I will be recovering from last weekends ultra by, well, running another ultra this weekend.
And before you ask, no, I wouldn’t advise this as a smart move. This weekends ultra is a “mere” 40 miles, and is a race I did last year. It’s nice and close to home, and, being run in 5 mile circuits, means that you are never too far away from your drop bag and aid station. It also has the added advantage of not requiring a crew, as I’m not sure anyone would be crazy enough to crew two weekends in a row.
I’m hoping this will be good training for the Tralee 100k in a few weeks. Either that, or it will kill me!
Best of luck to everyone running here, the Energia 24H in Belfast, the Waterford Marathon, or any other race this weekend.
Although I didn’t have any race this weekend, it was still a pretty busy one. I got up at the ungodly hour of 1:30am on Friday night/Saturday morning to help out Mazza and her team get Tralee Town Park ready for the Darkness into Light Walk. Mazza, who organised the decoration of the park did an amazing job, and Poshey did the people of Tralee a huge service by organising this event. I hope the town recognises his efforts in some way.
One of the trees in the town park
Mazza fades into the background as usual….
Posey starts it off
Some of the huge crowd at the Darkness into Light Walk
Once I had finished in the park, I headed home for a couple of hours of fitful sleep, before getting up again at 8:30am and heading back to the park to do the Tralee parkrun 5k with Lee. It was remarkable that there was no sign of all the activity the night before – kudos to the work of all the volunteers.
I had a reasonably alright parkrun – I still had some stiffness from a tough strength and conditioning session on Thursday night, and I was tired before I started, knowing that this was only the first of two runs for the day, so I was happy enough with a 28:53, all things considered. Lee finished well ahead of me for a 27:43, and was happy to beat the old man again.
After the parkrun I headed back home, and just had time to change into fresh running gear before heading out for a tough, hilly 8 miler with Catherine. I knew this was probably not going to be easy, what with the lack of sleep, and having already done a 5k beforehand, but even so, it rocked me a bit! For the first time in a long, long time, Catherine discovered she was able to leave me behind on the hills, as I simply didn’t have the energy in my legs. We climbed the brutal Tonevane hill in the first half of the run, and there were moments I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep going. I stuck it out however, and was glad to get such a tough test under my belt. I was in bits in the last mile or two before we finished, and the Rugby Club Hill never felt so long!
Feeling the burn on top of Tonevane Hill!
Sunday was a bit more relaxed, as my eldest son Adam made his confirmation, so the only exercise I got was overeating!
Adam, The Rt. Rev’d Kenneth Kearon, Lee, Catherine, and me.
All in all, a tough weekends training, that hopefully will stand to me over the next few weeks – I am well behind schedule for my seasons 100k training, so I need a few more of these weekends!
I think I will do the Lakes of Killarney Marathon next week to see where my fitness is – I got a PB there last year, but don’t think I’ll be repeating that feat this year.
I decided a bit last minute that I would do the Tralee Tri Club’s 14k Trail Race that was set for today. After last week’s exertions in the Tralee Marathon, and a brutally tough strength & conditioning session on Thursday, my body wasn’t exactly keen for more punishment, but I have a bit of an issue saying no to races, and this promised to be a bit different to my usual runs. I was also testing out my new Salomon XR Shift trail shoes, which I will be writing a gear review on.
I joined the rest of the runners outside O’Riada’s Bar at 11am (after having went to the wrong starting point first!) for a briefing from Milosz and Bridget. We would do the first 2 miles or so on tarmac road, from O’Riada’s to Glenageenty Woods, then a mixture of trails and road, before returning by road to where we started.
Pre race group pic
I set off at the back with Margaret, determined to take it easy, as I knew this would be tough. And tough it most certainly was – the road section was a tough climb all the way, and I hadn’t gone a mile before I felt last week’s marathon in my legs. Margaret soon pulled away, and I was on my own.
After reaching the woods, there was a tough hill, followed by a brief respite of some downhill trails, and then the real climbs started! My legs muscle were practically squealing as I climbed steep hills, followed by even steeper steps, followed by more steep hills.
At this stage I hadn’t seen any of the other runners for quite a while, and wondered exactly how far behind I was – going by my very slow and painful progress, I guessed pretty far.
