Trains planes and automobiles but in reverse

When a work trips falls perfectly with a race it is a sign that I have to do it. The Singelloop 10km was on and the world record for 10km on the road was set here a number of years back. Only issue was that I was flying out the morning of the race so I needed everything to go on time. The day started with a 3:30am alarm clock. I had everything ready to go and I got in the car and drove to the airport for my early flight. Flight was on time and I had 3 seats to myself – a good start. Next was getting through Schiphol Airport and get the train to Utrecht. Best thing about Schiphol is the main station at the airport brings you to anywhere you want and there are regular trains to Utrecht from there. I got my ticket and the next train was leaving in 2 mins. Perfect timing. Before I knew it I was in Utrecht with plenty of hours to spare.

Once in Utrecht I took a stroll around the town and needed to get breakfast. I played it safe and got McDonalds breakfast. The last time I did that before a race I got a PB at the Messina Hof Half Marathon. I then took a stroll to Wilhelminapark where the race head quarters was. I passed the start line along the way and started getting a sense of the course and atmosphere. It was easy to pick up number and things couldn’t have went smoother. The weather was really nice and there was a good buzz around as there was a kids race and a 5km to add to the 10km. With about 40 minutes before the race I dropped off my bag and made my way to the start line. I was in the 1st wave and I moved myself up as far as I could. I stood to the right since I knew the 1st 2 turns were on the right had side. Every second counts 🙂

Healthy start to the day

The Race

So I hadn’t really thought about how I was going to tackle this race. My aim was about 42 minutes because I hasn’t raced 10km in so long and I felt it was a reasonable goal. If things were going right I’d chance a PB which would be breaking 41 mins. As soon as the gun went off any plan went out the window as we all sprinted up the straight with crowds on either side of the road. I really wasn’t expecting much of crows support but how wrong I was. There was support along the whole course and some huge cheering sections which would only help to push me on.

The starting straight

So I quickly got into my rhythm and found a comfortable pace for myself. With many runners around me doing similar pace it was easy to keep that pace going. I went through the 1st 3kms in sub 4 min km pace. (3:49, 3:56, 3:55) My watch was a bit off the km mark so I was hitting the km mark about 50m after my watch. So every time I passed one I was judging to see what my average pace was. In my head I was thinking I’ll regret this later in the race. Considering my most recent 5kms were above 20 mins it may have been a bad idea to take off like I did. I then needed to level out the pace so I put a target of 4 minutes per km and I’ll see how long I could keep that up. Next 2 kms were 4:02 and 4:02, nice consistency there. I passed over the 5km timing mat at 19:55. So even though my splits on my watch were showing that I had more time in the bank I found out after I didn’t. But anyway I was still feeling good at 5km mark. I was half way through and now the thought in my head was that I needed to match that for the second half. It was the 1st time I considered that I could go sub 40.

Jersey was ready to go

Consistency was key and my next 3km were exactly what I wanted – 4:01, 4:00, 4:04. Its funny in a way the course is so flat but when you have to go up the smallest of bumps it feels like a mountain. We headed over one bridge and I thought I was going to go backwards and any other day you wouldn’t notice that time of incline. Now here was where I thought I lost the chance of sub 40. I began to tire and the 9km was to be my slowest, it was 4:08 but when I actually hit the 9km mark I was 7 seconds outside 4 min average. The wind started to pick up for the last few kms as well. And at times I found myself at the front of a pack rather than tucked in behind someone. This meant I had to dig deep if I was going to break 40 mins now. Before the race I’d have jumped at a sub 41 but now I’d be gutted if I missed out on sub 40. It was there for the taking. Again the crowds were great here and they really did help push me to the line. There were markers for 500m to go, 400 to go etc and I just counted them down. I lifted my legs and pushed the pace the best I could. The final straight was in site and I went for it, the crowds cheering on I knew I almost had it. And finished with a 3:51 min km. I looked at my watch and it said 39:55. I was delighted. The Tuesday night sessions had paid off. I couldn’t believe I had broken 40 mins and got my 1st road PB of the year.

1st PB of the year

But little did I know that when my official time came out it was a lot closer than I thought. 39:59 was my chip time. I must have stopped my watch late at the start or too early at the finish but after the buzz of doing sub 40 I would have been gutted to find out after that I didn’t but I just scraped in. Top 100 finish out of almost 6000 runners was a great result overall for me.

The Medal

Now mind turns to Lisbon Half Marathon in 2 weeks and what I can achieve there. I really need to put some thought in to it and then make a plan of how I’ll race that. One thing for certain though, if I keep fit over the next 2 weeks I’ll be going into that race with lots of confidence. It will be my last big race of the year and since early in the year it would be my A race on the road. Here is hoping I get to the start line fit and healthy.

My reward

My watch splits

Course Map

Dungarvan Olympic Distance Triathlon

The season seems too short, after spending a lot of time recovering from injury this year it was nice to go out on a high and finish with my best race of the year. I couldn’t decide for a long while would I do this race and when I did the decision was between sprint and Olympic. With the race being so close to home I said I might as well go for the Olympic distance. This would be my 2nd at that distance this season after doing Dublin 2 weeks previously (report here)

Nice start to the morning

After a sleepless night the night before the race I was happy I organised everything a day early. It still didn’t stop me double checking everything in the morning but at least I wasn’t searching drawers looking for socks or something. I had my porridge and toast for breakfast and said goodbye to Martha and George. It seemed windy on the drive down so when I arrived at Clonea I was surprised with how calm the water looked. I parked the car up and was in and out of registration in no time. Next was off to transition to set up and for 2nd race in a row I had plenty of space around me. Usually people either skip the briefing or would not pay attention but it was important this time because for the 1st time ever for me and a lot of others there was an Australian Exit swim. We got our directions and were good to go.

