Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Numb

I was too numb with shock last night to write an entry. I ran the Boston marathon 4 years ago and I know at least a dozen people who ran it yesterday, so there is a very personal connection to those events. Indeed, I did get a worried phone call from my Dad this morning making sure that I had not been there myself. In light of these happenings my own little problems are of course utterly irrelevant.

But since this a kind of diary, I decided to do a write-up anyway, even if it's clearly not at the forefront of my mind right now. Maia spent last week at home with a stomach bug, which did cause a few scenes and at least one rough night, though between her bouts of ---censored--- she was as chirpy and energetic as ever. The rest of the family seemed unaffected until yesterday when both me and Cian complained of stomach pains. Neither of us has had to spend any unpleasant times on the toilet yet, and judging by his appetite he seems to be alright. I felt decidedly off-key last evening (and that was before the news from Boston came through) and still not quite there this morning, but I don't think I will be too badly affected.

The wild weather on Sunday did not stop me from running on the Kerry Way up to Windy Gap, which sure lived up to its name that day. On the way there I was basically running on the spot at times while on the way back I was doing the easiest 5:50 miles in history, though that pace does come with its own problems on a stony, uneven trail. I did the climb twice, once from Caragh Lake and once from the Glenbeigh side and was surprised to be able to do it without any major problems; I do remember how tough that climb had felt last year when I started that kind of training. I did pay for it though, with sore legs on Monday and Tuesday, but then again that's more or less the point of those mountain runs, put pressure on the leg muscles until they adapt. I definitely attribute by performance in Bangor last year to those tough mountain runs. I also noticed the difference between doing that run in road shoes (as  I did 5 weeks ago) and mountain running shoes. Needless to say I'll be using my Inov-8s in future, even if the first and last 2.5 miles, from home to the trail head, are on the road..

It was still very windy on Monday and Tuesday, but not quite as bad and certainly not as noticeable on road level. The legs were a bit sore yesterday and more so today, though the main issue were definitely the images from Boston going round and round in my head in a non-stop loop, which had already stopped me from sleeping last night. Thank Goodness all my friends in Boston escaped the blasts as they had all finished at that time, though my thoughts are with the dead and injured, and especially their families.

Who on Earth could possibly think they can gain any advantage whatsoever from planting bombs at such an event, where the only victims would ever be members of the public, including completely innocent little children! This is so sickening, and I just cannot make head or tail of it.

13 Apr
8 miles, 59:06, 7:23 pace, HR 145
14 Apr
12.25 miles, 1:45:39, 8:37 pace, HR 157
   mountain run, Windy Gap x 2
15 Apr
10 miles, 1:12:33, 7:15 pace, HR 152
16 Apr
8 miles, 1:00:41, 7:35 pace, HR 147

5 comments:

  1. I got a Polar HRM belt which allows me to clip in my Garmin Ant+ monitor. This one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polar-Soft-Strap-Set-Size-/dp/B007XCXL3G/ref=sr_1_2?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1366143681&sr=1-2&keywords=Polar+Soft+Strap+Set . It works much better than Garmin HRM strap and is more comfortable. Rgds Peter

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  2. It really is an awful thing to happen at the event in Boston, outside of the people that have been killed it appears several have lost limbs so their lives will never be the same again :(

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  3. A terrible thing. Really sad for the lost lives and awful injuries. And the lost innocence of mass participation running. Boston's such a lovely city too - we really enjoyed our time there.

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  4. There goes my dream of ever running the Boston Marathon :(

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  5. Told my younger son I was still going to run Boston as planned in 2015. He cried! I thought even the suspects in this crime may have done the same at one time, when they were young an innocent. Lesson to take from this: Never lose your innocence, your love of family and your fellow human beings.

    So sorry for all the families that will be as Barry says changed forever.

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