Seldom one to rest on my laurels I was back on the track this afternoon less than 24 hours after my anchor leg of the Penn Relays M50 4X400m.....did I mention we won bronze by the way........
After a 15 week hiatus of all things repeat based it was always gonna be a bitch getting back into the swing of the "Mo Farah Repeat" mile,1,200m,1,000m,800m,600m,400m but w/ only 10 weeks to Outdoor Nationals I had to start somewhere so Haverford this afternoon it was.
Mercifully it was dryer and warmer than yesterday at Franklin Field when I arrived at Haverford just b4 2pm.......also the track had been relaid since I last worked out here in late May/early June last year forcing me to nearby Lower Merion high school,I prefer Haverford it just feels like the people there have a better sense of "track etiquette" case in point just as I was finishing up two coaches were putting out hurdles for their athlete,they saw I was using lane 1 so set up in lane 2,most other tracks would have set up in lane 1 and told me to deal w/ it,not Haverford and after I informed #1 coach I only had my 600m and 400m to go they waited to move said hurdles into lane 1 when I was finished......#respect
5 lap warm up and back into my flats,I had no preconcieved ideals about, pace/splits today in fact I didn't even bother to look at my times from Jan 7th as I felt they would be irelevant off a 15 week hiatus.......
Mile
1.15-1.21-1.20-1.17=5.13.04
Feckin' ada,who let the dogs out!!!!!
My previous miles times on this repeat were:5.30.36 5.24.34 5.35.64 5.31.33 5.21.58 5.24.19 5.20.15
The 64 billion question now was "had I shit the bed" over the mile and left feck all for the remaining five distances........
1,200m
1.18-1.22-1.19=3.59.60
In my previous 6 1,200s I've only failed to go sub 4.00 twice and once was on my debut,both times 4.01 so anytime I'm sub 4.00 I'm happy
1,000m
1.17-1.16-34=3.17.87
Glass half full consistant 400m splits and solid closing 200m,glass half empty last time out I went 3.12.65....
800m
1.18-1.18=2.36.10
Yea even splits,boo 4 seconds down on Jan 7th....yeah I know I said I wasn't concerned w/ what I did last time out but when the Shamrock Warrior Competive Juices start to flow.....
600m
1.15-38=1.53.13
Solid opening 400m,died a little over the closing 200m.....but give it time over the coming weeks....
400m
70.12
I'm used to 66s 67s 68s so 70 smacks a little but all things considered not a bad return to the realm of "Mo Farah Repeats"
.......Till next Saturday.....
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
Cometh The Hour,Cometh The Shamrock Warrior
In a year I celebrate 40 years of competative running which began on an old cinder track in Charlton Park as a high school freshman as a 800m and 400m runner should it come as any surprise I returned to the Penn Relays after a seven year hiatus to once again throw down a 400m????
Truth be told I was only considered when Millrose and Penn stalwart Scott Landis announced he was injured,I rejected the initial invitation from the club on March 26th due to what I see as "club politics" for once I'm not going to go into long excrucating detail I believe my feelings on the subject are well known but I felt a sence of "duty" to my fellow M50 4x400 team mates John Curtis,Bruce Rash and Ray Parker and as contrived as it may sound I agreed to run for them NOT the club,one of the reasons I didn't revoke my club membership years ago was because while"internal politics" may piss me off I have a profound affection for my fellow team mates,sure Groucho Marx famously said "never join a club that would have someone like yourself as a member" Groucho NEVER ran for Greater Philadelphia Track Club did he???
Spring in Philly and Penn Relays can only mean one thing...grey skies and rain and temps struggling to get into the mid 50s........I was feckin' delighted to get out to the warm up area at 6.30pm to warm up having sat in the stands since 3pm.....at least I got several pages of my life story "Pale Paddy & Proud" written and the blood was circulating through my fingers,NEVER dropped a relay baton.....WASN'T planning to start today let me tell you!!
W/ 19 teams lining up it was always gonna be somewhat of a fustercluck at the start but w/ John
"The Beast" Curtis leading us off I knew we were in safe hands,go on Flo Track and watch the video or allow me to post it when Raine John's wife posts it John made sure he got a clear start from the third man from the rail start and lead us through the opening 400m in 55.81
Bruce "Broken Calf" Rash ran an impressive second leg despite having pre race favoutites Southwest Sprinters second leg Marcus Shute reel him in.
Ray" I ain't affraid of no ghost" Parker kept us in second w/ a 57.58 leg and now for the first time in my Penn Relays history{06,07,08,09} I took the baton in a medal winning position.
I was never going to catch Southwest Sprinters anchor Khalid Mulazim but that didn't stop me from giving chase,w/ hindsight I wish I'd relaxed a little over the opening 200m and poured it on over the closing 200m as Mass Velocitys anchor Meirwyn Walters ran an impressive anchor leg of 55.79 to catch me up the home straight.
