What a fantastic event from the 26 Extreme Team and a great weekend for the MSR team and friends.
A Journey from the start to finish for us all.
But for one girl it was a little more…
Joining most of my MSR group runs starting a year ago I knew this girl had something more inside her then the others had and wanted more with her running, she really had the “GO” to want more from trail running and so it all became clear to me she was going places and someday will come in 1st female at some ultra race, so I wanted to help her along the way, but never getting around to talking with her more about her training in-till one day she asked me to help her with training and nutrition and of course I said YES!
There was so much training going on like box jumps, yoga, river dips etc and eating great foods as I feel most of our training is down to a good healthy diet!
So after all our training I said OK time for your own long run and see how you get on…
Hit the Dublin trails along the Wicklow Way and go for a good 40k on your own see how you get on..
Mairead Keenan is that girl and WOW she’s some great runner
“Girls remember this Name”
She came home all happy and feeling good..
So few weeks later it was time for our 50k to see how mairead would get on I picked a route from Laragh to Djouse and few loops back to Laragh, so off we go one nice morning along the Wicklow way and soon as we get 13k in it started to rain and the wind was going mad closer to the summit of Djouse we couldn’t see the summit at all for mad fog but still ran on the best we could in the crazy wind, but we still had a great day of running and then we headed home after a great day of running and happy to have done a good 43k didn’t make the 50k planned run due to really strong winds! But that’s all good! Its just running!
But a good tough day on the hills at the same time and I knew that she would fly though the Tollymore and didn’t need anymore longer runs till race day! It was time to rest and do few smaller runs to keep the legs going for a race the a weeks time! And so the time came when we all headed up north for our race to be.
We’ve become great friends now and I’m very proud of you girl. You have put up with my words of “Push Push, PUSH!
and we can see its paid off!
This was Maireads 1st ever 61k race and run and am sure it wont be the last ultra Mairead will do. and plans have been set already for our next ultra race!!!!
Big part of our training was intervals on tough hills part of the training that gives you the speed for them up hills you'll meet along your ways. am sure she’s sick of me saying, “Push, Push, PUSH!!! But we can see it really paid off and she came in 4rd female for the Tollymore 61km trail ultra race.
We spend many hours running around the Wicklow and Dublin Mountains in the rain, cold, wind and some sun!! Getting the fitness into Maireads legs, and just to remind people that don’t know Mairead she’s only trail running one year now!
So BIG BIG thanks to the 26 Extreme Events for giving my group MSR a great deal we're all very happy and more happy to have been part of such a great and super weekend of racing and partying!
Only 2hours or so drive from Wicklow to Newcastle Co Down meeting our pals on route before heading to our Cottages at Tory Bush which I must say was a very nice self-catering cottage, most of the gang stayed here while the others had booked their own B&B close by.
Tory Bush Self Catering Cottages ran by David Maginn a very nice man and his 2 lovely dogs, I must say anyone planning on trip to Mourne Mountains etc. have a stay here www.torybush.com
So day of race had come and time to get up early after a very nice sleep. Must say I always sleep great night before a big day. So up at 6am race starts at 8am gives me 2hours to get my warm oats and fruits down into the belly. I don’t eat much before running for longer runs and NEVER eat on my runs I like to run on empty this way there is no stopping and running on your own energy ratter then relying on foods etc, well I’ve trained myself for 7hours of running but no more then 53k so were all ready and packed into the car heading down to race on the this fine cold morning…
Myself, Mairead, Paul, Stephen, Michael and Stewart all doing the Ultra and Christopher and Lillian doing the Full marathon while Cath was doing the half marathon, so starting off was the ultra, then marathon, half marathon and 10k, we had just got there in time for group photos and chats with pals etc just before the race was about to start and at this point we all wished each other all the best. So my plans were to race it the best I could and start of with the top runners and hold a strong pace with them for the 1st lap 21k, there was 50 ultra runners on the day so staying up top with them was my plans for good times and was best place for me,
So race started and off we go. Must say the pacing up top was going fast already not even 2mins into the race those guys must have been elite’s but I stayed with most of them for the good part of the 1st lap till I knew I was at a good pace non stop running up the hills etc. we were all running a good fast pace some lads chatting away and I wanted to do my own thing and just race. No chatting no stopping for photos just race!!
I’ve been training hard for this and wanted a good time and place!
So just coming out of the woods someone had said were meeting the road for 2-3k and the lap 1 was over and just before this point I was feeling some belly pains and knew I had to have a wee pit stop into the woods!!!
And so I did for fast pit stop!! Next time I’ll just get up 3 hours before a race ha! So soon after my pit stop I was off again feeling good and seen that 2 ultra guys had past myself while I was having a pit stop I wasn’t to happy with that as wanted to hold my place for the whole race. So up my gears and ran as fast as I could to get past them lads just before we passed the CP-1 on lap 2 and past both of them before coming into the CP-1 happy days…
The team girls were at the CP waiting and taking photos I wanted to stop for wee kiss from my great wife but just feeling so good with my running and still feeling strong and knew there was 2 or many more runners behind me! So took off little faster as this part of the trail after the start line was flat and then down hill for while before meeting the river and am good at the decent speed and ripped down on lap 2. At this point the full marathon runners had started so I was just behind them all but passing many of them as best as I could not to get stunk behind them all and slow me down, the groups were big so you had to really jump around them etc..
