Irish Music Soothes The Savage Celtic Pagan......Ok......Sometimes......Not All The Time!!!!!

"Oh tell me the legends of long ago when the kings and queens would dance in the realm of the Black Rose, play me the melodies I want to know so I can teach my children so,Pray tell me the story of young Cu Chulainn how his eyes were dark his expression sullen and how he'd fight and always won and how they cried when he was fallen.My Roisin Dubh is my one and only love it was a joy that Joyce brought to me while William Butler waits and Oscar, he's going wild ah shur Brendan where have you Behan? looking for a girl w/ green eyes my dark Rosaleen is my only colleen that  Georgie knows best but Van is the man starvation once again drinking whiskey in the jar-o Synge's Playboy Of The Western world,As Shaw Sean I was born and reared there where the Mountains of Mourne come down from the sea,it's a long,long way from Tipperary"

Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend

Whoever coined the phrase "we make plans.....and God laughs" should either be taken behind the shed and given a good hiding or shot.....or  praised as a true visionary because once again I sit down here on a Sunday afternoon looking back over my weekly schedule  and having almost feck all to blog.........since I blogged Monday after my race the plan was to take a day off on Tuesday given I'd been up b4 the crack of dawn Sunday for the long run and again Monday for the race and have at it Wednesday,Thursday,Friday and Sunday.........pause now as the creator has a good laugh at my expense..........

Wednesday Sept 9th the only non race run of the week...and even that didn't go off  properly......for those of ye not up at 5.35am these days trust me it's dark at this hour...a far cry from a few months ago,I didn't see the first hint of daylight till 6.05am b4 leaving at 6.10am, officially daylight was at 6.36am,the slightly later start had put me behind schedule but to be honest I was overly concerned work will be there if I get in at 7.45am or 8am......my official start time so cutting the run short wasn't an option.....at that point.......When I reached the South St bridge I instinctively looked at the auld Garmin......and recoiled in horror when it wasn't moving.......bollox!!!! when I hit traffic trying to cross 39th St I guess I hadn't hit the reset button so instead of registering 2 miles it now said 1.28.........bollox....now I've been doing this route long enough all summer since my conversion to morning runs to know exactly where 2.5 miles comes in but I guess being behind schedule to begin w/ and now the prospect of an untimed  run lead me to do a 180 degree U turn and head back for an untimed 4 miler, for the record it was 71 degrees and 83% humidity and while I was a tad miffed at the loss of a mile I was still on schedule for the week the extra mile of the 10k and 4 miles this morning  equaled  10 miles.....2 more 5 milers and a Sunday long run at 12 miles a season best 32 miles for the week.......what could possibly go wrong.............?

Thursday Sept 10th I just didn't have it when the alarm went off at 5.25/5.34am.......waking up at 4.15am didn't  exactly lend its self to the cause but at this stage Saturday was still in play if need be.........

Friday Sept 11th W/out going off on an absolute diatribe re Thursday at work let me just cliff note it for ye, clocked in at 7.46am.......and clocked out at 7.56.......PM to say it was the mother of all shit shows is under selling it a 12 hour day 8 of which was spent on ONE feckin' project I began at 11.30am and didn't finish till 7.30pm, if I stopped twice to make tae at 1pm and 6pm I'm being generous, needless to say getting home at 8.30pm and not eating till 9pm and then having the hardest time falling asleep after the day from hell didn't really lend its self to getting up at 5.35am and going for a run,no need to throw in a Saturday run now to stay on track for 32 miles period but given my late departure meant an industrial size feckin' fork getting stuck into my traditional Thursday  post work trip to Aldi that now had to wait till Saturday morning.......still the Sunday long run was still a go yeah...........??????!!!!!!

Sunday Sept 13th well it's a good feckin'  job I nailed the all important 12 mile run last Sunday cos I was awoken at 5.50am to the sound of rain bouncing off the window..... we make plans and God laughs remember? asides from the lashing rain the humidity was off the charts and while I checked the phone to see if pushing my run back to the afternoon was doable I saw that while  the humidity was reasonable the heat had now gone up, 80 degrees fuck it anyway, a 2 day 10 mile week it is then!

I'm pissed but I'll get over it, we're only 2 days removed from the 25th anniversary of 911 so missing a few runs pails into insignificance  in comparison that's not to say I happy about it but in the general scheme of things it's small potatoes......and if there's one thing I know a lot about as a Paddy it's Potatoes!

 Another thing I know a lot about is Irish music which is becoming a bigger staple in my life  w/ each passing year,my parents met in an Irish pub in South East London where as legend has it the auld fella was singing, Irish folklore has it that the mother asked him if he'd be back there the following week," I will be  if you're going to be here" he informed her......smooth talker the auld fella and however long after that clandestine meeting  took place  yours truly entered the picture so yes Irish  music has always played an active roll in my life, both parents loved Irish music so it was always there growing up even if I was more interested in top 40 radio and whatever genre was  popular, Disco,Punk,Classic Rock/Heavy Metal,New Wave/New Romantic etc back in the day outside of traditional Irish bands  a la The Dubliners there weren't too many other acts to see on Top Of The Pops etc the odd sight and sound of Horslips and then slowly Thin Lizzy,Boomtown Rats,Van Morrison,U2,The Pogues,Hothouse Flowers changed that....and for the better

These days we have the likes of:Kneecap,Hozier,Amble,Kingfishr,Damien Dempsey,Mary Wallopers,Fontaines D.C all tearing it up {I'm also throwing in The 2 Johnnies given they also make music} and everytime I turn around a new Irish band is on my radar: Biird,Florence Road,Dermot Kennedy,Chasing Abbey,Madra Salach, Gurriers, Bleech 9.3,The Cliffords, Sprints,CMAT,The Scratch, and Huratan to name a dozen, in 53 years of being an avid music fan I don't recall a time when SO MUCH good music was coming out of Ireland......long may it continue period but when life keeps throwing industrial size spanners into the works for my running this wee Fenian needs  to replace it w/.....in an ideal world i'd like both........shurly not TOO much to ask now is it?
 

Never Mind The Bollox Here's A Double Digit Long Run And Medal #279.......

