All That Glitters Isn't {Kerry}Gold

"Solider blue in the barren wastes hunting and killing's a game raping the women and wasting the men the only good Indians are tame selling them whiskey and taking their gold enslaving the young and destroying the old, run to the hills run for your lives run to the hills run for your lives"

Run To The Hills-Iron Maiden

The last of the 70 degrees days maybe, a missed training run and a plot twist Stephen King would've been feckin' proud of........seldom a dull moment in Kevinrunningfree..............

Monday October 20th Frankly Mondays Easy 5 miler should've been brought to ye by Lipton's Iced Tea......why ye ask?......cos it was feckin' Brisk out there!!!!! feck me all I needed was my umbrella  and I could've lived out my Mary Poppins fantasy and flown the course!!!!!

66 degrees and 41% humidity was fair but dear lord the wind was something savage when I set off just gone 2pm,in a week when I had a race waiting for me on Sunday there was a sense of " keep the powder dry" outside of the tempo run and race its self so opening in 8.43 felt about right, mile 2 was 9.02 as the hills on Sedgley and Lemon Hill drives kicked in, as I made the turn around I saw 22.25..........

9.24 for mile 3 again I was happy out w/ easy pace but something seemed to kick in over the final 2 miles, 8.44 for mile 4 b4 a 8.13 finale......44.07.1 off 8.49 mile pace but a negative split, out in 22.25 back in 21.42, was there a tailwind in the final 2 miles down Lemon Hill Dr,Sedgley Dr and  up Kelly Dr  to the Ben Franklin Parkway? maybe......

Tuesday October 21st Ah the untimed run.....perhaps my favourite run of the week when I don't have to worry about time, speed and pace and just enjoy the run period but today might've been  the final day we see temps in the 70's it was 70 degrees and sunny and 31% humidity so what better way to enjoy it that than being able to run w/out having to focus on the pesky auld garmin

Of course one drawback of a run like that is not paying attention to key components a la knee lift  and leg turnover and just b4 mile 4 on the opposite side of Kelly Dr from the Art Museum I managed to clip the uneven part of a broken piece of paving and almost went arse over it again......thankfully thanks to ones catlike reflexes I stayed upright but it was another harsh reminder that it only takes a split second for it all to come crashing down around ones ears if ye aren't careful........

Thursday October 23rd Maybe there's more Gypsy Blood in me than I let on?........for the last two weeks I've been saying the last of the good weather days were coming to an end.....ok so ye don't need a degree in Science to work that out in mid to late October but I also said at the end of my blog last week that in order to reach another month of triple digit mileage I would need the weather and work to play ball......and on Wednesday work threw me a curve ball that meant no lunch and no run.....shur it happens when it does I say "my training schedule has to fit around work not the other way round" so ney point throwin' the toys out of the pram or spiitin' the dummy out.........however that said since I was now heading up to New York City on Friday lunchtime there would be no chance to make up that lost 5 miles.......#thirdworldproblems and #worsethingshappenatsea ........as my former coach once said " you can't chase lost miles" so now my bigger issue what to do re the type of run as it was either a tempo run or easy/recovery run.......or maybe I could channel my "Inner Barbie" and have everything........

Opted for a hybrid tempo run but on the hills, what the fuck one final balls out 5 miler out and back on the Schuylkill River Trail wasn't going to effect how Sundays race goes but another  six hills would be useful and at a quicker pace than I've been doing them

At 60 degrees this could also be the swansong of my sleeveless running vests for  awhile  as next weeks forecast has temps of:59-57-58-60 but rain and 58

A lively enough opener in 8.28 b4 dropping down to 8.42 which ends after the uphills of Sedgley & Lemon Hill Drives 21.26 at the turn almost a full minute up on Monday, stick or twist ? shit or bust.......

8.40 at mile 3 b4 dropping an 8.12 split at mile 4,no point backin' off now shur and threw in a final mile of 7.21 to not only log a 41.24.8 time and course record.......but  also another negative split out in 21.26 back in 19.58........the Three S's Speed,Strength and Stamina all present and correct heading into Sunday.....

Sunday October 24th If it's Race Season then that means the alarm is going off at Silly O Clock......5.45am this morning, file under " the things I do for the things I love" which also applies to getting to bed at 3am Saturday morning upon my return from NYC as I was one of the fortunate few selected to attend a Rolling Stone interview w/ the one and only Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine at Cherry Street Theater Friday evening #TheQueenIsBack......

Out to Radnor by 7.25am for an 8.30am start it was sunny but brisk probably 47 degrees so I opted for my Ireland 3/4 length running tights under my Ireland running shorts and a long sleeve running shirt but w/ the sleeves rolled up come race time under my Palestine running vest

Unlike my debut here three years ago this time I knew what to expect from the course so I got out to a comfortable start and went through the opening mile in 7.50, pre race the mindset was that 40 mins would get me on the podium so 5 times 8 min miles equals  40................. 7.08 for mile 2 which I'm sure ye can workout was downhill unlike the opening mile......unlike 2022 I knew what to expect from mile 3 this year so I knew I'd be giving something back so wasn't surprised to see 8.23 on Hal

8.00 flat for mile 4 suddenly the prospect of sub 40 was real and given my hill work over the last few weeks coupled w/ tempo runs I felt I had fuel to burn in the final mile, as the great Carl Lewis once said and I quote"I just wanted to know I left it all out there"..........7.18 for the final mile as I crossed the finish line in 38.40.7 off 7.41 mile pace.........however my euphoria was short lived.........

In 2022 the 60-69 podium went:38.27.3-38.31.0-40.10.3 in 2023 it went:38.33.8-40.05.8-40.54.21 and in 2024 it went:38.36.4-41.26.0-41.50.0 based on that data my 38.40.7 would've gotten me 3rd in 22, and a close 2nd in 23 and 24.........5th today..............

I'm gobsmacked not only not even close to the podium in a respectable time, the winning time was 33.41.1 which is fair moving on this course at any age let alone 60-69,second was 35.03.3, third was 35.59.2.....if I'm salty spare a thought for yer man in 4th who crossed the line in 36.40.5 a time that would've won him  the last three years only to discover he finished 4th........

I'd like to think I don't take podium finishes as a given, I train hard and put the work in but in 8 races this year I've only seen the podium 3 times 3rd at the Cupid's Chase 5k, 3rd at the Hot Chocolate 15k and 1st at the Freedom 10k this one is going to take a while to process.....thankfully there's another race next Sunday at the  Bridge Run 10k to try and get over todays disappointment, rest assured I'll be taking no prisoners in training this week........