Water looking calm

Hopefully dark clouds going opposite way

Swim
As mentioned, it was an Australian Exit swim, 2 loops of 750m and a beach start. I lined myself up behind the eager group I waited for the countdown. Off we went running towards the water. The biggest debate to begin with was when do I stop jumping over waves and start swimming. I had two false starts when the water wasn’t high enough but on third attempt I got going and off I went, sighting the first buoy. We were swimming in the shape of a triangle for the 1st loop and beach start meant it wasn’t the usual violent start. I was comfortable and rounded the 1st buoy with no trouble, sighted the second and made a straight line for that, before taking the angle back to the beach. This really did feel strange. Out of the water and run up the beach around the flag before running back into the water and starting all over again. Main thing going through my head was that if I was doing the sprint I’d be finished by now. As soon as I hit the water and starting swimming again I started to feel dizzy and short of breath. I had to take a few seconds to get composed and go again. It took about 10 seconds but I was good then. On the long stretch between the 1st and 2nd buoy I had someone on my toes the whole way. I’d go right, they’d follow, I’d go left, the same. They got a nice helping hand. Once I turned the 2nd buoy it was at the opposite angle we’d hit the beach this time. I was out of the water in an official time of 24:54, I had 24:06 on my watch but the timing map was long way from the beach. My official time had me 15th out of 151 swimmers. Officially I did 1st loop in 12:02 and 2nd in 12:52. I was 16th after 1st loop so it was nice to know I picked up 1 position

Swim

T1
Took my time in T1 to get my socks and shoes on and even with that I was 28th out of 150 in a time of 1:23. Off out on the bike I went.

Bike

As bike legs go this was one of the harder ones I have done. Wind and hills are not fun and when they are combined you know it is going to be a tough day. Straight away coming out of transition you could feel the wind blowing and it didn’t seem to be blowing in a direction that would suit. To my surprise even with the gradual climb out of Dungarvan I was holding a steady pace when broken into 5km blocks which I like to do. It was 10:49, 10:26 and 10:40. So under 30km/h average but that is where I am at. Then came the quick section with a nice 3km of descent. At the time it didn’t hit me, i’d have to tackle this on the way back. I completed that 5km in 8:57, my fastest split of the day. But complete contrast after the turnaround point I was faced with my slowest split of the day of 13:09. I really struggled on the hills and the wind was still all over the place. My next 2 splits were 9:57 and 9:02 as I got to enjoy the declines after the battle with the hills. The bike was showing as short and was just over 38 km. I won’t complain. Shorter bike is always good 🙂 I averaged 28.91km/h average. So close to breaking the 29km/h average. That will be target for next year. I completed in a time of 1:20:03 (81st of 151). Huge improvement needed compared to my other positions in each other discipline.

Bike

T2
After getting through the bike it was into T2, rack the bike, throw the helmet on the ground and into the runners and back out I go. I felt I didn’t waste too much time in there. Completed in 58 seconds (34th out of 151)

Run
I had aimed to try go around averaging 4:30 per km and I started off with good pace. It was hot and windy and at times you could feel the gusts blowing you around. I knew it was bad on the bike but didn’t think it would have too much affect on the bike but it sure did. My km laps were looking good for the 1st 6 where I was, on pace but the lack of big mileage meant I did slow down at km 7 and lost some time in km 8, 9 and 10. Of course like any triathlon the distance was a fraction off and it ended up being actually just over 10:25km. But I didn’t mind that. It was a nice run. Footpath, main road, coast run before old railway line run. It had everything and all the stewards along the way gave great encouragement. Since we all started in one wave I knew anyone I passed meant I was going to get a better position, and of course the same was for the people who passed me out. In the end there were 2 who went by me and I did go by a lot more. I upped the pace for the sprint to the line and finished the 10 (ish)km run in 46:49 (31st out of 151). Next year I will be targeting a sub 45 min 10km run in a triathlon. Since my PB is 40:53 in a 10km road race.

Run

Overall 2:34:09 (38)
I was delighted with my overall result. A great end to the triathlon season and great race to finish with. Definitely my favourite swim of the year. Well done to all other Cobh members who took on the race today. This is my last race for them before I transfer club and it was a great end to 4 great years with them.

Almost there

Thanks to http://www.dcimagesireland.com for the finish line photo

Next up is my 120km charity cycle followed by Lisbon half marathon.

Dublin City Triathlon 2017

With the year I have been having Dublin City Triathlon quickly became my ‘A’ race of the year. Having done it two years ago and really enjoyed it in awful weather (report here) I wanted to get back and do it again. Training was starting to go well over the weeks leading into it and besides a couple of niggles here and there I was confident. I completed Blackwater Sprint Tri a couple of weeks before and put in good times. My only aim was to get around in 2 hrs 45 mins but if I didn’t make it I wasn’t going to be too annoyed.

Healthy Breakfast

This year there was a new addition to pack for on the road trip to Dublin. We had to get all of Georges stuff into the car as well as mine. I think I won with the amount I packed. We set off early on the Saturday with an early stop to grab some food. A healthy start for me. A stop in Kildare outlets followed by a trip to Ikea made it a productive shopping trip so far. Once we got to the hotel and I unpacked my 100 bags I headed off to register. As per usual the goodie bag is the best around and instead of the usual tshirt we got a useful bright gilet. Registration was quick and easy and I got a quick look at the swim course before heading back to the hotel. With George in the room with us it was an early night for all. Alarm set nice an early but these days George is our alarm so he will be waking me before my phone does.

George Loving Ikea

Swim Course preview

Race Morning
I was up nice and early to get in a proper healthy breakfast this time and had some porridge to fill me up. Filled the car up with what I needed and headed in with Martha and George. After I emptied the car Martha headed back to the hotel as it would be impossible to keep George occupied for the length of the race. Got into transition 30 minutes before closing so I didn’t have to overthink anything. Racked the bike, double checked I had everything and had a quick look at what way we would be coming in and out of transition. Lucky for me I had a bit of extra space next to me as the person never showed. I always have my pink towel – makes it easier to spot when getting into transition and not thinking straight.

Bike Racked

It wasn’t long before race briefing started and the sprint races got going. I was wave 6 but things were running smoothly and I timed when I eat last so I wasn’t too hungry starting off. It was good to ease the nerves by meeting up with the rest of Cobh Tri members doing the race.

