The Boom Is Back/Start The Mixer

 "Oh, the craic was good in Cricklewood and they wouldn't leave the Crown, w/ glasses  flying and Biddys crying sure Paddy was going to town, Oh mother dear,I'm over and I never will go back what keeps me here is rake of beer the ladies and the craic.....and down the glen came McAlpine's men w/ their shovels slung behind them twas in the pub that they drank the sub and up the spike you'll find them they sweated blood and they washed down mud w/ Pints and quarts of beer and now we're on the road again w/ McAlpine's Fusiliers"

McAlpine's Fusiliers-The Dubliners

Jaysus, what a week,much like waiting for the Luas or the DART{Dublin Area Rapid Transit} ye wait for ages for one..... and three show up together.........

Monday August  25th Into the final week of August......thank christ says I!!!!! still officially Summer but feeling like Fall and  w/ so much at stake, I began the week on 73 miles w/ a chance to not only eclipse March's tally of 78 but also potentially log my longest run of the year w/ a 12 miler on Sunday......this would give me 105 miles for the month something I hadn't done since February of last year,the weather gods looked like they were on my side all week but the auld chestnut work.....always ready, willing and able to bollix up my runs at the drop of a hat, ergo the watchword of the week was caution, take each day as it came and hope that the running gods, the weather gods and the work gods were on  the same page for once.....

Monday was an easy/recovery 5 miler off the back of Sundays 10k so no need to time it, three 5 milers last week along the Schuylkill River Trail meant I knew where the 2.5 mile turnaround was and I was able to enjoy some easy miles in  83 degree heat w/ only 38% humidity

TADA!!! Officially 78 miles tied w/ March, if I only got a mile tomorrow that would be enough for a new record.......but I was eyeing the other two targets, after  a 28 mile week in the final week of March and another three weeks later fast forward 18 weeks, after the near miss three weeks ago when I toiled in unbearable heat & humidity Monday thro Thursday I had to settle for 27 miles w/ a hard fought 10 miles on the Sunday......remember kids Close only counts in a game of Horseshoes........

Tuesday August 26th BOOM!!! A new monthly record of 83 miles thanks to a 5 miler but of course seldom does anything go to plan in the realm of the Shamrock Warrior......

Firstly a typo on Monday of 68 miles not 78 miles  on my social media outlets had me scrambling to my PC at work post run to go back and re add up the previous 3 weeks......mercifully it was just a typo and I was still on pace for a 32 mile week and longest month since Feb 24 and a return to triple digit miles, secondly Hal the little bollix Garmin  decided today of all days would be gas to act up and act the bollix on the day I was looking to set a new record

When mile 1 came up too early I knew the rest of my splits would be off so I kept going along the Schuylkill River Trail past where Hal indicated 2.5 miles,it was off by 15 ticks or whatever unit of measurement a Garmin uses, subsequently when Hal  indicated mile 5 on the Ben Franklin Parkway I kept running till 5.15 to give me 5 miles on the nose,my subsequent splits and pace have an * next to them for this run....and any other run Hal has acted the bollix....it was 78 degrees and 33% humidity.....and  barely a cloud in the sky which is what usually fecks up the Garmin....not sure what Hal's issue was today.?......the little bollix.......

Wednesday August 27th Decided Hal could stay on the charger at home, the next two days speed, pace, splits were immaterial what was golden was the miles,at 77 degrees and 42% it really did have a Fall feel to the run,I believe I said this either last week or the week b4, September may have one {god forbid} two final "feck yous" w/ heat and humidity b4 it's done .......I hope I'm wrong I can attest to running a handful of PDR's {Philadelphia Distance Run's} in mid September that were humid as fuck so let's not get our hopes up too much just yet.....that said feck yeah let's enjoy these Fall like conditions at the tail end of August

At 15 miles for the week but more importantly 88 for the month I had the safety net of knowing if work threw a spanner in the mix tomorrow yes it would feck me for my potential 32 mile week but still have me on pace for a triple digit month....providing Saturdays long run went off w/out a hitch.......for once time to channel my "Inner Barbie".......this bitch wants it all..........

Thursday August 28th Not even " copy and paste" conditions as the humidity was down by 10% for 32% but identical temps at 77 degrees compared to yesterday

It's been a minute since I last logged four 5 milers Monday thro Thursday......wanna hazard  when it was....???? try the second week of April when I was on pace for 32 miles only to have Sundays planned 12 miler end at  mile 8........ye just couldn't make this shite up could ye???

At 93 miles now going into Saturdays scheduled 12 mile long  run the safety net was IF it went tits up at least let me get 7 miles in to return to the realm of  triple digit mileage, at this point w/ conditions cooling off I'm confident that beating 28 miles for the week would eventually happen sooner rather than later if not this week.....that said the chance to land The Grand Slam" longest week,best monthly mileage, longest run and return to the rarefied air of triple digit miles for the month was there for the taking.......and I wanted it!!!

Saturday August 30th It had all come down to this,12 miles longest run of the year {technically the Love Run 1/2 Marathon in March is my longest run but in terms of long runs in training I have two 10 milers under my belt one on March 2nd in prep for the aforementioned Love Run 1/2 Marathon and the other three weeks ago on August 10th}

As has been my won't on the weekends for my recent long runs I had to wait till lunchtime for more favourable conditions w/ the humidity, w/ so much on the line today flying in the face of it or playing fast and loose wasn't an option, I would like to eventually be in a position to knock out the Saturday or Sunday long run in the morning but  today felt like caution was the better part of valour so 12.40pm it was when the temps were a comfortable 70 degrees  and the humidity an even more comfortable 40%

As w/ most double digit long runs the blueprint is 9 min mile pace.....12 x 9 = 108....or 1.48 in running terms if ye'd offered me that b4 I set out I'd have willingly taken it,that said anything slower but still a complete 12 miles would still be acceptable also

8.31 for the opening mile happy out w/ that, 8.17 for mile 2.......which in fairness has a major downhill off the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge into Grays Ferry Crescent hence the faster split,now onto the extended Schuylkill River Trail

8.38 at mile 3 b4 a pair of 8.53 splits for miles 4 and 5 and a 8.48 split at mile 6, 50.40 at the turn roughly a mile and a quarter from Lloyd Hall and the start of Boathouse Row, at this point I wasn't thinking about a potential 1.41.20 finish based off the first half,first order of business mile 7 and triple digits for the month

8.40 at mile 7.....BOOM!! a smile and a fist pump for yer man here as I'd finally  returned to the "promised land" of triple digit mileage per month, go back to August of 2023 when I logged 103 miles I then went on to record  6 triple digit mileage months in the next 7 months the outlier being  October when I had to settle for 87 miles.....could I do that again? let's take one month at a time and see,the more  immediate  issue was could I nail a 12 miler to not only log 32 miles for the week but also record my longest run of the year period but w/ one eye on the upcoming Philadelphia Distance Run a 12 miler this week sets up the potential of 14 miles next week and IF that goes to plan hopefully a 16 miler the week after, it would be nice heading into PDR on the front foot after a few tough summers

8.42 at mile 8 and 8.34 at mile 9 heading over the recently opened bridge that extends the Schuylkill River Trail into Grays Ferry I started  to ponder how to handle the last 2 miles......

8.44 for mile 10 the knee lift and leg turnover were beginning to get away from me, as is my won't I like to increase my long runs in 2 mile increments, had I more time {ie if it hadn't been such a bastard summer, again and my shorter long runs hadn't gone tits up I'd have that time .....but I don't}I could up them by a mile,the step up from 6 to 8 miles and then 8 to 10 miles was a grind so I didn't expect any less today going from 10 to 12 miles.....to that end like I did three weeks ago rather than tackle the steep uphill  of the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge.....and still have a mile to go along 49th street I remained on the flat comfort of the the Schuylkill River Trail doing an out and back that gave me my final 2 miles

9.16 for mile 11.....hey ho there went keeping everything at sub 9 min mile pace, a battle for another day, now the focus was on the final mile,9.33 as I did exit the trail and begin the climb up Grays Ferry Avenue bridge at 9.90 and get the final 10 clicks to finish in 1.45.30 off 8.48 mile pace

BOOM!!!!/Start The Mixer.......longest run of the year,longest mileage week of the year, best monthly mileage, and a return to triple  digit mileage after 18 months...........what's the craic!!!!!!!!!!

It's taken a while to get there but I always felt in my black Celtic born again Pagan heart it would happen, the fact I got them all in one week was sweet, the fact I had to wait and work my hole off to get them even sweeter.....in the time honoured question" what the fuck do ye do for an encore?" hopefully what I did back in 2023/24 and string together  six or seven months of triple digit months, lets see what September has to offer?????

#261

 "Reach out reach out for the medal reach out reach out for the gold come play to win never give in the time is right for you to come and make your stand reach out reach out"

Reach Out For The Medal-Giorgio Moroder

Not quite the mileage week I wanted{ when is it ever??!!} sometimes less is more but a huge reduction in the recent bastard heat and humidity.....plus after 16 weeks a race ..............

Monday August 18th After a brutal weekend of heat and humidity where my apartment  felt like a Native American sweat lodge there was a dramatic dip in both heat and humidity.....how long it'll last I don't know? we could suffer through one more  heatwave b4 we say goodbye to August next week but if we don't{fingers crossed,rosary beads out and however many Hail Mary's it takes!!!} September can still throw one or two our way....time to make hay while the sun isn't beating down on us I guess...

