1st Official Training night for the Limerick Marathon! aaahhhh!

Ok, 10 weeks down...of preliminary training... woohoo! Started our initial training on Nov 7th up in the IT Tralee with Marcus (Born To Run Marathon Training Group)...round and round the campus...never really knew that campus but now I do, including all the hilly bits...i do remember one (of many!)bad day of training....it was pouring rain, hailstones and wind... Stopped started that day and was tormented with myself... Brian had to drag me up the hill practically...and it wasnt really a hill...he was trying to tell me take small steps at a time but really in my own mind I was fecking and blinding him...would he ever shag off and leave me alone! (to be blunt!)... I sat in the car and said I was never coming back...but I had a good chat with myself...loola...and I did go back...if this marathon training was going to be easy, everybody would be doing it...slowely but surely,day by day, it gets a little easier....but I have to keep focused obviously...

The one thing that I have figured out is that running has given me routine...and structure...everything I do nowadays is based around running...here is a few examples...

Willl I go to McDonalds on a Friday night and scoff a Big Mac meal and people watch in the car park whilst filling my belly? No I've running tomorrow! and I want to run all the way...

Will I book a nice meal in Bella Bia and order the Brushetta (which kills me but it's worth it!) No, I've running in the morning....

Will I stay up late and watch a DVD or whatever....no I need to go to bed early for running tomorrow....

So I'm turning into a Nun...all I need is the Rosary beads and say ' bless you' more!

Running has good points also...I eat porridge for my breakfast, I always pre make my lunch for work, bring my carbonated bottles of water everywhere with me otherwise I'd be legging it into the shop for the black stuff...but im peeing like a trooper! and I have a proper dinner...but to make all this happen I make sure I do a proper shop for the week and pre plan my dinners...if I didn't have everything planned I'd fall off the wagon...

After the run on sat I felt good... Delighted in fact...went for a 20k cycle Sunday morning at 8.30.....it was bloody bitter cold...stopped in Topaz at the Fat Mile for a long chat with the rest of the group... nearly cried with the pain in my fingers but I had to do this because I feel it helps my breathing etc...not worth it tho!

Ordered a DVD from the states called ' Spirit of the Marathon' .... I'd said I'd watch it when I'd hit my first milestone and the was sat, my 5 miler! So i watched it on sun afternoon...It's more a documentary rather than a film and it follows runners right through to the Chicago Marathon...loved it...I would recommend it to anyone as a boost mentally....but would have loved chocolate, tayto's, and pop corn to accompany me during the vid....anything really! had a chuppa chup lolly instead to keep the ould mouth occupied!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8XSit8XyeM

The Run: Ok was kind of looking forward to running tonight ( mad! Me like running , never!)..... came loaded with my tissue and barley sweets....Had a good blow in the car in preparation! Took off steady... But felt good...I don't talk whilst running...if anyone tries to strike up a conservation all I do is grunt....hit the corner by the aquadome before the dreaded hill...controlled my breathing...head down...talking away to myself to distract me... slowly but surely, and I mean slowly I start to go up, no pants falling down, breathing good.... up and up and up and up and up....Catriona tells me to relax...F&$k off you F$¥ker was my answer to be honest!! but I made it!....panting like a heifer!! result!! ....

This running business is a full time job....

Saturday run - 5 Miler- out come the new pants!

Well, I spent thur night running the 5 mile route in my sleep...so when I went to bed Friday night- I decided feck this I have to come up with another tactic... So the mind starts to drift...z z z z z...z z z z z ran the same route again ..up the hill!.... Seriously since ive starting this training I'm constantly nervous before every run...and am not sleeping properly...maybe its the withdrawal from the Diet Coke woohoo 7 days off the black stuff!

Unfortunately, I sadly had to put my old running pants in the bin on friday....it was a year old, v sad day I must admit.... I had a bad fall off my bike during the summer and it was even on me for that but held up... R.I.P. pants.Had to wear the new ones around the house like a nut head...to break them in..

Route: aquadome, up the blooming hill, past rugby club to top of road, turn right, past playing field into Blennerville,along canal and home

Got up this smorning,ate my rocket fuel porridge, didn't go down too well but I force fed myself like a baby ontop of a high chair with a feeding bib!