Swim

Last time I did the swim I completed it in 28 minutes so I’d have liked to at least match that. I kept over the the left and made sure I took the 1st buoy a bit wide to avoid the chaos. It meant I was able to keep in a good rhythm. I passed the 750 turn point thinking oh how lucky they are, we had a long way to go yet. The good thing about this swim was I never got sucked into a pack and no need to fight for my space. I did have someone hang on to the back of my feet to their advantage but I had to swim my own race so I kept doing what I was doing. The second buoy was a lot quieter and I was able to take that turn with ease. The good thing from here is that I knew I was on the way back. Once I knew I had about 200m to go I started to kick the legs to make sure they were ready for the jog to T1. I got out of the water and across the timing mat in an official time of 27:11. I was delighted with that time. (60th out of 428)

Swim

Transition isn’t always the best for me and I do tend to take my time. Took the extra few seconds to put on my socks and shoes and was ready to go. An official time of 2:02, again faster that 2 years ago when I took 2:29. (110 out of 428)

Bike

Now to my least favourite part of the race. I could read my review from 2 years ago and copy large portions of it. The one thing that was different from 2 years ago (besides some of the course) was that the ground was dry so I didn’t have to be so cautious. But just like then on the 2nd loop of 4 my calf started to tighten up a bit. Even my hip started to give out. This meant slowing down for a couple of kms so I knew that I could at least finish out the bike. A bit of stretching on the bike and I was feeling a bit better, but it is definitely something I need to get to the bottom of. With 4 laps there was a lot of traffic on the the course but it never affected my race. Bike marshals broke up a few groups which is always good to see. It is an up and down course so my pace was all over the place but as usual I had plenty of people go past me, some with bikes more expensive than my car 🙂 I kept at what I was going and made sure to get fuel in early so that it was digested in time for the run. I averaged a pace of 28.67km/h, which was .5 better than 2 years ago, so another improvement there. The bike course was 39k and I had an official time of 1:21:38 (286 out of 428). If I can make improvements on my bike times it would really help my overall performance. Hopefully I can get the right formula together to do that.

Bike

Into transition I went and there was a run through field and over ramp and then to my bike. Off came the bike shoes, quickly on with the runners and grabbed my gels and water and off out I went. In a time of 1:29. (85 out of 428) I was happy with the timing here and again faster than 2 years ago.

Run

Now to what is my probably my strongest or I guess the thing I do most. The run started with roughly a flat first km before I hit a sharp climb which seemed to go on forever. Someone who was on their 2nd lap, which starts at the turn of the sharpest incline, was alongside me and I paced myself with him. This gave me the kick I needed to get up the hill. It was starting to get hotter at this stage and the sun was coming out. There were large crowds on the run but this helped to keep me going. I felt I was doing a good job pacing myself on the run and my 1st 4kms were in and around the same time. Then came the big down hill before repeating the loop again. The downhill was a welcome relief and I know it would definitely help push me home the second time around. My slowest lap came when I had to hit the climb again but got back into my rhythm again and kept a good pace around before the downhill section came and the flat road home. I passed a couple of people on the home straight, I could possibly went a bit harder but I didn’t want to risk anything so I just enjoyed the run to the red carpet and the finish line. Official time on the run of 46:29. This was almost minute slower than 2 years ago but the course seemed a fraction longer. (77 out of 428)

Run

Overall

I finished up in and official time of 2:38:51 with finish position of 129 out of 428. There are improvements to be made but I am delighted with my overall time and felt good after the race. Weather was great and food after was exactly what I needed. It will definitely be one on the calendar next year and highly recommend people to do it. It was always great to test out my Airofin Tri Suit over the longer distance. Even in the heat it didn’t feel too warm. Great purchase. Check them out here (10% discount with code Jonathan10). Well done to Jess, Brendan and Adam who had great times on the day. There was no catching any of them

Frustrating first half of 2017

I had big goals for 2017, it included full distance tri, half distance tri, PBs in road running but half way through the year all of those are gone. I should be on my way to Germany now for Challenge Roth but I had to take the refund option earlier in the year because of injuries and more importantly wanting to spend time with my family meant it was not a realistic option to aim for it. And aren’t I lucky I didn’t go ahead with it. Every time I think I’m making progress I hit another stumbling block, another hurdle to overcome. Missed races, plans cancelled and searching for what target I can aim for next. I look back at 2016 and everything went to plan (well up to after Dublin Marathon), I reached my goals and my A races couldn’t have went better. I felt I was getting back in shape in June but only for the latest set back of achilles tendon issues. This is not something I have had before so its now all about getting that right. I should really skip one swim, bike or run session and dedicate it to strength and conditioning. Of course that is easier said than done because we all just want to be out doing what we love.

I have decided to cancel any plan to do a half distance this year. That means no trip to Dublin for Ironman 70.3, no trip to Kenmare for the Lost Sheep half distance, but hey on a bright note a lot of money saved 🙂 I will start with some strengthening work now and hope that helps me

2017 has been full of frustration and I’m already thinking about 2018. Right now I’m thinking week by week and only signing up for races that allow to sign up last minute. I need to build back up to where I was in 2016 and put in some good performances that will set me up nicely for an early half ironman in 2018. My races for the rest of the year if I get to the start line are:

July 22nd – Lee Swim 2km
July 30th – Carrick-On-Suir Sprint distance tri
August 12th – Blackwater Sprint distance tri
August 27th – Dublin City Olympic distance tri
September 9th – Dungarvan Olympic distance tri
September 30th – Moby Dick Sprint distance tri
October 15th – Lisbon Half Marathon

I have done all of these before except the Lisbon Marathon. So after the race it will be a good marker to where I am at. It will be interesting to see how many I get to do but my 2 ‘A’ races would be Dublin City Tri and Lisbon Half marathon. I will hopefully sprinkle in a few road races to keep things fresh and maybe, just maybe break a PB in one of those before the end of the year.

So out of the following which would you recommend for an early year half ironman in 2018

Challenge Gran Canaria 70.3
Ironman 70.3 Marbella
Ironman 70.3 Mallorca
Ironman 70.3 Barcelona

Hook or by Crook Sprint

It has been a long time coming but I finally made my 1st trip to a triathlon this year. I was scheduled to do one the week before but unfortunately I was sick during the build up and didn’t have the energy to get to Schull to do the race. So my back up plan was Hook or by Crook Sprint tri in Dunmore East. This happened to be my 1st sprint tri 3 years earlier so it would be nice to go back and see how much I have improved in that time. My last test before I was going to sign up was Grant Thornton 5km in Cork City. If I felt good after that I’d sign up. I managed to achieve a 19:26 for the 5km and felt good after it and with 10 minutes to go before sign up closed I put my name down.

