Sunday, November 13, 2011

Tommy casey winsAVIVA Tailteann Schools’ Awards 2011


Congratulations to Sligo AC’s Tommy Casey on winning the AVIVA Tailteann Schools’ Awards at the AAI awards 2011.Tommy won the schools 1500 meters in 2010 and 2011 (3:52), which brought him to the attention of the major US colleges and Okalahoma State University is where Tommy now calls home.

So from all Sligo athletes well done Tommy (and coach dad Michael)

Friday, October 28, 2011

Jaffa Cakes.....

You’ll not get a Jaffa cake, fig roll, jelly baby, lucozade sport, PowerAde, cinnamon & raisin pancake between here and Mullingar this weekend.... haven’t forgotten about the banana they were got in the weekly “Big Shop” already.

Why could this be?

Because the lads from the 7:57 club are fuelling up, like a bear going into hibernation, for the marathon. For most Sligo people they go to Dublin for 3 reasons, the airport, the zoo and take that concerts, but these boyos aren’t most people they are marathoners so they add in a trip the last weekend in October each year and some have said it’s a lot less painful than having to go up shopping so it’s not that bad after all.

It all began in early June during one of the infamous long runs when it was whispered about getting ready for Dublin, a few side eyes and that sort of talk was banished so erly in the year.

A few weeks later the signs began to slowly show that marathon fever was brewing.
How can you tell I hear you ask.......It happens in stages!

Stage 1: The Little White LieYou turn up at the complex at 7:45 for the 7:57 run and see one or two cars already there but no one in or outside them, then just like a Michael Jackson thriller video they appear form the mist.
“You were out early”

Shuffle the feet and dont make eye contact

“I have a kid’s birthday party to go to” or “I have an underage Connaught cup match so I came out a bit earlier”.
But the scheme comes undone when they complete the distance with the lads.
“Someone’s gonna be late for the party and the other ones just missed the bus”

Sign 2: Building Sneaky Mileage

“I just left some water out on the route just in case” .Water for runs just over the hour a bit sus we think but say nothing but again the mask slips when you get to the complex and you hear “ I’m just going to do a few laps of the racecourse”.
Sign 3: Combination of 1 & 2.
We set out for the out and back at 7:57am of course, not a minute sooner or later, the out part has always been the same distance as the back part up until now, but for some strange reason we throw in a detour of a side road we would never usually have included, and why is this?
We are told “Sure it’s a grand morning to be out”....... would be if it wasn’t raining.
Nothing to do with the morning, it’s the little white lie to sneak in the miles.

Step 4: Dublin Hotel Prices
During the course of the Long run you just happen to mention that you might be going to Dublin for the weekend (visiting the Zoo, gona do a bit of shopping and sure if take that are in town we’ll pop along) don’t even mention dates and all of a sudden one of the lads has a rain man experience and can rattle of every hotel in Dublin in alphabetical order, prices for B&B and one evening meal sharing.... for when.....you guessed it last weekend in October
See their starting to slip up now.

Step5: More Miles
The long run goes up to 14 miles. No reason why, but still no admittance of entering marathon.

Step 5: I didn’t book it, it was the wife.

The hotel is booked for last weekend in October as close to the marathon start line as possible, which “I knew nothing about it; the wife booked it just in case.......”

Step 6: The Admission

It’s now mid July and no more denial, they’ve lived with it long enough and can’t hide it anymore, we’ve covered the county with Long runs, scattered water bottles from Ballicar to Knocknarae and on the day of admission a gel appears on the long run. That it the game is up full pelt ahead next stop Dubalin......
After this stage its all systems go and the body is prepared for distance only, miles are carefully added during the long runs and groups that begin together disintegrate over the morning as some of us mere mortals stick to the hour run only. Half marathons are entered and some 10kms for speed and as the time approaches the gels appear like the first snow drop in spring, it begins with one but quickly sprouts.

So that’s how it happens in the 7:57 club.

But on a serious note all these lads have put in a huge commitment and have dedicated huge amounts of time and effort to training for the marathon. From the outside looking in you may think that they have done so many marathons that they just turn up, but that is not the case.

Early mornings, rescheduling of family plans, missed nights out watching what you eat and drink are all par for the course. Lads getting out of their bed hours before the runs and driving miles out of their ways to leave out water bottles for us all along the route and back again to collect them after.

Morning and evenings when you wouldn’t put a dog out these boys took to the roads to stick to their schedules encouraging one another along the way.

No prima donnas or Billy big times here everyone was there to help the other along and although an individual sport they did it with team spirit and encouraged and persuaded any new comer that they could do it too.

Ordinary people doing extra ordinary things

Good luck:
Eamon Dunbar, Eamon Coyne, Seamus Somers, Mark Burns, Declan Foley, Enda Dineen, Ciaran Donnellan, Mel C, Richard Gorman, Ross McLynn, Paul Deering, John Whelan, Enda Whelan, Damien Kenneddy, Kieran Coleman, Joe Davey

Like their male compatriots our ladies have put in the hard slog for the 26.2 miles juggling their time and other commitments to build the mileage necessary for completing the task.
Many a mile was put in the race course on Saturday mornings and that’s not an easy place to do your long runs mentally or physically. Building steady mileage over the summer months to culminate in the completion of the marathon has paid off
So ladies I am sure you will achieve all you set out to achieve

Good luck to
Linda Higgins, Roseanne Mitchell, Aisling Kennedy, Maeve Hayes, Aisling Gillen, Sharon Dineen.



Well done boys’ yer a credit....

Happy running

Marathoners......

“A marathoner is a marathoner regardless of time.
It's all in conquering the challenge."

October 31st 2011 the date many of our Sligo athletes will have a life changing experience.
The marathon is a daunting thought for those experiencing their first one, but thinking about it is worse than the reality. That’s what sets you aside as a marathoner you’re not thinking about it anymore you’re doing it, you’ve realised the challenge and are facing it head on.

You‘ve put in the training, the hard miles, you’ve made the sacrifices and gave the commitment and now you are ready for that challenge.

The dream of completing 26.2 miles will become a reality, the race will start and finish, the day will end, and it will all be over .You will experience pain and hurt, self doubt, and more than once you will question whether you can complete the distance, you will have a moment when you say “I don’t think I can do this” and when this happens remember in the end you will have a lifetime of knowing you have.
You are a marathoner.

The emotion of crossing the finish line is like nothing you have experienced before and cannot be described until you experience it yourself. Just before you close your eyes that night you will smile and feel the joy of what you have achieved, you won’t remember hurt or pain and wonder to yourself what was all the fuss about.

You will be the inspiration for others to follow.

Take a bow marathoner.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

McMillan's Marathon Manual

Below, you will find the instructions I use with my coaching clients who are getting ready for a marathon. These general guidelines and tips will help you get to the line ready for a peak performance. As always, you should have practiced much of what is in this manual in training. Race day is simply a celebration of all the hard work you have completed and a chance to let your performance shine!

First, pat yourself on the back. Training for a marathon is not easy and often does not go smoothly but getting to the line shows your dedication and determination. The race is the icing on the cake. As this week of nervousness proceeds, take time to remember to thank those who have supported you in your marathon quest.


The two weeks prior to the marathon is what I call the 'great marathon freak-out' that occurs during the peaking process. Questions abound. Self-doubt creeps in. Fear is present. The marathon becomes monumental. Don't worry. Everyone feels this way. We put so much into the training and want desperately for the race to go well. Use this peaking time to reflect on all your successes in the training. Think good thoughts. Run strong in the remaining workouts and focus on relaxing the body/mind. Negative thoughts will creep in but just push them aside and focus on the positive. Don't over rest or overeat but just relax and smile.

A few general tips for marathoners:

1) Pack your race gear in your carry-on baggage. You can always buy new casual clothes but you don't want to have to buy new shoes and race clothes for the race. Lay all your gear out on the bed and make sure you pack everything you need in your carry-on bag. Don't forget band-aids, chafing prevention, nutrition, etc. And remember, new TSA security requirements can sometimes limit gels, rehab tools like The Stick and foam rollers in carry-on baggage, so you may have to put those items in your checked baggage or buy them at the race site.

2) Carry food with you at all times. In the peaking phase, you never want to get hungry (especially the last 3 days before the race). Again, don't overeat but just be prepared in case a meeting goes long or you are late for a meal. Always have a good snack available. In addition to your race gear, pack some good food in your carry-on bag. You may want something to eat on the plane/train/car. The final week before the race is also a good week to have fluids with you at all times as well. Don't over drink but just be prepared. Have something available at all times. Variety in beverages is good as well - water, Gatorade, juices, etc.

3) Book your pre-race dinner before leaving home. You will not be alone in wanting a proven pre-race meal the night before the race. Plan ahead by making a reservation before you even leave home. The concierge at your hotel can recommend restaurants near your hotel or you can do some research online to check menus, etc. Nothing is worse than arriving at the race site and all of the desired restaurants are booked so don't leave your meal to chance. Find a relaxing place and enjoy a nice, enjoyable dinner. I usually try to eat close to my hotel so I can take a leisurely 10-15 minute walk after dinner. Don't eat too early or too late.

4) The first thing you should do after settling into your hotel is find a grocery store. Ask the front desk for the nearest one or call ahead to expedite the process. Go immediately to the grocery store and stock up. Buy the foods you like and you know prepare you for successful running. I buy bananas, Gatorade, water, instant oat meal (though usually brought from home), bagels and spread, peanut butter and jelly, energy bars, etc. Again, you never want to get thirsty or hungry prior to the race. Being stocked will help avoid this. Don't just eat out of nervousness but have food available if you need a snack.

5) You'll likely need to visit the expo to pick up your race number, chip, etc. Enjoy the expo but don't spend all day there. It's too much time on your feet. Browse through it, pick up what you need and get out. The expo is where many runners get dehydrated and hungry so carry fluids and fuel with you to keep this from happening.

