Time Keeps On Tickin'........

 I was tempted to go the Europe route and use "The Final Countdown" but much like if you sing "Happy Birthday" ye have to pay royalties, I'm not giving  Joey Tempest any money.....although I'm sure he could use it since Europe were pretty much  a "One Hit Wonder" back in the 80s.....

So a little "house cleaning" from Monday, after a near 3 week period of inactivity I got my sorry arse out the door at lunchtime, this was my first lunchtime run since March 7th,full disclosure I had hoped to run six miles ....however a mile and a half into said run I was "suckin' air" as a result of my inactivity so I promptly cut my losses and turned around to make it a three miler, rather than throw my toys out of the pram I figured hopefully Tuesday I could bump it up a mile to four and then five on Wednesday w/ a view to getting to six come Thursday, at that rate a mile a day I'd be up to nineteen miles by the 23rd the day I depart for Dublin......not too shabby.......however there is the oh so small matter that this week and next week I'm at work and trying to utilize my lunch hour to run.....not sure an extended lunch to up my miles will cut mustard w/ the powers that be......the man....always keeping me down!

I have to say conditions both days at 2pm in the opening ten days of October were ideal, sunny and warm w/ no heat or humidity to contend w/ as I made my way up to the Schuylkill River Trail via the Ben Franklin Parkway, why I haven't used the Parkway b4 I don't know it's only  a block over from JFK Blvd which I had been using, its less crowded w/ pedestrian traffic and vehicle traffic and also a change of scenery never hurts 

Based off of Monday when I managed 3 miles in 27.25.6 off 9.09 mile pace I was shooting for 4 miles in  roughly 36 mins, opening mile was 8.26 and yet again I was " suckin air" but managed to find a rhythm and clocked 8.45 at mile 2 just beyond Boathouse Row, at this point I was going to be inside 36 mins but given my recent failures to complete runs and the clock tickin' on Dublin I was more focused on getting the miles in, sub 36 was an added bonus if it happened....

9.00 flat at mile 3 as I made my way down the Parkway towards City Hall, did I "let the clutch out" and go for it or keep in mind I have to be back tomorrow to tack on an extra mile......8.43 for the closing mile and a 34.53.6 finish off 8.43 mile pace, lets keep things in perspective it's only 4 miles which would only get me to Phoenix  Park in Dublin however at a time when my confidence is as low as Whale shit at the foot of the ocean I have to take even a small victory and use it

Lets see if I can tack on an extra mile tomorrow and get further thro Phoenix Park.....

Start The Mixer!

 Like a foul oder ye just can't seem to get rid of yer man has returned to the blogaverse w/ more of his auld shite.......

So apologies for the lack of blogging since PDR....this was due in no small part to a lack of running by yours truly, to be fair I didn't plan on being on the sideline for three weeks but here I am, the days of running a half marathon and then going out the following day to " shake it out" seem to be from a bygone era and by midweek the desire and drive to get out there seemed to have escaped me, then factor in the end of Summer and the start of Fall and it being pitch black dark b4 7pm meant evening runs were now a flight of fantasy, I had planned to resume my lunchtime jaunts along the Schuylkill River Trail the first week of October.....however that felt like another week that got away from me......all the while the clock is ticking down to October 27th and the Dublin Marathon, tick tock, tick tock....

Ye would think the prospect of a marathon would be enough of an incentive to shake me from my malaise and get cracking, and yet therein lies the rub, it's fair to say I have struggled almost all year in training and in my races, and were this a normal Fall Road Race Season I'd have time to get my mileage up to where it needs to be for The Bridge Run 10k, Penn Relays 5k, Rocky Run 5k and 10 miles, Rothman 8k and Schuylkill Loop 8.4 miles, the prospect of 26.2 miles w/ the lack of miles under my belt is not one that fills me  a great deal of hope that this will be anything other than a dumpster fire.....that said I'm fully committed to going and giving it a lash, and in the immortal words of Noel Furlong '' Just Fuckin' Drive It"

I have 2.5 weeks to log what miles I can b4 flying to Dublin in the hope I can be if not in typical marathon shape, run a marathon....the over riding fear is a Dublin City Council workman behind me at the finish pushing a broom waiting for this gobshite to cross the finish line so he can go home long after everyone else had made it back to Merrion Square, hopefully the next two weeks at lunchtime I'm out getting miles in and on both weekends hopefully something resembling a long run, w/ the prospect of the day b4 flying home to Dublin one final long run, to that end I will do daily blog updates, if I have to be tortured and tormented then so should ye!