W/ hindsight{I know a wonderful thing!!!} I wish I'd ploughed through on the rail of the final turn instead of slowing slightly to overtake a lapped runner,that split second of hesitation cost me and my team the silver,60.23 for yours truly as Mass Velocity recorded a 3.52.9 to our 3.53.6 w/ Sprint Force America the #2 seed team 4th in 3.55.4
As I sit here now some 90 mins later it's w/ mixed emotions,don't get it twisted I'm proud as punch w/ the bronze but to have Silver w/in my grasp only to be snatched away is a bit of a pisser but rest assured when I do eventually take possession of my Penn Relays Masters Mens M50 4x400m medal it is one I will feel tremendously proud of and know that two weeks of shaking off a virial infection and double oral surgery two days ago could not stop the Shamrock Warrior,this may have been my last Penn Relay.....but I seemed to say that in 2009..................
Truth be told I was only considered when Millrose and Penn stalwart Scott Landis announced he was injured,I rejected the initial invitation from the club on March 26th due to what I see as "club politics" for once I'm not going to go into long excrucating detail I believe my feelings on the subject are well known but I felt a sence of "duty" to my fellow M50 4x400 team mates John Curtis,Bruce Rash and Ray Parker and as contrived as it may sound I agreed to run for them NOT the club,one of the reasons I didn't revoke my club membership years ago was because while"internal politics" may piss me off I have a profound affection for my fellow team mates,sure Groucho Marx famously said "never join a club that would have someone like yourself as a member" Groucho NEVER ran for Greater Philadelphia Track Club did he???
Spring in Philly and Penn Relays can only mean one thing...grey skies and rain and temps struggling to get into the mid 50s........I was feckin' delighted to get out to the warm up area at 6.30pm to warm up having sat in the stands since 3pm.....at least I got several pages of my life story "Pale Paddy & Proud" written and the blood was circulating through my fingers,NEVER dropped a relay baton.....WASN'T planning to start today let me tell you!!
W/ 19 teams lining up it was always gonna be somewhat of a fustercluck at the start but w/ John
"The Beast" Curtis leading us off I knew we were in safe hands,go on Flo Track and watch the video or allow me to post it when Raine John's wife posts it John made sure he got a clear start from the third man from the rail start and lead us through the opening 400m in 55.81
Bruce "Broken Calf" Rash ran an impressive second leg despite having pre race favoutites Southwest Sprinters second leg Marcus Shute reel him in.
Ray" I ain't affraid of no ghost" Parker kept us in second w/ a 57.58 leg and now for the first time in my Penn Relays history{06,07,08,09} I took the baton in a medal winning position.
I was never going to catch Southwest Sprinters anchor Khalid Mulazim but that didn't stop me from giving chase,w/ hindsight I wish I'd relaxed a little over the opening 200m and poured it on over the closing 200m as Mass Velocitys anchor Meirwyn Walters ran an impressive anchor leg of 55.79 to catch me up the home straight.
W/ hindsight{I know a wonderful thing!!!} I wish I'd ploughed through on the rail of the final turn instead of slowing slightly to overtake a lapped runner,that split second of hesitation cost me and my team the silver,60.23 for yours truly as Mass Velocity recorded a 3.52.9 to our 3.53.6 w/ Sprint Force America the #2 seed team 4th in 3.55.4
As I sit here now some 90 mins later it's w/ mixed emotions,don't get it twisted I'm proud as punch w/ the bronze but to have Silver w/in my grasp only to be snatched away is a bit of a pisser but rest assured when I do eventually take possession of my Penn Relays Masters Mens M50 4x400m medal it is one I will feel tremendously proud of and know that two weeks of shaking off a virial infection and double oral surgery two days ago could not stop the Shamrock Warrior,this may have been my last Penn Relay.....but I seemed to say that in 2009..................
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Grittin' My Teeth And Getting On W/ It
What's that old adage? "if it isn't one thing,it's another" having shaken off the effects of my virial infection I now had to deal w/ not one,but two teeth extractions yesterday morning.....yeah yeah Paddy dna we do fuck all by half!!!!!
I'd known for a few days a left lower tooth was giving me grief,in fact it was so bad come the second half of the Spurs West Brom game Monday at Fado's if I could've reached into my mouth w/ a pair of plyers and yanked the fecker out myself I would have!!!!
Knowing Wednesday is my token "easy day" at work I knew I could justify sitting outside the Dental department for a few hours waiting to be seen and some three hours and fiveteen minutes after first heading up there I left sans nagging toothache.....and two teeth.