Now living closer to Waterford it meant I could have a bit of a lie in and not have to set the alarm since George would wake me up in plenty of time. After I packed the car and I set off. Things were looking great weather wise, the wind did pick up as I got closer to the coast but the water looked calm. After parking the car I registered and met some of the Cobh Tri Group. Of course we were all talking down our abilities for the day ahead. I had enough excuses but main thing is we were all out to enjoy ourselves.

My timing for the race meant there wasn’t too much hanging around. I set up transition and it was very tight but all club members were alongside each other so it meant we could create enough space for each other. I went through the set up about 10 times, making sure I didn’t forget anything. It has been so long that I should have brought a check list.

SWIM

I haven’t done enough swimming this year so was a bit worried about how it would go. I took a good look at the buoys and new where I was going. The race started on the beach and started quicker than people expected so we all had a few seconds to catch up. I quickly got into my rhythm and knew I just had to keep going straight to reach the first turn. It was about 350m to the 1st turn and this was by far the roughest swim I had experienced. Punches, swam over, being pushed under, goggles knocked off meant I had to take a few seconds to get focused and go again. It was another 300m to the next turn and this wasn’t any better. But I took it a bit wider and knew it was a straight line to the beach again. I survived the swim, just about, to finish in 13:12. (59th out of 290 finishers). I had a time of 17:08 3 years ago.

There is a big climb from the beach back to our bikes, as you ran the approx 350m zig zag path way up. I decided to take the few extra seconds to throw on the socks and off I went out on the bike. A total time of 3:05 in T1 (76th out of 290 finishers)

BIKE

Now for worst part of any race. I knew what was to come and there was a bit of wind to make it even worse. It starts with a huge descent followed by a climb back up to the main road. It was out and back course so where ever it was tough I knew it would improve on the way back. It really did take me time to get going on the bike and my calf was pinching as I pushed myself on the bike. The 1st 5km was slow and I lost a lot of time on it. The next 5km let me make up some time but I was playing it safe so that my calf wouldn’t give out to me. At the turnaround point I could knew what was to come and I was very consistent on the way back with only a few seconds between my splits. Of course the main theme of the cycle was the number of people who passed me out. Its something I’d like to try improve and it can be a bit of a downer when you see people flying past you and not being able to keep up. A quick downhill before a big climb back into T2 for a time of 42:48 for 20.5km. (140 out of 290 finishers). A great swim was followed by a very average bike. I had a time of 46:38 so a huge improvement but plenty more in me to get better

Dropped off the bike and on went the runners and my 1st big mistake of the season. I ran the wrong way out of T2 which cost me at least 15 seconds. (174 out of 290 finishers)

RUN

This was a new run route so I didn’t know what to expect. But the 1st 500m was a climb up a steep hill. From here I thought it would be flat but I soon found out it wasn’t. We moved on to a dirt track which had a gradual decent. It was getting hot and at the turnaround point we faced a climb back up. It was tough on the gravel and I struggled to push the pace. The run is always a place where I can push it but the heat and course just didn’t work on the day. After we left the gravel it was the unique part of the course and we moved on to the fairway of the golf course. We were lucky it wasn’t raining because we’d have slipped our way around. There was some great views along the run course and of course it was up and down but it was almost over so I was able to go out and enjoy it. It finished on a nice hill and i had a time of 22:09

Overall

I finished in a time of 1:22:49 (98 out of 290 finishers). Happy with that for my 1st outing of the year. I have plenty of training still to do as I hope to get my season underway. I now need to draw up my calendar for the next couple of months.

And my reward for the day

Goals and Races for 2017

2016 was a great year for so many reasons, both personally and in sporting side of things. The birth of George and moving house were the two biggest things to happen in 2016 but sport kept me on my feet. I completed my second half ironman and got a PB at 10km, 10 mile, half marathon and full marathon distance. I had set out targets for the year and I broke all those as well as finishing on the podium in the Lee Swim, which was very much unexpected. November and December were a write off after picking up an injury in the build up to the Dublin Marathon which meant I didn’t reach my distance goals in swimming and cycling but with life being so hectic a bit of time off was probably a good thing.

Now onto 2017. I am an ambassador for Velocity Sportswear and Airofin Althletic (use discount code Jonathan10 to get 10% off any purchase). Two great brands. Why not check them out, there is definitely something there you will want to buy.

Late in 2016 I signed up for Challenge Roth which would be my first full distance race. But due to family commitments it made sense to take a step back and reevaluate. Instead I will work my calendar around 2 half distance races in Ireland and many other smaller races. The provisional plan can be seen below but I have also set myself some goals.

Goals
PB in 5km (best 19:10), 10km (40:43) and half marathon (1:34:26)
Reach 1000km running, 2500km cycling, 120km swimming. This would be an increase on both swimming and cycling and shorter running (with no marathon planned)

Races
Triathlon
Half distance – July 8th Hardman Half in Waterville Kerry; September 16th Lost Sheep Kenmare Kerry
Olympic Distance – March 25th TRI:122 Lanzorote; August 27th Dublin City Tri; September 2nd Dungarvan Triathlon Waterford
Sprint – June 17th Monkstown Cork; August 12th Blackwater Tri Cork; September 30th Moby Dick Tri
Aquathlon – July 12th Blackwater Aquathlon Cork

Running
Half Marathon – June 4th Cork; Aug 13th Dublin RNR, October 15th Lisbon RnR
Many many other smaller races which I will report on via Instagram.

Other
Lee Swim – July 22nd

Dublin Marathon

After watching Dublin City Marathon (DCM) in 2015 I knew I’d like to give it a shot some day. After completing New York the week after DCM in 2015 and not breaking the four hour mark I had to plan to break it in 2016. So deep down I had decided DCM 2016 was where I’d do it and booked hotels just in case. After a busy 1st half of the year, in July I officially signed up and training commenced soon after.

