Friday Jigsaw: Start of the 2014 Ardfield Road Race

For this weeks online jigsaw, we go back to the start line of the Ardfield 5k back in 2014. It's a little bit harder this week with 220 pieces.

You can find the jigsaw HERE

Cork City Council go with 'Widen the existing Greenway' option in Rochestown

 

Back in February of 2021, I had a post up about improvements to the Greenway at Rochestown in the suburbs of Cork City. See post HERE. The pubic consultation included two options for moving the Greenway next to water and away from traffic.

The consultation got a large number of submissions and they roughly split 50:50 with walkers, runners and cyclists supporting the waterside route and local residents & environmentalists objecting.

At a recent meeting, Cork City Councilors were briefed on the preferred option by engineers and they indicated that they were going for the easy 'Option 3' which was for just widening the existing Greenway.

From Cllr Kieran McCarthy...

Elected members of Cork City Council were briefed yesterday evening on the Emerging Preferred Route (EPR) for the Passage Railway Greenway Phase 2, with a view to the next public consultation taking place from mid-May.

A number of possible routes were identified to enhance the section of Greenway along the Rochestown Road. A major upgrade of the existing route has been identified as the Emerging Preferred Route. The upgrade will include:

- Narrowing of the traffic lanes aimed at reducing traffic speed;

- The road will also be realigned to create additional space for the greenway;

- The enhanced greenway will be segregated from traffic through the introduction of a high quality landscaped strip between the greenway and the vehicle lanes. 

- The initial public consultation identified other issues for consideration such as the widening the greenway, signage, protection of the Cork Harbour Special Protection Area, native tree planting, pollinator friendly planting and other factors to be addressed as the design for the project progresses. A number of suggestions to support cycling will also be brought forward including bike repair stands and bike storage facilities.

 The project team identified the possible impact on the adjoining Special Protection Area as well as security and privacy concerns as some of the main reasons why the coastal routes behind Island View and St Gerard’s Place were not brought forward.

This means the upgraded Greenway will remain alongside the busy road. Cllr McCarthy's statement also doesn't clarify what will be done to stop local residents using the improved Greenway as a parking area like they do at present.

12-Year Old from Belfast runs 5k world record for her age

At a recent 5k race, 12-year old Emer McKee from Belfast finished in an amazing time of 16 minutes 40 seconds and set a new world record time for her age!

In an interview, she said... "Normally I'm just running as fast as I can and just waiting for it to be over. I started doing parkruns and I then joined the running club when I was nine and everybody there was really nice and supportive and friendly."

It looks as if Emer may able be run even faster as she recently clocked 16:37 in a 5k that wasn't officially timed.

Link... https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/56891059

Cork runner Aoife Cooke qualifies for the Tokyo Olympics by winning Cheshire Marathon

Well done to Cork runner Aoife Cooke who won the Cheshire Elite Marathon in the UK in an impressive time of 2 hour 28 minutes and 36 seconds.

This was a qualifying time for the Tokyo Olympics! Well done Aoife!

A time of 2h 28m 36 seconds works out as an average pace of 5:40 per mile! (3:31 per km).

The Olympic qualifying standard for women in the marathon is 2h 29m 30s which is a lot tougher than it was in the past.

First 5 women...

Pos Gun time No. Name Club Chip Time Gender Pos Chip Category 

36 02:28:36 164 Aoife Cooke Eagle AC 02:28:36 Female 1 Senior Female 

40 02:29:04 419 Maor Tiyouri 02:29:03 40 Female 2 Senior Female 

42 02:29:34 313 Ann-Marie McGlynn Letterkenny ac 02:29:34 42 Female 3 Vet 40 

57 02:31:14 236 Rose Harvey Clapham Chasers 02:30:58 56 Female 4 Senior Female 

62 02:31:40 186 Beatie Deutsch 02:31:39 62 Female 5 Senior Female 

First two women...

Guest Post: One of our own ...by Pat Walsh

**One of our own **😍🏃 ...by Pat Walsh

As runners we can dare to dream. Life would be boring without it.

How far, How fast, what are our limits, where can we go, what can we achieve.

