Setting off on his challenge on Sunday 30^th August, Simon will start in Co. Antrim and over the course of a week he will traverse the country driving on average 4 hours a day to visit and run in up to 5 counties before completing his 32 County challenge on Saturday 5^th September on his home turf in Co. Down. 

Simon said, ‘I’m quite new to running. I ran my first 5k in 2019 when I took part in a Born2Run race in Castlewellan, Co. Down. Since then I’ve been interested in getting a bit faster and going a bit further, but I didn’t have any real goals, until recently when running the Atlantic Drive in Donegal had the idea to run in every county in Ireland.

‘Before having the opportunity to think it through or back out, I discussed the challenge with my family who were very supportive and decided that I would do it before the end of this summer whilst raising money for a worthy cause in the process. 

A focus on mental health charities 

I have previously taken part in fundraising events for AWARE, so it was important for me to raise funds for both AWARE NI and AWARE Ireland. This year has put a strain on the mental health of many across the island. The respective AWARE charities carry out amazing work in the mental health sector and their support is so vital at the moment with the current covid-19 pandemic’.

Simon concluded, ‘I am glad I didn’t give myself too much time to consider the challenge as it has been quite an intense few weeks training & organising the logistics of the 1,800km drive but it has kept me focused.

It is going to be a tough but achievable challenge, scaling up from an average of 25km a week to 160km. I am confident that I can complete the challenge as I am so enthused and appreciative of how generous everyone has been and I really want to repay of all the support.’

Karen Collins, CEO of AWARE NI commented, ‘Simon’s challenge is a brilliant idea and is so unique. We’ll be following Simon’s journey throughout the week and will be with him in spirit and cheering him on every step of the way. As a charity, the money that people fundraise is vitally important to allow us to continue delivering our services in schools, communities and workplaces across Northern Ireland’.

Fundraising really needed

Drew Flood, Fundraising Executive at Aware commented: “Since the emergence of Covid-19, Aware has seen a dramatic increase in demand for our services as society adjusts to the reality of living with Covid-19 and related socio-economic impacts. We are very grateful to Simon for choosing Aware and AWARE NI to benefit from his innovative challenge.

His efforts will not only bring awareness to the importance of mental health, but every single euro raised will make a difference. We wish him the very best and look forward to tracking his progress through the 32 counties!”

Simon has so far raised over €6,000 and to tie in with the 4 province, 32 county challenge has been in contact with all the provincial rugby & county GAA boards & sponsors so that he has enough tops to run in and hopefully plans to get them signed by players after so that the charities can auction to raise further funds. 

Progress of his challenge will be shared on social media over the course of the week and Simon has lined up fellow runners to do a 5k in over 20 international cities from Amsterdam to Washington tagging local mental health charities to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and he invites local runners to do the same. 

To find out more, how you can participate or make a donation in support of Simon’s challenge for the two AWARE charities go to: https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/32by3-2

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The post 32 Irish County 5k challenge appeared first on Fast Running.

After recently enjoying the suffering of the Armagh International 5k race a few people mentioned it must have been easy as you’re used to running much further. After all, it was only 15:27 of running,  compared to 24 hours, my “favourite” discipline of ultra running. 

There’s an assumption, certainly in the running media, that ultra marathoning is only for the masochistic, that we’re super tough and ultra runners are just loads tougher than the shorter distance runners. This simply isn’t true.

Newsflash: running 5k hurts, really hurts. If it’s not a physically and mentally challenging experience then you’re not trying hard enough. You might even suggest that if an ultra feels harder than a 5k then you’re probably pacing both badly. 

The first 80 miles are easy

This is one of the quotes a friend made into a business card for me many years ago, but it still rings true. If you’re running 100 miles then at least the first 80 miles should be done at an easy effort. Yes, it will start to feel harder, become uncomfortable and you might have some blisters, but you shouldn’t be working hard. It’s just not sustainable for the time frame you need it.

So how much should a 5k hurt? In preparing for Armagh I went and did Huddersfield parkrun on Christmas Day and I’m glad I did. There was an almighty shock for me as a present that day. It hurt. About three kilometres in, all of a sudden, I was reminded just how hard running a 5k is.

