10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The John Buckley 5k

1. Local Olympics

I think that it is amazing how excited people get for 5ks down the Marina. The John Buckley 5k is basically the Olympic Final for elite level local club BHAA 5k runners like me. This is the day when we find out who is the best 5k runner on the local scene. I don’t get too excited about it, if I had a YouTube channel, I would probably get T-shirts with “It’s just another 5k down the Marina” printed up.

2. They’re Coming from Gdansk to run the 5k

I think that it was amazing how many people were at the race, it must have been at least a couple of 1000. The queue for the numbers was a sight to behold, snaking randomly around the grounds of the rowing club with no one too worried as it was sunny and a nice evening to be queuing for a number for a 5k. I don’t know how they got all the numbers handed out on time, but they did.

3. Blue Carpet

I think that the starting area was great fun. Everyone wanted to be at the front, so it was difficult for the timing man to put down the starting timing mat. After quite a bit of manoeuvring and pleading with the crowd who weren’t listening the blue mat was laid down and we were ready to go.

4. Non-Aggression Pact

I think that I was very kind to poor Viv. He was very scared of being run over by bigger runners like me at the start so I kindly said that he could stand in front of me and I would protect him from the other larger runners like me. I knew that it would give me a disadvantage at the start but sometimes it’s nice to be nice.

5. The Ten T-Shirts

I think that the start was surprisingly unchaotic. I stuck to the straight line of smooth tarmac in the middle of the road that ran down to the first left hand corner at Cortado. Once I could see John Meade and Viv I knew I was going fast enough. Up in front there seemed to be a rather large group of 10 in contention for the win which was unfortunately the same number of t-shirts that were up for grabs.

6. The Usual Suspects

I think that one of the awful things about running is that it’s very hard to get better. Fortunately, this applies to other people too so you end up racing the same people over and over again. I used to race Barry Twohig but he has now graduated to the next group by being talented and training sensibly, so I’m left with Viv, John Meade and Tadhg. I spent the first mile annoyed that I hadn’t miraculously improved since the last race but by the time we turned onto Monaghan Road I had accepted that it was going to be another futile battle with John Meade and Viv.

7. Pond Life

I think that including the section around the Atlantic Pond in the race route was a great success. When it is dry it is a nice route to run. It is sort of like a cross country course with a few sharp turns and little punchy John Meade style climbs. I reached the Atlantic Pond with the usual suspects, as I expected John Meade used the climb off the pond to launch his final attack creating an incredible gap in about 30m. Tadhg followed him, I was left with Viv stuck to my back.

8. Suspension Tester

I think that the final left hand turn off the downhill bumpy ramp before SuperValu Pairc Ui Caoimh could be used by physios to test for stress fractures. In other races I have gone straight on here and turned once I reached the level ground but because there were cars parked where I usually go I had to land and turn on my right leg which sent a right jolt up my right hand side. I survived the test and turned my focus to trying to catch Tadhg, John Meade had checked out and was probably the fastest runner over the last few meters of the race. Viv was still lurking silently behind me waiting to pounce.

9. Silence of the Viv

I think that it is a horrible feeling to be tracked down by Viv over the last 400m of a race. I knew exactly where he was not because I looked but because of the sound. Vaporflys are normally loud but Viv wearing Vaporflys gives this soft sound that is characteristically Viv. I sprinted as hard as I could and got to the home straight ahead but then he breezed by effortlessly and began his assault on Tadhg who just about held him off. I didn’t get passed by anyone else which was great, but I was 7 places away from a T-shirt which was terrible.

10. Best Course Yet

I think that this might have been the best John Buckley 5k course yet. The finishing straight right outside SuperValu Pairc Ui Caoimh was very atmospheric with a nice smooth surface for sprinting on. The only way it could be any better would be if we went straight on at the suspension test corner did a lap of Pairc Ui Caoimh and finished in the stadium but that’s probably dreamland. We should be happy with what we have, the best value 5k in the world.