Was very nervous... Started at the aquadome, running of course .... Up ' the hill' ... Brian Hayden (other coach) gave me a tip last Wednesday to breath through my nose... so here I go... Had to focus on my breathing and the hill....in out in out.... Shite I need to blow my nose... Ok I'll worry bout it later once nobody looks at my nose dribbling...I got up the hill ...fecking great! Had to control my breathing again.... In out in out... Brian forgot to mention the tiny matter of bringing a blooming tissue to catch the debris! I could feel my nose flapping and it was getting worse! Catriona to the rescue...out comes a tissue like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat! If anyone saw me they'd think I was having a good poke....I swear I wasn't!Had a good few blows....relief...

Kept running, the next obstacle I had to overcome was the slow incline past the rugby club... For the last two 5 milers I've stopped and walked...ok had to focus in out in out ... Blow ... Blow (my nose !)In out in out ... I said once I got to the top that I'd have a break but I took small steps and I kept going and going and going.... Delighted...just needed to get past that mental block about that part of the route....I did it...woohoo...
Kept running and running at geriatric pace .... Sipping, blowing, and in out in out....hit the bend before the football pitch....saw the rest of the group a good bit ahead... Had to catch them.... At this point 2 sheep doggies decided to give us a police escort all the way to the end of the road! Woohoo company at last- event if it was of the animal kind....I'd say they heard the strange noises and felt sorry for me!!

I got closer and closer to the rest of the group- - delighted I'm actually running with people, real people! found the last mile tough along the canal.... Told Marcus to bugger off, I had to focus but alas.... I did it... Didn't stop once... I am now a 5miler runner... But a long way to go to reach 26.2.....

P.S. walked past Der O Sullivans in the afternoon and started salivating at the window!!! Would have loved a bun... But no, feck him for putting them on display... Bought a bag of Johnny O rings instead... Have been T- total so I deserved them!

Wed run...3rd time unlucky but nearly there...

Am tired tonight...had to drive to cork today for a meeting (did eat my porridge tho!)and was worried about being out of my normal routine...normally I'd stop in Lissarda for an oluld bar of chocolate and would knock back a diet coke just to break up the drive (and for a pee pee of course!),but this smorning I trotted away in,bypassed the sweet counter and headed for my carbonated bottle of water...I had to avoid looking at the sweet counter on the way to the till...stared out the window whilst paying!! Nuthead.,. Legged it to car, opened my water and it sprayed all over me...! Great soggy pants for the rest of my drive...ate lunch in Rochestown Park...scanned the menu and,went for the toasted special and salad and H20...she went on to name today's specials: beef burger,steak etc : does this woman know what I'm trying to achieve at the moment...Ballyard hill!

I'm going to tell a story that I have kind of pushed to the back of my mind...last April ,May I attempted running... Stopping and starting so Catriona (crap coach!) decided to sign a group of us up for the 5k race in Macroom in June...nerve wrecking week not a mind self destructing one... We all drove up happy happy but I was bricking it...I remember eating a twirl on the way up thinking it would help me! Race started...too bloody fast...it started at the Toyota Garage and I was walking by the time I got to The Castle hotel... the bottom lip starting going at that stage... walked,ran walked ,ran (multiply that by 50!) my mind was all over the place(fecking and blinding to myself....not good!) the route was a circle around Macroom and the end of the route came back down the big hill on the cork side of Macroom...at this stage I sneakily removed my number and tried to act like an onlooker ( as if! Who was I kidding ...the jogging pants,big red head and the bottom lip going gave it away!) walked up the town on the footpath and I stupidly refused to go through the finish line...I was like a baby throwing my dummy out of the pram! Worst day of my life...cried in the car and the bottom lip was still going!...never again I said... Am not a bloody runner, leave me be...but here i am...running...might be a tad bit slow but at least I'm not on the couch watching the box dreaming about getting fit and losing weight...

Nora Flynn from Killarney Fit For Life trying to coax me along....no hope!

Tonight I nearly did the hill...just nearly...with Brian's and Catriona's help ( thanks a million, I do sincerely appreciate their help-couldn't do this without them) was thinking of taking bets (might as well make a few bob outta this!) will it be Monday,Tuesday or Wed that I make it up this damn hill??? That's the question...cash in hand only...

Tues 5k inclusive of pants falling down....