I love jumping!! There was lots of rain falling all night before the race and when the race started so BIG pools of water along the route it was fun jumping over them while others go around them. So had past a good few of the marathon runners along this route but had seen MSR Marathon runner Christopher Dunne up ahead and wanted to try catch up to him but at this point we had met the start of the up hills and I knew I had to slow down a bit I still had more hills to do ha! Some of the full marathon runners passed me out at this point of the hill but that’s all good as there not ultra runners I wanted to hold my place and get good times!
I also got this odd feeling in my lower left arm not known what it really was but it was getting sore! But ran on few more miles before saying WTF is this feeling am getting in my arm its slowing me down as am finding it hard to run as its hurting me! Turn’s out my lower arm was going numb and was in some mad pain. I didn’t want to stop running so I had to lift my left arm up with my other arm and put it into the shoulder strap of my running vest and just have my hand up high so maybe the blood would flow back into my arm as I didn’t know what was going on! this pain I’ve never came across before but the blood flowing into it again it seemed to work even though we got pissed on with mad rain so been cold was crazy but in my head am telling myself …
“NO PAIN NO GAIN”
And wanted to keep running but trying to run up a hill fast with one arm isn’t the best as am used to my arms driving me up the hills!
So had to power hike up most of them. Few of my pals from the marathon had came running past me at this point and asking me how come your walking with one arm!! I had told them about my arm so just nothing they were saying to me was working and told them to race on, soon as I made it up the long hill I raced on coming into the woods and then the 2rd Lap was almost over and the rain was starting to piss down again so hard it was so mucky in the woods but I needed my arms to help me run faster and didn’t want to fall at this point.
Must say though WOW I love running in crazy rain!
I knew I was way behind my times but had to keep pushing on at this stage as good few of the ultra guys had passed me at this stage so last lap and the race was on again it was about 51 or 52km in and my arm was starting to feel OK that I could use it with out any pains but I think it was gone NUMP but I didn’t care I just wanted to get this race over and done! At this stage I was running again and power hiking them long up hills the best I could with sometimes one arm or 2 arms ha-ha. I was running with out eating all day for the run up till this point about 53km and still feeling good but I told myself if am going to get a great time which I knew I was doing I maybe should eat something to help my arm etc. only drinking water for all the race and small bit of coconut water after 40km running just for salts etc I had opened a wee bit of baby food and it went down great. I said I’ll have a wee small fruit bar too and so I did and WOW that went down great but fear of them both coming back up me as my body gotten used to “No Foods” while running! And 53km with out eating at all and only drinking water in till about 40k I started the coconut water for my body salts intake and I was well happy with my not eating being doing for the last year while out training..
So this race was coming to an end soon and I raced on…
getting back into the zone as few other ultra runners past me now on lap 3 but I didn’t care anymore as I was well happy looking at my GPS and seen a super time and then still had a gear left I started to push on. There was one guy and am sure he was thinking the same as me but we just keeped passing each other from start of lap 3 to the end of the race but the last few miles was tough as we were racing each other as he passed me I passed him and so we played this game in till the time last up long steep hill I gave in as my legs were on fire trying to keep the pace going so let him be well done dude who ever you are it was a good race with you ha!! But soon as the road part came in after the woods I knew I was home!! But DAM that last road almost killed me as this time my legs were about to give up I had pushed so hard all day with pains in my arm and just wanted to give it my very best 60k on the GPS with just 1k more to go I up my gears and ran it fast to get a super time of 6:40:45 for a 61:23km Trail Ultra Race…
Seen the team girls waiting ahead gave me some more juju power to push on and soon the race was over!!
Soon as I stopped running that was it for me hahaha
Never have I ever raced a race before all my other races I’ve done was for fun. Chatting, stopping for photos etc and taking it easy. But this being my 1st ultra race I had to do it right!!
So 2days later am feeling great and ready to get back training and plan for next race!
I got up this morning still feeling little stiff in the legs but not that bad so took Patch my dog out for a walk around the woods feeling good while I was walking I’ll had planned to go for road cycle and done my tough hilly route with 30km in the mad rain again and feeling good now..
Tomorrow I’ll be back running and happy days..
Thanks for taking the time to read all this.
Anyone getting into running trail running look me up on
www.facebook.com/mudsweatandrunners
Or
www.mudsweatandrunners.weebly.com
Well done again to all the MSR team and friends
And great big thanks to our team support girls we’d be lost with you all hugs and juju love!
And not to forget a BIG thanks to Lucy and Ian Cumming from 26 Extreme for my free ticket for this race it sure was a great route and tough race in the Tollymore Forest Park but a race I’ll be back to get a better time next year...
With the MSR gang!..
Peace
www.facebook.com/mudsweatandrunners
www.torybush.com
www.26extreme.com