After crossing a stream, and passing along a farm track, I saw a flash of luminous yellow up ahead, and turned a corner to see a truly awesome hill ahead of me. I could see Margaret making her way up, and Bridget at the top. I have often joked about crawling a race if I had to, but this was the first time I’ve actually had to do it – this was probably the toughest hill I’ve ever run crawled, and I had visions of losing my footing and rolling all the way back to the start of the race. If this hill doesn’t have a name, then it should have. By the time I got to the top, I was totally out of breath, and my legs were like jelly.
The mother of all hills
I caught up with Bridget at the top, and followed her. This didn’t turn out to be a good idea……..
Bridget directed us over a fence, which had me puzzled. Ronald Reagan once said of politics “When you’re explaining, you’re losing” and I think you could adjust that for trail running to “When you’re climbing over fences, you’re lost” We soon met Margaret and Catherine coming towards us, and there followed a bit of a “what the fuck” moment as we tried to figure out where we were, and more importantly, where we were supposed to be going. We ended up crossing some fields, sliding down some embankments, crawling under some fences, climbing over some other fences, and having a right old adventure.
If you’re doing this, you’re probably lost…. Me, Margaret, Catherine, and Miss Google Maps herself, Bridget.Oh look, a road….
We eventually found our way back to the road, which we knew would lead us back to the trail we were supposed to be on – or at least we were fairly sure it would….
Bridget bravely decides to continue after a near-fatal ankle scratch….
After some more twisting and turning (and some jelly babies) we found ourselves back on the trail, and soon we were climbing some nice steep hills again.
I once read a horror story about a guy who received a hand transplant after an accident. The hand had come from a murderer, and, after getting the guy in a lot of trouble, it strangled him. I sometimes wonder if I’ll wake up some night to find my legs have wrapped themselves around my neck after deciding that I’m just not worth all the torture.
After reaching the highest point of the trail, I knew that it was more or less all downhill from here, and was very glad to get there. The descent was going well, with Margaret around 100 yards ahead of me, when I saw her go down heavily. I caught up, and found she had caught her foot on a protruding stone, and had gotten some cuts and bruises. Being the tough trooper she is, she was soon back on her feet and going again. We ran the rest of the trail together without incident, and were soon back on the road to the finish line. I found this section the easiest by far, as tarmac road is what I’m used to, and it was almost all downhill, which was a big relief for my leg muscles. We finally crossed the line in 1:53:01 – not a great time, but acceptable all things considered!
When we reached O’Riada’s, there was lunch waiting for us, which was very welcome by then! Milosz presented prizes to the winner, and some of the runners who had shown big improvements over the course of the trail running training the club had run.
I really enjoyed this race, even the getting lost bit! It was a fun day out, and reminded me once again of how different trail running is to road running. Well done to Bridget and Milosz for organising it, I would definitely be up for doing another one!
I have certainly put in a tough week this week. I ran 15 miles with Born to Run on Sunday, and I found the last few miles very tough after the previous days trail running session with Tralee Triathlon Club. Not for the first time, Brian O’Shea pushed me on when I felt I’d nothing left, and helped me get to the finish.
On Wednesday evening I donated blood (if you want to know why I donate, this is the reason), and, despite the advice to rest for a few days after donating, I went ahead and did my strength and conditioning session on Thursday evening.
I actually didn’t feel too bad, though I did notice that the bench presses really took it out of me. On Friday morning I went for a 9 mile run with Catherine, and it soon became apparent that I had overdone it – I was fine for the first few miles, but by the halfway point, I was struggling badly, and I really suffered for the last few miles. I was weak and light-headed, and badly lacking in energy – the 700 foot climb over the last quarter mile felt like climbing Everest!
I had originally planned to do another trail running session with Milosz, but I was sensible enough to realize that it was unlikely to end well, so I decided instead to do the Tralee parkrun this morning. It was a good one to do, as it was the first birthday of Tralee parkrun, and there was a huge turnout, with a prize giving and cake afterwards.
First the first time in quite a while, I had my two sons with me, as Adam had his usual Saturday soccer match on Friday night instead.
We headed to Tralee Town Park in somewhat discouraging conditions – it was very cold, windy, and to top it off, there was hailstone falling as we left home. It certainly didn’t deter the runners though, as there was the biggest crowd I’d seen at this event.
Conditions improved a bit by the start, thankfully. I had decided, based on my experience on yesterdays run, to take it very easy on this run, and Lee, who had been ill during the week, was determined not to push himself to hard either.
For once, I stuck to the plan, and set off at a nice easy pace, and the two boys stuck with me for all of half a lap. At this point, I noticed Adam’s lace had ripped, so I stopped him to tie it. Lee, being the born competitor he is, saw an opportunity to get one over on his big brother, and took off at a sprint to gain some distance on us. As soon as I had tied his laces, Adam set off in pursuit.
