Diary of a Rubbish Marathon Runner

Training (from 28 Nov) 17 weeks (18 if counting this one) Miles per week: 62, 69, 78, 82, 62, 77, 74, 77, 75, 79, 78, 81, 46, 59, 50, 69, 47...

I know I'm not updating as often as usual at the moment, but there are only so many ways you can say "ran easily on Thursday and Fr...

Since the recovery from Ballycotton extended smoothly into my taper, last week wasn't really the usual shock to the system. But I sure c...

Something not quite right here. Because last week's mileage had been so low, I actually ran a lot more this week, despite calling it a t...

Connemara is 18 days away, and just in time for the taper the legs are coming round. Things have been a bit up and down during the entire tr...

I spent most of the week trying to recover from Ballycotton, mentally as much as physically. I could not help but wonder what time I could h...

They say you learn something new every day. One new thing I learned this week was that you can be sorer after a 10-mile race than after a ma...

That's what Niamh called it when she pointed out that I had driven 200 miles today and ran 10 miles, just for a mug. Obviously, my own v...

Can I make one confession: I am not a fan of the women's mini-marathons. I have heard too many stories about inept organisation and the ...

At the start of last 2011, I weighed about 150 pounds (10 st 10, 68 kg). After years of figuring things out, I finally managed to gradually ...

I'm not sure if I ever left as much between updates of this blog - apologies! The main reason for the lack of updates is a distinct lack...

for me, that is, courtesy of Niamh. For you, more photos from Donadea, courtesy of Paul Daly. I felt surprisingly sprightly on Sunday, so I ...

My biggest problem with the Irish 50K championship race in Donadea was not the fact that I would have to run 50 kilometres. It wasn't ev...

Right now my main problem is that Connemara is still over 6 weeks away, and the most recent runs have clearly shown that I am nearing peak s...

The ideal training scenario is to improve a little bit from week by week. In reality it's never a linear progression, some bad days are ...

I simply cannot believe how I am feeling right now. This is incredible. I took it easy on Monday and Tuesday, recovering from the weekend. I...

Despite the not entirely universal approval of taking it easy during the week, I did manage to reap some benefits this weekend - which is th...

Despite feeling very good, I have been taking it easy this week. Let me rephrase that. Because I was feeling very good, I have been taking...

I have another guest article today. Liz Davies wrote about a topic that means a lot to her. If you have any questions regarding anything me...

I received an unexpected, and very much appreciated, bonus from the organisers of the Dublin marathon who hosted an evening to give a big Th...