Tomorrow morning in a bid for Olympic Qualification our OWN Aoife Cooke is running the Cheshire Marathon. As National Marathon Champion no better girl to have a go. Standards are high and this will not be easy, so all help is required.👏🙌👐

For those on the Cork / Munster running circuit Aoife is a regular and well known to us. The quietest most unassuming character you are ever likely to meet hides a hidden brand of fiery determination that is at odds with her public persona. 😍🥰

Job for you all

Whether it is a few prayers, a novena, a Child of Prague in the garden or a few likes and positive comments here, do what you must in advance to help.

Then tomorrow morning 8.30am send a wave of positivity across the Irish Sea to drive her home. About 11am we can celebrate.

We are so proud of Aoife and she is “one of our own”

I will post a link when I find it ☘☘ Thanks to those who supplied

https://runcheshire.niftyentries.com/Results/Wrexham-Elite-Marathon

Picture taken when you could hug people at Ballintotis 4ml a few Years back. Should be on around this time of Year . In fairness I kept the gap between us to under 10minutes which for 4 mile isn’t bad for me.

"Tōkyō de o ai shimashou" :D :D I googled it :D

#pwr #GoAoife #Tokyo

Sonia O’Sullivan takes Nike coaching role in Oregon

 

A recent Irish Times article by Ian O'Riordan reported on how the 2000 Olympic silver medalist over 5,000 metres Sonia O'Sullivan is taking up an assistant coaching role with Nike for the run up to the Tokyo Olympics.

In the interview, Sonia O'Sullivan said... “It all evolved quite quickly, and once we started talking, it felt like an instinctual decision for me, something I felt I’d like to do. I won’t know what it’s fully about until I’m out there, but to be a part of a fully professional set-up, with a good budget behind them, to get the best possible out of the athletes, is something I’m excited about”.

Full story on the Irish Times website HERE

Friday Jigsaw: Aoife Cooke in the 2019 Cork City 10-Miler

 

Best of luck to Cork runner Aoife Cooke as she travels to the UK this weekend to take part in the Cheshire Elite Marathon and chases a qualifying time for the Tokyo Olympics.

With that in mind, it seemed appropriate that this weeks 96-piece online jigsaw should be of Aoife back in the 2019 Cork City 10-miler.

You can solve the online jigsaw HERE

Guest Post: Cross Training ...by Pat Walsh

 ** Cross training ** 🚴‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏃

With a small bit more freedom, but no clear guidelines on resumption of groups or races maybe it is time to think of overall fitness rather than just running.

We are all guilty of concentrating on one aspect of our training, when the body might do better with a variety of exercise types. Long term it maybe in your best interest anyway.

The weather has improved, evenings are longer and we can stray further from home. ☀️🌲

Cycling and swimming are 2 obvious choices that still challenge the body but take a break from pounding the roads. A good long walk has its own benefits as well. 

We also need to consider some strength / core training and also to include some element of stretching and flexibility in our plans.
.
Wow .. How do I fit that all in?
Very simple… Plan it
.
Don’t run too much. Drop one run and go cycle or swim.
Walk on the in-between days to help recovery but and still getting exercise and fresh air.
Develop a stretching routine of 10-15mins and repeat twice a week
Develop a core and strength routine of 10-15mins and repeat twice a week

There are lots of Videos on You Tube of these routines and minimal equipment is required. 🏋️‍♀️🤸‍♀️
Example
Monday Walk and Strength
Tuesday Run and Stretch
Wednesday Walk
Thursday Run and Stretch
Friday Walk and Strength
Saturday Long run
Sunday Nice easy cycle or Swim
.
Feel free to juggle as required. Make it suit your life. If the idea of exercise on all 7 days is beyond your current free time, then adapt. Bring children or a partner on the walk or cycle.
Do the Stretch and Strength with the kids, they might enjoy it.
Get your walk at lunchtime and force yourself out of the house or office. 🚶🚶‍♂️

 

 
The length of each of these sessions can be based on your own current fitness.
Variety is good for mind and body. You will get a longer running career if you are stronger and more flexible. Who knows you might enjoy it.
You can go back concentrating on running when there is races and goals to achieve. 🏆🏅

Stay safe, stay kind and stay sane.
Turn off the TV and the news feeds and get out in the fresh air.
Smile.
Contact a friend.
#pwr   #survive21

 

Guest Post: What now? ...by Pat Walsh

** What now? **

Huge emphasis on vaccination at the moment and the rollout is slow. Other than complain on social media we can do Nothing.

