10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The Ardmore 5 Mile 2023

1. History

I think that a lot of local running history is being lost. I am almost certain that I ran this race about 10 years ago but there is no record on Strava or google of any result. It must have been between 2011 and 2014 as this is the horrendous period of running that was deleted off my watch because back then there was no bluetooth and you had to plug your watch into a computer which I never did. It must have been a good race because I’ve always wanted to go back to Ardmore.

2. Marathon Weather

I think that it is great that proper Cork Marathon weather has arrived. They should adjust the times from last year to reflect proper conditions. It will never be 11 degrees with drizzle in Cork in June again, never mind magic shoes, magic weather is worth way more, probably 5-8 minutes. Cork Marathon weather is however great for running short races by the seaside like Ardmore.

3. No Frills

I think that West Waterford run a great nice simple race. I like races without chip timing as it reminds me of the Ballycotton 5 mile series. €10 to enter, a simple number, a looped course, and a few lines on the road. Nice and simple where little could go wrong. It was sort of like going back in time to a race in 2010, even Sergiu turned up to make it exactly like 2010.

4. Catch That Van

I think that the starter did a great job in starting the race then running after a moving van and hopping in on the go before being caught by Sergiu. The race started in the middle of nowhere on a straight stretch of country road facing the sea that was perfect for a road race on a Friday evening. It was one of those pointless roads that doesn’t have any real purpose apart from connecting other small roads and facilitating excellent road race loops.

5. Steady Sergiu

I think that I will have to go back to starting sensibly. On my way to start I met Pat Fitzgerald and Noel Murphy both of whom have destroyed me in the last 400m of races. Because of this I decided that the only tactic was to go off as hard as I could with Sergiu and see how far I would get. Sure you’d never know Sergiu might have been tired and might have relaxed a bit after a mile. After a mile it was clear that Sergiu wasn’t interested in relaxing so I had to come up with a different plan.

6. Plan B

I think that the course for the race was perfect for my race plan. Once I had become detached from Sergiu I waited for the rest of the runners to catch me. I got to the little sharp hill in the town before being caught which was perfect as I could have a little rest on the hill and let them come past me. Only Pat and a runner from Carrick on Suir came by so I latched onto the back of them and prepared for four miles of suffering.

7. The Climb

I think that the climb back towards the start saved me in this race. Because I had been caught, I was able to just sit behind Pat for the mile long climb back up to the start. He was going at a pace that was just about bearable so I hung on a waited for the climb to end. We passed a signpost for Whiting Bay which is the beach where we used to go to as children so I thought about that while suffering.

8. La Calme

I think that the section from mile three to mile four was my best part of the race. When we reached the top of the hill at the crossroads Pat and the guy from Carrick on Suir decided that they weren’t going to do anymore running so I went back into second and tried to push the pace a bit. I could see Sergiu up ahead turning the corner at the end of the straight road that we had started on and counted 60 seconds until we reached the same corner which wasn’t too bad. Then we turned the corner which was the trigger for Pat and the Carrick on Suir to start the downhill sprint for home which was a mile away.

9. Fourth Again

I think that there are certain advantages to finishing fourth in races the whole time. Fourth is a great position to finish in if you are terrified of contracting sickness in halls after races and if you have a two year old who normally needs to go home immediately after races. I had no hope of third in Ardmore as Pat and the guy from Carrick on Suir put 20 seconds into me in the last mile. I was happy out in fourth safe from any marathon ruining diseases but without a prize.

10. Seaside Chips

I think that the best part of going to a race in Ardmore when there is Cork Marathon weather is the chips at the seaside after the race. I haven’t had chips in Ardmore for nearly 15 years. The chipper we used to go to was closed so we had to go back up to the finish to Shipmates by the pharmacy. It was just as well the race started at 7.30pm because the chipper closed at 9pm, the guys from St Catherine’s nearly got caught out. If they want to have a prize for fourth at the race next year a free bag of chips would be great.