Anything that opens up for registration these days, I register for. It’s worked out quite well so far. 3rd race in 10 days but I don’t think it’s been too mad and I’ve managed the schedule well so far. This wasn’t one I really wound down for and saw it was a good alternative for a Saturday morning session. Plenty of club mates were heading out to the beautiful Doneraile Park in North Cork so this would be a good bit of craic also with all of us threatening to tear lumps out of each other. We all knew the course was far from fast, it’s mostly on trail with loads of hilly sections and sharp turns, essentially an XC race in the summer. This was good though because all I wanted to do here was get more racing into the legs where time didn’t matter. That said, I’d heard beforehand that the (pre shoes) course record was 15:45 so I thought that was worth having a stab at.
Of course it had to be one of the hottest days of the year to date and by 8pm on Friday evening it was still around 26 degrees (according to Strava weather). It felt close to it anyway but personally I didn’t feel the effects too much as most of the course was sheltered by tree canopy. With the dodgy surface and sharp turns there was a lot of a debate on what footwear we should don, some concerned about the Vaporflys leading to injury but in the end we all wore them, bar one. The atmosphere was fantastic around the start line and it was just a pleasure once again to be feeling the race buzz. North Cork AC did a fantastic job from start to finish and really showed how to put on a good race with no nonsense. On the start line someone made the comment that this looked like a Leevale training session and looking across the line, it really did (even though some of them aren’t actually in the club, they still train with us). The GPS was very wonky with the trees and I clocked it pretty short but I’ll put up the splits anyway.
Mile 1 – 4:57
Off we go and hell was unleashed as we barrelled along the fast downhill section which was on a nicely paved road surface. If only this section had have lasted longer than those glorious 50 seconds it would have been an ideal race. After the sharp turn left which we all took quite cautiously in our high heels, we charged into the gravel trail section which was littered with mini pot holes and large stones. You really had to watch where you were going if you were getting out of here in one piece. A hungry pack had formed and I sat in just behind a club mate who was setting a good aggressive pace out front. I had turned off mile splits on the watch today knowing firstly that GPS would be useless and secondly, not to be worrying about time. All I could see was the time of day which wasn’t going to tell me anything really, except the time of day. Coming towards the end of the first mile I decided to take some of the slack and moved into the lead but just coming up to a sharp humpback bridge, a St.Finbarrs athlete who despite being an enemy is actually a good friend, stormed ahead in a sneaky move as if the bridge didn’t even exist. I had heard rumours he’s in very good nick so felt no option but to cover it.
Mile 2 – 5:07
Another sharp right turn after the bridge followed by the sharpiest left and we were on the forest trail section. Here’s where you had to be careful of trees and tree roots if you wanted to exit alive. I had quelled the challenge of Mr.Finbarrs for now and was starting to pull away. Nobody was coming so I said why not pile it on, get a gap and hopefully they’ll eventually stop trying. It was worth a go. I was actually enjoying this. I realised after this race that I love trail running. It’s exhilarating and exciting as you are bombarded by mini challenges around every corner. I felt I was really moving well here and maybe this is where the GPS went haywire as I didn’t think it was my slowest mile. Coming to the end of the mile I didn’t hear anything behind me but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone behind me so I kept the foot down (on the accelerator).
Mile 3 – 5:01
At the start of this mile I was blessed with another 40 seconds of a deliciously smooth and bouncy road surface. That was enjoyed before a left turn into a super gravity chamber. This was by far the toughest climb and being fairly close to home I just pumped the arms up here knowing every step brought me closer to relief. We had run the course in the warm up but I had a moment around here after reaching the top of the hill when I was faced with a T-junction. I was 93% sure it was a right turn. There was a young 
lady sitting down on the grass nearby, right at the intersection. I wasn’t sure if she was part of the race crew or just someone sitting on the grass playing with her phone. I couldn’t really afford a wrong turn so I said I’d check, even though I’d already turned right. I looked back and shouted “which way?” and she just looked up and pointed me in the direction I was already facing. Phew. On we go. At around 2.5 miles there was a nice downhill section which was the less evil twin of the other hill, mainly because I got to go down it. This was quite a dodgy surface so I had to spend a lot of time scanning for the best terrain to guarantee survival to the next section. I did survive and was rewarded once more with that lovely paved surface. It’s amazing how it feels like a gift from the gods when you’ve just come off a trail section. I was starting to feel pain now, 3rd mile in a 5k sort of pain. I was now on the far side, parallel to the downhill section I’d just come off and I could see Leevale vests, two of them in 2nd and 3rd. I could smell home but really needed to keep up the effort to get home safe. This section felt endless, but as expected and as with most things in life, it actually did end. I know I said that the time of day on my watch wasn’t very useful but at this stage I was looking at the time of day and trying to figure out how long more I have to run based on the knowledge that we started the race at 7:45pm. It was close to 8pm so this felt like it was probably good. I came off a slight downhill and then the imposing Doneraile house came into view. This was a good sight for two reason. Number one is that it’s a very nice late-17th century house and number two is that the finish line is right outside it. One final push up a very sneaky hill to finish and I was home 1st in 15:20. Job done. Bend to knees. Repay oxygen debt. I was closely followed by two Leevale bees, buzzing over the line 16 and 18 seconds later respectively.
I was pleasantly surprised seeing the timer on the way up the hill, that was quite a good time on that course (4:56 m/m avg) and I’d be interested to see how that would translate to a fast 5k course on the road. I was really happy with the overall effort, how strong I felt and how I paced it. Running a good time was nice but getting the win and racing it well felt more important. Each race I do seems to sharpen the blade a little more and increases the confidence levels. For my effort I brought home a lovely hamper of craft beer and a few quid in the pocket. What a lovely way to spend a Friday evening. Racing really has returned.
