Baby it's cold outside

I've joined a running clinic here, it's a great idea. 13 weeks of training from lazy ass bastard to 10k just in time for the Vancover Sun Run. It starts at 8.30 on a Saturday morning though. When there's still snow on the ground. And it's -2 degrees. And Tuesday at 7am it was -3.
Now I have a cold and wont be training this week, but I'm catching up to Sinead and will show her who the sucking sucker is... probably Jim. Cause he loves it.

core group

at the moment there are only 3 of contributing money, training logs and on the blog.

SHiT is too small to have a core group and besides we're all

Together
Everyone
Achieves
More

players, right?

let's huddle...

Suz.

Scared

I got scared in the park, cos it was a bit dark.

Mornings/afternoons for me from now on. Unless accompanied by an adult.

Suz.

Sucking Suckers and Rocking Rockers

First off, well done Suz! Now log it.

Gerry sucks at this running stuff. He and Urs stayed at ours last night and I dragged his sorry ass out this morning for a short 5k run. Granted, it was pretty windy, but he couldn't even haul himself around to the first kilometer.
Pathetic.
Suz, we've got this sewn up. You too Ann Marie and Con, even if you guys don't run a step between now and the '09 marathon, Gerry's out of the running. If you'll pardon the pun.
BTW Amo, hope your knee is doing better...

Did it!

Got out, finally, today, with my new Asics. Venue: Cow's lawn, Listowel. Followed my couch - 5k schedule, ie i couldnt run any faster than it suggested i could. Wasnt pretty, but that's ok too. Pretty is for Gerry!

Tuesday next - 7.30. Blennerville.

Dont forget everyone to pay your dues!!

Suz.

And the beat continues on

Some good running music for Sinead. My current playlist goes like;

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit. A good start.
Metallica - Enter Sandman. This keeps it going. At this stage though, I'm starting to flag and the best pick me up ever has to be
Bill Conti - Theme tune from Rocky.
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army. Keep bopping along now that I have my second wind.
Tina Turner - Simply The Best. Because I am.
Guns 'n' Roses - Paradise City. Why not?
Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal. They ask Annie, are you ok? I don't know about Annie but at this stage I'm knackered.

Well, Suz?

It's now Friday. Which means that yesterday was Thursday. Which was the arrival day for Suzanne's running shoes.
So how did your first run go? Did you get out at all?

BTW, watch out for blisters until you break them in. If anyone has any advice about doing this, please share it. I've got a monster on the arch of my left foot at the moment. Oww-ee!

I've just got a couple of pairs of 1000-mile trainer liners, which are like double layered socks. The inner layer clings to your foot and the outer layer moves with the shoe so there's a 'no blister guarantee'. I'll believe it when I see it...

Opting-in

Here in a grossly edited excerpt from an IM session between Sinead and me this am:

11:08 AM   me: ***CENSORED***
Swim was great. Will try and keep the momentum for tomorrow. If I can do it for a month, I'll treat myself and join the gym, and break up swimming with running. Then I'll join you for your half marathon.

11:10 AM   Sinéad: oh yeay! if you're not ready for the mayo half-marathon in april, there's always the adidas race series (5 miles in July, 10 miles in August) and the Donegal Mooathon (half-marathon) in September...

11:11 AM   me: Yep. On board. Keep encouraging me ***CENSORED*** and I'll be off to the Gym every morning....
Sinéad: no problem... ***CENSORED***

I really, really, need to stop reading silent bob's diaries. But there you go, on the strength of one swim and a vague threat to join the gym, I am in..

The Beat Goes On

My first playlist suggestions are:
The Killers - Mr Brightside. Excellent for pushing the pace up a bit
Deep Purple - Highway Star. Gets me up hills. Even long ones
Scissor Sisters - Filthy/Gorgeous. Good fast pace
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman. Cool things down, or keep an even jog

I had some Bob Dylan and Radiohead on my mp3, but they're far too slow. Some Smashing Pumpkins might work, but not the ones I've got going at the moment! I have a feeling that the music I listened to when stoned might not be very conducive to running, or moving at all. I may have to try out some Hip-Hop or Dance tunes. Gorillaz will be getting a test drive in the next few days.

Has anyone got any other suggestions for good running music? Probably best to do it in seperate posts, rather than comments. Don't forget to put 'playlists' in the labels field so that we can find them all easily!