I urge patience and don’t be getting too bothered about the schedule as no real freedom comes to most until we are nearly all done anyway. If you are old, vulnerable, frontline or some medical condition then of course you must be up the top of the list but the rest of us will have to be patient. We are not in control so don’t waste mental energy on it. 🤗

We are runners, we are used to obstacles.
I have trained many people (and driven them daft) and the one thing I emphasize is to control what you can and don’t be worried about things totally outside of your control. 😱

Things we can control, our own proper training, wear the right gear for whatever conditions, have back-ups of gels and water and plan our run. There are things we cannot control and curveballs are thrown at us. The last 13 months has been a GIGANTIC curveball.
🏃

We train in good weather for 3 months and the day of the race is wind and rain, we get on with it.
We run races on “scenic courses” to find we are running up the side of a mountain, we get on with it.
We have a disappointing race due to a bug or some other illness that appeared in the days beforehand, we dust ourselves down, refocus and get on with it.
We don’t get that longed for PB, we refocus and say “Next Day”.
🏃

I say this to show you some examples of the resilience of us as a running family.
We take a knock and roll with it and go again. We have had glory days and they will come again to us, I have no doubt.
🏃

I’m not giving politicians or NPHET or any of the Suits a free pass on this. Their performance is scandalous. The Vaccine rollout is slow, cumbersome and open to all kinds of backhanded chicanery. #Muppets. 🙈🙉🙊

This week we hear that the chance of spreading Covid in an outdoor environment is less than 1 in a 1000. That is now accepted worldwide as being true and still we cannot run with a few buddies. Please give us limited safe things we can do and we will survive until the country is sorted. A Blanket “No” without a reason is as stupid as the person saying it. To think a virus knows where the county boundaries are is testing my credulity. It is our behavior spreads this, not how far we go.
🏃‍♀️

 

 

Enough
Last Monday we celebrated our first steps to freedom by going somewhere nice outside our 5K limit and walk or run. Take your time and breathe the air and take in the surroundings.
We are starting again on a new Journey. Make yourself part of it.

If you have been training all along then this new freedom will be a great help to pick new routes, but don’t go mad. Racing is a long way away yet.

If you fell off the running wagon in the last few months then circle the calendar and make next Monday the START DATE. New freedom, New YOU.

We must take charge of our lives and make the best of what we have.
I would love to be writing about detailed training plans or upcoming races but for now just get going. We have endured enough 😍🥰

“Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.   
O when may it suffice?”
#pwr #Survive21 

 

Notice: Doneraile Virtual 10k - 11th to 13th June 2021

 

Doneraile A.C. Virtual 10km : Friday 11th June 2021 - Sunday 13th June 2021

From Doneraile AC: Due to the government announcement this week and the uncertainty of the next few months we have decided to make the 2021 event a Virtual 10km. Run your race in the location of your choice whilst adhering to HSE guidelines.

The Doneraile AC virtual 10km event will take place over the weekend of the 11th-13th June 2021.

All participants will be posted out a T-Shirt and Medal, with 2020 participants that rolled over their entry will receive a bonus gift.

The posting of Race packs will commence 17th May. 

Entries are now open and you can register by clicking HERE. 

Registration will remain open until Friday 11th June. Places are limited! 

Notice: Karen Fenton 5k Memorial Virtual 5k - 16th to the 19th of April 2021

The Karen Fenton Memorial 5k is usually held in April every year and it  helps raise much needed funds for an Ovarian Cancer Charity. This year, the organisers are holding a virtual event and are asking runners to take part.

You can register HERE

Online Jigsaw: The main man Jerry Forde on the Marina - April 2021

 

When I was out with Jerry during the week for a training session, we passed a ship across from the Marina in Cork City. I told Jerry to stop so I could take a photo and make it into a jigsaw and here it is!

