{Therapy} Couch To 5K 2025

Monday January 27th

Welcome to the next few weeks/months, lunchtime 4 mile runs out and back along the Ben Franklin Parkway and Schuylkill River Trail/Kelly Drive

Temps were in the low 40's just gone 2 pm when I made my way westbound on the Parkway, there were still patches of snow and ice from last weeks snow as temps failed to get above freezing till the weekend, thankfully they were patches and not sheets of ice, I just had to exercise a little caution as I navigated them.......not that I had a full head of speed up......

I had no time target for this run....hell I wasn't sure I'd get 4 miles in but I did.....sucked a lot of air in doing so but I got there

36.17.9 off 9.02 mile pace.....hardly gonna strike fear into the hearts of my opponents but for the record an improvement on my previous 4 miler on Jan 14th of 37.23.7 off 9.20 mile pace......all great journeys have to start somewhere I guess this is mine

Tuesday January 28th

Three things ye can rely on.....Death, Taxes and my Garmin acting the bollix!!!!

When the opening mile came up way too early on said little bollix I knew mile 2 would be off also, to combat that I paused the fecker at mile 2 but continued my way along Boathouse Row and turned where I turned the day b4 to at least give me a fairly accurate closing 2 miles

For the numberphiles  out there among ye:34.31.4 off 8.38 but w/ a huge feckoff * next to them

Wednesday January 29th

First three in a row in long time and to mark the occasion a bastard wind to contend w/......nowth like adding a degree of difficulty to proceedings eh?

8.08 to open things, maybe a tad too brisk as mile 2  was 9.19 2 seconds slower than Monday,mercifully mile 3 is coming down as my levels of S&C {Strength & Conditioning} begin to slowly  return since Jan 13th my splits have been:10.33-10.01-9.51-9.57-9.42

The final mile down the Parkway to 16th St is getting easier and quicker:9.42-9.23-8.50-8.53-8.7 overall my time was 35.37-4 off 8.53 mile pace, IF Saturday was the Cupid's Chase 5k I don't think I'd be pulling up any trees, however I have another 6 runs till then hopefully I can continue to lower the 3S's...Speed,Strength,Stamina

Thursday January 30th

4 in a row hasn't happened in almost a year but so I could've been forgiven if I'd just " mailed it in today" and logged 4 easy miles.......nah.....feck that auld shite!!!!

When "Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade", fair to say work has been a major source of irritation of late and today was no different so when I headed out at 2pm I had the proverbial " full head of steam up" and any thoughts of " mailing it in" went for a burton....w/ a 7.39 opening mile....which was always going to comeback to bite me in the arse

8.47 for mile 2 and 9.23 for mile 3....a far cry from the 10.33 3rd mile back on my debut on Jan 13th, closing mile was  a modest 8.44 as I finished in 34.33.1 off 8.26 mile pace

What I can continue to do next week w/ my times and splits remains to be seen? it's the week of a race where I need to "keep my powder dry" it may behoove me to take my foot off the gas a little and just focus on logging the miles

Sunday Feb 2nd

Somewhat churlish to call 7 miles a long run but when I've  only been logging 4 milers in January I guess this is a long run as I plan to up my mileage over the coming weekends to get ready for the Love Run 1/2 marathon in seven weeks time

Out the door by 1.30pm, hopefully in the coming weeks Saturday will be my default day to " go long"but given my struggles w/ that most of last year I'm just happy to have gotten out today,next Saturday is my race but from Feb 15th to March 22nd I hope to "go long" in prep for the Love Run 1/2 marathon

Opted for the "short loop" Baltimore Ave,South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail,Powelton Ave,I may need to tweak it slightly to make it it 7 miles as a loop or make it an out and back 7 miles minus Powelton Ave on Monday but for today I threw in a slight detour to get it to the required 7miles

Time, speed, pace were secondary aims, the primary goal was 7 mile and...to that end it was a success 67.7 off 9.35 mile pace w/ splits of :8.48-9.19-9.32-9.20-10.06-9.43-10.19 the step up to 8 miles hopefully on Feb 15th should be a little easier

Overall a  good training week back to back to back to back for the first time in almost a year, a five day week also for the first time in almost a year and a weekend long run for the first time since 2 weeks b4 the Dublin Marathon in October, 24 miles for January,meager but a step up from the paltry 8 miles I managed in December { which was my race at the Schuylkill Loop} November was only 25 and 22 of that were my 4 races so the 23 I logged this week feels like a quantum leap, on a level playing field I could have 25 miles next week........more that I logged in the opening month of the year......motivation for the next  6 days....

