(11-03-2010, 05:23 PM)Sweder Wrote: If the flicks don't work out for any reason I have Captain Tom's Blu Ray cut of the Flirt Shocker, a well-made but little-seen movie about a female captain serving with the US Marines in Iraq and her battle against amorous advances of her colleagues via the use of carefully concealed tazers.
Warning. Don't bother going to see Foot Locker. It's just a front.
I pondered this imponderable as as I lounged in the jacuzzi yesterday at Rohill Grange. We’d been staying there for a wedding and it was Sunday morning. Claire was off having some weird sort of massage involving lots of incense and hot oils as only women do, whilst I was surrounded by numerous WAG’s in the ever-so-slightly pretentiously named Utopia Spa.
My plan was to run in excess of 7.5 miles that afternoon, but by the time we’d returned to reality I was absolutely knackered.
Mindful of the weekend long run opportunities before Connemara I had to get out tonight, so I did.
Must admit I was quite disappointed with the reality check that was Sweder’s garmin in my last long run. I’d been running for time (rather than distance) and the blunt truth was that in a 1 ½ hour run last time I only covered 7.5 miles. Time to resort to plan B.
Parking at my trusted spot, exactly a mile from Splash Point, I ditched the watch and err….seafront plodded. And the result: 10 miles.
Slow and on concrete and flat, but with no walking, I found out it had taken me 5 minutes shy of 2 hours. No real improvement on speed then, but I did have El G’s comment
(10-02-2010, 05:28 PM)El Gordo Wrote: you need to start getting a few miles banked. At least you've got enough time to build up to 10 miles.
echoing in my ears towards the end.
With the last mile came some discomfort, (calfs and hammys) but no real issues and now, 2 hours later I feel great. Two weekends left to maybe get up to 12, but I’ve broken the back of this run and genuinely believe I have a chance of finishing. Something that I doubted until tonight.
Good stuff SP. The race day adrenaline will carry you through the last three miles. On the offchance that those calfs and hammies become unbearable, if you walk / run the last bit you'll be in good company by the sounds of things.
So are you going to set a target pace, or go with the flow?
I'm sure you'll be way ahead of me at the finish Suzie.
No I was wondering whether to ask a crocked Sweder if he wanted to dawdle round with me, but it seems he's recovered enough to make a go of it.
No time in mind Dan. Looking at last year's results on the website there were an awful lot of people finishing the half in excess of three hours, but of course I don't know whether that's due to locals 'having a go', or an exceedingly tough course.
(23-03-2010, 02:03 PM)Seafront Plodder Wrote: No time in mind Dan. Looking at last year's results on the website there were an awful lot of people finishing the half in excess of three hours, but of course I don't know whether that's due to locals 'having a go', or an exceedingly tough course.
My understanding is the course is 'undulating'. Katy said it was a hilly course (she ran the marathon last year I think). I may take you up on that dawdle round SP; things are nowhere near back to normal, never mind pre-Almeria fitness. I need heavy snow and Ladyrunner kicking my ample backside into shape
I did manage 45 minutes in Bridge's House of Fun last night, another merciless out-of-the-saddle session that resulted in a generous Swederpuddle under my static bike. Lovely.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
No surprises that my planned 11 mile run wasn’t done.
The 10-miler last Monday took more out of me than I thought. Even by Thursday the hammies were tight playing tennis, so I’ve had a chat to myself and have concluded that I was being too ambitious in thinking I could run 11 and then 12 miles in the two weekends leading up to the Connemara half.
That, coupled with a mad Saturday which culminated in me being barman for 6 hours at a wedding reception and not getting to bed until 02.30 (03.30 as we also lost an hour somewhere), meant that by Sunday morning I was still knackered.
Pleased to report a run did happen yesterday though. 6 miles along the Worth Way. Frankly, due to the excesses of Saturday I struggled in the latter stages of this, but using some warped logic that you benefit most when it hurts, I was pleased with the outing.
So, revised schedule is an 11 or 12 mile run later this week, thereby giving myself a full 9 days to recover, with maybe a shorter treadmill plod on the Wednesday before we go.
Returned to work and had to work like a dog to catch up, and get on top of things as I'm off on a weeks golf jolly to Turkey on Tuesday (Iceland permitting ).
This weekend will be spent on a tennis match, working, catching up on washing and cutting the lawns before I hot-foot to Brighton on Sunday to cheer on the RC'ers and others in the marathon. Hopefully I might get to sit down sometime on Sunday afternoon.
But, what a trip! Dublin on Friday was over-run by French rugby fans in town for a match against local opposition. Thankfully we managed to find a bar and squeeze in a few Guinni Saturday saw us driving over to the west coast to the Expo. Our hotel in Connemara appeared to be run by Basil Fawlty but no one cared.
I got up at 7am to have a porridge breakfast with Sweder and Antonio on the morning of the race before they left for their ultra briefing and 9am start. EG caught the earlier bus as a walker for his 11am start, and even though Suzie and I caught a later one we three still managed to meet up before the start. My own run was monumentally unspectacular. I'd predicted somewhere under 3 hours on the very hilly course so was pleased with 2:38 something in my longest run for 5 years.
Then the craic really kicked in.....
Monday was spent scrambling up Croagh Patrick which EG had serious under-sold us. Thence followed more craic and Guinness until we left on the Tuesday to mosey back to Dublin.
Stories abound and there appears to be a clear winner of the tour's Moment of Lunacy award. EG with his excel spreadsheets and ledger will live with me forever. But it was great to meet Suzie and Antonio again, and big hats off to Sweder of course for completing the ultra. Antonio finished a marathon and Suzie put in an excellent performance in the half.
Even though it was far too hot and we only had sheep for company during the run, it was a fantastic race and trip, and I have a feeling we may well be making a return visit next year...
In fact it'll be compulsory as Sweder owes Mrs S a trip.
p.s. I have numerous pics which I'll attempt to add later.
Cancel (the) Connemara Kop-out
Saturday saw us driving over to the west coast to the Expo. Our hotel in Connemara appeared to be run by Basil Fawlty but no one cared. 