Jerry does the weekly jigsaw every Friday morning so I'm sure he'll enjoy this one.

You can find the 165-piece jigsaw HERE

The main man Jerry Forde starts his 2021 tour!

 

Drrrring, Drrrring......Drrrring, Drrrring... went my phone. I answered...'Hello?'

"How's my faithful servant?" went the voice on the other end. It was of course none other than Lord Forde of Blarney!

His Lordship continued.... "Now that the 5k restriction has been lifted, I think it's time for a training session". So I got to work and planned out a route for today.

We ended up doing 14.2 miles (22.8 kms) in total from the Marina in Cork City down to Passage West and back....Jerry pushing his chair and me on the bike. As you can see from the photo above, it was a stunning day and we finished it off with a cuppa from Pronto at the Blackrock Plaza.

A few photos below...

As for our next outing, the 2021 tour will continue in May with a possibly outing to Crosshaven. All I've been told for now is to leave my phone on and await instructions! 😃

Top Irish racewalker Kate Veale wins 5k race in the Czech Republic

 

Despite the obvious challenges, some of Ireland's top international athletes are still training hard and taking part in select events. Kate Veale from Waterford is one of the top female Irish race walkers and she finished first in a 5k race in the Czech Republic over the weekend.

Kate's winning time was 23m 13s which is about 7:30/mile pace. Remember that this is race walking and not running!

The 5k race was at the 55th annual Olomouc race walking Czech national championships.

1 Kate Veale Ireland 23.13
2 Anett Torma Hungary 25.19

3 Adéla Veselková Sports Athletic Club (SAK) Rumburk 25:19
4 Adéla Pittnerová SK PAVIL 26:24
5 Alžběta Franklová SK 26:32
6 Katka Nedvídková AC Rumburk PB 26:47
7 Stepanka Pohlova Kucerova TJ Sokol Hradec SB 27:02
8 Anna Horáková AC Rumburk 28:23
9 Nina Poštová  28:23 

10 Bibiána Jančová 28:29:00

(Top 10)

Kate who now heads to altitude for a couple of weeks training.

Guest Post: ** Hmmmm ** A Friday Ramble, not a rant... by Pat Walsh

 ** Hmmmm ** A Friday Ramble, not a rant...

Tuesday's announcement was a mixed bag for us runners. From the 12th of April, we can go further within our county but group training doesn’t even have a likely date of resumption so we will have to continue to chat / poison / annoy / rant with the same few buddies and not share your problems with a big gang. It is good to get out and I am happy enough. If in doubt, RUN.

I worry though that some people have a feeling of defeated acceptance of this. Feels like we are running on a treadmill, stuck in the same spot, no idea how much we have done and no idea when we will be finished. I hate treadmills.
🏃

We nearly have lost the ability to question why and what.
How can it be OK to go into crowded Supermarkets and not be ok for 4 people to run in the Country? Last year they were checking numbers in shops and marshalling crowded aisles. Now it is a free for all in shops, yet if 4 of us run together, the curtains are twitching, the Garda alerted and the tut tuts are heard.

The Governing bodies of the various Sporting organizations need to make a better representation to Government and make a case for resumption in a safe and controlled way. Our physical and mental health needs this. The silence is deafening.
🏃

I feel there is a collective loss of spirit amongst us and a sense of loss of belief that we are all in this together. There wasn’t a good April Fools joke anywhere. "The crack is gone" Maybe I am wrong but I do think we have all sunk into very small circles and some people are lost.

What to do. 🤔🤔

* Start making contact again with people you knew but have not heard from. Widen your social circle again.
* Run with different people, so 3 runs a week could be 3 different chats and maybe 3 cuppas.
* After the 12th April, make contact with a runner in another town or village and go to them one day and invite them back another day. Have a tourist competition to show the best of your own area.
* Follow the guidelines but also be ready to question the stupid ones. Do your own thinking and not let the nightly drone of bad news put you into a trance-like state of acceptance. Muppets
* Stick to my plan for a May Bank Holiday run. (plan was in last week’s post)
* Enter a Virtual Run that appeals to you and look forward to completing it.
* Don’t give up and find your spirit again. I am not advocating doing anything against regulation, but give yourself a good shake if you think you are stuck in a rut. Time to get out of it. I would personally give you a good hug or a shake but it is against the rules.
* Act responsibly but do the best you can to make sure you get through this. Go easy on others you may see doing something against guidelines. Who knows what they have been through and why they might actually need it. It has been a tough year and some people are beaten. 2 friends helping a third person through a difficult time is not wrong.

