month, glass half empty less than August #105 and September #110, glass half full first time since November/December 23 January 24 I've logged back to back to back triple digit mileage  months.....for the record my record  is four months as in February 24 I added a fourth triple digit mileage months so no prizes for guessing  that triple digit mileage is firmly in my sights  for November...

Sunday November 2nd The Bridge Run 10k in Camden has become a regular fixture on my race calendar the past few years and is already penciled in for 26.....shit last year I ran it a week after the Dublin Marathon such is my love of this race!

Sadly 10k has almost become  obsolete in the realm of race distances,back in the day it felt like the distance du jour as there we several 10k ran throughout the year,these days not so many,my theory was then and is now  most weekend warriors knew they couldn't bluff their way through 6 miles.......however if ye make it a 5k and 3 miles more participants are likely to sign up, kind of a win/win  except for runners like me who really enjoy 10k, I usually earmark the Bridge Run  10k to be my seasons best given it's later in the year and the training has hopefully been done,plus first Sunday in November weather tends to lend it's self to great race weather

This was another year when the weather gods smiled on the over 1700 runners who showed up at 8.30am on the Camden side of the Ben Franklin bridge, 46 degrees and sunny but given the opening three miles are all over the bridge  and back and the final mile is  along the Delaware River I opted for a base layer under my customary Shamrock bandana, Palestine running vest and Ireland shorts #Represent

7.42 for the opening mile which is mostly uphill, over 5 miles last week at Radnor my mile pace was 7.41 so I'd started how I meant to go on,6.57 for mile 2 which is mostly downhill once ye crest the top of the bridge and begin your way down to the Philadelphia  side b4 making a sharp turn and heading back up hill to the Camden side of the bridge

7.14 for mile 3 they hadn't put clocks on the bridge for fear of the wind maybe blowing them over so I was having to do math on the fly to workout my overall time......math isn't my strong suit period as was underlined during the week when I realized my trip to Dublin that I've been counting down to since it was 29 weeks is actually 6 weeks not the 7 I had it at..........ok I can't do basic math but my go to defense in a case like that is"in my defense I was left unsupervised and it was a full Moon".........

7.00 flat at mile 4, 28.53 off 7.41 mile pace I was thinking  high to mid 44 mins so now it was a matter of hanging on, I was kinda in "no mans land" there was a cluster of runners ahead of me if I could reel them in 

7.47 at mile 5 I was afraid I was going to give some time back but as long as mile 6 didn't get away from me something in the 44-45 min range was there for the taking,7.35 at mile 6 as I dug in, a few runners had gotten by me in the last mile I was determined not to let anyone else pass me,I love races that finish on a track, probably harks back to days as a track athlete  and I made sure whatever was left in the tank got left on the track......

45.43.1  off 7.20 mile pace, not only a seasons best but also my fastest 10k in two years since I ran 45.15.7 probably here, 114th out of 1702 runners  but for the second week in a row 5th in my age group,meh! big whoop I missed the podium again, last week I was a tad salty at missing the podium as the prize in the age group award was a medal, I don't know what they were giving out here, a mug, a glass.....I don't need either to me it the prestige of "being on the podium" the prize outside of a medal is neither here nor there, last year at the Penn Relays 5k I finished 3rd in the age group and my prize was a pair of plastic Penn Relays Sunglasses.......I don't they ever made it out of the box they came in........

The bigger takeaway from this week is that three months of 100 plus miles is beginning to  yield negative splits and fast times in training and my races,motivation to keep my foot down this month, three races to go another triple digit month and hopefully three fast times over 5k, 10 miles and 8 miles

All That Glitters Isn't {Kerry}Gold

"Solider blue in the barren wastes hunting and killing's a game raping the women and wasting the men the only good Indians are tame selling them whiskey and taking their gold enslaving the young and destroying the old, run to the hills run for your lives run to the hills run for your lives"

Run To The Hills-Iron Maiden

The last of the 70 degrees days maybe, a missed training run and a plot twist Stephen King would've been feckin' proud of........seldom a dull moment in Kevinrunningfree..............

Monday October 20th Frankly Mondays Easy 5 miler should've been brought to ye by Lipton's Iced Tea......why ye ask?......cos it was feckin' Brisk out there!!!!! feck me all I needed was my umbrella  and I could've lived out my Mary Poppins fantasy and flown the course!!!!!

