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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back To Basics/ Putting Your Ego Aside

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don't Panic!

 "Oh, all that I know there's nothing here to run from cause  yeah everybody here's got somebody to lean on"

Don't Panic-Coldplay

Out of July, into the Dog Days  of August, heatwave #4 another typical week for yours truly..... regrettably zero miles logged the heat and humidity just conspired against me, there was a small window of opportunity on Tuesday evening that maybe just maybe I could get out after work and try and run however mass transit had other ideas when I left work throwing an industrial size spanner in the works on that notion

Having gotten some miles in over the last six weeks it's possible an unscheduled week off wasn't the " be all and end all" for me I still have 12 weeks till Dublin and rosary beads gripped tightly it does look like the heat and humidity are about to ease up, according to the weather app on my phone after today Aug 6th the next 9 days till  Thursday Aug 15th are:75-75-83-84-85-83-85-85-86, granted there are still some days when the humidity is quite high but I'm hoping and praying for a minimum of one 12 miler this week, maybe two on Wednesday & Friday b4 a 14 miler on Sunday putting me back on schedule to be running 20 miles come the first weekend of September b4 the Philadelphia Distance Run on Sept 15th

I only logged 48 miles in July....hardly earthshattering however July tends to be a low mileage month due to the heat and humidity, last year in August I believe I logged 100 miles b4 103 in September so hopefully were seeing the back of triple digit weather and the return of triple digit mileage

I'm three weeks out from the annual Philly 10k in South Philly which I always consider the unofficial start to the Fall Road Race season, granted this years Fall Road Race season is a tad different w/ the Dublin Marathon on the schedule that however just means longer runs to prepare, if I was looking at my usual races; Philly 10k, PDR, Market St 5 Miler Penn Relays 5k, Bridge Run 10k, Rocky Run 5k/10Miler Rothman 8k and River Loop 8.4 Miler I'd still need to be out there logging runs  three four days/evenings a week this go round on the Merry Go Round I still require three to four runs....only they need to be longer

W/ the clock ticking Philly 10k three weeks, PDR six weeks, Dublin Marathon twelve weeks lets hope this phase of training goes well.....there's a lot riding on it........