 "Just two boys from the flats sittin' around  now having a chat,representing Dublin 1 talkin' bollox  all day long"

Two Boys From The Flats-Eddie Sherlock & The Rattling Kind

Since last Monday through Saturday were...to put it mildly a " cornucopia of cock ups " I opted to blog Sundays long overdue double digit 12 mile long run and this mornings 10k together......a little unconventional but shur feck it tis Kevinrunningfree after all.....bit late in the shaggin' day now for conventional don't ye think????

Basically Monday thro Saturday went like this: Monday August 31st too tired to get up at 5.35am,Tuesday September 1st copy & paste,Wednesday September 2nd 93% humidity at 5.35am,Thursday September 3rd copy & paste,Friday September 4th got home from New York City at 2.40am......not much chance of getting up at 5.35am to run,Saturday September 5th still feeling the effects of the New York City trip.....

Sunday September 6th Now or never for this long run,the clock is  tickin' on PDR in two weeks time so I needed to have a cut off of a 12 miler today, not exactly ideal w/ a 10k on tap almost 24 hours later but needs must and beggers can't be choosers.Up by 5.50am although there were another 43 mins till sunrise,on a weekend I have some leeway w/ pushing back the alarm but not during the week, I think it was closer to 6.30-6.40am when I left by which time sunrise was  in bloom 68 degrees and 74% humidity a far cry from the 81% last Sunday that banajaxed me, opted for an auld route I hadn't ran in a while just to mix things up and try and keep things fresh,Powelton Ave,Mantua Ave,34th St,Lansdowne Dr Fairmount Park,Lansdowne Dr,34th St,Mantua Ave,Powelton Ave and home..........I wasn't overly concerned re pace and splits the more important numbers were the miles at the end, if I went sub 1.48 off 9 min mile pace fair fucks to me, if I didn't no harm no foul as long as I got 12 miles in. 8.40 for the opening mile b4 8.52 at  mile 2 and 8.51 on Mantua Ave at mile 3......so far so good. 8.59 at mile 4 and perhaps the proverbial writing on the wall,I didn't panic when mile 5 came up as 9.04 as the first half mile is uphill on Lansdowne Dr and is a notorious hoor of a hill.......Rut Roh Shaggy!!!! crossing Belmont Ave into Fairmount Park b4 I hit mile 6 my gallop was slowed by a locked gate,I'd encountered this once b4  2 years ago and ended up having to take a crazy arsed detour, feck all that shite today I was almost at mile 6 so I swung a left onto nearby Montgomery Drive and ran till Hal the lil bollox Garmin  registered mile 6 and I turned to make this an out and back.9.19-9.16-9.19 as I made my way back to Lansdowne Dr.when I hit mile 9 on Mantua Ave in 9.28 I knew I was going to have to go into head down get her done mode to see this through.....9.51 at mile 10 on Powelton Ave just b4 Penn Presbyterian hospital, stick or twist, call it a 10 miler and hope to tack on two extra miles next Sunday?..  OR gut it out and grind out the final 2 miles no matter how slow......."I'll take B please Neil".......9.54 at mile 11 and 9.57 at mile 12......BOOYAH!  12 miles in 1.51.35 off 9.17 mile pace.....slight pause as I shed the 600 pound Gorilla off my back! In March prior to the Love Run 1/2 marathon I logged an all important 12 miler the week b4 in what must be said much cooler conditions, hopefully next Sunday I can register a second 12 miler pre PDR period, if it's faster than today that's an added bonus

Monday September 7th For the second year the Freedom Run took place although this year it was out and back on W.River Dr/MLK Dr which was still off limits last year,the organizers added a 10 miler this year and while I was initially miffed and not knowing that given I was coming off of my 12 mile long run yesterday 10k was enough of a challenge let alone 10 miles! Decent race conditions sunny 64 degrees but 82% humidity to put that into perspective  a fortnite ago at Philly 10k it was  68 degrees but 91% humidity.I questioned the logic of back to back long run/race long b4 getting into the starting corral in front of the Art Museum b4 the air horn went off at 7.30am, the simple truth was I needed both the long run to bolster my chances of a good 1/2 marathon in 13 days time at PDR and the race to register medal #10 for the season but more importantly #279 for the career......as a wise man once said at an AA meeting way back when and I quote "you can do anything you want in this life.......if you're willing to pay the price that goes w/ it"......To be honest I just needed to finish speed, pace, splits,overall position,age group position weren't that important that said even on those days I still like a target to aim for so I opted for 8 min mile pace roughly 48 min....opening in 8.01 was heartening  despite the 5k and 10k going off together I not only got a clear run but more importantly didn't getting pulled out by the 5k speed merchants.8.16 at mile 2 and the humidity was already taking its toll.....not that this is my first  rodeo so I knew to suck it up and be grateful for the foresight to have drank plenty of water yesterday 8.32 at mile 3 and if memory serves me 25.39 at the turnaround b4 Strawberry Mansion bridge 51.18 pace??? 8.38 at mile 4 I knew I probably didn't have it to start emptying the tank now better wait till the 5 mile marker for that, as it was I dropped down to a 8.29 split b4 throwing what little I had  at it for the final 1.2 miles 8.22 for mile 6 b4 closing in 1.29, a fortnite  ago I closed in 2.02 51.47.2 off 8.21 mile pace, all things considered something to hang my bandana on.....oh and for good measure for the second year in a row overall winner of the 60-64 age group.In keeping w/ 100% transparency  I must point out this was my slowest 10k of all time and the first time in 69 10ks since my debut in Wimbledon in 1983 that I failed to stay below 50 mins.....ok so there was always a strong possibility of that happening today off the back of a 12 mile long run but frankly if it wasn't today it was coming,at Philly 10k two weeks ago I snuck under the 50 min barrier by the skin of my teeth in 49.58.3 so the proverbial cheque was in the mail, in 07 I had my first non sub 40 time a 40.03.0 in fact since resuming my road running career in 18 I've only once gone sub 40 a 38.55.0 time in 2019 and since 24 my times bar a smoking 45.43.1 last year at the Bridge Run have all been 48-49 mins so like I said it was coming.....but like I took it on the chin when sub 40 was no longer  a rite of passage I will deal w/ the potential that at almost 63 maybe sub 50 is no longer a given

Long run and medal #279 in the books, I suspect a well earned day off is on the cards tomorrow b4 hopefully jumping back in on Wednesday morning to see if a 5 day week is doable, I suspect the 90%+ humidity mornings are done this year....now to adjust my  pre dawn vision and get ready for post 6.30am sunrises......it's seldom dull for the wee Fenian that's for shur...... 