66 degrees and 41% humidity was fair but dear lord the wind was something savage when I set off just gone 2pm,in a week when I had a race waiting for me on Sunday there was a sense of " keep the powder dry" outside of the tempo run and race its self so opening in 8.43 felt about right, mile 2 was 9.02 as the hills on Sedgley and Lemon Hill drives kicked in, as I made the turn around I saw 22.25..........

9.24 for mile 3 again I was happy out w/ easy pace but something seemed to kick in over the final 2 miles, 8.44 for mile 4 b4 a 8.13 finale......44.07.1 off 8.49 mile pace but a negative split, out in 22.25 back in 21.42, was there a tailwind in the final 2 miles down Lemon Hill Dr,Sedgley Dr and  up Kelly Dr  to the Ben Franklin Parkway? maybe......

Tuesday October 21st Ah the untimed run.....perhaps my favourite run of the week when I don't have to worry about time, speed and pace and just enjoy the run period but today might've been  the final day we see temps in the 70's it was 70 degrees and sunny and 31% humidity so what better way to enjoy it that than being able to run w/out having to focus on the pesky auld garmin

Of course one drawback of a run like that is not paying attention to key components a la knee lift  and leg turnover and just b4 mile 4 on the opposite side of Kelly Dr from the Art Museum I managed to clip the uneven part of a broken piece of paving and almost went arse over it again......thankfully thanks to ones catlike reflexes I stayed upright but it was another harsh reminder that it only takes a split second for it all to come crashing down around ones ears if ye aren't careful........

Thursday October 23rd Maybe there's more Gypsy Blood in me than I let on?........for the last two weeks I've been saying the last of the good weather days were coming to an end.....ok so ye don't need a degree in Science to work that out in mid to late October but I also said at the end of my blog last week that in order to reach another month of triple digit mileage I would need the weather and work to play ball......and on Wednesday work threw me a curve ball that meant no lunch and no run.....shur it happens when it does I say "my training schedule has to fit around work not the other way round" so ney point throwin' the toys out of the pram or spiitin' the dummy out.........however that said since I was now heading up to New York City on Friday lunchtime there would be no chance to make up that lost 5 miles.......#thirdworldproblems and #worsethingshappenatsea ........as my former coach once said " you can't chase lost miles" so now my bigger issue what to do re the type of run as it was either a tempo run or easy/recovery run.......or maybe I could channel my "Inner Barbie" and have everything........

Opted for a hybrid tempo run but on the hills, what the fuck one final balls out 5 miler out and back on the Schuylkill River Trail wasn't going to effect how Sundays race goes but another  six hills would be useful and at a quicker pace than I've been doing them

At 60 degrees this could also be the swansong of my sleeveless running vests for  awhile  as next weeks forecast has temps of:59-57-58-60 but rain and 58

A lively enough opener in 8.28 b4 dropping down to 8.42 which ends after the uphills of Sedgley & Lemon Hill Drives 21.26 at the turn almost a full minute up on Monday, stick or twist ? shit or bust.......

8.40 at mile 3 b4 dropping an 8.12 split at mile 4,no point backin' off now shur and threw in a final mile of 7.21 to not only log a 41.24.8 time and course record.......but  also another negative split out in 21.26 back in 19.58........the Three S's Speed,Strength and Stamina all present and correct heading into Sunday.....

Sunday October 24th If it's Race Season then that means the alarm is going off at Silly O Clock......5.45am this morning, file under " the things I do for the things I love" which also applies to getting to bed at 3am Saturday morning upon my return from NYC as I was one of the fortunate few selected to attend a Rolling Stone interview w/ the one and only Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine at Cherry Street Theater Friday evening #TheQueenIsBack......

Out to Radnor by 7.25am for an 8.30am start it was sunny but brisk probably 47 degrees so I opted for my Ireland 3/4 length running tights under my Ireland running shorts and a long sleeve running shirt but w/ the sleeves rolled up come race time under my Palestine running vest

Unlike my debut here three years ago this time I knew what to expect from the course so I got out to a comfortable start and went through the opening mile in 7.50, pre race the mindset was that 40 mins would get me on the podium so 5 times 8 min miles equals  40................. 7.08 for mile 2 which I'm sure ye can workout was downhill unlike the opening mile......unlike 2022 I knew what to expect from mile 3 this year so I knew I'd be giving something back so wasn't surprised to see 8.23 on Hal

8.00 flat for mile 4 suddenly the prospect of sub 40 was real and given my hill work over the last few weeks coupled w/ tempo runs I felt I had fuel to burn in the final mile, as the great Carl Lewis once said and I quote"I just wanted to know I left it all out there"..........7.18 for the final mile as I crossed the finish line in 38.40.7 off 7.41 mile pace.........however my euphoria was short lived.........

