BLOG 2
7:58pm, Monday 9th September 2024
T-minus 6 days to Cross Country season 2024.
So how did we get here?
For the past two Autumns I’ve been deep in marathon training blocks and this year
it’s all about the XC.
After a few false dawns (mostly pandemic related), I made my marathon debut in
Dublin in 2022. It being my opening effort at the distance I didn’t have any concrete
time goals. It seemed to be particularly rough for runners that day with such high
humidity (94%). Not having any previous to draw on I just assumed this was what
marathons felt like and drove on. The final few miles were something different
though with bodies strewn across the roads. I dragged my cramping legs over the
line for a satisfying 2:53:32.
Dublin 2022
Of course, the goal for 2023 was clear, to break through the 2:50 mark. Training
went perfectly last Autumn. I hit every session and long run. Sometime in September
I was out clocking some easy miles and came down awkwardly off a footpath.
Immediately yelping and knowing something was wrong, I did what all runners would
do, I kept running, just a little slower. It actually was ok but not 100%. Over the next
few weeks, I managed it fine. Then on the Monday of race week, the leg flared up.
Too late for physio. Or at least I knew any physio would tell me not to run. I rested
completely.
Dublin 2023
There are so many unknowns when lining up to take on 26.2 miles, the injury added
an extra layer of uncertainty and took much of the pre-race enjoyment away. I really
wasn’t sure if I would need to phone for a taxi halfway up Phoenix Park. Such was
my doubt that I brought my phone with me, my flipbelt was under serious stress with
the phone sitting alongside 4 soft flasks full of Maurten drink mix.
I survived the marathon. A slow start and I gradually grew into the race before
sprinting the last mile to claim a small PB – 2:52:23.
I missed the next 6 weeks visiting physio and trying to sort the issue in my calf.
During this time, I decided my running needed a change. The commitment required
for the marathon and the disappointment in the timing of the injury made me
reconsider my next goals. I decided I needed to race more, get involved in club
training sessions and support club teams as best I could. I reduced my mileage and
moved to two short sessions every week with a relatively short ‘long run’ on the
weekend.
Things have gone swimmingly so far this year, my fitness has been building slowly
without much stress and my race times have been tumbling.
I don’t have huge expectations or any goals for the Cross-Country season, rather an
excitement to just get stuck into some Type 2 Fun!!
And so, with the ground hard, and the forecast looking good, all roads lead to Conna
and the East Cork Cross Country Championships on Sunday afternoon.