6) Race morning will be exciting but you need to plan your morning ahead of time so you just follow the routine and don't have to stress about anything. You'll be keyed up but you shouldn't need to panic about what to do when. Plan your wake up time to allow for your morning breakfast and digestion. Your marathon-specific long runs have provided ample opportunity to figure out your pre-run routine so follow it. Have a good breakfast, get your bowels empty, get dressed and get to the starting line. Plan all of this out for timing. Count backward from the race start and document each minute up until race time. Have breakfast with you or know where you are going to get it. Stay relaxed. Use your hotel bathroom as much as possible because the portajohns always have a line. Have your gear laid out the night before so you can just go through the motions getting dressed and ready. Keep fluids and easily digestible foods close at hand up until the start.

I always have a banana (they digest easily) with me up until right before the race. If I ever feel that breakfast is 'wearing off', I can have a few bites of banana. I also keep a Gatorade bottle in hand all the way up the start. I chuck it with a minute or two before the race. I don't constantly drink but just have it in case I feel the need to drink something or wet my mouth. Lining up for the race can be stressful so plan ahead. Know where your corral/pacing area is and how to get to it. (You may want to scout this the day before the race if the start is close by.) Don't think you can arrive 10 minutes before the race and step on the line. Plan ahead and you'll be feeling great because you got into your spot in good time, got a good spot in your area and have your nutritional and fluid needs met. Monitor the weather the rest of the week so you will know how to dress. I always have some 'throw away' gear on hand in case it's cold. You should have a hat, gloves and t-shirt that can be peeled off and tossed aside if not needed or to toss after warming up during the race. You may want to have an old t-shirt available to wear while waiting in your corral. Again, the better planning you do for race morning, the less stressful it will be.

7) Most runners on most courses run best when they run even splits (the first half-marathon and the second half-marathon are run in the same time). I like to start out a little slower than goal pace for the first few miles to warm up but then settle into goal pace. Always think about running as efficiently and relaxed as possible and don't let your mind think about really racing until 22 miles in the marathon. Remember, what you are doing is not something new to you. You've done this time and time again in training. The race is simply a fun long run with a bunch of other folks along a route with crowds cheering for you. Don't over think things. Just let your body do what it's trained to do. (Get out of your own way!)

Relax in the beginning and get ready to run fast like in your fast finish long runs. Run strong from 22 miles in the marathon to the finish just like you have mimicked in practice. There will be plenty of pacing groups so you should be able to find others who are running your pace. Form some friendships and work together.

8) There will be plenty of fluids on the course (usually Gatorade Endurance Formula). You've had plenty of time to work out your nutrition/hydration strategy for the race. During the race, simply implement it. At fluid stations, I usually try to grab a cup as I enter the aid station and another as I exit it. This way, I get two opportunities for fluids since most of it gets spilled. Take your time in the aid stations and get your fluids. Think "Sip and Carry" not "Grab and Gulp".

Monitor your hydration as you go. If you start to feel full or 'sloshy', skip a station and get the next one. No problem. You know your schedule so just do what's been working for you. In all of this, I never want to try something new. Just do what's worked for you. It's not magic. It's just doing what you have been trained to do.

9) The most important thing to remember about running a marathon is to have FUN! I assume that you run primarily because it's fun. The race must be as well. Don't stress about it or get too caught up in it. Just go there to have fun.

I've also posted two pre-marathon articles on the Running University page of my website. Be sure to scan those as they may be beneficial in your preparations.

Best of luck!
Greg
(Follow me on Twitter @McMillanRunning for more tips)


PS: Post Race Tips

You'll want to celebrate after the race so here are a few tips to make your post-race fun more fun.

1) Runners always think about what they are going to wear to the starting line but rarely what they are going to wear when they finish. Far too often, I've seen marathon finishers wrapped in the finishing blankets freezing cold as they walk back to their hotels. If there is a bag drop at the start (where the race will bring your bag to the finish line), remember to include some warm, dry clothes for after the race. If there is no bag drop but friends/family will greet you after the race, give them some warm clothes to bring to you. Believe me, you'll be so glad you prepared for your after-the-race clothing.

2) While you may want to hit the bar for a celebratory drink, I recommend your first drinks be your recovery drinks. Before leaving for the race start, place two smoothies, shakes or other recovery drinks in the hotel fridge or ice bucket. When you get back to your room after the race, down as much of it as you can. Sometimes your stomach isn't ready for a meal but these post-race drinks go a long way to helping you recover and be ready for your celebratory drinks. As you unwind, shower and rest, continue to drink as much Gatorade as your stomach will tolerate to help rehydrate yourself. As with training, your urine frequency and color will let you know when you're rehydrated.

3) Also before you head to the starting line, fill your hotel room bathtub up with cold water. Hang the sign on your door to not clean your room. Then, when you are heading back to the room after the race, stop by the ice machine and fill a bucket or plastic bag up with ice. Get in the tub and add the ice. Sit and relax for 15-20 minutes in the ice bath (perfect time to drink your recovery drink) and reflect on your race. This quick ice bath can really help with post-race recovery. You'll be stiff from the bath when you stand up (you might need some help standing up) but then simply drain the bath, turn on the hot water and take a nice hot shower. I'm always amazed at how fresh I feel after this ice bath/hot shower combo post-marathon.

4) You need to get some proper food in you so either head to a restaurant very, very close by or (my usual option) order room service. I'm usually not interested in a big meal post-marathon so I pick something that will be satisfying and easy to digest. Relax as you eat and keep rehydrating.

5) Now that you are refueled, moving toward recovery with the ice bath/hot shower and cleaned up, REST. I know the inclination is to go celebrate but trust me, rest now and you'll enjoy your celebration more. I recommend resting for 2-4 hours post-race just to make sure you get refueled and rehydrated properly. You give you muscles time to relax and recovery. You may not be able to nap (preferred rest) but I recommend you take some time to just chill out and let the body and mind recover. You just ran a marathon so respect that your body needs some down time before party time.

6) Now that you've done #1-5, it's time to go celebrate. I find that if you give your body a few hours to recover from running 26.2 miles, you can then really enjoy your accomplishment with a good meal and fun time with friends, fellow runners and family.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

ATHLETICS SLIGO WOMEN’S 5K

A 5 km Road Race for female runners and walkers (aged 16 +) of all abilities and fitness levels

Sunday 25th September 2011

1.00 pm – at St Mary’s GAA Club
Registration on the day from 11.00 am

Enquiries/Registration: Terry Hayes 0872274622

Entries by post or online to runireland.com before September 23rd 2011 will be guaranteed a T-Shirt.
By post Terry Hayes, 16 Rathanna, Sligo

Prize Categories: (Prizes based on category entered)

Senior 1st 2nd 3rd
O40 1st 2nd 3rd
O45 1st 2nd 3rd
O50 1st 2nd 3rd
O55 1st 2nd
O60 1st 2nd
Junior (16yrs – 20yrs) 1st 2nd 3rd
Walkers 10 prizes

Entry Fee €10 on line or by post. €15 on day of competition

Name:

Club: (if any) Runner:  Walker: 

Age on Race Day (Runners): Category:

Friday, August 26, 2011

Long Run & Warriors....

We’re back with the Long Run details and here it as I have it form the chair “Lads 7.57 at the complex Saturday” that’s it. So this week ladies and gents it seems we’re not leaving the complex so anyone looking to do 14-16 miles, well..... that’s roughly 154-167 laps of the complex car park, water will be left at the bottle banks to be consumed after lap 83 and not before it and as always give way to oncoming traffic i.e. parents leaving kids off to swimming.

Ah no I’d say we’ll depart the complex and take a mystery tour yet again around the Sligo countryside, with the tour master Dineen setting the route. Talk will inevitably turn to the league across the pond and Wayne Rooney’s hair transplant and how Liverpool are going to win the league again this year but will be short lived as the chat will inevitably turn to the warriors run later in the day. This of course will be the second most significant run of the day, the 7:57 club long run being the most significant of course.

We will most likely lose one or two soldiers to the warriors but they’ll be back next week and to the hearty soles on day release form the 7:57 club god speed to ye brave sons may the wind be at yer back a and the sun in yer faces.
This is a killer run make no mistake about that but one of the most satisfying sense of achievements that you will get at the finish, with the first time marathon being the ultimate.

It’s a bit different not only as races go in relation to the route, there’s road, trail, cross country, uphill, downhill and round a Cairn on top of a mountain. But also with the kit bag. Usual culprits will be there singlet, short, socks and runners and towel, but add to this the warriors survival kit. Pain killers with ibuprofen (swelling you don’t even know you have yet), blister plasters for blister you haven’t got yet but will appear later, ice packs for the hamstring or quad strain you don’t know you have yet, plasters for the miscellaneous grazes that appear from nowhere that you ask yourself “how’d I get cut there”.

Yes it’s a bit different alright.

But even after all these precautions to soften up the body for the abuse you put it through in the hope that they will gain you brownie points your chassis will kick back, not immediately. So while you enjoy the after warriors glow of achievement and lap up the plaudits of on lookers “Well fair play to ya” deep down a master plan is being hatched. It will start with a slight tightness noticeable after getting up from a seated position , making your way to the little boys (or girls) room, followed by a sudden sharp pain in some part of the antomy, will be short but sharp.
That evening the “warriors” walk will speak volumes.
If you were to walk up to the bar staff ask them did they see your horse, and if they say no without batten eye lid then you’re a warrior alright. Stairs will be out for 2-3 days starting from Monday.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

To Seamie, Mel, Eamnon Coyne, Ross and Mark we salute ye.
Seamie “Oisin” Somers, they say is so young looking he comes from Tir Na Nog, could enter the kids race at half one, win it, and then run the seniors at three. Oisin only aged when he touched the earth but Seamie glides over the ground, his feet aren’t touching the earth long enough for it even to notice he’s there. A great run last year saw him finish 12th overall.