Like Something From A Hemingway Novel.......

"I was down the bottom half of some auld bar in Chinatown me shoes had brought the rain and soaked the space for lookin' down, as drunk as love is lethal I spun a lady round and I kissed her neath the waking of the Dublin City sky.She threw her shoes into her bag and danced just like a dream her face was rubied up just like no sun I'd ever seen she said I was  a phony,I said I could be mean and I treated her so badly I made my baby cry.The January markets filled the cold air w/ the sound the boys all full of laughter and their pockets w/ the pound and in the foggy dew I saw you throwing shapes around it was underneath the waking of a Dublin City sky"

Dublin City Sky-Fontaines  D.C.

Final week of August, are the Dog Days over or does mother nature have one final card to play? 

    Tuesday August  25th I had considered running Monday  but having gotten up at 5.30am Sunday for my race I thought maybe a  rest day was in order so I waited till Tuesday to kick things off w/my customary out and back down Baltimore Ave,South St bridge and the Schuylkill River Trail to Locust Point  and back.Conditions wise it was the pick of the week,64 degrees and only 68% humidity,I would be arsehole lucky to run in such conditions again this week......more's the pity!!! 42.11.7 off 8.23 mile pace off of splits of:7.57-8.28-8.30-8.30-8.32 shaving 5 seconds off of last Wednesday  run on the same route, it's amazing how much quicker I can run when the humidity isn't a factor? of course it's a trade off September offers less humidity.....but less  daylight......maybe I should've listened to "the mother" and ate my carrots so I could see in the dark!!!

Thursday August 27th Another Wednesday  skipped over,do I want or have to get into bed by 9.30pm each night to improve my chances of  answering the alarm at 5.25-5.34am.....???? Granted  it's post GAA season now so the podcasts are few and far between but I have non  GAA pods on my rotation,The 2 Johnnies,2 Johnnies Xtra, Talkin' Bollox, Talkin' More Bollox Tea W/ Me,Free State,The Lovely Show and RTE Soccer earlier in the summer when daylight happened much earlier I thought nothing of listening to 2 podcasts a nite between 8pm-10.30pm,now w/ daylight or lack thereof being an issue I find myself limiting meself  to either just one OR depending on the length of each pod can I squeeze in 2 and be in bed by 10pm to get up at 5.35am???? decisions decisions..........71 degrees and 81% humidity this morning on the newly modified 50th St,Paschall Ave,Grays Ferry bridge and early part of the Schuylkill River Trail and back route.Things began well enough w/splits of 8.32 and 8.28 but when mile 3 after the turnaround on the bridge of the trail crept up to 9.07 I knew the  proverbial writing was on the wall,managed to drop mile 5 back down below 9 min mile pace w/ a 8.48 to finish in 43.38.8 off 8.44 mile pace but it was steamy as fuck out there and not much past 6.40am........the cold bucket  of water over me in the shower post run helped........

Friday August 28th First back to back runs since July  28th/29th so that's a positive moving forward.....not so positive was the 91% humidity that went along w/ the Baltimore Ave,South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail,Grays Ferry Ave bridge,50th St loop in 71 degrees, however unlike Thursday when mile 4 got away from me today I kept everything sub 9:8.50-8.41-8.31-8.45-8.47 for a 43.35.3 time off 8.43 mile pace....and yes it was another bucket of cold water  dumped over me post run in the shower......much like the omni present humidity "I was getting used to it by now"Three weekday runs for the first time since the third week of July would lend itself to the narrative that I am slowly working my way back to where I was pre achilles  issues and where I'd like to reside for the remainder of the season,now for an encore could I make it 4 runs in a week and get a much needed long/double digit run in on Sunday????

Sunday August 30th The short answer is "could I fuck!!!!" another morning blighted by humidity 81% at 6.40am to accompany the reasonable 63 degrees that greeted me as I made my way up Powelton Ave for the first time in weeks.When I clocked 8.32 for the opening mile things seemed {on the surface at least!} to be tickin' along nicely......however b4 I even hit mile 2 I had the sickening feeling that I didn't have it this morning to go long, the target was 12 miles  as  the Philadelphia Distance Run is now only 3 weeks away and I would like at least one, if not two 12 milers under my belt b4 steppin' into a half marathon on September 20th.While it's customary to have moments of self doubt on any run sometimes ye really have to trust the auld gut instinct, I had 5 mile runs this week where I hit "bad patches" and questioned if I had it in me to see it through{I did!} but I'm auld enough, grey in the goatee enough and doing in this long enough to know when ye either have it or ye don't have it.....and sadly today was one of those days when I knew I didn't have it 4 miles in 35.46.4 off 8.57 mile pace, glass half empty another blown long run, glass half full a 4 day week to continue my upward trajectory of recent weeks

Some observations if I may from this week,running east every morning  just b4 6am towards the Schuylkill River as daylight was breaking b4 sunrise was like something out of a Hemingway novel hence the title of this weeks entry......what ye think I just throw shit together on a Sunday afternoon when I post Kevinrunningfree? there is an element of thought behind each title and set of lyrics that accompany  the blog the fact that I discovered that Hemingway's first novel was called "The Sun Also Rises" after the idea to title this weeks entry"Like Something Out Of A Hemingway Novel"  feels like Serendipity, I should point out I had a great photo of sunrise over the Schuylkill River Trail from the South St bridge that I was going to use....till I opted for the Fontaines D.C. lyrics of "Dublin City Sky and then I felt I needed a photo of sunrise in Dublin, hence the great shot of sunrise over my ultimate finish line the Poolbeg Lighthouse, Two I've not been shy about my lack of gra{love for those of ye who aren't fluent in Gaelic} for the out and back on Powelton Ave but I believe I have an alternate route just waiting to be run. When I'm crossing Grays Ferry Ave bridge two or three times a week I get to observe the bridge the city is planing to connect Grays Ferry Crescent Park across the Schuylkill River to a trail to connect to Bartram's  Gardens  which would allow for another mile out and  mile back, no date on completion of said bridge.......all I'll say is the city is in charge of the project.....the same city who took over 2 years to renovate the bridge on West River Drive below Spring Garden St bridge so don't hold yer breath expecting  this project to be completed  anytime soon!!!.......Finally and this is a sad observation on my part given the fact sunrise is getting later and later on September 1st it will be 6.28am on the 30th it will be 6.56am this week I was very  cognizant of the fact that I saw less women out running first thing in the morning as I had in the past  three months and while I don't take my own safety and well being for granted it's a shame women feel they can't run b4 it gets lighter and there are more runner out there  to offer a "safety in numbers " presence in a week when some arsehole was on trail for harassing women running in Center City recently it should serve as a timely if not unfortunate reminder that " the crazies walk among us".......and feckers say it's us the runners who are crazy........😒
 