Opted to stay on the Schuylkill River Trail even though I wouldn't require the breeze coming off the Schuylkill River today 5 miles in 70 degree heat and only 76% humidity,however in my haste to get out the door to work this morning I forgot to unhook Hal the little bollix Garmin off its charger.....no biggie a couple of weeks ago in a failed attempt to get 6 mile in out and back on the trail I "eyeballed" where 2.5 miles came in between the on off ramp of the South Street bridge and the actual bridge its self so I knew where to make the turn today

After several if not weeks but several runs when it felt like I was running  in a friggin' Turkish Bath it was a joy not to toil in the heat and humidity today and the forecast for the rest of the week was looking promising.......

Tuesday August 19th 76 degrees but only  56% humidity today as I logged a 43.00.6 5 miler off  8.36 mile pace,for this week at least and hopefully moving forward it's time to reintroduce the Garmin, there didn't seem a point  in the heat and humidity worrying about speed and pace but w/ cooler temps and less humidity and a pair of 10k races coming up I wanted an idea of where my fast twitch muscles were,if I was using 9 min mile pace as a yardstick then my time for 5 miles would be 45 mins so to go 43.00 off 8.36 tells me either I set the bar too low or i'm quicker than I thought

Again to get done a lunchtime run and not be drowning in my own sweat is a joy, while there are still 12 more ''Dog Days Of August" to contend w/ just a brake from the oppressive heat and humidity feels very welcome and judging from the fact I felt I saw more runners out on the Schuylkill River Trail this lunchtime tells me I'm not the only one taking advantage of this

Friday August 22nd.......the fuck you say a Friday run.....what happened to observing the Pagan Sabbath you ask?? well A despite being a self confessed creature of habit I was switching up my routine this week and since Friday was race number pick up day for Sundays Philly 10k races it created and opportunity to run and B the weather and work fecked me both Wednesday & Thursday

Wednesday it rained....not a deal breaker  as such........however the 95%  humidity that accompanied it stuck a fork in that plan so now since Friday was an option to run I figured I could still get my 4 days/ 20 miles/5 milers in.......cue work fucking me over on Thursday.....

I appreciate I'm there to work so I try not to "throw my toys out of the pram"when I can't watch the Six One RTE News at 1pm{ 5 hour time difference from  Ireland to America} and also not get bent out of shape if work negates my lunch hour.....that said when I don't get lunch period or it's gone 3pm when I finally get to lunch but I clock out at 5pm I feels tad aggrieved so now instead of a 26 mile  week it's gonna be a 21 mile week, again not the end of the world but the sands of time on August are running out if I want triple digit mileage this month,it's bad enough I've lost miles due to the heat and humidity this month but when a co worker decides " hooray for me,fuck everyone else" I tend to take that personally....

For the record 41.52.2 off 8.20 mile pace in 81 degrees and only 33% humidity,shaving 68 seconds off of Tuesdays time, the auld football adage goes " ah but can he do it on a cold Tuesday night in Bolton?" can I do it on a warm humid Sunday in Philly over 10k????????..........

Sunday August 24th A date that has been circled on my calendar for a while, each season there are two long stretches of no races, after Broad Street on the first weekend of May till the Philly 10k  at the tail end of August this year was 16 weeks, yes there are races in-between but they are few and far between then after my season finale the Schuylkill River Loop the first weekend of December it's sometimes 15 weeks till the Philadelphia Love Run 1/2 marathon towards the end of March which is why for the last three years I've signed up for the Cupid's Chase 5k in early mid February to brake up that stretch

I've been running the Philly 10k since  either 2017 or 18, until this year it was a non finishers medal event and  self confessed " medal hoor" that I am I tend to skip races that don't give finishers medals.....frankly I could do a training run for the same or long distance if there's nothing in for me when I finish other than the satisfaction of running and finishing,the exception to this rule has been said Philly 10k which I willing ran san finishers medal since it broke up a long stretch of no races and got me ready for the Philadelphia Distance Run in mid September.....this year for the first time in its 12 year history Philly 10k offered finishers medals.....ye had me at unofficial start to the Fall road race season but  also a medal this yearhere's my arm twist it.....ok ok i'll sign up!!!!!!

Up at the arse crack of dawn {5.30am} to be dressed and out the door by 6am to get down to South Street by 6.40am, 50 mins to get one last trip to the bog taken care of, check my bag since Ms Shamrock Warrior was unable to join me this year ,get my all important stretches  in  b4 taking my place in the start corral and waiting for the gun/siren to send us on our merry way

Over the years several songs have been played pre race that have pumped me up often its "Shipping Up To Boston" by Dropkick Murphys or "The Boys Are Back In Town"by Thin Lizzy both will speak to the Celtic Pagan blood in my veins, today it was "Dog Days Are Over"by Florence & The Machine....while technically not Irish Flo grew up in Camberwell  in South East London, has red hair and a last name of Welch.....feck it we're claiming her as one of our own!!!!!

I wasn't sure what to expect timewise in this race, I knew I had the distance covered even if I'm only doing 5 milers at lunchtime and this was 6 I felt the recent  6,8 and 10 mile long runs would see me through but in terms of speed/pace....??? 7.30 mile pace would be give or take 45 mins.....however I couldn't be sure I'm actually in 7.30 mile pace shape,8min mile pace for 50 mins felt like setting the bar too low so something in between would be ideal

When in doubt I start towards the back of the corral so not to get dragged out by the speed merchants and running faster than I need to, nothing worse than the opening miles being too fast and dying over the second half of the race,start out slow/modestly and if it's too slow ye can pick up the pace 7.41 for the opening mile,I was happy out w/ that it's always a bit choppy at the beginning of any race w/ so many runners jockeying for position but it tends to thin out w/in a mile or so and hopefully ye get a clear run of things" let the Dog see the Rabbit" as the auld saying goes

7.38 for mile 2, I was a bit miffed to see 8.01 at mile 3 and worried if the next 4 miles would be 8 min miles.....7.41 at mile 4 put that fear to rest but maybe I relaxed too much or mentally went to sleep as mile 5 was an 8.05 split

I forget at what point of the race I was cognizant of the sweat dripping off me at 7.30am it was mid 70s w/ maybe 75% humidity,I knew it would be ,ever the Boy Scout I'd been checking the temp and humidity all week and made sure to take on plenty of water yesterday, shur drink a pint, piss a gallon but don't show up for yer race dehydrated

Now for the time honoured  auld visualization card for the final mile, even though I was running through South Philly/Center City I visualized the final mile of my daily 5 mile runs down the Ben Franklin Parkway towards 16th St.....it worked like a charm a 7.49 split on route to a 48.31.9 finish off 7.46 mile pace, thanks in no small part to a ferocious kick down South St between the turn on 7th to the finish at 5th St, some will say that's showboating.......I say bollix, I was taught if ye have it to give at the finish  give it, ney point crossing the finish line and saying "I had more to give"....then ye should have given it,!! as Carl Lewis once said"I just wanted to know I left it all out there on the track" trust  me there have been days and will be days I didn't have it or won't have it.......today wasn't that day!

Pre race I thought somewhere between 7.30-8.00 min mile pace I clocked 7.46 almost dead center, going into the Freedom 10k on Sept 1st in 8 days time  now I know where I'm at over 10k, lets see if I can shave a bit more time off of today's time

Medal #5 for the season, #261 for the career and a reward for the last 7 weeks of grind in training, the actual running isn't the grind it's the feckin' conditions this time of year......give it 5/6 months me and all the same runners complaining about the heat and humidity will be complaining about the cold......it's the nature of the beast

21 miles for the week,73 for the month.....dare I dream it? a 32 mile week this week for my longest week of the year and my longest run {12 miles} this year and a return to  triple digits for the month for the first time since February of last year.......I've checked the weather....it looks in my favour,fingers crossed work doesn't bollix  for me........

Best Laid Plans.........

 "You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to turn and walk away And know when to run you never count your money when you're sitting at the table There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done"

The Gambler-Kenny Rodgers

Warning, This weeks blog ends w/ a  boot in the bollix.......wearing a protective cup is optional.......!!!!!!!

Truly a case of " the best laid plans of Mice & Men" this week, tis not my first rodeo.....nor my last but I will emphasize this well known fact.......when you argue w/ Mother Nature be prepared for the fact she  always gets the last word............

Monday August 11th Off the back of Sundays grind em till ye find em 10 miles the mindset was easy/recovery 5 miler period but also knowing Monday was the only day this week w/ low humidity it was probably the only chance to get 5 miles in at lunchtime, I'd be pushing it like Salt N T Pepper to get 4 milers Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday......

86 degrees and 37% humidity as I made it out and back along Kelly Drive just beyond Girard Avenue  bridge, I took the "road well traveled" today because I know where  all my mile markers are, today was not a day for the Garmin and going via the Schuylkill River Trail to map out a new route, granted the trail puts me closer to the Schuylkill River and I can get the benefit of a breeze off the river.....but at only 37% humidity I wouldn't need it plus whenever I strap on ye auld Garmin there seems to be a compulsion to run quicker since I can see each mile splits and off the back of Sundays long run this didn't feel like the day for that

Tuesday August 12th the start of the 4 mile vs humidity along the Schuylkill River Trail trilogy........87 degrees w/ 56% humidity, if this were a cage match only was of us was coming out and channeling my inner Queen" I am the one the only one,I am the god of kingdom come,Gimme The Prize!!!!!"