Turned out an extraction I under went four years ago had left a root tip which was working it's way back through the gum,in order to get access to it the tooth next to it needed to go two,two teeth out at $70 OR extract the root tip and save the other tooth via Root Canal and a Crown for $280.......yeah I'm dropping $280 on saving a feckin' tooth!!!!!
Despite a double bout of oral surgery I not only finished my shift at work{can't imagine the pussys I work w/ sticking around afterwards!!!!} but came home stretched,changed and knocked out another six miler.
Conditions were 20 degrees cooler last nite than Tuesday 53 to 73 degs but frankly when you've ran 13 miles in sub zero temps in January 6 miles in 53 degrees in April is a piece of piss.
If Tuedays 66 mins had been a bit tentative last nites 60 mins felt like I was returning to the lean green mean running machine I pride myself on and that Pancho Gonzales quote to Jimmy Connors
"hard work,tenacity,pride and personality" seldom rang truer than it did last nite.
One more run by Franklin Field tonite......b4 running inside "the old lady" on Friday......can't have a Penn Relays w/out a Philadelphia team showing how it's done now can we?????
I'd known for a few days a left lower tooth was giving me grief,in fact it was so bad come the second half of the Spurs West Brom game Monday at Fado's if I could've reached into my mouth w/ a pair of plyers and yanked the fecker out myself I would have!!!!
Knowing Wednesday is my token "easy day" at work I knew I could justify sitting outside the Dental department for a few hours waiting to be seen and some three hours and fiveteen minutes after first heading up there I left sans nagging toothache.....and two teeth.
Turned out an extraction I under went four years ago had left a root tip which was working it's way back through the gum,in order to get access to it the tooth next to it needed to go two,two teeth out at $70 OR extract the root tip and save the other tooth via Root Canal and a Crown for $280.......yeah I'm dropping $280 on saving a feckin' tooth!!!!!
Despite a double bout of oral surgery I not only finished my shift at work{can't imagine the pussys I work w/ sticking around afterwards!!!!} but came home stretched,changed and knocked out another six miler.
Conditions were 20 degrees cooler last nite than Tuesday 53 to 73 degs but frankly when you've ran 13 miles in sub zero temps in January 6 miles in 53 degrees in April is a piece of piss.
If Tuedays 66 mins had been a bit tentative last nites 60 mins felt like I was returning to the lean green mean running machine I pride myself on and that Pancho Gonzales quote to Jimmy Connors
"hard work,tenacity,pride and personality" seldom rang truer than it did last nite.
One more run by Franklin Field tonite......b4 running inside "the old lady" on Friday......can't have a Penn Relays w/out a Philadelphia team showing how it's done now can we?????
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Back Into The System
A wise man once told me "you can do anything you want in this life.......you just have to be prepared to pay the price that goes w/ it".......
So remember my 13 mile run on April 9th in the snow,rain,sleet,hail?????? well a week later yours truly was laid up w/ a virial infection which cost me two weeks of training...........
Glass half empty I lost two weeks of training which means the magic number is down to 11 now till Outdoor Nationals
Glass half full I've save my legs going into Fridays anchor leg of the M50 Masters 4x400m at Penn Relays.
Easy 6 miler out and back to Lloyd Hall along the Schuylkill Footpath and Banks last nite to blow the cobwebs off and also get back into the routine of coming home stretching and going out for a run,I can ill afford any more time off now if Grand Rapids Michigan is going to happen in mid July.
Felt ok out there last nite,granted 6 miles at 10 min mile pace should feel easy but I just need to kick start the engine this week,I can potentially log a 40mpw including the race,a repeat and a Sunday 14 miler and get myself back upto 50mpw next week.
Having just finished the Jimmy Connors autobiography "The Outsider" I was struck by this quote
"Hard Work,Tenacity,Pride,& Personality"........................
#nuffsaid it's time to get back to work.......
So remember my 13 mile run on April 9th in the snow,rain,sleet,hail?????? well a week later yours truly was laid up w/ a virial infection which cost me two weeks of training...........
Glass half empty I lost two weeks of training which means the magic number is down to 11 now till Outdoor Nationals
Glass half full I've save my legs going into Fridays anchor leg of the M50 Masters 4x400m at Penn Relays.
Easy 6 miler out and back to Lloyd Hall along the Schuylkill Footpath and Banks last nite to blow the cobwebs off and also get back into the routine of coming home stretching and going out for a run,I can ill afford any more time off now if Grand Rapids Michigan is going to happen in mid July.
Felt ok out there last nite,granted 6 miles at 10 min mile pace should feel easy but I just need to kick start the engine this week,I can potentially log a 40mpw including the race,a repeat and a Sunday 14 miler and get myself back upto 50mpw next week.
Having just finished the Jimmy Connors autobiography "The Outsider" I was struck by this quote
"Hard Work,Tenacity,Pride,& Personality"........................