 

Easy Tiger........But Eyes On The Prize

 "Give me your kings let me squeeze them in my hands, your puny princes your so called leaders of your land, I'll eat them whole before I'm done the battle's fought and the game is won I am the one, the only one I am the god of kingdom come gimme the prize, just gimme the prize"

Gimme The Prize-Queen

A so so week in training having made peace w/ not pursuing the Philadelphia Marathon time to embrace the here and now and getting ready for  Fall Road Race Season.........

Tuesday October 14th Having gotten spoiled last week running a rare Monday thro Thursday rotation it was perhaps inevitable this week there'd be  a day I couldn't get out and run.......turned out to be Monday, however when life gives ye Lemons ye should make  Lemonade and I took full advantage of a three day mini brake which was as good physically as it was mentally

I shaved 2 100ths of a second off my previous 5 mile recovery run on Thursday w/ a 43.11.1 off 8.37 mile pace thanks to splits of:9.02-8.42-8.44-8.33-8.09,would've been  grand if miles 2 and 3  been the other way around then I would have had 5 miles that got progressively quicker.......then again I'm not Barbie and I can't  have everything!!!!!

After three days of feckin' rain  and gray skies it was nice to see the sun again even if the humidity was higher than the temperature 65 degrees 68% humidity

Wednesday October 15th Fuck sake we're half way through the month already, feckin' month  has flown by! an untimed 5 miles today........possibly my favourite run of the week as I don't have to worry about speed, pace, mile splits etc kinda nice to just run on auto pilot if ye like

69 degrees and 52% humidity......were it not for the rain on Monday this would've been my Tempo run......but knowing what was coming down the tracks weather wise tomorrow I wasn't too upset.........

Thursday October 16th I know close only counts in a game of Horseshoes but feck me  today was awful close to a PR!!!!!!!

62 degrees but a mere 22% humidity to quote Budgie  star of the upcoming single by The 2 Johnnies  "The Auld Lad In The Pub" "unbelievable like, ye'd  get that fuckin' nowhere!!!!", for all my considerable bollixin' about the weather{ tis an Irish thing, shur we love to complain about the feckin' weather!!} today was as close to idyllic conditions period,much less in the back half of October

39.21.5 off 7.46 mile pace, three seconds slower than I ran  on October 1st, glass half full anything that's sub 40 is always welcome, glass half empty the last mile just got away from me my splits were:7.52-7.42-7.44-7.58-8.05 so I'll be working on that in the coming weeks

Given my recent " defection" to Ben  Franklin Parkway,Kelly Dr,Sedgley Dr and Lemon Hill Dr for the hills for my upcoming  races it was nice to get back to the Schuylkill River Trail, it's pancake flat and miles 2 thro 4 are uninterrupted  ideal for the tempo run

Friday October 17th It's gotten to the point where the Pagan gods don't even bat an eyelid when I'm out running on a Friday anymore.....just sit and nod at each other thinking " we knew ye'd be back out there on the Pagan Sabbath ye Fenian bastard!!!!"

Another glorious day weather wise 64 degrees  and 30% humidity, I know these days can't last forever so I try to cherish them while they last, won't be that long now b4  I'm bitchin' about the cold!

44.29.1 off 8.54 mile pace, a recovery run that wasn't that much slower than my easy run 1.18 for those of ye so inclined to look these things up........

Sunday October 19th For the first time in weeks/months the unbearable weight of needing a long run for a potential Marathon wasn't hanging over me, I will say since I made the decision not to run the Philly Marathon in  5 weeks time I have felt unburdened  by that, it's allowing me to focus on the upcoming races period w/out having to keep one eye on the marathon and since I now can't get into either the half marathon or the 8k that weekend as for the second year in a row all three races have sold out and the Penn Relays 5k now clashes w/ the Rocky Run on November 8th and not the 15th I'm only looking at three weekends in a row of races not five b4 a weekend off over Thanksgiving b4 the season finale Schuylkill River Loop this year restored to an actual loop and not an out and back as it has been for the last two years

I was maybe over ambitious thinking I could run 14 miles today, I have to go back to August 30th for my  last successful long run at 12 miles, the 14 miler I ran on Sept 14th was a little stop/start over the final 4 miles  and my failures over 16 miles have been well documented here in recent weeks, ergo the decision not to pursue a marathon right now

When I reached mile 5 of my run approaching the Mann Music Center in Fairmount Park I kinda knew I didn't have it to go 14 miles so I turned around and headed back the way I came hoping for a minimum of 10 miles.......#Notions....

Having gone out at a reasonable pace of 8.35-8.51-8.38-8.43-9.03-8.58 for the opening 6 miles I was a little alarmed when mile 7 ballooned up to 9.12 and when I saw 9.36 for mile 8 I said feck it, no point grinding out two slow arsed miles to round up to 10 and  called it a day at mile 8

1.10.16 off 8.57 mile.......of course it's the feckin' weekend and the temps went up....75 degrees and 57% humidity.........

28 miles for the week, 68 for the month, a potential 25 miles on tap this coming week would leave me at 93 miles going into the final week of October w/ a potential{weather and work permitting} 20 miles to finish October at 113 miles all food for thought but right now this coming week the focus is getting ready for next Sunday and the Radnor Run.

Pullin' The Plug....But Seeing Things Clearly

 "I think I can make it now, the pain is gone all of the bad feelings have disappeared,here is the rainbow I've been praying for it's gonna be a bright, bright  sun-shiny day look all around there's nothin' but blue skies look straight ahead,nothin' but blue skies I can see clearly now, the rain is gone I can see obstacles in my way, gone are the dark clouds that made me blind,it's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day"

I Can See Clearly Now-Hothouse Flowers

A landmark week for yours truly, as the auld saying goes " sit on the fence long enough all ye'll get is splinters in the hole".......and who wants that?????

Monday October 6th Off the back of Sundays blown long run the last thing I needed was more aggravation,off the back of a fraught morning at work that didn't need to be that bad my Easy 5 mile run ended up becoming an untimed run......

I think it was trying to cross 16th and JFK Blvd an intersection I seldom get across w/out having to stop that was the culprit, I thought.....infact I know I hit the  reset button but for some reason it didn't reset......by the time I reached 22nd and the Parkway and had to wait out the red light I realized Hal the little Bollix Garmin  wasn't recording the run........I know I pick on Hal almost on a weekly basis in my blog but this one has to go down  to "human error" I didn't look at the Garmin after restarting my run, if I had've I would have seen  it wasn't recording the run, by this time a fair chunk of he opening mile hadn't been recorded, rather than try and " patch it in" and eyeball/guess the distance I said the short version of the Serenity Prayer "Dear God, please grant me the serenity......ahh fuck it!!!" and decided today would be the untimed run and tomorrow would be my easy run, I believe the Marine Corp mantra is " we don't plan, we improvise"......