Mel Casserly goes to post and the organiser supreme is in great shape as proven out in the horseshoe where he not only showed great endurance over the hilly course but introduced us to his to his new friend “ kick finish” who came out to play in the final sprint in Gleniff. If any man can dig in its Mel and in the form he is in there is no reason he won’t improve on his 26th place finish of last year. Just hope he brings his own runners or will he need to borrow David’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eamonn Coyne will toe the warrior’s line on Saturday also, now Coyner we’ll have no Aikido on the mountain if someone tries to pass ya just play it cool son and get them on the way down. Eamon has clocked the miles over the last few weeks and is great nick to run a warriors personal best, and no doubt will enjoy a bevy or two after in the Strand; ya never know the entertainment might even throw in a Metallica tune or two just to round off a perfect day. Carpe Diem Baby.

Ross McGlynn will take his marks outside the surf school tomorrow, more accustomed to being in the hill “catching waves” in surf school the mountain will hold no fear for McGlynn as many a winter mountain run in Limerick will have made him race ready for the bump of Knocknarae. A 10th place finish (1hr 30 secs) in 2009 is beatable and maybe the sub 60 minutes will be achieved al gong well.

Last but by no means least is Mark “Coohcy” Burns, who’ll turn up in Strandhill ready to rumble, not literally, or maybe, no he won’t. If theirs any man (no offence to anyone else) you want to see run a good one its Burnsie and it’s a race that plays to his strengths, and that is his strength. His commitment to training is unquestionable spending more time on the roads than “catseyes” and has more miles in his legs than a car dealer’s showroom. The climbing may hurt but Marky can get through this and put in a good finish off the mountain should see him run a good one.

So apologies if I have left any of the club out and good luck to all who run this gruelling event.

To the Warriors we salute you one and all



Friday, August 5, 2011

Saturday Long Run

As of going to press still no conformation from the hierarchy in relation to the 7:57route for Saturdays Long Run, but fear not it will take place so just arrive on time at the complex for a return of the “Mystery Tour of Sligo”. These were common occurrences in the recent past when no routes were pre selected prior to the rendezvous at break of light at the complex. So as we all gathered double guessing the route our human GPS. Mr.Hunter would swan in, some say late but I believe he just arrived when he planned to, and after the last slug of coffee he’d hop out of the jeep and made the announcement “Carraroe, out the dual carriageway, into Union down by Toms, over Carnamoddagh, Holywell and back to the complex 15 miles” Sound.

Generally we all agreed nice route Trev, good 15 miles, but there’s always the “wan” “That’s not 15, its at least 16 and a half if not 17, I’m telling ya” “I’m not going into Union,” no names mentioned but he has a dog the size of a lion, with the strength of an Ox that would write of a car if it hit him.....

Yes the mystery tours were a joy to be on, in the early days some of us townies would get to carraroe roundabout and wonder what was beyond this point, we were stepping into the unknown once we went by the borough boundary stone, and we discovered parts of Sligo we never knew existed on the mystery tour, places like Ransboro, Drumishkabowel and Ballintogher come to mind. It was an education in itself on them Saturday morning runs.

But in recent times we have become more structured in our training and plan well in advance as was the case last week when we did the “Rosses Point Run”. Usual suspects were in attendance for the early morning roll call (see bookface evidence).
Burnsie provided the hard evidence that he is in full 26.2mile marathon mode, a box of gels in the back of the car “bargain”. Eamon Coyne turned up in a flashy new “sport vehicle”, no recession in the health board and Mel Casserly arrived with a brand spanking new pair of New Balance trainers...for David. Oh ya the brother “lost” one runner and Mel was unfortunate to be his size with a new pair straight from the box, so well done Mel. Don’t worry Mel you’ll get to wear your “new second hand runners” soon.

So ready for the off, wait Stevie just arriving late, not like him .......quick snap from Jimmy “O’Connell” Eccles for bookface, Mel takes the pink for the team and we’re off...

Not out the gate and the crying starts “Where’s the red mist, said he’d be here, I have gels for him.....” Anyway most did their 15 and a few hardy bucks went up to 18...myself and the chairman sauntered a leisurely 9.5 mile. Mickey provided the picnic after giving me biscuits “here take one of them “and sports drinks “here try that”, funny tablets (see the spaceships man) “here take them, here's a full packet” his generosity knows no bounds, I left the run full the run as the bingo bus.

So this Saturday just turn up at 7:57 and see where it takes us

P.S Congrats to Trevor Hunter on his first triathlon alo to other 7:57 club members Skinny McMorrow, Damien Kenneddy (relay)...

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Coolaney 8km Results

Hello folks,

Thank you for supporting our road race and summer festival in Coolaney last weekend. We hope you enjoyed the run in the sun and will be back to us next year.

As promised, attached are the results of the race. They won't be posted online so if you know of anyone else who didn't get a copy please let me know and I'll forward them.

Well done to all who won prizes or set a new personal best.

Le gach dea-ghuí,

Joseph Fogarty
Coolaney Summer Festival Committee



No. Name Gender Category 00:00:01
130 Emmet Dunleavy Male Senior :25:56
143 Alan Kearins Male 35-45 :28:04
170 Seamus Summers Male 35-45 :28:38
136 Neil Higgins Male Senior :29:09
162 David Kearins Male 35-45 :29:15
141 Danny Hannon Male 45+ :29:20
109 John Canny Male Senior :29:56
120 Derek Hunter Male 45+ :30:35
112 Paul Deering Male 45+ :32:02
129 Colm Parke Male Senior :32:50
146 Rosanna Mitchell Female Senior :33:02
178 Ollie Brady Male Senior :33:28
160 Joh Molloy Male 45+ :33:33
182 John Kilgallen Male Senior :33:33
158 Cindy McCarthy Female 35-45 :33:39
144 Michael McDermott Male 45+ :33:53
184 Brian Mullen Male Senior :34:10
124 Joe Stagg Male 45+ :34:20
140 Alan French Male Senior :34:23
116 Fintan Brophy Male Senior :34:27
121 Anne Hunter Female 45+ :34:47
165 Paul McGrath Male 35-45 :34:50
183 Brendan Mullen Male 45+ :35:30
199 Conor McElhinney Male Senior :35:38
142 Stephanie McSharry Female Senior :35:43
181 Gerry Hargadon Male 45+ :36:23
159 Edel Cart Female Senior :36:25
173 Loraine Hosey Female 35-45 :36:40
172 Aisling Cawley Female 35-45 :36:43
193 Tom Cullen Male 45+ :36:45
171 Monica Henry Female 35-45 :36:48
101 Gavan Laws Male Senior :36:52
195 Fiona Lenihan Female 35-45 :36:57
117 Karen Gillen Male 35-45 :37:00
139 Ciaran Donnellan Male 45+ :37:00
166 Tony Walsh Male 45+ :37:00
177 David Bradish Male Senior :37:00
176 Declan Conlon Male Senior :37:10
115 Trevor Kelly Male Senior :37:24
153 Joe Davey Male 45+ :37:47
148 Padraig Casey Male 35-45 :38:06
149 Fintan Conlon Male Senior :38:06
107 Finbar Filan Male 35-45 :39:00
128 Gary Gallagher Male 35-45 :39:22
113 Deirdre Deering Female 35-45 :39:26
119 Conor Doyle Male Senior :40:16
108 Geraldine Gilroy Female 35-45 :40:28
150 Pauline Henry Female Senior :40:30
151 Brian McCann Male 45+ :40:41
118 Brian Doyle Male 35-45 :41:09
114 Seamus McLoughlin Male 35-45 :41:40
180 Dave Egan Male Senior :41:54
155 Jenny Arnsby Female Senior :42:58
104 Noelle Galvin Female Senior :42:59
125 Colletee Sheeran Female Senior :43:04
132 Tara Kelly Female Senior :43:27
179 Sarah McCaffrey Female 35-45 :43:34
152 Maurice Galvin Male 45+ :44:17
126 Robert Fitzpatrick Male 45+ :44:33
103 Emer Kelly Female Senior :45:34
187 Karen McIntyre Female Senior :45:47
188 Sandra Rowley Female Senior :45:48
127 Niamh Fitzpatrick Female 35-45 :46:14
123 Judy Inglis Female 45+ :47:16
168 Emer Liddy Female Senior :47:58
154 Aisling Davet Female 35-45 :48:22
122 Herby Inglis Male 45+ :49:36
131 Vanessa Dunleavy Female Senior :51:14
134 Sharon Frizzle Female Senior :51:21
167 Laura Gaffney Female Senior :52:13
157 Anne Conheady Female 45+ :56:16
156 Phil Rooney Female 45+ :56:44
137 Bernie Higgins Female Walkers :57:11
102 James McGuire Male Walkers 1:00:00
145 Fidelma Davey Female Walkers 1:00:15
138 Jerry Toolan Male Walkers 1:04:00
194 Peter Rynn Male Walkers 1:05:00
161 Patricia Walsh Female Walkers 1:07:40
106 Jane Farry Female Walkers 1:07:46
185 Margeret Rowley Female Walkers 1:08:10
186 Attracta McIntyre Female Walkers 1:08:10
163 Colletee McGowan Female Walkers 1:09:00
164 Yvonne McGown Female Walkers 1:09:00
147 Valerie Casey Female Walkers 1:11:20
174 Alicia Finan Female Walkers 1:11:20
175 Laura Walsh Female Walkers 1:11:20
135 Eileen Toolan Female Walkers 1:11:50
110 Caoilfhionn Geraghty Female Walkers 1:12:26
111 Dev Geraghty Female Walkers 1:12:26
196 Emma Gormley Female Walkers 1:13:15
197 Ailish Gormley Female Walkers 1:13:15
198 Geraldine Gormley Female Walkers 1:13:15
133 Teresa Frizzle Female Walkers 1:14:03
105 Joan McGuine Female Walkers 1:14:05
169 Pete Smith Male Walkers 1:14:05
189 Bridey Gallagher Female Walkers 1:16:15
190 Fiona Coleman Female Walkers 1:16:15
191 Fiona Coleman Female Walkers 1:16:15
192 Phil Coleman Female Walkers 1:16:15