8.42 for the opening mile up the Ben Franklin Parkway, slow and steady, hung a left onto the Schuylkill River Trail and began heading  South towards Locust Street which I had eyeballed as give or take mile 2, 8.48 at that split but continued on a little to the water fountain for some much needed water, not so long ago I wouldn't have done that.....these day the friggin planet is heating up at an alarming rate each year{sidebar Heatwave #6 in Philly this week!!!!} plus w/ 62 getting closer I have to accept A i'm not as young as I used to be and B if I don't adapt I'll perish....

9.34 for mile 3 this was a grind at at this point the prospect of a 3 or 3.5 miler was  a strong possibility......however I knew if I could get to the Ben Franklin  Parkway and "work the lights"between 24th and 16th Streets I could get that respite I needed to see it through 

9.13 for the final mile, granted aided by  a few red lights in my favour that allowed me a much needed breather I completed 4 miles in 36.18.6 off 9.05 mile pace......not that those numbers carried that much clout, the most important number was the miles, 4 +5 = 9.....the dream was still intact......

Wednesday August 13th 89 degrees,57% humidity and 1.26 faster than yesterday........

My splits were:8.25-8.52-8.41-8.55 for a 8.43 mile pace time again not the big take away here in my opinion, don't bury the lead Bernstein getting another 4 miler in meant 13 miles for the week w/ the potential for  4 more more tomorrow to put me at 17 miles heading into Saturdays long run of 12 miles....dare I think it......29 miles for the week a new seasons longest tally AND my longest run of the year........." don't tread on my dreams.....my dreams are all I have"...........

Thursday August 14th It's been a while since Hal the little bollix of  a Garmin got involved in one of my runs  but today was the day he was an uninvited guest.......

86 degrees and 65% humidity.......not a typo.....65% humidity..... w/ it came low cloud cover which  always  seems to effect the Garmin so when mile 1 came up b4 I reached 24th St and the Parkway I knew things were about to go off kilter .....the 7.34 " mile split" underlined that fact, on the 37 year anniversary of getting sober I could say the Serenity Prayer "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference"......or the short version "God, grant me the serenity to ......ahh fuck it".....for the purpose of the run I went w/the short version, but let's not get it twisted I am only still here through the grace of God and the fellowship of AA celebrating 37 years of sobriety  and that's something I don't take lightly

It feels pointless recording the remaining splits much less the so called mile pace based off said splits but for the record they were"7-34-8.41-8.25-8.43 for 8.16 mile pace.....mile 4 I went a little longer  so I knew I had at least covered the full 4 miles not what Hal the little bollix  was trying to convince me,  4 days 17 miles............short version of the serenity prayer incoming..............

Saturday August 16th remember what I said about Mother Nature  always getting the final word......? Awoke once again on a weekend to insane humidity close to 90%,I know better than to fuck w/ that period much less for a long run,sadly by 1pm  it only dropped to 56% and while I was desperate to at least "go down swinging" I dredged up an auld  chestnut from my ex coach who once said " listen to what your body is  telling you" the fact I hadn't even thrown on my running gear much less stretched told me " it's not your day"

Sadly tomorrow is an almost carbon copy of today plus  I have something on my agenda in the afternoon so reluctantly i'm  calling it a 4 day 17 mile week..... what boils my piss.....and no it's not the feckin' heat and humidity it's grinding so deep Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday to put myself in a position to have a crack at it today only to have it evaporate,yeah it sucks but as a wise auld lad once told me " bury it deep in the tough shit cemetery".......there are far worse thing going on in the world than a missed training run.

As it stands I have 52 miles mid way through August, I only logged 45 the entire month last year,so the potential for a triple digit month is still on, sadly at best next week I can only log 26 miles for the week if I can notch 4 times 5 miles at  lunchtime Monday thro Thursday and then run my 10k race next Sunday,the bigger boot in the bollix is missing out on a long run,obviously next Saturday I'd prefer to keep my powder dry for Sundays race which means it won't be till Saturday August 30th b4 I can attempt my longest run of the year and it's one less  double digit run b4 PDR on September  21st and potentially one less 20 mile run  pre Philly Marathon on November 23rd

The desire to eclipse 28 miles for the week  is a driving force for me right now,deep down I know i'll get there sooner rather than later,sweet and merciful Jesus this feckin' can't last forever {it can't....can it???}I know September can have a few humid days but hopefully w/ the "Dog Days Of August"behind us in a fortnight the temps and the  humidity will drop and my weekly mileage and weekend long runs will go up......it's a simple dream but as I said earlier "don't tread on my dreams,my dreams are all I have"....

If Ye Didn't Laugh Ye'd Cry

 "Cos Monday I'd go drinking,Tuesday I'd go drinking,Wednesday I'd go drinking and on Thursday too And Friday I'd go drinking, Saturday I'd go drinking Sunday shur I'd go for wan or two Hey! Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints you'll have an auld pint Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints,Pints lovely cans"

Pints-The 2 Johnnies

Jaysus another week in the books, they don't get any feckin' easier but I now have 35 miles logged for August and it's only the 10th.......how did that happen......read on.........

Monday August 4th A solid start to the week a 5 miler in 86 degrees w/ 34% humidity,I was eyeing up a potential 30 mile week w/  four 5 mile runs during the week, plus a 10 miler on Saturday......as the auld fella used to say" it's not a lot when ye say it quick"........

Tuesday August 5th Uh Oh the start of the slippery slope, had to settle for 4.5 miles as the  84 degrees but more importantly the 48% humidity got the better of me and the proverbial "cheque was in the mail" for Wednesday.........

Wednesday August 6th BOLLIX!!!!!! 65% humidity I might as well have been running in a Turkish fuckin bath....... had to settle for 3.5 miles and believe me it was an effort to log 3.5 miles.........suddenly my projected 15 miles had dipped to 13 miles, and now I was looking at 6 miles on Thursday to put me back on pace to beat the 28 mile weeks I logged the weeks of March 24th and April 14th.........

Thursday August 7th Desperate times call for desperate measures  and I figured if I could utilize the Schuylkill River Trail over Kelly Drive maybe the breeze off the Schuylkill would help combat the humidity which continues to be my fuckin kryptonite ......emm the best laid plans of mice & men........Had to settle for 4 miles off 8.58 mile pace  my splits were:8.53-8.25-8.59-9.36..... as you can tell from the final mile the 48% humidity in 82 degrees had taken it's toll 17 miles not the 20 I was aiming for and even w/ 10 miles on Saturday I'd come up a mile short,11 miles would only equal what I've already done and frankly a leap of 4 miles from last weeks 8 to 12 was too great an ask so while I could in theory equal my longest run of the year (10 miles on March 2nd) I was going to come up short on the weekly total,I'm not Barbie and I can't have everything but it's still frustrating to be that close and come up short.......

Sunday August 10th So I pushed back my long run by 24 hours, I woke up Saturday and knew something wasn't sitting right in my stomach, maybe I ate something that didn't agree w/ me or the stress of another frankly frustrating week had caught up to me,either way I wasn't willing to risk a blown long run by being gung ho when I another day to do it, as my former coach once said " listen to what your body is telling you" and what it told me Saturday was "not today champ"

Had to bide my time again as the humidity at 7 am was 87%......NO not a typo that was the fuckin humidity but by being patient and playing the long game and waiting  it out seven hours lo and behold at 2pm it was  37%  and  86 degrees

Logged a brisk opening mile of 8.21 which was probably too rich for my anemic blood but once on the trail I got into a rhythm 8.43-8.55-8.52 but I could feel the proverbial "cheque in the mail" waiting to be cashed 9.38 for mile 5.......a year ago and in fairness the last couple of years  when I've toiled w/ issues getting double digit long runs under my belt my go to move was fold the tent, piss on the campfire and do the "walk of shame"home.........I'm  beyond tired of this,last year in my prep for Dublin I couldn't buy a double digit run and evidently my running credit didn't extend to loaning  double  digit runs which would explain why I recorded my slowest times ever for most if not all of my distances from 5k to 26.2 miles........

I walked back to Lloyd Hall at the start of Boathouse Row to take on some water from the water fountain and to be 100% honest I wasn't sure if A I'd get going again and B if so how far would I get but once I got back on the Schuylkill River Trail I began to run.......9.30 for mile 6 at this point I was just thinking 1 mile at a time not the whole five, 9.31 at mile 7 thanks in no small part to some arsehole on a bike who nearly took both me and himself out going through a space that wasn't wide enough going under the Chestnut St bridge. yes I appreciate you raising your hand to say "my bad" but your recklessness nearly cost both of us

9.36 for mile 8 I was now at the end of the Schuylkill River Trail in Grays Ferry,stick or twist if I continued towards home via Grays Ferry Avenue I'd only log 9 miles.....I wanted 10 so I headed back along the trail towards the bridge which was just over  a mile b4 looping back for the  fourth time over said bridge and towards the end of the trail and more importantly 10 miles 9.36 at mile 9 and 9.44 for a  1.32.27 time off 9.15 mile pace

Pre run I might've looked at 9.30 mile pace and a 1.30 finish but again being 100% honest speed and pace were not the goal, the goal was  10 miles and somehow I did it......now I'm not the type to brake my hand patting myself on the back to begin w/ but I'm also mindful that the difference between a pat on the back and a kick in the hole is about a foot and a half.....give or take.......