 

Is It A Bird?....Is It A Plane??.......NO!!!!! Tis Only Himself Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

 

 

 Greetings sports fans.....just when ye thought it was safe to check the blogisphere.....this auld bollix decides to start running and blogging again.....

A fair amount of water has gone under the bridge since my last entry and not much else, following the Penn Relays 5k on November 16th I failed to register a single mile in training and promptly got my arse handed to me in the season  finale Schuylkill River Loop,I got what I deserved....feck all ,a finishers medal and race t shirt and boot up the hole for not running for three  weeks it felt a fitting anti climax to a season that began so well w/ such high hopes only to unravel b4 my eyes over the course of the year, there were a few highs and a few age group awards but there were also some big lows including recording my slowest ever times over 5k, 10k,10 miles,  and the marathon and only the mother of all shit shows in the 2017 Oddyssey  half marathon spared me from the Love Run and PDR being my slowest ever half marathons......as the saying goes when you hit rock bottom there's only one direction to go and that's up.........

When I failed to be motivated to run on New Years Day so often in the past  my symbolic " start the year off on a positive note" mindset/mantra I knew I still wan't ready.....thankfully a pair of lunchtime 4 miler on Jan 13th and 14th, kicked off the shackles....albeit for 2 days,circumstances beyond my control scuppered the following two days then we got snow and below freezing temps on Jan 19th which stuck the proverbial fork in another week of training.....however things took a turn for the better last week and for the first time since Feb 19th-25th last year l logged a 5 day training week, also I managed a non race weekend run for the first time since October 13th, time for yours truly to stop feeling sorry for himself and for my opponents to start feeling sorry,I'm not saying 2025 is the year of The Shamrock Warrior kicking arse and taking names  but it is I hope  a return to better things for my running

Despite Dublin being my slowest ever marathon I plan to celebrate the 40th anniversary of my debut marathon in November at the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd,42 weeks, to that end I have 9 races lined up between Saturdays season opener the Cupid's Chase 5k and the Penn Relays 5k on Nov 15th I also need to reverse an annoying trend of seeing my yearly mileage drop well below triple digits  769 in 2025, 723 last year,I know when I'm fully motivated and training to the full range of my talent the sky is the limit for me, somewhere in the last 2 years that has slipped between the cracks......time to reclaim it, the blood of my forefathers that pumps through my veins, nothing came easy to them, they had to fight for what was theirs had gone cold...it happens,what happens next is up to me,time to reclaim what's mine, it won't be handed to me, nor do I wish it to be, I'll reclaim it the old fashioned way.....I'll fuckin' earn it...

U Penn 0 Palestine 1

 Nothing like running a race on your doorstep and your own backyard, the 4th annual Penn Relays 5k, for once NOT  part of a double header, in 2021 and 2022 it was the day b4 the Run For The Blue 5m race on Market St in late October and last year it served as a November double header w/ the Bridge Run 10k, thankfully this year it stood in its own

Franklin Field holds a special place in my heart when I moved out to West Philly in 06 it became my home base and pretty much all of my prep for Indoor and Outdoor Nationals between 06-16 was conducted on that track, I also got to run a few Masters 4x400m relays w/ my former club at the prestigious Penn Relays there and in 2010 ran my first ever sub 16.00 5,000m in something like 15.58 at a college meet.....yeah Franklin Field and I have a history

