Hangin' In & Hangin' On

 "Then you close the door and leave me screaming on the floor oh baby, I just buckle I can't take it anymore let you walk all over me honey you make me feel like my therapy is a waste of money drinking it down, haunting your city falling for anyone who tells me I'm pretty I blocked your number but you didn't notice oh God,I thought I was too old for this, I should be over it,I'm much too old for this but I'm not over it cause I'm stupid and I'm damaged and you're a disaster when you walk into the room oh, none of this matters oh baby I just buckle my resolution in tatters cause I know it won't work, but make it ache make it hurt I'm not better than this, show me what I'm worth keep me a secret, choose someone else I'll still be here hanging off, I'm hanging on your belt the buckle of your belt"

Buckle-Florence & The Machine

So the feckin' Groundhog  saw his shadow so that means another six weeks of Winter at least the temps finally got above freezing during the week so that some of this crap might thaw out and melt but once again come the weekend it plummeted below freezing again and another  long run went by the way side....

Monday Feb 2nd After 9.3 inches of snow and 9 days of below freezing temps I was finally able to get out and run for the first time since Jan 23rd, to say I'd been climbing the walls was an understatement.......Obviously there was still snow and ice on the ground on the sidewalk as I made my way up the Ben Franklin Parkway towards Kelly Drive but thankfully someone had ploughed/shoveled a path to make it accessible for pedestrians and runners like myself who wanted top get out and run

At 32 degrees it was hardly balmy but given the previous week had been in the teens and low 20s this felt like  a Summers day, the sun being out to boot always helps,there were still patches of snow and ice on the route to the 2.5 mile turnaround just beyond Girard Avenue so at times I had to exercise a little caution and slow down or stop to negotiate them, in these condition "Safety First" is the mantra

42.25.6 off 8.25 mile pace and remarkably a negative split out in 22.07 back in 20.18 but trust me it was a case of getting it done w/ so I could be back inside in the warm more than  anything!

Tuesday Feb 3rd As is my won't an untimed run out and back along West River Drive.......the frozen Schuylkill River.........it's probably been ten years since it was this cold that the  Schuylkill froze but it should tell ye just how fackin' Baltic it has been here in the last week and a half

At 37 degrees it felt pretty good and again a bit of sun always helps however I was somewhat surprised not to encounter anyone else out there at lunchtime, I counted a handful of fellow runners on Kelly Drive yesterday but it was just yours truly out there on West River Drive today

Wednesday Feb 4th I had already written off attempting the hills of Lemon Hill Dr,Sedgley  Dr and Popular Dr as I figured they wouldn't be "user friendly" period much less for a tempo run and frankly after the arse fuckin'  I took at work all morning it was  a credit to me I ran at all, I elected  to do an untimed  5 miler out and back on trusty Kelly Drive as I knew it was manageable underfoot, given I'm 10 days out from hopefully the season opener on Feb 14th now was not the time for throwing caution to the wind or playing fast and loose w/ health and well being

I didn't record the temps I think it was around 37/38 degrees I know the sun was out as the thaw continues to slowly melt the remnants  of the 9.3 inches of snow,alas we are still going to be dealing w/ this for the foreseeable future,,,,,,,

Thursday Feb 5th File under " careful what ye ask for" I still had the option of a Tempo Run if I wanted it....however in my haste to get out the door in the morning I forgot to unhook the Garmin off the charger so that put the kybosh on that, since I'd already done Kelly Dr twice and W.River Dr once this week already I thought a change of scenery and a venture along the Schuylkill River Trail was called for...........

Things were grand until I reached the footpath from Locust Point to the South St bridge which was still covered in snow and ice bar a narrow path to the right of the trail, even if I'd had the Garmin a tempo run in those conditions underfoot  would have been wishful thinking or a recipe for disaster so I cut my losses and settled for another untimed 5 miler

Glass half full I'm grateful for the four runs this week even if three of them were untimed it allowed me to get back into a routine which hopefully will continue next week and the weeks to come, glass half empty I already knew the weekend was shot in terms of a run of any type  muchless a much needed long run, yes I'm in better shape heading into next Saturdays season opener than I was a year ago, I had a paltry 43 miles under my belt where as right now I have 94 miles w/ I hope another 20 to come this week.......however "Big Picture" person that I am I'm looking at the weeks  till the Love Run{seven} and my lack of double digit runs to date this year I may well have to " double dip"next weekend and go long on Sunday after the 5k Saturday, it's not ideal......but the lesser of two evils in terms of making sure I have a handful of double digit runs to my credit b4 tackling a half marathon on March 29th