Tuesday October 7th From one mantra to another, the auld Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared" and since my next race is the Radnor Run on  October 26th and I know from my previous experience in 2022 ye'd want to be part shaggin' Kerry Mountain Goat to tackle those hills I thought it high time to switch up my runs on Kelly Dr, W.River Dr/MLK Dr which while great craic and all that are pancake flat to incorporate some hills so I opted for the North boundside of the Ben Franklin Parkway which takes me past the Art Museum and down to Lloyd Hall where dead opposite is Sedgely Drive which branches into Lemon Hill Drive it works out at 6 hills as Kelly Dr back up to the Art Museum is up hill, it's better than nothing

44.21.9 off 8.52 mile pace not a bad start, hopefully over the coming weeks it gets quicker and I get more and more hills into my legs b4 tacking the Radnor Run

Wednesday October 8th While hills are essential so is raw speed so the lung bustin' gut wrenchin' 5 mile Tempo run will continue to be a staple of my weekly routine

Sadly not the sub 40 that last week yielded but none the less a satisfactory 40.53.8 off 8.10 mile pace,opening in 8.37 which has to allow for several intersections between 16th St and 24th I hit my stride on the Schuylkill River Trail and clocked splits of 8.09 and 8.08, b4 starting to " suck air" on mile 4 but a  still respectable split of 8.24

For the first time in a while on a run{ this is only the second Tempo run in recent months} I could feel knee lift and leg turnover in the final mile, this is very welcome because it tells me the fast twitch muscles  are still responsive when I need them to be,I know the focus has been on distance of late but the next three races are 5 miles, 10k and 5k. closing mile was 7.56, as the saying goes " what's for you won't pass you by I still feel there are some reasonable times to be had over the shorter distances

Thursday October 9th Been a feckin' minute since I've managed a Monday thro Thursday routine..... I won't get used to it as I'm shur next week or the week/weeks after will  be all over the place like Chicken shit on a farm, but livin' in the moment it was nice.....almost as nice as a Recovery run the day after the auld Tempo run.........

Same route as Tuesday, Ben Franklin Parkway, Kelly Dr, Sedgley Dr,Lemon Hill Dr and back on a crisp afternoon, 63 degrees and 37% humidity the question was sleeveless or short sleeves?......I went sleeveless but it's only a matter of time b4 the short sleeves come out and I start routin' and bollixin' for long sleeves, October is that kind of month where ye never truly know what ye'r gonna get w/ the weather and having  established I still hold onto my Boy Scout core values all these years after the fact I like to be prepared, I don't want to miss a run because I didn't put the right running gear in my backpack the night b4

Shaved 70 seconds off of Tuesdays time w/ a 43.11.3 off 8.28 pace, it'll be interesting the next two weeks in the lead up to Radnor how much quicker my hill runs are......but also how much cooler the temps are as we get deeper into October.....

And now for the show stopper, after some careful consideration and soul searching on my part{ yes there is  soul still in there somewhere deep below all the cynicism!!!} I have decided NOT to run the Philadelphia Marathon next month, it wasn't an easy decision to make but the truth is  having struggled in my last two attempts to log a 16 miler and lest we gloss over the grind that was the final 4 miles of a 14 miler a week b4 the Distance Run  4 weeks ago it became obvious right now I don't have what it takes to attempt 26.2 miles in 6 weeks time.

I don't want a repeat of last year in Dublin where I knew I didn't have the miles under my belt and had to endure a long slow slog over the final 16 miles after a relatively comfortable opening 10 miles, time is against me, I didn't get out this weekend as I knew Sunday wasn't an option and ......stop me if ye've read this here b4 " the feckin' humidity was off the charts yesterday" at 1pm it was 80% plus.....feck that I'm shit sick of coming up short on these long runs, I would rather hold my hand up now and say I don't have in me to run 26.2 than fall on my arse again like I did in Dublin

It's frustrating on several levels,none more so than the fact that the only reason it was an option was it's the 40th anniversary of my marathon debut in Harrow in Essex just outside London way back on November 3rd 1985 but reality has to come b4  nostalgia and the reality is even IF I got a 16 miler under my belt next Sunday the following three weekends are races which would then leave the weekend b4 the Marathon to attempt an 18 miler or 20 miler.....too risky for my anemic blood ye can bluff yer way through 5k,10k,10 miles even a half marathon......but if ye don't put the miles in for a marathon it will trust me, chew ye up and spit ye out so for that reason I have opted to " swipe left"on the Philadelphia Marathon.

Is this the end of my marathon hopes and dreams?.......I don't think so what I don't want to do is make big cacophonous statements here that "I'm done w/ the Marathon" only to turn around sometime next year and announce "I'm training for the{insert city here} Marathon, lets let the dust settle on this decision, finish out the 2025 season and hopefully continue to train on a weekly basis like I have been, the Love Run half marathon is at the end of March next year I'll use that as motivation thro the Winter months and see where we go from there......

Runnin' Into Muddy Waters

 "The Gypsy woman told my mother before I was born you got a  boy child comin' he's gonna be a son of a gun he's gonna make pretty women's jump and shout then the world wanna  know what this all about but you know I'm him everybody knows I'm him well you know I'm the hoochie coochie man everybody knows I'm him"

I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man-Muddy Waters

Another triple digit month, seasons best/pr Tempo run and blown long run.......never let it be said my weekly recaps are dull.........

Tuesday Sept 30th Another Monday  I didn't run.....not due to the office gobshite callin' out{he waited till Tuesday to pull that stunt!} but due to my stomach bothering me.......I questioned if that was responsible for Sundays blown long run?........

Since Tuesday is my untimed run I opted for an out and back on W.River Dr/MLK Dr, as I came into this run on #105 miles for the month technically I only needed a mile to eclipse August's total of #105 but who the feck is going to all the trouble of getting changed into running gear, stretching and going out for a mile?.....not me!

I said last month when I finally ended an  18 month drought of not being able to register triple digit monthly mileage that if I didn't follow it up w/ another triple digit mileage month then all my efforts wouldn't mean as much so to not only register triple digits again but also log 5 extra miles is quite pleasing, in 2023 I logged #103 in August and #100 in September, nice to know two years older I'm going further than I did

Wednesday October 1st No easing myself gently into the new monthly, a seasons best/pr for the 5 mile Tempo run.......start as ye mean to goon bai!!!!!!

I have a love/hate relationship w/ the Tempo run, it's a lung buster but in the general scheme of things a necessary evil like my interval workouts on the track were, back then it was to aid my 800m,1,500m times now it's to get the best out of the shorter races,my next three races are 5 miles, 10k and 5k so not to go all Tom Cruise/Maverick in Top Gun but "I feel the need for Speed"

My opening Tempo run was rough as I hadn't done one in months and my pace looks like a feckin" EKG chart,last week the 88% humidity crippled me so was it to be " third time's a charm".....or another hammes of things?????