I decided to let them at it, and kept on at my nice easy trot.
I probably enjoyed this parkrun more than most I’ve done, despite the odd rain shower, as I put myself under no pressure whatsoever to get a time. By halfway through the last lap, I overtook Lee who had burnt himself out in his quest to beat Adam. His earlier illness had left his energy levels low, and now he was paying for his efforts!
Adam crossed the line in 29:04, with me following on 31:31, and Lee struggling in on 34:55.
After the run, we headed to the Brandon Hotel, where there was prize giving for the runners and volunteers who had accumulated the most points, ran the best times, volunteered the most times etc. The prizes were presented by legendary runner John Lenihan, and the organisers put on a great show. My boys were very happy with their cake and hot chocolate. Well done to all the prize winners, and it is obvious that Tralee parkrun has a very promising future.
Some of the parkrun prizewinners
Legendary runner John Lenihan
Tomorrow I plan on running 16 miles with Born to Run, as long as I feel up to it. It promises to be a VERY slow run!
I had a good, tough brick session on Tuesday night, where I swam 1 mile in very rough conditions, followed by joining some of the Tralee Triathlon Club for a 5K run.
I must have gotten water in my ear during the swim, as I suffered from some dizziness towards the end of the swim, and quite a bit of dizziness and nausea during the run – I actually managed to collide with a stone wall at one point. Despite all this, I managed a fairly decent time (for me anyway!).
This morning I managed a very, very, wet 5 mile run. We had monsoon-like rain while I ran, and I got two firsts on this one – the first time I’ve ever had to stop to tie my shoelace on a run, and the first time I was able to pour water out of my shoes after I’d finished! While I am well used to running in the rain (this is Ireland after all), today was the worst rain I’ve run in, and it made the last couple of miles very unpleasant – my top was stretched down almost to my knees, and my shoes squelched with every step. I got even more than the usual amounts of “look at that mad bastard” looks from passing motorists. I’m sure it’ll stand to me in time – “what doesn’t kill you” and all that!
Only a week left to Tullaroan, so I’ll try to get another Short Mountain 10 miler in this weekend, as I’ll need all the hill work I can get for this one!
Until next time, run long and run strong – and if you haven’t already voted for me in the Blog Awards (or even if you have!) please do so!
Another enjoyable weekend of sports has come to an end. I got in some tough hill repeats, a fast 5k (including my fastest mile to date) and an open-water swim during the week, before setting off for Glin Co. Limerick on Saturday to do chauffeur/gear monkey/bike mechanic/cheerleader duty for Catherine, who was doing the Glin Triathlon with some of her Tralee Triathlon Club buddies. The tri went well, and everyone had a great time – Catherine was pleased to get another one under her belt, as she continues to improve, as was her friend Anne, and their clubmate Ciara won the women’s race.
The Tralee Triathlon Club ladies after Glin
I get up bright an early this morning to do the now-familiar Short Mountain 10 miler, and it really was a fantastic morning for it – lovely and sunny. I got in my third fastest time on the Short Mountain climb to date, and feel I’m in a good place for my second run this year of the Tullaroan Marathon in 2 weeks.
I got in some good training this weekend, having done a 1.2 mile swim on Saturday evening, and a tough 10 mile run today (Sunday).
The swim was my longest open-water swim to date, and I’m pleased with how it went – despite a bit of a swell, and a strong tidal current which meant it wasn’t quick, I felt strong throughout, and could easily have swam a lot further. If there is an Ironman in my future, I think I can handle the swim, though I will be slow!
This mornings run was a success too – I had planned a long run – maybe 16 or 17 miles, but the thought of getting up at stupid o’clock in the morning wasn’t appealing, so I decided a tough 10 miler would be more valuable, and less boring than a 16 miler, and would also allow me to get up a little later. To this end I ran the slightly brutal Farmersbridge – Short Mountain – Farmersbridge route, which has a total elevation gain of over 1,200 feet, most of it concentrated in a small section of the route.
I found the run difficult, but very enjoyable – it seems to be ages since I have done a long, tough run that wasn’t part of a race. To misquote a popular internet motivational saying, the Short Mountain doesn’t get easier, you just get tougher. I certainly didn’t find it easy, but I think I ran it pretty well – all the swimming I’m doing lately is definitely helping my V02 Max, as I can push myself quite hard now even when I think I’m at my limit. My hamstring pain continued it’s weird progression by not causing me any pain on the way up, but aching quite a bit on the way down, then disappearing again as soon as I was back on a flat stretch. Perhaps if I run enough hills I can kill it off altogether and not have to worry about it anymore. All in all, a very enjoyable bit of training, and I hardly felt Farmersbridge hill at the end at all.
