I opened the curtains and what I saw didn’t really motivate to go out – It was snowing!

I turned around and went back to bed. In my mind I was preparing for a tough and cold day in Raheny. The second look out of the window, an hour later, saw a huge improvement. The snow was gone and the sun was shining – that’s Ireland. The weather is always a surprise. In this case a positive. Nothing to complain!

There are several “Classic” Road races in Ireland. The Raheny 5 miler is definitely one of the Top 3. Every year this race marks the season opener for runners across the island. This year over 2.000 runners signed up for 8.04672 kilometers around the north of Dublin.

The weather turned out to be amazing. I enjoyed the beautiful sun when I warmed up around St Anne’s Park and Dollymount Strand. Perfect running conditions this Sunday: No wind and 5°C.

After 40 minutes of light jogging and some sprints i lined up for the race. Just on time I didn’t really had to wait long for the gun. The first meters were easy. I wanted to run defensively as I didn’t do any speed work until now. The clear goal is Boston in April. At the moment I try to get the fundament for my marathon. Knowing that, I just tried to find my rhythm and settle in with a decent aggressive pace.

The course is tricky as the first part is slightly downhill. I hang in and was running in a nice group. I stayed in the pack and drafted as good as I could. The roads are not the best so it is not the worst thing to keep an eye on the ground. During the first couple of minutes I hit a pot hole. Nothing major but it reminded me of the conditions.

A good crowd was lined up beside the streets and it is always nice to hear your name shouted by someone. Some people along the course must have known me. I couldn’t really respond but thanks anyway 😉

Until mile 3 the speed was OK. But after that it started to hurt and I had to fight. I miss the speed and the leg turnover – that was no surprise. To push yourself in a race is far easier than in training so I gave it everything to get some quality running in.

When we entered Howth Road I had to push hard not to loose contact with a guy I was running. After 1k on the Howth Road beside the sea the course turns left and goes up a little hill. During the race that thing really hurts and so it did for me.

The last mile was a fight. The guy in front of me was gone and I felt another runner coming from behind.

“Get the foot down!” – Turlough was standing beside the road and was screaming at me. I managed to get it “down” (… a bit). I had to sprint the last 200 meters to hold the other guy back. The clock showed 28:50, 4:37 behind the winner. I’m not really happy as i wanted to get a bit closer to the „28“. Overall I think it is OK and as much as I could expect after a heavy week of running.

HOMEPAGE Raheny 5
Race History
Racepix
Results 2010

The best running shoe on the market recently got a successor. trimes blog has a brilliant feature on the old and new version of my beloved nike lunar racer.

The original post is translated from french using Google Translator. Thanks to Uli for the link…

Comparison LunaRacer 1 (2008-9) VS LunaRacer 2 (2010)

Another article on lunaracers! Indeed, I am completely obsessed with these shoes. Why? Because I finally found a shoe with which I do not hurt me more! And besides, it’s one of the cheapest on the market!

The story is that for running the Goofy Challenge (Half-marathon and marathon on Saturday, Sunday), I had to buy a new pair of shoes because Air Canada had lost my luggage … we finally should say “retarded” … So when I saw that lunaracers 2 were sold $ 85, I did not hesitate one second!

So voila, after both decried the fact that LunaRacer rose 20% in weight … I’ll be honest with you, except the visual appearance of the shoe, nothing has changed, the sensation of lightness and cushioning Flexibility remains the same. Her weight gain is not really remarkable.

So I always try to understand why Nike wanted to change a winning pattern. Here’s my little theory. I think that Nike was surprised at receiving the shoes by athletes. Since there is the lunar lunar trainer and racer, we can conclude that this shoe was dedicated to the race and not the trainings. And thus, it is true that the cash badly LunaRacer distance given its minimal structure. In response, Nike has solidified the new version, hence the weight gain. The structure is now outside the shoe, which is preferable for those who do triathlons and running without socks (least possible friction = less bulbs).

Conclusion> the difference between the LunaRacer 1 and 2 is really minimal. Adding weight is justified by a gain in strength and support. I think triathletes will gain because of its field structure. Nike with the Lunar system is ahead of the competition and LunaRacer is a shoe in a class by itself. It is impossible to classify in the category or lightweight racer trainer. I still think that the first version is designed for racing and version 2 for the training because the gain of 20% by weight … but hey …

Also, I remain confident that Nike will announce a new model soon … see the preceding article.