Conditions were in my favour at least 70 degrees and 34% humidity,now to get the pace right......8.01 for the opener,brisk but w/ back to back triple digit mileage months I hoped I'd built up enough strength to counter such a fast opening mile

7.43 for mile 2 along  the  Schuylkill River Trail, unlike from 16th St across Market St, JFK Blvd and up the Ben Franklin Parkway to 24th Street where I have to slow down and or stop to cross intersections not to mention weave in and out of pedestrians who aren't aware this is a Tempo run and even if they  were would probably still adopt the " go around me " mentality on the Schuylkill River Trail, Kelly Drive,W.River Dr/MLK Dr I get a clear run hence forth the quicker split

7.44 at mile 3 but I was aware Hal the little Bollix Garmin was up to his auld tricks.........I swear to christ that little fecker is angling for his own blog cos  he gets mentioned every feckin' week in mine!!!!, I felt mile 2 came up a tad early on the Garmin compared to where on the actual trail it should and to underline that  2.5 came up 10 clicks early on it so when I turned at my usual  halfway point it said 2.60, rather than piss ball around I figured run till the Garmin said 5.10 which lo and behold was the entrance to Suburban Station on 16th St.....where the 5 miles end on a day when Hal  isn't being a little bollix!!!!

7.27 for mile 4......take that Hal ya little bollix, there's no way I ran a 7.27 mile.....much less  off the back of 7.43-7.44  splits 7.47 for mile 5 but I had to tack on another.10 to have an accurate 5 miles which came up as 36 seconds.......39.18.7 off 7.42 mile pace, in spite of all of Hal's shenanigans a sub 40  5 miler, now granted this is a course record as my EKG chart Tempo run 2 weeks ago was 41.18.6 and on the auld Kelly Drive route I clocked 40.26.3 back in early April so I will count this as a PR,how much more I can shave off 39.18.7/7.42 mile pace in the coming weeks remains to be seen

Thursday October 2nd, nothing better the day after a lung bustin' Tempo run  than knowing it's just about the miles today

I opted for the Schuylkill River Trail again even though I wasn't chasing a time, I wanted to see if Hal was still acting up,once again splits came up early so yet again I had to tack on .10 at the end of the run to finish where I normally finish at the end of 5 miles, I clocked 44.28.2 off 8.40 mile pace, it feels pointless recording mile splits because I know they are off

Another day of 70 degrees temps and 34% humidity......however  the mercury and humidity were beginning to rise just in time to bollix my weekend plans, I swear after my cage match w/ Hal the little Bollix Garmin me and Mother Nature are about to step into a steel cage for a Winner Takes All, no holds barred, Pay Per View throw down..........

Friday October 3rd  Since I missed Mondays run and I have an eye on back to back to back triple digit mileage months I felt compelled to go out today.....on the Pagan Sabbath no less and log another 5 miles,since work didn't afford me the luxury  of having time to recalibrate  Hal either post run Wednesday or Thursday I figured stay on the Schuylkill River Trail to see if he was still actin' the bollix.....he was but not as badly as the last two days, however those splits or the points where the spits came up were still completely different to the splits and points he originally gave me the first time I used him to measure out a 5 miler out and back  route earlier this summer......he is either a pathological liar or a little bollix......perhaps both!

44.14.4 off 8.44 mile pace, it was 72 degrees but 44% humidity and while the weather people on the local news seemed quite giddy about the prospect of " unseasonably high temps" this weekend I wasn't .......and  in hindsight w/ good reason........

Sunday October 5th Stop me if ye've read this b4 here but I had to wait till lunchtime to attempt my long run due to how high the humidity was in the morning,at 8am the humidity was in the mid 80s and as was painfully proven two weeks ago at PDR at 7.30am when it was a crisp 65 degrees  it was 85% humidity and ye saw how that ended up for me so yet again I waited till 1pm when it was 41% humidity.....however  by now the temps had risen to 81 degrees, damned if ye do, damned if ye don't anyone????

9.00 for the opening mile right where I'd want to be at 9 min mile pace, I opened in 8.55 last week b4 the wheels came off.......

8.19 for mile 2 which begins w/ a massive downhill off the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge last week my split was 9.13 so I knew I was in trouble this week I felt things were tickin' a long nicely,,,,,,even if my Cork sleeveless running shirt was already heavy w/ sweat  at only mile 2.....{ this is the point in the movie the ominous feckin' music starts up......} 

8.53 at mile at mile 3  still where I'd want to be  at sub 9/9 min mile pace.........

9.08 at mile 4 I was starting to feel it, let's go back  5 weeks ago when I ran my 12 miler I logged the opening  10 miles all in sub min 9 pace, that day it was 70 degrees and 40% humidity, I feel that's  the quintessential " proof in the pudding is in the tasting"

Now I've been doing this long enough to know there are " rough patches" in a long run.......but I've also being doing this long enough to know when it is or isn't going to be your day.....at 4.25 I exited the Schuylkill River Trail and made a bee line for Mantua Avenue and Powelton Ave to take the shortest route home.....

10.22 for mile 5 to use a time honoured  expression  the auld fella used more than once in his short but eventful time on the planet" fuckin bollix, wrap up!!!"  I did the 2.5 mile "walk of shame home via Powelton Ave.....another blown long run

45.42,4 off 9.09 mile pace.....far from earth shattering I know,now comes the self doubt/ self examination that come w/ back to back blown long runs, am I deluding myself to think in 7 weeks time I can run a 26.2 marathon when I can't complete a 16 miler? is it time to bin any marathon aspirations I have? was Dublin last year an outlier or do I just not have it over the longer distance anymore? is it just dumb fuckin' luck the last two weekend have been  unseasonably warm and humid?  or do I hang in there another couple of weeks  and try again next weekend and the weekend after b4 saying no it isn't on the cards?

As we're into the Post Season of Major League Baseball here I'll end on a classic baseball analogy if next weekends third attempt at 16 miles goes tits up that's the classic " three strikes and you're out"......I shall spend the upcoming week praying to the Running Gods and Weather Gods for a fair crack of the whip.....all the while keeping one eye out for a rotund female opera singer doing her vocal warm ups........

All Change At Crewe

 "Queen of South Beach, aging blues dinners at six, wear your cement shoes I thought you were singing your heart out to me, your lips were syncing and now I see, a change a change would do you good I think a change would do you good"

A Change Would Do You Good-Sheryl Crow

Another triple digit mileage month but a blown tempo run and blown long run also.......hopefully the last hurrah of the year for the feckin' humidity, come along for the ride as I attempt to make sense of the last seven days........

