Strength & Strawberries

It’s been a great week – 2 races, 2 PBs, 1 victory, 1 course record & some pocket money.  I’m only 6 weeks into my Lydiard training programme from Rene Borg and it’s already starting to pay dividends.  Most athletes know about Lydiard’s principles, but what Rene has done for me via Lydiard Foundation is to design a programme to exactly meet my needs, peaking for 2 key races in 2011 – National 10k on the track on 6^th Aug and Dublin marathon. The most valuable item on the plan is the pace range for runs. I was the type to just run by feel, which typically meant this lazy git was running too slow. Now, running 4 min kms is commonplace in training and it’s beginning to feel comfortable.  Rene's Lydiard plans also have a priority and purpose to all runs, so no more junk miles J

The Lydiard system goes through different phases – Aerobic, Hills, Anaerobic, Coordination, Taper, Race.  I knew all this before & probably could have designed a similar plan, but now I know there is value in a listening to advice from another. I’ve been self-coached for a while now and occasionally have the required discipline, but it’s good to have someone properly watching over what you’re doing.  Rene is not your typical coach – he’s not there for sessions, nor does he need to be – I’m a big boy J  He’s a scientist/mathematician – I give him dates & numbers (e.g. PBs, VO₂ Max, Lactate) and he churns it up with the help of the Lydiard Foundation system to give me a plan.  I occasionally send him back plan vs actual data and he provides feedback.  That’s all I want.  I still rely on experienced athletes/coaches like Adam Jones, Dick Hooper & Eamonn Tierney for advice and general direction, but Rene has added an extra dimension to my training.

So far I’ve had 4 weeks of Aerobic work and 2 weeks of hill sessions. The first few weeks were tough as I started from a relatively poor base after injury and I definitely struggled with the pace for a while. It was just about manageable as recovery was possible with no typical ‘interval’ sessions.  The hill weeks move into session territory, but not typical sessions – bounding uphill reps, fast descents & strides – not what I’m used to, but it has helped me get back in the game.  With my Wicklow Way Relay run I knew I was making progress, but couldn’t wait to test my new legs against true road benchmarks.

My two races this week were not on my original plan, but I was getting itchy & Rene conceded by tweaking my schedule to fit the races in as ‘sessions’.  Perhaps this was indiscipline on my part, but all work and no play makes Barry a frustrated boy.  First up was the Docklands 8km.  Typically this is a relatively weak field and I saw it was an ideal way to break myself gently back into the road scene.  Alas, with Vinny Mulvey, Alan McCormack & Gary O’Hanlon on the start line it was more a baptism of fire.  The race itself started with Vinny in control about 50m clear after only 400m. I knew I'd be doing well to stick with Gary & Alan given my fitness level, but still it didn’t feel right to let Vinny away so easily.  I put in a huge push to catch & it paid off – I was in complete oxygen debt on catching Vinny, but eventually regained composure.  Through km 4 & 5 I possibly had Vinny on the ropes, but he demonstrated his pedigree by putting in a surge on the 6^th which I couldn’t handle.  I finished strongly with a 3min last km, but it wasn’t enough to challenge.  The course was a little long, so I’m taking it as a 5 miles PB J It’s my first 8km, so PB either way.  Two good scalps for me in Alan & Gary, but something tells me they were off form.  Either way, given that I haven’t run faster than 3:30/km in training recently I was delighted with the performance.

Next up was the Strawberry half marathon.  A completely different proposition, but one I felt more prepared for given my strength training.  I knew there was going to be serious opposition in reigning champion Sergiu Ciobanu, but this was a training ‘progress calibration’ run & so I there was nothing to fear. I had the pre-prepared excuse of a hard hill session on Friday to blame if it didn’t go to plan.  My performance on the day even surprised myself!  This is not an easy course, so to run a PB & course record (68:04) and get victory was beyond my expectations. I had offered pace sharing with Sergiu during race warm-up, but he seemed a little hesitant. We did share the pacing for the first 8km, but I felt particularly strong on the hills and edged out a gap by the 10^th km. Once I had the lead I never looked back, pushing as best I could all the way to the finish.  A lesser man than Sergiu would have strolled home, but he kept up the pressure and was ready to pounce on any weakness.  Thankfully, I was able to maintain pace finishing with a 3:03 last km. A great day and one of my best performances to date. Beating the legend Sergiu is a nice scalp, but it is only 3 weeks since he won the Cork marathon so no way he was in top form. Time to build on this experience to challenge for the bigger prizes. Congrats to Jane & Graham Porter for hosting this fantastic race experience – highly recommended – not fast, but you never know when a PB is on the cards ...