While Franklin Field and I have a storied past me and the University Of Penn don't see eye to eye, their treatment of students who were Pro Palestine this Spring was nothing short of shameful in a country where Freedom Of Speech and Freedom Of Expression are not only encouraged but also part of the Constitution  anyone who set up on the main campus to oppose UPenn's  backing of Israel's shameful behaviour  in the Gaza Strip and West Bank were either arrested, threatened w/ expulsion or not allowed to sit end of year exams, eventually the Campus brought in Philadelphia Police to brake up the make shift camps students had set up to demonstrate the Genocide in Palestine and drew the wrath of the Governor of Pennsylvania one Mr Josh Shapiro.......you don't need to " join the dots" to work out who's side of the conflict he was on or whom he would lend unequivocal  backing....., to that end this felt very much the race to wear my Palestine running vest that I wore in Dublin and my Ireland/Palestine t shirt as my warm up shirt

Franklin Field is roughly a mile from where I live so it's an easy get to the morning of a race, I was out the door at 7.30am and on the infield picking up my race number by 7.50am, conditions were sunny and mild for mid November in what was my 11th race this season, as I missed the deadline for entries on next weekends Rothman 8k or Philadelphia Half Marathon this was my second to final race of the season, the year ending Schuylkill River Loop 8.4m will bring the curtain down on a frankly mixed bag of a season, I had said last week after the Rocky Run 5k prior to the 10 miler an hour or so later that I couldn't really gauge where I was at over 5k, today would give me a better idea based off last years results in the 60-69 age group I needed to run in the region of 22.30 at 7.30 mile pace to have a crack at a top 3 finish and getting on the podium

In a field of 217 I knew I needed to be near the front when the siren went off on the south side of the track as we did a lap of the track b4 exiting through the gate onto the sidewalk of  33rd St and towards Penn Park behind Franklin Field , I got a clear start and went through the opening mile in 7.17....although my Garmin aka Hal The Little Bollix didn't register the opening mile till after the official 1 mile marker.....in a season where so much hasn't gone to script this felt like the least of my woes..... 

7.50 at mile 2......again after I went through the official 2 mile marker now for the fun and games.....I can't say for certain the runner  ahead of me cut a loop of Penn Park but I didn't recall seeing him in front of me the last 2 miles now all of a sudden when he should've gone right for lap1 he went left for lap 2.......I don't object to getting beat by runners who are faster and better than me but I draw the line at people who cut loops off a race period muchless a 5k......., not content w/ that infraction he then cut the corner of the turn towards Franklin Field.....everyone else went around the turn he went across it....small potatoes  when ye've cut out an entire loop of Penn Park I guess but it was the incentive I needed to dig deep w/ roughly half a mile to go..... and promptly dropped him like a bad habit.....

Back into Franklin field up the back straight around the top turn  down the home straight to the finish line, 22.22.12 off 7.37 mile pace, 51st overall but 3rd in the 60-69 age group 11 seconds behind second but more importantly 34 seconds ahead of 4th, to compound how off Hal The Little Bollix is when I crossed the finish line which is 3.1m it read 2.94.......like I said Little Bollix.......

For only the third time this season in eleven races I made the podium it's not something I take for granted, I don't have a divine right to rock up at a race and think " oh yeah Top 3/Age Group Award" it has to be earned and worked for, if I can finish out the season in three weeks time on the podium at the Schuylkill River Loop it will be a good way to end a frustrating season, to that end I need to knuckle down this week and resume lunchtime training runs, since returning from Dublin I've raced more times {4} than I've trained {1} I am still in that " mile a day recovery from a Marathon" mindset as of today it's been 20 days, come Friday my " statute of limitations" expires time to get back to basics

Aah Bisto.....It's All Just Gravy At This Point

 For the final time this season up at Silly O Clock  for a race, after today my final two races are at 8.30am and 10am, when ye're up b4 the birds and sunrise at 5.30am to be out the door by 6am to be at the Parkway by 7am for the 5k at The Rocky Run it's always a "Rocky" start to yer day!, but if I wanted medals #9,#10,#11 for the season and #252,#253,#254 for the career that was the price I had to pay.....

