Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run'
SINCE I LAST WROTE, NOT ONLY HAVE I BECOME A DOUBLE-MARATHONER BUT I HAVE ALSO LAUNCHED MY NEW ON-LINE FITNESS MAGAZINE, ENTITLED fitnessjunkie.ie
My plan with fitnessjunkie.ie is simply to do what I do best - writing and fitness. Basically, I will be filling each monthly edition of the magazine with stories and news around fitness, health, wellbeing and positive living. Of course there will be plenty of stories about running included, but I also want to explore with the readers so many other fitness pursuits, such as weight-training, team sports, swimming, mountain climbing, yoga, martial arts, diets and nutrition, you name it. Anything that involves the body and looking after it and your health for the long-term, will be my focus.
So please check out www.fitnessjunkie.ie as soon as you get a chance. I'll have competitions too with top prizes every month plus expert advice from personal trainers and coaching professionals and just some nice quirky stories regarding the world of fitness.
You don't have to be a fitness junkie to get involved. Anyone with even a passing interest in healthy lifestyle choices should find something here. There will also be some nice chatty interviews with people about their lifestyle and how they might improve it. In the December issue of fitnessjunkie.ie for example, there's a profile of Dave O'Connell, Editor of the Connaught Tribune, in regard to his healthy (or not) lifestyle! It's all just a bit of fun and I want you to enjoy reading the articles as well as take some inspiration from them.
The November launch issue includes articles on Brian O'Driscoll versus George Hook, the Evolutionary Fitness Diet tried and tested, why men are getting too fat, how gyms are taking off in China, why super-hero Sir Ranulph Fiennes is a fitness hero and some celebrity diet and fitness tips.
I am also offering readers the chance to buy a personalised fitness horoscope, for just €30. This is something I've done a lot of research on and basically, it's a report on how your Star Sign influences the person you are or can be, in relation to fitness and sporting prowess. These reports are amazingly accurate and I have drawn up one for every Star Sign in the zodiac.
Here is a sample for a Gemini personality:
PHYSICAL TRAITS
GEMINI people are often slender, wiry people with lots of nervous energy! So exercise is key to expend all of this surplus energy and those racing thoughts that take up so much space in your mind. Fitness pursuits therefore really benefit you Gemini, helping to ground your thoughts and create distance from general life and work preoccupations.
You may suffer with respiratory and nervous system ailments Gemini so to avoid these, you should work on building up internal power in the lungs and nervous system. Resistance training that focuses on core muscles, the abdomen and chest, will all benefit you Gemini in this regard. Often your best physical parts are your hands up to your shoulders, so the upper body should be a real focus in your work-outs. Start pumping those pulley weights up and down at the gym and you’ll see your top half sculpting beautifully.
Your ruling planet, Mercury, God of Communication, which stirs up your natural curiosity, also rules your top body Gemini, which is why you should make sure to do good, lively exercise that makes you breathe deeply into those lungs and that gets your diaphragm working strong and hard. Fortunately Gemini, you love games and having to exert yourself to succeed, so athletics of all kinds could do it for you. Because you like interacting and communicating, expressing yourself won’t be a problem on the football pitch or hockey field either!
OK. I'll leave it at that for now. Please log on to fitnessjunkie.ie when you get the chance and let me know what you think of it.
all the best
Joan
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
adidas dublin marathon 2008 - the recovery
Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run' and now double marathoner
The frame of mind I went in to Dublin Marathon 2008 was so bad I don't know how I did the thing at all. But now, two days later and recovering well from the outing, I am completely overwhelmed at how well it really went for me. My time was no better than Connemara - two minutes more actually at 4.16. But that to me is irrelevant. The time didn't matter to me this time around at all. I wasn't focused on achieving any great result, other than just getting the damn thing over with. So in this context, it is amazing I managed to come so close to my first marathon record - which I was so thrilled with back then, in April 2008 at Connemara.
The reality is, for Dublin, I didn't even wear a watch. My usual running watch that I wore right through my training, packed up the week before Dublin and I decided that was a sign that I shouldn't focus on time this time around at all - so I didn't. And it was such a great release not having to look at my wrist at every mile marker and figure out my speed. Of course there were so many other runners commenting out loud on their own times that I did have a general idea how I was doing, but from around mile 20, I cut away from this stream of information as I basically went on strike and started walking.
Before getting to that point though, I can honestly say that from the outset, the Dublin marathon wasn't bad at all. I turned up at 8.30am or so on the freezing but wonderfully dry morning that it was, queued up for a portaloo in my quest to steady my nerves and then lined up alongside other runners waiting for the off. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone seemed to be in great form, looking forward to the run. I myself felt at odds with the happy anticipation. My own feeling was entirely one of dread. I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to be doing it. I was going to psyche myself up to just run my way through the damn thing and get it over with but when it would be over with, I would be so, so relieved. The big problem with this though was that I still had to perform. I still had to get out there, take my place among the 11,700 other runners and get in to their groove. I had to ignore my real mental state and create a fictitious new one that fed me the line that I was doing this because I wanted to do it, because it was a beautiful day, because I was blessed to be alive, to be healthy and whole in body, because I could, should and would. Lots of hurdles there!