Slow & Steady.....Won't Win The Race......But Will Get Ye To The Finish.....

 So apologies for no blog last week, in the build up to PDR off the back of another two failed attempts to get double digit mileage runs in I opted not to post anything, hoping some positive vibes would magically  appear in my legs for Sundays all important Philadelphia Distance Run......

In the week leading up to Sunday I didn't get out along the Schuylkill River Trail/Kelly Drive, a late start to work on Monday put me behind the proverbial 8 ball and then Tuesday when I was quite gung ho about getting after it I waited an age for the trolley home, another nite it was close to 6 pm when I got home w/ the evenings drawing in now and it getting dark by 7.30pm I need to be out the door b4 6pm if I'm going to be out there for 90 mins/10 miles etc.....an excuse that would hold water in late September early October I know.....part of my reluctance I felt this week was my piss poor form of late since mid July I have only logged two 10 mile runs July 13th and July 28th like anything when your form isn't there the desire and drive to get out and get after it tends to be in short supply.....even if I had magically managed a 10 miler on Wednesday or Thursday I doubt it would have made a can of beans worth of difference to how Sundays race would play out........

For the umpteenth time since my PDR debut in 1989 I was up at the arse crack of dawn to get to the Ben Franklin Parkway by 6.30am for a 7.30pm start, while waiting in line for the portajohn on Eakins Oval I saw 59 degrees displayed on trusty Peco Tower a good morning for a race I have faced all manner of conditions over the years in this race, hot and humid, gray and overcast, pissed out of the heavens and idylic today was close to the later although the sweat off my running vest into the top part of my shorts indicated a reasonable amount of humidity along the out and back course, like last year it was down the Parkway, round Logan Circle back up the Parkway, up Kelly Drive, over Falls Bridge, down West River Drive making the turn b4 Columbia bridge, back up West River Drive, over Falls Bridge, down Kelly Drive and finishing in front of the Art Museum

Corral 3, I fear my days of the 1st corral are behind me, in fairness I don't recall what time I put for my seed time but I was a bit concerned to see the 1.50 pace group behind   me , again off piss poor form coming into the race I had no overriding concerns about my finish time, speed or pace.....on Saturday nite I did wonder what if?.......what if like my recent attempts at 10 mile runs I got to mile 6-7 and ran out of steam.......long feckin walk back to Eakins Oval to get my bag........I quickly dismissed such thoughts I was reminded of an old Usain Bolt quote on my living room door I see b4 each training run/ race " worrying gets you nowhere, train hard show up for your race and run your best" sage advice......easy for a 100m/200m runner to say not so easy for a distance runner but worrying wasn't going to help me get to and from the finish so why use up nervous energy?

Clear enough start, was cognizant that I " wasn't ripping up any trees" w/ my pace, sadly a theme of my last 4 races{Love Run Hot Choc 15k Broad St Run Philly 10k} since late March, 7.52 for the opening mile I hadn't given any real thought to pace so sub 8 seemed ok if I could maintain it.....I'm painfully aware of the old adage ' if my Aunt had balls she'd be my Uncle" so ......... 7.57 at mile 2 and 8.06 at mile 3, I vaguely recall 25 mins plus at 5k, at this pace I'd be lucky to break 1.50.......

8.12-8.06-8.17 for the next 3 miles and over Falls Bridge, by now there was a steady flow of runners coming back up West River Dr towards Falls Bridge......I remember those days running 1.18-1.20 for a half marathon..... sadly from a bygone era I fear, made the turn on West River Drive b4 Columbia Bridge, mile 7 was 8.29.....ever so slowly my splits were creeping up but I was still moving.

