New Gold Dream-Simple Minds
Ahh shit! recess is over and the Shamrock Warrior Golden Jubilee Tour is underway.....after a 3 week break from training following the season ending Schuylkill River Loop race on Dec 7th it felt as good as time as any to get back at it this week
Last year I was slow coming out of the blocks,my first run of the year wasn't till Jan 13th but it was another 2 weeks b4 I knuckled down to 5 days a week training I didn't want a repeat of that this year period I'd like to go into the season opener Cupid's Chase 5k in 6 weeks time w/ a decent amount of training under my belt but I'm also looking to lay the groundwork for the Love Run 1/2 marathon in 12 weeks time also in a year I celebrate 50 years of competitive running that feels like motivation to get back at it
Tuesday December 30th Stop me if ye've heard this one b4 by I couldn't run Monday due to those yokes at work......it's not worth the aggravation to explain why but I will say this and move on, when I added my December mileage{ all two runs} it was 12 miles I ended November on 757 miles for the year the 12 miles I managed in December put me at 769 miles......the exact same total I had in 2023.....one more shaggin' run and I'd have beaten that total{I'd already beaten last years total of 723} but after Thanksgiving and until I left for Dublin on the 10th those hoors screwed me everyday w/ zero coverage and negated not only a lunch hour but also the ability to run......pissed doesn't come close to how I feel
As for the run it's self a comfortable 4 miles out and back along the Parkway and the start of Kelly Drive past Boathouse Row, it had been 23 days since I last ran.......if ye don't include the nite of December 16th in Dublin when I ended up running from Matthews Bridge to O Connell Bridge after the Damien Dempsey gig at Vicar Street to get back to Connolly station to catch the last train back to Grand Canal Dock!
Pleasantly surprised how comfortable it felt....ok so at 35.49.9 off 8.58 mile pace it's far from earth shattering but given my lack of training and the fact my strict diet had been ignored while on vacation and over the holidays it was nice to know I hadn't lost too much of all the hard work and hard miles I'd put in over August,September,October,November
Friday Jan 2nd I had hoped to run New Years Day but when the temperature never got above 28 degrees which in Celsius is -2 ye'll understand why I waited a day to kick off the new year.......I know runners are crazy.....but we're not insane!
I forget what the actual temperature was Friday lunchtime 31-32 degrees, far from balmy but not below freezing like Thursday when I set off around 1.40pm, same route as Tuesday but 1.14 quicker 34.35.3 off 8.38 mile pace, already seeing the "green shoots" of improvement in one run
While I didn't venture out on New Years Day I did write out my race plan for 2026 14 races between February 14th{Cupid's Chase 5k} and December 6th{Schuylkill River Loop 8.4m} fairly similar to my 2025 schedule, there are 15 medals up for grabs which if achieved would see me end the year on 284 which means w/ a slight tweak and maybe a bit of luck 300 could arrive by the end of the 2027 season.....shur if that doesn't motivate me this season then feck all will!!!!
Sunday Jan 4th A nice lunchtime 7 miler to round out the week and kick start the slow climb back up the mileage ladder
Sunny and 36 degrees around 1.20pm when I set off on a somewhat unconventional route,starter for 10 I had to drop the rent off which meant a slight detour just under a mile into the route but now I don't have to feck around in the morning dropping it off, back on terra firma I got down to the South Street bridge and began mapping out potential routes,from mid November to my knowledge the Schuylkill River Trail had been fenced off between JFK Blvd and the Conrail gate a little further up the trail I needed to know if that was still or no longer the case but if it was I wanted to tack on a little extra mileage so upon exiting the South St bridge I headed south along the trail and onto the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge where mile 3 populated b4 heading back north towards the Art Museum......Ta Da! the temporary fencing that had blocked the trail the last 2 times I'd been down there was gone which meant I could continue my route to the Art Museum and then come back via Powelton Ave and tack on an extra mile AND resume week day runs up and back on the Schuylkill River trail next week....winner winner Tayto Sandwich dinner!
The target was 9 min mile pace for either 6 or 7 miles I clocked a respectable 61.49 off 8.50 pace not too shabby for starters but as the auld saying goes " there's still some meat on that bone" going into today the plan was 6 miles this weekend, 8 miles next weekend, 10 miles the weekend after, 12 miles the following weekend and then round out January w/ a 14 miler leaving me w/ a potential half dozen 14 milers b4 the Love Run on March 29th.....granted in the dead of Winter the weather will have some say on that but I feel content moving forward that things are moving in the right direction
Also having eased myself back into the daily/weekly routine off the back of a pair of 4 milers and made the step up to 7 miles today, returning to lunchtime 5 mile runs can resume this week.....providing the hoors that be don't screw me again w/ no coverage at work.....I had said towards the end of last season that I would like to mix up the routes during the week so the hope is Easy 5 miles on Kelly Dr,untimed 5 miles on W.River Dr, Tempo 5 miles on the hills on Sedgley Dr/Lemon Hill Dr and recovery 5 miles on the Schuylkill River Trail, let's see if I can channel my Inner Hannibal from the "A Team".....and love it when a plan comes together.....