It's been a rough week w/one thing or another but I got through it,Roddy Doyle's classic "The Complete Two Pints" has  helped, I have lost count of the PMSL moments on my way to work and sometimes at work when I need a pick me up, starting tomorrow the annual Septa{ regional mass transit }Tunnel Blitz normally 2 weeks ....this year a fucking month ends and I can go back to my 20 min commute to and from work and immerse myself in two auld fellas in a pub  in Dublin talking pure shite......it's the little things in life sometimes that mean the most.........

Global Warming Is Fake Science.......Me Bollix!!!!

 "I'm melting in the sun and this is what they call the life I suppose too much sun makes a desert Arab say and I really love this country and there's a lot I want to see"

Melting In The Sun-Inxs

What a week, first two runs reduced to 3 milers due to the weather, second  two runs cancelled due to  wankers but a Saturday long run at 8 miles to kick off August............

Monday July 28th Heading into the final 4 days of the month there was  a remote chance I could set a new monthly record I logged 76 miles in February, 78 miles in March and 65 in April and as of last Saturday July's total stood at 61.........

Any hope of a 5 miler at lunchtime was snuffed out by the heat and humidity at 2pm, 91 degrees and 49% humidity,by the time I reached Lloyd Hall at Boathouse Row 1.5 miles in I knew going any further out along Kelly Drive was a fools errand so I reluctantly made the turn to head back towards the Ben Franklin Parkway and the office

Knowing this current blast of heat and humidity was going to last until Wednesday or  Thursday meant 5 mile runs were flights of fantasy so if I was reduced to 3 miles till at least Wednesday that would be 70 miles w/ an outside chance of 5 miles on Thursday.....75 miles still #3 for the year

Tuesday July 29th.....Frankly this was Biloxi Blues weather 96 degrees and 40% humidity,I think I had said on my social media posts on Monday that usually I can tell by Lloyd Hall the 1.5 mile point of my run if I have it or don't have it for  a 4-5 mile run.....by the time I hit the mile point on Ben Franklin Parkway I didn't have it today and upon reaching Lloyd Hall I turned back, 3 miles on the day felt better than nothing and at 67 miles I was now into third place for monthly mileage w/ two day left............

Three things ye can rely on, Death,Taxes.....and work fucking up your day, Wednesday I got lumbered w/ Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber at work......seriously these two couldn't work their way out of a wet paper bag on a good day so when a paralegal sent a nearly 4,000 page binder print job at 11.30am muggins here got lumbered by the time I finished the binder it was  2.30pm and too late for lunch so there went that run.......then on Thursday the powers that be granted three people off leave me w/ "Doodles"in the mailroom in his self written notes he's written "check emails".........I don't know what ye were checking cos of the 14 emails/print requests for the day I did 11 to his 3...........needless to say he couldn't be left unsupervised for an hour so no lunch again for muggings and w/ that my monthly mileage for July remained at 67 miles........

I was never going to get into the rarefied air of triple digit mileage this month sitting out the opening 6 days of July however it was frustrating heading into the final 4 days of the month w/ a legit shot at a new monthly record to have it snatched away from me by the heat and the humidity and  work......however that said two years ago my July mileage total was 51 miles and last year it was 48 miles  so to that end I should be pleased to eclipse them period but also log my third best month of training this year......a good omen kicking off the second half of the year

Saturday August 2nd Once again I had to wait out the humidity at 7am that was off the charts till 1pm when it was a comfortable 79 degrees and 44% humidity.....you could just feel the difference in the air quality

I also made good on my plan to utilize the extension of the Schuylkill River Trail from Grays Ferry which is just over  a mile from here,making the turn onto the trail off Grays Ferry  Avenue bridge I could feel the breeze coming off the Schuylkill River .....this maybe counter productive come Winter but for the remainder of the Summer and Fall training this is the way to go

I had no time/pace goal set for this,getting the 8 miles in was my primary goal.....for the record last Saturday I ran 6 miles in 54.56.7 off 9.09 mile pace so by that barometer I would be looking at roughly 9 min miles and  72 mins give or take

8.33 for the opening mile along 49th St which I'm not sure I'll use again I came back via 47th St which frankly had a better vibe even if it means crossing Grays Ferry Avenue exiting the trail....safety first, hard to run relaxed when you feel you're looking over your shoulder 

8.21 for mile 2 as I was able to open it up on the bridge over the Schuylkill it was a nice day out so this brings out the walkers, runners, joggers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, cyclists etc so the next two miles  from Christian St along the trail dropped to 8.45 and 8.44 respectively  33.43 at he turn roughly 68 mins if I could hold onto this pace

8.29 at mile 5 but I began to feel it catching up to me at mile 6 w/ an 8.51 split, I was now entering uncharted territory this summer, earlier in the year in February March and April I had one 8 mile and one  10 mile run to my credit b4 an attempted 12 miler that ended at 8 miles right b4 I got sick it's always a step up adding 2 miles to the previous long run but I impressed myself having the legs to get up and over the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge to mile 7 in 9.13    ok so the sub 9 min miles were gone for a burton  but I was a mile from home now and  solid 8 mile run to my name.

9.23 for the final mile for a 70.20 time off 8.48 mile pace a grand start to August's mileage quest ,is August the month I finally get into triple digits?........the one plus of today's run is w/ two 10ks coming up in the next 3-5 weeks is that I've gotten over 6 miles under my belt today and w/ PDR now 7 weeks away hopefully I'm building my mileage up,double digits next weekend? triple digits by months end...... in 2023 I logged 103 miles in August which began a six out of seven month triple digit mileage spurt for  yours truly.....what I wouldn't give to repeat that one month at a time...

The Return Of Mars Blackmon

 "I'm not looking for a clearer conscience, peace of mind after what I've been through and before we talk of any repentance try walking in my shoes, try walking in my shoes you'd stumble in my footsteps keep the same appointments I've kept if you try walking in my shoes, try walking in my shoes"

Walking In My Shoes-Depeche Mode

New week,new runners, new highs......same auld Fenian bollix......just another week of Kevinrunningfree...

Monday July 21st A chance to take advantage of a dip in the bastard humidity this week and make inroads into my July mileage, traditionally a tough month for me two years ago I logged 51 miles  last year 48 miles I came into the week on 37 miles.....

86 degrees but more importantly only 42% humidity as I looked to get a 5 miler in thus far I was 0 for 9 since resuming hostilities  w/ training two weeks ago, the humidity had cost me last week but now I had a chance to get through that barrier and thankfully I did

The last mile wasn't pretty by any standards but I'd swop style points for  that fifth and final mile and got it today........ onwards and upwards........

Tuesday July 22nd 85 degrees and 41% humidity as I logged back to back 5 miles for the first time since June 2nd/3rd

The psychological barrier of yesterday lifted off me helped I'm sure, once I could prove to myself I could do it once there was no reason I couldn't do it again....yes the conditions helped but the inner belief I could do it was a big plus......and for those of you playing a long at home my monthly mileage was now up to 47 miles.........

Wednesday July 23rd 86 degrees 42% humidity again as I logged a third 5 miler and for only the 4th time this year got above 50 miles{76 in February, 78 in March,65 in April}

I had hoped June was going to be the month I laid foundations........as is my won't a day late and a dollar short but feck it better late than never, two years ago off the back of a 51 mile month in July I logged  103 in August,100 in September,87 in October,101 in November b4 148 in December......not so much last year when I needed  it in heading into Dublin but maybe the bitter disappointment of that is the driving force this year heading into Philadelphia and the 40th anniversary of my marathon debut

Thursday July 24th,my luck ran out w/ the weather today 87 degrees but 49% humidity, I knew at 1.5 miles "I didn't have it over 5 miles today" and had to settle for 3 miles,glass half full I'm getting out there and putting the miles in and w/a week to go I now have 55 miles, can July be my best month to date....?

Saturday July 26th the fact I  not only got out on a Saturday but also waited it out till 2pm when the humidity was less oppressive underlines my desire to get in marathon shape{17 weeks  and counting} Full disclosure I would have liked 10 miles but I know I'm not there yet 2 weeks ago I managed a ropey 5 miler that was probably highly generous on my part, the final mile was stop/start 10.28 pace,Sunday  I had to settle for 4 miles over 2.5 miles/1.5 miles so the fact I got a solid 6 miles in at 54.56.7 off 9.09 is a major feather in my cap

I hadn't realized the Schuylkill  River Trail extension beyond Christian St linking the Schuylkill Trail to Grays Ferry had opened in mid May, this will be a game changer moving forward as I can cut out the 2 miles from my front door to the South Street bridge now and cut across West Philly to the start of the trail in  Grays Ferry and be on the trail

For the record at 2pm it was 87 degrees and 56% humidity.....crazy to think at 8am it was 78 degrees  but 86%.....but hey kids " global warming doesn't exist, it's fake science and the planet is NOT heating up each year..........me hole!