The day before the marathon I did write one last blog entry, outlining just some of the negativity I felt, although I didn't post it here because I felt too embarassed about being so downbeat. Now that it's over though and went so much better than expected, I'll attach it here, as much for my own reference as anything. So it went like this.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"It’s the day before the Adidas Dublin City Marathon 2008 - 3pm in the afternoon. I’m booked in to my hotel room and feeling a serious case of the trots coming on. Nervous doesn’t describe how I feel. I’m dreading tomorrow. Unlike my first marathon, a mere six months ago in Connemara, where I was bouncing off the walls anticipating the event, this time, I’m in complete denial. It’s like it’s happening to someone else. I’ve hardly even spoken about the damn thing - even though it’s been looming over me like an avalanche waiting to happen for months now. The big problem has been my training. It’s been disastrous. Follow that up with the worst case of negative thinking ever - and you’ll understand that it really is madness I am doing this thing.
So why am I persevering with this Dublin marathon mission? Well, for a variety of reasons I suppose. First of all, like many people, it’s a goal I set for myself that I want to fulfil. Secondly, I committed myself to doing some fund-raising, in order that I wouldn’t be able to dig my way out of it. Thirdly, it’s a first for me - in that it’s my first ever Dublin marathon - and the way I’m feeling about it now - most likely my last. Dublin means something to me. I spent over 10 years of my life here some years back and I still love coming up to the ‘big smoke’ and getting stuck in to its frenzy of life. It’s our capital city and such a brilliant place. It feels patriotic to be lining up to do its marathon so the whole thing has major resonance that way.
Writing all this makes me feel more positive than I have been feeling about the Dublin marathon for a while. Now I’m here, I’m thinking I may as well get on with it and just give what I’ve got. The negative thinking though has a load of weight behind it. So much seems to have gone wrong with this goal and while I don’t intend to dwell on this side of things after tonight - I’ll just list them out now to try and unload my burden!
OK. So basically it all comes back to the poor training. Around half way through the build-up to my distance runs, I felt the gloss go off my running. It was like, suddenly all the fun disappeared. Keeping to a schedule became a chore. The first 10-mile run was a pain in the butt. I wanted to stop after about 30 minutes but felt obliged to keep going. As the weeks went by that same sense of obligation deepened. I felt I was being forced to do all the running, which soon became, to my mind, bloody running.
I know now exactly what went wrong. I signed up for a second marathon way too soon after my first one. It was a crucial mistake and one I felt too duty-bound to follow through on. I should have given my body much more time to recover from Connemara. Instead, I dived right in again, without thinking it through.
My nervousness now is due to the fact that I never did cover the right distances in my training. Over the last few weeks, I did try to get in a 2.5 hour and 3 hour run, but in reality, I never completed a proper one. I did stay on the roads once for 2.45 and again for almost 3 hours, but on both occasions I stopped several times along the route and basically, just went on strike. I was hating every minute of it. It all felt so wrong. It still feels wrong that I’ve put myself through this and intend to go the whole way tomorrow (I hope). But I just feel there’s no way out of it.
So for the last month or so it’s been like living with the enemy. My inner voice has been constantly negative. I’ve left the house to do my training runs in the worst possible frame of mind. Hating the chore ahead of me. Some runs felt OK, most felt crap. I didn’t want to do the damn things.
The result is I’m going out tomorrow with a sense of incompletion and lack of preparation. I never really managed more than 15 miles in one outing and I also suffered like hell after that and could not have gone a step further. That was about six weeks ago. I”ve done nothing over 12 miles since. So that leaves me terrified that I’ll hit the wall real early tomorrow. On top of this, I’ve been feeling awful physically the whole way through too. My left hip has been killing me every time I run for weeks now - forcing me to keep the runs short anyway. Also my right hamstring starts hurting at around 10 minutes in to every run. And this week, I’ve got a head cold that has my head throbbing and my throat closing over. Add to that shallow breathing and a general sense of being unwell - and you’ve guessed it. I’m in a complete sorry-for-myself-hopeless state of mind. There’s a lot to work on between today and tomorrow and please God I will somehow manage to somehow put a positive spin on things and get my head around getting my body around tomorrow.
So there you have it. How not to prepare for a marathon. The only good thing about tomorrow being October 27th, 2008, is knowing that by October 28th, 2008, it will all be over for me, one way or the other. Roll on."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now, how bad was that?! And how did I perform so well, in my own terms, in that context?
Well, that's what is preoccupying me right now. Yesterday I was just so zonked from the huge mental as well as physical strain from it all, that I couldn't really think about it. I slept very little the night before the marathon, and very little again the night after it. My brain was just bursting with it all. First the pressure, then the massive relief, followed now by disbelief. I was also meeting up with friends, and had one interview to do for my new book, and then had a four-hour car journey to drive. So I was utterly on overload and couldn't really switch off until now, after arriving home, giving the kids their little gifts and doing the requisite show-off tour with my medal. Fortunately, I settled right back in overnight then as I slept the sleep of the Gods. The kids are on holidays so the house is nice and quiet in the mornings and we all slept right through to 9.30am. Fantastic.
So here I am now, well rested, upbeat and genuinely starting to feel the runner's post-marathon high coming in. I just feel so happy now. The relief that it's all over is still so sweet but more than that, to my own surprise, I'm just loving how well it went for me, how good my body feels right now and how well I'm recovering physically. After Connemara I suffered for days. The first day after, I really couldn't walk. My legs felt just so awful, so hurt after it all.
This time around I kept myself so much more active directly after the marathon. Instead of hopping in to a car, I had to walk back to the hotel, a good 2 miles away. Actually, I passed the hotel at mile 24 of the route and it was no joke trying to resist the pull to go in there and then. But I was really looking forward to walking back there again after the marathon, knowing I wouldn't have to run anymore and that it would help me iron out my legs after all the heavy running work. And it really was so effective. That walk back was as good as anything. I had so many other things going on as well, I was numb through with the cold and staggeringly hungry. So other than getting back to the hotel, I had no time to do stretches or anything else.