In closing an homage to The 2 Johnnies I'll end my blog how they end their podcast w/ my "Yurt & Dirt" of the week,my Yurt goes to the powers that be at the Broad Street Run who offer "tenure" to anyone who has ran ten or more years in the race and spares us having to go through the ordeal of the lottery,I have enough things to worry about right now w/out having to hope and pray I'm one of the fortunate 40,000 runners who get to participate in the May 3rd race.......I just need to get my double digit weekend long runs in!.....my Dirt goes to the organizers of the Shamrock Chase 5k on March 14th, when the race was first advertised the main reason I opted in was it was scheduled to be at the Philadelphia Zoo where the Cupid's Chase 5k is run each February,it's 3 miles from where I live I have been known to run home after the race to pad my weekly mileage if need be{ not this feckin' year if I have to go long over 10 miles  the following day!} well now they've moved it to the Navy Yard which means more of a commute to and from the race on a day when I also have to get myself up to Brooklyn in the afternoon to catch The Mary Wallopers that night, if it had been advertised for the Navy Yard to begin w/ I feel it wouldn't have been a consideration but given I've parted w/ the entry fee already and frankly money is scarce as it is{ mine should read I Hope To Pay The Bearer Of} I guess I'll have to suck it up now.........run they said, it will help deal w/ stress they said.......lying hoors he said!!!.......

And The Horse Ye Rode In On......

" Giddy up now baby bless my soul I rode that fucker round a field back since he was a foal, he runs a bit like Shergar and jumps like Tir Na Nog, he looks like Billy Piper after half a bag of yokes and all the boys are looking jealous as I lead ye wan away and just before I close the door I look at her and say would be my girl and she says I will  of course .....and if ye grab me by the ponytail and ride me like a horse......Fuck your Honda Civic, I've a horse outside,Fuck your Subaru,I've a horse outside,fuck your Mitsubishi,I've a horse outside, if you're looking for a ride,I've a horse outside"

Horse Outside-Colin Graham

A throw back to 70s England......a feckin' 3 day week and in all likelihood the end of my training for January........the week began w/ snow and ended w/ snow and below freezing temps......welcome to feckin' Winter on the east coast!!!!

Wednesday Jan 21st Between the snow over the weekend and below freezing temps Monday & Tuesday I was climbing the walls  come Wednesday and had to get out

Thankfully the mercury had finally climbed above freezing by the time I headed out on Kelly Drive for an easy 5 miler, at 36 degrees it was hardly balmy but it did mean some of the snow and ice from the weekend was slowly beginning to melt, there were still a few patches out there so I had  exercise a little caution reign in my inner Eamon Coghlan and channel my inner Penguin as I negotiated the patches

42,51.4 off 8.33 mile pace, out in 21.16, back in 21,35, normally a blown negative split would stick in my craw but staying upright and in one piece meant more than gunning for a fast time and potentially injuring myself, I think it was 81 when Steve Ovett fell and impaled his thigh on a low church railing, pretty much ending his 82 season......sometimes caution is the better part of valour.....ye always want to see another day

Thursday Jan 22nd I had hoped for a tempo run on the hills of Sedgley Drive,Popular Drive and back up Kelly Drive to the Ben Franklin Parkway........Hal the lil bollox Garmin  had other feckin' ideas!!!!

Conditions at least were in my favour 50 degrees and sunny, was able to ditch the hat and gloves for a day,here endeth the feel good factor.......when I felt Hal  go off three quarters of the way up the Ben Franklin Parkway I knew that was too early and the fact it said  7.47 for the "opening mile" I knew that was bollox....then for good measure he went off too early up Sedgley Drive for mile 2  I was about 13 clicks ahead of where mile 2 should come in....at that point I said feck this for a game of soldiers I'd settle for 5 miles mid tempo on the hills, ney point bustin' a gut when the Garmin is doing the bollox

Friday Jan 23rd A 5 mile recovery run out and back on West River Drive,I forget the actual temps it was above freezing but overcast, hat and gloves weather, I was also resigned to the fact this was probably it for me, if not just this week but potentially next week

42.30.0 off 8.30 mile pace another run I let a potential negative split get away from me out in 21.10 back in 21.20, I think knowing what was coming down the pike probably had a lot to do w/ that

As I sit here right now mid afternoon on Sunday it's a feckin' Winter Wonderland out there,I didn't even bother trying to run yesterday at 8am it was a bone chilling 11 degrees......I walked the 5 blocks from here to the laundromat and my fingers were numb w/in a block.....I can't imagine what trying to run period,much less  10 miles would've felt like, 2 years ago I did a Sunday long run 12, maybe 14 miles and my hands were like 2 blocks of ice coming down Powelton Ave and I swore never again, there's the brink of insanity......and then there's the fuckin abyss

As of right now the highs for the next 8 days are:28-23-22-22-25-29-31-32 so there will be little to no melting of the snow that fell this morning, now granted I know weather is changeable but I don't anticipate getting out this week, anything I might get by the weekend will be a bonus......so yeah fuck auld Man Winter.....and the horse he rode in on......

 

Auld Man Winter Is A Bollox!!!!

"You know there ain't no street like home to make you feel so all alone so many folks to tell you what to do but they don't speak the same language as you, they want to have me here have me and hold me near hold me down fasten and tie but the cars are all flashing me bright lights are passing me I feel life passing me by, gotta gotta get away"

Gotta Getaway-Stiff Little Fingers

This weeks blog is brought to ye by the letter W........Work,Weather,Winter & Wankers........and What The Fuck!!!!!!.........