In 2022 the 60-69 podium went:38.27.3-38.31.0-40.10.3 in 2023 it went:38.33.8-40.05.8-40.54.21 and in 2024 it went:38.36.4-41.26.0-41.50.0 based on that data my 38.40.7 would've gotten me 3rd in 22, and a close 2nd in 23 and 24.........5th today..............

I'm gobsmacked not only not even close to the podium in a respectable time, the winning time was 33.41.1 which is fair moving on this course at any age let alone 60-69,second was 35.03.3, third was 35.59.2.....if I'm salty spare a thought for yer man in 4th who crossed the line in 36.40.5 a time that would've won him  the last three years only to discover he finished 4th........

I'd like to think I don't take podium finishes as a given, I train hard and put the work in but in 8 races this year I've only seen the podium 3 times 3rd at the Cupid's Chase 5k, 3rd at the Hot Chocolate 15k and 1st at the Freedom 10k this one is going to take a while to process.....thankfully there's another race next Sunday at the  Bridge Run 10k to try and get over todays disappointment, rest assured I'll be taking no prisoners in training this week........

 

Easy Tiger........But Eyes On The Prize

 "Give me your kings let me squeeze them in my hands, your puny princes your so called leaders of your land, I'll eat them whole before I'm done the battle's fought and the game is won I am the one, the only one I am the god of kingdom come gimme the prize, just gimme the prize"

Gimme The Prize-Queen

A so so week in training having made peace w/ not pursuing the Philadelphia Marathon time to embrace the here and now and getting ready for  Fall Road Race Season.........

Tuesday October 14th Having gotten spoiled last week running a rare Monday thro Thursday rotation it was perhaps inevitable this week there'd be  a day I couldn't get out and run.......turned out to be Monday, however when life gives ye Lemons ye should make  Lemonade and I took full advantage of a three day mini brake which was as good physically as it was mentally

I shaved 2 100ths of a second off my previous 5 mile recovery run on Thursday w/ a 43.11.1 off 8.37 mile pace thanks to splits of:9.02-8.42-8.44-8.33-8.09,would've been  grand if miles 2 and 3  been the other way around then I would have had 5 miles that got progressively quicker.......then again I'm not Barbie and I can't  have everything!!!!!

After three days of feckin' rain  and gray skies it was nice to see the sun again even if the humidity was higher than the temperature 65 degrees 68% humidity

Wednesday October 15th Fuck sake we're half way through the month already, feckin' month  has flown by! an untimed 5 miles today........possibly my favourite run of the week as I don't have to worry about speed, pace, mile splits etc kinda nice to just run on auto pilot if ye like

69 degrees and 52% humidity......were it not for the rain on Monday this would've been my Tempo run......but knowing what was coming down the tracks weather wise tomorrow I wasn't too upset.........

Thursday October 16th I know close only counts in a game of Horseshoes but feck me  today was awful close to a PR!!!!!!!

62 degrees but a mere 22% humidity to quote Budgie  star of the upcoming single by The 2 Johnnies  "The Auld Lad In The Pub" "unbelievable like, ye'd  get that fuckin' nowhere!!!!", for all my considerable bollixin' about the weather{ tis an Irish thing, shur we love to complain about the feckin' weather!!} today was as close to idyllic conditions period,much less in the back half of October

39.21.5 off 7.46 mile pace, three seconds slower than I ran  on October 1st, glass half full anything that's sub 40 is always welcome, glass half empty the last mile just got away from me my splits were:7.52-7.42-7.44-7.58-8.05 so I'll be working on that in the coming weeks

Given my recent " defection" to Ben  Franklin Parkway,Kelly Dr,Sedgley Dr and Lemon Hill Dr for the hills for my upcoming  races it was nice to get back to the Schuylkill River Trail, it's pancake flat and miles 2 thro 4 are uninterrupted  ideal for the tempo run

Friday October 17th It's gotten to the point where the Pagan gods don't even bat an eyelid when I'm out running on a Friday anymore.....just sit and nod at each other thinking " we knew ye'd be back out there on the Pagan Sabbath ye Fenian bastard!!!!"