Down to the Ben Franklin Parkway by 6.30am ample time for one final pit stop at the Portajohns b4 getting into the corral, I'm not sure if this was the first year or second year the Rocky Run had sold out, it is growing in popularity since I began racing it in 2017, granted 5ks are a " dime a dozen" these days but outside of Broad Street I can't think of too many 10 mile road races and having been shut out of the Rothman 8k in two weeks time for leaving it too late to register I should be grateful I got my {Sham}Rocky Run registration in b4 I got fecked out of this also....

Despite being in the A Corral I didn't make it into the first wave, which was grand as I knew I'd only be standing around waiting for the 10 mile race to go off at 8am....an extra 2.5 mins rest wouldn't hurt any...the issue w/ running two races in roughly an hour is I can never get a true reflection on what either race is, can't go balls out in the 5k knowing a 10 miler is around the corner, next Saturday at Penn when it's  the Penn Relays 5k I'll get a truer reflection of where I'm at over 5k, 7.28 for the opening mile I honestly hadn't given any thought to speed, pace time for either race, at this point in my season it's just about adding medals to the collection and getting ready for the off season

7.55 at mile 2 after the turnaround followed by a 7.54 third mile and 53 seconds for the .1,- 24.10.1 hopefully next week on a flatter course and only one race my time will be quicker....

The 5k runners were still going off when I returned to the start so I knew an 8 o clock start to the 10 miler wasn't happening and while an extra 15 mins recovery was grand and all that it allowed me and everyone else doing the Italian Stallion Challenge of 5k and 10 miles to stiffen up.....

Again I hadn't given much if any thought to pace, time, speed for the 10 miler, when I saw 8.28 for the opening mile I kinda knew what to expect, frankly 1.30 off 9 min mile pace would be ok........9.08 at mile 2 going up Brewery Hill and over Girard Ave bridge b4 hitting West River Dr via Sweetbriar Dr three sub 9s of 8.47-8.42-8.57  on route to the turnaround at the Conrail bridge and mile 5.......

Mount Friggin' Drago a series of  up hills, three, maybe four but what goes up, must come down so while mile 6 ballooned up to 9.59 mile 7 dropped back to a semi respectable 8.39, once back on the flat  of W.River Dr I knew I had one uphill off Sweetbriar and Lansdowne after mile 8 b4 the downhill of Brewery Hill to Kelly Dr, mile 9 and then the slight uphill towards the Art Museum and the finish......in front of the Rocky/Art Museum steps

9.02 at mile 8 and 9.25 at mile 9 at this point beating whoever was around me wasn't a concern.......hold my Guinness Zero.......while negotiating the final incline on Mount Drago I was somewhat agitated by some gombeen having a full blown conversation on his phone via his ear buds " I'm at the top of the hill" " I went out too fast" "I'll be at the finish in half an hour"..... fuck up and get away from me if I could've sped up to spare myself from his auld shite talk I would've but I was happy for him to be ahead of me out of earshot.....cue the final half mile uphill towards the finish.....Gombeen wasn't talking now and judging from the stain on the back of his grey Rocky sweat pants he'd either pissed himself.....OR a fart had followed through....maybe it was sweat either was I was happy to have at least beaten him to the finish line

9.04 for the final mile 1.30.24 off 9.01 mile pace

Three more medals to the collect, three closer to #300 which if I'm lucky will be by the end of the 2027 season, to aid and abet that I'll be back here next year on November 9th for another{Sham}Rocky Run and Italian Stallion Challenge and another 3 medals

One Down, Forty Nine To Go.......

 Given the season I've had it would have been very easy to draw the proverbial line in the sand after Dublin and say that's it.......however having reached the #250 medal plateau in Dublin I'm now looking down the road at #300 so w/ a potential seven more medals up for grabs between November 3rd and December 8th there was no time to sit back and call it a season so while the masses were off to New York City for the marathon the rest of us were heading to Camden for the Cooper Norcross Run The Bridge 10k

Another Sunday I got an extra hour in bed as our clocks went back this week and another Sunday the race didn't begin at Silly O Clock {8.30am} that said I still had to be up at 6am and out the door by 6.30am to get to the Camden side of the Ben Franklin bridge by 7.30am to give myself an hour to prepare