 

🎼🎙 “So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make your heart beat better?
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
So, before you go” Lewis Capaldi 🎼🎙

What had all of this to do with running I have no idea. 🤪🤓
Take care xx
🥰🐣🐥🍫🌷☀️
#pwr #survive21

Online Jigsaw: Watergrasshill AC at the 2020 Duhallow 10-mile

 

For this weeks online jigsaw, we go back the March 2020 and the start line of the Duhallow 10-mile road race.

The 187-piece jigsaw can be found HERE

Press Release: Lee2Sea Greenway Joining the Dots Between Cork City and County

The guys at Lee2Sea sent this on to me and I'm more than happy to put it up on the blog as I'm a big fan of Greenways. Let's hope we see plenty more in the Cork area...

 

Lee2Sea Greenway Joining the Dots Between Cork City and County

The banks of the River Lee is route for Cork’s Flagship Lee to Sea Greenway

Cork, Ireland, 6 th April 2021 – Lee2Sea.com have today launched their impressive website and
innovative video to showcase the potential the Lee to Sea Greenway route has to transform Cork.
The route aims to connect Ballincollig Regional Park, Lee Fields, City Centre, the Docklands and
Marina, Mahon, Passage West, Carrigaline and Crosshaven. The Lee to Sea Greenway envisages a
safe, accessible and enjoyable walking, jogging and cycling route linking the region’s neighbourhoods
with the bustling city centre, peaceful countryside and tourist hotspots.

The Lee to Sea aims to provide a leading attraction for Cork in the expanding tourism market. Cork
has over 2,000 hotel beds right on the doorstep of the route. Additionally, it aims to connect major
regional attractions and heritage, from all the city’s museums and galleries, and architecture, to the
historical heritage in the Gunpowder Mills, Spike Island, and Camden-Fort Meagher, to name but a
few.

Committee member, Helen Guinan stated that “The vision of the Lee to Sea is simply amazing. The
video shows people how the greenway could enhance their lives in all sorts of ways, whether for
leisure or for getting around.”

“Recent times have shown how important public green spaces and physical activity are for our
physical and mental well-being. There is a real hunger for this access, as seen in the success of the
pedestrianised Marina, and in the thousands of people enjoying Ballincollig Regional Park. Much of
the route already exists and all we need to do is joining the dots” added Helen Guinan.

The Lee to Sea would multiply the returns on the €400 million investment in urban regeneration in
Cork by providing attractive, zero-carbon transport options for residents and workers in the
Docklands and city centre.

“Big office blocks in town are being built with minimal parking. How are these thousands of people
going to get to work? Public transport has a role, but many people will find that walking and cycling
are faster, more flexible, and more fun. Unlike public transport, their carbon and air pollutant
emissions are essentially zero, and it will improve public health too.” commented Stephan Koch,
former chair of Cork’s Transport and Mobility Forum

“the route has incredible potential for transport because it puts schools, colleges, workplaces,
healthcare facilities, and local services within easy reach of huge numbers of people” added Stephan
Koch.

The Lee to Sea Greenway aims to offer a greener and less congested city, along with providing the
opportunity for a major tourism and economic boost. Connecting tourists to Cork, connecting staff
to work and connecting the county to the city with the Lea to Sea Greenway. The Lee to Sea
Greenway has it all! It’s time to make it happen.

Further information is available on the website lee2sea.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or
Instagram @Lee2Sea, using the hashtag #Lee2Sea

 

Guest Post: Park Life... by Pat Walsh

 ** Park Life **

A running story.🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

So few good running stories at the moment and I feel this one is worth reading.

