Training seems to be easy these days. Im happy with this week. Got solid 106k in with 6 runs.

The last couple of weeks i join Rathfarnham AC on tuesdays for their weekly 2k interval session in bushy park. since weeks i run with them and the workout is a good little weekly review and check of how the form is progressing. when i started to run with the lads my form was weak. nowadays the workout seems to really smooth and i can handle the pace and speed good. thats a brilliant feedback and motivation as im running with a bunch of 2:40-2:50 marathoners. thats gives me real confidence in my training and in the way leading to NYC.

another main point in my training regime these days is a 100 to 110 minutes longish run in corcaigh demesne park every wednesday night. this week i was pretty fatigued and the weather was everything but motivating. on that run i think i really explored 14 different types of rain. the route is on grass and i was really happy with that run because i forced myself the whole time to run slow. it worked out and the time flew buy. legs felt really relaxed afterwards.

coach uli gave me a tough workout for thursday. the first tempo run in my marathon preperation: 30 minutes tempo run. here again i was hitting the target. didnt went out to fast and concentrated on stride and body. workout went well.

saturday was the weekly long run day. as i was over in germany for a wedding i had to get my long run in on saturday morning. i didnt want to rush things so i started my run early. this time i got a light breakfast in and went out. it was a windy but beautiful morning. the legs felt amazingly (and for me surprisingly) good. I ran from my hometown through the forrests to our neighbourhood village and ran the course of the heuchelberglauf (a nice regional hill race). it is a 11,7k loop on forrest roads. i ran the loop twice and after a little drink and gel stop at the local bakery i ran home with a nice progression for the last hour. full run was 2:45h.

sunday was planned to be a rest day. i couldnt really rest as i was playing tennis early in the morning then went for a little swim in the local pool and after that i could resist to play football with the lads.

Week 36 – 2009
Total 106k. – 6 runs
9 Weeks to NYC Marathon
Monday – easy 14k.
Tuesday – 2K repeats 17k.
Wednesday – easy long 19k.
Thursday – pace run 15k.
Friday – easy 6k.
Saturday – long run 35k.
Sunday – rest day XT tennis, swim, football

Last two weeks have been fairly busy.

I was travelling a good bit around Scotland, England and Ireland. Despite the travel i found enough time to get satisfying training runs in.

Had a really great long run last weekend, which i started at 9pm in Carlisle. I found a nice loop around the scenic castle. I felt amazing and the time flew by. I’m a night-owl, that’s for sure.

The final result was 88 kilometres with 6 runs. Not bad despite the lack of time.

Week 35 was the first week since months where i got a total of 100 kilometres in. In fact that i had one of the worst runs since months as well. I completely bonked on my Sunday long run in phoenix park.

I had no energy in the tank. The whole failure was my mistake, as i was getting a very, very light breakfast in before the run (1 X coffee plus 1 X mars-bite). I stopped after 120 minutes went home and slept for 3 hours. To get additional mileage in i went out for a 45 minutes jog around Donadea Forrest Park in the evening.

Now i face another week of NYC preparation. Overall i feel good and i slightly try to increase the mileage.

Now
me and my Adidas do the illest things
we like to stomp out pimps with diamond rings
we slay all suckers who perpetrate
and lay down law from state to state
we travel on gravel, dirt road or street
I wear my Adidas when I rock the beat
on stage front page every show I go
it’s Adidas on my feet high top or low
My Adidas..
My Adidas..

Thanks to cliffi for some serious 3 stripes!

Performance, it’s the name of the game!

This one was for the “Write Off” section again. Overall a bad race for me. The only positive thing was that i didn´t quit. I was thinking of it from mile 2 to 5.

Mentally and body wise i´m not up to speed. I knew that i wouldn´t PB in this one but a 01:03:32 is worser than i expected.

It was tough but i never really got out of the “comfort zone”, never really got the whole thing rolling, never was relaxed. The flu shocked my body more than i thought. Even mentally i wasn´t there. Just jogged the thing home at end.

Now it´s heads up and work hard to get back in shape. I don´t need performances like this.

Thanks to Darren and Racepix365.com for capturing that jog 😉

Had a good session yesterday evening. Rathfarnham WSAF Athletic Club has a nice group of marathon runners / Triathletes lined up in Bushy Park on Tuesday. The lads are running 2k intervals in marathon / half-marathon pace with 90 seconds rest in between. The loop is mainly on grass and the boys are really fit.

As I wasn’t training last week I struggled a bit. I decided to just hang in the group and don’t push too hard. In the last intervals both calf’s tended to cramp. I really have to take in some Magnesium, as cramps became a serious issue in the last weeks of training.

After all It’s really good to run in a group. Ill definitely try to make this session every Tuesday from now on.

This Saturday is race day again with the Frank Duffy 10 Miler in Phoenix Park. After being out sick I’ll just race that with any big expectations. The weather should be fine so I’m looking forward to get a nice hard jog around the park.

A week without running stopped this Saturday. I was signed up for the “Future Streets of Galway 8 k”. I wasn’t running for a week but I head down because some friends went to Galway aswell.

I decided to jog the race with a friend. The weather was perfect so it was really worth it to get the shoes on. It’s a brilliant race and again it was sold out this year. 2.500 people made their way through Galway City.

I was pacing Karole and she did a class job running a low 42 on that wavy course.

Sunday morning I jogged easy 30 minutes along the scenic Shannon.

The flu is gone so next week I’m back into my “NYC preparation” mode. 12 weeks to go!

Not really! But no running since 5 days…

That´s not what i expect from a serious NYC build-up!

No running means more time in the beloved www. These days i was surfing the net and found a classic training clip again.

One of my favourite training movies from the KIMbia guys. Boaz Cheboiywo and James Carney celebrate the training tune up with style.