Friday, July 22, 2011

7:57 Club Long Run Saturday July 23rd


Well folks week 2 of the 7:57 Long run update. These are the hearty souls who ventured on last week’s run (missing form crew is Mickey as he is the designated photographer, this pic will be filed under wildlife).Last week took in the Rosses point route so this week it changes to a more undulating route. This week’s route took us quite a while to come up with a title for the route, so after much deliberation and differencing of opinions we finally christened, it “The Calry Route”, probably wondering why......well it goes out to Calry.Geneous

This route holds biblical significance to the 7:57 crew, and one member in particular our beloved chairman Mr. O’Connell who believe it or not “walked on water” one Saturday morning. Confronted with flooded roads and fields the crew had to go cross country or turn back over killargleboy again, so it was onwards for the crew. We trudged through swampy marshes, and had to scale barbed wire and electric fences and the occasional wall to get to dry land, we nearly lost a man or two that morning but no soldier was going to be left behind (well unless a dog appeared then I was gone), when one fell we picked them up and carried on, more than once a fatigued comrade whispered “You go on leave me here, save yourself “but no we started together and we would finish together. Eventually we made dry land weary from the journey some men lost runners and socks, everyone’s runners were covered in a coat of mud and dirt except for one......Jesus O’Connell emerged from the battlefield spotless, not a spec on him his new Asics actually seemed to come out cleaner than when he went in, rumour has it he got a “piggy bank” from Mark Burns, but Burnsie categorically denies this, no that day Mickey walked on water, that’s the only logical explanation. God bless ya Mickey.
Also that faithful day we all made a collective decision, Mark Burns would only be permitted to select the long run route between the months of May and July, strictly for health and safety reasons.If by chance Burnsie was permoitted to select the route outside these dates it would require all athletes to bring a life jacket, rubber armbands, a flre gun ,iodine tablets and 20 fags......

Fortunately the weather has improved and Burnsie has used his quota of route selections so we’re back to Calry for the 15 miler tomorrow morning.
Starting at Complex heads across the back avenue, over footbridge, over by hospital, out toward Calry, left up the Black Mud Hill, Left over Faughts lane (at bottom of lane a left turn will bring you back to town) then from here head towards Killargleeboy (nice wee drag) in by Deer Park, Cloghereveagh, back in by the GAA pitch, Hazelwood Road, up by hospital, down footbridge and over back avenue back to the complex. Once again the pace is nice and easy (as should the Long Run be) and water will be left out on route and there are many stages you can turn off.
So look forward to seeing (well not as will be heading to Coollaney for the 8km).

Happy Running

Friday, July 15, 2011

7:57 Club Saturday Long Run

Going to try and notify athletes of the infamous 7:57 Clubs long weekend run from now on. For anyone thinking of joining this motley crew, well time to stop thinking about it and drag yourself out of the kot, don the vest and lace the runners and get yourself down to the sports complex for 7:57am.

Early starts are difficult but you will feel great after finishing your days run at 9or 10am and having the rest of the day free. Many of the lads are human GPS and reci the route so caters for runners looking to cover anything from 6 -20 miles. Pace is easy so you will not be left behind and refreshments are left on route.
This Saturdays we will be following the “Rosses Point Route”

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/41614306

Starting at the complex, over the back avenue, up the foot bridge, over by the hospital, clarion road, old Bundoran road, right after Abbotts, into Teesan, drop a right at end of road and out towards Rathcormac, left turning towards Rosses point 3rd beach, over by Cregg, left in Rosses point road up to bridge at Crozon, left down Pearse Road, over by Londis and back to complex.

Route is 14.5 miles, but if you want to run 5 mile or the full 14.5 or any distance in between the lads will inform you of turn off points all along the route to get your desired distance in.

Usually by the end of run we have solved the country’s economic crisis, resolved local political issues, tore to shreds decades of training theories replacing them with our own, re invented everything about sports nutrition “Yes it’s ok to have a fry the morning of the marathon and a few pints the night before”, gone through the history of Sligo Runners races and times, repetitively abused each other and our football teams and then at the end “sure we’ll do it again next Saturday”

p.s. After all that I will miss this weeks Long Run

Monday, July 11, 2011

National Juvenile Track and Field Results.

The first phase of the National Championships took place over two days in Tullamore on Saturday and Sunday. These Championships are the culmination of a years hard training for young Athletes and provide a searching test for those who have qualified from Regional Events. Just to qualify is an achievement but to get to a final or win a medal is a great boost to a young Athletes morale.

Athletes from the various clubs in Sligo proved up to the task with a host of good performances and plenty of medals.

Day one saw Colm Bourke of Sligo do well in his under 18 triple jump after a shaky start.

Graham and Stacey Kerr were 4th and 3rd in their heats over 100ms and qualified for their finals where they acquitted themselves well. Zak Irwin was a comfortable second in the heats , a position he also took in the final in the under 16 boys 100ms.Ania Bednoz, Emily Burns and Kevin Mc Glynn all made 100m finals while North Sligo took home a gold in the boys under 17 100ms courtesy of a clear win for Ciaran Elliott in the under 17 100ms while his clubmate , Odhran Byrne Gildea took a
bronze in his under 15 100ms final after both Athletes qualified easily in their heats.

In the sprint hurdle races Shane Mooney of Tireragh AC did well to be 3rd in his under 13 heat and 6th in the final.

Louise Mulvaney was 5th in her under 17 sprint hurdles final, a position she also occupied in the 300ms hurdles final, an event in which she could well win a medal with another year behind her.

Lee Currid of North Sligo was 5th in his hurdles final over 80ms and did well over the longer race later.

While day one was good for Sligo Athletes , day two was a revelation with Cian Mc Bride just missing a National record by one second as he narrowly beat his North Sligo clubmate William Crowe to take the under 15 800ms in just under 2mins 3 secs. At the presentation it was announced that Cians father Brian had lifted the same gold medal 37 years ago but no record of the time.

More gold followed for Kilian O Connor and Leo Doherty of Sligo as they took first in the under 19 3000ms and under 12 600ms respectively.

In the under 17 3000ms James Mc Geough almost emulated his clubmates gold over the same distance but was edged to bronze in a tight finish.

Aaron Murtagh from South Sligo but competing with Balina repeated his Schools win in the Triple Jump with a gold at under 19 level.

There were strong performances from Shane and Darren Kilcawleyand Dylan Carty over 800ms ,while in the girls 800ms Claire Conlon and Caelinn Mc Gonigle did well.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Ransboro 10km Results