Between mile 7 and 8 I stopped briefly to walk b4 getting going again now was when I would have to dig in mentally and physically w/ just over 5 miles to go, unlike my recent incomplete runs I had other runners to work off of, and to put things in perspective as bad as a day I thought I was having I was about to hit mile 9 crossing Falls bridge, there were runners who had yet to hit mile 5..... and further down Kelly Drive I saw the 2.45 pace group w/ a few runner behind it.....that takes some doing to not only commit  to a 2.45 half marathon but also know you'll be so far behind everyone else who's finished but also watching runners on the other side of the road heading towards the finish when you haven't even made the half way mark/turnaround.....mad respect to those runners

9.14 at mile 9 this was "survival mode" I went about each mile knowing I was closer to the finish. 9.08 at mile 10 by this point I'd stopped calculating what each mile would be, just take one mile at a time and keep making my way towards the Art Museum and the finish line, whatever  my 10 mile time was {1.24 I think} I was slower than my time for Broad Street in May when I ran 1.14, each mile resulted in a brief stop b4 getting going again, the longer I walked the harder it would be to get going again, unlike those failed runs in August & early September when I had to endure the walk of shame I was going to finish this race running...no matter how slowly! 9.29 at mile 11 but 10.29 at mile 12 as I stopped twice now for the final 1.1 mile at this point  the goal was to break 1.55....I always knew there would come a day when I'd end up running a 1.55 half marathon.....I had just hoped it would be later in my 60s......

9.42 at mile 13 b4 a 58 second .1 to cross the line in 1.54.44 off 8.44 pace.....well at least I finished period and claimed medal #6 for the season and #249 for the career albeit w/ my slowest ever time for a half marathon but now in the cold light of day comes the inquest......unless in the next 38 days b4 I board my flight to Dublin I can somehow pull together some serious double digit mileage the Dublin Marathon  WON'T happen, it's one thing to grind thro a half marathon when the work hasn't been done but I'm NOT subjecting myself to that over 26.2 miles nor fair on me not fair on my family to wait around four hours for me to cross the finish line

Hopefully finally getting a double digit run in albeit w/ the aid of  6 walk brakes yesterday triggers something this week as I look to build on that at this point I'd settle for one 20 mile run b4 Dublin but I need to get to 20 first, we'll start slowly this week and hope and pray the miles come

August......Don't Let The Door Hit Ye In The Hole On The Way Out.......

 Seldom have I ever been so happy to see the back of a month as I was on Sunday morning when the calendar said September 1st, tis a far cry from my days as a young pup when August meant the end of summer holidays and the dreaded "Back To School".........

Sadly the feckin humidity scuppered  another week of training, I'm not nieve enough to think cos we're into September now that's it w/ the humidity{ this coming weekends plans to " go long" are in jeopardy already!} but I only managed a mile on Tuesday at 6pm as it was 87 degrees w/ 39% humidity, I felt I was breathing through syrup w/in the opening mile so called it quits off an 8.37.5 mile

Sadly the weekend didn't yeild any respite w/ the humidity although the heat was beginning to drop sadly  as it's been well documented in the blog this summer my issues are w/ the humidity and not the heat so that was the proverbial fork in that......like I can afford to be missing any runs right now  let alone the long runs on the weekend

So I think I misspoke last week when I said Dublin was ten weeks away...it was actually nine and now w/ this lost weekend it's eight.....the feckin sands of time are slowly getting away from me.....as of right now next weekend looks questionable for a long run as the humidity ramps back up so I'm reliant on midweek 12-14 mile runs to try and bridge the gap to 16-18-20 the final six weekends in September/October, as fickle as fate can be the weekend after next is PDR so no long run that Saturday b4 a half marathon on Sunday......can't win for losing at the moment can I???

In the back of my mind is the fact that in 1990 I only had 6 weeks to prep for the New York City marathon and back in 1985 I logged a 20 mile run the week b4 my marathon debut in Harrow it looks like I will have to rely on the glories of marathons past if Dublin is to come to fruition this year......

Born To Run.......Just Not As Fast And As Far As I'd Like........

 Well the clock is ticking folks, Sunday marked 10 weeks till Dublin, my first race in 16 weeks and the unofficial start to the Fall road racing circuit........mercifully we're also a week closer to the end of August and hopefully  cooler conditions.......

Tuesday Aug  20th Moment of truth having failed miserably to nail a 12 miler in my four previous attempts I felt I needed to scale it back a few miles to gain some much needed confidence so the plan was 8 miles but if  I was feeling ok maybe squeeze out an extra mile and put me one step closer back to double digit mileage......