What the fashionable runner wears

Since Conor is out buying something black and lacy for Sinead to wear while running, I thought I'd add my two cents.
The last few weeks I've been having issues with what I'm wearing (freezing my butt off) and think I have it down now. Getting the temperature right makes it that much easier. So what I'm recommending at the moment for the 2° - 10° C and wind / rain;
Adidas Clima Cool long sleeve top (or any wicking long sleeve) under a t shirt. Then an Adidas light waterproof jacket. These top off a pair of Dunnes finest trackie pants. Add on a cap (Munster Rugby) and a pair of Thinsulate gloves (3 quid from Dunnes), this creates the must have look in fashion this season.
Runners World have a calculator to give you hints on what you might want, you can check it out here. I'll post a pic after my next run.

Helping

I too have started. Started helping my wife that is. Although she is helping me too. Here's how:

Through fucking like stoned bunnies. Forgive me, I am reading Kevin Smith's diary at the moment. Sinéad has agreed to look after the kids and get them ready so I can go swimming in the mornings and try and shift some of that upper body weight before attempting any running. Shin Splints blah-de-blah-de-blah. Taking up Tennis after that. Then, I may start running and join in this madness. That'll put it up to the dopey Monaghan tube.

I, in my way, help Sinéad by buying her stuff. Today I bought her:

Running Gloves

Running Socks

Sports Bras.
-- I had to go to the lingerie section for these, but I looked sufficiently like a lost male for some incredibly hot lady to help me. Man! I have all the shit jobs.

So there. I am really putting myself on the line for this running lark. I am semi-officially-kinda-half-not-really-but-sort-of buying into this.

Progress

Ok, so i havent made any really, except on a logistical front. New Asics arriving thursday; running schedule printed; Guardian get-fit do your exercises adobe file downloaded. Now all i have to do is leave my house. I'm saying Thursday is D-day. All ye veterans can laugh, i dont mind!

The Rule Book

Gerry came up with the following rules for the bet/challenge. I think there is still some room for adjustment here if anyone comes up with another idea. For now though, this is how it will work:

1. The aim of this bet is to complete a marathon, but given 23 months' notice we expect people to run it. No walkers. So we expect a time of under 6 hours.

2. Everyone pays €5 per week to a bank account. This money is used for quarterly prizes of €100 each for 6 quarters and the rest (about €1800-1900) will go to the grand prize winners.

3. Everyone will have to complete a race in April '09 (race to be decided) either a 10k or a half marathon. There are ones in Vancouver and Dublin at this time. The finish time of this race will be used to predict a marathon time.

4. Half the grand prize will be split evenly between anyone who completes the final marathon in under their predicted time + 5%

5. The person with the best percentage improvemet on their predicted time will get another 30% of the grand prize, the next best will get 15% and the next 5%.

6. If only one person gets under predicted time + 5% then they take the lot.

7. If no one completes the martahon in their predicted time +5% then the money stays in the account and we pick a new race in 2010.

8. Quarterly prizes will be given for a different competition each time. An example might be that everyone run 5k as fast as possible on March 1st and again on March 31st. The person with the best percentage improvement gets the prize.

9. We all have to be honest about this and not play to win the cash but play to win the marathon.

Here's an example of how the money and prizes get divided:

5 people over 100 weeks put in €5 a week. This gives us a jackpot of €2500. After 6 quarterly prizes of €100 each, we are left with a grand prize of €1900.

Predicted times are
A: 3 hours 50 (230 minutes + 5% = 241.5 minutes)
B: 5 hours (300 minutes + 5% =315 minutes)
C: 4 hours 30 (270 minutes + 5% = 283.5 minutes)
D: 4 hours (240 minutes + 5% = 252 minutes)
E: 4 hours 45 (285 minutes + 5% = 299.25 minutes)

They finish in
Finish Predicted + 5% Difference Percentage Difference
A 220 241.5 -21.50 -9%
B 320 315 +5.00 +2%
C 280 283.5 -3.50 -1%
D 220 252 -32.00 -13%
E 291 299.25 -8.25 -3%

So B goes home with nothing and the other 4 split half the prize so they all get €237.50

D came in 1st place so gets another €570 (30%)
A came in next so gets another €285 (15%)
E came third so gets an extra €95 (5%)