Good conditions for the first Sunday of November, between my socks, calf sleeves and knee sleeves I'm well insulated from the cold from the waste down but I went singlet and no shirt, short or long sleeved....how long I can continue that between now and Dec 8th remains to be seen.....it can be a crap shoot running over the Ben Franklin bridge in early November in the morning I've lucked out the last few years since adding the Run The Bridge 10k to my Fall race season, I recall its predecessor the now {sadly} defunct A To Z 10k from the Camden Aquarium to the Philadelphia Zoo that went over the Ben Franklin bridge one year in particular my hands were frozen coming off the bridge on the Philadelphia side b4 cutting thro Chinatown to the Parkway and eventually the Zoo

Got my customary clear start from the gun and made my way through the field on the left hand side of the bridge knowing the turn back across the bridge would be to my left, even though for whatever reasons this season I'm not running at the pace I have been my brain is still as sharp and if I can run less distance w/in the parameters of fair play to shave a few seconds off my time fair play to me

I was a bit bemused there were no mile markers on the bridge to indicate miles 1 and 2 I believe the 3 mile marker onwards was posted and while it's no big deal as most runner have Garmins I just think that just one of those things as a runner you expect, again not a big deal more of an observation

I had no agenda today other than to finish so when my Garmin said 8.16 for the opening mile I was non plus w/ that, knowing the opening mile is uphill it was always going to be a little conservative, since mile 2 was downhill the 7.45 split helped balance that out

7.59 at mile 3 I was give or take on 8 min mile pace and looking at 48 mins, again I wasn't overly concerned w/ pace, splits, speed overall/age group finish, take Dublin out of the equation I'd have come into this race off the back of the Run For The Blue 5 miler on Oct 20th and probably 2 weeks of solid training w/ maybe a 10 miler last weekend inbetween as it was this was my first run since Dublin and I probably still had some marathon miles in my legs, hopefully this week leading upto the Rocky Run on Saturday I can flush out any gunk in my legs during the week.

7.33 at mile 4 I'd taken advantage of the downhill off the bridge and now flat terrain on route to the USS New Jersey behind the whatever corporate name the concert venue in Camden is these days and heading back along the Delaware River towards the Ben Franklin bridge, 8.03 at mile 5 at this point any one I could pick off ahead of me was a bonus while it was a race I wasn't in " race mode" like Dublin last week if ye beat me ye bete me fair fucks to ya, just getting to the finish was enough 7.57 at mile 6 and now the approach to the track for the new finish this year maybe 150 meters or so....the track runner in me couldn't resist a kick coming off the turn and up the home straight to the finishline.

49.38.4 off 7.55 mile pace, 9 weeks ago at Philly 10k I ran 48.55 off 7.53 pace so throw in a marathon a week ago I guess it balances its self out, overall I finished 204th out of 1620 6th in the 60-64 age group 3.06 off the podium

It's another medal closer to #300 and another 6 miles onto my yearly mileage tally which is creepin' closer to beating last years tally, hopefully I can  log a couple of lunchtime 5 miles this week b4 Saturdays 5k and 10 miler at the {Sham}Rocky Run.....

250 Not Out...............

Fare thee well sweet Anna Liffey, I can no longer stay and watch the new glass  cages,that spring up along the quay my mind's too full of memories too old to hear new chimes, I'm part of what was Dublin,in the rare oul times.......

The Dubliners Dublin In The Rare Old Times

A few days have elapsed since Sundays Dublin Marathon I wanted the dust to settle b4 committing my words to the blog, nothing has changed since crossing the finish line Sunday lunchtime, sure my legs hurt a lot less than they did as I crossed the finish line on  Mount Street Lower, my finish time is still my slowest time ever but the smile on my face when I think of the race as a whole gets wider

I knew going into Sunday for whatever reason I was on a hiding to nothing,after a brisk 21.02.54 5k on Feb 10th my season has gone downhill rapidly.....or faster than Alberto Tomba in the Giant Slalom as I'm fond of saying,I kept waiting and hoping for a turning point all season  but it never came, by the time I struggled to a  record slowest half marathon at the PDR six weeks b4 Dublin in 1.54.44 off a generous 8.44 mile pace and then four weeks later could barely get a 9 miler in off 10.11 pace I knew I had two choices, bag Dublin and let down several family members who'd booked a weekend in Dublin to see me run and accept I was on a hiding to nothing, about to run my slowest ever marathon.....or go along for the ride and maybe get a new perspective on running the marathon,all of my previous 15 marathons had been built around trying to get from point A to point B in as quick a time as possible,this time maybe I could soak it all in enjoy the sights and sounds around me and maybe interact w/ my fellow marathoners......when in Dublin as they say!    