Big shout out to the new runners I broke in this week, I'm still a few miles shy of a seasons best of 28 miles per week but I feel I'm closing in on that,at best next week I'm looking at 28 miles { 4 times 5 miles Monday-Thursday 8 miles on Saturday} but IF I can do that next week and the humidity doesn't bollix me the week after I could be looking at 30 miles.......like the man once said"money I'm telling ya....it's the shoes"......

Perspiration,Desperation,Determination,RebelNation

 "When my time's at an ending when my days are no more bury me w/ my hurley by the river Dissour"

Killeagh Kingfishr

A frustrating week to say the least, fecking heat and humidity took a toll on my week and the tin lid on it Cork got blown out in the second half of the All Ireland Hurling Final on Sunday ......not a good week to be a rebel........

Monday July 14th looking to build on last weeks 5 day 21 mile week the hope/plan was to up my lunchtime 4 milers to 5s........mother nature had other plans

88 degrees and 63% humidity coupled w/ still feeling the effects of Saturdays 20 and a half hour day to and from New York City to catch The 2 Johnnies in concert meant I struggled to  log 4 miles..........little did I know this was a precursor to the rest of my week.......

Tuesday July 15th 88 degrees and 64% humidity this time time I managed to go 4.5 miles out and back up the Ben Franklin Parkway and along the Schuylkill River Trail/Kelly Drive

I hate the .5 on a run it always smacks of "unfinished business", glass half full I got an extra .5 in today that puts me .5 closer to my target of 5 miles.....glass half empty I need to tack on an extra .5 somewhere this week to round things up......alas it wouldn't be on Wednesday.......

I opted out of a run Wednesday I was off from work after the Hozier show over in Camden, I learnt the hard way last August after seeing Springsteen at Citizen Bank Park that a long nite on my feet at a summer gig tends to drain my batteries so I skipped Wednesday w/ the plan that if I could go long on Saturday maybe I could tack on an easy/recovery 4-5 milers Sunday to make up for it........the best laid plans of mice and men as they say........

Thursday July 17th......so the good news was the humidity had dropped to  a semi respectable 56%......the bad news was it was 92 degrees at 2pm when I ran and I had to pull the plug on this one at 3.5 miles.....at least now I was at a round figure of 12 miles for the week, could I push the envelope on Saturday and  squeeze out an 8 miler and then tack on an extra 4 miles on Sunday?..........could I fuck...........

Sunday July 20th Saturday never materialized,my arse was draggin' from work on Friday.....at the risk of going off on a diatribe about work let's just say recently my mantra ( the one I can print!!!!!) has been " why have a Dog if you're gonna fuckin' bark for it????" I got ran ragged Friday and that coupled w/ heat and humidity all-day  Saturday meant any hopes of a long run rested w/ Sunday and that meant no 5 day week this week

The less said about the Hurling Final the better, up by  6 at the half we were 35 mins away from ending a 20 year drought in Cork to bring the Liam  MacCarthy back  to the Leeside, Tipp outscored us 3.14 to .02 to win 3.27-1.18 and the fact I'm sat here typing my blog and not watching my beloved "Sunday Game" as I can't bring myself to relive the horror show that second half was should tell you how much it sickens my hole........I do know two lads from Cahir and Roscea {The 2 Johnnies}who are fuckin' delighted right now......if we had to lose to someone it might as well be Tipp

As for my run another struggle 87 degrees and 67% humidity at 1pm{ it wasn't any better at 7-8am when I woke up otherwise I'd have had a crack at it, I barely managed a 4 miler split between 2.5 miles and then another 1.5 miles

A 4 day/16 mile week....small potatos in the general scheme of things but it's another 4 days and 16 miles under my belt in two weeks i've logged 37 miles .....in May and June combined I only logged 39 miles so that's some cold comfort on a otherwise frustrating day/week

Much like my beloved Cork I will rebound it will be a tough end to their summer as they return to their clubs to head into the Fall and see out the club season,December will arrive b4 they know it and the drive for the 26 season will resume for me I need to put this week behind me and get after it tomorrow, the weather looks like it will be  on my side during the week,I'll tackle that b4 worrying what the weekend and the prospect of a long run holds

Final word on Cork, there will be the inevitable slaggin' and bandwagon jumping the next few days, weeks months......for me I am the son of a proud Corkman,I was Cork Hurling fan when I woke up and I'll be a Cork Hurling fan when I go to bed.....and when the sun rises I'll still be a proud Cork Hurling fan.....Rebels Abu!!!!!!

Each Tinker Has His Own Way Of Dancing

 ''It's not the shade, we should get past it,it's the light and it's the obstacle that cast it it's the heat that drives the light it's the fire that ignites it's not the waking,it's the rising"

Nina Cried Power-Hozier

So apologies for the lack of blogging.....as usual due to a lack of running, sad to say the month of May only produced 18 miles.....10 of which were at Broad Street and then June the month I was going to put down serious base heading into the summer only yielded 21 miles, so the time honoured issue" if not now when" came to the fore as of the week ending July 6th I was looking at 7 weeks to Philly 10k the unofficial start to my Fall road race season,11 weeks to PDR a clear idea of what shape your in heading into October/November races and 20 weeks to the Philadelphia Marathon,this Falls "Holy Grail" so no better time than now to knuckle down and  start the process that has been my bread and butter the last several years......no ye can't "teach  an auld dog new tricks" but ye can show him how to improve on what he knows........

Monday July 7th I knew jumping back in at 5 miles was wishful thinking so I set myself 4 miles sans Garmin, time was not an issue reestablishing good training habits and returning to a system was, of course it's July so it was 89 degrees and 78% humidity and off a three week layoff it was no surprise my lungs felt like they were on fire by a mile.......

I could've turned at the mile and eased my way back in w/ 2 miles......to be honest 2 miles didn't seem worth the effort and when I reached Lloyd Hall at the start of Boathouse Row at 1.5 miles a turnaround for 3 miles was an option.......I kept going to the 2 mile mark just beyond the last of the houses on Boathouse Row, it was evident not long after making the turn that 4 miles might've been too much to ask for so I had to settle for 3.5 miles......but it was a start

Tuesday July 8th Frankly if I could run on a day like today 94 degrees I can run any day.......it did help it was only 49% humidity and while I wouldn't have gotten many if any style points for the final mile I did grind out and log 4 miles, back to back runs since the first week of June.......from little acorns big trees grow so they say......

Wednesday July 9th 88 degrees and 53% humidity and a much better 4 miles today.....little by little I feel it's getting there,b4 my mid season lull I had put in a body of work and w/ only three weeks off I haven't lost all my gains, at the end of June last year I'd logged a respectable 500 miles(cue The Proclaimers!!!} this year only 282 but if things go to plan September October I could be looking at some serious miles come December 31st, July is now the month to lay foundations and hope August isn't too humid so that I can kick on

Thursday July 10th Took advantage of 80 degrees and 71% humidity and tacked on the extra half mile from Monday so I didn't have it hanging over me going into Saturdays run when I knew the humidity was going to be fierce, also w/one eye on returning to  lunchtime 5 mile runs next week this 4.5 mile run felt like a bridge to that,in the opening week of June I logged 4 days back to back b4 falling on my hole on Saturday so I wasn't getting carried away just yet

Saturday July 12th, looking at the big picture I know that getting back into the habit/routine of Saturday running is clutch so I made a point of getting my arse out of bed by 7am to run, it wasn't till post run that I discovered outside of two Saturday races his was my lone Saturday run.....maybe I blew off Saturdays due to a heavy GAA schedule but given that we're down to the business end  of the Provincial season I don't have that excuse to hide behind plus as I stated earlier it's''piss or get off the pot time"

Christ! a modest 76 degrees but 90% humidity........what I wouldn't have given for it to be the other way around.....no such luck, since I wasn't 100% sure where the 3 mile mark would be I wore my Garmin hence why ye're getting mile splits 8.27 for the opening mile time wasn't an issue I just wanted 6 miles    8.46 for mile 2 and I could feel the sweat bouncing off of me, at this point I was grateful for the breeze coming off of the Schuylkill

9.30 at the turnaround and I knew I was in trouble,not ashamed to say I walked back up the on/off to South Street bridge, at this stage 6 miles felt like wishful thinking,9.24 for mile 4 and I think I already knew it was going to be a 5 miler.....the final mile was as ugly as sin, stop/start, walk/run as was reflected by the 10.28 mile splits.....yeah it was that ugly!!!

46.34.5 off 9.19 mile pace, far from pretty but g'wan to fuck it was 90% humidity......hopefully as the weeks go by the humidity goes down the mileage goes up and the speed/pace improves

First 5 day week in 12 weeks and remarkably as many  miles in 5 days as the entire month of June,don't call it a comeback.....(sorry LL Cool J!!) more of its it's not the waking its the rising.....

Stop Me If Ye've Heard This One Before?.....

