This is very much a good old fashioned traditional type of road race with a modest entry fee of €10.
No chip timing, no dry fit tops, no medals, no bling.... just a simple 4-mile road race that is manually timed with accurate results with a cuppa afterwards.
More info HERE
This years Courtmacsherry 10k was held on Friday the 24th of June 2022 on what was a damp evening.
A total of 246 runners crossed the finish line which is close to the 2018 & 2019 numbers but well down on the 300+ of a few years ago.
** #DCM22 or some Autumn Marathon **
* Where are you in your training program.
June almost over so no time to waste now and get out on the road building the weekly miles. If you are going for it then give it your best shot and don’t have regrets at mile 16 in October and asking yourself why I didn’t do more training for it.
* Running shoes
Have you got a good pair of shoes fit for purpose. If not then go and buy them. You are asking for an injury without proper shoes. It isn’t the 26 miles in Dublin but the 100’s of miles between now and then.
* Summer
Hopefully we will get a spell of good weather so be prepared. Runs must still be done, so be ready to be flexible with early or late in the day. Yes you can be tough and run in the heat and the sun but all it will do is eat at your energy and reserves and remember it is not this training run but the next one and the one after to keep in mind.
* Water
You cannot go without lots of fuel. Most of us have reserves of energy strapped to our waist (love-handles) and they are just waiting to be used… But we need water to survive. Yes you can finish your 10mile+ run with no water and you survived. All you did was delayed your recovery by finishing more dehydrated than you should. This will slow down recovery and make the next run even harder. There are many theories and science on this.
PWR version -- 250ml every 5 miles at least. More in hot weather. So a 15ml run. Start with 250ml, 250ml more at 5, 250ml more at 10 and have a 500ml bottle at the finish and drink it.
How do you avoid Toilet Stops?
Drink loads day before. Drink very little before the run and then start sipping once you get going in Mile 1. What goes in will be used.
* Fuel
As you move into higher mileage on the long run it is good to try out ways of refueling the body. You might not need anything for a 12 mile run but now is the time to see what works for you. Gels, Jellies, Bars, Lucozade sweets, energy drinks, Tablets in the water. Loads of options and see what suits you best.
* Weekly long run
Weekly long run is still KEY run as you are training for a LONG RUN of 26miles. Hopefully you are 10+ and totals 20 -25 miles. No panic if not, but get your arse into gear right away. I think you should be somewhere between 10 – 13 miles at least as longest run to date and plan to get to a 14 or 15 once during July. Lots of programs have different ways of doing it and many are successful. I am just giving the PWR opinion.
* Hard / Easy
Not every day can be hard so let yourself do a few easy miles to balance.
Not every day can be easy so push yourself for a few miles to balance.
* Running Buddy
Good to run with someone else or a group for the longer run. I know some like to run solo for head-space and that is perfect if it suits. Beauty of running with a group is that pace tends to be steadier. If you are having a weak moment then the group will carry on and it is up to you to dig in to hold on. Mile later could be someone else in same position. Agree pace before you start and agree to split along the way if you need to.
* Plan
Start planning out your weekends and long run distance. These runs are vital and if Social / Domestic / Work / Holidays get in the way then be prepared for that. Take a calendar and write down the long runs and how they all fit in. It might surprise you how few weekends are left when you starting doing 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20 etc etc
* Help
There is a lot of help online, lots of training plans and ideas and support groups for encouragement. It is a big undertaking in terms of time, commitment and money. Give yourself every chance of succeeding and getting the best out of yourself and the day. Get help if you feel you need it and have someone else minding you to keep you on the right road and to help, encourage and advise. Any questions pls msg.
Have a lovely weekend.
#PWR
For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo taken by Mick Dooley of some of the participants of the Glen River 5k parkrun on the 18th of June 2022.
The 192-piece jigsaw can be found HERE
This 10k road race near Fermoy was held on Thursday the 23rd of June 2022 and had 157 finishers. This year, the distance was changed to 10k as compared to 5k in the past.
As can be seen from the chart above, the 10k numbers are well down on the numbers before when 300 or so would take part in the 5k.
The entry fee this year was €15 as compared to €10 in more recent years.
Full results HERE
Update - 22nd June 2022... Work has now commenced on the new pedestrian bridge over the N40 South Rung Road in Cork City. This will connect the Tramore Valley Park to the Grange & Frankfield areas of the city.
The bridge is expected to be finished by the end of 2023. Hopefully by the time it is finished, the 5k parkrun in the park will have been up and running for a good while and this bridge will allow easier access for participants from Frankfield and Grange.
