10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The National 10 Mile 2024

1. Irish Rail

I think that it is great to be able to go to a race on the train. The only problem with the train was that it also involved a hotel to account for the 9am start. Trains are wonderful things, so much less tiring than driving, it would be great if we had Japanese trains or even Spanish trains but I suppose Irish trains are better than nothing.

2. Who’s The Fastest?

I think that Rhona was a bit optimistic in thinking that the question that Denis Mitchell uses to make ShaCarri win the 100m on Netflix would work in a 10 mile race on the 2 mile jog up to the start from the hotel. Keelan Kilrehill is the answer. Definitely not me, maybe I’m faster than Viv.

3. National Tall Man Championships

I think that there were a lot of very tall men in the race. It was particularly unusual. They must be taller in the regions around Dublin that are close enough to get to the Phoenix Park for a 9am start. When we got under way I found myself surrounded by giants like The Conroy brothers, Brian Murphy, Cillian O’Leary and other fellas who are tall but I don’t know. It was a refreshing change from the races in Cork where the only lumbering giants are myself and Michael Herlihy.

4. Fitter Than The Group

I think that when you are running a 10 mile race it is no use if you are only just hanging onto the group after four miles. You might be ok if the race is perfectly flat or even downhill but if there is any uphill at all it will not be good. I got to four miles still in contact with the group of giants. The giants seemed to take their large feet off the gas as we ran along the only flat part of the course on the road outside the park. I briefly considered going to the front but then I remembered how my sensible tactical racing has been working well so I sat in and waited.

5. The Bloody Hill

I think that it was just as well I didn’t go to the front of the group of giants. The minute we turned back into the park and the road went uphill the giants got angry and I was shed out the back of the group. It was an awful steep hill with a green bicycle lane on the left-hand side, I tried running on the green bicycle lane to see if it would help but the giants just went further and further into the distance

6. Olympic Help

I think that if it wasn’t for Colin Griffin I would have been beaten by Viv. I was feeling very sorry for myself after being dispatched by the group of giants. I thought that I must be running terribly to be dropped by giants on a hill as giants don’t go up hills well. Luckily as we ran up the centre of the park Colin Griffin arrived to perfectly pace me. I sat in behind Colin and after a while I didn’t feel so bad about being dropped as I was keeping up with probably the only Olympian in the field.

7. Beautiful Downhill

I think that the giants in Dublin must have different characteristics to the type of giant that I am. After about 5 miles the course turned back on itself and ran back down the hill. I started to feel good again and went in front of Colin for the downhill section. I could see up in front that the gap to the group of giants was closing which was surprising. I didn’t hold out much hope as I knew the last three miles would suit these unusual giants.

8. John Walshe

I think that my primary motivator over the last three miles was getting on John Walshe’s list of good 10 mile performances for the year. We should almost get t-shirts for it like they used to have for the top 100 in Ballycotton. I checked my watch at eight miles which is something I never do and saw 5:25 average pace. I knew the ninth mile was apocalyptically awfully uphill but with Colin Griffin dragging me up the hill I was hopeful that I would just about make the John Walshe list again.

9. No Fourth Place is The Same

I think that while it was great to make the John Walshe list, I should probably have been more concerned with not coming fourth again. On the run to the finish, I had to overtake my pacemaker Colin as he started grabbing at his right hamstring. I only lost two places in the last mile which wasn’t too bad for a fella that can’t sprint. Somehow despite ending up 19th overall I was the 4th moderately old man and first with no medal. This was quite upsetting as everyone else like Shane Collins, Brian Murphy, Viv and Mike Morgan who came up from down south got medals and I didn’t.

10. Merchandise On Sale Now

I think that MyRunResults must realise how hard it is to be always finishing fourth in races. Most people who finish fourth win eventually whereas I am always fourth. Because they are very nice particularly Eimear and the joint best most excellent timing company alongside PopUpRaces they gifted me a lovely jacket which was very kind. It was some consolation along with beating Viv very badly for the lack of a bronze medal.