Monday January 12th While most of the city seemed to be in mourning that the Eagles were out of the playoffs I went about my business of running an easy 5 miles out and back along Kelly Drive,been said b4 and will be said again by me if the Eagles went 17 & 0 in the regular season or they went 0 & 17 it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to yours truly......and if that comes across as callous or uncaring, I don't recall anyone giving a fiddlers when Cork lost the All Ireland Hurling final in July so "turnaround is fair play"......

41.15.5 off 8.15 mile pace, looks like I didn't record the temperature  but I do recall the sun being out, 8.15 mile pace is a tad brisk for an easy run but the fact it wasn't the day after my long run on Saturday probably contributed to that

Tuesday January 13th An untimed 5 miles out and back on West River Drive in 50 degrees.....what's not to love? at this point in the game I had 49 miles logged for the month and we aren't half way through January........brain" don't fuckin' say it!!!!" mouth" what could possibly go wrong???".......were this a movie or TV show the faint sound of suspenseful music would be murmuring in the background.........

Wednesday January 14th The tempo run.....tis a love/hate relationship to be shur!!!! I love the benefits from it come race day{season opener in 31 days time} and I love the fact the following day is a recovery run......I hate how I feel before, during and after it, I know I have push myself and I know if I do there's a strong chance I'll reap what I sow somewhere down the road like.....but feck me if it isn't pure hell at the time......

I will always put my hand up and admit when I get it wrong in a race or a training run.....today I went out too quickly, the opening split of 7.56 was probably a hair too fast, when I saw 7.44 heading up Sedgley Drive for mile 2 I kinda knew that was a bit too rich for my blood......but the feckin' genie  was out of the bottle now and there was little to no chance of getting the hoor back in......live by the sword, die by the sword......

7.58 for mile 3 as I made my way back down Sedgley  Drive after looping over to Popular Drive and back rather than have to feck w/ the off ramp from I 76 on 34th St I tried to take advantage of the downhill to Kelly Drive as I knew the slight uphill to the Ben Franklin Park was going to hurt.....

8.07 for mile 4.......not a surprise, it was a case " shit or go sailing" for the final mile mail it in or dig as deep as I could?.....I went w/ plan b.....a 7.59 split to finish in a respectable  time of 39.45.4 off 7.56 mile pace but no negative split today out in 19.38 back in 20.07.......I get it #thirdworldproblems there are far worse things going on in the world  than me not getting a negative split and or not keeping all five miles at sub 8 min mile pace and that 50 degrees and sunny I just ran in.......take a mental picture boi......might be a while b4 ye see the likes of that again..........{suspenseful music in the background getting a bit louder.....}

Thursday January 15th Hindsight they say is 20/20.....they also say it's a wonderful thing, I knew the temps were about to take a dramatic nose dive what I didn't know was what was lurking round the feckin' corner at work so it's a good job I didn't bottle it when I saw 34 degrees w/ a wind chill that was going to make it feel like 23 degrees

I opted against  a mile and a half out and a mile and a half back along the Schuylkill River Trail in those conditions, I opted for Kelly Drive as I'd only be exposed to a mile along the Schuylkill  River  at the end of Boathouse Row to just beyond the Girard Avenue bridge

42.20.6 off 8.26 mile pace....again a bit rich for a recovery run, but trust me these were  NOT the kind of conditions to be lollygagging or dawdling in, get out there, get it done and get it over w/, at this point I was thinking about a rest day and a Saturday or Sunday long run.....we make plans and God laughs.......

Feels a bit churlish to sit here and bitch about snow in January, the auld adage it's cold enough to snow rang true Saturday & Sunday and while there's a huge part of the Celtic Warrior in me that says feck it fortune favours the brave there's also a voice of reason that says don't be a bollox  and go out there and get sick and or injured and miss a bunch of training so I've spent the weekend looking out of my window at the falling snow in the hope that it won't be around for long and that come Monday since I have the luxury of a day off for Martin Luther King day I do have the option of a longer run than my regular lunchtime 5 miler would afford me....but if I don't I don't it won't be the end of the world

Remember the hindsight comment from Thursday? IF I'd rolled the dice and said ah look it tis too cold to run at lunchtime I'll hold off until Friday I'd have been shit outta luck, I don't wish to go off on a diatribe about work but not only did it fuck me over on Friday to the point I worked  over seven hours straight w/out a break{ if I stopped twice to make tae and twice to take a piss in those seven hours I'm being fuckin' generous!!!!} it also meant no lunch hour, so now my chores had to be done after I left work.....half an hour late.....by the time I got home I'd missed the local 6 o'clock news and weather forecast and frankly I was too fuckin' tired to stay up till 10pm or 11pm to catch them then....l knew there was snowing coming like I knew last weekend it was gonna piss down mid morning so then I was able to get up and get out the door by 7.20am......NOT this fuckin' weekend if I hadn't had me hole handed to me on a plate Friday I'd  been up b4 7am dressed stretched and out the door by 7.20am and the 10 miler would've been in the books b4 the snow began.....I believe 212 degrees Fahrenheit is boiling point, to say missing a run due to work boils my piss is a fuckin' understatement.......BOOM!!!!!!! mic drop......exits stage left.......
 