Training went perfect up to the Cork to Cobh race where I picked up a knee injury. I thought a few days rest would help but a relapse a week later and again the week after meant the 3 weeks up to race day was all about strengthening, physio and my new best friend the foam roller. Not much running was done but the hope was on the day the rest will be enough to get me through.

Race day was fast approaching and we packed up the car for our first family trip away. There was just about enough room in the car for Martha and myself since packing for George was like packing for a 10 week holiday but delighted both Martha and George were coming with me for the weekend. Coach Damian, Sarah and Fiadh were going to join us up there. No doubt they had as much packing to do as we did. Damian had done a super job in setting out a plan and training with me right the way through it. He had no plans on doing another marathon in 2016 but decided to pace me on the day so signed up the same day as me. The medal will be worth it.

We headed to the expo, picked up our numbers and strolled around the stalls. George took a spin with me and he had a nice sleep for himself. Registration was seamless and we flew through it. Preparation the night before was a relaxing evening in the hotel with some nice food.

All my gear laid out, nutrition planned and breakfast arranged. We stayed the Sandymount so we didn’t have far to go in the morning. Strangely enough I had a good nights sleep and woke just before my alarm. 1st step was to strap up my knee and calf with KT tape. Next was have my porridge and soon after met Damian. To save the legs Martha dropped us in a bit closer to the the start line. It was warm in the morning so didn’t need too much extra gear. We passed through the number checks and dropped off our bags to bag check and then went into our wave. We were to be first to go. 9am kick off.

George enjoying his nap with his new Dublin Marathon Teddy

A few pictures were taken and we were getting close to start. The thought of 26.2 miles hadn’t hit me yet but I think having Damian there to pace me eased any nerves. Damian had the pace bands, 2 of them, 3:50 and 3:55, it would be interesting to see which once we will need. The weather was perfect which was a great start and the there was a great buzz around. Over the starting mat we went and no turning back now. Time to forget the knee pain and concentrate on what is to come.

First 10km

The first few miles were busy, a few turns at the beginning meant it was hard to get into a rhythm. It was hard not to get carried away at around the 2km mark when a downhill emerged and we made our way along the quays. We hit the 2 mile mark when we went over James Joyce Bridge and this started a bit of a drag where we had a slight incline to look forward to for until we left Phoenix Park. We entered the park just after the 5km mark and we passed the back of the Zoo. This is where we cheered on Damian last year and as we worked our way around the Zoo we found ourself on a long straight of Chesterfield Avenue. The crowds were out and it was a good distraction from the straight line and drag. Pace was looking very consistent just as we left the park we hit the 10km mark. I was delighted to pass it in 53:57 (approx). Never once did I ask Damian for pace as I just trusted he had us going at what we needed.

Up to half way

Some of the support was excellent and 1 place that was easy to remember was when we made the turn on to College Road and the crowds were huge and gave the kick we needed. The last of the slight incline came around here. It meant we had a bit of fun with downhills to come as we reentered the park. It was refreshing in here and we couldn’t help but realise what a beautiful day it was. On leaving the park again we were on Chapelizod road, memories of Dublin Triathlon from last year came flooding back. We then turned on to St Laurences Road where there was great support again then and another little climb up to Sarsfield Road which I knew meant we were close to where we cheered on Damian last year – Kilmainham. I knew it would be special around here because the support is huge. Its hard to hold back as the crowds roared us on. A perfectly timed water stop where Damian continued to pick up 2 fresh bottles and discard the warmer bottles.

Before we hit half way I was starting to get hungry. The gels were giving me some extra energy but I still felt peckish. I told Damian to keep an eye out for someone handing out jellies and grab some if he can. He succeeded and they went down well. I never had to do that before but anything to stop me from getting too hungry.

It was great to hit half way and still feeling good. Reached it in 1:53:31. This was a couple of minutes faster than I reached half way in New York last year.

Getting to and over heartbreak hill

What distracted for a while after this was seeing the lines of traffic going no where has we held up all over Dublin. There was something in the back of my head. After driving back from Dundrum the day before I saw some hills we would tackle late on. It was about getting there for now. I’ll deal with it once I get to it. Damian was starting to enjoy the crowds around and made sure to get them all cheering anytime he saw a group of them together. When I got to heartbreak hill I knew I had to dig deep and push myself up it. It was all about pushing hard and keep moving. A lot of people started to walk going up but I put the head down and concentrated on each step, taking a look around to check out the support. But thankfully I got up and over it and was still in once piece….for now.

The Slow Down

Things started to slow down at km 34. This distance was something I had never ran before. My 2 previous marathons I had been walking at this stage by now. Between here and km 39 it was all about putting 1 foot in front of the other and the downhill by St Vincents hospital was starting to show how much I was struggling. Damian did everything possible to keep me going and also saw us have others join us as he drove a number of other runners on. He was slightly in front of me to encourage me to keep going but the wheels came off at the end of km 40 and in km 41. My aim was to run the whole race but my quads had enough and brought me to a walk. I needed loosen out. I could see Damian trying his best to get me going and had encouraging words but at this stage I was just trying to get going again. Of course this was were our support group was. Martha, George, Sarah and Fiadh. Martha had the camera out and caught me walking but a hug and a kiss and the push needed was got to turn my walk into a slow run.

I was caught walking

Just over a km to go and I knew I was going to break the four hours and Damian was right to keep hold of the 3:55 pace band. He got me there. We crossed the line together and without him driving me on when times got tough I’d have had another almost story in my quest to break four hours. It was relief, happiness, delight that I done it. A new PB of 3:55:22. Time to grab the medal and the tshirt and hobble to bag check. It took some time to take it all in but wow, what a day.

A tough but great day out at the Dublin Marathon but my aim was to break 4 hour mark for the 1st time and that I did. Coach Damian made it happen with the training plan and huge encouragement and pacing on the day. When things got tough he made sure I didn’t slow down (too much 😁). Last couple of miles were tough after no training for the last 3 weeks due to injury but knowing Martha, George & Sarah & Fiadh were at mile 25 pushed me on. Thanks to Martha for all her support and being the most understanding and awesome wife because training started just after George was born so couldn’t have got there without her. It is now time to take a bit of a break and then build back up for next year.