Monday Sept 22nd A recovery run  hard on the heals of Sundays PDR 1/2 marathon, officially the end of Summer/ start of Fall/Autumn today.....by weeks end I feel Mother Nature had pulled my pants down yet again....but hopefully for the final time this year......

73 degrees and overcast w/ 53% humidity{little did I know this was as good as it was going to get humidity wise all week,,,,,!!!} as I opted for the "road less traveled"  and West River Drive/MLK Drive, which has been off limits below Sweet Briar Drive for over 2.5 years now until the reopening of  Martin Luther King bridge last Friday

It's nice to have a third option now on my lunchtime runs,Schuylkill River Trail down to South St bridge,Kelly Drive to just beyond Girard Avenue bridge and now just beyond the Amtrak bridge the other side of the Schuylkill River on West River Drive

44.01.1 off 8.43 mile pace off splits of:8.11-8.47-8.53-9.15-8.53, if I could've shaved a little off of the 9.15 mile 4 I would've gotten under 44 mins not that that was a pre run goal.....but when ye finish in 44.01 ye tend to think"if only"......or at least I do........the good thing was there were no lingering effects from Sundays half marathon period as I closed in on triple digit mileage for the month the magic number was now 12 miles.........

Tuesday Sept 23rd Ahh the pure unadulterated joy of  an untimed run, pb's and pr's and seasons bests are good craic like but there's something about just being able to go out and run w/out having to worry or focus on speed, pace, splits

85 degrees w/ 55% humidity and the magic number was now 7, the bigger take away from today was my decision to"renew hostilities" w/the hills of the Radnor Run at the end of October, I ran it 3 years ago and recall being grateful to the Kerry DNA in me thanks to "the mother" for the feckin' hills.....shur ye'd want to be part Kerry Mountain Goat to tackle those yokes......in 23 I opted to stay local for the Market Street 5 miler which I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship w/, primarily their refusal to provide a bag check for the runners,I can't always rely on Mrs Shamrock Warrior being w/ me for each race so when the "powers that be" say sorry no bag check it's a problem, in 23 I had to run in baggy shorts w/ pockets for my keys and Septa Key Card, ditch an auld running t shirt b4 the start and since I was sans phone had no idea of the results and had to wait around over an hour after the finish only to discover I was 4th in the 50-59 age group but would've gotten 2nd in the 60-69 age group if it had been another few weeks....... last year on 249 medals and Run For Blue was a week b4 Dublin and that was where I wanted #250 not  the Market St 5 miler and Radnor was the same day as Dublin which is probably why it wasn't originally on my radar this season.....but it is now......better start running up Grays Ferry Avenue bridge  to prepare for those hills over the next few weeks!!!!

Wednesday Sept 24th On a level playing field today was meant to be my Tempo Run......however w/ my upcoming trip to Dublin in 12 weeks time....{yeah I'm counting the weeks.......I've been counting since it was 29 feckin' weeks!!!!!}I'm trying to stockpile my PTO time to cover the trip which meant  no day off after  Bruce Dickinson's show at  The Filmore last nite......trust me at almost 62 I need a day off after a mid week concert, I didn't  have that luxury  where work was concerned so I opted to switch my Tempo and Easy runs, like I always say" it's all well and good having a schedule.....but ye have to allow for flexibility' so easy 5 miles it was

46.12.6 off 9.15 mile pace thanks to splits of: 9.13-9.06-9.25-9.45-8.44 80 degrees and 72% humidity.....and shaggin' rain which required my lightweight Dublin Marathon rain jacket, felt more like Summer than Fall/Autumn  out there........so it was grey and overcast like I said.......shur ye know what's coming........Hal the little bollix Garmin actin' the bollix......

On Monday when I opted to run out and back on West River Drive I made a point of eyeballin' where 2.5 miles was, it was the third street light after the Amtrak bridge, yesterday on my untimed  run that's where I turned......and lo and shaggin' behold when I reached it today  it said 2.37........are ye fuckin' kiddin" me??? I had to continue running till I reached Sweet Briar  Drive for HTLBG to register 2.50....ya little bollix ya!

Despite more shenanigans from Hal, looking and feeling like a drowned rat between the rain, humidity and having to throw on a lightweight rain jacket the magic number was down to 2......maybe if I wasn't balls arsed tired from the night b4 that  might've been something to celebrate......then again "tomorrow's another day!!!!"

Thursday Sept 25th Most, if not all my running posts on Instagram have a music option, the fact I chose the Verve classic "Bitter Sweet Symphony" today shouldn't come as any great surprise{asides from the fact it is a feckin' belter of a tune!!!}

At 87 degrees w/ 88% humidity.......that's correct NOT a typo!!! maybe waiting it out a day was a better option and maybe the lure of reaching triple digit miles today and not tomorrow nudged me to going for the Tempo run rather than waiting it out.......for all my craic about Gypsy Blood I had no way of telling what was  coming down the tracks the following day weather wise.....hindsight as they say is a wonderful thing and I opted to run Thursday, if I knew then what I know now..........but also IF my Aunt had balls, she'd be my Uncle......

8.40 for the opening mile, last weeks opening mile on the Tempo run was a suicidal 8.16 which came back to bite me in the hole so I wasn't overly concerned about it......IF I could maintain 8.40 pace for the next four miles I'd be grand.....

8.41 at mile 2, given it was 87 degrees w/ 88% humidity I had opted for the Schuylkill River Trail for it's proximity to the Schuylkill River and the hope that any breeze coming off the river would help combat the heat and humidity......

9.02 for mile 3 and I was toast, the feckin' heat and humidity had drained me, I wasn't even going to grind through the final 2 miles as I had feck all left in the tank

IF,IF,IF......if Bruce Dickinson hadn't have been Tuesday I could've gone Tempo yesterday in slightly better conditions and just "gone through the motions" today on an Easy run but Bruce Dickinson WAS Tuesday and I elected to switch days so careful what ye ask for I guess......

26.24.8 for a 3 mile Tempo run off 8.48 mile pace, I had " set my stall out"last week to reintroduce the Recovery,Untimed,Tempo,Easy rotation so there's little to no point " throwin' my toys out of the pram" now.....granted on the 3rd full day of Fall/Autumn  who had 88% humidity on their feckin' Bingo card I know I didn't?