Not sure what race I have coming up next – I have it in my head to do the Valentia Half-marathon, the back-to-back marathons in Clare, the MCI Tralee Marathon, and one or two others, but I will have to check dates as I haven’t a clue what’s on when. Would be nice to get another ultra in before the end of the year too…..
Until next time, good running!
The top of The Short Mountain – the structures on the top left are communications masts.
I’ve decided not to run in Courtmacsherry next week, despite really enjoying it last year. Although my hamstring problem seems to be slowly improving, I don’t want to risk it on a race – of course it would be a training run in reality, but I know myself well enough to know that I would not hold back in a race situation, no matter how much I wanted to, and the key thing for me is to be fit for the 100k in 12 days time. It is simply not worth the risk. I’ve been keeping my training mileage to a minimum since the 40 miler last week, and doing lots of swimming to keep the fitness up. I will run a bit more over the next 7 or 8 days, but will concentrate on just keeping myself in one piece – I’m not going to get any fitter between now and August 1st!
On Saturday, July 4th, I took part in the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle for the second time. This event is one of the largest mass participation sports events in Ireland, with over 11,000 cyclists taking part this year, ranging from Team Sky-clad Chris Froome wannabees on the latest ten grand carbon fibre racing machines, to OAPs with baskets on the front of their utility bikes. This event has been running since 1983, and last year alone more than €1.2 Million was raised for charity. Event entries were like gold dust for the past few months. I was taking part to help raise funds for the Kerry Hospice Foundation.
The route, the 112 mile Ring of Kerry, is one of the most beautiful roads in the world, with truly breathtaking views, even for those of us who have grown up looking at them. The downside of this is that there is quite a bit of climbing – including two very tough climbs, Coomakista, and Molls Gap.
I had a feeling I was going to find it tough this year – I had absolutely no training whatsoever done for it, and, in fact, hadn’t been on the bike since this event last year…..
I was doing this with a small group, Catherine, Anne, and Marian, and, after parking in what seemed to be the world’s muckiest field outside Killarney, we cycled in to town to the starting line just before 6am.
It didn’t take me long to discover my first problem – on the mile or so into town, I found that my rear gears weren’t working. Uh Oh, probably should have checked them before I left home. This was going to be tough enough – doing it with just two gears was unlikely to make it easier.
Fortunately for me, O’Sullivans Cycles had already set up a bike repair station at the startline, and the very helpful bike mechanic (who’s name I unfortunately can’t remember) did a brilliant job, and got my gears working perfectly in no time at all.
After this little hiccup, we set off. The first few miles between Killarney and Killorglin were like rush hour in Amsterdam – a miles-long procession of bikes and cyclists of every shape, size and colour, as far as the eye could see. From guys wearing jeans cycling rusty old mountain bikes, to chains of lycra-clad club racers whizzing by in tight draft formation, and even the odd tandem, it was an amazing sight. I found the road much busier this year – although the organisers had given suggested wave start times, it seemed that a lot of participants ignored this.
I was surprised at the amount of people who were out on the roads to cheer on the riders at this early hour, well done to them.
After 14 miles or so, we arrived in the town of Killorglin, famous for Puck Fair, and, after climbing up the very steep main street, we turned south-west, and, after a quick stop for toilets and water, headed for Cahersiveen, around 25 miles away, where the first food stop was located.
The road between Killorglin and Cahersiveen is undulating, but without any major climbs, and has some fantastic scenery, especially on the stretch overlooking the Atlantic between Dooks and Kells.
We found some stretches of the road very crowded, and it felt a little dangerous at times, with some cyclists swerving across lanes, overtaking on the inside without warning, or deciding to suddenly stop in the middle of the road to take a drink, or take a selfie, or just look at the view.
We made it as far as Foilmore, a little over halfway between Killorglin and Cahersiveen without too much drama, but, as we came down a gentle descent, I heard a shout just behind me, followed by a loud bang. I looked around to see where our group was, and could see everyone except Anne, so I pulled over at a junction, along with Catherine and Marian. No sign of Anne. We could see that there had been an accident behind us, and eventually spotted that one of the people involved was Anne.