Cu Chulainn 3 Achilles 2............#Ye'llNeverBateTheIrish

 "When you pissed yourself in Frankfurt and got syph in Cologne and you heard the rattling death trains as you lay there all alone Frank Ryan bought you whiskey in a brothel in Madrid and you decked some fucking blackshirt who was cursing all the yids at the sick bed of Cu Chulainn we'll kneal and say a prayer but the ghosts are rattling at the door and the devil's in your chair"

The Sick Bed Of Cu Chulainn-The Pogues

Full disclosure I've waited weeks for that title and those lyrics.....but I needed a week when I ran more than I didn't........Kevinrunningfree.....it may not be pretty....it shur as shit ain't Shakespeare.........but it's always 100% the truth!

Since I'm "cleansing my soul here" apologies for the lack of a blog last week but w/ only one run all week a 7 miler Saturday morning it really didn't seem worth  blogging.......and now  allow me to channel my inner Fin Wallace and D4 Dad......"I digress/We move" and onto this week

Wednesday August 19th I had planned to run either Monday or Tuesday but it just didn't happen, when I began getting up and running at 6am back on June 23rd it was a lot easier as it was a lot lighter now at mid way through August it's not light till almost 6am sunrise was officially 6.20am this morning.... to the point I had to dig out an auld bedside table lamp from the bedroom and put it next to the bed so that when the alarm goes off at 5.25am and 5.34am I can see what I'm doing when I get up, again in a case of being 100% transparent after I blew off Mondays attempt to kick start things the plan very much was to get up Tuesday and run.....I was awake b4 the alarm went off.....but I just couldn't rise to the challenge, the last four weeks have seen me revert to being a non morning runner, I've gone on record saying that it scares me how quickly I can fall in and out of a routine, I had 5 weeks of getting up and out the door by 6am  5 days a week until the achilles began acting up and now it's not automatic to do that...this too shall pass Opted for the Baltimore Ave,South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail to Locust Point and back route......I had considered doing it untimed I know the route like the back of my hand.....and while I wouldn't advocate doing it blindfolded I could do it in the dark.....which will be useful in a few weeks time when sunrise is 6.30am at the start of September!!!!As it was everyone's favourite mischievous Garmin Hal the lil bollox Garmin decided this morning was as good as any morning to act said bollox,the opening mile came up a tad early going up Baltimore Ave after 42nd  St so I already knew my splits would be off.....force of habit I checked it again on the trail and saw 2.54 before I'd even made the turn at which point there seemed little to any point paying attention to splits, pace,negative/non negative splits etc etc I was just happy out to be back up and out the door by 6am  running, the achilles felt ok, post run as the day wore on it felt a bit tender but during the run it was fine, if that's the new normal moving forward then so be it

Friday August 21st I did plan to be up and out said door by 6am on Thursday  however the  alarm didn't go off......the same alarm that didn't go off the morning of Broad St......as ye can tell I don't have a great relationship w/ technology!!!!!! Since it was Friday I opted for the Baltimore Ave,South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail, Grays Ferry Avenue bridge, 49th St loop 67 degrees and 81% humidity almost ideal 80/80 conditions, I will say since  converting to morning running my tolerance to the humidity has improved the last few years it felt like it  was my kryptonite but now despite still sweating worse than a hooker in a church I have found a way to  deal w/it it.At 41.33.0 it's fair to say I was moving at a clip, my mile average was 8.19 off splits of:7.50-8.15-8.26-8.38-8.23.A couple of point of note I spent over 11 years running Masters track between 400m, 800m, the mile and 1,500m,3,000m,5,000m and 10,000m I automatically got up on my toes to try and running quicker.....that mindset still resonates w/ me now in my road races which A is probably unnecessary and B doesn't help my achilles so I was very cognizant of trying to stay on the flats of my feet today and mid way through Wednesdays run  when I realized I had inadvertently "reverted to type" it's a small adjustment but if it keeps the achilles from bothering me it will be worth remembering on my runs.Also I tweaked  the end of this run,50th St doesn't run all the way to Paschall  Avenue if it did I wouldn't have felt the need to go up and down a block to 49th St on my runs  last Saturday when I basically had a "shot to nothing" on my 7 miler{another run where Hal the lil bollox Garmin  was acting the bollox!!!!!} I did a lil recon and  discovered heading home after Chester Avenue I can make a left on St Bernards St  which brings me out to Springfield Ave another left and  ta da......50th St on my right and  a straight shot home,sadly between Chester Ave and Kingsessing  Aveune there's a park so I'm not shur if I could continue in a straight line to and from my front door to Paschall Aveune but it might be worth checking out but that's for another day.