#101 miles is not to be sniffed at period,much less 5 days b4 the end of the month however having to curtail a run due to heat and humidity seldom sits well.....it sits less well when the  "Dog Days Of Summer" are in the rear view mirror

Sunday Sept 28th What's the auld adage " when arguing w/ Mother Nature she always gets the final word".....my planned 16 mile long run ended at mile 4 as I never got out of second gear today

Originally the forecast for today had rain ergo why I think I opted to run Thursday not Friday as the prospect of a 5 mile Tempo run Friday followed by a 16 mile long run Saturday didn't seem too appealing, as it turned out Friday was a much nicer day than Thursday AND we didn't get rain today......tis my own shaggin'  fault for putting stock in the weather be it on the local news or my phone

79 degrees and 59% humidity at 1pm......what's the auld Monty Python line" still I was getting used to it by then" just once it would be nice to get up early and knock out or attempt to knock out the long run rather than sit on my hole till lunchtime, it wasn't to be today and a week out from next Sunday it won't be next Sunday either as the humidity levels from 8am thro 1pm read:83%-77%=68%-62%-55%-51%......now alot could change between now and then but I'm struggling to find "silver linings" where Mother Nature and my running conditions are concerned right now.....

8.55 for the opening mile and I was happy w/ that, I didn't want to go off half cocked period, much less when the plan was 16 miles......softly softly catchy monkey......

9.13 for mile 2 and I was a little concerned as the middle part of mile 2 is the downhill of Grays Ferry Avenue bridge, was I just being overly cautious?

9.46 at mile 3 just after the on/off ramp from the South Street bridge on the Schuylkill River Trail.......this ain't my first{or last!} rodeo I knew the further out I went the further back I'd end up walking,one thing about being an auld fart and having done this for almost 50 years ye get a sense of  when it isn't going to be your day.....and today felt exactly like it wasn't  so I turned and began to head back

10.00 at mile 4.......ahh fer fuck sake stick a fork in it!!!!any thoughts of even a 5 miler went out the window w/ a 10.00 mile at mile 4, I know when I'm cooked, my bandana was soaked and so was my Dublin running vest, I called it quits rather than grind through another mile just for the sake of making it 5 miles

W/ 8 weeks to go till the Philly Marathon there's ample time  to get some 16,18,20 mile runs in so no need to hit the panic button just yet, that said the past 8 days have been  a reminder that ye have to enjoy the highs when they happen, cos the lows will hit ye below the belt when you're not expecting them, at least w/ 2 more days in the month I have 105 miles in the books which is what I ran in August, potential for 115 which isn't too shabby,I quote Dolly Parton about as often as I quote the Bible but she once sang "You Can't Have The Rainbow W/out The Rain"......amen to that sister!

Commit,Focus,Believe,Achieve

 "His destiny is not just written in the sand he's got a plan, he's no lucky man ohh Jimmy's winning matches Jimmy's winning matches, Jimmy's winning games Jimmy's winning games, Jimmy's bringing Sammy back to Donegal again"

Jimmy's Winning Matches-Rory & The Islands

Quite the week,  a return to Recovery,Untimed,Tempo and Easy lunchtime runs, my longest week of the year to date, medal#7 of the season, #263 of the career, and a modicum of revenge for last years disaster at PDR.............

Tuesday September 16th Yet another week that began a day late as the powers that be at work haven't replaced the yoke who quit and the yoke they send to cover for him keeps calling out......two Mondays in a row now I've had to work through my lunch period much less miss out on a run

Given the grind I had to go through to complete Sundays 14 miler I was eager to get out onto the Schuylkill River Trail and flush the crap out of my legs.....waiting another day wasn't ideal but ney point  bitchin' about it just shut up and run......I forget what the humidity was but it was only 73 degrees at 2pm as I clocked a semi respectable 46.15.4 off 9.13 mile pace w/ splits of:9.30-9.18-9.17-9.16-8.52 after a sluggish opening mile  felt I got my mojo working and saw each split drop not a bad way to kick off my week

Wednesday September 17th  while a lot of my runs of late have been Untimed it's nice to have at least one run  a week now where I'm not governed by the almighty Garmin, just go out run on feel, feels too slow pick it up, feels too fast back off

As I mentioned in my social media posts on Wednesday this run had a bit of everything, 70 degrees but 75% humidity and rain,I almost opted for the rain jacket pre run but thankfully  didn't follow through w/ as the 75% humidity was brutal and honestly the rain by the time I got onto the Schuylkill River Trail was a welcome relief.....I'm Irish.....well used to running in the rain, tis the feckin' humidity that does me in!!

Thursday September 18th Ahh shit, the return of the lung bustin' tempo run, my first since mid April, this was always going to be interesting......

83 degrees but only 50% humidity this felt like idyllic mid September conditions,keeping in mind Tuesdays recovery run kicked off in 9.30 I wasn't too taken aback to clock 8.16 for the opener......however 7.57 for mile 2 was always going to come back to bite me in the hole,and so it did 8.22 at mile 3 and 8.40 at mile 4, granted it's been 22 weeks since my last Tempo run but I'm going to have to re teach myself the art of  going out  at a fast but even pace, by the end of mile 4 I was hanging on for dear life b4 somehow dredging up a 8.03 final mile to finish in 41.18.6 off 8.16 mile pace

Anytime a tempo run resembles a feckin' EKG chart I know I've made a hames of it,it'll get better....it has to I can't be going off half cocked like that again, sure a little " ring rustiness" off a 22 week hiatus was to be expected, I'll give myself an E for effort but be painfully aware it could just as easily been an incomplete......w/ a new record of 33 miles up for grabs making this a 4 miler was frankly not an option...

Friday September 19th Another Friday run brought on out of necessity.....I fully expect to be brought before the Pagan Gods and asked why I continue to flaunt the Pagan Sabbath.......I've been advised to  plead " desperate times call for desperate  measures "  and hope that appeases them........

After a lung buster yesterday at least today was an easy run and also allowed me to kill two birds w/ one stone, the race # pick up for Sundays PDR Half Marathon was at Lloyd Hall at the start of Boathouse Row so since I had to run anyway I figured rather than turn left onto the Schuylkill River Trail I'd go right towards Boathouse Row and Kelly Drive continue till just past Girard Avenue bridge to 2.5 miles turn and head back, stop at Lloyd Hall grab my race # and t-shirt and continue back towards the Ben Franklin Parkway, what could go wrong............

As I made my way under Spring Garden St bridge I had a wry chuckle to myself as the ribbon cutting on the Martin Luther King bridge was taking place, tempted as I was to yell " ye're a feckin' week late!!!!" I kept it to myself......after all tis me who made a balls of the dates not the city!!!!!

Just my luck at Lloyd Hall to get stuck behind  a runner picking up several race numbers, asides from drippin' sweat onto the floor as it was 85 degrees out there and 45% humidity I'm now running late to get back to work,I'm not getting into why I chose to run and pick up my race # other than to say it was the easier option to help streamline my weekend if it was done this way......of course had I been able to run Monday I could've just walked up here from work which is roughly 1.5 miles and made it a 3 mile walk  round trip.........trip being the operative word..........