#nuffsaid it's time to get back to work.......
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
New Week,New Attitude....Same Chavs At Work!!!!!
So,I didn't get up at 6.30am on Sunday to tackle my 13 miler.....the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak and while I'm pissed at missing out on a 60 mpw I can take solice from the fact that even over 4 days at 47 mpw I'm still ahead of the 40mpw I would've put in over 5 days a year ago.
At least where work is concerned things should be more straightforward this week....I was tempted to say normal but I can't type that w/ a straight face......this place feckin' normal.........
W/ my new phone in place I can drown out the chavs w/ my music via Spotify so not only do I not have to talk to these feckers now I don't have to listen to them......oh the unbridaled joy a 68 song Inxs playlist brought me yesterday,the gloves came off after the tailend of last week I now adopt a "speak when I'm spoken to policy" w/ them if someone says hello I respond in kind cos not to would be rude but other than that.....feck off!!
Home by 4.10pm and back out the door by 4.25pm for a 12 miler after getting soaked Monday and Saturday not to mention caught in a shower over the final 2.5 miles on Thursday it was a pleasent change of pace to not have to deal w/ the rain yesterday,in fact temps were 64 degs and sunny,although rain is forecast for today which may force my hand re an early rest day in the week but it appears blue skies are on the horizon for the rest of the week.....a metaphor I could use where work is concerned
At least where work is concerned things should be more straightforward this week....I was tempted to say normal but I can't type that w/ a straight face......this place feckin' normal.........
W/ my new phone in place I can drown out the chavs w/ my music via Spotify so not only do I not have to talk to these feckers now I don't have to listen to them......oh the unbridaled joy a 68 song Inxs playlist brought me yesterday,the gloves came off after the tailend of last week I now adopt a "speak when I'm spoken to policy" w/ them if someone says hello I respond in kind cos not to would be rude but other than that.....feck off!!
Home by 4.10pm and back out the door by 4.25pm for a 12 miler after getting soaked Monday and Saturday not to mention caught in a shower over the final 2.5 miles on Thursday it was a pleasent change of pace to not have to deal w/ the rain yesterday,in fact temps were 64 degs and sunny,although rain is forecast for today which may force my hand re an early rest day in the week but it appears blue skies are on the horizon for the rest of the week.....a metaphor I could use where work is concerned
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Are You Feckin' Shittin' Me I & II
Once again the chavs at "Monkey Shit Central" screwed me for my run yesterday.......explain to me how I'm expected to bring 17 skids down there,put 9 up in two hours b4 having to spend 3 hours helping receive on the loading dock,only to to return 3 hours later w/ three more only to discover FUCK ALL touched while I was up on the dock.....meanwhile Jerk Off Extraordinaire is swanning around like the prize pratt he is doin sweet FA.....the same feckin' ejjit who beat my ear first thing on Monday
"be glad you were off on Friday.....we had 13 skids......."
Feck me here's himself fresh out of feckin' Blue Peter badges.....but ye don't have a chest to fuckin pin it on anyway!!!!!
Fuck Sake!!!!
Upshot it was 5.30pm b4 I got done,glass half empty 2 and 1/4 hours later than my official quittin' time,glass half full that's an extra 2 and 1/4 hours ot on top of the 5 hours of No Lunches I got all week.....feckin trip to Dublin's gonna pay for its self one shaggin' way or another!!!!!
Sadly getting home by 6.30pm rather banajaxed me for a run not to mention Friday is Grocery shopping nite,hey ho looks like I'm running Saturday and Sunday........
Friday nite is traditionally "Dinner & A Movie" as "Chez Alfie's" so after my shower it was time to tuck into a feck off plate of Baked Mac w/ two orders of Ribs and unwind w/ "Never Let Me Go"
Copping the 11pm news to see Villanova's victory parade to City Hall....yep still rockin' Nova Nation!!! I could've sworn the weather girl said "snow tomorrow"
Snow....in April....feck off will ye,I fecked off to bed believing the week had taken it's toll on me.......
Sure as God made little green Apples it began to snow around 12pm......but there's no feckin Global Warming.........that's just made up shite by the media yeah??????
Trust me said feckin' snow was real enough as himself went out for his run at 2pm.....jaysus!!!
I had to dig out me feckin' gloves and thermal ski hat for my 13 miler.....and thank Christ I did......feckin mitts were frozen out there this afternoon,fuck knows the official temps.....but if it's cold enough to snow......it's feckin' cold!!!!
Heading into today I had 34 miles and needed 26 over the weekend to get my 60, did I go 14/12? 12/14?? nope settled for a 13/13 split....and while this afternoon's excursion was not fun,not sexy and generally a bull buster I still have to be up at 6.30am tomorrow morning to be out the door by 7.30am so I can get my run in pre Fado's for the Spurs Man Utd 11am kick off.......fecked if I'm missing the last weekend game till May 7th and the chance to hang w/ my tribe" cos I work w/ brain dead feckin' chavs......