Another glorious day weather wise 64 degrees  and 30% humidity, I know these days can't last forever so I try to cherish them while they last, won't be that long now b4  I'm bitchin' about the cold!

44.29.1 off 8.54 mile pace, a recovery run that wasn't that much slower than my easy run 1.18 for those of ye so inclined to look these things up........

Sunday October 19th For the first time in weeks/months the unbearable weight of needing a long run for a potential Marathon wasn't hanging over me, I will say since I made the decision not to run the Philly Marathon in  5 weeks time I have felt unburdened  by that, it's allowing me to focus on the upcoming races period w/out having to keep one eye on the marathon and since I now can't get into either the half marathon or the 8k that weekend as for the second year in a row all three races have sold out and the Penn Relays 5k now clashes w/ the Rocky Run on November 8th and not the 15th I'm only looking at three weekends in a row of races not five b4 a weekend off over Thanksgiving b4 the season finale Schuylkill River Loop this year restored to an actual loop and not an out and back as it has been for the last two years

I was maybe over ambitious thinking I could run 14 miles today, I have to go back to August 30th for my  last successful long run at 12 miles, the 14 miler I ran on Sept 14th was a little stop/start over the final 4 miles  and my failures over 16 miles have been well documented here in recent weeks, ergo the decision not to pursue a marathon right now

When I reached mile 5 of my run approaching the Mann Music Center in Fairmount Park I kinda knew I didn't have it to go 14 miles so I turned around and headed back the way I came hoping for a minimum of 10 miles.......#Notions....

Having gone out at a reasonable pace of 8.35-8.51-8.38-8.43-9.03-8.58 for the opening 6 miles I was a little alarmed when mile 7 ballooned up to 9.12 and when I saw 9.36 for mile 8 I said feck it, no point grinding out two slow arsed miles to round up to 10 and  called it a day at mile 8

1.10.16 off 8.57 mile.......of course it's the feckin' weekend and the temps went up....75 degrees and 57% humidity.........

28 miles for the week, 68 for the month, a potential 25 miles on tap this coming week would leave me at 93 miles going into the final week of October w/ a potential{weather and work permitting} 20 miles to finish October at 113 miles all food for thought but right now this coming week the focus is getting ready for next Sunday and the Radnor Run.

Pullin' The Plug....But Seeing Things Clearly

 "I think I can make it now, the pain is gone all of the bad feelings have disappeared,here is the rainbow I've been praying for it's gonna be a bright, bright  sun-shiny day look all around there's nothin' but blue skies look straight ahead,nothin' but blue skies I can see clearly now, the rain is gone I can see obstacles in my way, gone are the dark clouds that made me blind,it's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day"

I Can See Clearly Now-Hothouse Flowers

A landmark week for yours truly, as the auld saying goes " sit on the fence long enough all ye'll get is splinters in the hole".......and who wants that?????

Monday October 6th Off the back of Sundays blown long run the last thing I needed was more aggravation,off the back of a fraught morning at work that didn't need to be that bad my Easy 5 mile run ended up becoming an untimed run......

I think it was trying to cross 16th and JFK Blvd an intersection I seldom get across w/out having to stop that was the culprit, I thought.....infact I know I hit the  reset button but for some reason it didn't reset......by the time I reached 22nd and the Parkway and had to wait out the red light I realized Hal the little Bollix Garmin  wasn't recording the run........I know I pick on Hal almost on a weekly basis in my blog but this one has to go down  to "human error" I didn't look at the Garmin after restarting my run, if I had've I would have seen  it wasn't recording the run, by this time a fair chunk of he opening mile hadn't been recorded, rather than try and " patch it in" and eyeball/guess the distance I said the short version of the Serenity Prayer "Dear God, please grant me the serenity......ahh fuck it!!!" and decided today would be the untimed run and tomorrow would be my easy run, I believe the Marine Corp mantra is " we don't plan, we improvise"......