 Another post race inquest as to why things didn't go to plan, glass half empty my second slowest time all time for ten miles, glass half full on a day when the elements  weren't in  my favour and physically I wasn't at the pitch of it I dug deep to finish and at least had the  satisfaction of going gun to tape w/out having to stop......while to my critics that may smack of"trying to make a silk purse from a pig's ear"  it was another in a long line of  a worrying trend of  days when I had to dig deep mentally and physically to see it through

Silly O Clock got even earlier this race, the traditional 8am start was brought forward an hour to facilitate a Phillies home game so it was 4.35am when I got up to leave b4 5am to get to my auld stompin' ground of Broad & Olney by 6am

Even then there was a line for the prerace Portajohns which seemed in short supply for a field of 40,000 runners, that said my "business was taken care of" and I was into the Orange Corral by 6.35am, I had gone to the rear of the corral b4 eventually moving forward as the two corrals ahead of me Red & Purple were called up to the starting line at Broad & Somerville  ,conditions were grey and overcast....a pre cursor of what was to unfold,full disclosure I didn't check the temps pre race,not that it would've made any difference as the proverbial cheque was in the mail in terms of what was about to unfold, I will say however in my defense that I had drunk ample water the day b4 in an attempt to ward off dehydration

Off the back of the illness that laid me low a fortnite ago I wasn't expecting a fast time so I really didn't come into this race w/ a finish time/pace in mind that said I was pleasently surprised to clock 7.31 for the opening mile...however this was short lived.....as mile 2 was a 7.49 split,I would've expected mile 1 to be 7.49 as I weaved my way through the corral in the opening mile and then opening up the throttle w/ a 7.31 split.......

When mile 3 registered a 8.13 split I knew I was in trouble,my stomach was bothering me more than usual, I'm well used to "dodgy guts" pre race but usually once the race starts I'm fine.....not today.....it was going to be a long 7 miles to the finish

Somedays you have to create your own motivations when things aren't going to script....b4 mile 4 around Broad & Cecil B Moore I spotted a large Irish Tricolour off to my right......the flag of my homeland will always inspire me and raise my spirits period muchless when things aren't going to script as I approached it I saluted it, high fived it's owner and said " Tiocfaidh ar la"{our day will come for ye who aren't well versed in Gaelic} on a day things weren't  going my way that interaction bought me another mile

At this stage I was thinking one mile at a time, I don't think not finishing was ever a consideration,asides from a rare DNF{ only one in my 49 year career thus far and that's one too many} I also wanted my medal {#260} plus my bag w/my phone and keys was at he finish line so unless I was going to punk out jump on the Subway and get down to Patterson Ave to get to  the Navy Yard and  bullshit everyone  that I ran the whole race I was going to have to grind it out

8.25 for mile 4, 8.38 for mile 5  at Broad & Spring Garden now I needed to think about my daily 5 milers to get from Spring Garden to the Navy Yard, I was dripping in sweat and having to take water on which I normally don't but this wasn't my typical Broad Street Run,.....any day a runner dressed as a giant Hot Dog passes me inside the final mile underlines that fact......more power to him but it was the exclamation point on my day......

8.41 for mile 6 heading in to South Philly,reversed a trend of each split getting slower by dropping a 8.34 at mile 7....not sure where that came from ...however it was short lived as mile 8 was a 8.46 split followed by a 8.48 split at mile 9

I believed a sub 1.25 finish was there for the taking if I could dig deep, after a couple of years of construction in the Navy Yard the last two years it has had its traditional finish in the Navel Yard which always helps,once I went through the gates of the Navy Yard I knew the finish line was just up ahead and somehow I dredged up an 8.28 final mile to cross  the line in  slow 1.24.29 off 8.22 mile pace

And so to the post race inquest, what went wrong? two things I had feck all control over getting over being sick and the humidity both lent themselves to a slow time, for me the more worrying trend is another slow time, ok I dug deep to grind it out but "moral victories" are becoming the norm of late, looking back at the last twelve races since last years Broad Street Run they have mostly been slow and or me having to dig deep to salvage something from them,I had hoped after a semi decent Hot Chocolate 15k last time out I'd reversed that trend......then I got sick and lost ten days of training which was always going to hinder me coupled w/ the humidity which is always  my Ktyptonite 

I now have a long stretch of no races on the schedule through choice until the Philly 10k in sixteen weeks time,in that time I would like to start  building  base  mileage for the Philly Marathon in  twenty nine weeks time hopefully the trend of slow times and moral victories/ grinding it out will pass, last year I didn't log enough mileage in May, June,July,August, September in the build up to Dublin to make sure Philadelphia isn't deja vu I need to crack on starting Tuesday

Love,Hope & Strength

" Cos I'm a man of emotion who can't hide the tears,I'm a man of feeling who can't hide the pain, I'm alone on the outskirts of town where no one knows my name, I'm at the point in my life where I need affection, won't you give me love ,give me hope, give me strength, give me someone to live for"

Strength-The Alarm

Seldom a dull moment in the world of Kevinrunningfree, one minute I'm logging my first 5 day training week in  ten weeks the next I'm on the DL{Disabled List} for ten days leading up to the final third of the Spring Triple Crown and the first leg of the Big Three in Philly road racing circuit{Broad St Run,Philadelphia Distance Run and Philadelphia Marathon}

Monday April 14th An easy 5 miler to kick off the week 44.26.2 off 8.53 mile pace w/ splits of 8.24-8.40-9.08-9.21-8.53

The auld adage goes  music soothes the savage beast and a good run helps clear the head, I had missed a potential long run over the weekend due to coming home from work on Friday to a ''Notice To Vacate" on the inside of the front door......it's a long drawn out saga that's been rumbling on for almost a year now but I'm happy to say while I was out running that lunchtime the situation was correcting its self to the point where I now have a new lease for the next 12 months and potentially the freeloaders in the building will leave or  be moved on, this has been my home for better or worse for the last 12 years,it's far from Shangri la but its home and I'd prefer to leave when I'm good and ready and not b4 time

Tuesday April 15th An untimed 5 miler to keep things ticking along not only for the long overdue  5 day week but the equally long overdue triple digit mileage month,at this stage halfway through the month I was now on 42 miles and seemingly well on course to brake the now 13 month drought since I clocked 154 miles last February.......a week's along time in politics so they say.....it can be a lifetime in Masters running.....

Wednesday April 16th A tempo run no seasons best this week off a 41.49.4 thanks to 8.20 mile pace and splits of 8.14-8.43-8.29-8.27-7.55

While I was some 1.23 shy of last weeks seasons best time{40.26.3} I could at least hang my hat on negative splits out in 21.29 back in 20.20 at 3.5 months into the season I feel I'm slowly getting into a groove,I'm painfully aware that the"big picture" needs to be addressed here,blowin' the shaggin' doors off now won't mean shite come November when I hope to conquer the Philly Marathon on the 40th anniversary of my marathon debut so for now it's small victories

Thursday April 17th An easy 5 miler at a modest 43.53.3 off 8.47 mile pace w/ another negative split out in 22.45 and back in 21.08,more importantly this was my first four in a row since Feb 10th-13th and had set me up nicely for my first 5 day week since the start of February.....however little did I know what was lurking below the surface ready to bring things crashing down around my ears.....

Sunday April 20th Not the 12 mile run I had set out to do but w/ hindsight I can now see why things went tits up on me

Things began well enough as I clocked 8.29 for the opening mile on my way  to Powelton Avenue, the next two splits were close to identical 9.19-9.18 b4 somehow mile 4 ballooned upto 11.06, there was a Garmin malfunction where I didn't reset it after getting caught at the junction of 34th St and Spring Garden and didn't realize till I reached West River Dr

I haven't had the pleasure of training on West River Dr in eons, the longest construction job ever on the section below Spring Garden St bridge for the past two years has thrown a spanner in the works there hence the 34th St/Landsdowne Dr to Sweetbriar Lane to West River Dr route,the malfunction w/ the Garmin meant I would have to head further north bound on West River Dr b4 making the turnaround between Strawberry Mansion bridge and the Conrail bridge b4 Falls bridge

9.24 at mile 5 and 9.33 at mile 6, 56.29 at halfway as I made the turn around......9.40 for the 7th mile and like that I stopped,w/ hindsight I thought I had made a balls  of my prep by not drinking enough water the  day b4 or that morning and that's how I framed it as I managed to tack on one more mile at 9.46 to settle for 8 miles in 1.16.36 off 9.35 mile pace

Glass half empty another long run/double digit run up in smoke and another setback in my quest to get double digit miles in, glass half full at 28 miles my longest weekly mileage week this year,equaling the 28 miles I logged the week of The Love Run  three weeks prior

Over the next ten days I came to realize I had gotten sick which might explain the sub par long run Sunday,initially I blew off Mondays 5 miler as I felt sore....the proverbial cheque was in he mail as I woke up under the weather Tuesday  and by Wednesday it was full blown, I don't get sick often but when I do its usually a doozie, the last time I was this sick was probably 8 years ago.....and if it's another 8 years b4 I get this sick again I'll be ok w/ that........

Wednesday April 30th Back at it after a ten day hiatus w/ an untimed 5 miler in glorious mid 70 degree temps

Having been on pace for triple digit mileage this month till I lost ten days I now had to settle for 65 miles a dip from the 78 I logged in March but that couldn't be helped period and as I keep saying last year I began all guns blazing only to see my season taper off over five of the next seven months so if it takes another month {or two} to get there so be it.....