A nice change of pace.......{ no pun intended!!!} not having to get up at the arse crack of dawn to be at the start, a respectable 8.45am start for once,granted my corral spot was based off a projected 3,30 finish that I knew was wishful thinking but I didn't feel the need to move back into the slower corrals these runners were going to pass me anyways sure I might as well stay where I was  and  just focus on what I had to do,I did however make a point of starting near the back of the Gold corral....no point in everyone passing me thinking "look at yer man here,,,,feckin' gobshite!!!

By nature I'm a meticulous planner and no less so as a runner, this time out the only plan was to reach the finish so pace etc was not an issue, get out get into a good rhythm and hope for  the best, based on my last race the Philadelphia Distance Run six weeks ago I got eight miles in b4 having to stop and walk b4 getting going again and then hitting a  "wash, rinse, repeat" mode over the final five miles, the further I could get today the better, no target mile mark but anything above mile 8 would be a plus.......

My opening 10 mile splits were: 8.29-8.18-8.40-8.21-8.39-8.41-8.43-8.23-8.48-8.37 1.23.39, glass half full off that pace I could reach mile 20 in 2.47.18 but I knew that wasn't going to happen, somewhere between  exiting Phoenix Park and mile 11 the inevitable happened and I stopped to walk b4 getting going again,it sounds churlish when I say I was delighted and surprised to reach 10 miles w/out stopping but this was where I was coming into Dublin, the next 16 miles were going to be a challenge........enter the crowd and my fellow runners,I got so much love and support from everyone around me it boosted my moral,in my previous 15 marathons since 1985........{YES I'm very aware next November is the 40th anniversary of my 26.2 debut........} I hadn't struggled this much for this long so I hadn't had to lean on the crowds and my fellow runners.......however there is a reason why Dublin is known as "The Friendly Marathon" they lifted my sagging limbs and spirits to the finish line and while it isn't possible to thank everyone who cheered and encouraged me offered me Water, Lucozade, Jaffa Cakes, Gummies, Wine Gums, Salt Tablets, and told me I'd make it to the finish "Go raibh maith Agat"......or "Thank You" for the non Gaelic speakers/ readers of my blog.........Kevinrunningfree in Gaelic coming a long way off!!!!

For the second time since 2001  I hit the deck during a marathon, in Philly in 01 in the closing four miles the loop of the lace of my running shoe  got caught on my toe and sent me tumbling in Dublin between mile 15 or 16 I misjudged a manhole cover and caught the lip of it and went crashing to the ground, thankfully my catlike reflexes  meant I threw out my right hand to try and brake my fall, I picked up some nasty Dublin road rash for my troubles and some bruising around my right hand, right shoulder, right hip but it could have been far worse, my injuries could have been race ending and I could have caused a chain reaction, if anything I was more embarrassed to fall in public in front of a large crowd but upon getting to my feet and letting those around me I was ok I joked " let this be a lesson folks.......don't drink and run!!" and continued my quest towards the finish,at this point  THAT was all that mattered

Even though this was a sub standard marathon  by my standards, there were other runners around me who were also struggling and when I was  in those moments of being able to run rather than walk I tried to lend support and encourage my fellow runners we could do this and reach the finish, I joked to one runner that there was no difference in the finishers medal if we walked or ran!