Challenge Galway Half Distance

After my original plan of doing a full fell away in February I wanted to give the half distance my best shot. I also had originally planned to go up on the Saturday morning but to make sure I was more relaxed I went up early on the Friday. I checked into the Harbour Hotel which is located straight across from the expo. After checking I went straight over and registered and back to the hotel for some relaxation. There was nothing happening at the expo so I didn’t feel guilty chilling out at the hotel.

Being up on the Friday meant it gave me the chance to do the swim recce. Conditions were choppy and I didn’t get out the whole way as there was a lot of effort being used so there was no use wasting energy. I got to talk to Chrissie Wellington after the swim. She was really friendly and a very happy person. She gave some good advice and it was very interesting to hear what she had to say. Once I got back to the hotel again I got on the running gear and went for a short jog just to loosen out. I organised my T1 and T2 bags then some food and a relaxing bath later it was time for bed.

Up on the Saturday morning for a nice breakfast and more relaxing before heading over for the pasta party. Atmosphere was still a bit dead around but had 2 servings of pasta as I sat and chatted to people in there. There was a long wait until the race briefing but I got a good seat up front and all is going to plan. A small change in the swim was the only thing to really note. I dropped off my T2 bag and off to the next hotel where I checked in. This time is was the Maldron Hotel, it was closer to the swim start for tomorrow and a triple room for my Dad and Damian to stay in. I took the trip out to the swim start to rack the bike and drop off my T1 bag. Security was a bit scarce and no one checking bike and helmets but mine was all in order. Got back to hotel and met my Dad and Damian and off for some pizza in Doughboys. It was some great pizza.

Race Day

The day has finally come. I was at at 4:45 to get ready. Shower, number tattoos on, calves strapped up with KT tape and then downstairs for some food. I left the hotel at about 5:30 and now game face was on. I went in to check everything was ok with the bike and put all my fuel on the bike. Took a look at transition and got an idea where everything was. I knew what to do now. The 600m run from swim exit to transition was carpeted but damn that looked long. I went down to the swim start to catch the first of the full athletes coming out of the water. The water was rough and the swim was cut by a small bit so we weren’t too far out of the bay.

Swim

It was time to begin the day, said my goodbyes and headed to the water. After I got in and tested my goggles and waited for the start. We were threading the water for a couple of mins and before I knew it we were off. It was a crowded start and I was pulled, dragged, climbed over and swam across so my rhythm was off a bit. About 100m into I got strong elbow into the face which knocked the left side of my goggles off. It filled with water and now I had to make a decision, do I stop and fix or keep going. I decided to keep going. Breathing to the right meant I wasn’t affected as much so I kept going that way. It wasn’t until about the 1st buoy that things spread out and that is where I could finally concentrate on my my stroke.

The whole way out to the 1st buoy we were swimming against the current and it was tough. I felt like I was climbing over waves and trying to sight was almost impossible. I just had to rely on who was in front of me, at least it meant we had the current with us on the way back. After I got around the 2nd buoy it was the home straight, only problem I wasn’t going very straight. I couple of times I was told my a kayaker I had to go left as I was going out too far. Again with the waves it was hard to sight so I was guessing where I was going and with the left goggle full of water didn’t help. It felt like a long tough swim so I was delighted to see the last orange buoy, it still felt like ages away but when I could see it I kicked the legs and pushed for home. Around the buoy I went and straight the ramp I went. Delighted to have it done with. I couldn’t even guess what time I did but a quick look at the watch and it was 32:49. I’ll take that with not knowing the exact distance.

Out of the water and I pulled down the wetsuit straight away. It was a nice 600m run to T1. I was worried about it beforehand but it actually it was good for the legs. It got them warmed up and helped me relax before the bike. After I had ran the red carpet I found my bag and into the changing tent. I sat down and took my time. I decided to throw on the cycling jersey over the tri jersey as it was colder than I’d have prefer. On with the socks and bike shoes and threw everything into the T1 bag and dropped it off and ran to my bike. With the waves I must have swallowed a lot of water as I needed to stop at the portaloo before I got on the bike. I found my bike and ran out of T1. Now to begin my least favourite part of the day. T1 in total took me 8:15.

Bike

The main aim for the bike was to get through it and hope my calf doesn’t come at me. A small climb to begin with followed by a left turn. Shouts of slow down on the left turn due to greasy conditions and a couple of spills before me meant it was a cautious start.

As always the start of the bike I will have plenty of people passing me out as the stronger bikers got out of the water. Road surface was very good and I was able to get into a good steady speed. I made sure to keep hydrated and watched my 10 meters so not to draft. Just after 30km I hit the 1st water stop. I was already sick of the isotonic drinks so grabbed a bottle of water, it was refreshing. Now came the worst part of the course. The road was in a bad way and I felt I was holding on as the bike was about to fall apart. My pace was definitely slowing down, I kept in tight as someone wanted to overtake me and as we went around a bend and downhill someone else wanted to overtake that person, so it was three deep. Only for a car jamming on the brakes that persons race was almost over, a bit idiotic out of him, take the extra 10 seconds and make sure things are safe. My pace had definitely slowed between Gort and Boston and the long straight after that was a mix of fast and slow moving. I was back and forth with a couple of people. Keeping 10m away but it definitely gave the motivation to keep the pace up. Only about half way through this straight did I realise I had drove this when I was checking out the Lough Cutra course.

We got to the split where the full took the left turn towards the hills and we took the right to head back home. 55km in and I was feeling ok. I was on target for a good time, 2 hours in and at 56.5km,averaging close to 28km an hour. That is something I definitely would have taken before the race. Between here and Kilcolgan was a very fast section. The wind was at your back and the road surface was good. I took full advantage and it was by far my fastest section of the course and I did my fastest 5km split here as well (8:59). Of course after this section we were back on the road we has started on and the wind was blowing at an angle that it was more in our face. And for the life of me I didn’t remember going down some of the short hills that I was now going up on the way back. But the slowest section of the day came from me as we went back towards Ornamore and took the climb back to the main road into Galway. The mixture of tired legs and hills meant I slowed down but well on the way to a great time for me on the bike. I picked the pace up once more for the last 5km and crossed the line 3:08:49 averaging the higher end of 28km an hour. Considering I was almost the same average speed for Schull just 2 weeks previous I would never had thought I’d do a time like that. The big fear now was did I work too hard on the bike and will my run suffer for it.