Once I reached Merrion Road, I was met with the sight of hundreds of other marathon runners making their way through the last few miles of the course. I don't know why I was shocked to see people still running. I just thought because it was all over for me, it must be all over for everyone, but of course it wasn't and I so felt their suffering, their pain. And there I was, that annoying woman, swinging her medal around her neck, so self-satisfied that it was all over. So sorry to those who saw me! I wasn't intentionally crowing! I just think the day you win a medal is the day you wear that medal and I hope that seeing the medal even spurred some runners on to getting to the finish line to claim their own.
Anyway, I could write and write about the Adidas Dubln Marathon 2008, how fabulously well organised it was, what a beautiful, cold and dry day it turned out to be, what a display of runners and bodies from all over the world were on show and all the quirks of the running world that you see in such an event - but I'll leave it there for now. I've my new fitness book to finish first and my the first edition of my new fitness magazine website here, fitnessjunkie.ie - to complete so need to turn my attention there. First of all though, I need a good breakfast and the kids are circling for attention.
So bye for now but how great, how very great that Dublin Marathon 2008 is over and went so well for so many. My last thought on the matter for now is that I can see myself running another marathon again after all. I never thought I would be writing that two days ago, but there you go. And next time, I know I can do better - four hours easily!!!!
bye for now.
Hope Dublin went well for all you other runners out there. Make sure to get back in the saddle asap.
The frame of mind I went in to Dublin Marathon 2008 was so bad I don't know how I did the thing at all. But now, two days later and recovering well from the outing, I am completely overwhelmed at how well it really went for me. My time was no better than Connemara - two minutes more actually at 4.16. But that to me is irrelevant. The time didn't matter to me this time around at all. I wasn't focused on achieving any great result, other than just getting the damn thing over with. So in this context, it is amazing I managed to come so close to my first marathon record - which I was so thrilled with back then, in April 2008 at Connemara.
The reality is, for Dublin, I didn't even wear a watch. My usual running watch that I wore right through my training, packed up the week before Dublin and I decided that was a sign that I shouldn't focus on time this time around at all - so I didn't. And it was such a great release not having to look at my wrist at every mile marker and figure out my speed. Of course there were so many other runners commenting out loud on their own times that I did have a general idea how I was doing, but from around mile 20, I cut away from this stream of information as I basically went on strike and started walking.
Before getting to that point though, I can honestly say that from the outset, the Dublin marathon wasn't bad at all. I turned up at 8.30am or so on the freezing but wonderfully dry morning that it was, queued up for a portaloo in my quest to steady my nerves and then lined up alongside other runners waiting for the off. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone seemed to be in great form, looking forward to the run. I myself felt at odds with the happy anticipation. My own feeling was entirely one of dread. I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to be doing it. I was going to psyche myself up to just run my way through the damn thing and get it over with but when it would be over with, I would be so, so relieved. The big problem with this though was that I still had to perform. I still had to get out there, take my place among the 11,700 other runners and get in to their groove. I had to ignore my real mental state and create a fictitious new one that fed me the line that I was doing this because I wanted to do it, because it was a beautiful day, because I was blessed to be alive, to be healthy and whole in body, because I could, should and would. Lots of hurdles there!
The day before the marathon I did write one last blog entry, outlining just some of the negativity I felt, although I didn't post it here because I felt too embarassed about being so downbeat. Now that it's over though and went so much better than expected, I'll attach it here, as much for my own reference as anything. So it went like this.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"It’s the day before the Adidas Dublin City Marathon 2008 - 3pm in the afternoon. I’m booked in to my hotel room and feeling a serious case of the trots coming on. Nervous doesn’t describe how I feel. I’m dreading tomorrow. Unlike my first marathon, a mere six months ago in Connemara, where I was bouncing off the walls anticipating the event, this time, I’m in complete denial. It’s like it’s happening to someone else. I’ve hardly even spoken about the damn thing - even though it’s been looming over me like an avalanche waiting to happen for months now. The big problem has been my training. It’s been disastrous. Follow that up with the worst case of negative thinking ever - and you’ll understand that it really is madness I am doing this thing.
So why am I persevering with this Dublin marathon mission? Well, for a variety of reasons I suppose. First of all, like many people, it’s a goal I set for myself that I want to fulfil. Secondly, I committed myself to doing some fund-raising, in order that I wouldn’t be able to dig my way out of it. Thirdly, it’s a first for me - in that it’s my first ever Dublin marathon - and the way I’m feeling about it now - most likely my last. Dublin means something to me. I spent over 10 years of my life here some years back and I still love coming up to the ‘big smoke’ and getting stuck in to its frenzy of life. It’s our capital city and such a brilliant place. It feels patriotic to be lining up to do its marathon so the whole thing has major resonance that way.
Writing all this makes me feel more positive than I have been feeling about the Dublin marathon for a while. Now I’m here, I’m thinking I may as well get on with it and just give what I’ve got. The negative thinking though has a load of weight behind it. So much seems to have gone wrong with this goal and while I don’t intend to dwell on this side of things after tonight - I’ll just list them out now to try and unload my burden!
OK. So basically it all comes back to the poor training. Around half way through the build-up to my distance runs, I felt the gloss go off my running. It was like, suddenly all the fun disappeared. Keeping to a schedule became a chore. The first 10-mile run was a pain in the butt. I wanted to stop after about 30 minutes but felt obliged to keep going. As the weeks went by that same sense of obligation deepened. I felt I was being forced to do all the running, which soon became, to my mind, bloody running.
