Wild Seas at Salthill...

I haven't been feeling the best these past few days, so I've reluctantly cancelled running appointments with Conor in the hope that I'd shake back into top gear.  However, I couldn't afford to wait too long (marathon on the horizon), so I went for a run on the Salthill prom after work this evening.  Just over five miles.  The weather was wild and the seas were very rough (I have exaggerated with this pic but, not far off!).  I headed west against the wind on my way out.  It's hard to describe this to non runners, but nothing, and I mean nothing, beats these kind of runs.  On my way from work a colleague said 'better you than me - I wouldn't go outside the door in this weather!'... The only tough part is the getting out there, being out there is just fantastic.

Five and Half Miles of Lactic Loosening!

Following Thursday's 18miler I took a break on Friday and got back into the saddle (well, into my runners) for a 5.5 mile jaunt up and down the local village.  This was TOUGH.  My legs clearly have a mind of their own and they did not want to be out on the road yesterday, so soon after the 18 mile run.  At every step they were screaming 'nnnoooo',  On the other hand, my brain was well up for a run yesterday.  It was a bright and beautiful February day - a real Spring day.  For once Ireland seems to be getting the very best of Europe's weather.  The big rugby match in Paris between Ireland and France was called off, while the English and Italians played on a snow covered pitch.  Meanwhile, on this island I was running around An Cheathru Rua in bright sunshine!  Now, why would the legs have any complaint about that?

18 Miles!

I'm not long back from a great 18 mile run - legs are sore, belly is slightly uncomfortable, fatigue is setting in but ooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh my God I feel great.  Can you beat that feeling of actually conquering a long distance run?  

Just as I did for my last long run (16 miles a few weeks ago) I just togged from work and ran out of the city towards Bearna.  This evening was a little drizzly and there was a slight wind in my face on the way out, but nothing too drastic.  Strange for me to say this - but I've actually been listening to an ipod on some of my solo runs lately, and for a man who never listened to music while running, well, I'm warming to it.  There was a specific reason for the ipod though - I don't have one of those garmins, so I've been judging my distance by time and checking it back on an ipod related measuring tool after!  I'm normally bang on with time - my pace was 8.30ish so 18 miles would clock in between 2h 35 mins and 2h 40.  And so it was!

Anyway - back to the ipod... I listened to a few Gillian Welch albums, one after the other, when all of a sudden one earphone went kaput, quickly followed by the other (cheap earphones).  It didn't bother me at all though - I'm still a no-earphone man in general.  

I was steady and strong for most of this run, though I did find it more difficult than the previous long run.  The Barcelona marathon is a month and a half away - I've still got a good bit of time to strengthen the legs.  There was nothing left in them by the time I reached my car this evening!

Five Miles Interval.

My idea was to head off after work for a long run.  See where the road would lead me.  Only two weeks ago I did a 16 mile run using this very tactic - but it's been short distances since.  So time for another long run.  However, much to my annoyance I discovered that I had left my gear at home!  My work is a long oul commute so by the time I finally reached home it was dark and definitely not long distance running time.  Weighing it all up, I decided to swop a long session with an interval!  So five miles of hard threadmill running was the order of the evening.  And I did fine - survived anyway.  The great thing about interval running (or repeats as some call them) is that they break the monotony of the threadmill.  A straight run on that yoke is just sheer hell.  Another big benefit of the intervals is that you do feel a different kind of buzz after these runs, and they certainly bring your fitness on a good bit. So, box ticked on the interval front - and the long road will live for another day!

Misty Night on the Moors.

Seanadh Phéistín is 100% bogland - or moorland according to Sherlock Holmes and other friends from across the Irish sea!  So a night run in Seanadh Phéistin is a mixture of creepy and beautiful!  This evening Conor and I stretched our legs for a five miler on that very moorland, with a gentle mist falling ever heavier as we left civilisation farther and farther behind us.  We took it nice and easy this evening (I had done an interval session yesterday and Conor had done another marathon this weekend - so the limbs needed resting).  Having said that, we did push it out for about a mile or so on the way back home.  Despite my early dreams of following the furman programme for the Barcelona Marathon in March, I'm now just running as I feel - programme out the window!  This may backfire completely, but hopefully I'll be fine... time will tell.

Redemption with 16 Miles.

My intention was to run 15 miles on Saturday or Sunday last.  But I didn't.  In fact, I only ran four.  It was slightly demoralising - I have signed up to do a marathon in Barcelona at the end of March and yet I hadn't run more than 8 miles since the half marathon of December, until tonight.  So today I brought my shoes and shorts to work and headed off from the Spanish Arch when the day was done.  I had no fixed idea on how long I would run tonight, I simply ran on a whim.  The night was beautiful - still and dry after a long day's rain.  On I went, out past Nimmo's pier, around South Park, down to Mutton Island and then out onto the prom.  I was feeling very confident at this stage - running a steady pace, certainly no more than 8.30mins.  I ran to the end of the prom and turned left down onto the gravely path that hugs the diving board at Blackrock.  There weren't any lights along this path and the way was now lit from the main road a couple of hundred yards away - but it was still clear enough to see directly ahead of me, and to my left the waves were crashing up against the shore.  At end of that section of the run I turned left, heading down towards Knocknacarra cross, and then on out towards Barna village.  It was a steady pace, and I felt good enough to determine to run on past Barna and keep going!  I would actually have gone further but for the fact that there were no streetlights past Superrvalue and things were getting a bit dodgy!  The way back was just as nice - I felt good all the way and probably could have run another few miles.  So I've done wonders for my confidence - I now feel that I'm back in marathon mode - and I've done wonders for my motivation too.  Real redemption.

8 Miles at Night...

I've been shirking my running responsibilities lately!  Finding a way to avoid a run, or shorten one... not a good tactic when I'm supposed to be competing in the Barcelona marathon next March!  So it gave me great satisfaction to actually go a few miles extra this evening.  I set out with Conor on a cold and slightly windy night up the Seanadh Phéistín road, fully intent on running five miles - no more.  However, when I got to the 2.5 turn we decided to go on a bit, head for 6... and then a six miler turned into eight.  Nicely does it!  We had a decent pace too - certainly in the low eights and better for some sections.  The way back was difficult enough though - Conor's headlight lost it's battery power and the wind pushed us back at every step.  There were parts of that road when I was completely lost as to where the heck I was!  Still, eight miles completed - surely now I'm ready for a long run this weekend