Into T2 where you handed your bike off and someone racked it for you, I loved that. The search for my bag and again I took a few mins to compose myself and change into my runners and grab my gels, water and hat. Nature called again so once that was answered I was off out on the course again. T2 took me 4:23

Run

In Wanaka my biggest regret was the run. After 7kms I was done, never getting below 5:30 min/km and spent more time closer to 7min/km. I knew what to expect on this course so I knew I could manage my pace better. In my head the plan was to break it down into 4 sections. And of course the 1st km was my fastest but with the crowd around I couldn’t help myself. Once I got that out of the way I went back to concentrating on my pace. It is a nice flat run but heading out to Salthill was into the wind and rain. I had the sunglasses on to keep the rain out of the eyes rather than the sun. It did heat up every now and again when the sun came out. I felt good as I ran along the promenade and the support around as well as the other athletes really did help get through it. At the 1st turn around I felt very good and pace was exactly what I wanted. Heading back into town I had the breeze on my back and it gave the push needed.

It was great to see family and the crowds as I made my way to the turnaround point. Half way there and the race was going great. I knew my pace would drop off at some stage and it came within a km of the turnaround. I had to fight my head and legs to make sure I wasn’t going to walk. I knew I could continue at a good pace once I fuelled right. I grabbed a banana and had my gel and off out to Salthill I went. This time around it was a lot tougher but I wasn’t going to give up. I kept tipping away and was well with in my target time. The pathway was a lot busier this time and had to move around people, both runners and non-runners. At the final turnaround point I kicked the legs and worked my way home. I had my slowest km soon after but from there I sped up knowing I was almost there. My fastest lap of the 2nd half was my last one. I got there and in a very good time. A run of 1:42:51 was a lot better than I thought I’d do. It was short of a full half run but with the long run in T1 and the extra 0.5km on the cycle meant it definitely a half distance race overall. I was absolutely delighted with my overall time 5:37:08. Going into it I knew if everything went perfect on the day I could break 6 hours but I would have laughed if you told me I’d get 5:37

After I got some food, a cold shower and meant my Dad and Damian it was time to reflect. The support from them really helped and it definitely drove me on. I’m glad I didn’t do the full but it has given me confidence to push on and tackle another half next year before eventually building up to the full. I finished my Wanaka report saying I wouldn’t do a full and right now I’d still feel the same. The bike would be the reason I wouldn’t attempt one but maybe after another couple of good half distance I might reconsider. If Challenge Galway goes ahead next I will definitely do it. It is a fast course and because its in Ireland it is easy to get to. The event does need some improvements but I’m sure Challenge will know that and work on it.

Now time to relax for a while before I decide on my next event. More importantly for now is building my family with Martha. The clock is ticking and only a few weeks to go.

Schull Tri 2016

It was an early start on race day as my alarm went off at 5:30am. My car was packed up the night before to save me a few minutes in the morning and I was glad I had it done. I had my porridge and set off on the road. It was nice and quiet on the way down so I got down in good time. I got a good parking spot and headed down to registration. The 1st year in Schull the weather was bad and swim was caught short. There was no fear of that this year as for the second year in a row the sun was out and the water was flat.

I headed back to the car and got everything together. Excitement was beginning to build and nerves weren’t bad as it was my 1st Tri since Dublin last August. There were assigned positions on the bike rack and I got a nice spot right at the end of one row which gave me that bit of extra space I practiced my transition a number of times making sure I had everything lined up perfectly and knew where I was going. It is a tough transition will uphill the whole way from the swim until the mount line on the bike. Good thing about that is you get some time to get your thoughts together and plan for the next leg.

I signed up late but still found myself in wave one. After listening to the race briefing we headed down to the water. One last pitstop before zipping up the wetsuit and on with the hat and goggles. Now the fun part, head into the water and see how hot/cold it was. After the initial shock it was comfortable temperature and once I swam out to the start line I was settled in and ready to go. We just needed to wait until we heard the horn going off to get under way. I got into my rhythm quickly and just followed the splashes hoping they were going in the right way. I was struggling to site the 1st buoy but with it was easy to just follow the crowd, I eventually spotted the buoy and had to think about my approach. There were a lot of people going at an angle from the right and I was going straight but knew I’d be swarmed by a lot of swimmers. I took it wide to keep out of most of the mayhem and it started again trying to sight the next buoy. I followed a good line and the field was spreading out so there was a bit of room. I took the next buoy well before heading back for home. I felt I kept a good line there as well. It always feels a lot longer while in the water so wasn’t sure what time I had but a check of the watch showed 12:24, that was a huge improvement on last years time. (2014 550m 11:53, 2015 750m 13:33)

The long run up to T1 and off with the wetsuit and but on socks and shoes and off up to the road and over the mount line and time to jump on the bike. With this always being my weakest leg I was hoping I could be at least competitive during it and not give up too many places. After short flat straight it was into the 1st climb, and the last 2 years I really struggled on it but this year I felt better and moved up it at a steady pace. Of course any of the ups and downs on the way out will be reversed on the way back with this out and back course. It was crazy to see the leaders fly past as if they were out for a Sunday spin while if they looked at me they would see the effort on my face. Its all up and down on this bike route so there is never a settled speed for me. I had a lot of people pass me out on who would be strong on the bike, my advantage from the swim was well and truly gone. I was happy as I got to turnaround point, I was feeling good but now some of those good declines were to be tackled on the way back. My calf was pinching a bit at times to I took my time going up the hills and enjoyed the downhill. There wasn’t much wind which is always great. After I went down the last hill it was the straight to home. Off time bike and down the steep hill trying to hold on to the bike and myself hoping I wouldn’t fall. Overall I was delighted with my bike to finish in 43:19 which was a huge jump on my previous 2 times here ( 2014 48:35; 2015 49:26)

Now to the run leg. I was getting a cramp in my stomach to begin with and felt dead on my legs. There is a small drag to begin with but I got into my groove and tried to settle down. I wasn’t really feeling my best on the run and just wanted to get it out of the way to be honest. I know in Galway the pace will be a lot slower than what I would be doing here. The one thing I can be happy with is that only 2 people passed me while running and I passed a number of people, so even though I felt slow I was still picking up some positions. I finished the run in 21:30 which was just faster than last year. (2014 23:39; 2015 21:37)

Overall I can be very happy with my result taking 8 minutes off last years time. After 2 road races in the previous 6 days meant I did tire on the run a bit but the strong swim and bike was a huge confident boost. Now the build up to Galway can begin. It was great to get a tri out of the way after the disaster of Lough Cutra where I couldn’t even start due to an issue with my calf.