Tuesday October 7th From one mantra to another, the auld Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared" and since my next race is the Radnor Run on  October 26th and I know from my previous experience in 2022 ye'd want to be part shaggin' Kerry Mountain Goat to tackle those hills I thought it high time to switch up my runs on Kelly Dr, W.River Dr/MLK Dr which while great craic and all that are pancake flat to incorporate some hills so I opted for the North boundside of the Ben Franklin Parkway which takes me past the Art Museum and down to Lloyd Hall where dead opposite is Sedgely Drive which branches into Lemon Hill Drive it works out at 6 hills as Kelly Dr back up to the Art Museum is up hill, it's better than nothing

44.21.9 off 8.52 mile pace not a bad start, hopefully over the coming weeks it gets quicker and I get more and more hills into my legs b4 tacking the Radnor Run

Wednesday October 8th While hills are essential so is raw speed so the lung bustin' gut wrenchin' 5 mile Tempo run will continue to be a staple of my weekly routine

Sadly not the sub 40 that last week yielded but none the less a satisfactory 40.53.8 off 8.10 mile pace,opening in 8.37 which has to allow for several intersections between 16th St and 24th I hit my stride on the Schuylkill River Trail and clocked splits of 8.09 and 8.08, b4 starting to " suck air" on mile 4 but a  still respectable split of 8.24

For the first time in a while on a run{ this is only the second Tempo run in recent months} I could feel knee lift and leg turnover in the final mile, this is very welcome because it tells me the fast twitch muscles  are still responsive when I need them to be,I know the focus has been on distance of late but the next three races are 5 miles, 10k and 5k. closing mile was 7.56, as the saying goes " what's for you won't pass you by I still feel there are some reasonable times to be had over the shorter distances

Thursday October 9th Been a feckin' minute since I've managed a Monday thro Thursday routine..... I won't get used to it as I'm shur next week or the week/weeks after will  be all over the place like Chicken shit on a farm, but livin' in the moment it was nice.....almost as nice as a Recovery run the day after the auld Tempo run.........

Same route as Tuesday, Ben Franklin Parkway, Kelly Dr, Sedgley Dr,Lemon Hill Dr and back on a crisp afternoon, 63 degrees and 37% humidity the question was sleeveless or short sleeves?......I went sleeveless but it's only a matter of time b4 the short sleeves come out and I start routin' and bollixin' for long sleeves, October is that kind of month where ye never truly know what ye'r gonna get w/ the weather and having  established I still hold onto my Boy Scout core values all these years after the fact I like to be prepared, I don't want to miss a run because I didn't put the right running gear in my backpack the night b4

Shaved 70 seconds off of Tuesdays time w/ a 43.11.3 off 8.28 pace, it'll be interesting the next two weeks in the lead up to Radnor how much quicker my hill runs are......but also how much cooler the temps are as we get deeper into October.....

And now for the show stopper, after some careful consideration and soul searching on my part{ yes there is  soul still in there somewhere deep below all the cynicism!!!} I have decided NOT to run the Philadelphia Marathon next month, it wasn't an easy decision to make but the truth is  having struggled in my last two attempts to log a 16 miler and lest we gloss over the grind that was the final 4 miles of a 14 miler a week b4 the Distance Run  4 weeks ago it became obvious right now I don't have what it takes to attempt 26.2 miles in 6 weeks time.

I don't want a repeat of last year in Dublin where I knew I didn't have the miles under my belt and had to endure a long slow slog over the final 16 miles after a relatively comfortable opening 10 miles, time is against me, I didn't get out this weekend as I knew Sunday wasn't an option and ......stop me if ye've read this here b4 " the feckin' humidity was off the charts yesterday" at 1pm it was 80% plus.....feck that I'm shit sick of coming up short on these long runs, I would rather hold my hand up now and say I don't have in me to run 26.2 than fall on my arse again like I did in Dublin

It's frustrating on several levels,none more so than the fact that the only reason it was an option was it's the 40th anniversary of my marathon debut in Harrow in Essex just outside London way back on November 3rd 1985 but reality has to come b4  nostalgia and the reality is even IF I got a 16 miler under my belt next Sunday the following three weekends are races which would then leave the weekend b4 the Marathon to attempt an 18 miler or 20 miler.....too risky for my anemic blood ye can bluff yer way through 5k,10k,10 miles even a half marathon......but if ye don't put the miles in for a marathon it will trust me, chew ye up and spit ye out so for that reason I have opted to " swipe left"on the Philadelphia Marathon.