Thursday May 1st Another untimed 5 miler to kick start the month period but also hopefully rebuild my monthly mileage

I didn't realize until I was looking at last years log that my only miles in May were the 10 I clocked in last years Broad Street Run, so at least w/ this run  and hopefully Sundays Broad St Run I'll be ahead of the curve

Hopefully the 10 days I lost won't come back to bite me in the hole, I have no pre race goals other than to cross the finish line in South Philly in the Navy Yard Sunday morning, a reasonable time is just Gravy

In closing I feel compelled to mention the passing of The Alarm's lead singer Mike Peters on Tuesday,I was a huge Alarm fan back in the day and enjoyed seeing them live  maybe a dozen times, Mike Peters was as genuine as they came, walked it how he talked it and I was fortune enough to meet him several times after an Alarm gig or during his solo career, several years ago at a show at the Hard Rock Cafe here in Philly he saw me down front w/ a tshirt from their first headline tour in 1984 and pulled me upon stage and asked me what Alarm song I wanted to hear.....who does that?......I'll tell ye who does that Mike Peters he was the real deal and will be sadly missed but he left a legacy of music and memories for those of us who followed The Alarm......as the lyrics go in "Majority" "it was all those words, that saved my dreams, there were times when I felt like a human being"........ Rest In Peace Michael thank you for the lifetime of Love,Hope & Strength...
 

Just Doin' Cowboy Shit All Week.......

 Up before the sun before the wind cuts cold cowboys packing heat pushing cattle up and down the Yellowstone, it's a choice you make live and die alone ride high and shoot low  from the saddle when you ride for the Yellowstone

A Song For The Stone Ryan Bingham

Another week in the books, another missed opportunity at a 5 day train week/ Sunday long run......but hey I finished watching "Yellowstone" so it wasn't all bad......

Another week I had Monday off work but failed to muster the chops to get out the door to run although in my defense it was pissin' out of the heavens so I could be excused or forgiven for not getting out there...however as I've said countless times b4 when you miss a Monday run it puts you behind the eight ball for the week in terms of getting a five day week in.....I could play the "quality over quantity" card but I won't what I will say as I get older is that I've come to appreciate rest days, it's early in the season, I've gotten into the routine of running at lunchtime the previous ten weeks now I just need to get the Saturday/Sunday long run back into the rotation but I also need to make sure I don't peak too soon, I had a huge volume of mileage under my belt last December, January and February and never came close to  replicating it the remainder of the year when I needed to for the Dublin Marathon so it's a juggling act right now, get into a routine, be race ready.......but don't shoot your load now b4 the Fall when it's time to get in Marathon shape, having ran a 15k I know I have it in my saddle bag to run a good ten miles at the upcoming Broad Street Run but I'm also painfully aware that the Summer is around the corner and the last few years I have struggled to handle the heat and humidity so it's a classic case of "knowin  when to hold em, knowin' when to fold em, know when to walk away and know when to run"......

Tuesday April 8th

The now very welcome untimed run, as I said before it's a matter of getting every ounce I can out of myself, back in the day everything felt it had to be fast, at almost 62 and two knees that don't seem they got the memo/group text that yours truly is on a mission to reach 300 medals and there are 41 still to go the easy/recovery/untimed runs are just as clutch as the tempo/long runs

It was also a good thing today was an untimed run as the wind was fair savage out there this lunchtime file this one as a Winnie The Pooh run......it was a blustery day, when you can feel the wind at your back after making the turn past Girard Avenue bridge on Kelly Drive you appreciate how windy it is....

Wednesday April 9th

A new season's best for 5 miles, taking 1.22 off of  March 27ths time  of 41.48.5 

Benefitting off of two rest days and an untimed run I hit the opening split in 7.40 which is brisk, the question now was could I hold onto that pace?....at eleven weeks into my training I do feel I have enough "hay in the barn" to hang on to that kind of opening split, my volume of mileage may only be  just over 200 miles but the weekly repartition is paying off

8.12 at mile 2 just past Boathouse Row on Kelly Drive, mercifully yesterdays savage wind had died down and I clocked 20.03 at the 2.5 mile turnaround, 8.23 for mile 3 my splits were slowly creepin' up but still  south of respectable 

8.38 at mile 4 now for the charge down Ben Franklin Parkway towards 16th St, I felt off of 20.03 for the opening half I was on pace for something in the region of 40 mins and a new season's best time

7.30 for the final mile and a second half of 20.23 and a time of 40.26.3 off 8.04 mile pace, any doubts about my fast twitch muscles have been  answered between today and the 7.54 mile pace of last weeks Hot Chocolate 15k, question moving forward is how much faster can I go and how much lower is that PR going to be is sub 40 on the cards?

Thursday April 10th

Nice easy/recovery 5 miler, it's amazing what a world of difference 20 years makes, I cherish the slower run now w/ the handbrake on after letting the clutch out the day b4  20 years ago a 45.44.8 5 miler off 9.07 mile pace would have seemed woefully slow, 20 years later and god knows how many miles since I take it in stride

One notable foot note from the run how often do you manage identical splits? out in 22.52 back in 22.52, a second here, a second there on the way back could've been a negative split but I kinda like the all too rare identical splits

Sadly I didn't get out on the weekend to go long, I'm a little pissed about it but I'll deal w/ it, again looking at the bigger picture I don't need to be going off half cocked I have Broad Street coming up but I know I can run a decent ten miler so maybe the next two weekend look at 12 mile runs to springboard into May and upping the weekend long runs w/ a view to being at 20 miles come June

On the subject of marathons on Saturday nite I finished watching "Yellowstone" I think I began in late December/ early January  watching all 53 episodes I had three left come Saturday and w/ a date at the Miller Theater this Saturday for the 30th anniversary of "Riverdance" I knew it was all or nothing this weekend.

I will say this much, "Yellowstone" is one of the few series I've watched either in real time or binge watched where I felt the finale wasn't a cop out a la "Sopranos" "Boardwalk Empire" "Game Of Thrones" "Sons Of Anarchy" and "Vikings", I look forward to the Beth & Rip spin off and have "1883" and "1923" to enjoy while I wait, happy trails cow folk.....

Forty Shades Of Green{White & Gold}

 I wish that I could spend an hour at Dublin's churching surf I'd love to watch the farmers drain the bogs and spade the turf, to see again the thatching of the straw the women glean, I'd walk from Cork to Larne to see the forty shades of green

Forty Shades Of Green-Johnny Cash

Another week, another race, another medal, #3 for the season,#259 for the career as I close in on #300 and 2/3rds of the Spring Triple Crown in the books

Monday March 31st Off the bat I'm gonna be 100% honest and say if it weren't for the fact it was the final day of the month I might've skipped this run,although it would've been counter productive as I needed to get some of the crap out of my legs from Sundays 1/2 marathon

The plan was 5 miles but it was obvious from the get go I didn't have it in me to do 5 muchless w/in the confines of a lunch hour, were time not an issue I'd have ground out the 5 but on a good day I'm pushing it to get 5 miles in w/in an hour when you include a stretch pre run and drying off and getting back into my work clothes for the afternoon

When I opened in 9.37 the proverbial writing was on the wall so I figured at 1.5 miles I'd turn and make this 3 miles at Lloyd Hall,10.34 for mile 2 followed by 10.27 for mile 3, 30.38.1 off 10.13 mile pace but more importantly 3 miles to pad March's tally to 78

Sadly 22 miles shy of the triple digits I had hoped for but 2 miles further than February so at least the numbers are heading North not South, it would be nice to get triple digits in April but the last two months of 76 miles and 78 miles confirm I'm back on the right track

Tuesday April 1st No April's Fools here an untimed 5 miler to kick off the month and my quest for the elusive triple digit month not seen since February of last year is underway

I could feel the benefit  of yesterdays recovery 3 miler to get the 1/2 marathon out of my legs and hopefully this bodes well heading into tomorrow's tempo run

The old adage "a week's a long time in politics" bore fruit today, yesterday I questioned running back to back races at 61 going on 62 however getting a recovery run in loosened my legs up nicely to the point that backing it up today w/an untimed run today meant any thoughts of picking one or the other next year between the Love Run 1/2 marathon or Hot Chocolate 15k was banished,my knees may be shot and I have to manage my body on  a day to day basis but running smart, not hard is becoming the mindset

Thursday April 3rd So work got in the way yesterday of a run, it happens, no point spittin' the dummy out and throwing my toys out of the pram,I'm there to work and run on my lunch hour not fit work around my running schedule

I didn't realize it was going to be 74 degrees at 2pm if I had've the trusty half zip would've stayed in my back pack, b4 I reached mile 2 on Kelly Drive along Boathouse Row I had to take off said half zip and wrap it around my waist at this point I was overheating and w/ one less day to recover for a race on Saturday not Sunday I figured why fly in the face of it, turned at mile 2 and tacked on another mile for a semi respectable 26.19.8 off 8.47 mile pace, the proverbial chalk and cheese from Monday's laboured effort over 3 miles,my splits were 8.20-8.32-9.28

Saturday April 5th I believe this is my 5th Hot Chocolate 15k since 2018 it always serves as sighter for the Broad Street Run a month later, last year I came in a little shell shocked off the back of a below par Love Run 1/2 marathon b4 rebounding nicely for one of my few podium finishes,last week my time was very little to crow about but I felt the overall performance outshone the time,so coming into a race that was 4 miles less and considerably flatter what might I do?

57 degrees and overcast close to picture perfect conditions although as ever w/ low cloud cover that meant Hal the little bollix of a Garmin was going to play up, if I was a shade over ambitious last week hoping for 8 min pace pace and eventually running 8.25 mile pace  today I hoped for quicker than 8.25 per mile......