Thought today was cold w/ w/ the snow?........it'll be down right "frigid as fuck" Monday morning when I return to Monkey Shit Central......
Fuckers!
"be glad you were off on Friday.....we had 13 skids......."
Feck me here's himself fresh out of feckin' Blue Peter badges.....but ye don't have a chest to fuckin pin it on anyway!!!!!
Fuck Sake!!!!
Upshot it was 5.30pm b4 I got done,glass half empty 2 and 1/4 hours later than my official quittin' time,glass half full that's an extra 2 and 1/4 hours ot on top of the 5 hours of No Lunches I got all week.....feckin trip to Dublin's gonna pay for its self one shaggin' way or another!!!!!
Sadly getting home by 6.30pm rather banajaxed me for a run not to mention Friday is Grocery shopping nite,hey ho looks like I'm running Saturday and Sunday........
Friday nite is traditionally "Dinner & A Movie" as "Chez Alfie's" so after my shower it was time to tuck into a feck off plate of Baked Mac w/ two orders of Ribs and unwind w/ "Never Let Me Go"
Copping the 11pm news to see Villanova's victory parade to City Hall....yep still rockin' Nova Nation!!! I could've sworn the weather girl said "snow tomorrow"
Snow....in April....feck off will ye,I fecked off to bed believing the week had taken it's toll on me.......
Sure as God made little green Apples it began to snow around 12pm......but there's no feckin Global Warming.........that's just made up shite by the media yeah??????
Trust me said feckin' snow was real enough as himself went out for his run at 2pm.....jaysus!!!
I had to dig out me feckin' gloves and thermal ski hat for my 13 miler.....and thank Christ I did......feckin mitts were frozen out there this afternoon,fuck knows the official temps.....but if it's cold enough to snow......it's feckin' cold!!!!
Heading into today I had 34 miles and needed 26 over the weekend to get my 60, did I go 14/12? 12/14?? nope settled for a 13/13 split....and while this afternoon's excursion was not fun,not sexy and generally a bull buster I still have to be up at 6.30am tomorrow morning to be out the door by 7.30am so I can get my run in pre Fado's for the Spurs Man Utd 11am kick off.......fecked if I'm missing the last weekend game till May 7th and the chance to hang w/ my tribe" cos I work w/ brain dead feckin' chavs......
Thought today was cold w/ w/ the snow?........it'll be down right "frigid as fuck" Monday morning when I return to Monkey Shit Central......
Fuckers!
Friday, April 8, 2016
Easy 12 Miler,Or The Jericho Mile......You Decide
I have said more than once that sometimes the run is about chasing my demons away.....yesterday was a prime example.
The day began well enough,I answered the call of the alarm at 5.09am which is always half the battle,knew it was pay day which always makes life a little easier and began reading my latest book "The Outsider'' Jimmy Connors autobiography on the ride to work....so far so good......
No sooner do I arrive on the loading dock at 6.15am that it all goes to hell in a handbasket.
Some Bellend from PJP decides waiting till 7.30am to deliver is too much trouble and proceeds to drop off his 5 skids b4 I arrive.....problem being when he ran out of room on either side of the dock he puts the last three down the middle.......so how the fuck am I getting to the electric jack at the end of the dock to move them arsehole???????
As if that was a great enough start to my day I now have to deal w/ a pair of arseholes from Rhico who I dubbed the "A Team" ......A standing for arsehole of course and w/ that my day went downhill faster than Lindsay Vorn in the Giant Slalom!!!!!!!
W/ the proverbial "red mist" well and truly decending and projectiles flying across the storeroom I now have to endure the daily "Monkey Shit" from the cast of "The Walking Dead" ie the Storeroom staff who are frankly "as thick as two short planks" at the best of times but give there were no Supervisiors on duty yesterday{even when there are they're about as much use a one legged man in an arse kicking contest!!!!} the level of stupidity from them rose to "critical overload" at which point obsenities are flying out of my mouth more frequently than airplanes out of JFK Airport.
Realizing at this point "I don't need a gun, I can just push the bullets in"!!!!! I thank christ I have a 12 mile run on tap post work to exorcise my demons,as you know I'm a "Proud Paddy" and a Catholic,Orange is NOT my colour and I like my freedom too much to be doing roadside trash pick up detail on a chain gang so despite"tasting the blood" and wanting to knock one individuals teeth "so far down his throat he'll need to shove a toothbrush up his arse to clean them" I suppress my demons till 3.15pm go home "pass go,collect $300 and not go to jail" get out of my work clothes into my running gear and perform an Exorcisim over 12 miles out and back on Kelly Drive.