I know now exactly what went wrong. I signed up for a second marathon way too soon after my first one. It was a crucial mistake and one I felt too duty-bound to follow through on. I should have given my body much more time to recover from Connemara. Instead, I dived right in again, without thinking it through.
My nervousness now is due to the fact that I never did cover the right distances in my training. Over the last few weeks, I did try to get in a 2.5 hour and 3 hour run, but in reality, I never completed a proper one. I did stay on the roads once for 2.45 and again for almost 3 hours, but on both occasions I stopped several times along the route and basically, just went on strike. I was hating every minute of it. It all felt so wrong. It still feels wrong that I’ve put myself through this and intend to go the whole way tomorrow (I hope). But I just feel there’s no way out of it.
So for the last month or so it’s been like living with the enemy. My inner voice has been constantly negative. I’ve left the house to do my training runs in the worst possible frame of mind. Hating the chore ahead of me. Some runs felt OK, most felt crap. I didn’t want to do the damn things.
The result is I’m going out tomorrow with a sense of incompletion and lack of preparation. I never really managed more than 15 miles in one outing and I also suffered like hell after that and could not have gone a step further. That was about six weeks ago. I”ve done nothing over 12 miles since. So that leaves me terrified that I’ll hit the wall real early tomorrow. On top of this, I’ve been feeling awful physically the whole way through too. My left hip has been killing me every time I run for weeks now - forcing me to keep the runs short anyway. Also my right hamstring starts hurting at around 10 minutes in to every run. And this week, I’ve got a head cold that has my head throbbing and my throat closing over. Add to that shallow breathing and a general sense of being unwell - and you’ve guessed it. I’m in a complete sorry-for-myself-hopeless state of mind. There’s a lot to work on between today and tomorrow and please God I will somehow manage to somehow put a positive spin on things and get my head around getting my body around tomorrow.
So there you have it. How not to prepare for a marathon. The only good thing about tomorrow being October 27th, 2008, is knowing that by October 28th, 2008, it will all be over for me, one way or the other. Roll on."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now, how bad was that?! And how did I perform so well, in my own terms, in that context?
Well, that's what is preoccupying me right now. Yesterday I was just so zonked from the huge mental as well as physical strain from it all, that I couldn't really think about it. I slept very little the night before the marathon, and very little again the night after it. My brain was just bursting with it all. First the pressure, then the massive relief, followed now by disbelief. I was also meeting up with friends, and had one interview to do for my new book, and then had a four-hour car journey to drive. So I was utterly on overload and couldn't really switch off until now, after arriving home, giving the kids their little gifts and doing the requisite show-off tour with my medal. Fortunately, I settled right back in overnight then as I slept the sleep of the Gods. The kids are on holidays so the house is nice and quiet in the mornings and we all slept right through to 9.30am. Fantastic.
So here I am now, well rested, upbeat and genuinely starting to feel the runner's post-marathon high coming in. I just feel so happy now. The relief that it's all over is still so sweet but more than that, to my own surprise, I'm just loving how well it went for me, how good my body feels right now and how well I'm recovering physically. After Connemara I suffered for days. The first day after, I really couldn't walk. My legs felt just so awful, so hurt after it all.
This time around I kept myself so much more active directly after the marathon. Instead of hopping in to a car, I had to walk back to the hotel, a good 2 miles away. Actually, I passed the hotel at mile 24 of the route and it was no joke trying to resist the pull to go in there and then. But I was really looking forward to walking back there again after the marathon, knowing I wouldn't have to run anymore and that it would help me iron out my legs after all the heavy running work. And it really was so effective. That walk back was as good as anything. I had so many other things going on as well, I was numb through with the cold and staggeringly hungry. So other than getting back to the hotel, I had no time to do stretches or anything else.
Once I reached Merrion Road, I was met with the sight of hundreds of other marathon runners making their way through the last few miles of the course. I don't know why I was shocked to see people still running. I just thought because it was all over for me, it must be all over for everyone, but of course it wasn't and I so felt their suffering, their pain. And there I was, that annoying woman, swinging her medal around her neck, so self-satisfied that it was all over. So sorry to those who saw me! I wasn't intentionally crowing! I just think the day you win a medal is the day you wear that medal and I hope that seeing the medal even spurred some runners on to getting to the finish line to claim their own.
Anyway, I could write and write about the Adidas Dubln Marathon 2008, how fabulously well organised it was, what a beautiful, cold and dry day it turned out to be, what a display of runners and bodies from all over the world were on show and all the quirks of the running world that you see in such an event - but I'll leave it there for now. I've my new fitness book to finish first and my the first edition of my new fitness magazine website here, fitnessjunkie.ie - to complete so need to turn my attention there. First of all though, I need a good breakfast and the kids are circling for attention.
So bye for now but how great, how very great that Dublin Marathon 2008 is over and went so well for so many. My last thought on the matter for now is that I can see myself running another marathon again after all. I never thought I would be writing that two days ago, but there you go. And next time, I know I can do better - four hours easily!!!!
bye for now.
Hope Dublin went well for all you other runners out there. Make sure to get back in the saddle asap.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
adidas dublin marathon 2008 countdown
Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run' and trainee marathoner
Woe is me. I’m still struggling with my running training for the Adidas Dublin Marathon 2008 - taking place in a mere four weeks from now - less even! Where on earth has my endurance gone? All I know is that this goal is definitely not the right goal for me now. My head is just not in this space at all and all I want is to get it over with and move on to focussing on other fitness programmes I’m mad to get on with. Marathon running just isn’t doing it for me anymore. OK. I’ve only run one so far but I’m nearly there for number two and I very much doubt now I’ll be signing up for no.3 anytime soon. Of course you never know. I might get such a high if/when I do complete Dublin, I’ll sign up for another marathon immediately.
