Hiking and other bits. Best to keep going but don’t over do it.
Thursday night was to go to bed as early as I could as night before anything big I never sleep to good making sure all’s packed etc. not that I had to pack much for this adventure!! So off to bed at 10pm and gad some great dream as always.
Friday night came off to bed about the same time but you think I could sleep!! Ya right must have got about 4hours sleep but that was OK I was all ready to go running when the time of 6am came… up I get gear on and got a small bowl of home made gluten free porridge and cup of tea to keep me warm on this cold wet day! off at 7am and my pal Jason Waters who was going to run to Pier Gates where he had left his bike there few hours before so he could cycle back to laragh and drive home. We took it easy at 1st I wanted to warm up so stayed with Jason for little while and had good chats. So closer to Pier Gates we got and the fog / cold was mad I had to out on my gloves and coat as I knew the higher I got was going to be bad. And so I said Bye bye and safe cycle back Jason and off I go for my adventure. As I started to run up the Sally Gap rds. Meeting the Wicklow Way then to Djouce I was starting to really warm up and opened my pace a little faster and ran around the shoulder of Djouse along the WW with a nice speed and didn’t really stop till half way down the WW as I was getting to warm with my coat on stopped to look around too as the fog was clearing away and you can start to see the mountains and along comes a runner we didn’t talk much as am sure he was loving that decent! So I packed up my coat and of I went and WOW what a super fast decent I started to have all the way to the “The Water gates” crossing the Footbridge over Dargle River to the start of my power hike up that tougher hill where I met 2 other IMRA runners who knew me more then I knew them. Nice little 10min chat to them and was on my way soon was at that top and ran all the way passing Crone Car Park where I had wee little stop for calls then back on my way over the next foot-bridge and I just love that little trail along the Glencree River near Seskin woods where I met 4 nice girls who were talking about an ultra runner who won the WWU so from there we all had nice few mins chat then I was on my way again had to then power hike that tough hill up from the river am sure ya all know it!! But soon was back running again all the way to Curtlestown where I called in giving my updates again for all ya FB’ers and ran all the up the fire roads soon meeting the shoulder of Glen Cullen Mountain where had to power hike up but still feeling great soon at the top and started to run again I didn’t want to walk that much at all this run was a test to see how fast I could go and if so Id start racing 50k’s so ran a good pace all the way back down meeting the R116 road which at this point I was running along the road having the Dublin Mountains on my right side and so well ahead of time!!
The race was on I then Power Hiked up off the road meeting “Tibradden Sign” and started to run along that tough trail with so many little rocks as your jumping over them trying to find a good foot landing when I just looked up why I don’t know I never look up on trails like that when I saw what looked like someone DEAD!! But then I ran faster up and to see it was a girl, so STOPPED ask her does she know her name etc. and after doing my wilderness 1st aid workshop a while ago and having my own 1st bag with me for you just never know when needed it and got her up after asking her has many things about your legs / body etc. to make sure she didn’t brake anything and she wasn’t in any other pains beside her face and hands. After 10mins or so I asked her where did she park her car and I can walk her back and we call for her friends or does she want me to call MR where she said NO to both but am sorry love I cant leave you here like this and if I did id never be happy with myself. At this point a few hikers came along and took her down to her car as it was back the other way I wasn’t going. She was feeling much better and could stand after my help and help from the hikers so about 25mins or so later I start my run again. Up to the Summit of “Fairy Castle and WOW I can see the “Dublin Bay” still thinking will I go for a swim… anyhow at this summit I got chatting again to few people that knew of me from IMRA races and other places etc. so 10mins or so there having great chats about SHOES!!!!! As we all wearing Salomon runners I was on my way and this is where the last of the mountains goes for JUJU as the decent from “Fairy Castle” is ace full of big rocks / little ones then meets the “the school name called the “Bone Breaker” I didn’t even want to stop to look around meeting the top of the BB as I wanted to stay running as fast as I could and wow I tell you that was some ace run all the way down to the 3-rock main gate (I must take a group of runners up there sometime soon) from here my mountain run was over!!! CRY CRY TIME as I HATE running on the roads. I started running down the nice tar hill that wasn’t to bad!! And met 2 other running pals also from IMRA and MSR so more chats with Martin and James about 10mins or so I said OK time is still going great but I better go, as I want to win my time!!! From here I ran as fast as I could at this point even though I still feeling great lots of power and feeling good. Now I only had drinking 2 bottles one having water and other coconut water that’s IT! Soon as I met the busy roads cars, trunks and bikes etc. I wasn’t too happy. I wanted to STOP and get a Taxi but NO JUJU STOP thinking like this and run!!