Sunday August 23rd It's race day the Philly 10k,my unofficial start to the Fall road race season,the first of 4 races in 6 weeks and the start of what looks like a very busy second half to my season, potentially 14 races between today and December 26th.....normally I come into Philly 10k a tad ring rusty as it's been my won't not to race since the first Sunday in May at Broad St.....however  plot twist the prospect of Cork 1/2 marathon next June 6th  being medal #300 has seen me throw in 2 races in between  {Philly Run Fest 15k in June and the Coffee Run 10k in Camden last month}  this year and adding another 5 races in Camden b4 years end w/ further potential for 2 more in January  to give myself the chance of  Cork 1/2 marathon being #300......it all sounds good in theory......let's hope it rings true in practice! No issues getting up by 5.30am and out the door by 6am and getting down to South Street by 6.40am to take advantage of next to no lines at the Portajohns b4 dropping off my bag at bag check and gettng into the corral just gone 7am following my pre race stretches.Got a spot in the A corral which hasn't been the case the last 2 years but the pre race plan had been to be near the rear of the corral and hopefully work my way through rather than go off half cocked and die in the second half of the race,then I saw the temps and humidity for 7.30am a comfortable 68 degrees but 91% humidity, thankfully this summer has prepared me for that but it's still a hoor to race in.Pre race the plan/hope was 47 mins off 7.45 mile pace but the 91% humidity was going to throw a spanner in those works so plan B go out at a comfortable pace and hope to hold on to it and work off the runners around ye.7.39 for the opening mile which is always slow as they are some tight streets in South Philly and I can't knock any of the residents who parked their cars outside their houses/row homes 7.47 for mile 2 as I made my up Snyder Ave to 13th St people were walking already,either ye went off half cocked or got into a corral ye had no business being in.7.58 at mile 3 I forget exactly what my 5k time was 24 mins and change sub 47 seemed unlikely at this point, the mindset was try and hold onto this pace and come mile 5 on 12th St  between Spruce and Christian   if there was anything left in the tank empty the fucker.8.11 for mile 4 and 8.20 for mile 5 the humidity had taken its toll but good to my word I emptied the tanks in the final mile 8.01 for mile 6 as I hauled arse making the turn at 7th and South St to cross the line just below 6th St in 49.58.3 off 7.57 mile pace A tad slower than last year when I ran 48.31.9 off 7.46 mile pace......in my defense yer honour I am a year older and the heat and humidity last were were both in the 70s......I rest my case! Medal #9 for the season, but more importantly #278 for the career, if memory serves me correctly last year {the first year Philly 10k gave finishers medals it was #261 so that's 17 medals in 12 months......not bad for an auld fart w/ a bum knee and dodgy achilles!!!!!!

Hopefully the achilles  will continue to cooperate w/ the extra icing and stretching I may invest in a ankle brace also, anything that will keep me out there logging miles in training and continuing to plunder races for medals will be welcome at this point, hopefully this week I can get back to a full compliment of 5 training runs  back into the swing of getting up by 5.35am and out the door by 6am,temps look favourable this week,need to double check on the auld humidity.........we move!

When Is Too Auld For Auld Shite?.........Asking For A Friend!!!!

 "Come here to me and I'll tell ye now did ye know I've got  300 cows the tax man  won't get my cash come into the jacks and have a look at me rash ye young lads think I'm a fool, I bet ya  ten bob I'll bate ya  at pool I don't clean up shur I live on my own ah go on to fuck would ye drop me home, I am the aul, the auld lad in the pub came for the craic not for the grub you'll have a bit of soup, you'll have a bit of soup this is the auld fella in the pub"

The Auld Lad In The Pub-The 2 Johnnies

Well the feckin' Dog Days Of Summer are back, hopefully a new pair of runners and some days off have helped the achilles and this blip in training is just that a blip.........

Tuesday August 3rd after  five days off I was chompin' at the bit  to get back at it....and how! Not only a negative splits out in 21.56 back in 21.10 but kept all five miles splits below 9 min mile pace:8.30-8.40-8.54-8.36-8.27 for a 43.06.8 time off 8.37 mile pace in 68 degrees and 72% humidity on the tried and tested Baltimore Ave,South Street bridge,Schuylkill River Trail to Locust Point and back route,Accu Weather had earmarked today as the pick of the week weather wise so it felt right to use today as my return to training........however for all my craic about coming from a long line of traveling people and having Gypsy  blood in my veins.......even I couldn't have predicted the ''catalog of fuck ups" that would shape the next  four days............Stephen KIng eat yer heart out.....here comes a real horror story!!!!!

Wednesday August 4th-Thursday August 6th Wednesday was innocent enough, I always  say I know if and when a rest day is on the cards when I don't wake up b4 the 5.25am alarm goes off.....on Wednesday it was the alarm that woke me not me waking up and checking the time on my phone, no biggie I still had Thursday,Friday and the option of Saturday b4 Sundays long run........Thursday August 5th,glass half full I was awake b4 the alarm went off......glass half empty upon checking the temps and humidity I discovered  95% humidity......and channeled my best Matthew Broderick in "Biloxi Blues"........man that's hot......Africa hot.......Tarzan couldn't stand that  heat..... and fecked off back te bed till 6.45am, even w/out a suspect achilles that was going to be a big ask.......on the subject of the auld achilles I had looked into new runners w/ more cushioning to help w/ that, not to plead poverty but until my substantial pay increase in May I have had to eek out a day to day/week to week existence over the last five years  in life in general, rent, food, bills trying to save for trips and putting money aside for my eventual retirement {seven years and counting.......but who's counting????me  muthafucker I'm counting!!!!!!!!} as well as my running,races don't come cheap and when it's come to shoes I've had to rely on cheaper,no name brands and up until this current pair have done ok but I can't help but feel w/  not quite 200 miles on these shoes it's no coincidence my achilles began to throb, in life as in Running shoes  ye get what ye pay for and I don't think it's a coincidence that these shoes w/ less cushioning than the last several pairs I've  bought were the ones that gave up the ghost on me........Found a reasonably priced pair of New Balance shoes on Amazon and figured I'd have at it, catch 22 the money on these shoes was roughly the price of my next race entry fee......however the shoes needed to come first if I didn't address the cushioning issue the race in late September may be a mute point and my entry fee a " charitable donation".........