Is this the end of my marathon hopes and dreams?.......I don't think so what I don't want to do is make big cacophonous statements here that "I'm done w/ the Marathon" only to turn around sometime next year and announce "I'm training for the{insert city here} Marathon, lets let the dust settle on this decision, finish out the 2025 season and hopefully continue to train on a weekly basis like I have been, the Love Run half marathon is at the end of March next year I'll use that as motivation thro the Winter months and see where we go from there......

Runnin' Into Muddy Waters

 "The Gypsy woman told my mother before I was born you got a  boy child comin' he's gonna be a son of a gun he's gonna make pretty women's jump and shout then the world wanna  know what this all about but you know I'm him everybody knows I'm him well you know I'm the hoochie coochie man everybody knows I'm him"

I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man-Muddy Waters

Another triple digit month, seasons best/pr Tempo run and blown long run.......never let it be said my weekly recaps are dull.........

Tuesday Sept 30th Another Monday  I didn't run.....not due to the office gobshite callin' out{he waited till Tuesday to pull that stunt!} but due to my stomach bothering me.......I questioned if that was responsible for Sundays blown long run?........

Since Tuesday is my untimed run I opted for an out and back on W.River Dr/MLK Dr, as I came into this run on #105 miles for the month technically I only needed a mile to eclipse August's total of #105 but who the feck is going to all the trouble of getting changed into running gear, stretching and going out for a mile?.....not me!

I said last month when I finally ended an  18 month drought of not being able to register triple digit monthly mileage that if I didn't follow it up w/ another triple digit mileage month then all my efforts wouldn't mean as much so to not only register triple digits again but also log 5 extra miles is quite pleasing, in 2023 I logged #103 in August and #100 in September, nice to know two years older I'm going further than I did

Wednesday October 1st No easing myself gently into the new monthly, a seasons best/pr for the 5 mile Tempo run.......start as ye mean to goon bai!!!!!!

I have a love/hate relationship w/ the Tempo run, it's a lung buster but in the general scheme of things a necessary evil like my interval workouts on the track were, back then it was to aid my 800m,1,500m times now it's to get the best out of the shorter races,my next three races are 5 miles, 10k and 5k so not to go all Tom Cruise/Maverick in Top Gun but "I feel the need for Speed"

My opening Tempo run was rough as I hadn't done one in months and my pace looks like a feckin" EKG chart,last week the 88% humidity crippled me so was it to be " third time's a charm".....or another hammes of things?????

Conditions were in my favour at least 70 degrees and 34% humidity,now to get the pace right......8.01 for the opener,brisk but w/ back to back triple digit mileage months I hoped I'd built up enough strength to counter such a fast opening mile

7.43 for mile 2 along  the  Schuylkill River Trail, unlike from 16th St across Market St, JFK Blvd and up the Ben Franklin Parkway to 24th Street where I have to slow down and or stop to cross intersections not to mention weave in and out of pedestrians who aren't aware this is a Tempo run and even if they  were would probably still adopt the " go around me " mentality on the Schuylkill River Trail, Kelly Drive,W.River Dr/MLK Dr I get a clear run hence forth the quicker split

7.44 at mile 3 but I was aware Hal the little Bollix Garmin was up to his auld tricks.........I swear to christ that little fecker is angling for his own blog cos  he gets mentioned every feckin' week in mine!!!!, I felt mile 2 came up a tad early on the Garmin compared to where on the actual trail it should and to underline that  2.5 came up 10 clicks early on it so when I turned at my usual  halfway point it said 2.60, rather than piss ball around I figured run till the Garmin said 5.10 which lo and behold was the entrance to Suburban Station on 16th St.....where the 5 miles end on a day when Hal  isn't being a little bollix!!!!