I got a clear run from the siren and worked my way into a good spot,my garmin went off  b4 the 1 mile marker....according to Hal 7.32.....at the mile marker I saw 8.04, again for blog purposes I'll go w/ what Hal  said.....even though he's a lying little fecker!!!!

7.51 at mile 2 followed by back to back 7.55s for miles 3 & 4 I felt I was running well w/in myself at this stage, not sure why they can't keep us on Kelly Dr a bit further b4 the 4.5 mile turn around, this semi ridiculous up and back b4 the up and back for the actual turn around is annoying and having ran back to back 7.55's I now clocked a 7.57 split for mile 5

8.06 at mile 6 now for the clusterfuck that is the back markers of the 10k, they might want to consider having them go off earlier rather than at the same time as the 15k,the 10k got added 2 years ago and has been a bit of a ball breaker the last two years.....don't get it twisted I whole heartedly encourage people to get out and run irrigardless of pace but when I now have to weave in and out of them in the final 3 miles of a 15k it's an issue

7.48 at mile 7 b4  my slowest split of 8.12 at mile 8, a little fatigue a little weaving in and out of 10k back markers b4 another 8.06 split at mile 9,threw in a 1.47 for the .3 to cross the finish line in 1.13.11 off 7.54 mile pace which is roughly 1.12.04 for 9 miles, 9 miles at 8 min mile pace =1.12.00......not too shabby if I say so myself,I never lowball my pre race aims, off the back of a 1/2 marathon at 8.25 mile pace 6 days ago if you offered me 7.54 mile pace today I'd have jumped at it

The good news kept coming 2nd in the 60-64 age group,nice to be back on the podium again, last year I won my age group and they waived my entry fee for this year, in previous years they gave bonus medals.....gotta say I'm good w/ either this year, granted a bonus medal means one less race to run on the route to #300 but given the price of races these days saving $60-$70 can't be sniffed at either

Two thirds of the Spring Triple Crown in the books, hopefully the next three weeks can yield some longer runs starting w/ 12 this weekend,one eye on Broad Street, another on the Summer and potentially getting up to 20 mile runs come June,Philly Marathon is 35 weeks away....

Reports of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated....

 "Well look down yonder ,Gabriel put your feet on the land and the sea but Gabriel don't you blow your trumpet ,till you hear it from me there ain't no grave can hold my body down"   

Ain't No Grave Johnny Cash

It isn't Easter yet so biblical tales of " being risen from the dead" might be a tad premature but for those penning my running obituary......hold the front page and shut the front door......still life in the auld dog yet!!

For the fifth time since 2018 I ran the Love Run half marathon it's become a big race on the calendar, I'd say in Philly but according to the pre race announcer 13,000 runners{ that may include the recently added 7k} 20 countries  and 37 states toed the line yesterday morning at 7.30am,I can see the appeal after a long Winter runners are eager to get out and race and have something to show for weeks and months of hard grind, Spring Marathons are just around the corner too so what better way to gauge your level of training than a half marathon?

It's been well documented in my blog that this race chewed me up and spat me out last year and began a domino effect that lasted the whole year, was this redemption? was this me looking to even the score? maybe a little of both.....or it could be race #2 of my season and the start of The Triple Crown {Love Run 1/2 Marathon, Hot Chocolate 15k, Broad Street Run} over the next five weeks either way I was "all in" maybe a little undertrained w/ only one 10 mile run to my credit four weeks ago but last year I had  four 12 milers,  four 14 milers and three 16 milers under my belt coming into the race and proceeded to "shit the bed" so taking a leaf out of my former coach's playbook" sometimes it's better to be a little underprepared than overcooked" I came in a little on the back foot, being gung ho last year believing a sub 1.30 time was there for the taking blew up in my face and I wasn't looking for a repeat of that thank you very much......

Up at Silly O Clock to be dressed and out the door by 6am and down to Eakins Oval by 6.35am,why so early for a 7.30am gun time? have you ever seen the lines for the Portajohns at these races....13,000 runners all need that last prerace dump the lines at 6.35am compared to 7am are night and day and trust me there's nothing worse waiting in line to shed those pre race nerves when the line isn't moving but the contents of your bowels are dancing a feckin' rumba in your lower stomach.....ergo why I get to my races and hour b4 start time.....

45 degrees and overcast pretty good race conditions, I remember one year, maybe 2019 when it was frigid as feck and the start got delayed by 15 minutes.....fuckin feet felt like two blocks of ice by the time the gun went off.....no such worries today as I took my place in the third corral aptly the Green Corral.....so I blended right in!!!!, the Lebanon flag was just behind me and the Irish Tricolour  albeit wrapped around it's flagpole was on the other side of the Ben Franklin Parkway sadly NO PALESTINE FLAG.........but I made sure to wear  my Palestine bracelet and give the Israel flag the finger b4 turning onto 16th St, I could be wrong but I thought I was asked if I wanted to put a message on my running bib when I submitted my entry and I chose RUN4GAZA.....it didn't make it to said running bib....now it could've been for Saturdays Hot Choc 15k,Broad Street Run or August's Philly 10k but I saw a lot of other runners w/ "Vanity Plate Running Bibs" so I tend to think I got fucked over.....fine you find my RUN4GAZA bib offensive.....I'll just wear my Paddystinian  t shirt after the race.....don't get mad, get even...........

8.40 for the opening mile, I was aiming for 8 min miles so I was a little off pace however the start of the opening mile is always crowded as the corral sorts its self out so I didn't feel the need to press the panic button and mile 2 yielded a  7.55 split so it was give or take where I wanted to be, while my target time was 1.45 off 8 min mile pace I was more focused on running a complete race both of my half marathons last year were stop/start, walk/run affairs and I didn't want a repeat of that, slow and steady it was, however w/ the cloud cover it was clear my Garmin aka Hal The Little Bollix was acting up each mile registered on the garmin b4 I reached the mile marker flag.....annoying as that is I'm plenty used to it w/ Hal and I continued to  check my overall time at each mile marker, I'm citing the actual time on Hal for my splits.....

8.18 at mile 3 and 8.04 at mile 4 as I made my way back up the Parkway, as I say a lot these days" this ain't my first Rodeo" { next year will be my Golden Jubilee of running 50 years} so I knew not to over project just take each mile on face value, add 8 mins to it for the next one and repeat, 8.14 at mile 5 and a slightly slower 8.50 for mile 6.....which has the long twisty uphill of Brewery  Hill b4 crossing the Schuylkill via Girard Ave bridge

I had elected to " run my own race" and not worry about the pacers, they do a fine job pacing runners but today was  about " running on feel" another gem from my former coach  so when I passed the 1.55 group  on West River Drive around mile 7 I knew I was a little below the 1.45 I had thought I could run.....that said last year I thought I was gonna crush a sub 1.30 and had to settle for a 1.39 so at this point a sub 1.50 might be doable, w/ last year in mind I got blindsided by the hill on Black Road after mile 10 so I was keeping something in reserve this year...plus I only had one 10 mile run under my belt for my long run so this was a case of playing the long game

Last year caught me off guard, due to a hip injury in 22 and a knee injury in 23 I hadn't ran the Love Run since 21 and back then the hill on Black Road wasn't part of the course so a bad day and an unexpected hill resulted in the wheels coming off, maybe running at a slower pace this year and being prepared for it meant that hill while still a bastard wasn't as bad as last year, it would result in my slowest split at 9.12 but a hill at mile 10 of a half marathon will do that to ya...... but unlike last year it didn't brake me

Now for shades of my 1/2 marathon debut in Leicester in 84 when I'd never gone beyond 10 miles b4 the final 3 miles were The Twilight Zone  that day and now some 42 years later here I was again.....back then I was 20 now I'm rockin up on 62.....there is an older wiser head on these shoulders.... sadly I have the knees of a 61 year old who's been doing this for 49 years......

I recovered from the Black Road hill  w/ a 8.33 split for mile 12 as I reached the foot of Brewery Hill and trusty Kelly Drive just over a mile to go last year trying to negotiate the slight uphill towards the Art Museum  was hard work and I remember some arse clown in front of me talking on his phone which boiled my piss but I didn't have it to get passed him, more insult to injury...... in my final race of last year I got beat by someone in my age group I routinely defeat 8/9 times out of 10 hey every dog has its day and I had no business being on the course that day but I wasn't going to "cop a plea" and undermine his victory by saying I hadn't ran a lick in three weeks I let him have his victory but today w/ just under 1/2 a mile to go his wheels were coming off and I took great pleasure passing him and digging a little deeper to get to the finishline b4 him off an 8.27 final mile

1.51.56 off 8.25 mile pace, by the numbers this is slow, it's my second slowest ever 1/2 marathon and 11 mins slower than last year but sometimes ye need to look beyond the xs and os....after a couple of bad races last year this one included today I went gun to tape w/out stopping....sure maybe small potatos in the general scheme of things but when your confidence, moral and self belief have gone in the crapper and were as low as whale shit to run a smart albeit slow race is a great way to rebuild that confidence, moral and self belief 1.51.56 equates to a 3.43.12 marathon, after a 4.36 marathon in Dublin last year I'd willingly take a 3.43.12 marathon....the good news is I have 34 more weeks to get quicker and faster, like I said reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.....don't send flowers, don't throw dirt on my grave, my last rodeo is a ways  away yet........