If I ever write our family history, I might have to give it the same name as this post. Now that the twins are starting to develop some sense and Cian has mostly stopped destroying the house twice-a-day we obviously decided that life was getting much too easy, we were getting too much sleep and we’re not enough in debt yet. So, Niamh is expecting another baby (admit it, you thought running was my only physical activity). She thinks it’s a girl, I’m convinced it’s a boy, and the existing children, especially Lola, are very excited about the new arrival, though Cian obviously is in for a shock once he realises that he is no longer the baby of the family.What has that got to do with my running, and with the cryptic comment I made at the end of my previous entry? Glad you asked. See, the due date is October 31. If you check a marathon calendar then you will find that this year’s Dublin marathon will be held on October 29. My first, and obviously brilliant, suggestion was that she should come with me, and if she happens to go into labour on marathon day then book into Holles Street Maternity Hospital, where Cian was born, and which happens to be just beside the finish; let me know and I’ll continue running for an extra 5 minutes after crossing the line and join her for the rest of the proceedings, no need to thank me. Despite the obvious beauty of that plan it was rejected out of hand, and apparently I’ll have to find a different marathon.
Of all the possibilities there are two that appeal to me: the Berlin marathon at the end of September, and the Loch Ness marathon on October 7. Niamh already sanctioned those dates; apparently she’s not worried about going into labour prematurely. I think I favour the Loch Ness one; I might be able to combine it with visiting friends in Glasgow over the weekend. The course is supposed to be fast apart from a monster hill on mile 17. The entry ballot is already closed but since I would count as an overseas runner that does not apply to me. I’ll think about it a bit more, but I most definitely want to run a marathon this autumn. Who knows when I will be able to train seriously again.
9 May: 6 miles, 50:36, 8:26 pace, avg. HR 146
10 May: 9 miles, 1:13:45, 8:11 pace, avg. HR49
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you and Niamh. And I thought running reduced libedo! Perhaps it's just me :o)
ReplyDeleteAndy
Congratulations to your entire family! My, my, four children - whoo! Best start talking to Rob, get some tips on having four in the house.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!!You were just too funny with that plan!!!again congratulations to you Niamh and the children
ReplyDeleteI'll just call you the Irish Stallion from now on! Congratulations to you and Niamh.
ReplyDeleteI can highly recommend the Loch Ness marathon Thomas. I've run it twice now. It is very well organised and is always highly rated by those who take part (the ratings on runnersworld.co.uk are always consistently high, for example). The course is very scenic although you don't actually run alongside the shore of Loch Ness that often. There are a lot of little 'undulations' in the first half of the marathon which are quite steep but not long enough to cause any real problems. There is a murderous hill at about 17 miles, and then another fairly steep climb a mile or so after that, which you have to show some respect to. But as long as you haven't set off at a wild pace it should be enough to knock you out of your stride either. The course then flattens out with a downhill section taking you back into Inverness city centre. I recollect you have experience of big hills already and with the training you have under your belt I can't see the Loch Ness Marathon being a challenge which you couldn't overcome.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on another PR!!
ReplyDeletecongrats! that's fun! I am an only child and have always been jealous of those from big families :-)
ReplyDeleteI was with you on the Dublin Marathon, I liked your thought process:) Too bad it didn't work:(
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That said, race Berlin, my friend Jim did it last year, and is going back this year. The crowds are supposed to be great and it's a VERY fast route.
Either way, best of luck (on both accounts)!
Congratulations, Thomas! 3 kids gets pretty boring. That's why we decided to have #4 as well.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you both Thomas. Enjoy the 'rest' over the next few weeks before the build to Loch Ness.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you and your wife. Four kids, that will keep you running.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your marathon plans.
OMG!!! You are funny:) OK< you guys are brave but the delivery of the news was hilarious, and I liked the idea of running straight to the labor room. Congrats!!! Rob's idea is contagious, I guess, and rubs off over the ocean:) Wow!
ReplyDeleteMAN! Congratulations!!! Your Half was awesome! But THIS thing is much better. Agree - this is a New PR. You know, recently I came back from a country where a family allowed to have only 1 child - strict limitation, otherwise you pay a lot - up to the jail. Think How lucky you are!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That last comments sound pretty much true, sleep while you can...
ReplyDeletewow - congratulations (sorry i'm late). I can't beleive how nonechalantly you talk about it! hehe. How on earth does your wife (& you) do it? I can't for a second imagine the work involved in 2 kids (an issue weighing heavily on my mind right now) never mind FOUR!!! wow.
ReplyDeleteand marathon training to boot. amazing.
congratulations again!
omg, i'm late! congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! And your original plan made me laugh out loud! You're a brave man, Thomas!
ReplyDelete