While stopping, Catherine unclipped at the wrong side, and ended up on the floor as well, but escaped with a cut knee (and bruised pride).
Anne had gotten tangled up with another cyclist, and both had went down hard.
Anne was cut and bruised, and the other cyclist was worse. Medics were on the spot very quickly, and we eventually got Anne going again, only to discover that her large chainring was bent, so she could only use her low gears. We decided to press on to Caherciveen, where there was a bike repair station.
Anne showed great guts to get going again after her accident, and it was obvious she was in a bit of shock. I hope the other cyclist was OK as well.
We arrived in Cahersiveen without further incident, and were glad of the break. The Cahersiveen food stop was in the local school, and there was thousands of cyclists there refueling, repairing, and swapping stories.
At the Cahersiveen stop; Catherine, Anne, Marian, Me.
We joined the queues at Coláiste na Sceilge (try pronouncing that if you’re not Irish!), which moved quite quickly – great work by the organisers – and grabbed sandwiches, biscuits, and coffee. After we’d eaten and chatted with a few people we knew, Anne got her bike fixed by one of the volunteer bike mechanics, and we were good to go.
Time to head the 32 miles or so to Sneem, for the traditional Sneem ice-cream stop. But on the way there was the dreaded Coomakista, one of the two big climbs on the Ring of Kerry.
The road to Coomakista was a mixture of relatively tough inclines, and nice fast descents, and again there was no shortage of wonderful scenery.
Coomakista came soon enough, and the road began to climb. I was expecting this to be very difficult, and I was not disappointed! It was tough, though I seemed to do better than some, as I passed quite a few people who decided to get off their bikes and walk it – this caused a few close calls as faster cyclists came up behind them and had to swerve to avoid them.
I put my head down, dropped into my lowest gear, and just got on with it. I was pleasantly surprised that I had a fair amount of strength in my legs – there’s obviously some crossover between running and cycling in terms of muscles. I pulled in once to a layby to give my legs a quick rest, and get a drink, and saw my Born to Run teammate Ted banging away on his drum with his band Samba Cuisle encouraging the cyclists on the last stretch.
Finally, with my legs burning, I reached the top of Coomakista, where I stopped for a breather, and to take some photographs.
Coomakista, Looking South towards Deenish Island and Scariff Island.Coomakista, Looking North.
The best thing about getting to the top of Coomakista (aside from the great views obviously) is that there is a very long, very fast descent – my favorite part of cycling! I loved coming down here, and let the bike go as fast as it would. It felt crazy fast at times, and if I’d had to stop, it wouldn’t have went well.
Most of the 16 miles or so to Sneem were easy enough, with the exception of one or two relatively minor climbs, and we made fairly good time. The last few miles did feel tough enough though.
There were quite a few accidents on this stretch, and we would continue to see them for the rest of the day unfortunately. Along the way we passed through some beautiful little villages, like Waterville, Caherdaniel, and Castlecove.
When we got to the lovely little village of Sneem, it was time for ice-cream, and a pause to refill water bottles and a quick trip to the toilets. I realised that tiredness was creeping in when I tried to fill my water bottle with the top still on.
Ice Cream Time
We were soon on our way again, headed for Kenmare, the last food stop, and the final stop before the big test of Molls Gap.
I found the 16 miles or so from Sneem to Kenmare very tough, as I had last year. It’s not that there’s any particularly bad climbs – it’s mostly just undulating – but it’s probably the least visually interesting section of the route, and tiredness seems to set in here. I struggled on, making poor time, but eventually got there, and was very glad to park the bike in Kenmare.
My sister Gillian was one of the food station volunteers in Kenmare, and she and the other volunteers made sure we were well fed and watered. There was a lot of weary and sore people sitting and lying around in Kenmare – and the thought of the final climb up Molls Gap was never far from our minds.
We caught up with a good few people we knew here, including my other sister Hazel, who was supposed to start at the same time as us, but who had, true to form, shown up late!
Feeding time in KenmareMe, Catherine, and Hazel just before leaving Kenmare for Molls Gap
After we had eaten and drank our fill, it was time to get saddled up again. By this time I was feeling fairly sore – my arse, back, and arms were all aching, and I was looking forward to reaching the finish line in Killarney. When I sat back on the bike, I thought I would have to stand up on the pedals all the way home my arse was so sore, but it seemed to get a little better after a mile or two.
The climb to Molls Gap starts almost as soon as you leave Kenmare, and there was going to be no respite until we got to the top.
