Inception

Hello Everyone.

I'm not so sure how this blogging jazz works but I'm gonna give it a shot. It's my way of giving back to the (running) community, for I have benefited immensely from Matt Bidwells blog along with all the stories that have been shared on the athenry AC yearbooks (http://beermatt.blogspot.com/) & frankly, felt compelled to emulate it.

My name is Donagh Coffey. I'm 21 & have been running for the last 5 years or so. I began to take it more seriously in 2015 last year averaging at 1 point 35 miles a week until my knee gave in...

I ran (although honestly it's more truthful to say I merely completed (I had to walk about 8 miles of it, knee gave in at mile 9) the Dublin marathon in 2013 & take part in most local road races here in Galway, Ireland all year round (although I almost never register for them! come on give me a break, this is a poor student here...).

I fear brevity is posessed by very few by my generation so I wish to keep this area of my life focused on this theme, for I am sick to the teeth of people blabbing on about their running & pace charts, & glancing at watches & talking shite. etc. This is a space for recording my sessions, with a brief synopsis of how I felt on the run, weather that day etc. No big long post mortems, if you want that, there is a vast abundance of blogs out there for that. Indeed This will be the longest post I will write for months (I hope), because I talk, far far too much...

I've wanted to start this public blog for a year or two, but was reserved for fear that I might abandon the sport for one reason or another etc, I've now accepted that I simply cannot live without running & if I am sidelined with injury etc, I'll take to the bike & can post about that.

I've concluded that I'm a hard liner, I am genuinely one of the chronics (definitely one of the youngest!) on the Galway road running scene & will continue to be a road runner for as long as possible (hopefully 50+ years).

This is my journey, so come take a float with me, & I hope to bring you some words of wisdom & advice along the roads over the years in the times to come.

Some of my Pb's for all you lunatics out there:

5km          19:52
8km          32:42
10km        41:51
10 miler    1:11:20
14 miler    1:47:10
Marathon  4:47:30

So it's clear I'm very pedestrian & not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope to change that in the next couple of years. Above all I strive to enjoy my running & I would encourage everyone to take the same attitude, weather your running 100 miles a week training twice a day or you're a lazy shit like me & consider 30 miles a week a rather hefty challenge!

Yesterday I ran 6.7km (a nice 4 mile loop that encompasses the salthill prom. N.B I do not run on the promenade itself, that sort of behaviour is for idiots... I run on the other side of the road) that I like to do a bit too often (it's a bit too short really!) in 29:15. Today was a rest day ,I've a staple 10km planned for tomorrow & another one on friday (then a nice 8 miler on sunday)

This is geared towards the craughwell 10 mile road race in a few weeks. I find the training works best when you've a race to run for. I'd still run otherwise but it's immensely more fun when you've got 100 or so other nutcases running with you! great stuff! if you don't race, enter one ASA f***ingP! I never used to either until I joined Maree AC & I've since never gone a month without a road race.

I don't run with them anymore, as I've moved house & now live on the other side of the city & consequentially do all my training solo. A 20 mile week is the max I can do at the moment due to me being in my final year at college & only wishing to run 3 times a week due to time constraints, once june comes I ramp that up to 4 times a week & may consider joining Galway city harriers (which, interestingly enough was founded by my great grandfather I'm lead to believe), but I'm in no rush to do so as I also aim to take cycling more seriously too, (I currently cycle to college most mornings).

The heart & lungs know no different, (check out "Durianrider" on youtube...) so I'll be investigating that this summer too & will, of course keep track of the journey here, but ultimately I'll be experimenting with the bike so as to improve my running, any good advise I find/learn I'll be sure to write about here for you guys, for anyone who reads this, as there will always be someone who'll benefit from this (that's my goal of this whole blog, even if 1 person benefits from it, my job is done & It'll have been worth it)

The goal really is to become (as narrowly defined by me) a half decent local amateur level road runner, I aim to do this by achieving the following goals:

5km           sub 18
8km           sub 30
10km         sub 38
10 miler     sub 60
Marathon   sub 3:10

my lifetime goals then are:

5km          16:40
8km          26:40
10km        34:30
10 miler    sub 55
Marathon  sub 2:40

both sets of times are do able I feel. The lifetime goals are just that; lifetime goals! & I certainly won't be entertaining them much until I'm at least 25 (probably) & by then hope to be a very different athlete, running 50 miles a week will be normal etc...

The 1st set of times I have listed above there, are by todays standards very respectable, but I feel if you claim to be a member of an atheltic club, you should be hitting those times, easy. Yes there's a certain sense of elitism there, absolutely, but unless you're ok with some fella passing you out in GAA shorts when you're wearing an athletics club singlet then I feel you shouldn't be in one.

I'm not OK with that, at all at all. Sure it's great to have anybody join a running club, what a wonderful thing to do, I wholeheartedly agree, but for the races only allow people who are in the club who are hitting these times be allowed the privilage of wearing the singlet, because at the moment, the standards at local road races are overall, a shambles. I feel if you've any respect for the sport (at least at the business end of things) you'll agree.

I keep it old school, no garmin no strava none of that shite. I run to feel & check (my simple unsophisticated casio) watch at certain parts of my routes, a wonky tree or a pole or that unusual looking pothole to indicate mile 7, whatever. you get the idea. I keep it honest, back to basics for I believe there is no other way. We all think we're semi pro with our heart rate monitors & stuff, & it sickens me. If you think you're hot shit, run a sub 24 minute 8km, then consider investing in your flashy technology or what have you. I hope you get the point.

Stick around kids, You never know, this blog may be of benefit to you, I sure hope it benefits somebody else aside from myself anyways, I really do... thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this,

looking forward to all the good things to come.

all the best to all of you,

& remember, get out the door & kick some f***king ass

toodles!