Slow(ish) run down to beach and back...

 I broke with my original training plan for a new and revolutionary one:  no training at all.  This lasted for over a week before I arrested the slide yesterday with a nice slow 4k run, down to the local beach and around the loop road back.

I felt the excesses of the past two weeks - the beer to welcome returning siblings on holidays, the beer to welcome returning cousins on holidays, and the beer to celebrate Galway reach the All Ireland final for the first time in 21 years!

Okay - too much beer.  The Claregalway 10k looks ominously out of reach - but still I will continue to push on with slow, mid range runs, for the next week or two and see if I'm anywhere near the pace... If not, we can adjust and go again!

Little Kathleen welcomes me back!

5k in miserable weather, with Murty

I finished 'week one' training with a 5k run today, up to the village and back with Murty and our very energetic dog, Lughaidh!

It was great to have Murty for company - and a good achievement for him to run that distance at his age (9).

I felt good today, and delighted the first week of training has been completed. Claregalway is just 7 weeks away... Much to do! 

Day 2 of my 10k programme

I took to the local park for the second day of my training programme - once again, kids in tow!  I had planned on running 4 consecutive laps at a reasonable pace, with one slow lap either side.

However, when I got to the park there was a lot of activity there with kids playing football, so I decided to hop next door to the soccer astro pitch.  It was empty, so perfect!  Kids went to the playground, and away I went on my run.

I managed 4 consecutive laps at a fair degree of pace alright, but to be honest, the pitch is only about 1/2 size of the other one, so I added another 4 fast laps for good measure.

However, the final four I didn't do consecutively - I couldn't!  I broke it up to:  1 fast, 1 slow, 1 fast, 1 slow, 2 fast.  

I consider it a good enough job for the second day of my comeback!  A 5k run now on Saturday and that's week 1 done.  

Intervals - First step on the road to recovery

 I've sketched out a plan for the next 8 weeks, that hopefully should see me completing the Claregalway 10k with some minor modicum of dignity.  The thing now is to stick with it!

Páirc an Cháthanaigh, where I did my intervals, hosted a European Cup soccer match way back in 1986!

I've decided to go with three training sessions per week, that basically follows the following pattern:

Monday - Interval training

Wednesday - Short fast run

Saturday - Long slow run

Intervals were a key part of my marathon training back when I could run well!  I was never a super fast runner, but interval training gave me that sharp burst of lung  busting speedwork that helped bring my time down to 3.43 for the Dublin marathon, way back in 2010. 

Yesterday evening was beautiful - the kids had football training on the park, so Murty and I did 12 laps, 6 fast, six slow.

The first fast lap nearly killed me.  I thought I'd never complete the next 5.  But I did, and actually began to feel a little better after lap #3 of the fast ones.

It feels good to be back training.  Onwards we go!

The comeback 10k has been chosen...

 I've chosen the Claregalway 10k (which takes place on August 13th) as my comeback run...

The last time I took part in a road race (or a race of any description) was the Westport 5k series - with Big Ron, way back in 2014.  Since then - I've had a knee injury that kept me from running, four kids (that kept me from sleeping!), and a business that kept me going!

But (thanks to John Bracken), my knee is sorted, and I'm ready to get going on a training programme to get me up to 10k level for August 13th.  

Looking back at my old PB's - I hit the 10k PB in May 17th, 2013, for the Cooley Coast Run - at 47.32.  I won't get anywhere near that for Claregalway (If I hit around 57 mins I'll be happy!).