70 degrees w/ 42% humidity just gone 6pm as I set off down trusty Baltimore Avenue and the South St bridge to the even more trusty Schuylkill River Trail, 8.04 for the opening mile which I backed off of w/ an 8.31 split at mile 2 and 8.29 split at mile 3 along the trail

Given my recent trials and tribulations I could be forgiven for being concerned when mile 4 ballooned up to 9.28 in my recent crash and burn runs this is where the wheels have begun to come off but I dug deep till I hit 4.5 miles in the region of 38-39 mins still inside  1.21 pace off 9 min miles for 9 miles, in recent weeks my mantra that wasn't a foul mouthed tirade post failed run was I'm not overly concerned w/ time, speed, pace etc just distance.....this evening would be no different......

9.22 at mile 5, 9.31 at mile 6 and 9.31 at mile 7, having made it up the on/off ramp at South St bridge and over the bridge now it was just a matter of gutting it out the final 2 miles, 9.28 for mile 8 and 9.49 for mile 9 a tad leg weary but still moving forward w/ out having to stop and walk.......

1.22.15 off 9.08 mile pace, far from earth shattering but given all the body blows my confidence has taken since that 10 miler at 5.30am on July 19th this was a much needed win.....however "one swallow does not a summers make"........fuck me a bit of Shakespeare in ye old blog......never let it be said Kevin Running Free didn't provide a bit of culture...... and this run alone will mean nothing w/out the ability to build upon it.......

Thursday Aug 22nd Hindsight they say is 20/20 and perhaps the day after I stood for three hours at Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, barely ate, didn't hydrate and didn't get home till close to midnight was not the afternoon to run......what I lack in brains I try to make up for in heart I guess!

A comfortable 77 degrees and 34%  humidity at 12.40pm 8.22 for the opening mile followed  by 8.41 by mile 2 when mile 3 ballooned up to 9.14 I'd knew I'd seen this movie once too often of late to expect a different outcome.......I cobbled together a 9.27 mile for mile 4 b4 sticking a fork in it 4 miles in 35.46.3 off 8.57 mile pace

Not what I was hoping for but again probably too big of an ask off the back of the Springsteen show and while another blown run doesn't sit well I wouldn't have traded last nites Springsteen for anything it was truly epic

Sunday Aug 25th I had considered a run on Saturday given the ticking clock that is Dublin and the number of blown runs of late this month but it didn't pan out, I tend to do better when it's a case of get up and run right off the bat around 7-7.30am however w/ the humidity what it is for another week or so {PLEASE LET THIS END SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!!!!} it was prudent to hold off till 10am and frankly that just didn't pan out......given the way the race went maybe that was for the best....

Good to know 48 years into my career  things are still the same now as they have always  been a sleepless night followed by  dodgy guts when I woke up at 5am, you would think after all these years and races I'd be used to it by now........NO CHANCE!!!

Down to 9th and South b4 6.30am as is my won't I like an hour b4 the race to get myself prepared and use the Portajohn since it's a given I'll need to go again and frankly the lines at said Portajohn are less an hour b4 race time.......plus you may NOT want to use one after a ton of runner have blown it to kingdom come pre race.....just saying!

I had no preconceived ideas about pace for this race which given how it went was probably for the best, 70s for heat and humidity at 7.30am when the gun went off, this is the 11th edition of Philly 10k, I've been fortunate to have been a regular since 2018, minus 2020 when Covid stuck a fork in it this was my  6th year of racing thro South Philly and Center City starting and finishing on the iconic South Street

7.40 for the opening mile....good job I didn't have a pace/split in mind as I'm sure it wouldn't have been 7.40.....7.54 at mile 2 at this point sub 8s were looking like the flavour of the day, 8.04 at mile 3 I forget what my 5k split was  but it wasn't going to be anything outstanding.....

8.07 at mile 4 w/ 2 miles to did I go for broke and risk blowing up in the final mile or hold on and try and get to the finish in a decent clip?........8.21 for mile 5 what the fuck.......at least mile 6 was south of respectability off a 7.51 split and the final 400m was a semi respectable 61 seconds for a 48.55 finish off 7.53 pace........let the post mortem begin.......