I had been surprised last year by finding Molls Gap to be easier than I had expected, and it was the same this year – I think I build it up to be so bad in my mind, that the reality of it is that bit easier – must try that with my next marathon.
It took me a while, and I lost the rest of my group who pulled far ahead, but I kept it going, and eventually reached the top. What a relief it was, and what an amazing view. As far as the eye could see in both directions, cyclists either straining up towards the top, or speeding down off it.
I paused long enough at the top to refill my water bottle (which would soon have a bit of an adventure of it’s own) and then set off down towards Ladies View, and the finish line in Killarney, 14 miles away.
The route between Molls Gap and Killarney is not all downhill, but most of it is, and it is quite a steep gradient, so I went very fast on some sections. As I sped through a particularly fast section near ladies view, a cyclist I was overtaking decided to make a sudden overtaking manoeuvre of her own, without any warning. I had no choice but to dive to my right to avoid both of us being taken down, and I hit a cat’s eye on the road as I did so. My bike lifted several inches in the air, and my newly-filled water bottle jumped out of it’s holder, missing the offending cyclists head by inches as it flew by. By pure luck, I managed to stay on the bike, and cursed the other cyclist roundly. We had been going at such speed on a steep descent, that if we had tangled, it wouldn’t have been pretty.
I kept going. A few miles outside Killarney, near Muckross, there was a sudden downpour – it was one of the heaviest showers I’ve ever seen, and I was drenched to the skin in seconds. Lots of cyclists pulled over to shelter under the trees of the Killarney National Park, but I decided to keep going, as my group had said they would wait at Muckross so we all came in together (as it happened, they didn’t!).
I was soon coming in to Killarney, and there was lots of spectators out on the streets to cheer the riders in. I was delighted, and relieved, when I finally crossed the line, for my second Ring of Kerry Cycle. My group came in just a few moments before.
There was a huge crowd, and a great atmosphere at the finish line, and I met lots of people I knew. There was just enough time for a quick chat before we had to rush off to get ready to attend a post-race meal that had been organised – I did not enjoy the cycle back to the field where our car was parked!
Well done to all who completed the Ring of Kerry Cycle, to the organisers, and to the huge number of volunteers who made it possible.
The event grows every year, and this year felt noticeably busier on the road than last year – and consequently, through no fault of the organisers, it didn’t feel as safe to me, something quite a few others said as well. I wonder if it’s time to cap the numbers, or come up with some other way of easing the congestion – timed starts, where your estimated finish time decides your start time perhaps? I think something will have to be done to ensure that the event stays safe and enjoyable.
An amazing day out, on what must be the most beautiful road in the world.
It’s been quite a weekend of running for me – on Saturday I ran the Walk 4 Life (yeah, I know it was a walk, but why walk when you can run?), and, for the first, and probably only, time in my life, I finished in third place – okay, it wasn’t really a race, and, out of the hundreds that did it, perhaps 10 at most ran it, but I don’t care – I came third, dammit, and that’s all there is to it. It was a great ego boost to an old guy like me too, that I was probably at least 20 years older than anyone else that ran it. When your victories are rare, you take all you can from them.
The event itself was an amazing experience, and a huge amount of credit is due to the organisers, Lorraine and Poshey. The event was very well attended, and the facilities were top class. They have done a great service to raise awareness of suicide, and to encourage people to speak openly if they need help – well done guys.
If you would like to donate to the 5 charities Walk 4 Life supported (Pieta house, Jigsaw Kerry, Aware, Kerry Peer Support Network and Be Aware! Prevent Suicide) you can find details on their Facebook page here.
Here’s some video of the event:
On Sunday morning I was due to do a 15 mile run with the 100k training group, but decided to postpone it until later in the day, due to a combination of laziness, and my son having football training.
I set off on my own at lunchtime, and, in one of my frequent fits of madness, decided to include the Short Mountain in the run – because, you know, 15 miles in the heat isn’t enough punishment.
Sweaty and sunburnt on top of the Short Mountain
It was certainly a testing training run – as well as the Short Mountain, I also ran Farmers Bridge hill at the end – another tough hill. I ran out of water halfway through, but luckily was able to drop into Brian ‘O Se for a top up (and a minute or two of a rest!). I made it home exhausted but happy, as I felt it was a good achievement at this stage of my training. Afterwards, I had to go straight to a football match to watch my son play, something my legs definitely didn’t appreciate.
A good weekend, and a good basis for moving forward with training.
RandRuns 