Catching up on some recent results... Martina Kiely of St Finbarr's AC in Cork was the first woman hime in the recent Moycarkey Coolcroo AC 5K in Littleton, Co Tipperary.
Results HERE
Press Release from Tracton AC: Tracton Road Race An Inviting Prospect
Tracton AC's inaugural four-mile race looks set to attract many runners to Minane Bridge on Friday, July 15th, for the 8pm start. (Previous post HERE)
While the race gets underway from Kiely's Cross, the Tracton Arts and Community Centre acts as the HQ for the event, providing parking, registration, changing facilities and refreshments.
Club chairperson Norma Collins said, 'We are very excited about it. It's great to bring back something that was here before.'
'In organising the event, Norma added, 'We go to many races around the country, and it's great to be able to give something back to the athletic community.' Described by the club as a fast course, particularly in the second half of the race, it could provide many athletes with the opportunity to set a seasonal best.
Indeed, there could be a competitive element as the entrant’s battle it out for the prizes.
For those keener on setting a leisurely pace, the course, with its scenic views, is an attractive bonus for what should be an enjoyable race.
Registration for the chipped race is now open online at: www.myrunresults.com/events/tracton_ac_4_mile/4469/details, with a €15 fee.
Registration will also be available on the evening of the race for €20, with registration from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.
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| Pic - John Allen |
With the club eyeing the prospect of making the race an annual event, Tracton AC is expected to mobilise its extensive membership to ensure its success.
Former club chairman Billy O'Mahony from Pet Essentials in Carrigaline has thrown his weight behind the initiative as the race's primary sponsor, but the club is also grateful for the local support it has received too.
The race is seen as a natural progression for a club that continues on incremental progress since it rebooted itself in 2012, helped by the input of club coach Ian Dorgan.
With over 200 members in its ranks, club chairperson Norma Collins said, 'Unlike other clubs, Tracton AC's numbers actually grew during the recent lockdowns,' with the juvenile club also going from strength to strength.
Now the club is taking another step on that journey as its four-mile road race promises to be one of the highlights of the road race calendar.
The 2022 Dublin Marathon is coming up on Sunday the 30th of October 2022. It is 18-weeks from the 26th of June.
If anyone would like to optimise their training then I will be starting individualised training programmes.
The programme is sent out every week by email and weekly feedback is required. That will determine what the programme is like for the following week.
The cost is €124 and it starts whenever you're ready. Obviously the sooner the better and it should be really start at the latest by the 10th of July which is 16-weeks.
If interested, send an email to johndesmondrunning AT gmail DOT com
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.
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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 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
The Cork BHAA Musgrave 5k was held on Wednesday the 15th of June 2022 on what turned out to be a glorious sunny Summers evening. The race was run at the Marina in Cork City and attracted a field of 367 runners.
As can be seen from the chart above, the numbers were down 23% on the last outing in 2019 but only down a fraction on the figure for 2018 and 2016.
Full results HERE
Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE
2) Derek Costello has the following four galleries...
Top 3 men & women...
Results below...
Full results HERE
** Endeavour **
I was delighted with Cork Half Marathon last weekend and all the crew did great in the Half and the Full. Well actually they did as well we expected and we got results based on our training. It wasn’t easy but nothing in life that is an achievement is ever easy.
We trained as best we could last 2 years. It was difficult with solo running, limits on travel, limits on numbers in a group, fear of covid and the lack of a definite race that we could target. But we did what we could and kept going. Sometimes it was the only thing keeping us sane (relative term).
Many have fallen by the wayside but please think about starting back. Others have dropped to a little running per week with no clear goal. There may have been sound reasons why you couldn’t continue but ask yourself honestly do these conditions still exist. There is no magic bullet or shortcut to get you to the end line. You get out what you put in and in that respect running is a fair sport.
Honest Endeavour.
Pick a goal, however simple it is and work to that. Once achieved set the bar higher for faster or longer and soon you will rediscover the - Joy of Running - . Make running a habit again and fit it into your lifestyle. Don’t resent the time it takes or how hard it is but welcome it as personal development time and embrace the health and mental benefits that will flow from it.
I am not going to lecture or drag this post out too much. It will be hard to get back to where you were or to improve from your current level. There will be sweat, tears, aches and pains but when you go over the finish line of your goal race then it will all be worth it.
“No endeavour is in vain: Its reward is in the doing.” Longfellow
If at this stage of the post you are thinking about a race, I have succeeded. Have a great weekend.
#pwr #Keeponrunning
For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo from Joe Murphy of the the start of the 2022 Cork City Marathon.
You can find the 247-piece jigsaw HERE
It's a busy weekend for running events in Cork and Munster. Check out the list below and see if any take your fancy.
As always, a comprehensive list of running events can be found HERE.
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The Munster branch of the Irish Mountain Running Association (IMRA) are holding an 8km trail race in Kilworth Woods near Fermoy in NE on Sunday the 12th of June 2022.
This is the second race in the 2022 Coillte Trail League and is suitable for anyone who is capable of doing say a 10k road race and wants to try something off road without running up the side of a mountain.
As with all IMRA events, annual membership (€10) is required for insurance purposes and a rain jacket must be carried.
Entries HERE
Details as follow...