RANSBORO 10K 2011
Overall Finishings
Pos number Name address category time
1 36 Thomas Kelly North Sligo A.C M40 00:35:05
2 101 Alan Kearins Sligo A.C SM 00:36:00
3 98 Nel Walton Sligo SM 00:36:48
4 8 Mel Casserly Sligo A.C M40 00:36:59
5 69 Neal Higgins Sligo A.C SM 00:37:21
6 87 Elish Kelly Dublin SL 00:37:23
7 37 David Kearins Sligo A.C SM 00:37:37
8 81 John Whelan Sligo A.C SM 00:37:56
9 149 Seamus Somers Sligo A.C SM 00:38:27
10 172 Garry Gallagher Lietrim SM 00:38:39
11 49 Danny Hannon Lietrim M50 00:39:02
12 14 Conal Sexton Sligo Tri Club SM 00:39:16
13 20 Roy Kelly Sligo Tri Club SM 00:39:22
14 17 Trevor Hunter Sligo A.C M40 00:39:46
15 143 Eamon Coyne Sligo SM 00:40:12
16 34 Declan Foley Sligo A.C M40 00:40:22
17 141 Paul Mc Dermott North Lietrim M40 00:40:30
18 18 Paul Mc Grath South Sligo A.C M40 00:40:41
19 86 Michael Clancy Sligo M50 00:40:46
20 53 Paul Deering Sligo A.C M40 00:40:50
21 109 Shane Hayes Sligo A.C SM 00:41:08
22 122 Rory Connor Sligo A.C M40 00:41:21
23 155 Barry O kane Local Male LM 00:41:28
24 93 Ciaran Clancey Lietrim SM 00:41:38
25 32 Brendan Brett South Sligo A.C M40 00:41:43
26 58 Emer Guckian Carrick on Shannon W40 00:41:45
27 114 Roasanne Mitchell Sligo A.C W40 00:41:48
28 103 Joe Lowe Carrick on Shannon M40 00:41:50
29 146 Darren Aldridge sligo SM 00:41:54
30 33 Kevin Mc Gee Grange SM 00:42:00
31 179 Peter Osborne Strandhill LM 00:42:08
32 55 Niall Mc Intyre North Sligo A.C SM 00:42:14
33 63 Mark bourke Local Male LM 00:42:30
34 131 Keith Raymond Sligo SM 00:42:32
35 194 Paul Higgins Strandhill M40 00:42:44
36 121 Conor Mc Cann Grange SM 00:42:57
37 62 Greg kelly Sligo Tri SM 00:43:03
38 192 Fergal Henry Sligo SM 00:43:10
39 163 Joe Stage Balymote M50 00:43:17
40 102 Michael Mc Dermott Collooney M50 00:43:18
41 176 Kevin Mc Manus Sligo SM 00:43:20
42 123 Kieran Harte Sligo SM 00:43:40
43 97 Cindy Mc carthy Sligo A.C W40 00:43:43
44 124 Aisling Van Rensburg Nrt.Sligo SL 00:43:48
45 167 John Kilgallon Skreen SM 00:43:54
46 23 Shane Mc Gowan Drumcliffe SM 00:44:03
47 142 Tom O Grady Sligo M40 00:44:06
48 85 Brian Mc Donagh Sligo SM 00:44:08
49 161 John Mulrooney sligo A.C SM 00:44:16
50 185 Jimmy Currid Maugheron M40 00:44:24
51 82 Gerard Lynch Achill SM 00:44:33
52 84 William Parke Sligo M50 00:44:44
53 158 Christy O Malley Mayo A.C M40 00:44:51
54 173 conor Mc Elhinney Beltra SM 00:45:00
55 162 Noel Walsh Sligo LM 00:45:20
56 45 John Molloy Sligo M50 00:45:34
57 182 Paul Kerrigan Drumcliffe SM 00:45:35
58 1 Michael Casserly Sligo SM 00:45:44
59 138 Kevin Sexton Sligo SM 00:45:45
60 9 Brian Mc Dermott Collooney M40 00:45:49
61 116 Kieran Brennan Sligo M40 00:45:56
62 127 Ross Slattery Sligo SM 00:45:57
63 40 Darren Egan Grange SM 00:45:59
64 171 Paul Heekin Sligo M40 00:46:03
65 56 Stephanie McSharry Nrth Sligo SL 00:46:10
66 168 David Keane Sligo LM 00:46:14
67 104 Pat Conheady Sligo SM 00:46:16
68 190 Damian Willis Grange M40 00:46:27
69 135 Monica henry Tubbercurry W40 00:46:41
70 70 Harry Noone M40 00:46:46
71 144 Declan Conlon Sligo Tri Club M40 00:47:01
72 152 Phillip Osborne Sligo M40 00:47:05
73 64 Glenn carty Ballygawley SM 00:47:17
74 83 Rolf Zoschke Sligo SM 00:47:19
75 91 Kyle Gethins Sligo SM 00:47:19
76 90 Niall Mc Dermott Sligo SM 00:47:19
77 140 Eamon Norton Sligo SM 00:47:22
78 181 Gavin Patton Sligo Tri M40 00:47:24
79 151 Hubert Beahs Sligo A.C M40 00:47:25
80 22 Paul Walsh Sligo SM 00:47:30
81 170 Ciaran Foley Sligo LM 00:47:31
82 126 Adrian Muldowney Sligo M40 00:47:35
83 133 Lorraine Hossey Sligo A.C SL 00:47:37
84 66 Shane Quill Local Male LM 00:47:40
85 136 Kevin O Regan Grange M50 00:47:41
86 6 Anothony Walsh South Sligo A.c M50 00:47:44
87 154 des mc Gee Carney SM 00:47:47
88 25 Pat Kerrigan Ballisodare M40 00:47:50
89 195 Fintan Conlon Sligo A.C SM 00:47:53
90 105 Mathona Conheady Sligo SL 00:47:55
91 94 Patrice Foley Sligo W 00:47:56
92 106 David Mc Quillan Castlebar SM 00:47:57
93 125 Jim Fox Strandhill M40 00:47:58
94 54 Deirdre Deering Sligo A.C W40 00:47:59
95 75 Geraldine Gilroy Ballisodare W40 00:48:00
96 51 Ciaran Donnellan Sligo A.C M50 00:48:01
97 59 Iain Howard Sligo A.C SM 00:48:02
98 145 Naoise Davitt Sligo SM 00:48:04
99 156 Anthony ryan Sligo M50 00:48:07
100 132 Christy Maloney Ballisodare M50 00:48:08
101 111 Michael Mc Loughlin Lietrim SM 00:48:09
102 5 Liam Loftus Kilmacowen M40 00:48:10
103 110 Cathy Mc Carthy Sligo A.C W40 00:48:11
104 35 Vanessa Foley Sligo A.C SL 00:48:40
105 183 Sean Mc Caffery Carney SM 00:48:43
106 11 Seamus Quinn Sligo M40 00:48:47
107 100 Nigel Morahan Strandhill M40 00:48:48
108 48 Paul Mc Cafrey Sligo SM 00:48:55
109 129 Derek Murphy Mayo SM 00:48:59
110 31 Peter Byrne Ballisodare M40 00:49:06
111 495 Maria Tighe Sligo W 00:49:10
112 478 Joan Fabozzi Sligo W 00:49:12
113 24 Mary Kerrigan Ballisodare L50 00:49:13
114 479 Pauline Dubson Dublin W 00:49:15
115 92 Trevor Kelly Sligo SM 00:49:20
116 117 Michelle Henry Sligo SL 00:49:30
117 112 Ian Kelly Sligo SM 00:49:34
118 177 Tom cullan North Lietrim M50 00:49:36
119 67 Caroline Ryan Donegal SL 00:49:42
120 19 Michael O connell Sigo A.C M40 00:49:45
121 65 Barry Bree Local Male LM 00:49:47
122 29 Vincent Mc Gee Sligo M50 00:49:50
123 118 sheila Devaney Sligo SL 00:49:55
124 79 Alan Groarke Ballaghaderreen SM 00:50:01
125 99 Linda Higgins Sligo A.C W40 00:50:05
126 128 Alan Gilmartin Sligo SM 00:50:32
127 153 Ashleen Cawley North sligo A.C SL 00:51:02
128 139 Deirdre Norton Sligo SL 00:51:07
129 175 Shane Loftus Roscommon M40 00:51:08
130 180 Brian Pedmond Coolera LM 00:51:16
131 30 Emma Casserly Sligo SL 00:51:20
132 52 Alison O sullivan Nrth Sligo SL 00:51:24
133 74 Finbarr Filan Ballisodare M40 00:51:31
134 80 Donal Harney Sligo SM 00:51:38
135 96 Brian Hamilton Slgo SM 00:52:11
136 2 Aoife Langan Strandhill SL 00:52:17
137 46 Joe Gilroy Sligo M40 00:52:21
138 88 Richie Barry Sligo M40 00:52:22
139 13 Frank O Sullivan Ballisodare M40 00:52:34
140 15 David Bradish Sligo SM 00:53:03
141 148 Owen Mc Loughlin Sligo SM 00:53:13
142 174 Anthony Scanlon Ballymote M50 00:53:23
143 500 Pamela higgins Strandhill W 00:53:27
144 499 Pauline Winters Ballisodare W 00:53:28
145 39 Don Watts Ballygawley M50 00:53:30
146 27 Pauline Henry Sligo A.C SL 00:53:38
147 164 John Barry Strandhill LM 00:53:40
148 159 Sylvia Moriarty Local Female LF 00:53:42
149 147 Seamus Dennison Sligo SM 00:53:47
150 160 Miriam Cunningham Strandhill L50 00:53:50
151 60 niamh O Halloran Local Femal LF 00:54:00
152 50 Justine O Gara Ballaghaderren SL 00:54:07
153 68 Kate Kenny Strandhill LF 00:54:16
154 38 Maureen Harte Sligo W40 00:54:17
155 178 Anne Roberts Lietrim L50 00:54:26
156 166 Rose Hunter Young Ballisodare L50 00:54:57
157 47 Michael Taheny Pearse Road SM 00:55:00
158 108 David Duncan Sligo SM 00:55:06
159 184 John Currid Ballinfull M40 00:55:11
160 157 Martina Lenehan Sligo SL 00:55:14
161 43 Daniel Kelly Ballymot SM 00:55:21
162 483 Eileen Sheridan Sligo W 00:55:26
163 491 Catherine Loftus Sligo W 00:55:27
164 115 Corinna Kiernan Sligo A.C SL 00:55:28
165 89 Elizabeth King Sligo W40 00:55:50
166 165 Shelia Hannon north Sligo A.C W40 00:55:51
167 150 Olivia O Malley Sligo SL 00:56:01
168 16 Cliodna Carroll Strandhill SL 00:56:02
169 78 Thomas Farrell Roscommon SM 00:56:18
170 120 Paul Dobson Dublin W40 00:56:39
171 73 Eddie Mulrooney Strandhill M40 00:57:10
172 71 James Moran N.Ireland M40 00:57:13
173 107 Maeve Hayes Sligo SL 00:57:40
174 119 Ruth Walsh Sligo SL 00:57:52
175 186 Andrew Lang Sligo SM 00:58:05
176 134 Maureen Boylan Sligo SL 00:59:04
177 193 Aaron Lenehan Sligo SM 00:59:09
178 44 Tom McTernan Manorhamilton M40 00:59:40
179 77 Mary Casey Local female LF 01:00:04
180 482 Karina King Dublin W 01:00:15
181 191 Patricia Kelly Sligo SL 01:00:19
182 494 Rory Foley Sligo W 01:00:23
183 95 Sharon Clancy Sligo SL 01:00:27
184 57 John Reynolds Cark.Shannon M40 01:01:01
185 21 Aisling Carey Drumshambo SL 01:01:04
186 76 Alan molloy Local Male LM 01:01:48
187 137 Carmel Henehan Local Female LF 01:01:51
188 28 Tom Mc Gowan Sligo M50 01:01:53
189 481 Deirdre Devaney Carrowmore W 01:02:55
190 492 Lennie Mc Veigh Sligo W 01:02:59
191 493 Attracta O Heir Sligo W 01:03:02
192 489 Sandra Barber Sligo W 01:03:05
193 490 Shirley Ward Sligo W 01:03:08
194 474 Dervilia Melly Sligo W 01:04:10
195 61 Gorgina Gethings Local Female LF 01:04:12
196 476 Hazel Melly Sligo W 01:04:14
197 475 Gemma Caeser Sligo W 01:04:17
198 4 Ann Pollock W40 01:04:19
199 497 Joe Mahon Kevinsfort W 01.06.59
200 496 Bernie Higgins Galway W 01:09:27
201 487 Catriona Coyne Sligo W 01:14:05
202 484 Adrienne sampson Offaly W 01:14:34
203 485 Tony Sampson Offaly W 01:14:35
204 498 Olivia griffin Strandhill W 01:16:57

Monday, June 20, 2011

Runners Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine

The Runner's Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine (RUNRR)
You'll be amazed at how good you feel the next day
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

About six years ago, I started drinking a Slim-Fast™ shake after my Sunday long runs. In my graduate classes in exercise physiology, we were studying the inner workings of the muscular and endocrine (hormonal) systems. I started drinking the Slim-Fast because researchers discovered that the enzyme, glycogen synthase, that turns carbohydrates from your food into glycogen for storage in your muscles is most active immediately after exercise. If you ingest carbohydrates soon after exercise, your muscles store two to three times as much glycogen than if you wait until you eat your post-workout meal, usually two to three hours later. I knew that the glycogen stores were an important source of energy during running and that there is only so much glycogen you can store in your muscles. So, I wanted to get the carbohydrates in quick to take advantage of this increased storage of glycogen.