Singin' Ra Tunes On A Tuesday Nite

"I was on the back of another auld snug just taking the time to watch the wall paint dry, the sound of a bauld auld crowd dull chattering filling the air w/in an inch of its life, a man on either side of me the bar to the right I'll be lucky to make it outta here w/me life and isn't that yer man that barred us last time for singin' Ra tunes on a Tuesday nite?"

The Round-The Scratch

First five day week of training in nine weeks as I hopefully laid down a marker moving forward this season and the weather actually warmed up to boot!

Monday Jan 5th an easy 5 miles out and back along Ben Franklin Parkway and Kelly Drive to kick start the week, off the back off Sundays 7 miler I was just looking to flush out any crap in my legs

42.19.4 off 8.14 mile pace is probably a little brisk for an easy  run.....but at 37 degrees it wasn't exactly hanging around weather out there,,,,,however I was comforted by the  fact there was an unseasonable warm up heading our way this week

Opted to do my online registration for the upcoming Love Run 1/2 marathon as there'll be another price hike soon, first three races of the season are paid for at a time when I'm trying to live w/in my means any $$$ saved on race entry fees areas welcome as the temperature getting back to where it should be this time of year{42 degrees}

Tuesday Jan 6th Untimed 5 miles out and back on West River Dr a pleasant 42 degrees which had me ruing the fact I hadn't thrown a trusty bandana in my running backpack the nite b4, it's crap shoot it's Winter I need to err on he side of caution that the weather is going to be cold ie hat and gloves but on days like today a bandana and no gloves would've been ok.....that said I made sure a pair of bandanas were available for the next two days

Two down,two to go re the new rotation of trying to mix up my runs, the scenery may change but the bullish attitude of gettin' it done remains the same

Wednesday Jan 7th There is always a sense of trepidation....almost dread when it comes to the tempo run, I know it's gonna hurt but I also know it's gonna pay off, there's an auld Jumbo Elliot  quote that features quite prominently in my apartment that says"to strive to be world class demands  payment of a bitter price but the serious competitor must be willing to pay it,even if he hates it because he must be convinced that the rewards justify his sacrifices".......so a little short term dread and discomfort to hopefully yield fast times come race day feel like a trade off, pain it is said is temporary.....glory lasts forever!

W/ that in mind I set off for my first tempo run in seven weeks, I opted to keep the tempo run on the hills also, I don't remember the exact temperature but it was above 42 and I did work up a bit of a sweat on this run, it's possible the sleeves of my Dublin half zip got rolled up  passed the elbows today!!

Bugger!!! whatever pissballin' around they were doing on Lemon Hill Drive in mid/late November is still going on so I continued  along Sedgley Dr to Girard Avenue, hung a left over the Girard Avenue bridge then another left onto 34th Street, not quiet enough real estate to be able to make the 2.5 mile turn around b4 the off ramp of I 76 so I have to transverse that twice if  Lemon Hill Drive continues to be off limits I may have to tweak this run, the less stopping/slowing down to cross intersections on a tempo run the better

Out in 20.37 and back in 20.10 for a brisk 40.47.8 off 8.09 mile pace.....not terribly unhappy w/ that but I will be looking to get back to sub 40 pace sooner rather than later

Thursday Jan 8th to use a Kneecap lyric/song title "It's Been Ages" since I've managed  to go Monday-Thursday w/ my runs, either work or the weather  manages to  bollox that up but I made sure to make the proverbial hay while the sun shone this week{ long may it continue.....but it probably won't!}

Recovery 5 miles out and back on the Schuylkill River Trail in 52 glorious degrees, I know this can't last forever so fuck yeah I'm taking full advantage of it while it does!!!!

43.41.3 off 8.44 mile pace, another run sans hat and gloves w/ the half zip sleeves rolled up, is it too early to be eyeing up triple digit mileage for January? the application and willingness on my part is there, that three week lay off probably did me a huge favour w/out compromising all the hard work I put in during August to the end of November so I'll just have to hope work and the weather continue to be on my side

Saturday Jan 10th it's been a "hot minute" since I got up early on either a Saturday or Sunday to knock out my long run but A I wanted this to become the rule not the exception moving forward and B they were calling for rain mid morning/lunch time so it felt prudent to get up at 6.50am  and be out the door by 7.20am as daylight broke to tackle my 8 miler

A pleasant 46 degrees this early in January is always welcome and while the skies were grey and overcast as I made my way up Powelton Ave I was happy out that one I'd done the hard part, gotten up when the alarm went off, two not gone back to bed and got my running gear on stretched  and gotten out he door, the rest now should be gravy.....