One massive runner around my parts was telling me this week that he hasn’t been training at all for Dublin either, even though he plans to do it too. His time is usually in or around 2.40, so he’s disappointed at the thought he’ll only get back in 3.20 this time around. It goes to show that none of us will ever be satisfied with our performances, even when we get them right at times.
Well I’m just going to grind my teeth and stick with the programme. Last Sunday I attempted my first 3-hour training run but only lasted 2.40. I just got so sick of it. Twice I stopped altogether. I just felt like throwing a strop. It was great to read in the Adidas Dublin Marathon Newsletter this week then that walking and running 16 miles is just as effective as running them all. Is that really so? Don’t start tempting me now.
Best of luck to anyone else out there prepping for Dublin right now. I might see ye at the starting line - we’ll say nothing about the finishing line until afterwards.
toodleloo
x
Joan
Woe is me. I’m still struggling with my running training for the Adidas Dublin Marathon 2008 - taking place in a mere four weeks from now - less even! Where on earth has my endurance gone? All I know is that this goal is definitely not the right goal for me now. My head is just not in this space at all and all I want is to get it over with and move on to focussing on other fitness programmes I’m mad to get on with. Marathon running just isn’t doing it for me anymore. OK. I’ve only run one so far but I’m nearly there for number two and I very much doubt now I’ll be signing up for no.3 anytime soon. Of course you never know. I might get such a high if/when I do complete Dublin, I’ll sign up for another marathon immediately.
One massive runner around my parts was telling me this week that he hasn’t been training at all for Dublin either, even though he plans to do it too. His time is usually in or around 2.40, so he’s disappointed at the thought he’ll only get back in 3.20 this time around. It goes to show that none of us will ever be satisfied with our performances, even when we get them right at times.
Well I’m just going to grind my teeth and stick with the programme. Last Sunday I attempted my first 3-hour training run but only lasted 2.40. I just got so sick of it. Twice I stopped altogether. I just felt like throwing a strop. It was great to read in the Adidas Dublin Marathon Newsletter this week then that walking and running 16 miles is just as effective as running them all. Is that really so? Don’t start tempting me now.
Best of luck to anyone else out there prepping for Dublin right now. I might see ye at the starting line - we’ll say nothing about the finishing line until afterwards.
toodleloo
x
Joan
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Evolutionary Fitness
Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run' and trainee marathonerS
Since I last wrote I've been doing more desk-work and less road-work than usual. The mind is willing but the body - well the body is just on a go-slow it seems. Right now, it's teeming rain outside, I'm one day overdue a training run and wondering am I going to make it two days before today is over. Where is my motivation gone?
Last Sunday week I ran the Longford half-marathon and hated every minute of it. I'm sorry to have to report this is true, even though as a course, there was nothing completely awful about it. But I just wasn't psyched up to do it. It was a running colleague who drafted me in to do it and on the day itself, I felt nothing but dread. I'm really struggling now with my marathon training second time around. The first time it was all so new. Now, it's just a trudge. The thought of building up to three hour runs is a nightmare that won't go away! Why am I doing this? If I make Dublin, will I then sign up to run Connemara again in 2009 and see can I improve my time?
Right now, I don't think any of that will happen. September is starting badly and although I am as keen as ever on fitness and wanting to be as active as possible, I'm not sure just running is giving me the satisfaction I need. I'm checking out lots of other options - resistance and cross-training, swimming and just walking. Lots of people I talk to are crazy for cycling but as a sport it doesn't do it for me. The cycling itself isn't the problem - it's the traffic and the Irish roads I don't like. Too much danger and bother!
Not to worry. I'll keep ploughing on. In the meantime I recently discovered the Evolutionary Fitness programme - which is a lifestyle and eating programme drawn up by an American guy who at 71, has a biological age of 32 and looks fantastic. His diet is similar to the Dr Atkins diet in that it forbids high carb foods, although an exception is made for natural sugars found in fruit and veg. As an diet for endurance athletes though it is no good as it doesn't provide enough energy for long-term activity. It's good for cleaning you out though and you'll definitely lose weight if you stick to it. You'll need to start making frequent visits to your local greengrocer if you want to prevent starvation and fruit and veg really make up a huge part of the diet. Anyway, go check it out for yourself on Arthur De Vany's website. You'll be riveted by all the information.
More info on this and loads of other fitness topics soon on a new website I am in the process of setting up. This blog will also be transferred there shortly and hopefully I can start interacting with some readers and share the love (for fitness that is!).
Will keep you posted.
x
Joan
Since I last wrote I've been doing more desk-work and less road-work than usual. The mind is willing but the body - well the body is just on a go-slow it seems. Right now, it's teeming rain outside, I'm one day overdue a training run and wondering am I going to make it two days before today is over. Where is my motivation gone?
Last Sunday week I ran the Longford half-marathon and hated every minute of it. I'm sorry to have to report this is true, even though as a course, there was nothing completely awful about it. But I just wasn't psyched up to do it. It was a running colleague who drafted me in to do it and on the day itself, I felt nothing but dread. I'm really struggling now with my marathon training second time around. The first time it was all so new. Now, it's just a trudge. The thought of building up to three hour runs is a nightmare that won't go away! Why am I doing this? If I make Dublin, will I then sign up to run Connemara again in 2009 and see can I improve my time?
