Minors

Maybe it's something to do with Kerry. As soon as I got home my throat was feeling sore again. I have no idea why. This time it wasn't the long drive because we took the train instead, which, according to Niamh, is much more relaxing. To be honest, I'm not convinced. We arrived no earlier than last week and I don't find sitting in a train any more relaxing than driving - it does have the advantage that I can read a book but to be honest that was mostly to alleviate the boredom. And when I think of the train tickets prices in Ireland my blood pressure just rises, which isn't particularly relaxing either,

Anyway, that's the way my life is these days, weeks in Dublin and weekends in Kerry, and while I do enjoy both it's the travelling between the two that I haven't cracked yet.

On Thursday I decided to do a bit of a workout again, a fairly moderate one. I did a few hill sprints, this time in Kilbogget park rather than closer to home, which gave me a slightly longer hill to play with. The problem is that I get that pressure in my chest a few seconds after each repeat. I had the same happening last year but this year the thing seems to have grown into full-blown exercise-induced asthma, which makes me question if those hill repeats are a good idea. I love the effect they have on my legs but if I can't breathe properly for 2 days afterwards then that's obviously not ideal.

This has been going on for a while now, so I think I'll start talking to a doctor about it. One problem is of course that I have to be careful about taking banned substances, and inhalers do have a reputation for being abused by athletes that are not actually asthmatic. It needs some careful consideration - my health comes first but under no circumstances do I want to break any doping rules.

Anyway, I was back home in Kerry on Saturday and did that 10 mile Caragh Lake run that I must have done a thousand times by now. My breathing was definitely constricted, which did not feel particularly nice, but I was still able to sustain 8-minute pace without getting out of breath.

On Sunday I ran around the lake, for the first time in a rather long time. It was freezing cold at the beginning and it didn't help that my gloves were in Dublin but thankfully it started to warm up just as I left the house. The long, long climbs showed up a significant lack of leg strength and I suffered a bit through the miles, the legs only just managing to keep running and the lungs only just managing to provide sufficient oxygen - not a great run by any means but I got it done and there will be better ones in store. I need to run more hills, though.

And massive congratulations to Star of the Laune club mate Fiachra Clifford who scored 2 goals in today's minor final at Croke Park. I know football is his major love but if that doesn't work out he will always have another sport t fall back on - he's also quite some runner!

15 Sep

10 miles, 1:22:48, 8:16 pace, HR 143

   incl 5 hill sprints and a few laps around Kilbogget dirt track

16 Sep

10 miles, 1:19:56, 8:00 pace, HR 145

17 Sep

16.6 miles, 2:16:13, 8:12 pace, HR 145