No Line on the Horizon

Thurs: Day Off. Achilles was very sore to walk around on all day so shelved plans for an evening run and put the feet up. Not thrilled about it but want to try to nip this in the bud.

Fri: Gym. 40 mins on the bike, 10 on the cross trainer, 15 mins on the treadmill. This was absurd in a few ways. One I shouldnt have run as a) I was wearing runners that are totally shot and b) my achilles was sore. But I couldnt hack the cross trainer so jumped on the treadmill in frustration. Amazingly everything felt good. Realised that I've been running too hard since I started training again using the logic that if I want to run sub 3hrs in the marathon I need to run sub 7s now. Amazing how everything I am

studying I choose to ignore about my own running. 

Sat: Day off. Achilles wasnt terrible, but didnt want to push my luck either. Was eagerly anticipating the rugby, and while the result was what I wanted (as long as we beat the English) the game was shite as a spectacle and the referee needs his head examined to not have seen the blatant fouls by the cheating scumbag limey gits. Had a few pints with Enda post match, which was delightful. Naturally. 

Sun: 6 miles, 43:20,

Map

Went out to Santry to watch the Irish XC champs (more on that in a minute). Ran home, and didnt feel spectacular as I'd been standing in the rain for the previous hour, was cold, thirsty, and hungry. Surprised when I measured the run that I'd run that fast (relative use of the word fast) as I felt like I was crawling in an effort to spare my achilles from unnecessary abuse. Deeply satisfied that neither the quad or the achilles felt any real pain. 

As for the race itself, it was a corker. Kel went straight to the front on a relatively flat, dry course that had a lot of give in it that tends to drain the legs.

  Had Keneally sitting on him through 5k 

 before swapping the lead till around the 7k mark, at which point Keith hit the front and started to gradually stretch out a lead of 40 yards. Coming into the last lap with about a mile to go however, there were a few murmurs around the course that the legs had come off Kel, and Keneally had visibly reduced the gap to about 25 yards. However, Kel worked the only real downhill portion of the course to regain the lost advantage. Around the last km Keneally was visibly closing the gap but Kel's lead was never really in doubt and held on for the win by about 15 yards or so. 

Vinny had a similar battle with Gary O'Connor for 3rd which he won in convincing fashion over the last 3k and looked very strong throughout. Delighted for Kel to get the win that was against as good a field as you could have at the Irish champs (only Fagan & possibly Ledwith missing who would have changed the result). Also saw a few lads I used to run with/against in the field which made me realise how out of my league elite running is these days as the lads (and all credit to them) were blown out of it totally. 

U2's new album (No Line On The Horizon) was released here in Ireland on Friday. Have been listening to it non-stop since. While it's not the 'new sound' that was promised, its a cracking good album with some great opening riffs to songs that flows very well. A slightly more melodic tone than previous albums (Moment of Surrender is a good example of this) but follows the trends set by All That You Can't Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. All in all, good shit.

Lastly, Spurs got beaten by Man Utd on penalties in the final of the Carling Cup today. Given that I chose to go to the XC over watching it shows that I didn't hold out much hope of victory but its a huge disappointment none the less. Cannot understand how men paid millions of pounds a year to play football are unable to hit the target from 12 yards out. Its friggin ridiculous. Season after season of disappointment and failure. Such is the life of a Spurs fan.