Friday August 7th-Saturday August 8th Outside of Amazon I have next to nothing delivered here to the house, too much shit has " disappeared" off the door step in the last few years, I feel 90% of things I've ordered online  have gone AWOL.....might as well put a red flashing arrow on the door pointing to the item left on my doorstep saying Free Stuff, Help Yerself, Already Paid For!!!!!!!, at least w/Amazon  they are good about replacing stolen items.......however the runners were a time  sensitive delivery, nine orders out of ten I place on a Friday  for Saturday or Sunday delivery so at least I'm home  and even then 99% of the delivery drivers don't ring my doorbell to let me know it's there I've had deliveries left and after the fact checked my emails to see the "delivered" email in my emails w/ said photo{ funny how they have time to fire off a photo to cover their arse to say it was delivered but can't/won't ring a shaggin' doorbell???? and upon going to the front door the shit's gone.......According to Amazon if I ordered the runners Thursday morning they would be delivered between 5pm and 10pm  Thursday evening......given I could brake them in Friday morning and  maybe squeeze in a make up run Saturday  I figured why not.... I got home from work 6.20pmish  and checked my email "out for delivery".......and proceeded to keep checking my emails till I went to bed at 10.20pm only to be informed " sorry for the delay."..... ye didn't have to be an Ivy League school grad to see what the feck was coming down the tracks?????????????? Friday morning I get an email at 9.48am "delivered" w/ said photo of my $85 brand new New Balance runners sitting on the door step........what a fuckin' turn up for the books upon getting home later than usual gone 7pm to  find them gone!!!!!!!!!! Now comes the time honoured auld shite messaging Amazon re the delivery after a thumbs down emoji and explaining to them the delivery is gone I get the " if your order doen't show up by August 10th we will replace it"......ye'll do fuckin' what now ye shower of shite?? I appreciate I'm arguing w/ an automated bot it's like arguing w/ a jerk off on social media.....an utter waste of  my time so I asked { several times I have to point out!!!!!......feckin' computers.....Hal the lil bollox Garmin being a prime example!!!!!!!}  for an actual representative I could speak to .....I will say Carl w/ whom I spoke to  was very gracious  re the issue and asides from apologizing profusely { he didn't botch the original delivery Thursday nite or leave an $85 pair of runners in a shoe box on my door step in the heart of West Philly in broad fuckin' daylight b4 10am!!!!!!!} and assured me my new runners would be dispatched and delivered tomorrow.......

Saturday August 8th No point trying to run w/out the new runners so I was resigned to it being back to back 2 day weeks of training.....hey ho sometimes less is more and  maybe just maybe  all of this auld shite was the universe telling  me to slow my roll, I put in a serious body of work in July period but we were also heatwave free.......I'm a lot of things  but stupid and or naive I am not and it was a given we'd endure another heatwave or two b4 the end of August.....and maybe one in September, who knows? Officially heatwave #6 yesterday....and they're calling for another 3 days of 90 degree plus heat Sunday,Monday and Tuesday.....meh!As for the runners YES they were delivered yesterday afternoon while I was home .....and NO  the langer of a delivery driver did NOT ring my door bell to inform me  of this.....but did have time to snap a photo of said delivery on my front step.......God job I run to deal w/ this kind of auld shite!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday August 9th When I answered the snooze button at  5.34am and looked at my phone I saw 89% humidity.......not exactly great for a 5 miler.....hardly runner friendly for a long run, but in running as in life my attitude is "I'd rather try and fail, and know I tried then second guess could I have???"  and I was dressed, stretched and out the door by 6.15am 74 degrees was grand,,,,,but the 89% humidity was always  going to be a killer as I made my way down 49th Street to the Grays Ferry Avenue  bridge and the Schuylkill River Trail, I was heartened by seeing 3 other fellow runners  as I entered the path in Greys Ferry park that leads to the trail.....always somewhat reassuring ye are not the only one insane and or neurotic  enough to be out there that early in those conditions....#safetyinnumbers....9.00 flat for the opener and 8.29 for mile 2 .........however  b4 reaching mile 3 and the on/off ramp at South St bridge in 8.30 I knew my Goose was cooked........feckin' roasted goose in that humidity of Flambe Fenian......take yer pick!!!! continuing along the Schuylkill River Trail was folly so I opted to head home via the South Street bridge and Baltimore Avenue.At best a 5 milers but I had to settle for a stop/start 9.20 mile 4 and called it a day at 35.21.1 off 8.50mile pace........not so much no mas more ahh fer feck sake!!!!

Between the achilles last week and this week, the piss ballin' around w/ Amazon and now heatwave #6 it's been a frustrating two weeks but all I can do is " control the controllables" I've addressed the achilles issue, taken some time off, bought new shoes w/ more cushioning,iced it, put Wolf Balm on it, increased my stretches as for Amazon deliveries and global warming I'm fecked in the immortal words of John Bender in "The Breakfast Club"....."it's out of my hands!!!" hopefully this coming week sees less heat and humidity and more miles........not too much to ask for now....is it???......asking for a friend!!!!!!!

It Did Come Home........To Mayo..........Finally!!!!!

"Oh the Green and Red of Mayo I can see it still, it's soft and craggy boglands it's tall majestic hills where the ocean kisses Ireland and the waves caress it's shore oh the feelin' it came over me to stay forever more forever more stay forever more, oh the Green and Red of Mayo"

The Green And Red Of Mayo-The Saw Doctors

Not exactly the week I was hoping for.....but ever mindful that "caution is the better part of valour" a step back was better than a grinding halt......

Tuesday July 28th While there wasn't a Cow milked in Mayo on Monday I too opted for a day off to revel in Maigh  Eo's long overdue All Ireland celebrations, as a long suffering Cork Hurling fan I know what it's like to wait and wait and wait to climb the steps of the Hogan stand in Croke Park {Pairc an  Chrocaigh if we're being  technical!!!} but 21 years is feck all compared to Mayo's 75  year wait, to put things into perspective my late Uncle John was a young man when Mayo last lifted Sam Maguire in 1951 23 maybe 24 when he pasted away in 1998 some 47 years later Mayo had yet to reclaim Sam despite several near and at time calamitous  misses,mad to think he and so many other sons and daughters of Mayo never got to witness the unbridled joy in Croke Park last Sunday where even the hardest of hearts and the biggest of begrudgers would  resent Andy Moran and his team the sweetest of victories,Maigh Eo Abu!!!!Came up 8 seconds shy of a negative splits out in 21.51 back in 21.58 for a 43.49.8 off 8.46 mile pace in 71 degrees and 94% humidity.......not that's not a typo ......94% humidity,I was grateful for the breeze coming off of the Schuylkill River  for the middle mile on the traditional kick off to the week route Baltimore Ave, South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail to Locust Point and back

Wednesday July 29th A negative split out in 22.51 back in 21.40 out and back on Powelton Ave in 70 degrees and 90% humidity.....it's bad when ye  celebrate a 4% drop in the humidity........!!!!!For all my grumbling about the Powelton Ave out and back it continues to provide me w/ negative splits, today was not the first and hopefully not the last I have registered, it continues to be the road less travelled in terms of other runners out there compared  to  my other three routes which all feel like they are more popular but as I said a few weeks ago it doesn't matter who else is out there on a Tuesday or Wednesday as long as I'm out there.44.31.3 off 8.42 mile pace.