Right now, I don't think any of that will happen. September is starting badly and although I am as keen as ever on fitness and wanting to be as active as possible, I'm not sure just running is giving me the satisfaction I need. I'm checking out lots of other options - resistance and cross-training, swimming and just walking. Lots of people I talk to are crazy for cycling but as a sport it doesn't do it for me. The cycling itself isn't the problem - it's the traffic and the Irish roads I don't like. Too much danger and bother!
Not to worry. I'll keep ploughing on. In the meantime I recently discovered the Evolutionary Fitness programme - which is a lifestyle and eating programme drawn up by an American guy who at 71, has a biological age of 32 and looks fantastic. His diet is similar to the Dr Atkins diet in that it forbids high carb foods, although an exception is made for natural sugars found in fruit and veg. As an diet for endurance athletes though it is no good as it doesn't provide enough energy for long-term activity. It's good for cleaning you out though and you'll definitely lose weight if you stick to it. You'll need to start making frequent visits to your local greengrocer if you want to prevent starvation and fruit and veg really make up a huge part of the diet. Anyway, go check it out for yourself on Arthur De Vany's website. You'll be riveted by all the information.
More info on this and loads of other fitness topics soon on a new website I am in the process of setting up. This blog will also be transferred there shortly and hopefully I can start interacting with some readers and share the love (for fitness that is!).
Will keep you posted.
x
Joan
Friday, August 8, 2008
Croagh Patrick Mountain Race
Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run' and trainee marathoner
As my training continues I now know for sure that one kind of running I'm not in to is mountain running. My Wicklow race experience up and down the mountain (hill to some I'm sure) known as Brockagh put paid to that. My strongest memory, apart from having to keep going up and up and up for the first half, is how hard it was to keep foot-sure on the way down. The amount of concentration needed to guide your every footstep along unknown and choppy terrain, simultaneously trying to run at speed and somehow draw deep breaths even though your frame is bent forward in self-protection, is just too much. To my mind, it takes away the fun of running entirely. And it's just way too hard.
So even though I did take a trial test jaunt up Croagh Patrick one day a few weeks ago, covering the 2,500 ft up and down as quickly as I could with take-off from Eoinie Campbells pub, on the day of the actual official Irish Mountain Runners' Race on Saturday August 2 last I was happy just to stand on the sidelines. More than 80 people turned up for the event - doubling last year's entry apparently - and it was simply fabulous to watch them all - knowing how difficult a challenge they were taking on and seeing them suffering through it! The first man back down to Campbell's arrived in just under three quarters of an hour. Unbelievable. The first woman back made it in just over the hour mark - a phenomenal achievement. My own best time was just under 2 hours. What are these people made of? They look the same as you and I but their make-up must surely be superior in some way. Or else it must just be down to plain hard and consistent training, which in itself, is a constant slog.
At the commencement of the race, the organiser advised participants that walkers on the pilgrimage mountain always had right of way and runners should yield to them at every instance. He also paid tribute to the Campbell brothers themselves, particularly Eoin, for supporting the event for 20 years and supplying finishers with drinks. A well deserved tribute and it was great to see the big man himself there on the day, as well as Michael, attending to the Croagh Patrick runners. Long may this event continue to attract such fine healthy specimens of Irish men and women!
Stick with the training!
x
As my training continues I now know for sure that one kind of running I'm not in to is mountain running. My Wicklow race experience up and down the mountain (hill to some I'm sure) known as Brockagh put paid to that. My strongest memory, apart from having to keep going up and up and up for the first half, is how hard it was to keep foot-sure on the way down. The amount of concentration needed to guide your every footstep along unknown and choppy terrain, simultaneously trying to run at speed and somehow draw deep breaths even though your frame is bent forward in self-protection, is just too much. To my mind, it takes away the fun of running entirely. And it's just way too hard.
So even though I did take a trial test jaunt up Croagh Patrick one day a few weeks ago, covering the 2,500 ft up and down as quickly as I could with take-off from Eoinie Campbells pub, on the day of the actual official Irish Mountain Runners' Race on Saturday August 2 last I was happy just to stand on the sidelines. More than 80 people turned up for the event - doubling last year's entry apparently - and it was simply fabulous to watch them all - knowing how difficult a challenge they were taking on and seeing them suffering through it! The first man back down to Campbell's arrived in just under three quarters of an hour. Unbelievable. The first woman back made it in just over the hour mark - a phenomenal achievement. My own best time was just under 2 hours. What are these people made of? They look the same as you and I but their make-up must surely be superior in some way. Or else it must just be down to plain hard and consistent training, which in itself, is a constant slog.
At the commencement of the race, the organiser advised participants that walkers on the pilgrimage mountain always had right of way and runners should yield to them at every instance. He also paid tribute to the Campbell brothers themselves, particularly Eoin, for supporting the event for 20 years and supplying finishers with drinks. A well deserved tribute and it was great to see the big man himself there on the day, as well as Michael, attending to the Croagh Patrick runners. Long may this event continue to attract such fine healthy specimens of Irish men and women!
