20k of races to cover along with the usual parkrun over the jump!

Warmup
Welcome, Bienvenue, Bienvenido, Fáilte, Willkommen, Fair Fa’ Ye – right, now that’s out of the way, we’ve met the criteria for additional funding!  A mostly quiet week for the club this time around, more on that further down.  Over the weekend, my niece asked me to make her a ballerina’s costume.  To be honest, I had no idea where to start, but then I put tu and tu together

Run Forest Run: Antrim Castle 10k
Right on the shore of Lough Neagh, a route familiar to some of our parkrun tourists, was the location for the latest race in the Run Forest Run series kick off in Antrim Castle grounds, before leaving and following the A6 out and looping back to the fort.  We had one valiant Dub taking on the course:

That’s the stuff Jim – great running – you’re almost there towards getting your t-shirt for the series too!  The next and final race I the series takes place on 25th February in Castlewellan and entries are now open for it (also the date of our next flash mob parkrun!!)

Drum Manor 10k
The Sperrin Harriers Winter League Trail Series is one that hasn’t featured much for the Dubs this year (nothing against it – it is just further away).  On Saturday they held their fourth race in the series at Drum Manor and for one Dubber, it was nothing more than a gentle job in preparation for a bigger challenge later in the month:

Great running Mike – out representing the Dubs all on your own, and doing us all proud.  Nothing too exciting to report about the course or anything from Mike.  I was going to tell him to put his feet up and relax, but you know what – he’s not allowed, he has something much bigger on the horizon!

parkrun
T’was a fresh (read: cold) morning as Saturday dawned, with most of the rain cleared from the night before.  The stillness in the parks broken with a clash as hundreds of runners descend into the various parks for 9:30am and give it stacks.  Let’s now forget the lovely volunteers, who stand in the freezin’ cold waiting on even the fastest of us to finish.  Let’s take a look at how we got on this week:

Fantastic running everyone – well done for getting out of bed when turning off the alarm is such an attractive option!!  Some hat tips this week go to second across the line at the re-homed Enniskillen event, Marcy.  Also to Richard and Steven who were both third home at Queen’s and Falls events.  Just the one new personal best set this week by Eimear (at Queen’s).

Warmdown
Another week training week completed, and despite concerns about rationing, unlike the iceberg lettice, there’s going to be no rationing of my jokes, in fact a new book has just been delivered to my desk – so no shortage there.

The latest arrival at my real job…

I want to publicly say thank you to the woman for patronisingly trying to tell me there is water underground – I’m well aware.

Keep on running!

Live long and prosper.

Disclaimer: Every effort was taken to ensure the results above are correct (face it, I’m getting lazy). If you’d like to make a complaint, then you’ll automatically volunteer yourself for writing duties next week 🙂