27th March 2020 was start of Lockdown part 1 and Liam started a sequence of daily runs. The 26th was run 365 in a row and to mark the Year he planned a biggie for 27th March  2021.

Plan was to run around Dublin and visit as many Public Parks within his 5K limit. Doesn’t sound like much until research showed there were 31 parks to be visited and it would be over 40miles to traverse the route.
😂

Why not.

Starting early and running solo with a back-pack, the mission was accomplished.

So well done Liam, fair play, fantastic effort and shows that we are only limited by our own imagination.

Long distance running takes courage and a little bit of insanity. Otherwise we wouldn’t do it.

Not sure where he gets it from. Maybe the Mother’s side of the family. 😃

 "Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as - -parklife

And morning soup can be avoided if you take a route straight through what is known as -- parklife" .... Blur

#pwr

Online Jigsaw: Glen River Park 5k parkrun - 12th Jan 2019

 

For this weeks online jigsaw, we go back to the 12th of January 2019 and the finish line at the Glen River Park 5k parkrun.

The 126 piece jigsaw can be found HERE

Guest Post: Do More!! ...by Pat Walsh

 ** Do More....!! **

In light of the ridiculous comment from NPHET last week I have decided to use the catchphrase to grab your attention. “We need to do more”, they said. How much more can we give when we have done nothing, ran inside our 5k and no group runs. 

A college education can be a dangerous thing without an element of common sense, cop-on and a bit of empathy. Talking down to people without giving specific advice and a coherent plan is a waste of time.
😱

So I encourage you now to “do more or do the best you can” 😍

I hope many of you did the 10mile or 10K for St Patrick Day and maybe for the next few weeks we can drive on to a new level.

I am using the 5 weeks to the Bank Holiday in May to increase our mileage slowly. Again there is no element of speed in this, just getting to a new level by then. 

So if you want to go from 10 mile to a Half-marathon. Plan1 📜

Or go from a 10K to a 10mile/16K run. Plan 2 📜
🏃‍♀️

This will give a huge foundation to our stamina levels and all going well we can fine tune during the month of May to go for a Quality 10ml or Half for the June Weekend. Get the distance now and we find a bit of speed in May.

You might even feel like entering Virtual Race and I know of Cork and Waterford both happening in June.

3 runs per week is enough for this plan but if you have time, energy and enthusiasm then the 4th run of the week is optional.

There is nothing drastic in these plans and midweek stays much the same and all you are doing is lengthening the Weekly Long run. You can do this and will be glad you have tried.
🏃‍♀️

If you feel you want to do some speed work then incorporate it into one of your midweek runs. Run a KM or 2 and then speed up for a few Km’s and then slow down for the end. 

Your pace should be somewhere near a desired pace for your race and give you a chance to get used to this level of effort.
🏃‍♀️

Why do this?  Why not
Clocks west to Summer time last Sunday and longer brighter evenings should lift our spirits and our mood.

There may be an increase in training groups ( I Hope ) and distance to travel and that will help.
On a serious note and one not being promoted enough.

The healthier, fitter, stronger you are especially with regards to lungs and aerobic fitness, then the better chance you have of staying healthy. There are no guarantees but try to stack the odds in your own favour.

Don’t beat yourself up with regards to how far or how fast, just get out there.

Any questions please ask. Stay safe, stay well and have a lovely weekend. Be kind and keep up the contacts. I love comments and messages.

🎤🎼"And we don't know how much longer
But we know we're gonna come back stronger
Oh, just 'cause things are different
Don't mean anything, anything has changed" Picture This

#pwr #survive21

10-Day weather trend: A blast of Arctic air due on Easter Monday

 

 The weather at present is dominated by a high pressure system near the country and it should stay dry and mild from Thursday the 1st of April until Easter Sunday 4th April.

That's going to change late on Sunday and early on Easter Monday morning when a blast of cold Arctic air is going to arrive from the North.

Next week is going to be very changeable with lots of showers and it will feel especially cold in exposed spots with the temperature well down, especially in the early morning.

This isn't some sort of 'Beast from the East' weather event but it is going to be in marked contrast to this week.

If you're out for training then make the most of the fine weather before Easter Monday. There are signs that it might improve at the end of next week.