10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The Greenway Half 2024

1. Greenways are Great

I think that greenways are great. There couldn’t be enough of them. The one from Glanmire to Carrigtwohill has made running around Glanmire safe and almost nice. The one in Dungarvan is even better because it is fully safe and very nice. I had forgotten to enter the Greenway Half but luckily the very nice people in West Waterford A.C do “elite late entries” for moderately good elite BHAA road runners like me.

2. Dungarvan > Cork

I think that Cork City Council should be sent on a trip to Dungarvan to see what a town should look like. It is incredible, it reminded me of Paris during the Olympics, washed, cleaned and tidied like they were expecting very important visitors. The footpaths are so clean you could drop a piece of toast on the ground and consider eating it. It is very unlike Cork.

3. Car Pool Karaoke

I think that point to point races like the Greenway Half pose some additional logistical challenges. The organizers had helpfully provided buses to the start, but I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to psych out Viv in the car on the drive over to the start by carpooling with him. I parked in the field at the Railway Cottage ran over to Viv’s car and got driven to the start in Kilmacthomas where I collected my number from a white van in the car park.

4. Flapjack Factory

I think that the start of the race was very fast. The race starts about 2k east of the Coach House Café which is more or less the top of a small hill. We took off down the hill at a ridiculous pace for a half marathon led out by my opponent from Clonmel Dermot. It wasn’t long before we passed the nice bridge by the Flapjack Factory. I looked at my watch and saw that we were on about 68-minute pace so decided to go to the back of the group and hope everyone would blow up very soon.

5. Weeeee

I think that it took about 5k for the downhill momentum to run out. It would be fine if the downhill stopped and it was flat for a bit but instead it goes back up again for another 5k reversing all of the lost altitude. It was on this climb that I got into trouble. First the early pace setter Dermot dropped off, then I let a small gap develop between me and Viv who had hitched his wagon to the front group of three. I kept telling myself I was being sensible and the front four were mad but quickly switched to blaming the AlphaFlys when the gap started to grow.

6. Awful Alphas

I think that I will have to retire the AlphaFly 3s from racing. I have given them a good few goes now, I just don’t get on with them. They are very comfortable and great for doing a long run where pace isn’t important but trying to change pace in them is impossible. They are huge and heavy in my size UK 12, I notice every plodding step in them which is not what you want in a race shoe. I spent every mile of the race wishing that I had worn my Vaporflys so I could catch up to Viv who seems to work much better in AlphaFlys.

7. No Sense

I think that the last 10k of the race was a form of torture. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in front of me. Viv who I had administered the mother of all bad beatings to over 10k a few weeks ago was flying. He went through 10k faster than he ran for a 10k race. I know I motivate him because he loves beating me but this was ridiculous. I’m far better than any drug, stick me in a race with Viv and he is transformed.

8. Tunnel

I think that my favourite part of the course is the bit from the tunnel to the finish. The tunnel arrives at almost exactly 10 miles. Those 10 miles had been absolute torture as I could see the front group of four containing Viv, Pat Fitzgerald, Aidan Connell and Conor O’Brien just out of reach for everyone of the 10 miles. It is very dark in the tunnel and very silent, I used the darkness and silence of the tunnel to count the gap to Viv at the rear of the front group, 30 seconds, probably impossible over three miles.

9. Copper Coast

I think that the scenery that appears after the tunnel is as good as anywhere in the world. Turning the corner at 11 miles to see the sea on a sunny Saturday morning almost made the fact that Viv was 30 seconds up the road tolerable. I’ve seen the view a good few times now but it never gets old and was even nicer with a tailwind and not the usual headwind. At this point I gave up on catching Viv and resigned myself to fifth which luckily enough there was a prize for.

10. All Credit to Viv

I think that Viv might be the current greatest active Irish runner. Age adjusted his time would be 1:01 for the half marathon, I’m unsure if age adjusting accounts for a tailwind and a downhill course in magic shoes but it’s still far better than me and most runners in the country. I humbly accepted my beating, collected my prize for fifth which was great and drove Viv and Gavin back to their car in Kilmacthomas before cycling the greenway with Billy and Rhona for the afternoon which is what Greenways are also great for. A great day out aside from the bad beating.