7.27 for mile 4......take that Hal ya little bollix, there's no way I ran a 7.27 mile.....much less  off the back of 7.43-7.44  splits 7.47 for mile 5 but I had to tack on another.10 to have an accurate 5 miles which came up as 36 seconds.......39.18.7 off 7.42 mile pace, in spite of all of Hal's shenanigans a sub 40  5 miler, now granted this is a course record as my EKG chart Tempo run 2 weeks ago was 41.18.6 and on the auld Kelly Drive route I clocked 40.26.3 back in early April so I will count this as a PR,how much more I can shave off 39.18.7/7.42 mile pace in the coming weeks remains to be seen

Thursday October 2nd, nothing better the day after a lung bustin' Tempo run  than knowing it's just about the miles today

I opted for the Schuylkill River Trail again even though I wasn't chasing a time, I wanted to see if Hal was still acting up,once again splits came up early so yet again I had to tack on .10 at the end of the run to finish where I normally finish at the end of 5 miles, I clocked 44.28.2 off 8.40 mile pace, it feels pointless recording mile splits because I know they are off

Another day of 70 degrees temps and 34% humidity......however  the mercury and humidity were beginning to rise just in time to bollix my weekend plans, I swear after my cage match w/ Hal the little Bollix Garmin me and Mother Nature are about to step into a steel cage for a Winner Takes All, no holds barred, Pay Per View throw down..........

Friday October 3rd  Since I missed Mondays run and I have an eye on back to back to back triple digit mileage months I felt compelled to go out today.....on the Pagan Sabbath no less and log another 5 miles,since work didn't afford me the luxury  of having time to recalibrate  Hal either post run Wednesday or Thursday I figured stay on the Schuylkill River Trail to see if he was still actin' the bollix.....he was but not as badly as the last two days, however those splits or the points where the spits came up were still completely different to the splits and points he originally gave me the first time I used him to measure out a 5 miler out and back  route earlier this summer......he is either a pathological liar or a little bollix......perhaps both!

44.14.4 off 8.44 mile pace, it was 72 degrees but 44% humidity and while the weather people on the local news seemed quite giddy about the prospect of " unseasonably high temps" this weekend I wasn't .......and  in hindsight w/ good reason........

Sunday October 5th Stop me if ye've read this b4 here but I had to wait till lunchtime to attempt my long run due to how high the humidity was in the morning,at 8am the humidity was in the mid 80s and as was painfully proven two weeks ago at PDR at 7.30am when it was a crisp 65 degrees  it was 85% humidity and ye saw how that ended up for me so yet again I waited till 1pm when it was 41% humidity.....however  by now the temps had risen to 81 degrees, damned if ye do, damned if ye don't anyone????

9.00 for the opening mile right where I'd want to be at 9 min mile pace, I opened in 8.55 last week b4 the wheels came off.......

8.19 for mile 2 which begins w/ a massive downhill off the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge last week my split was 9.13 so I knew I was in trouble this week I felt things were tickin' a long nicely,,,,,,even if my Cork sleeveless running shirt was already heavy w/ sweat  at only mile 2.....{ this is the point in the movie the ominous feckin' music starts up......} 

8.53 at mile at mile 3  still where I'd want to be  at sub 9/9 min mile pace.........

9.08 at mile 4 I was starting to feel it, let's go back  5 weeks ago when I ran my 12 miler I logged the opening  10 miles all in sub min 9 pace, that day it was 70 degrees and 40% humidity, I feel that's  the quintessential " proof in the pudding is in the tasting"

Now I've been doing this long enough to know there are " rough patches" in a long run.......but I've also being doing this long enough to know when it is or isn't going to be your day.....at 4.25 I exited the Schuylkill River Trail and made a bee line for Mantua Avenue and Powelton Ave to take the shortest route home.....

10.22 for mile 5 to use a time honoured  expression  the auld fella used more than once in his short but eventful time on the planet" fuckin bollix, wrap up!!!"  I did the 2.5 mile "walk of shame home via Powelton Ave.....another blown long run

45.42,4 off 9.09 mile pace.....far from earth shattering I know,now comes the self doubt/ self examination that come w/ back to back blown long runs, am I deluding myself to think in 7 weeks time I can run a 26.2 marathon when I can't complete a 16 miler? is it time to bin any marathon aspirations I have? was Dublin last year an outlier or do I just not have it over the longer distance anymore? is it just dumb fuckin' luck the last two weekend have been  unseasonably warm and humid?  or do I hang in there another couple of weeks  and try again next weekend and the weekend after b4 saying no it isn't on the cards?

As we're into the Post Season of Major League Baseball here I'll end on a classic baseball analogy if next weekends third attempt at 16 miles goes tits up that's the classic " three strikes and you're out"......I shall spend the upcoming week praying to the Running Gods and Weather Gods for a fair crack of the whip.....all the while keeping one eye out for a rotund female opera singer doing her vocal warm ups........