Stick with the training!
x
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run'
Balla 10k road race
It's over, thank goodness, and was as trying as expected, my first ever 10k road race here in lovely Mayo. Following my aborted attempt to run the Achill half-marathon, which was ruined by a tummy bug, I had two weeks to recover and prepare for this 10k event - which isn't so bad distance-wise, except when it happens to be a race throughout the entire course. Like I keep saying, I'm not a fast runner, speed is not my forte and endurance is what I'm interested in. Still, no matter what event you run in after a while, all you want is to improve your times and achieve a Personal Best I find, or at least maintain good form. The longest distance I had 'raced', ie where I ranas fast as I could consistently - was over 5k in the annual Westport 5k Christmas run and the 8k Tuam race back in March. My best time at the 5k, in December 2007, was 25 mins 40,(an improvement of 4 minutes on my previous year) which I was very happy with; the 8k I finished in 41 minutes 40. In my own mind, the very best I could hope to do over 10k therefore, would have been around 51/52 minutes. In the end, I managed to complete last night's Balla 10k in 53 minutes and something (not quite sure of exact time yet as results still not posted) and I have to say, I'm thrilled (bar flipping Noreen just pipping me at the post after me leading most of the way!). It's as good as I could have hoped for and even better. I've been training sure but not really speed training. I've also been working on building up the miles more than anything again as I prepare for my second marathon - Dublin 2008 in October.
So the distance wasn't the problem for me. Even though it was such a tough course, on a beautiful evening, when we were all getting sunburnt if not sunstroke in the unusual heat and humidity during this wet Summer, I never really struggled with any leg tiredness issues. I did struggle though with a huge intimidation factor - courtesy of Noreen, my running buddy, insisting on getting me to the venue in way too good time. This meant I was there in time to see all the fabulously honed and toned psyched up elite athletes warming up with crazy sprints all over the place. Everyone looked so serious with brows furrowed in concentration and lots of pep talks going on. It almost did me in. Consequently, when we all eventually lined up at the start line, I found myself in the middle of the pack with my heart hammering, my legs feeling like jelly and my inner dialogue varying between negative and very negative. 'Just finish the damn thing', was the last thing I told myself as the horn finally went. Thankfully, the consistent training I've been doing with the start of my marathon training programme two weeks ago all paid off. I'm only at month three in a six-month training schedule so it's not too demanding, with 5-6 runs a week at between 30-50 minutes. But the increase in workout frequency is definitely paying off and I know already that I'm in far better form than I have been for a long time and that is a great feeling. Actually, no matter where I go with all this running and fitness stuff in my life, what I know i really enjoy is doing at least 5 good workouts every week and the way that leaves me and my boody buzzing with vitality.
The first person home last night, a man from my home-town of Castlebar, touched the finish in around 37 minutes I understand. That is just so fantastic. I'm so totally in awe of these athletes. How can they push themselves so hard? I was also talking to the first woman home - another amazingly inspiring individual. They make it look so easy but from my own bit of experience now of competing, I know for a fact how very, very hard speed racing is and how dedicated you have to be to keep working at improving on and on. Congrats also to Gerry Galvin, one of my running idols here in Westport, who got back just over the 40 minute mark, in 40.03. You're still on track Gerry for the 3 hours in Dublin!
Again, at last night's race the amount of older runners in the pack was very high. More and more people in their 30s and 40s are getting in to running and then running competitively. It is just brilliant to see and I love now meeting people at the line-ups and finish lines and discovering common goals.
Last week I did a fabulous interview with a business man in Galway who's mad in to triathlons as he heads towards his 50s, and who will feature in my next book, due out early next year. He spoke so passionately about the three different disciplines, especially swimming in the sea which he finds really challenging. I came away from our chat more motivated than ever about my fitness goals. He even got me thinking about building up my own swimming prowess and I've started now doing lengths of the pool with a view to getting from 20 or so to 30 and more and see where that will take me. I've no definite plans to do a triathlon or anything. It's all just experimental.
Also this week I tried out a climbing wall in an activity centre with our two young boys. Of course they made it look so easy as they hooked themselves up the entire length and returned down again like two spiders. I, on the other hand, got about mid-way, looked down, lost my nerve and had to take a deep breath before letting myself fall in to the rope and down. It wasn't a nice experience at the time but I'm glad I did it as it made me realise how fixed I am in my comfort zones and how much scope there is to move beyond them too. All in its own time!
For now though, well done to all who participated in the Balla 10k, toBrendan Conwell and organisers who did a superb job, to the volunteers, especially for all the lovely tea and cake and sandwiches. It's great just to be alive and well enough to participate in such wonderful events as the Balla 10k.
Keep on running!
Balla 10k road race
It's over, thank goodness, and was as trying as expected, my first ever 10k road race here in lovely Mayo. Following my aborted attempt to run the Achill half-marathon, which was ruined by a tummy bug, I had two weeks to recover and prepare for this 10k event - which isn't so bad distance-wise, except when it happens to be a race throughout the entire course. Like I keep saying, I'm not a fast runner, speed is not my forte and endurance is what I'm interested in. Still, no matter what event you run in after a while, all you want is to improve your times and achieve a Personal Best I find, or at least maintain good form. The longest distance I had 'raced', ie where I ranas fast as I could consistently - was over 5k in the annual Westport 5k Christmas run and the 8k Tuam race back in March. My best time at the 5k, in December 2007, was 25 mins 40,(an improvement of 4 minutes on my previous year) which I was very happy with; the 8k I finished in 41 minutes 40. In my own mind, the very best I could hope to do over 10k therefore, would have been around 51/52 minutes. In the end, I managed to complete last night's Balla 10k in 53 minutes and something (not quite sure of exact time yet as results still not posted) and I have to say, I'm thrilled (bar flipping Noreen just pipping me at the post after me leading most of the way!). It's as good as I could have hoped for and even better. I've been training sure but not really speed training. I've also been working on building up the miles more than anything again as I prepare for my second marathon - Dublin 2008 in October.