Until about three kilometres I was running fast, breathing hard, mentally struggling to keep up with the two chaps ahead. Then boom. It was hurting more than I had done in an ultra. I was still catching the two runners ahead, I would briefly take the lead (although no one truly leads a parkrun) on the last bend, but then have one runner come past again before the finish. 

The same at Armagh. About 2.5-3km it goes from feeling “easy” to run the pace needed to becoming a lot harder. Whether this is down to the level of competition and one’s perception of effort, just a build up of waste products in the body or both and another multitude of factors it felt harder than ultra running.

Stopping for a cup of tea

When the going gets tough in an ultra you can stop, have some food or splash your face with water and then continue at a world record pace. Having a pee or eating a sandwich are actually necessary to run your best, whereas a cup of tea at halfway would totally destroy your 5k PB attempt.

The margin for error is much smaller with any distance below 50km. The marathon in Valencia came down to about 30 seconds to achieve my goal. Each of the final six miles really did hurt, but none hurt like a 5k or shorter race. It was more a battle with the mind than the body.

That narrow margin for error seems to heighten every little aspect, but also increases the pressure we place on ourselves. That pressure can make everything feel harder too.

The frequency one can race shorter distances events might actually help reduce that pressure a wee bit too. The fact that the pain of a 5k might be lessened in our heads just because we know you can go all out again in a short while’s time.

A thousand pinpricks

That’s not to say an ultra cannot hurt. Oh my, they can be painful. But it’s more like a thousand pinpricks, with each step in the second half being another little additional cumulative pain, than the large twat around the head that each minute of a 5k can feel like. The marathon is somewhere in between.

The coping techniques we use can still be very similar and there is a benefit for having some variety in your racing.

We’re all familiar with self talk, telling ourselves we can keep going, drive through the pain. Willing the body to give one last big push and reminding ourselves that “you can do this”. It’s a technique that works well for all distances, but as I wrote about recently, the conversation can be a lot shorter and louder for the shorter distances, whilst in an ultra it is more of a prolonged debate.

Breaking the challenge down works too. An ultra runner might try to get to the next checkpoint 10 kilometres away, whilst a 5k runner is just aiming for the next lamppost 100 metres away, before renegotiating with a suffering pair of legs.

If you can convince your body to push through the pain of a shorter distance, then it becomes easier to make the legs play ball in a marathon or ultra too. It’s like lifting bigger weights for the mind.

I’m not sure it works brilliantly the other way round though. Telling yourself that it’s “only 5k to go in a marathon” still seems shit, although it might be a little less so if you’re used to suffering for hours on end in a 100 miler. The continuous pushing of shorter distances makes it a tougher ordeal, there is just no respite in the motivational battle. 

Putting it in practice

Even this weekend past, running a trail marathon in the heat in Gran Canaria there were moments where it was only 10km to go, but knowing I could run 100 miles didn’t really make me feel any better. Crewing my friend in the bigger race when he “only had a marathon left” didn’t make him feel like it was a final push.

It’s easier to make yourself run ultra marathon pace when it hurts than it is to run 5k pace. That’s a given. Yet in the last few kilometres I was reduced to a walk for no reason other than lacking the mental drive to keep going. I thought about Armagh and how hard I had pushed then.

At Armagh it was eight or nine minutes of pushing, albeit at a much harder level, but at TransGranCanaria it felt harder to bring myself to run a sub 10 minute mile, rather than the sub five minute miles a week before. 

The pain was a whole lot less, but the motivation was certainly harder. The trail marathon was hot, rocky and I had taken a nice roly-poly down one of the hills too, but it wasn’t the pain stopping me going faster. Running too hot, empty on energy, but most importantly, empty on motivation brought me to an amble.

Will running longer help?

Will that help me in my next 5k? I wouldn’t think so. In the same way does running a 10k help an 800m runner push harder on their next double lap? It’s a totally different type of pain and I think it only really works one work and that is up.

Physiologically the combination of anaerobic and aerobic work required for a true maximum effort at 800m is the hardest thing any runner can do. My friend Andy Kett once told me his biggest dread came in the final 100m as the pain after finishing was the worst.

Until the aftermath of finishing fills you with fear, you’re not racing the hardest distance. Ultra running is easy, marathon is tough, 5k is painful but 800m running scares me away from the start line…. maybe in the summer.

Robbie is sponsored by Odlo, Profeet Sports Lab and Precision Hydration. If you want to follow his training chasing sub 2:30 you can also see it here on Strava or the highs and lows of Twitter and Instagram.

