I have been doing fairly easy training for the past 4 weeks and I have not
really tested myself apart from a few hilly tempo runs around Rochestown and Raffeen.
We started building on our site near Clonakilty 4 weeks ago so we have been busy sorting out paperwork mostly (we appointed a contractor so,apart from several decisions we must make along the way it should be fairly stress free)
I seem to have a bit more speed and I feel strong running uphill which is probably a gain from my marathon training.
I ventured down to Clonakilty a few weeks ago and entered a 10k in Ballinascarthy (Fri 2nd July) - a nearby village which does`nt hold fond memories for me..
(This was the dreadful venue we were dragged off to as kids for Irish Dancing classes) It was interesting being back in Bal during festival week - the Hurdy Gurdys/Merries seemed not to have changed in 20 years!
The race was a very hilly 10 k and I took off with the club runners and settled into about 6.20 mile pace. I was passed by a few and I passed one or 2 but I did`nt feel fantastic so , if truth be told I did`nt kill myself. Without a watch I decided that I should target 40 mins and I would hold my race position which was,I guessed in the top 10.
I pushed on and felt a bit better as the race went on. My parents made the 3 mile trip from home and it was nice to see them at the finish. The locals gave us a great reception - fair play.
I crossed the line in 8th position - time 40.49-not too bad on my "comeback" race on a very hilly circuit.
We were then off to the fantastic new GAA Grounds in Clonakilty for a 50th Birthday Party where I ate a huge plate of BBQ and washed it down with several pints of Carlsberg - Great recovery fuel!
Since Ballinascarthy I have been ticking over in the training - I will
start doing a bit more soon as I want to race some 5k and 10k races before the summer is out.
Nothing like the buzz (and pain) you get from racing..
I have been playing a fair bit of golf and progress is good here too - golf handicap is down to 13.
My real target for the next few weeks is to hit a new PB in 5k and 5 mile races.
