Diary of a Rubbish Marathon Runner

I’ve run in worse conditions. Once. When it was hail stoning. While it wasn’t as bad as that, Wednesday’s weather was still rather appalling...

The marathon is getting closer and closer. There are less than 2 weeks of full training before the taper, and I’m already dreading it. I gue...

The best effect from my 23-miler from 3 weeks ago is that I’m no longer nervous before a 20 mile run. Never mind the boost it gave to my fit...

It looks like the present weather of rain, rain, and then some more rain is supposed to last for a few days longer. The reason for all that ...

On each of my last three marathons, I have faced pretty much the same problem during my taper: I got sick. Before Belfast it was a stomach b...

Not that it means anything to anyone outside Ireland, but Kerry have today won the All-Ireland Football Final, for the 34th time. The match ...

That’s the last entry about Sunday’s race, I promise. I’ve been thinking about the run, and how it had been my best race so far. Still, I co...

I’m ashamed. I didn’t tell you that Cian is showing absolutely no signs of distress after Friday’s ordeal, that he’s right as rain, and that...

When I checked the weather forecast on Friday, it promised a very sunny Sunday and 21C temperatures. I guess everyone in Ireland was looking...

I’m taking it easy for the last few days before the half, or at least I’m trying to, because the legs are not always following the head. One...

Thanks for all your concern, folks, I can assure you I’m feeling absolutely fine again. I googled the web for some background information on...

After Friday’s epic run, I felt I deserved to stay in bed all of Saturday, just to recover. Of course, what you get isn’t what you deserve. ...

Have you ever watched Disney’s version of Aladdin? When he frees the Genie for the first time, he shouts “10000 years! It gives you such a c...

That’s an interesting observation from a psychological point of view. In my last post, I told you about my encounter with those dogs, and ab...

On previous cutback weeks, I didn’t really notice the fact that the mileage was lower. The long run was shorter, but apart from that they al...

It looks like summer 2006 is indeed a thing of the past. The temperatures have dropped, especially early in the morning. I’m still running i...

I had planned to stay in Valentia until Wednesday, but we decided it would be better if I didn’t drive back down on Tuesday and stayed in Ca...

Have I really been on holiday? That’s the biggest problem if you’re only taking one week off: you’re back at work before you’ve even gotten ...

My blog hasn’t been updated for a few days because I’ve been away from civilisation for a while. Niamh and me went into the Heart of Darknes...

For once I didn’t feel apprehensive about my long run. 18 miles just sounded so much more manageable than the 21 miles the week before earli...