Obviously in recent week my focus has been on distance not speed so the fact this ranks as my slowest ever 10k should come as no surprise side bar on Sept 11th 1983 I ran my first ever 10k in Wimbledon in a time of 38.55 so in 41 years I've only lost 10 minutes not too shabby I guess but cold comfort in light of my slowest ever time for the distance........

The bigger issue is another sub par/ slow race minus my season opener at the Cupid Chase 5k at the Philadelphia Zoo in early February all of my races this season {Love Run, Hot Choc 15k, Broad Street Run, Philly 10k} have been slower than anticipated a worrying trend I need to correct STAT  period but also I only have one more race {PDR} in 3 weeks time b4 Dublin  time is ticking......

While I keep being optimistic and saying this is not the time to panic we are getting to the business end of training for Dublin, I have to hope this will turn around and soon ,the weather forecast for this coming week isn't great I need another compromised week of training like I need another sub par race...

Back To Basics/ Putting Your Ego Aside

 Another week things didn't go to plan, another week of  rewriting my mileage.....another week of the old mantra don't panic.......to quote an old but always quotable Monty Python quote "still I was getting used to it by now"...........

Monday Aug 12th Finally a dip in the humidity, was tonite the night to finally nail the elusive 12 miler?

83 degrees and 40% humidity at 6pm when I set off, it wasn't lost on me that in my previous 15 marathons over the last 39 years I'm sure there was always that one distance that gave me fits and starts, just so happens to be 12 miles this time out.....

8.16 for the opening mile so I eased off the gas a little up Powelton Ave to clock 8.42 at mile 2, as is its wont the Garmin opted to pile in on my recent woes and gave me a ridiculous 7.27 split for mile 3 which came up b4 I even crossed the Spring Garden St bridge so I knew that was off......like the 7.27 mile split wasn't a big enough clue!!!!

9.00 for mile 4 and things felt on pace, however mile 5 went up to 9.18  now I was starting to have concerns.......9.14 at mile 6 and I made the turnaround between St John's Boathouse and Strawberry Mansion bridge in 51.20 w/ 54.00 being the target time off 9.00 mile pace

In a scene that has become all too familiar  not just this summer but the last 3 years the stop/start along Kelly Drive and the inevitable "walk of shame" home, I did manage to cobble together a 7th mile at 9.39 for a disappointing 61.49 off 8.48 mile pace b4 the 4 mile walk home

The "walk of shame" is bad enough an exclamation point on a botched run and having to walk tonight 4 miles  last week I believe it was 5 but the added boot in the bollix is watching other runner glide by you as you walk head down, I know I'm better than this!

Less than a month ago on July 19th I got up at 5.15am and ran 10 miles at 5.30am so I know I have the distance in my legs, while humidity has been my kryptonite of late I couldn't use that as a crutch tonight which begs the question is it now a mental block?.....as the old running adage goes often the greatest distance a runner must tackle is the one between both ears........

In running as in life " when you're in a hole, stop digging"!!!! clearly spinning my wheels and failing miserably over 4 attempts now at 12 miles  tells me there is a problem so I will scale back my runs and try and get some much needed confidence going......ego can unseat a rider now matter how confident or cocky they are, Mr Lyles got very humbled in the 200m Olympic final, perhaps a little less showboating b4 the gun went off when ye were compromised by covid and ye wouldn't have exited the Olympic stadium in a wheelchair?????

Saturday Aug 17th So the plan was 8 miles this morning......nobody told the weather Gods this as it was 74 degrees but 71% humidity at 8am when I set out....

Having had to walk down Powelton Ave more times that I would like the last few weeks I opted to go the South St bridge route this morning in June and July this was my favoured route and frankly at this point I need all the good juju I can muster, however  it was very evident early on the humidity was going to be a factor 8.21 for the opening mile followed by 8.42 for mile 2 b4 crossing the South St bridge the all too familiar shirt dripping in sweat and my breathing becoming laboured b4 mile mile 3 returned...

9.07 at mile 3...heading out to mile 4 at this point was  pointless I turned w/ the intention of at least making it a 6 miler but had to settle for 5 miles off two more splits of 8.21-9.30 for a 5 miler in 44.03.5 off 8.49 mile pace

If all I had on my radar was next Sundays Philly 10k I'd be slightly concerned however three weeks beyond the Philly 10k I need to double my mileage and add a mile......and then  six weeks after that double a half marathon into a full marathon.....something needs to give and give soon....if not now!!!