W/  just under a quarter of a mile to finish the run just below 18th and the Parkway I caught an uneven paving slab and fell.....luckily for me just like last October in the Dublin Marathon when I caught the  rim of an electrical cover and went arse over tit I was able to throw my right hand out and brake my fall....like any runner worth their salt I stopped the Garmin.....no need for it to be running if I'm not!!! a little " road rash" on the palm of my right and left hand but that seemed like the worst of it till later in the evening when my  right hip began throbbing then my right  wrist was sore......thankfully a warm shower then some Ice and some Advil did the trick

I'm very aware this could have been far worse,at almost 62 now I'm no "Spring Chicken" anymore and the auld bones aren't as strong as they used to be, the trip could've been far worse period but two days before a race the timing wasn't lost on me, I forget when I opted for the Ben Franklin Parkway over Market St and then JFK Blvd but never  has that paving slab been an issue until today, I will be extra cautious of it from here on out......

Sunday September 21st This one had been marked on my calendar for a while,I'm not sure how many times I've run PDR but I feel it's the race I've ran the most here{ or anywhere for that matter!} I arrived in Philly in October of 87 and I'm reasonably confident that my PDR debut was Sept 89, it is my favourite race of the year but after last years slowest  half marathon ever in 1.54.44 off 8.44 mile pace there was added inventive to rewrite my history

Like I said I've ran this race more times than I can recall, I've ran several versions of the course{I'm auld school enough to remember when we had to run down the Ben Franklin Parkway to the finish not in front of the Art Museum} I've ran it as PDR then the Philadelphia Rock & Roll Half Marathon, now back to good auld PDR, and I've also ran the traditional third Sunday in September date in all conditions, picture perfect days, days it pissed out of the heavens, and sadly in recent years days of heat and humidity, or just plain auld humidity..........

The forecast today was mixed, 65 degrees at 7.30am which is grand.......not so feckin' grand the 85% humidity,I don't know what weather app this gobshite of an announcer was looking at when he said pre race"I don't want to hear excuses about humidity today's a perfect day to run......" but it wasn't the app I get my weather from............ya feckin' gowl!!!!!

I forget what I used as my seed time I'm guessing 1.45 or 1.50 either way I ended up in corral 3 w/ the 1.50 pace runners since they were going in 10 min groups there was no 1.45 pace  group, not a bother as I tend to run my own race/ pace anyway, 7.47 for the opening mile down the Parkway around Logan Square and back up the Parkway leading to Kelly Drive, 8.06 for mile 2 as I moved in front of the 1.50 pace group, 8.04 for mile 3 b4 a dip in pace and 8.19 for mile 4

Pre race the plan was 8 min mile pace and a 1.45 finish, at this point I was just adding 8 mins to each  split to calculate my next mile mark time, it was going to be there or there about 1.45 if I stayed on pace, however crossing Falls Bridge between miles 4 and 5 I was painfully aware how  much sweat was rolling off my Palestine running vest and onto my Ireland running shorts, ever the Boy Scout I had made sure to drink plenty water yesterday to make sure I was hydrated.......I was going to need it!

8.02 at mile 5 b4  8.22 at mile 6 b4 somehow  dropping down to 7.50 for mile 7, the turnaround on West River Drive was  b4 Columbia bridge, I remember last year making that same turn and waiting for the wheels to come off due to my inability to log a single double digit mileage run which they did at mile 8....I went through mile 8 in 8.07......said wheels felt they were staying in place........

Little bit of a rough patch early on heading to mile 9 saw a 8.29 split b4 dropping splits of 8.19 and 8.10 at mile 10 & 11 at this point 1.46 was looking good but I'm sorry to say the final two miles just got away from me, while I had kept a decent pace throughout finally the humidity caught up to me, I'm pissed I was  so close  to a complete race b4 two stop/start walk/run final miles, I'm not sure which is worse last year when the wheels came off at mile 8 and the final 5 miles were stop/start walk/run or to be 2 miles from the finish line this year and having to walk a little b4 getting going a few times

9.24 at mile  12 and 9.20 at mile 13 b4 a 59 second .1 to cross the line in 1.49.18 off 8.19 mile pace the 1.50 pace group had passed me just b4 mile 13 near Lloyd Hall.........

It's an improvement on last years 1.54.44/8.44 mile pace I'll happily take that but I'm far from happy about being that close to a complete race and a 1.45-1.46 finish and seeing the last 2 miles get away from me, to put things in perspective last year in the entire month of September I managed  29 miles,13 of which were at PDR, this year w/ another 9 days to go I now have 83 miles, hopefully a quartet of  5 milers during the week puts me at 103 miles  b4 I attempt a 16 mile long run on the weekend and still have one or two 5 milers the following Monday  and Tuesday,at 33 miles this week I eclipsed  the previous best of 32 I logged the week of August 25th-31st, that and medal #7 for the season and #263 for the career are all good things to focus on  rather than Fridays trip and  today's humidity getting the better of me in the final 2 miles......we go again tomorrow......or Tuesday if we don't have coverage at work tomorrow.......

{Re}Routin' & Bollixin'..........

"Now warning lights are flashing down at quality control, someone threw a spanner,they threw him in the hole, there's  rumors in the loading bay and anger in the town someone blew the whistle and the walls came down.There's a meeting in the boardroom they're trying to trace the smell,there's a leaking in the washroom,there's a sneak in personnel.Somewhere in the corridors someone was heard to sneeze goodness me,could this be industrial disease?"

Industrial Disease-Dire Straits

It's often said there are three things you can be sure of,Death,Taxes.....and Work fucking your shit up......buckle up dear readers......it was "one of those weeks"............

Tuesday September 8th The fact my training week began on a Tuesday should clue ye in to the kind of week it was going to be,Mondays lunchtime run got shot to shit cos we were short handed at work, I don't want to go into a long work related diatribe however for the sake of context 9 weeks ago were took on this yoke from the corporate office who was relocating to Philly, to use a time honoured expression the auld fellas used to use"he couldn't work his way out of a wet paper bag that one" in nine weeks he managed three whole 5 day weeks,more excuses than Jimmy Carter had Liver Pills/the Bible has Psalms........anywho  late Saturday nite he emailed the regional manager and site manager to resign his position........good riddance to bad rubbish, collect yer P45 and don't let the door hit ye in the hole on yer way out.......langer!

The powers that be didn't organize coverage for Monday so my coworker and I had to work through lunch,no biggie an hours OT for yours truly and I figured I could run on Friday lunchtime......which is slowly becoming a routine of late.........