Once I hit West River Dr I was aware of the fact I wasn't the only one w/ an early am agenda on tap, having other runners out there always helps, someone to push/pull ye along and also reinforce the narrative that ye are not the only one neurotic enough to get up just as daylight begins!!!

Given it was a pleasant 46 degrees out I opted against the traditional out and back and continued down the Schuylkill River off West River Dr I figured having other runners on the Schuylkill River Trail down to the South St bridge would be to my benefit as opposed to heading west down Powelton Ave alone.

67.24 off 8.26 mile pace, last Sundays 7 miler was 61.49 off 8.50 mile pace so I'm already seeing some encouraging signs 10 days into the new campaign.....but lets keep things in perspective it's still early days  yet.....that said I was slow getting back into the swing of things at the start of last season and it took a while b4 I felt I got rolling so if the proverbial hits the fan this week w/ the weather and/or work a five day 28 mile week this week will go along way....it'll go even longer if next week is a 5 day 30 mile week period but w/ the potential of returning to  a double digit long run at 10 miles 10 weeks out from the Love Run half marathon I could be singin' Ra tunes on a Saturday or Sunday nite.....Tiocfaidh ar la!!!

 

Fenian.......Start Yer Engine

"New gold dream, she's the one in front of me,the siren and the ecstasy New gold dream crashing beats and fantasy,setting sun in front of me New gold dream and the world goes hot and the cities take and the beat goes crashing all along the way She's your friend until the ocean breaks and when you dream, dream in the dream w/ me, 81,82,83,84 New gold dream"

New Gold Dream-Simple Minds

Ahh shit! recess is over and the Shamrock Warrior Golden Jubilee Tour is underway.....after a 3 week break from training following the season ending Schuylkill River Loop race on Dec 7th it felt as good as time as any to get back at it this week

Last year I was slow coming out of the blocks,my first run of the year wasn't till Jan 13th but it was another 2 weeks b4 I knuckled down to 5 days a week training I  didn't want a repeat of that this year period I'd like to go into the season opener Cupid's Chase 5k in 6 weeks time w/ a decent amount of training under my belt but I'm also looking to lay the groundwork for the Love Run 1/2 marathon in 12 weeks time also in a year I celebrate 50 years of competitive running that feels like motivation to get back at it

Tuesday December 30th Stop me if ye've heard this one b4  by I couldn't run Monday due to those yokes at work......it's not worth the aggravation  to explain why but I will say this and move on, when I added my December mileage{ all two runs} it was 12 miles I ended November on 757 miles for the year the 12 miles I managed in December put me at 769 miles......the exact same total I had in 2023.....one more shaggin' run and I'd have beaten that total{I'd already beaten last years total of 723} but after Thanksgiving and until I left for Dublin on the 10th those hoors screwed me everyday w/ zero coverage and negated not only a lunch hour but also the ability to run......pissed doesn't come close to how I feel

As for the run it's self a comfortable 4 miles out and back along the Parkway and the start of Kelly Drive past Boathouse Row, it had been 23 days since I last ran.......if ye don't include the nite of December 16th in Dublin when I ended up running from  Matthews Bridge to O Connell  Bridge  after the Damien Dempsey gig at Vicar Street to get back to Connolly station to catch the last train back to Grand Canal Dock!

Pleasantly surprised how comfortable it felt....ok so at 35.49.9 off 8.58 mile pace it's far from earth shattering but given my lack of training and the fact my strict diet had been ignored while on vacation and over the holidays it was nice to know I hadn't lost too much of all the hard work and hard miles I'd put in over August,September,October,November

Friday Jan 2nd I had hoped to run New Years Day but when the temperature never got above 28 degrees which in Celsius is -2 ye'll understand why I waited a day to kick off the new year.......I know runners are crazy.....but we're not insane!

I forget what the actual temperature was Friday lunchtime 31-32 degrees, far from balmy but not below freezing like Thursday when I set off around 1.40pm, same route as Tuesday but 1.14 quicker 34.35.3 off 8.38 mile pace, already seeing the "green shoots" of improvement in one run

While I didn't venture out on New Years Day I did write out my race plan for 2026 14 races between February 14th{Cupid's Chase 5k} and December 6th{Schuylkill River Loop 8.4m} fairly similar to my 2025 schedule, there are 15 medals up for grabs which if achieved would see me end the year on 284 which means w/ a slight tweak and maybe a bit of luck 300 could arrive by the end of the 2027 season.....shur if that doesn't motivate me this season then feck all will!!!!

Sunday Jan 4th A nice lunchtime 7 miler to round out the week and kick start the slow climb back up the mileage ladder

Sunny and 36 degrees around 1.20pm when I set off on a somewhat unconventional route,starter for 10 I had to drop the rent off which meant a slight detour just under a mile into the route but now I don't have to feck around in the morning dropping it off, back on terra firma I got down to the South Street bridge and began  mapping out potential routes,from mid November to my knowledge the Schuylkill River Trail had been fenced off between JFK Blvd and the Conrail gate a little further up the trail I needed to know if that was still or no longer the case but if it was  I wanted to tack on a little extra mileage so upon exiting the South St bridge I headed south along the trail and onto the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge where mile 3 populated b4 heading back north towards the Art Museum......Ta Da!  the temporary fencing that had blocked the trail the last 2 times I'd been down there was gone which meant I could continue my route to the Art Museum and then come back via  Powelton Ave and tack on an extra mile AND resume week day runs up and back on the Schuylkill River trail next week....winner winner Tayto Sandwich dinner!