MESSINA HOF WINE & ROSES HALF

After my flights to Austin were booked for a work trip the next thing I did was to see what races were around. Since I was flying out on the Friday it gave me the weekend to find something. I searched for things around Austin but no luck. But after a bit more searching I found a half in Bryan Texas. It looked like an interesting race with some novelty aspects to it. It starts and finishes in the vines of Messina Hof and includes a wine stop on the course. A good looking medal sold it for me. I signed up and booked a hotel close to the race and was looking forward to the race.

I arrived into Austin on Friday 22nd and of course had to start the trip with a burger. There was no changing that tradition. On Saturday I decided to get a swim in Barton Springs Pool to loosen out. I was down there early to make the most of the day. I’m sure plenty of people thought it was cold but I certainly didn’t and got in a good swim. I then drove down to Bryan Texas and headed to packet pick up. It was very straight forward and there was a wine festival on. There was a great atmosphere and weather was great. I got my gear together and then headed off for some food in College Station. It was time to relax and watch some tv before an early rise in the morning.

I was up at 5am on the morning of the race and it was time to plan my breakfast. Like all true athletes I headed to McDonalds. I wasn’t sure what else I could get so early in the morning so some pancakes would be the perfect choice to start my day. Once I was done I headed towards the venue. I had bought a pass for VIP parking so I was able to park right at the venue. I’m delighted I did that as it gave me the chance to relax in my car and go back and forth before the race. Weather was nice again and it would have been great to stay some what cool but that was never going to happen. I’ll just enjoy the cool breeze before the sun came up.

Once I got rid of my pre race jitters and did a bit of a warm up I headed towards the start line at 6:50am. I check out the pace group and the 1st pace group was 1hr 40mins. I was aiming for better than that but nobody wanted to move further up for now. I stayed back with that group for now. It was announced just before 7 that the start would be delayed by 15 minutes as people were still arriving. My main worry was that I had planned my food and nutrition for 7am start and such a late decision was disappointing but understandable. They managed it well and decided to break up the starting corrals to make it easier while running through the vines. I would head off in the 1st corral.

The race got underway and I set off with the first batch of runners. We all headed up the road together and into the vines we went. There was a bit of confusion when we got to the end of the 1st vine as the 1st couple of runners didn’t see the arrow on the ground. But once we got through that it was obvious what was needed then. It was run along a section of the vines, sharp turn and back through the next and so on. It was tough on the legs. The ground was soft so it was a bit of work on the legs and each turn slowed your pace down as you had to do a U turn each time but this was the novelty factor of the race and was something I hadn’t experienced in the past. My fast km was when we left the last row of the vines and back on to the road. I passed the 1st water/wine stop – I don’t think anyone in the first group went near the wine. I was 6th coming out of the vines but more tough work to come.

I was out on my own for much of the race, the group in front were to far ahead but I could sense some people close behind. I chose my pace and tried to stick with it but that paced slowed down after the 5th km. The heat and the effort through the vines really did slow me down. Where there were people cheering I could tell how close people were behind me and I knew I didn’t have much of a gap. For me it was nice to run in places I haven’t run before. We ran on some very quiet roads and through housing estates. The whole race was very well directed and no issue with getting lost which had happened to me in a race outside Austin a couple of years ago. There were plenty of water stops which was very much needed as the temperature rose. I’m sure a lot of runners were not feeling the heat as much as I was but with the way things were going I may miss out on a PB due to my slowing pace. My aim now was to keep the pace steady. At approximately the 15km (my slowest one of the day) I was passed by 2 people. 1st was the lead girl, it looked like she was just out for a short jog she made it look so easy. I was then passed by another male runner. He didn’t look as comfortable and was heavy breathing and looked like that heat was taken his toll on him. Both of those were moving away from me at a quick pace.

Mile 10 was the toughest of the day. It was uphill the whole way and I had to work harder to get through it. I saw the male runner who passed me having to walk parts of it but the gap was still big enough where I couldn’t catch him. At this stage I was calculating in my head what pace would get me a PB or even better break 1:35. It was going to be tight. I took a look back as I made sharp turns and saw no one behind me. I knew the vines were coming again soon so had to push. The atmosphere as you passed by the entrance to Messina Hof was great and gave me a bit of a lift. So it was the same thing up and down through the vines. In front of me I could see the male runner who passed me and he was really slowing down now. I passed him through one of the vines and looked like the earlier effort had taken it out of him. But then came the realisation that another runner was catching me. I hadn’t seen him for a long time and now every time I went up and down a vine I could see he was getting closer and closer. The soft ground through the vines was taking everything out of me.

I knew if I got out the vines ahead I would have enough in me to push on. Being chased down did help me keep my pace up. As soon as I hit the road again it was time to go as hard as I could and get to the finish line. It was slightly downhill and turned the corner and crossed the finish line. I did it. 7th overall, 6th male and 3rd in my category in a time of 1:34:27. A new PB by almost 2 mins. I only had 13 seconds to spare to the next person in my category. I talked to that guy a couple of days later while training in Austin Aquatics and Sports academy. A really good guy and we both helped each other push over those last tough miles. A 3rd podium finish in my last 3 races in Texas. I should come here more often.

I’d like to take everyone at Messina Hof for their hospitality and for planning a unique race which if I ever find myself back at this time of the year I’d do again. A really cool medal and wine glass added to it all. Now it was time to head back to Austin and get ready for a week of work. It was a tough day out there with rolling hills, vines and heat but enjoyed every minute of it.