RELATED: The highs and lows of a sub 2:30 marathon 

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The post What’s tougher, 5k or an ultra marathon? appeared first on Fast Running.

As an endurance runner a big part of getting ready for a race is research. Just your fitness won’t get you through the longer events and the plan is always to make race day as easy as possible. It can be preparing your food, looking at any difficult route sections or researching checkpoint food. A plan can improve your PB for sure.

Now if you’re a 5k runner or a half marathoner you might be thinking that this isn’t relevant to you, but I disagree. If you’re after a PB or just want to make sure you enjoy your day, a little research beforehand can make all the difference.

5-10km racer

If you’re a parkrunner, 5k road racer or a 10000m man on the track, there are still things you can do beforehand. For parkrun it can be as simple as looking at the times from previous runners. If the winner is taking 20 minutes each week then it might be a hilly or off-road course. Even checking any photos from the event can tell you a lot about the route.

If it’s the road racing that floats your boat then check out any splits that might be given, although rare for a 5k, but if it’s an out and back, with a slightly uphill first half, or heaven forbid an uphill finish, then forewarned is forearmed.

Now, what could be different about a track? Whilst all are pretty similar it might still be worth knowing a good place to warm up. Even checking out your rivals or figuring out where the toilets are so you’re not caught short can help. Take a little mental pressure from the head and you’ll float around the bends that little bit easier.

Don’t get too caught up on opposition though, your own race is key, but if someone is known for hitting the first lap hard and then flailing then your club mates might be able to advise.

Half marathon

Now the distance is getting a little more serious and you can’t just turn up in shape and expect a PB every time. Check out the route and the splits if they’re available. Some courses are just not meant for PBs, so might be worth giving a miss, others are perfect but for a couple of hills and it’s best to know where these are.

What are the checkpoints like? Do they list a sports drink on the website and how does it sit with you? You can always try something like a drink out whilst doing a tempo run to give you a taste for it at the right intensity.

How close are the start and the finish? As the race gets longer, the chances of finishing far away from the start increase. It’s best to have a plan for afterwards so you don’t fret before the start. Worst still you’re  freezing cold because you had to drop your jacket off at the finish and catch a bus.

The competition is important again, but not on a man to man basis, but will it be a lonely experience? If you’re aiming for 1:45 then have a peek at last year’s results. See if it was busy or minutes between finishers. Will there be crowds or is it country lanes, because, if allowed, some headphones might help.

Marathon

Like the half, it’s a bit more logistical, but the food becomes even more key. If there will be Lucozade or just water and how is it given out. It might not say on the website (maybe check some laborious race blogs) but will there be papers cups or bottles?

In my first checkpoint in a cross country skiing race, I wish I’d practised drinking tea from a cup whilst skiing and having poles attached to my hands. About 3% made it into my mouth.

Looking at the route and the profile isn’t just for race day either. If you’re training for the Boston Marathon then of course you know there’s Heartbreak Hill. Boston training will include ups and downs in the long runs, but what about other marathons? Can you make your training more specific?

The weather can be important too. Check out recent years, but expect anything on race day. Especially if racing in Britain or Ireland. A heatwave or a rainstorm might mean you have to change kit. Shoes with better grip or a lightweight cap on your head might be the difference.

Equally the wind can play a part and if you’re aiming for a set pace and the first 13 miles is into a headwind you might get a little dismayed.

Ultra

As for ultra running, where can you start? Every race is different and your training should reflect this. Specificity can be key to a good day and just because you live in a different area doesn’t mean you should ignore it.

The community is strong so reach out online. Others will have been there before, they will be more than happy to offer good (and bad) advice. Some even make terrible videos with go pro cameras, but flicking through can be helpful.

As for food, well you need to be able to stomach anything. But also know how long between the checkpoints and water stops to plan on what you carry. Don’t just go off time alone as 10km with two big hills takes a little longer than 10k on the flat. You’ll need more water.

The final plan?

If we talk to the racers of the 80’s we might get laughed at for preparing like this, but with so much information out there in this age, why not make use of it? It will make your job a little easier. At the very least you’ll get to the start line a little more relaxed, knowing you are prepared and ready to give the race everything. That counts for something too.

The post Plan better for your next personal best appeared first on Fast Running.