The target was 9 min mile pace for either 6 or 7 miles I clocked a respectable 61.49 off  8.50 pace not too shabby for starters but as the auld saying goes " there's still some meat on that bone" going into today the plan was 6 miles this weekend, 8 miles next weekend, 10 miles the weekend after, 12 miles the following weekend and then round out January w/ a 14 miler leaving me w/ a potential half dozen 14 milers  b4 the Love Run on March 29th.....granted in the dead of Winter the weather will have some say on that but I feel content moving forward that things are moving in the right direction

Also having eased myself  back into the daily/weekly routine off the back of a pair of 4 milers and made the step up to 7 miles today, returning to lunchtime 5 mile runs can resume this week.....providing the hoors that be don't screw me again w/ no coverage at work.....I had said towards the end of last season that I would like to mix up the routes during the week so the hope is Easy 5 miles on Kelly Dr,untimed 5 miles on W.River Dr, Tempo 5 miles on the hills on Sedgley Dr/Lemon Hill Dr and recovery 5 miles on the Schuylkill River Trail, let's see if I can channel my Inner Hannibal from the "A Team".....and love it when a plan comes together.....
 

Swan Song........But Only For The Season.....

 "At the crossing of the border between the night and day where the lost and lonely find their twilight sway and the curse of their existence is the loneliness they feel where waking up w/ a stranger's  the only thing that's real so don't sing me your swan song baby there's life  in this  ol' dog yet it ain't over till it's over until the fat lady sings, it ain't over until the swan spreads her wings and flies away"

Swan Song-The Mission

First and foremost sincere apologies  for the lack of a blog last week.....in fairness I only ran two days and it didn't  seem worth blogging......however this week I only managed one run but it was my season finale race so I'll blog the ever lovin' shite  out of that.......what can I tell ye I'm complicated........

A little " house cleaning" first as I feel the " Elephant in the room" needs to be be addressed......loathe as I am to talk about my job in the blog it's the reason why I didn't run all week  bottom line we went from being a three person  outfit  to a two person outfit this past week and frankly not only was lunch not an option but leaving for an hour to knock out my  lunchtime 5 milers was null and void.......I don't know if this is going to be the norm moving forward....IF it is it means a hopefully substantial  pay increase as in essence my coworker and I will be doing the work of three people so ye fuckers better  be paying us  as we've grown weary of the "Dead Donkeys" ye keep sending to our office period much less who collectively sit on their holes all day while we do all the work while they make more money than we do.......the yang to that ying is I will have to return to running in the evenings as I'm not willing or prepared to stop running, it will be a shock to the system after 2 years of running at lunchtime but needs must as they say, I only work two days this week b4 flying home to Dublin for a well earned vacation, hopefully  upon my return just b4 the holidays the powers that be will have decided what the fuck they're doing and I can start planning my training for the upcoming  2026 season aka "The Golden Jubilee" 50th anniversary tour........I'll keep ye posted on what happens but rest assured the blog isn't going away just yet, neither am I and by Christ if I have to run in the evenings after work to log my miles per week then that's just the way it is.......nobody fucks w/ Cu Chulainn Cu Chulainn does the fuckin'.......... ye'll have to visualize the mic drop  as I exit stage left.........BOOM!

So to the season finale race in the 2025 Redemption Tour.......last year I hit so many lows and slowest times it wasn't funny and the final insult to injury was a below par performance at the 2024 Schuylkill River Loop where I got my arse handed to me,I'd pretty much mailed it in after the Dublin Marathon, and in fact following the Penn Relays 5k on Nov 16th in the three weeks leading up to the  Schuylkill River Loop I didn't register one run,I knew I had no business  being out there but "medal hoor" that I am I figured show up trot around get my finishers medal, feck off home, the fact I ran a woeful 1.11.00 off 8.27 mile pace finished  130th overall and had to settle for 7th in the 60-69 age group was punishment enough but hey  as Roy Keane always said "Failure to prepare,prepare for failure" this year if there was any arse kickin' to be done it'd be me doing it......