Also, I should point out that j’aimaintenant 4 pairs of new lunaracers I. At $ 69, how to resist!

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets hear it for New York, New York, New York

Jay-Z – Empire State Of Mind

By now the Naas Duathlon is the traditional season opener for me. Since I came to Ireland 3 years ago I always raced at least 2 races of the Duathlon Series.

The course is tough but fair and the organization gets better with every year. The only thing the organizers, the Naas Triathlon Club, cant influence is the weather. Last year the first Duathlon was canceled and a 11k run race was the option for the day. This year the roads were not frozen but the overall temperatures were crispy enough with very chilly 3-4 °C.

I cycled the 20 minutes from my house up to the race venue at Punchestown racecourse. It was a very misty morning and the mist shouldn’t leave for the whole day.

Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in Ireland and the UK. Knowing that, the transition zone was crowded as never seen before at that race. Duathlon is the perfect winter training for Triathletes so this sport gains his bit out of the boom. 3 years ago it was no problem to find a decent place for the bike but nowadays the place is jammed. Roughly 250 peoples wanted to get the legs turning.

As I changed to running only I didn’t know what to expect from the hilly 20k bike part of the race. The only time I touched my bike was for some recreational spin on the home trainer. Nothing serious – no intervals – no program just up to 45 minutes in low gear to keep the legs turning. On the way to the start the legs felt OK. I was hungry to race.

The crowd lined up just beside the main stand of the Punchestown Racecourse and there was no hang around at the start. The gun sounded and the race was on. I was in the 8 man leading group travelling in a pace that felt OK. One guy attacked just at around 1,5k into the 3,5k running part. The group got blown into pieces. I couldn’t hold the pace and was running on my own. I entered the transition zone relaxed, curious on the bike part. Changed my shoes in seconds and put on the helmet fairly quickly. At least I didn’t forget how to change.

On the bike I tried to ride in low gear to get the legs warmed up and tied in. When I tried to put on my second shoe the lace flipped out so I had to cycle the 20k without the laces – not a real problem. Right from the start I felt that I can’t cycle a hard 20k. I just don’t have the power in my legs to go out hard on the bike. Two guys passed me and I didn’t respond. It just didn’t feel right.

At the turnaround point in Blessington I was roughly in 15 place. I didn’t try to get the other guys as I didn’t had the power. The course is tough so I decided to hold on and wait for the bike. I always finished in the Top 10 so my main goal was to get a place in there again. I was confident to catch some guys on the last run.

Shortly before I entered transition zone I got caught by a group of 20-25 guys. Sunday group ride or what? I was shocked. I never saw such a bunch of drafters in a race in Ireland. As they were flying by I got passed out by some guys of that peloton. Couldn’t really respond and was pissed of big time. Another argument that ties me into that running thing even more.

Pissed of as I was I went out on the last run and just tried to run as hard as I could. I was worn out so the last lap was a hard one.

Overall it was nice to get a race in and Duathlon is definitely good fun. A tough, but exciting sport. With better bike legs I wouldn’t got into the trouble with the peloton people so I have to blame me first before I go back to them.

Click HERE for Ed Byrne´s Racereport on Irish Triathlon
Picture Galerie by Brian Crinion

Sky News is making the background noise. Brother Colm and I are reading the paper. It’s Saturday Morning 10 o’clock and it is cold. Cold for Kenyans.

Someone is knocking at the door. It is Isaac. He tells Brother Colm that he and his training comrades are not ready yet. It is too cold, too misty. There is no such think like hectic in this place. Colm walks back and continues to read the daily paper. No stress at all. If they don’t start at 10, they start at 11. Where’s the problem?

We read on, and after some discussions on politics, football and training, Isaac comes back to tell Brother Colm that they would start now. We get the jeep ready. The roads are still a bit muddy around St. Patricks High School. As we drive slowly through the school complex, we see the boys warming up. In slow pace John Kemboi, Augustine Choge, Isaac Songok and Raymond Choge are jogging around the grass football pitch. It’s still misty and, for Kenya, kind of chilly. There is no rush. Brother Colm stops the jeep and we are watching the lads warming up. It’s quiet this morning and there is not much talking. The Kenyans look very concentrated and focused. They face a 45 minutes speed session around Iten.