Sadly this would prove to be the end of the week for me, post race on Saturday I was painfully aware my right achilles  was a little tender.....the same right achilles that became an issue in 09 and cost me my shot at Worlds in Lahti  in Finland and flared up again 4 years later scuppering the 2013 season and another trip to Worlds in Porto Alegre in Brazil, since then I have made a point to stretch b4 each training run and race so why now after 13 years all of a sudden it's stuck it's head above the parapet is beyond me?

It wasn't lost on me that Saturday saw me return to triple digit monthly mileage for the first time in  eight months but I be hard pressed to say that's why now all of a sudden an auld injury  has flared up, I'm painfully aware that in order to make Cork #300 next June I have had to schedule  9 extra races from June 26 to June 27 to make that a reality......and IF push come the shove I have to drop some races and make #300 later in the year I will.....I plan to run the Cork 1/2 marathon  #300 or not, hopefully this bump in he road is all it is......while I don't drive i'm not unfamiliar  w/  ignoring the "check engine"message on the dashboard, catch 22 would I have been so willing to draw a line in the sand this week on 113 miles for the month had I been on 93 mile and 2 days left to log a pair of 5 milers Thursday and  Friday?......thankfully I don't have to wrestle w/ that.

I have  been icing the shit out of my achilles  since last  Saturday on a daily basis and a couple of times on the weekend, I looked into remedies for an achilles  injury and R.I.C.E {Rest, Ice,Compression,Elevation} remains the main cure, earlier in the year I bought Wolf Balm for my knee hoping it would help it didn't but in fairness to the makers of Wolf Balm it's more of a  Muscle and Nerve remedy where as the knee is more of a bone/cartilage issue and I have to say between the Ice, the Wolf Balm and a few rest days it feels better, I have also looked into stretches to strengthen  it so if ye see me w/both hand on a wall leaning back on my right achilles for 30 seconds at a clip don't be alarmed it's not some weird Fenian yoga just yours truly trying to stay injury free and on schedule!!

#113 miles for  July and a pair of 10 mile long runs,I'm way ahead of where I was  a year  ago when I relied on lunch time runs, I'm very aware we are entering The Dog Days Of Summer now in August, I plan to be back out there Monday or Tuesday morning just b4 6am to continue the journey, fingers crossed no issues w/the auld achilles  and hopefully next Sunday a 12 mile long run..........

 

All Roads Lead To Cork

"Then we used to meet by the courthouse on Washington Street, walked to Pairc Ui Chaoimh and get a Crio out of KCs, she took me for a jar in the Brog, The Wash,Clancy's and The Old Oak and I can here the echo and that young one busking Fields Of Gold, take a bow all the lights of Cork City, shine brighter now from Shandon out to Ringaskiddy I can't believe i'm falling for someone who drinks Tanora,but when you smile you stop the lights will you stay, will you stay,will you leave, will you leave, will you leave walk one last time hand in hand down Patrick Street,back home they won't believe us this girl has got me drinking Beamish way in the country, she'll still probably leave me for Roy Keane"

The Lights Of Cork City-The 2 Johnnies

Well, well, well what can I say quiet the week for the Wee Fenian, another week of 6am 5 milers, a rare July race,a return to the realm of triple digit mileage for the month{ w/ a week to go till the 31st!!!} and some amazing news not only for next year but also my quest for medal #300.......

Monday July 20th In what would prove to be a pivotal week for me a lively start to things,in pretty good conditions 64 degrees and 66% humidity I knocked out not only  negative splits out in 22.00 back in 21.09 but also all 5 miles at sub 9 min mile pace:8.37-8.57-8.32-8.35-8.27 for a  brisk 43.09.7 on the Baltimore Ave,South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail to Locust Point and back.How much of this was down to an"exchange of views" w/ a Lance Armstrong type on the Schuylkill River Trail, if he was any further up my hole at the on/off ramp he'd have been giving me a Proctology exam......is up for debate but the positive takeaway for me was after dropping a 8.32 split on mile 3 in and around our  clash/war of words I maintained that pace and dropped closing splits of 8.35-8.27{ ok I'm no Josh Kerr.....but who is?} which tells me the Three S's Speed,Strength and Stamina are in full effect period, but in mid July, which hopefully bodes well moving forward.

Tuesday July 21st I opted to make this my rest day but it was a major day for my running.......I've made no secret of my desire to run several 1/2 marathons in Ireland over the next few years in Cork,Belfast,Dublin{ both City 1/2 and Phoenix Park} and Galway to list five and to be honest the list grows as Dingle,Tralee,Viking 1/2 marathon in Waterford and recently discovered Clonrarf have also been added for consideration but as the son of a proud Rebel man Cork was always going to get top billing, it's been on my radar for a few years now what I didn't realize till I went on the race website on June 28th was it now has a ballot system to gain access to either the full marathon, half marathon or 10k AND the deadline for said ballot was midnite on June 30th....another couple of days I'd have been banajaxed,I duly sent off my application and tried not to over think the outcome, that said mentally July 21st had been circled if not on my calendar but in my head.......Technically they never said when on the 21st the results would be sent out online via email so at 7.01pm here Monday it was 12.01am in Cork and yer Man here was no stranger to his emails checking for news/updates.....shur I even checked at 3am here when I woke up hoping by 8am back home the results were posted.....nada!! Given I walked into a situation upon arrival at work at 7.45am there wasn't time to check emails until closer to 9am...............YEAH BAI!!!!!!!!!! I'm in!!! the chance to run the Cork City 1/2 marathon means everything to me period.......but to do it next year on June 6th is extra special as there is good chance it could also be medal #300...........how cool would it to be to hit the 300 mark in the very city my running began unofficially on August Bank Holiday 1972????? In order for that to happen there will be some tweaks to my race schedule both this year and early next year but hopefully if all goes to plan the Broad Street Run on May 2nd will be medal #299 and the next stop will be Cork City on June 6th.........#staytuned