Good Craic/ Time To Crack On/ Don't Crack Now

 Another Olympics in the books amazingly 7 medals for Ireland, 4 Golds and 3 Bronze and a pair of 4th place finishes a great performance for our tiny country, what we lack in size, climate and facilities  we make up for in heart and determination, it will be interesting to see what LA28 yields in four years time and beyond, how many people will have been inspired by Team Ireland in Paris and look to become future Olympians, I of course was the other way around{I know, you're shocked!!} it was my running in High School track that lead me to watching my first Olympics in 76 in Montreal and thus the 48 years and counting love affair w/ running....although after yet another disappointing week in my prep for Dublin I feel a trial separation might be on the cards.......it will never be a full blown divorce running and I have been together too long for that but at this rate living apart for a while has been mentioned, not quite ready to move out but the spare  bedroom is getting a workout at the moment........

Wednesday Aug 7th Another night I either over estimated my ability to handle the humidity or under estimated how stifling it was.....the temps had finally dropped to 70 degrees so I felt confident heading out for a 12 miler, however as in recent attempts the humidity was  high 82% and yet again this would be my undoing....

Out the door by 6pm I was cognizant of my opening pace, on  my previous attempt at 12 miles I went out too hard for the opening 6 miles and paid the price for it after the turnaround so this time out I eased off the gas w/ splits of:8.42-8.53-8.52-8.48- as I reached Kelly Drive via Powelton Ave.....

When mile 5 crept up to 9.16 I knew what was coming next, the skies were grey and the air was thick and heavy, thanks to the cloud cover the turnaround on this 12 miler was way beyond where it was on on July 27th I had to go past Strawberry Mansion bridge where as on the previous run the 6 mile turnaround came up in between St John's Boathouse and the bridge, I live and die by the Garmin, gone are the days of " eyeballing" my distances but it's frustrating to do the exact same run and have differing turnarounds......I've seen "2001 Space Odyssey" I know these little feckers are not to be trusted!

9.20 at mile 6, 52.31 off 9 min mile pace the turnaround would have been 54.00 so my pace was slightly ahead of that.....however not long after the turnaround I stopped to walk b4 getting going again believing I could see it out....however  this proved to be a false dawn and I was forced to stop and walk again back down Kelly Drive

I somehow cobbled together a 9.35 mile for mile 7 but the writing was on the wall, a 9.48 split at mile 8 and b4 Boathouse Row I reluctantly said "No Mas"........and had to walk the final 4 miles home w/ my tail between my legs......

8 miles in 1.13.13 off 9.09 mile pace great if I was prepping for the Philly 10k in 2 weeks time but somewhat alarming for PDR in 5 weeks time that I can't hit double digit mileage  let alone the Dublin Marathon in 11 weeks time.........

Sunday Aug 11th Up and out the door by 7.30am, I'd elected for Sunday over Saturday as there was less humidity in the forecast.....however too much humidity for yours truly to handle.....AGAIN!!!!!! 70 degrees and 66 % humidity even at 7.30am, I had hoped a  16% dip in the humidity would help me......did it fuck!!!!!

Again cognizant of my pace I went out conservatively  for the opening mile in 8.42 followed by 8.54, however by mile three the sweat was heavy on my Dublin sleeveless shirt  as mile 3 went up to 9.03, I pushed on up Mantua Ave towards 34th St but crossing the Septa bridge I knew the gig was up, fuckin Garmin doesn't have my last two mile splits not that they were anything to write home about, much less blog but my overall time for 5 miles was 45.54.0 off 9.11, frankly I couldn't be arsed to try and work out what those splits were I'm at that point w/ my training right now.......

I keep saying now is not the time to panic and or throw my toys out of the pram  I still have 11 weeks to turn it around for Dublin, less we forget in 34 years ago the day b4 PDR I got notification in the mail I'd gotten into the New York City marathon at that point I was only up to 13 miles and over the next 6 weeks I eventually upped my training to 20 miles in the afternoons as I was on third shift back then on route to a glorious 3.06 time that got me into the Boston marathon 5 months later where I ran a then pr 2.54 so it can be done, I just need to keep the faith.....and pray this bastard humidity fecks off!