I worked together for a mile or so between mile 22 and 23 w/ Colin a 26 year old Dubliner who had gotten sick on Wednesday and was struggling b4 he encouraged me to press on w/my own race and not worry about him, he said this would be his first and last marathon to whit I said at 26 I had bad marathon days and bounced back and kept coming back for more, I hope Colin will try again in a year or two

When I reached the turn at mile 24 I knew I was close, at no point did I ever think I wouldn't finish,my goal was to finish like every other marathon if it was sub 4 hours that would be a bonus,I knew that wasn't going to be the case now.....and frankly I didn't give a fiddlers....it might not have been fast, I may have walked quite a bit of the preceding 14 miles but I was going to cross the finish line and claim  medal #250 and honour the memory of " the auld fella" who died 40 years ago on Oct 27th 1984, b4 my marathon debut in Harrow in Middlesex in November 85 I had plucked some grass from his grave and wrapped some scotch tape/celotape   around it and taped to the back of my race number, on one of my last trips back to London I had plucked some more grass clippings from near his headstone to repeat the gesture

I knew prior to heading off my family would be somewhere inside the final mile but I only caught a glance of my nephew Tom and brother in law Chris  b4 I made the turn towards the finish,my calves had been cramping for most of the second half of the marathon as I hadn't drank enough water in the build  up to today, had I been " firing on all cylinders" I would have left " no stone unturned" in my pre race build up but it's been that kind of a year, the proverbial writing had been on the wall way back on March 24th when I ran 1.29.17 for the Love Run half marathon off 7.29 mile pace and sadly for whatever reason I was never able to turn the proverbial corner, to my knowledge I'm not sick or injured I just haven't been able to race to the degree I'm used to or train to the levels I'm used to,picked the wrong year for the shit to hit the fan...

4.34.08 off 10.24 mile pace the final 16 miles went:10.16-10.09-10.39-12.12-10.26-12.38-11.35-11.35-12.11-12.07-13.32-12.40-11.25-11.43-11.52-10.10-3.19....but I FINISHED!!!!

The medal felt sweet,I'd earnt this one I felt and when I eventually made my way back to the Grand Canal Hotel to be reunited  w/ Mrs Shamrock Warrior and my family no one cared what my time was,what my pace was or that I'd walked /ran the final 16 miles, they were just happy I'd finished and been a part of the journey.......

I won't say if this is my last marathon or not, bit too soon to make that determination,I haven't ruled it out, I would consider Dublin Marathon again but lets let the dust settle,now that I've reached #250 the target is #300, if everything stays on the up and up that could take another 3 years but one race at a time, one medal at a time and after today one Guinness Zero at a time......Slainte!!!!

Another Brick In The Wall....

Another 5 miler in the books,another 5 miles towards hopefully triple digit mileage this month.....its going to be close so every mile counts

Once again "Hal the little bollix of a Garmin" fucked me partially  my fault for not paying attention at the opening mile,in my defense yer honour I didn't feel the Garmin vibrate which would have alerted me to the fact the mile split came up too early as the 6.43 mile split indicated.....at this point in my season of discontent I shouldn't be too surprised at anything that goes wrong.......

Having missed the opening mile split I saw 8.14 for mile 2 b4 8.57 for mile 3, as is my won't on a good day I ran beyond the turnaround point but knowing that "Hal the little bollix" was off I wanted to try and get the run as close to 5 miles as I could

9.27 for mile 4, a bit slow,but at this point I was just switching to neutral mode and looking to see out the run w/ a hopefully long/longer run on Sunday

8.51 for the final mile for a questionable 42.13.2 time off 8.26 mile pace,one that won't go down as a memorable run and will instantly be forgotten if I'm being honest,in the general scheme of things nothing of note today.....other than a timely reminder to fish out "Hal's" instructions and see if I can calibrate the little bollix.......but also my final lunchtime run b4 not only b4 Dublin but also The Bridge Run 10k the following Sunday,upon my return to work on November 4th I'll be getting ready for "The Italian Stallion Challenge" at the Rocky Run followed by the Penn Relays 5k, Rothman 8k and the season finale the Schylkill River Loop 8.4m.......which yet again will be an out and back race as the yokes in charge of rebuilding the bridge under Spring Garden St bridge are still working on it 18 months and counting......said it b4 and I'll say it again if Wimpey or John Lange were rebuilding it it'd been done LONG ago