2 days off the diet coke....woohoo! Kathleen ( a girl who runs the office) is also a current advocate of diet coke...we were diet coke buddies..if I was ever running low she was always there to offer me my fix...those were the days..so today I was scoffing back my brown bread ham sandwich ( p.s. I did have my lumpy porridge this smorning - pat on the back for me!) and then I hear the sizzle of the can opening....gulp gulp gulp... It was the biggest gulp ive ever seen ( maybe this is an exaggeration because my eyes were bulging with the jealously!)...I retreated to my pre-filled bottled of Dunnes carbonated water and ribena...feck her anyway...I'm going to leave a ransom note in the kitchen tomorrow morning in exchange for her diet coke...great Craic...I do work by the way!

The run: only had half a banana at 4 because the rest of it was black! Recessionary banana I'd call it..I was starved still...Marcus forgot about the walking again tonight...fecks sake...note to self:must remind him. I have this philosophy where if I stay at the top of the pack and dont let anyone pass and create a traffic jam things would be great! If I keep my hands in a star shape that would help!!!...loola. God the pace was fast tonight...was under pressure to control my breathing but I was determined not to fall back to the geriatric category...passing the tennis courts my pants starts falling down... What a sight with the passing traffic...cringe... Heavy breathing like a pregnant woman in labour and high waisted pants falling down!! Next comes 'the Hill'.... Catriona forgot her knitting needles to poke me up the hill so she threatened me tonight with a blow torch!!! Great puncture wounds and arse burns!! A & E would love me... Nurse would ask ' what happened?'...Me..'.just out running...you should join its great craic!' stopped again (yawn yawn...) up that bloody hill, I will beat it. Ran fast down the hill but the pants keep dropping... I only ran fast because the feckers in front weren't too far ahead and I could'nt catch them...Blame the pants...but I bought a new one over Xmas and much prefer my comfort pants for the time being...made it to Aquadome gate and Marcus was with 'the new girl' and he states to her ' your did very well tonite,the rest of them have been training for the last ten weeks'.....but I think to myself ... Well feck that anyway....in my previous life I never even ran across the road...and now I'm running up the road but I keep on running...

Monday 5k run inclusive of hills.....great

Ok...today is monday so it's a fresh start...I'm giving up diet coke and am going to start eating porridge for breakfast. Woohoo I might as well detox if I'm going to do this marathon.To be honest with myself I'm practically addicted to diet coke...I drink (or should I say drank-today is day 1-might set up diet cokers anonymous if anyone wants to join!) 3-4 cans a day...those 24 can offers in Dunnes are to blame..went into Dunnes sunday and bought carbonated water and Ribena (sugar free of course! ) Sunday night the cravings set in....the shakes..oh jesus dreaming about the fizz.....nuts i know but i loved it....I will do this.

 Porridge is the next implement (vom....)lumpy breakfast for the next few months - but I had to have it with milk otherwise I might as well join the nuns...
Brian (Hayden - he's the other trainer with Marcus ) quoted porridge as being 'rocket fuel' - brilliant I thought to myself...finally something that will help me keep running...happy happy...delighted with myself the cupboards are stocked with porridge...mmm if anyone calls to the house instead of tea it will be 'porridge anyone?'.

The Run:the nerves started at around 4,whilst scoffing my banana...will I ever be not nervous?? It gets pretty tiring worrying...I went to bed last nite and instead of counting sheep I was running up Ballyard hill....amazing I did it (in my sleep!..ahhh loola! Seriously!)Run started from the aquadome...I think Marcus forgot to start the walking part tonite!...maybe I might remind him that a stroll at the start is good for the legs...I'd say there's Bob Hope and No Hope!

Was fine for the flat part... little bit slow but like I said if Marcus let me warm up with a nice little stroll ...perhaps past the viewing tower...anything would have done! Then comes the hill...oh for gods sake what am I worried about its only a bloody hill! Thank god it's dark coz I can't see it properly...I stop half way up...shite...if only I was doubled jointed I would have loved to give myself a kick up my own arse!! Catriona (my support crew-thanks!) She threatens me that she's bringing a knitting needle tomorrow nite to poke me with every time I stop! Great, I love going into work with puncture wounds!! Loola...I get going again and stop once more....aarrggghh where's my knitting needle! But finally I run all the way home...only because it's downhill! must have some sugar free fizz...by the way the porridge didn't work Brian! But I will keep eating it..love a lumpy breakfast....