And I still finding it tough going along the flat roads so for the flat part of the Sandyford road it was tough for my body am no rd. runner and after running over mountains I was about to give up and walk but NO JUJU STOP thinking like this you can do it you know it! And YES I can do better and ran little faster till I made the top of the duel carriage way and then the fun starts it’s all down hill to black rock! I ran the bike lanes all the way to Temple Hill as I know the concrete paths are so not good for your knees etc. and soon I was seen Blackrock and made few calls to my Eva, Mum and Dad and looked at my GPS to see WOW WOW WOW I made it in a super duper time and stopped good few times as well…
53:26km from Laragh to Blackrock at the moving time of 6:30”22 total with time taking off for stops 7hours 10mins beating my last years time for my 50k from Laragh to Dublin Taylors Bar where I added up an hour to Blackrock.
Love to say a BIG BIG thanks to Eva for all her help over the years and my mum and dad for always been there for me when needed.
Also Brian O Murchu for my updates while running, and everyone from my running group there is way to many names to say you all who ye are!
Have to also say BIG thanks for my Sponsors “Great Outdoors Dublin” for amazing shoes I get to test and “Irish Runner Magazine” for their support,
Some say it can’t be done! Well I say it can…
Why not I ask? People can live up to 5day or more with out foods and still feel good.
Well I’ve been training my body to run with out any foods for a good while now.
All started when I had a chat with Eoin Keith about “Fat Burning” and the more I looked into this the more I knew it was for me. At this time I was carrying a little belly I wasn’t too happy with. To many parties in the past!! I was training 5-6days a week and wasn’t eating the right foods for the training I was doing. So I had to look into this more so lots of reading on the Internet on how other ultra runners train them self’s to run on their fat ratter then eating while running, and so it all starts here for me.
Start last summer of 2013 I rolled out of bed put on my running gear and hit the hills doing any kinds of running. Fast, slow, power hikes, high climbs & longer runs just to see what my body was telling me and YES at 1st it wasn’t to happy. So I started only doing smaller run to get my body used to not eating while running.
On my weekend longer runs I was still having to eat some heath bars and baba foods as I was feeling low on energy so just means my body wasn’t ready yet so from here year later really the less & less food was coming out on my runs. No more bars and just 2-3baba foods to soon only 1-baba foods to now no foods at all. “Fat Bunning” while running here or there can be done, but from what you read here its something you have to read up about & train your body. As for me am so full of energy all the time but this is also down to what I eat day to day. I did cut down on so many foods this year. Like “Wheat” Gluten” Soya” “Sugar” and more “Diary Foods” I do love eggs and chesses but that’s the entire Diary I eat. I start eating lots of Super foods and use Powders such as Maca, Wheatgrass, Spirulina and Chia Seeds, and is a Vegetarian over 20years,
I found giving up wheat, Gluten & Sugar was little hard at 1st but with time I soon loved that feeling of not wanting them foods that I used to love & we started making our own etc. I don’t get so many cravings anymore I think that’s down to the sugars etc. so now with all this training my body has now get well used to not eating while training and other things in my life. So don’t let them cravings get the better of you!!! Now don’t miss-under stand me I love eating good foods and drinking nice wines or few beers as I like that little treat from time to time makes me feel I deserver them after my hard training. For those that don’t know about my training I like to push myself in a good way 2-3times a day almost everyday. So this may mean long dog walk start of the day then back to a run and cycle or maybe a long run to cycle or swim or maybe 2 runs per day one start of the day and then meet the group for evening run. Its always go with me!!
So is this all to do with my way of eating this am still not sure about… maybe its something ill never find out… like running and other things in our (my) life we are not a master in any one thing as were always learning more and more…
Hope this helped you all in some way.
Keep on running. Stay happy and be nice to all.
Peace
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