Fab weekend also for my current housemate Sean Hehir, who ran 29:43 to win the Clare 10k in a record time. Savage result! Roll on team Rathfarnham WSAF AC in the track 10k ...

Wicklow Way Relay 2011

Athletics is primarily an individual sport. It’s up to the individual to put in the work and deliver on the day.  There is a ‘team’ element to most races, but often it’s a coincidental group of club mates running the same race rather than specifically by design.  The Wicklow Way Relay is an exception.  It’s truly a team event and perhaps that’s why it has grabbed the attention of so many.  The event started as a once-off fund raiser for international competitions – 10 years later and it has arguably become IMRA’s most popular race.

This year the event sold out quicker than a U2 gig. Rathfarnham were lucky to get possibly the last of the 30 golden tickets. Peter O’Farrell took over the captaincy from John Farrelly and quickly started to assemble a formidable team.  Rathfarnham actually wanted to enter two teams, but it just wasn’t possible due to event demand.  8 coveted spots for a club with a huge hill running population.  I didn’t envy Peter’s role as several were going to be disappointed. Criteria for selection was simple – reccy of an appropriate leg and recent race performances.   The rules stipulate two women and two vets for an 8 person team – these spots were filled relatively quickly. In Donna Mahon and Eilis Connery we had two ladies with greater leg speed than 90% of the male club running population. John Brennan was also an easy choice, building on last year’s super marathon run with several excellent recent hill running performances. John was so eager he ran leg 4 enough times in training to do it blindfolded. Padraig MacCroistal was given the last masters spot.  Pressure was really on Padraig to deliver after costing Rathfarnham the title in 2010 with a completely unnecessary 40 minute detour J

The four senior male spots were particularly difficult for Peter to fill. Contenders included myself, Peter, Jason Reid, Kevin Keane, Kevin Bolger, Niall Sommers, Mark Ryan, and Brian Furey. 8 into 4 just doesn’t go. There were several twists and turns on route to confirming the final line up – including some last minute transfer activity.  Kevin Keane was unlucky with a recent bike crash ruling him out – amazingly he still managed to put in a solid run for the Boards AC team.  Jason was also unfortunate with a recent illness setting him back. Mark had to pull out with a last minute hamstring injury. Thankfully, Rathfarnham has strength and depth in the hills these days ...

The weeks of planning and reconnaissance trips to Wicklow paid off with a flawless performance by team Rathfarnham.  No other race has logistics like it – it’s so easy get lost on route to your leg, let along during your leg – so preparation and planning a necessity. Brian Furey had us 2 minutes up after leg one. Kevin Bolger dedication to the team paid off with an excellent sub-70 run on challenging leg 2. We slipped into 2^nd place after this leg due to the Motley Cru using their trump card in Ian Conroy, but it was still very early in the race. We regained the lead after an excellent performance from Eilis and were out of sight after John Brennan’s demolition job on leg 4. Now it was a matter of minimising mistakes to stay on course for a record setting team run. Captain Fantastic, Peter, led by example on leg 5 and handed over to Padraig who found redemption at Iron Bridge. I had the hilly half marathon leg 7.  Felt very bouncy and surprisingly fresh, passing the old course finish 72:40 and onto the new finish in 77:54. Donna Mahon had the glory leg and she finished in style with a overall new WWR record of 7:03:13 – not bad J

Team Rathfarnham: Top Row - Peter, Brian, Eilis, Kevin. Bottom Row - Padraig, Barry, Donna, John

There was a real buzz after the race – we were all visibly high and relieved. There is so much pressure to deliver in a race like this – there is a team depending on you and I think it brings the best out in people from both a performance and exhilaration perspective.  The race always has some drama – amazingly the fight for second came to within 10 seconds, with Crusaders hanging on from Boards!   The Nifty Fifties were particularly unluckily, missing out on a potential podium finish with Martin MacDonald unfortunately going wrong.  The President’s Men were pessimistic in their planning, with some runners not arriving in time to receive the invisible baton. This is all part of parcel of an excellent event.  Amazingly all 30 teams finished.

For team Rathfarnham it was redemption after three years of hurt.  The endorphin buzz continued well into the evening, with a fab night on the tiles.  Perhaps a little too much alcohol consumed, but these events have to be celebrated. My long run was painful this morning, but still managed a solid 28km. From a personal perspective yesterday was the first time since January that I felt I was actually running.  Training is going well recently, but with no sessions at the moment it is difficult to gauge form.  Confidence is increasing and hopefully I can still put in a good summer.  Today I’m finished my aerobic base phase for the national 10km track championships - volume to give way for speed. Looking forward to some interval training – bring it on ...