Glass half empty w/ Penn Relays 5k clashing w/ the Rocky Run and not being able to get into either the Half Marathon or 8k the following weekend when the Philly Marathon was ran it meant I hadn't raced in 4 weeks, glass half full fresher legs and the fact I hadn't ran a lick since Wednesday of last week meant I was well rested going into this mornings race

After 2 years of having to go " out and back" on Kelly Drive, over the Falls Bridge and a short distance on W. River Dr this year the Grand Auld Dame that is the Schuylkill River Loop was not only celebrating  her 54th running{ the oldest race in Philly no less!} but restored to her former and rightful glory as the 8.4 mile loop,starting on Kelly Dr up towards and in front of the Art Museum steps over to W.River Drive upto and over Falls Bridge and back down Kelly Dr to finish in front of Lloyd Hall at the start of Boathouse Row

It was a brisk 37 degrees but sunny at 10am when the siren went off, definitely a day for gloves for yours truly, long sleeved base layer under my Palestine running vest {#FuckNetanyahu} and 3/4 length running tights.....fairly sure since the Radnor Run  at the end of October this has been my race wear, got a reasonably clear start on what is a narrow sidewalk w/  almost 400 runners jockeying for position I didn't want to be right up front and pulled out to a brisk opening mile  by the speed merchants and yet I clocked a brisk 6.59 opening mile split, as my former coach used to say " can't put the Genie  back in the bottle, can't put the toothpaste back in the tube now"....

7.15 for mile 2, 7.24 for mile 3 and 7.23 for mile for, the lack of training the last  10 days meant I hadn't given any thought to what kind of pace/ time I should be looking at,when I ran the 10 miler at the Rocky Run a month ago I managed 8.09 mile pace so I felt something a bit quicker today was fair game.....how much quicker we were about to discover.

Based  off of my splits I'd gone thro 4 miles in 29.01 were it not for that pesky .4 of a mile at the end I might've been looking at a sub 60 time, not shur how mile 5 ended up as my slowest split at 7.36 but after clearing the Conrail bridge overhead after crossing the Falls Bridge I did roll my sleeves up metaphorically and  physically, as I always say be it a race or training  when the sleeves get rolled up it time to get down to business.....

7.29 for mile 6 I was pretty much in "no mans land" and had been since mile 1 nobody snapping at my heals but the runners ahead didn't look like they were coming back to me either w/ 2 miles to go it was a case of keep on keepin' on

7.28 for mile 7 and the knowledge the finish was coming, I reeled in and passed the one runner who'd snuck by me around the Columbia bridge,7.21 for mile 8 a 29.54 split which for 8 miles was 58.55 b4 a 2,12 .4 of a mile to cross the line in 61.07 off 7.20 mile pace......a far fuck cry from last years 1.11.00 off 8.27 mile pace to channel my inner Juma Ikangaa " the will to win means nothing w/out the will to prepare"

47th out of 372 runners and second in the 60-69 age group,nice to finish the season on the podium, as of today I have 765 miles for the year 4 shy off my 769 total in 2023 but 42 more than last years total of 723, while I don't envisage any miles this coming week but it's possible while in Dublin I could get some in and I would hope to finish off the year w/ a few runs  upon my return from the motherland to not to let all this years hard work get away from me period......after all it's only  10 weeks till the opening race of the 2026 season.........

Medal #13 for the season, #269 for the career, more of the same next year would be nice as I continue to close in on #300

And That's Why There's Erasers On The End Of Pencils..........

 "Tell us commander, what do you think? cause we know that you love all that power is it on then? are we on the brink? we wish you'd all throw in the towel we'll not fade out too soon not in this finest hour whistle your favourite tune we'll send a card and a flower saying it's a mistake, it's a mistake, it's a mistake"

It's A Mistake-Men At Work

A pair of missed runs, a few " comedy of errors" a long the way,  a revisit of auld courses not ran in a while and a return to double digit weekend long runs.......variety they say is the spice of life.........

Tuesday November 18th For the second week in a row skipped the Monday run which almost proved to be my undoing, need to revisit the mantra that skipping Monday can put your entire week behind the 8 ball, between missing Monday because work had gotten on top of me again and Tuesday having to reroute mid run perhaps the proverbial writing was on the wall this had the potential for being " one of those weeks"

The top of Lemon Hill Drive was " off limits" to the point  that  barriers had been placed across it ....more to deter motorists I would  imagine but as it came at me on the fly I now had to  reroute mid run,  if  I'd gone w/ my first instinct to carry on up to Girard Avenue and over the Girard Avenue bridge I think I'd have been ok instead I " followed my  nose" which lead me to a trail above Kelly Drive.......fuck me if I didn't get flashbacks to my one and only Trail Run race The Ugly Mudder way back when, a race that saw me utter through clenched teeth as I crossed the finish line "never the fuck again!" I survived that day and I survived Tuesday but I would NOT be risking life or limb again this week on that route, for the record I ran  a semi respectable 43.49.8 off 8.46 mile pace but was more grateful for finishing in one piece and unscathed  all nine lives still in tact........

Wednesday November 19th Since today was an untimed run and I wouldn't have  Hal the little Bollix Garmin w/ me and I had zero intention of doing the run I did yesterday  I needed to channel my inner Marine and improvise, it wasn't a hard choice, pre Schuylkill River Trail and brief  dalliance  w/ the then reopened West River drive my out and back 5 miles was up the  Ben Franklin Parkway onto the Schuylkill River Trail behind the Art Museum and onto Kelly Drive at Lloyd Hall/Boathouse Row and out to just beyond the Girard Avenue bridge and back. it's a run I've done countless times so no need for Hal....