Demons suppressed,I shower,make dinner catch a little tv b4 calling it a nite......tomorrow is another day.......hopefully better than the one I just had in a day and age when old movies are being remade I have ZERO desire to be the lead in "The Jericho Mile"......
The day began well enough,I answered the call of the alarm at 5.09am which is always half the battle,knew it was pay day which always makes life a little easier and began reading my latest book "The Outsider'' Jimmy Connors autobiography on the ride to work....so far so good......
No sooner do I arrive on the loading dock at 6.15am that it all goes to hell in a handbasket.
Some Bellend from PJP decides waiting till 7.30am to deliver is too much trouble and proceeds to drop off his 5 skids b4 I arrive.....problem being when he ran out of room on either side of the dock he puts the last three down the middle.......so how the fuck am I getting to the electric jack at the end of the dock to move them arsehole???????
As if that was a great enough start to my day I now have to deal w/ a pair of arseholes from Rhico who I dubbed the "A Team" ......A standing for arsehole of course and w/ that my day went downhill faster than Lindsay Vorn in the Giant Slalom!!!!!!!
W/ the proverbial "red mist" well and truly decending and projectiles flying across the storeroom I now have to endure the daily "Monkey Shit" from the cast of "The Walking Dead" ie the Storeroom staff who are frankly "as thick as two short planks" at the best of times but give there were no Supervisiors on duty yesterday{even when there are they're about as much use a one legged man in an arse kicking contest!!!!} the level of stupidity from them rose to "critical overload" at which point obsenities are flying out of my mouth more frequently than airplanes out of JFK Airport.
Realizing at this point "I don't need a gun, I can just push the bullets in"!!!!! I thank christ I have a 12 mile run on tap post work to exorcise my demons,as you know I'm a "Proud Paddy" and a Catholic,Orange is NOT my colour and I like my freedom too much to be doing roadside trash pick up detail on a chain gang so despite"tasting the blood" and wanting to knock one individuals teeth "so far down his throat he'll need to shove a toothbrush up his arse to clean them" I suppress my demons till 3.15pm go home "pass go,collect $300 and not go to jail" get out of my work clothes into my running gear and perform an Exorcisim over 12 miles out and back on Kelly Drive.
Demons suppressed,I shower,make dinner catch a little tv b4 calling it a nite......tomorrow is another day.......hopefully better than the one I just had in a day and age when old movies are being remade I have ZERO desire to be the lead in "The Jericho Mile"......
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Super Nova
Anyone who knows me will tell you my love for Villanova runs deep......no I didn't go there{more's the pity!!} but IF I'd grown up in America w/ the same athletic talent I'd grown up w/ in London w/ in the late 70s I'd have wanted to go to Villanova......IF I had the money or the grades is probably another matter altogether but when do we allow reality to blur the lines of fantasy???
When I first saw Eamonn Coghlan run for Ireland at the 76 Montreal Olympics I became a huge fan and through my hero worship of him I discovered Villanova,Jumbo Elliot and Ronnie Delaney and since then I've bled Wildcat blue......so you'll forgive me if I've spent the last few days w/ my chest out and my Peacock feathers in full bloom,NCAA Basketball Champions...........
#NOVANATION
#NATIONALCHAMPS
Having sat out Tuesday it was back at it yesterday as I opted for a 14 miler around the whole Art Museum Loop to get me back on schedule for a 60 mpw.
Conditions were sunny and warm at 51 degs,but the ever present wind off the Schuylkill was noticable after I cross Falls Bridge from West River Dr onto Kelly Drive for the second seven miles.
It's been a while since I tackled the loop period,muchless on a week day but w/ himself no stranger to 12 or 13 milers on a weekday was 14 really that big of an ask???
As is my won't I ran sans watch as it's more about the miles than the pace but I was probably ballpark two hours and change 9 min mile pace over 14 miles would be 2.06.
Highlight of the run, just under 4 miles to go approaching Girard Ave bridge I spotted a runner coming towards me sporting a blue Villanova t shirt, I had worn my white Villanova Basketball shootaround drifit shirt.....we both smiled and nodded at one another and flashed the Villanova Victory V as we went about our runs........isn't being National Champions grand!!!!!!
When I first saw Eamonn Coghlan run for Ireland at the 76 Montreal Olympics I became a huge fan and through my hero worship of him I discovered Villanova,Jumbo Elliot and Ronnie Delaney and since then I've bled Wildcat blue......so you'll forgive me if I've spent the last few days w/ my chest out and my Peacock feathers in full bloom,NCAA Basketball Champions...........