As for Tueday's run nothing out of the ordinary, temps were in the  low 70s I didn't check on the humidity but it felt non existent......much like Ireland's World Cup Final chances after a brutal  2.1 defeat in Armenia at lunchtime pre run, in a year when they're  more teams than before in the finals The Boys In Green will not be making up the numbers.......

Wednesday Sept 9th A bit of an anomaly the humidity was higher than the temperature.... 67 degrees and 79% humidity, the fact I never had time to post this run on my Instagram/Facebook page post race due to retiring to some sort of bedlam at work was in keeping w/ my week......and it was only gonna get worse...

Thursday Slightly more conventional temps today 80 degrees w/35% humidity, two things of note it's maybe a tad premature to start packing a short sleeve shirt in my backpack for work but I do feel the temps are about to change, the local weather anchor said  on Monday or Tuesday she's of the opinion we've seen the last of the 90 degree heat this summer{Fall/Autumn} officially begins Monday September 22nd, I'd like to think for September I'm safe w/ running vests/sleeveless running shirts but October could be changeable on a day to day basis......ever the Boy Scout I'd like to be prepared....

The other thing I'd like to do is reinstate the four day rotation of: Recovery Run, Untimed Run,Tempo Run and Easy Run, during the brutal heat and humidity I was more focused on just getting miles in,now that things have cooled off next week feels as good as time as any to reintroduce that,it'd give me six weeks in the lead up to November when my race schedule goes into overdrive to get some fast 5 milers in there's a potential 5 mile race mid October, a 10k November 2nd a 5k{and 10 miler...!}November 8th it does look like the Penn Relays 5k is going to clash w/the Rocky Run on November 8th and not the following Saturday November 15th but I have no say in when races are scheduled, that said I do think Penn have fucked up putting the annual 5k on the same morning as the Rocky Run....but hey!

Sunday September 14th So much for making up for Monday's missed run on Friday........upon returning to work post run on Thursday all hell broke loose w/ what can only be described as the " print job from hell" not only did I stay three hours late on Thursday  sending one of the four components to the copier  I then did my best 747 Pilot impression Friday as my feet never touched the ground from the time I arrived at work{7.42am} till I left {5.25pm} no lunch period much less going for a run on my lunchhour.......

By the time I got home Friday I was fried, mentally and physically, I don't like to play the "age card" period but frankly at almost 62 I truly am" too auld for this shite" I did toy w/ maybe my long run Saturday and then making up for Monday/Fridays missed run on Sunday.......as the auld  expression goes " theory and practice are often a horse of a different colour"...... it was evident when I got up Saturday morning there would be NO run of any kind so it would just be the scheduled long run on Sunday, having bailed last weekend due to hopefully the last blast of humidity I needed to go long today period but also w/ a half marathon next Sunday at PDR {Philadelphia Distance Run} it would be a handy " ace up my sleeve" to have 14 miles under my belt.....

Out the door by 1.15pm, 84 degrees w/ 43% humidity I felt I was well capable to handle that, however rather than go the recent Grays Ferry Ave bridge/Schuylkill River Trail I opted to go up Powelton Ave to West River Drive to do the loop around the Schuykill River it's 3 miles to get there, 8 miles around 3 miles home....bingo! 14 miles.......one slight oversight on my part I was under the impression it was reopening this weekend after 2.5 years of construction.......it's NEXT  weekend.......bollix!!!!!

Now I had to reroute on the fly, one of the reasons I take Hal the little bollix Garmin w/me on long runs in case I have to reroute, it could've been worse but had I know Martin Luther King  bridge wasn't open I would have done an out and back on the Schuylkill River Trail/Kelly Drive instead of the opening 3 miles through my neighborhood/Powelton Ave and then cutting over to Kelly Drive.......shur look it shit happens but it was in keeping w/ a week of feckin' spanners going into the works....

The pre race plan as ever 9 min miles which over 14 miles is a respectable 2.06 finish and the opening 3 miles went:8.45-8.29-8.40,mile 4 was 9.11 since I had to slow on the approach to the Martin Luther King bridge and turn back around 400m in when I was faced w/ an unmovable object blocking me from  advancing any further along West River Drive/MLK Drive......which if they're still working on the construction had every right to be there.....unlike yours truly who'd jumped the gun  and thought it was open this weekend......gobshite!

8.56 for mile 5 b4 a pair of 9.22 splits at miles 6 & 7 which ended up being on West River Drive via Falls bridge, at this point I 'd already committed to going back via Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River Trail as I figured it'd be more direct

10.07 at mile 8 I wasn't too worried at this point splits and pace were  secondary the only numbers that mattered were the miles at the end and I was committed to making them 14 no matter how slow they might be

I maintained a decent pace down Kelly Drive,9.48-9.43-9.28 as I reached Lloyd Hall and Boathouse Row b4 continuing on the Schuylkill River Trail, not gonna lie or front yes I did stop few times to walk and take advantage of water fountains but here's the thing a year ago I'd reach mile 6,7,8 on my long runs and the wheels would fall off,I'd try and get going again but more often than not I just didn't have it to get going or keep going, it's no wonder last year saw me record my slowest times ever because the mileage wasn't there,ye'd think going to Dublin to run on the 40th anniversary of the auld fella's passing and the 1 year anniversary of "Our Kid's" passing not to mention 3/4s of the Roche,Thomson,Brewster,Coan tribe all pitching up to fly to Dublin { not to overlook Mrs Shamrock Warrior who flew over w/me} would have been enough motivation to dig deep on those runs but it just wasn't there.....fuck knows I tried.....I do think the bitter disappointment of recording those slowest ever times from 5k thro 26.2 miles  last season has motivated me this year to dig deep on days like today when it wasn't going to script and say"I'm feckin' getting my miles  in"

9.50 for mile  12 , 9.54 for mile 13.....but the bridge connecting the Schuylkill River  Trail to Grays Ferry was getting closer and closer, I cleared the bridge at 13.90 on the Garmin  and was never so happy to hit stop when mile 14 populated a 10.09 split to finish in 2.11.45 off 9.25 mile pace, frankly I didn't give a fiddlers about having to walk over a mile and a half home.......I was too feckin' knackered to worry about that auld shite

It wasn't pretty by any stretch but it was also the first 14 mile run since February 3rd.......of last year 19 months ago,I get a weeks reprieve of sorts next weekend as it's 13 miles for the half marathon b4 hopefully getting 16 miles in on the final weekend of September......by which time the construction on Martin Luther King bridge will be complete and I can go the  Schuylkill River Trail,West River Drive,Kelly Drive,Schuylkill River Trail loop......in a week of so many feck ups I have to own the final one .......when all else fails RTFM.....Read The Feckin' Manual...... as ever I own my mistakes, and hopefully won't make them again.....