The Slim-Fast shakes became part of my Sunday morning recovery routine. I would run long (two hours); down one or two Slim-Fast (depending on how depleted I felt); take a shower then drink a liter of Gatorade while stretching. Next, I would make a plate of spaghetti or pancakes and eat while reading the morning paper. A couple of hours later, I was in bed for a two-hour nap. Throughout the day, I would continue to drink fluids till my urine was clear.

As the researchers would predict, I found that my legs felt much more recovered by my Monday run and I was easily ready for a workout on Tuesday. To this day, I continue to use what I call The Runner's Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine after long runs and key workouts. I don't necessarily drink Slim-Fast every time but no matter what type of shake, smoothie or other concoction I drink, I notice that I reduce the number of "bad" workouts where I just feel "off". I believe it is because my muscles are more ready (glycogen loaded) for each workout due to my recovery routine.

How Your Muscles Recover

I've already mentioned that the key to enhancing the replenishment of muscle glycogen is to ingest carbohydrates immediately after your workout. Science shows that this is related to the hormone insulin as well as the enzyme glycogen synthase (discussed above). Insulin stimulates glycogen synthase which then converts more carbohydrate to glycogen. Insulin simultaneously increases the transport of this glycogen from the blood into the muscles. Choreographed perfectly, the hormonal system and associated enzymes work to not only replace the glycogen you lost during exercise but they do it in the most efficient and rapid way.

Once scientists began to focus on insulin's role in glycogen replenishment, another connection was made that impacts the recovery routine. It turns out that ingesting protein along with the carbohydrate increases your insulin response. As a result, up to 30% more glycogen is stored than if you just ingest carbohydrates. Researchers also discovered that the amount of protein is important, they found that there was a threshold of protein intake, above which, digestion and absorption of the meal was slowed, thus slowing glycogen replenishment. As a result, one of the prominent researchers in this area, Ed Burke, came up which what he calls the Optimum Recovery Ratio. Ingesting one gram of protein for every four grams of carbohydrates results in the greatest stimulus of insulin and glycogen storage, yet doesn't negatively affect the digestive process.

Guess what? I took a look at my (original) Slim-Fast and sure enough it fits the Optimum Recovery Ratio perfectly - 40 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein in one can. I started drinking Slim-Fast just to get the carbohydrates in my body and ended up with the perfect ratio of protein that would facilitate the replenishment of my glycogen stores.

There's one more part of the equation - timing. As Burke says in his book, Optimal Muscle Recovery, "when you eat is just as important as what you eat". I knew from my study of muscle recovery that the rate of replenishment was the greatest in the first two hours after a workout and especially in the first half hour. That's exactly why I started using the shake. I didn't feel like eating anything solid immediately after a run, but Slim-Fast was liquid and it had a lot of carbohydrates. I could down one and get some carbohydrates in quickly. Then within two hours after the run, I would sit down to my meal of pasta or pancakes. Using this routine, I was able to take full advantage of my body's ability to recover. The result was a better recovered athlete who was ready for the next key workout which led to better and more consistent workouts and faster races.

Creating Your Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine

Let's take a minute to create a Runner's Ultimate Nutritional Recovery Routine for you. According to Burke and confirmed with my own experience, you should shoot for taking in one gram of carbohydrate for every pound of body weight within the first two hours following your workout, always remembering to match this with the appropriate ratio of protein. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds then you need 100 grams of carbohydrate and 25 grams of protein. If you weigh 160 pounds then you need 160 grams of carbohydrate and 40 grams of protein.

Additionally, I've experimented with ingesting 50%, 75% or 100% of this requirement in the first half hour to see if I could find the best recipe for maximizing recovery. After all, the greatest rate of recovery occurs in the first half hour. What I found is that I felt best when I ingested one-half of my needs (in liquid form) in the first 30 minutes then the remaining 50% in the next one and a half hours, usually as a meal of pasta and chicken or pancakes and eggs. Taking more than half of the carbohydrates and protein in the first half hour made me too full, too quickly, and I wouldn't feel like eating as much as I needed in my meal. From the examples above, the 100 pound woman would shoot to get in 50 grams of carbohydrates and 13 grams of protein in the first 30 minutes while the 160 pound man would shoot for 80 grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams of protein immediately following the workout.

After calculating your individual needs, you, too, can begin to optimize your recovery nutritional plan. Try to take half of your carbohydrate/protein needs within the first 30 minutes then follow with a nice, healthy meal which contains a base of carbohydrates and some protein such as pasta and meat, rice and meat or pancakes and eggs. My advice is to find something that you really love to eat and use it as a celebration of your hard work from your training.

Don't forget. You'll also need to drink enough fluids to rehydrate. I find that the use of sports drinks or lemonade works best for me and I continue to drink a half liter to a liter an hour till I'm urinating once per hour and my urine is clear.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Sligo AC Competing in Connaught Team Event



Sligo Athletic club U9, U10 and U11 competitors took to the track on Saturday afternoon last to compete in the Connaught Team Event. 20 teams from Sligo AC took part having qualified from the County Sligo Team event. All competitors gained great experience as many had their first outing at Connaught competition. Three teams qualified for the All Ireland Team Event to be held in Templemore later this month with U9 Darragh Hennigen and Liam Carty scoring bronze in the 300m, U10 Shane McGlone and Sean Kerrigan bronze in the 60m and Eoin Carty and Richard Hunter bronze in the 500m. In the U12 section Leo Doherty ran an excellent race in the 600m to claim gold and Tara Carty came away with a silver medal in the Shot putt. Well done to all who completed and represented the club so well.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Sligo AC News: Running Shoes

A few weeks ago one of our High Performance athletes was flying out of the country to compete. At the airport he encountered one of our leading hurling teams who were on route to Portugal for warm weather training. He got talking to them and they told him they were going for five days. They said they would train three times a day for four days and on the fifth day they would drink. Being quite near April 1st I thought my High Performance friend was winding me up but I did not have to wait long for confirmation that the mentality outlined was prevalent in that sport. The headline on the Irish Independent caught my eye. “Kingdom chief dismisses talk of 40K bill for Portugal Camp”. Apparently the local newspaper in Kerry “The Kerryman” had a go at their team for spending 40K on warm weather training abroad. The chairman of Kerry County Board defended the decision to go abroad and among the things he said was the following gem of a quote. “The benefits of warm weather training are that players can train three times a day. In normal circumstances we train three times a week, so if the players spend four days in warm weather training which is now proposed that is equivalent to four weeks training.” If proof were needed why we in athletics don’t take sports like this seriously then what I have just outlined is enough. Warm weather training is just that. A sportsperson who is used to training only three times a week doesn’t suddenly train three times a day for three or four consecutive days. I have accompanied numerous athletic teams and individuals on training camps and they train exactly as they train at home. A lot of athletes would train twice daily at home so they would do the same on a training camp. The big advantage being abroad is that there is more time to rest. Athletes usually train hard in the morning, have some physio before lunch, sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon and have an easy training session in the evening. Sligo A.C. athlete Emmett Dunleavy has won All Ireland medals on the track in the summer of 2009 and 2010. At the end of May he will be heading to Kenya for a three week training stint in warm weather and at altitude. He has done that successfully in the last two years. Like the aforementioned hurlers and footballers, Emmett holds down a 9 to 5 job. His three week training will not differ greatly from what he would be doing at home. The big difference is the benefit of altitude and the extra time he will have to rest. Incidentally the hurling team who went to Portugal were comprehensively beaten on their home ground in a league match a few days after they returned. I rest my case.
Athletes are reminded about the upcoming Streets of Sligo 5km road race which is on Sunday, May 15th at 13.15. With an Athletics Ireland licence in place it is expected to attract a big entry. Enquiries to Terry Hayes on 087-2274622.
Finally this week congratulations to Alberto Sanchez on winning the universities 5000 metres track title in Antrim last Saturday. Also well done to Rachael Kilgallon on finishing 4th in the 800 metres.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sligo AC Fit4Life League: Race one results!