#NOVANATION
#NATIONALCHAMPS
Having sat out Tuesday it was back at it yesterday as I opted for a 14 miler around the whole Art Museum Loop to get me back on schedule for a 60 mpw.
Conditions were sunny and warm at 51 degs,but the ever present wind off the Schuylkill was noticable after I cross Falls Bridge from West River Dr onto Kelly Drive for the second seven miles.
It's been a while since I tackled the loop period,muchless on a week day but w/ himself no stranger to 12 or 13 milers on a weekday was 14 really that big of an ask???
As is my won't I ran sans watch as it's more about the miles than the pace but I was probably ballpark two hours and change 9 min mile pace over 14 miles would be 2.06.
Highlight of the run, just under 4 miles to go approaching Girard Ave bridge I spotted a runner coming towards me sporting a blue Villanova t shirt, I had worn my white Villanova Basketball shootaround drifit shirt.....we both smiled and nodded at one another and flashed the Villanova Victory V as we went about our runs........isn't being National Champions grand!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Channeling My Inner Madonna* And Inner Cher*
*Into The Groove
*Turn Back Time
Looking to build on last weeks 60 mpw I had to throw in a few extra wrinkles yesterday,a return to work and getting up at 5.09am plus putting in a full day b4 heading off for my run,plus the unexpected news I'm "in the mix" for the upcoming Penn Relays M50 4X400,
As for work...."meh" I'm back up on the dock this week to cover Chris while he's off,can't lay claim to "my nads being pumped" about it but it is what it is and it's only for a week
As for Penn Relays,that was a surprise even to moi!,I was originally asked late last week and I declined....however the club wasn't taking NO for an answer and I was asked again yesterday and while I have reservations about it I have agreed to run.
Do I want to run it?.....not really being totally honest,will it kill me to run a 400m leg of a relay? not really and who knows maybe by doing a selfless act for three team mates who have a vested interest in running Penn Relays will inspire some good karma down the road for "himself" and Lord knows I could always use good karma....
Also in a year I celebrate 40 years of running lest we forget I begun my career on the track as a 400m/800m runner so maybe this is the universe trying to tell me something????
As for my run last nite I had to settle for an 8 miler due to the rain,I'm pissed because on Friday when I thought it would rain I wore my Spurs rain jacket only to sweat my bollocks off,last nite while doing my best "Drowned Rat" impression said rain jacket was still hanging up on the bathroom shower rail......bone shaggin' dry while I got soaked.......
At least I got 8 miles in and providing I tweak my remaining four runs from 12 miles to 13 miles or throw in a pair of 12/14s I'll still be golden for 60mpw.
*Turn Back Time
Looking to build on last weeks 60 mpw I had to throw in a few extra wrinkles yesterday,a return to work and getting up at 5.09am plus putting in a full day b4 heading off for my run,plus the unexpected news I'm "in the mix" for the upcoming Penn Relays M50 4X400,
As for work...."meh" I'm back up on the dock this week to cover Chris while he's off,can't lay claim to "my nads being pumped" about it but it is what it is and it's only for a week
As for Penn Relays,that was a surprise even to moi!,I was originally asked late last week and I declined....however the club wasn't taking NO for an answer and I was asked again yesterday and while I have reservations about it I have agreed to run.
Do I want to run it?.....not really being totally honest,will it kill me to run a 400m leg of a relay? not really and who knows maybe by doing a selfless act for three team mates who have a vested interest in running Penn Relays will inspire some good karma down the road for "himself" and Lord knows I could always use good karma....
Also in a year I celebrate 40 years of running lest we forget I begun my career on the track as a 400m/800m runner so maybe this is the universe trying to tell me something????
As for my run last nite I had to settle for an 8 miler due to the rain,I'm pissed because on Friday when I thought it would rain I wore my Spurs rain jacket only to sweat my bollocks off,last nite while doing my best "Drowned Rat" impression said rain jacket was still hanging up on the bathroom shower rail......bone shaggin' dry while I got soaked.......
At least I got 8 miles in and providing I tweak my remaining four runs from 12 miles to 13 miles or throw in a pair of 12/14s I'll still be golden for 60mpw.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
I've Started,So I'll Finish Thank You Very Much.....
Been a while since I last logged a 60 mpw.....and judging from the "clinically dead" sensation from the knees down I'm presently feeling I can see why the feck that is....that said I'm happy to have my first 60mpw under my belt as I move forward.....albeit slowly towards my goals this Outdoor season.
Yesterdays planned 12 miler never got off the ground,I had a sleepless nite,it was raining and frankly the 48 miles from Tuesday thro Friday had taken somewhat of a toll,no biggie I had Sunday as my fall back day on tap.
Up around 9am I was lulled into a false sense of security by the bright sunshine coming thro my living window....the howling wind from the skylight window on my landing as I did my final achilles stretches should have warned yours truly what was waiting outside the front door......