Wednesday  July 22nd 74 degrees and 93% humidity hardly scream negative splits and 5 sub 9 min miles but maybe the euphoria of getting into the Cork City 1/2 marathon the day b4 was still driving me out and back on Powelton Ave 43.34.3 off 8.43 mile pace thanks to splits of:8.46-8.55-8.31-8.34-8.48, out in 21.55 back in 21.39 I should for the record state at the turnaround on Mantua Ave when I saw 21.55 I was thinking 22.55 which would be slow.....this might explain the brisk 8.31 3 mile split till I realized "hey gobshite 21.55....not 22,55" in my defense I was 6.15am.......I'm hardly bright eyed and bushy tailed at that hour let alone doing a 5 mile run....in 93% humidity I might add! To that end I could be forgiven for thinking it was a mirage when I counted  not only 4 other runners on the inbound leg but all four in the last few blocks up Cedar Ave the final two being inside the final block.While I'm not naive  enough to think I'm the only runner in my neighborhood it was nice to see other like minded individuals  period much less that early in the morning.

Thursday July 23rd Any thoughts of a third negative split and 5 sub 9 min miles run in a row were dashed early on and while hardly the end of the world it was somewhat frustrating given it was my favourite route out and back on 49th St, Paschall Ave,Greys Ferry Ave bridge and the start of the Schuylkill River Trail and back and conditions lent themselves to a fast time,67 degrees and 60% humidity.As soon as 9.06 came up as I hit Paschall Ave I knew it wasn't going to be brisk.....and frankly that's ok,each run doesn't have to feel like a time trail and while I did pickup the pace going downhill on Grays Ferry Ave bridge 8.51 the last three splits went :9.12-9.25-9.26, for the record out in 22.30 back in 23.31

Friday July 24th In an ideal world I'd have preferred to have ran Monday thro Thursday to keep my powder dry for Saturdays race but I also knew seven weeks into this block of training that a semi fast 5 mile at 6am Ftiday wasn't going to impact my 10k in 25 hours time.66 degrees and 79% humidity as I reeled off splits of:8.50-9.02-8.37-9.05-9.18 on the Baltimore Ave,South Street bridge,Schuylkill River Trail and 49th St loop, at least I had the satisfaction of a sub 45 min time,44.54.0 off 8.58 mile pace

Saturday July 25th Races in July are as rare as All Ireland's coming home to Cork{2005 in Hurling, 2010 in Football} but as luck would have it not only did I find one, it's part of a series of races across the country by The Best Races,that offer either a 5k,10k or 1/2 marathon in Atlanta,Memphis,Miami,New York,Phiily/New Jersey,Tampa,Austin,Chicago,Dallas,Denver,Houston,Kansas City,San Antonio,Las Vegas,LA,Phoenix,Sacramento,San Diego,San Francisco,Seattle, evidently they've had races over in Camden since May, they only just showed up on my radar prior to the July 4th race but I duly printed out all the races between today and Dec 26th and circled the ones I wanted to do, there are  ten more races on the schedule of which I plan to run five.....and yes before ye ask the website had the magical words finishers medal in the race info medal hoor that I am period but w/ the chance to hit #300 in Cork City in June I need to pick up the pace for my medal haul, should all the stars align  between now and Dec 26th I can end the year on #292 and hope conditions are mild enough in January when they have 2 more races{I may switch to 5k for them} b4 my traditional Winter/Spring schedule of Cupid's Chase 5k,Shamrock Run 5k,Love Run 1/2 marathon,Broad St Run 10 miler{ I could potentially axe the annoying Hot Chocolate 15k in April in favour of a long run in my build up to the 1/2 marathon in Cork in June}I knew ahead of time these races were " low key" no start/finish line no clock basically show up at the Wiggins Park Marina at either 7am,7.30am or 8am get your race bib and let them know which distance you were running.It was  along the river trail along the Delaware  River  from the Marina to the Ben Franklin bridge and back twice for the 5k, four times for the 10k or just over 8 times for the 1/2 marathon,I have to say prior to that knowledge my plan was 10ks this year and 5ks in January I couldn't imagine up and back over 8 times  for the 1/2 marathon, that's mentally draining but more power to anyone today who was tacking that I got a clear start in the 7am wave{given the trail isn't super wide the organizers try to limit it to 20 runners per wave on a first come, first serve basis} the eventual winner of the 10k and I would imagine eventual winner of the 1/2 marathon  went out at a pretty brisk pace I was happy to register 7.34 for my opening mile I was pretty much in no man land although another runner overtook  me  b4 we reached the Ben Franklin bridge b4 I eventually reeled him in and passed him by the third circuit.Given this was my first 10k of the season I had no real idea of mile pace I knew 7.30 was probably wishful thinking for now but not out of the realm of possibility later on this fall and 8 min mile pace  probably was setting the bar too low as it was I averaged 7.53 mile pace which means hopefully on a more traditional course for the Philly 10k in four weeks time maybe 7.45 mile pace isn't too far  out of my reach.the first 5 miles were all sub 8 pace:7.34-7.52-7.57-7.56-7.56, sadly 6 got way from me 8.11, I did check heat and humidity b4 the 7am start but for the life of me couldn't recall what they were, I can tell ye my Palestine running vest was soaked by the time I finished and had  dripped down onto my race shorts, thank the lord for a dry sleeveless shirt and  dry short waiting for me at the finish.According to Hal the little bollox Garmin it was 6.84 miles when I reached the start/finish at the end of 4 loops of the up and back, again when I run a more traditional course at Philly 10k in 4 weeks it should be 6.2 miles  and when I next rock up here in Camden on Sept 21st for the Octoberfest 10k I'll make shur to eyeball where 6.2 come in, stop the Garmin but keep running till I get back to the start/finish at the Marina.Medal #8 for the season,#277 for the career.......oh and by the way, 103 miles for the month, I had 97 coming into the race, potential for another 20 between Monday & Friday to round out July at 123 mile, I didn't hit triple digits till August last year, w/ that in mind at last years Philly 10k I ran 48.31.9 off 7.46 mile pace so lets see how much I can shave off of that in four weeks time?