The first race in this seasons Fit4Life league was underway on Tuesday last 19th April in the Race course, Cleveragh. The race distance was 2 miles and once again a good turnout made the affair an exciting and enjoyable one for all concerned. Jason McMorrow recorded the fastest time of the evening in a time of 11.43 out of a total of 78 competitors. Top ten athletes are as follows;
1. devanney, sheila 16.02
2. mc guinness, gavin 15.19
3. heaney, mark 16.30
4. arey, ashling 19.42
5. thrumble, elaine 19.59
6. mahon, deborah 21.11
7. cashell, patricia 18.45
8. banks, avril 18.09
9. mc elroy, declan 14.58
10. smyth, michelle 17.34

Sligo AC News Update: Running Shoes

An agonising 12 seconds was the difference between Sligo Athletic Club men winning team medals and finishing 5th at last Sundays Athletics Ireland road relay championships at a sun drenched Raheny. The team of Martin Conroy, Dermot McDermott, David Kelly and Alberto Sanchez ran their hearts out and the time they ran would have been good enough for medals any other year. Twenty five clubs toed the line in this most competitive of national championships. Martin Conroy lead the team off and handed the baton to Dermot McDermott after running the first two mile leg, McDermott ran a good 1 mile leg and handed over to David Kelly to run the long three mile lap. Alberto Sanchez ran the final 2 mile leg and brought the team home in 5th place behind Raheny, Dundrum, Letterkenny and Tallaght. The fact that Sligo finished ahead of such illustrious clubs as Clonliffe Harriers, Rathfarnham and Ennis Track Club illustrates how well the lads ran. Sligo AC ladies team also got in on the action Sunday as for only the second time in its history they had a team in the ladies race. Sarah Hodgins led the team off on the first one mile leg and handed over to Anna Reddin for the 2 mile lap. Rachael Kilgallon ran the final one mile lap and brought the team home in 8th place out of the 15 starters. Considering that this team were all under 20 years of age it certainly augers very well for the future. So no medals for men or women but so many positives to take out of a truly enjoyable day of athletics. The road to the all Ireland schools track finals on the first Saturday in June started on Thursday last at the Sligo IT track. There were many fine performances by Sligo athletes in the Sligo Leitrim Mayo section. The Connaught finals will take place in Athlone on May 18th; all our top club athletes were in fine form. Tommy Casey in the senior 800mts and 1500mts particularly caught the eye. Other athletes to shine were Sharon Hodgins, James McGeogh, Stacey Kerr, Zak Irwin, Cian McBride and William Crowe. Some fine relay running also was noted on Thursday with the Summerhill college junior team looking particularly strong. A lot of training and competition will be held before anyone mounts the victory rostrum in Tullamore but I have a feeling we could see a record Sligo medal haul.
Well done to all athletes who limbered up for the Calry 5k road race held on Good Friday. This was a charity event in aid of Friends of Sligo General Hospital and started in perfect conditions at 5pm on the usual out and back loop. One of Sligo AC's young guns, James McGeough, took off in dramatic fashion and ran a blistering race to finish 1st in a huge personal best time of 15.33. Second place fell to another up and coming talent Killian O'Connor whilst veteran road racer Alan Kearins ran a great race finishing in 3rd place also with a PB over the distance.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sligo FIT4LIFE Spring League 2011

Sligo FIT4LIFE Spring League 2011 is an event for all levels of runner/walker. 6 events will be ran on a handicap basis with slower walkers / runners starting ahead of faster competitors. Handicaps are continually adjusted to give every participant an equal chance. Date Time Distance Venue Tues 19 th April 6.30pm 2 mls Racecourse Tues 3rd May 6.30pm 2 mls Racecourse Wed 18th May 6.30PM 2K Riverside Tues 31st May 6.30pm 2 K Riverside Tues 14th june 6.30pm 2mls Cairns Hill Tues 21st june 6.30pm 2 mls Cairns Hill

  • ENTRY FEE 2 EURO PER EVENT

  • SCORING FIRST 1 PT, SECOND 2PTS DOWN TO LAST FINISHER OVERALL RESULT

  • LOWEST POINTS WINS FOLLOWED BY NEXT LOWEST DOWN THE TO LAST

  • MISS A RACE AND GET THE SCORE OF LAST FINISHER PLUS ONE

  • PRIZES FOR TOP FIFTEEN AFTER SIX EVENTS
Registration between 6pm and 6.20pm.Absolutely no entries after 6.20pm

Sligo AC News Update: Running Shoes

A lot done, more to do. This was a famous, or is it now infamous, election slogan from one of our leading political parties some years ago. The same slogan could apply to our athletes as we look back on the cross country and indoor seasons that have just concluded. A cross country season that started with the primary schools county championships in Calry on a bright Saturday afternoon last October, ended in equally bright sunshine in a field in County Antrim on the last Saturday in March. On that day we took pride in watching two Sligo athletes, James McGeogh and William Crowe represent Ireland in an international match against Scotland , Wales and England . As these lads’ parents looked on and took pictures of them before during and after the races, I couldn’t help thinking how fortunate they were to be in a sport with an international outlet. The fact that they had avoided the clutches of the G.A.A. gave them the opportunity to compete internationally and I would imagine that this would be the first of many international opportunities for this duo. These two lads were only two of the many Sligo athletes who made a big impact on the cross country season. Tommy Casey picked his cross country races carefully and his fine performance in finishing 4th in the senior schools championships justified this. The glut of competition for juvenile athletes in the winter time is an ongoing concern and it is imperative that we in Athletics Ireland tackle this problem soon rather than later. The unluckiest Sligo athlete of the cross country season had to be Anna Reddin who led a couple of national championships but never got the result she deserved. Her time will come. The two most improved athletes of the season had to be Lea Doherty and Sharon Hodskins. Our senior cross country runners have had better seasons but a lot of this was down to injury and illness of our better runners. Mary Cullen was unlucky to get injured just as she looked set for a great season. Eimear O’Brien (pictured) kept the flag flying at national level with a bronze in the national novice. The indoor season started good with many medals at Connaught level and got better cumulating in two wonderful weekends at the national championships. Two gold medals for Zack Irwin in the 60 and 200 metres heralded his arrival on the national stage. Odran Gildea, William Crowe, Sinead Keogh, Lea Doherty and Kian McBride also got in on the medal winning act. Throw in Mary Cullen’s stunning performance in the national senior championships as well as her European qualification times achieved abroad and it will give some idea of the achievement of Sligo athletes this indoor season. Added to all that is an Irish under 15 relay indoor record set by the North Sligo boys. Of course, it’s not all about the medal winners and we had a host of personal best times recorded by athletes like Dermot McDermott and Tommy Casey as they reached finals of the national 800 metres and 3,000 metres . Alberto Sanchez also recorded a P.B. for 3,000 metres as he claimed a bronze medal in the university championships. Of course none of these achievements would be possible without the coaching input from the Sligo clubs.. A considerable number of new coaches have emerged in clubs in the past couple of years and this is now paying rich dividends for out sport here in Sligo . Yes, a lot has been done. More on the way.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sligo AC Athletes compete in Spar Great Ireland Run!

A beautiful day and the humid conditions to go with it made Sundays 10k Great Ireland Run a great spectacle but tough on the competitors. Charlotte Purdue despite having ran the fastest five kilometres leg for her Aldershot club in the English National Road Relays the previous day, trounced her rivals when winning the womens race in a time of 32 minutes 42 seconds. Sligo's Mary Cullen, back after a short layoff, was disappointed with her time clocking 34.22 which was well short of her usual standard.
J.Espana produced a lethal finish in the final 1200 metres to clinch the men's title in a time of 29min 26sec ahead of Finland's Jussi Utriainen and Ireland's Martin Fagan. The Spaniard was content to follow the pace particularly when defending champion Fagan took charge in the second half of the race which saw the demise of the highly fancied Sergey Lebid of Ukraine and Portugal's Rui Silva. Sligo AC was well represented in both the mens and womens events with results listed below, well done to all who took part from all at the club!

Seamus Somers 00:36:33 Mel Casserly 00:37:22 Alan Kearns 00:38:42 Trevor Hunter 00:39:04 Jason Mc Morrow 00:39:07 Damien Kennedy 00:39:37 Enda Dineen 00:39:58 Declan Foley 00:40:41 Rory Connor 00:41:38 Aoife Quigley 00:44:13 Vanessa Foley 00:51:07 Linda Higgins 00:51:12 Fintan Conlon 00:51:46 Aishling Kennedy 00:53:02 Bernie Flynn 00:53:52 Sheila Lehany 00:53:56 Sharon Dineen 00:54:06 Rosie Friel 00:55:41 Aisling Gillen 00:55:49 Jill Connor 00:59:08

Friday, April 8, 2011

Connacht Development Squad, Sunday April 17th, Athlone IT, 12 noon

Athletes will not be notified individually of selection to the squad as per vote at congress. Notification will go through club or school only. Thus Sligo AC is now notifying Sligo athletes of their selection to Connacht Development Squad and their invitation to attend the above squad days. Sign in at 12 noon (in sports hall in AIT) Followed by presentation by guest speaker Coaching session from 1pm Wrap up at approx 2.30pm Please note final squad date for spring 2011 is Sunday May 22nd, venue TBC.
North Sligo AC Boys

Ben Roberts, Cian McBride, Feidhlim McGowan, Kevin McGlynn, Leigh Currid, Lorcan Roddy, William Crowe.

Sligo AC Boys
Boal Connell, Colm Bourke, David Lynch, Dylan Carty, Jack Roberts, James McGeough, Killian O'Connor, Shane Kilcawley, Tommy Casey.
North Sligo AC Girls
Rachel Oates, Sarah Oates, Sinead Keogh, Sorcha Fallon, Tory McGlynn.
Sligo AC Girls
Anna Reddin, Claire Conlon, Ennia Bedzoz, Rianne McHugh, Sarah McGeough, Stacey Kerr.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Irwin Gold medal the highlight of a really successful weekend for Sligo AC

A number of Sligo AC athletes made the very worthwhile trip up North this weekend to Magherafelt Co Derry for the National Juvenile All Ireland Indoor Championships. With an early start for the 60m heats there were great openers from both Kerrs, Graham and Stacey, and Ania Bednorz when all 3 athletes secured places in the 60m finals to be held later that day, Colm Bourke ran a fine race in his 60m heat just missing qualification for the final. Onto the finals, first up was Kevin McGlynn who went agonisingly close to a bronze medal in the u-19 boys 60m where he finished in 4th place but will have taken great confidence from his run, Ania Bednorz ran an excellent race where she mixed it all the way to the line to finish a close 7th in a new personal best time of 8.23 seconds. Both Kerrs went one after the other with Stacey first up and she flew out of the blocks and was involved in a blanket finish and resulted with a 5th place finish again with a new personal best of 8.25 seconds, Graham too can be really happy with his performance when he finished in a very close 5th place lowering his best to 8.39 seconds.
Onto our frst medal of the day, Zak Irwin (pictured no.458) drawn out on his own in lane 9 flew from the blocks and ran strong all the way to the line to win in fine style. Zak can be proud of his achievements as he is so new to sprinting at this level and has adopted to it in fine style. He will now concentrate on his 200m National bid in 2 weeks time.
Leo Doherty (pictured no 392) secured Sligo AC medal number 2 in the u-12 boys 600m, getting off to a slow start he quickly made up the ground going out onto the second lap of 2 and rounding into the home straight Leo took up the running only to be "collared" close to home by a young Donegal athlete. This was an amazing run by this fine young Sligo athlete and he can look forward to a very bright future. Colm Bourke did his confidence the world of good finishing a fine 6th in the boys u-18 triple jump as did Aishan Patil in the u-17 boys 1,500m where he too finished in 6th.
There was time for two more fine performances from Sligo athletes with first Sharon Hodgins running the most perfect race only to be pipped for 2nd place by a mere 0.2 of a second and had to settle for 4th place in a blanket finish - she held 2nd all the way up the straight until being pipped on the line. This is Sharons first indoor race so will learn so much from this. Then Killian O'Connor (pictured no.464) nearly pulled off the perfect run when he lead the boys u-19 1,500m all the way through the race, winding it up every lap and going out onto the final lap had kicked well clear, homing in on his first National title. However with 100m to go a Metro St Brigets athlete got onto his shoulder and out scrapped the gutsy O'Connor. But still a great performance and Killian came away with a brilliant silver medal.
Well done to all Sligo AC athletes and best of luck to all taking part in the second part of the National indoor programme in 2 weeks time in Nenagh.