Feck Me!! if I'd known it was gonna be this cold and that windy my gloves and Dublin knit hat may well have been dug out from the bottom of my running gear pile pre run.....thank jaysus my Spurs half zip top has long feckin' sleeves to cover my hands cos I think they might've frozen off out there this morning.
Yes I flunked General Science in High School and told them where to poke Chem,Physics,Biology for my final two years but answer me this IF the wind is in your face heading northbound along Kelly Drive SURELY when you turn around and head southbound it should at your back???????
The feck it is on Kelly Drive!!! there were Portajohns blown over on the path out there this morning/lunchtime{I hope no bugger was trying to use them at the time!!!!!} and on at least three occasions I yelled to the running gods "yer feckin' joking aren't ya???" as the wind continued to be in my face,trust me at an age where crossing stuff of ye olde Bucket List is prevalent.....doing my best Mary Poppins impression is NOT on said list!!!!
Mercifully I made it home in one piece and can log a 60 mile week in the books,more of the same next week beginning tomorrow I hope.....just not w/ that feckin' wind I hope!!
Yesterdays planned 12 miler never got off the ground,I had a sleepless nite,it was raining and frankly the 48 miles from Tuesday thro Friday had taken somewhat of a toll,no biggie I had Sunday as my fall back day on tap.
Up around 9am I was lulled into a false sense of security by the bright sunshine coming thro my living window....the howling wind from the skylight window on my landing as I did my final achilles stretches should have warned yours truly what was waiting outside the front door......
Feck Me!! if I'd known it was gonna be this cold and that windy my gloves and Dublin knit hat may well have been dug out from the bottom of my running gear pile pre run.....thank jaysus my Spurs half zip top has long feckin' sleeves to cover my hands cos I think they might've frozen off out there this morning.
Yes I flunked General Science in High School and told them where to poke Chem,Physics,Biology for my final two years but answer me this IF the wind is in your face heading northbound along Kelly Drive SURELY when you turn around and head southbound it should at your back???????
The feck it is on Kelly Drive!!! there were Portajohns blown over on the path out there this morning/lunchtime{I hope no bugger was trying to use them at the time!!!!!} and on at least three occasions I yelled to the running gods "yer feckin' joking aren't ya???" as the wind continued to be in my face,trust me at an age where crossing stuff of ye olde Bucket List is prevalent.....doing my best Mary Poppins impression is NOT on said list!!!!
Mercifully I made it home in one piece and can log a 60 mile week in the books,more of the same next week beginning tomorrow I hope.....just not w/ that feckin' wind I hope!!
Friday, April 1, 2016
Guess The Joke's On Me
Another 12 miler in the books this lunch time between 11.30am and 1.30pm to put me at 48 miles for the week,just need to get up around 8am and be on the road by 9am tomorrow so I can be done and dusted by 11am and have time to hop in and out of the shower b4 coming down town to Fado's to catch the 12.30pm Liverpool Spurs game.
Bit of a grind today if I'm being 100% honest but when did I last put in back to back to back to back runs much less 12 milers?
Very little in the way of knee lift and leg turn over throughout the run which was almost my undoing w/ half a mile to go when my right foot caught a slab of uneven paving stone......however my semester of Interpretive Dance at University College Dublin kept me upright......knew that would come in useful one of these feckin days!!!!
Erred in my running attire choice today,forecast called for showers so I went w/ baseball cap,rain jacket and warm up bottoms.........jaysus I was sweating like a feckin pig out there,fecking clothes were soaked in sweat by the time I got done and the sweat was running off my forehead into my eyes so much I looked like feckin' Popeye at times out there running w/one eye shut....oh yeah and it never feckin' rained either.....an April Fools win for the Weather people I guess.......,however post run tomorrow when I have my 5 day/60mpw under my belt it'll be me having the last feckin' laugh.......
Bit of a grind today if I'm being 100% honest but when did I last put in back to back to back to back runs much less 12 milers?
Very little in the way of knee lift and leg turn over throughout the run which was almost my undoing w/ half a mile to go when my right foot caught a slab of uneven paving stone......however my semester of Interpretive Dance at University College Dublin kept me upright......knew that would come in useful one of these feckin days!!!!
Erred in my running attire choice today,forecast called for showers so I went w/ baseball cap,rain jacket and warm up bottoms.........jaysus I was sweating like a feckin pig out there,fecking clothes were soaked in sweat by the time I got done and the sweat was running off my forehead into my eyes so much I looked like feckin' Popeye at times out there running w/one eye shut....oh yeah and it never feckin' rained either.....an April Fools win for the Weather people I guess.......,however post run tomorrow when I have my 5 day/60mpw under my belt it'll be me having the last feckin' laugh.......
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