Introduction

Here is a quick fun video of my experience at the Fingal 10k race here

Before you read about my amazing Fingal 10k experience lets quickly revisit why I am running the Dublin Marathon Race Series 2017 for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Me and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind share the same passion for helping people to live independently. To do this the Irish Guide Dogs need to raise €38,000 a year to care for, train and support a guide dog. That is the figure to support just one guide dog. When you factor in that in 2013 the guide dogs trained 197 people across its entire service (they offer more than just guide dogs see here for further info http://www.guidedogs.ie/iopen24/how-we-can-help-t-3.html#.WXpDVYjyvIU) you can start to see why every euro that you give to the Irish Guide Dogs is so important. If you would like to donate please think about how you are helping the guide dog (Joop) below help someone live independently.

Donate to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind by following this link https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/heroguidedogs

Fingal 10k Race

The first thing I noticed about the Fingal 10k happened long before we (me and my girlfriend Julie) had even traveled to Dublin. I noticed how excited we both were about this 10k race. We have run a 10k race before, a few times actually, but this was different this was the beginning of a journey. A metaphorical start line to a challenge that would take months and involve 4 races covering a total running distance of 89.3 km ending in an epic marathon. There was a palatable atmosphere about this race, a feeling that this was both one leg of a long journey and a test to see if you were fit enough to continue the journey. I felt that while I was in this challenge for the long haul that long haul would be much more grueling if I failed to finish respectably or got injured during the first leg of the journey. At this point I should point out to you the wonderful reader that I have never ever given up during a race. I'm very proud of this record and in Fingal I was setting the bar higher than finishing. I needed to get close to my PB.

Our preparation was simple. We focused on regular easy running interspersed with Interval sessions and tempo runs. More on that in later blog posts.

The race itself was brilliantly organised. Again, I felt this excellent organisation long before we arrived at the start line. We received our race numbers and race instructions two weeks prior to the race in the post.

I would strongly recommend that other races adopt a similar strategy. I found myself no longer worried about tearing halfway across the country on race day nervously looking at the clock, praying that I could get to the race car park, fly over to registration, remember to bring my registration ticket, get my race number, attach it in a panic and then finally emotionally drained warm up and then run for my life.....again? I understand that expenses are always a consideration when organizing any road race and posting out race numbers for everyone would definitely be a luxury most races couldn't afford. However, having experienced the piece of mind with which we sauntered up to the Fingal 10k bag drop exchanged jokes with the volunteers and trotted off to warm up and then raced off down the Dublin Road with all our determination in tact I am in favor of commissioning our postal service or a new private sector company at a 20% lower cost to deliver race numbers prior to a race.

The race route was great. The course was largely flat and straight. The few hills we encountered were short, challenging and seemed to invite you to pump your knees high and hard and respond to the cheers coming from the ever present support. The course was an excellent fitness test for me. I am at the time of writing trying use the data from this race to figure out how I might pace myself in the Frank Duffy 10 Mile and/or the Dublin Half Marathon. I am very reluctant to decide a marathon pace until I have had 8-10 weeks of training. The Fingal 10k marked my 5th week of consecutive training since the mandatory recovery period post Cork City Half Marathon 2017. I was and still am looking at my training results and reacting to them. From experience, I also feel like I need to try and stretch my body in training, analyze my performance and then ask my gut before I say yes this is the plan over 26.2 miles. With all this analysis done and tightly packaged over 26.2 miles the plan must still be flexible. In a marathon anything could happen including a PB performance. A marathon must be run predominantly with logic at the start and emotion towards the end.

Returning to the Fingal 10k I could maintain a steady pace with ease. If you wanted to do a PB you could mark the Fingal 10k on your calendar as hunting ground. I finished with my third best 10k time 42:48. My current PB is 41:24 (April 2017) and I would like to stress that at the time of writing I am 6 kg over my preferred racing weight and I have yet to notice the familiar surge in pace synonymous with my return to high performance after weeks of hard graft on the roads and the track although I have already lost 4 kg. I found myself drifting between a pace of 4:05 per km to 4:20 per km throughout the race. From my previous workouts I had determined out that I would be just outside my comfort zone in this 15 second window bobbing up and down on my lactate threshold with room for a kick at the end.

The 8km mark was a blessing some fire men showered us with water using a massive fire hose. I needed that cooling off badly. I hadn't quite been able to drink the water on the course (more on that in a minute) and I was overheating though I didn't know that until the lads doused me. I put the hammer down in the last kilometer. I frequently tell myself in the last kilometer that 'I have had enough of this Sunday stroll lets hurt a little bit'. I cut loose with every bit of pent up anger I had here. I frequently use anger as a motivator or energizer. I looked at my watch at 9k it read 39:30 'You're supposed to be within striking distance of a PB today' I fumed inside my head. I came over a small hump back hill just outside swords and I tore off to the finish line. The finish line might have been 1km away but I didn't care I knew that on my best day I could take down a kilometer in 3:30. That didn't happen today but I pushed myself hard and my body withstood the challenge. Overall this was a good sign. I wasn't at my best but not far off it either.

The only critique I have concerning this race was the water stations. Regular racers will definitely know where I am going with this......water cups??? Why? Oh why? do we persist with this futile pursuit. It is virtually impossible to drink from a cup whilst running. I can hear my detractors saying stop and take a sip. As a I racer I say 'I stop when I'm done' in this case the finish line not to drink water from a cup midway or wherever. This is not my only point. It was warm in swords and the runners needed to drink plenty of water. The runners were at risk here and it was avoidable. The cups were also thrown on the ground largely in the same area this became a trip hazard and people were moving at speed in the vicinity. This was dangerous and I'm sure this annoyed other racers though few probably blogged about it. Please anyone who organizes a race in future supply kids water bottles with a sports cap to your racers. Surely the cost could be recouped via sponsorship and the benefits including safer races would be far reaching. In conclusion, I would not hold any of the Fingal 10k organizers responsible for this slip. What I would say is that this is the Dublin Marathon Race Series and Irish running looks to this series to set the bar for other races so please with the water cups blaze a trail and do it better.

Finalé

One more positive thing as I approached the finish line at break neck speed I requested a roar for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind from the crowd. No sooner had the words left my lips than a thunderous roar came back at me. Thank you to all involved with the Fingal 10k you made this one great. Frank Duffy 10 Mile next. Stay tuned and .......Bandannas on.

Race 1: Fingal 10k Dublin Marathon Race Series 2017

Introduction

Fingal 10k Race

Finalé