So the distance wasn't the problem for me. Even though it was such a tough course, on a beautiful evening, when we were all getting sunburnt if not sunstroke in the unusual heat and humidity during this wet Summer, I never really struggled with any leg tiredness issues. I did struggle though with a huge intimidation factor - courtesy of Noreen, my running buddy, insisting on getting me to the venue in way too good time. This meant I was there in time to see all the fabulously honed and toned psyched up elite athletes warming up with crazy sprints all over the place. Everyone looked so serious with brows furrowed in concentration and lots of pep talks going on. It almost did me in. Consequently, when we all eventually lined up at the start line, I found myself in the middle of the pack with my heart hammering, my legs feeling like jelly and my inner dialogue varying between negative and very negative. 'Just finish the damn thing', was the last thing I told myself as the horn finally went. Thankfully, the consistent training I've been doing with the start of my marathon training programme two weeks ago all paid off. I'm only at month three in a six-month training schedule so it's not too demanding, with 5-6 runs a week at between 30-50 minutes. But the increase in workout frequency is definitely paying off and I know already that I'm in far better form than I have been for a long time and that is a great feeling. Actually, no matter where I go with all this running and fitness stuff in my life, what I know i really enjoy is doing at least 5 good workouts every week and the way that leaves me and my boody buzzing with vitality.
The first person home last night, a man from my home-town of Castlebar, touched the finish in around 37 minutes I understand. That is just so fantastic. I'm so totally in awe of these athletes. How can they push themselves so hard? I was also talking to the first woman home - another amazingly inspiring individual. They make it look so easy but from my own bit of experience now of competing, I know for a fact how very, very hard speed racing is and how dedicated you have to be to keep working at improving on and on. Congrats also to Gerry Galvin, one of my running idols here in Westport, who got back just over the 40 minute mark, in 40.03. You're still on track Gerry for the 3 hours in Dublin!
Again, at last night's race the amount of older runners in the pack was very high. More and more people in their 30s and 40s are getting in to running and then running competitively. It is just brilliant to see and I love now meeting people at the line-ups and finish lines and discovering common goals.
Last week I did a fabulous interview with a business man in Galway who's mad in to triathlons as he heads towards his 50s, and who will feature in my next book, due out early next year. He spoke so passionately about the three different disciplines, especially swimming in the sea which he finds really challenging. I came away from our chat more motivated than ever about my fitness goals. He even got me thinking about building up my own swimming prowess and I've started now doing lengths of the pool with a view to getting from 20 or so to 30 and more and see where that will take me. I've no definite plans to do a triathlon or anything. It's all just experimental.
Also this week I tried out a climbing wall in an activity centre with our two young boys. Of course they made it look so easy as they hooked themselves up the entire length and returned down again like two spiders. I, on the other hand, got about mid-way, looked down, lost my nerve and had to take a deep breath before letting myself fall in to the rope and down. It wasn't a nice experience at the time but I'm glad I did it as it made me realise how fixed I am in my comfort zones and how much scope there is to move beyond them too. All in its own time!
For now though, well done to all who participated in the Balla 10k, toBrendan Conwell and organisers who did a superb job, to the volunteers, especially for all the lovely tea and cake and sandwiches. It's great just to be alive and well enough to participate in such wonderful events as the Balla 10k.
Keep on running!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Latest report from Joan Geraghty, author, 'Anyone can run'
Achill Marathon Result
It was a great result for all those who organised and participated in the 2008 Achill half-marathon as even though the weather forecast warned of a horrible day all round, it turned out to be a perfect day for running - albeit a little windy. Alas, after training and so looking forward to running in it myself, some horrible, mysterious bug entered my system almost on the dot of midnight the night before and forced me to take up occupation next to the toilet in the ensuite. Not the best night of my life by any description but now, two days later, I am just so grateful to be able to function at all again, as I really thought that was the end of me.
I did make it down to watch some of the finishers come in and everyone looked so pleased with themselves - and why shouldn't they? It's a tough enough route and with the wind and hilly start and then the mile 10,11 steep climbs, you really deserve your medal at the end. The first guy home made it in 1 hour 12 minutes. Inhuman!
Down at the marquee it was a bit too breezy to be comfortable but the major beefburgers were in huge demand once again and the spread of banana bunches looked really good too.
Well done to James Cleary, Silent Masses, Terence Dever and Achill Tourism yet again for pulling off another great weekend for lovers of running. Something about the air down there made everyone look even healthier than ever - with the lovely Achill hue to be seen on every face.
Next year, definitely, I will make it to the start line.
bye for now
x
Joan
Achill Marathon Result
It was a great result for all those who organised and participated in the 2008 Achill half-marathon as even though the weather forecast warned of a horrible day all round, it turned out to be a perfect day for running - albeit a little windy. Alas, after training and so looking forward to running in it myself, some horrible, mysterious bug entered my system almost on the dot of midnight the night before and forced me to take up occupation next to the toilet in the ensuite. Not the best night of my life by any description but now, two days later, I am just so grateful to be able to function at all again, as I really thought that was the end of me.
I did make it down to watch some of the finishers come in and everyone looked so pleased with themselves - and why shouldn't they? It's a tough enough route and with the wind and hilly start and then the mile 10,11 steep climbs, you really deserve your medal at the end. The first guy home made it in 1 hour 12 minutes. Inhuman!
Down at the marquee it was a bit too breezy to be comfortable but the major beefburgers were in huge demand once again and the spread of banana bunches looked really good too.
Well done to James Cleary, Silent Masses, Terence Dever and Achill Tourism yet again for pulling off another great weekend for lovers of running. Something about the air down there made everyone look even healthier than ever - with the lovely Achill hue to be seen on every face.
Next year, definitely, I will make it to the start line.
bye for now
x
Joan
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