“Which route do we take”, I ask Brother Colm. “I don’t know. They will decide during the run.” It is that mixture of guidance and let loose that makes training so special around that place. Brother Colm makes no restrictions. He knows how to approach the psyche of a Kenyan runner. He already proved it numerous times and he still is. I quietly observe, fascinated by the calm and focused atmosphere.

After 20 minutes of light jogging on grass the group is ready. Brother Colm shortly speaks to the boys and cracks some jokes. He outlines what he expects from the workout and leaves the boys with a warm smile.

The group starts slowly. We start the jeep and the stopwatch. For the first kilometres the tempo remains easy. While we head out of Iten, the tempo slightly increases. Colm is looking forward to see how Raymond is performing in the group. He looks strong. The group stays together and the tempo keeps increasing.

There is no such thing as running on the flat around Iten. The hilly terrain makes training challenging. Au gustineis leading the group. He is powering up a hill and is still increasing the tempo. As Brother Colm is watching the splits and talking about every single runner like it his kid, I am fascinated by the strides and the power of the runners. The only “non world class runner” in the group, Raymond, looks strong. Colm and I are happy to see him in such a shape. Colm is glad he can stay with them. The intention for him was to give him confidence in his own strength by staying with some experienced athletes. He is doing really well.

On a short steep climb Isaac looses the contact to the group. Brother Colm says he is still missing a bit of fitness after the Christmas break. No problem. He stays in the back of the group, just a few metres behind. “He´ll have closed the gap on the next flat section”, Colm says, although he is still struggling. We overtake him with the jeep to follow the other three guys. The kilometer splits hover constantly under 3:30 on extremely hilly terrain. Some splits are passed in close to 3 minutes per kilometer – at 2,500 metres altitude. Fascinating.

As we come closer to the end of the session, Augustine is increasing the tempo again. “He loves hills.”, Colm notes as he splits the group in pieces on a long uphill stretch. The other two guys can’t follow. I tell Colm the time. 45 minutes on the dot. He hits the horn and the boys stride out immediately. John and Augustine are shaking hands. Raymond runs towards the two and receives a respectful welcome. He can be happy with his run. Staying with those boys is not an easy task.

We pick up some people beside the road. They are happy to get a free lift into Iten.
I’m looking back. No sign of Isaac. We move on. The boys are striding easy and steady into town.

As we stop beside the market square, the lads are running towards St. Patrick’s School. Another workout is over. We drive on. Down the street we see three wazungu running. Brother Colm stops the car at the junction to see who it is. Stefano Baldini is passing by with two fellow Italians. They are waving as they stroll up the street. We instead are finished for the day. Back to the daily paper.

article for mzungo.org

The clouds are moving slow – so are we. It is early in the morning and there is not much conversation at this time of the day.

We lace up our muddy runners and walk the dry and lonely dirt road up to the main junction beside the police station. We meet Tarus, Sam and some other runner. Handshakes and tired smiles. The roads starting to get lively. Iten is getting busy again.

A bunch of guys already finished their morning routine and are just lining up for a bit of light stretching across the street. Italians would sit in a in a cafe and have their daily espresso. Runners in Kenya are stretching and checking out other runners. It is more about chatting and absorbing the early morning activities than taking care of the stressed muscles.

“Puuuhhh – It is cold” Sam shouts as he rubs his body and starts to move his legs. We slowly move on towards the clay road. The pace is easy and after a short chat, silence returns. Our little group is jogging on towards the sun. It is getting warmer but the pace remains easy. No one is talking. Still silence – beautiful.

“How are you – how are you…” the kids beside the road are shouting and waving. Fat mzungu is passing by and it is the highlight for the kids. School starts today and the uniformed pupils are on their way. Some are running with us for a few metres and some are just watching and wondering. The peaceful mix of soft wind and the intensity of the light make a 60 minute morning jog in the kenyan highlands something extraordinary.

A solo running mzungu, Koen Raymaekers, a Dutch 2:12 guy, turns right towards Eldoret. We turn around, back home for breakfast and a bit of stretching beside the junction.

article for mzungo.org