***************
Feb 2022... Back at the end of January 2022, I had a post up about how the National Transport Authority (NTA) had allocated €4.3 million for the construction of a new bridge over the N40 South Ring Road in Cork City. This new bridge will connect the Tramore Valley Park to the Grange & Frankfield areas of the city.
The routes takes in many of the highest peaks in the Galtees and is suitable for experienced trail runners.
As with all IMRA events, annual membership (€10) is required.
More info HERE
A new race! Tracton AC are holding their inaugural Tracton 4-mile road race on Friday the 21st of July 2022 at 8pm.
You can pre-enter online HERE
Info from Tracton AC... "We are delighted to announce the staging of the first 4-mile road race by Tracton AC in beautiful Minane Bridge (near Carrigaline, and 20km south of Cork city). Join us on Friday 15 July at 8pm for a mid-summer’s evening race, along scenic country roads and skirting the stunning south Cork coastline. Delicious refreshments and prize giving will follow at Tracton Art and Community Centre. For those seeking further activity, the option of a post-race dip is only a stone’s throw away at Robert’s Cove or Rocky Bay.
Enter now at: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/tracton_ac_4_mile/4469/details
Entry fee is €15 online, or €20 on the evening of the race. All race entries before 1 July will also be entered into a prize draw.
The race is a chip timed, professionally measured course, with permit from Athletics Ireland (licence no: 22/114). All age 16+ are eligible to run, and there will be cash prizes for all main categories, very kindly sponsored by Pet Essentials in Carrigaline."
As can be seen from the map above, the race takes place just to the south of Minane Bridge which in turn is just over 7kms to the south of Carrigaline.
It's very easy to get to... just go through the centre of Carrigaline and keep going straight. Follow the signposts for Minane Bridge and Robert's Cove.
It's been a long time since there were any road races in this part of the county. I remember taking part once in what I think was a 5-mile race from Ballyfeard to Robert's Cove but that was many moons ago. Over the years, I've done a lot of training runs on the roads near here and it's a nice quiet spot for a run with the occasional sea view.
The map of the course is shown above which is loop to the south of Minane Bridge. The 4-mile course is undulating on quiet country roads with the start and finish points near this crossroads.
The race HQ is at the Tracton Arts & Community Centre which is about 200m to the south of Minane Bridge.
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| Race HQ |
A profile of the course can be seen below...
Relive 'Tracton AC 4 mile race route'
Trivia... Just after the 2-mile mark, there is a lovely view of the East Cork coastline and if you look carefully, you can spot Ballycotton Island with the lighthouse in the distance.
Overall... A nice 4-mile race on quiet country roads near the south coast and a 35 minute drive from Cork City.
A nice mix of runners and walkers assembled at the park in Haulbowline in Cork Harbour this morning to undertake the 21km charity challenge to Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork City.
Racewalking World Champion and Olympic medalist Rob Heffernan was on hand to start the event.
The event was organised by the Down Syndrome Centre Cork and was non-competitive i.e. not timed.
In terms of the weather, it felt a bit more like March than June with a cool northerly breeze which the participants had into their face for most of the route. On the plus side, it was dry and the cool breeze was probably welcome at some points.
There seemed to be plenty of stewards at the start and out along the route at the various road junctions. There was also plenty of food and drinks stations at various intervals.
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| And they're off!... Pairc Ui Chaoimh, here we come... |
There's something novel about starting a run out in Cork Harbour and finishing it 21kms later up in Cork City.
Running events don't have to be all about times, positions and prizes. There is plenty of room for charity events where the satisfaction comes from just completing the distance for a good cause.
Photos...
1) There are a small number of photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
The Donoughmore 7-mile road race was held last Thursday the 16th of June 2022 with 184 runners taking part. That is 23% down on the figure for the last race which was held back in 2019.
As can be seen from the chart above, that is the lowest number since at least 2007 and the first time it has dipped under 200 in that time. The most recent peak was in 2017 when 282 runners crossed the finish line.
It raises the bigger question of whether the race numbers will ever return to their old peaks? I think some people expect that post pandemic, the numbers will gradually rise again and they'll be back up again at higher levels. I'm not so sure.
I know that some people are not attending club races just because of the high entry fees. 5k parkruns are free and the Cork BHAA races are €5 for registered runners. The gap in entry fees between these events and the club races seems to be getting larger and larger.
That might be a debate for another post.
Top 3 men & women...
Full results below...
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| Johnathon Murphy & Ella Collins - respective winners of the 2022 Cloughduv 5k |
Proceeds from this 5k race went towards the Irish Red Cross and the Ukraine Appeal.
For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo from Derek Costello of the start of the 2022 Cork BHAA Musgraves 5k in Cork City.
There are a lot of colours in this photo so we'll make it a small but harder than usual with 320 pieces.
You can find it HERE