Felt good to mix it up a little, I get caught between two trains of thought re my routes, stick to what I've been doing and I can monitor if I'm getting faster, getting slower but in doing that it can become " the same auld same auld" same course, same scenery so maybe I need to think about mixing things up a little in the New Year next week is a short 2 day work week, the following week I work a full week and the week after that another 2 day work week b4 flying home to Dublin......upon my return it's another 2 day work week b4  the final week of the year chances are I won't be able to get out New Years eve lunchtime  as we'll probably only work till 3pm so no lunch.....ergo why it might be next year when things settle down to regular 5 day work weeks again and I consider mixing things up route wise

Friday November 21st If Wednesday had seen me make a  Lenny Kravitz/The Simpsons  reference to " he's kickin' it olde school!!" re my route choice  on my post run social media post then Thursday was a full blown Homer Simpson "D'oh"!!!!!! moment....... I had  forgotten to unhook Hal the little Bollix Garmin off its charger b4 leaving for work.....ok not a deal breaker I could do another untimed 5 miler no bother..........however I'd also neglected to throw in either a bandana  or hat  to my backpack the night b4 and I wasn't risking a run w/out something on my head period......much less along the Schuylkill River in mid  to late November, last thing I need is getting sick period but w/ virtually all my PTO time covering the Dublin trip I'm not looking to be up shits creek sans feckin' paddle......this is where opting out of a Monday ran came back to bite me in the hole,I knew Saturday morning would be raining and my schedule in the afternoon didn't allow a run so I was going to have to settle for a 4 day week....again not the worst thing in the world  considering last week I only ran 3 days....however it's another missed run and lost miles as the month is drawing to a close if I aim to log my 4th consecutive triple digit mileage month.....

Opted to show West River Dr a little love for this run as I had no way of knowing if Lemon Hill Dr was still "on lockdown", two major takeaways from this run almost a sub 40 time 40.07.6 off 8.01 mile pace which is one thing but to be honest when I set off just gone 2pm I wasn't thinking sub 40/tempo run it just happened, out in 20.23 back in 19.44......the second takeaway was having to slalom  in and out of the Geese  on West River Dr.......I can tell ye two things....one there are no feckin' Geese on either Kelly Dr or when I tackle the hills on Sedgley/Lemon Hill Drives....and two my Geese/Slalom game is very much on point thank ye very much{ ney Geese were harmed while yer man was running!!!!!}

Sunday November 23rd It's been a minute since I got out there on a Sunday and logged double digit miles partly due to races three of the previous  four weekends however I needed to get back into that groove sooner rather than later period but I also knew a 10 miler today would not only round out my week at a semi respectable 4 days/25 miles it would push my monthly mileage to 79 miles w/ a week to go if I'm to continue my current run of triple digit mileage months

On Philadelphia Marathon Sunday I was aware of "what might've been" if my training hadn't deserted me when I needed to up my long runs in September 12 miles felt it was my plateau in late August  and if that's the case moving forward I can I hope look forward to  several half marathons over the coming seasons, to that end it was important to get out today and nail this 10 miler bad enough I missed a chance last week, I have another "bite of the Cherry" next weekend b4 my season finale race the Schuylkill River Loop the following weekend, the weekend after that I'm in Dublin which then leaves 2 weekends in mid/late December to hopefully  notch two more 10's b4 the opening weekend of January when I hope to move up to 12 miles and eventually 14 miles in prep for the Love Run half marathon  on March  29th

Conditions were sunny and mild at 1.20pm when I set off, given this was the day of the Philadelphia Marathon I had to give some consideration to my route, I suspected both Kelly Dr and West River Dr could be "off limits" even at that hour, and I saw first hand Wednesday & Friday there was a fence across  the Schuylkill River Trail near the Art Museum which ruled out an extended run along the trail beginning at Grays Ferry......feck it in a week of revisiting auld courses I opted for the tried and tested Powelton Ave,Mantua Ave,34th Street,Lansdowne Avenue,Avenue Of The Republic,Belmont Avenue route......pleased to report no issues there and back

Outside of my 10 miler a fortnite ago at the Rocky Run I hadn't logged double digit miles  training since August 30th but I needn't  have worried as not only did I cruise through all 10 miles I did so well under the 1.30/9 mile mile target, 1.26.32 off 8.39 mile pace and for good measure threw in  negative splits, out in 43.36 back in 42.50,earlier in the year that wasn't the case.....earlier in the year it was feckin' hot and humid which also resulted in low mileage weeks/months

My only gripe was mile 5 which is a bastard up Lansdowne  Avenue was the only mile not under 9 mile pace, my splits were:8.23-8.41-8.37-8.42-9.15-8.41-8.38-8.41-8.26-8.28, it would've been nice to keep all  10 under 9 min mile pace but I'm not Barbie,I can't have everything and I'm not looking for "jam on both sides" shur we'll have another  cut off of it next weekend and see what happens"....