Tubbercurry 10k Race Report

Tubbercurry's 38th Annual Road Race took place as usual on St. Patricks day and once again all participants were blessed with fine weather and great racing conditions. The added factor of this race being included in the new Credit Union Sligo Road Race Series added to the excitement before the event was underway. All local clubs were represented including Sligo AC, North Sligo, South Sligo, Mayo AC, Ballina AC and Tir Connaill and as such it promised to show a good battle for honours up front. Roger Barrett (Ballina AC) was the eventual victor crossing the line in 32.50 followed by road racing veteran John Byrne (Mayo AC) in second; 33.40. North Sligo's Phelim McGowan showed his obvious talent coming in third in a time of 34.12, a great result for this young athlete. Tir Connaill's Paul Ward closely followed hot on the heels of McGowan in a time of 34.19 and North Sligo's Thomas McBride took fifth place in a time of 34.41. A selection of the Sligo AC athletes that took part are as follows, Alan Kearins, Trevor Hunter, Rory Connor, Paul Deering, Willie Parke, Brendan Mullen, Dermot Cunningham, Deirdre Deering, Pauline Henry and Sheila Lehany. In the team event North Sligo took the mens honours whilst Sligo AC's female athletes took the womens title. This team was lead home by Rosanne Mitchell in a great time of 40.31 followed by Mari Johnson (41.21), Cindy McCarthy (43.55) and Corina Clarke (48.13). Deirdre Deering followed closely (48.18) ensuring the Sligo AC's womens had this title in the bag. Well done to them and to all club athletes who competed!

Monday, March 14, 2011

McGeough gets his first International call after his heroics in all Ireland Schools Cross Country

Sligo AC's James mcGeough (pictured) will get his first flavour of international duty when he represents Ireland for the first time on Saturday the 26th of March in Antrim. A student in Sligo Grammer school, James ran the perfect race to finish a close 4th place in the National schools competition. He started the race with some sense of purpose just sitting a couple of strides off the swift pace(4min 45secs for the first mile). On the final lap he still held his chance but was unable to get on terms with the eventual winner Sean Tobin of Clonmel. James lost absolutely nothing in defeat considering this was his first real competitive outing since his All Ireland winning display over 3,000m on the track last July. His training partner and close friend Anna Reddin (pictured) lost nothing in defeat also when with 150m to go she looked all over the winner but was unfortunately ran out of the medals it in the end to finish in a very close 6th place. Tommy Casey ran his best ever Cross Country race finishing in 4th place in the senior boys race which will give him huge boost as he sets off to the States for scholarship next year. There was a number of other fine performances from Sligo AC athletes in Killian OConnor, Dylan Carty, Orla Mulvihill, Sharon Hodgins, Laura Joyce and Aishan Patil. They can all hold their heads high and look forward to a great track season. Well done to all Sligo athletes who took part last weekend.

Sligo Road Race League 2011 gets underway!

The whole purpose of running the Sligo Credit Union Road Race League is to get as many people out as possible for as many races as possible, and to try to give acknowledgement to all the people who take part. The league, even though it will be competitive, should allow every person taking part to maximize their potential, and hopefully, see some improvement in their overall health and fitness as the league goes on. There are 30 prizes, of which each person will be only allowed to win one. If funds allow, more prizes may be added. The scoring system will hopefully make it accessible for as many people as possible, and will also make it competitive at the top, as there will be relatively little difference between coming first or second etc .
1. Tubbercurry - St. Patricks Day
2. Carney Lisadell 10k - Easter Monday
3. Maugherow 10k - Early June
4. Ransboro 10k - Late June
5. Horseshoe 10k - 5th August
6. Dromahaire 4 mile - Early September
7. Sligo AC 8k - 17th September
8. Grange 10k - 2nd October
The Sligo Credit Union Road Race League starts this Thursday in Tubbercurry.
Scoring: Top 50 men and top 50 women will receive points in each race i.e. 50 points for first, 49 for second etc all the way to 1 for 50th. Entry to the league will be included in the entry to each race - once you are in the individual race, you are in the league. When the final league table is calculated the prizes will be awarded as follows:
Men - 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
Women 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
O40 Men 1,2,3,
O40 Women 1,2,3,
O50 Men 1,2,3,
O50 Women 1,2,3
Sligo North Leitrim Runner not already in Prizes Male and Female 1,2,3,4,5,6.
Special Award for any person who completes all 8 races. Dates of birth for categories to be on the day of first race i.e. 17/3. Each competitor is eligible for only one prize in the race league - Prizes in individual races are completely separate from the league.
For details search facebook for SligoRoadRaceLeague or email sligoroadraceleague@gmail.com, or call Mel on 0868169126

Sligo Juveniles excel at Connaught indoor Championships in Nenagh

There was plenty of gold, a few silver, a few bronze and a number of fine performances by Sligo AC’s up and coming stars. First up were the sprints where Sligo AC vests were very prominent across all age groups.
Mary Stenson got the ball rolling with a fine 5th place finish in the girls u-13 60m final that was swiftly followed up with a bronze medal for Graham Kerr in the u-14 boys 60m final. Then came Stacey Kerr with a smashing silver medal in the u-15 girls 60m, immediately followed by an impressive gold medal for Zak Irwin in the boys u-16. After Zak followed another gold medal, this time his training partner Kevin McGlynn won the u-19 boys 60m very convincingly. Ita Connell can also be very proud of her fine 6th place finish in the girls u-16 60m final.
On the outer track the 1,500m races were taking place where Sligo AC scooped more success with Killian O’Connor showing his form ahead of the All Ireland schools this weekend with a gun to tape victory in magnificent style, he later followed this gold medal with a bloodless win in the 3,000m. There was also fine performances in the 1500m by Aishan Patil finishing a close 4th and Orla Mulvihill in 7th place in the u-17’s category.
Sligo also enjoyed great success in field events with Colm Bourke claiming double gold in the boys u-18 triple and long jump, Ania Bednorz scooped gold in the u-18 triple jump and followed that up with a silver in the u-17 long jump. And new senior jump sensation Ciaran White in only his second competition took gold in the long jump nearly breaking 6metres for the first time and that was his second medal of the day adding to his bronze in the senior 60m final. Orla Mulvihill, Leo Doherty, Liam Kerrigan, Philip Hunter, Laura Joyce and Lauren Cadden jumped well in their first ever indoor competition and will have learned a lot from their experience.
Eimear Joyce and Liam Kerrigan did really well in their shot putt competitions and again would have learned so much from their experience. There was better luck on track for the walkers as Sligo dominated the male section claiming gold with Robby Kelly in the u-14 and National Champion Dylan Carty strode to victory in the boys u-16, he later added an impressive bronze medal in the 800m. Orla Delahunt was desperately unlucky not to claim bronze in the u-14 girls walk showing her potential and look forward to great things come the outdoors.
Sligo AC enjoyed even more success in the 800m with the impressive Caelainn McGonigle dominating from gun to tape to stride to an impressive victory and this is a really nice return to form for Caelainn. Sligo nearly added to Caelainn and Dylan’s medal in the 800m with Thomas Delahunt, Aishan Patil, Claire Conlon, Mark Connolly, Philip Hunter and Niall Simon all running excellent races to finish in close prominent positions.
The medal haul didn’t finish there with 2 more medals to come. First Leo Doherty finished a very close 2nd place in the boys u-12 600m, he can look forward to Nationals where he will have a great chance to turn the tables on his conqueror. And second; Zak Irwin winning the u-16 boys 200m in fine style, showing fine speed to blow his rivals away.
A big well done to all Sligo AC athletes who took part over the weekend and good luck to all who made it to Nationals where the first weekend will take place in Magherafelt, co Derry in 2 weeks time.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Sligo AC News: Bundoran 10 miler & National 10k

Bundoran 10 mile Road Race: The first runner home in the excellent time of 50:18 seconds was Derry man Paddy Hamilton, who had over a two-minute advantage over his nearest rival, young sligoman Patrick Brennan (Letterkenny AC) in 52:56. Taking the third rung on the winners’ rostrum was Ferbane’s Paul Buckley in another respectable time of 54:14. 1st woman home across the line on the day to the beautiful coastline of Bundoran was Belfast's Breege Connolly in another excellent time of 59:23, followed home by Tir Chonaill AC’s Fiona Stack in 1:04:26 seconds and Sligo's Roseanne Mitchell in 1:07:40 in third. Well done to all the Sligo AC members members that competed, times are listed below;
Richard Gorman 58.52
Mel Casserly 60.50
John Whelan 65.26
Enda Dineen 66.31
Paul Deering 67.27
Rory Connor 67.29
Roseanne Mitchell 67.50
Fintan Whelan 72.01
Enda Whelan 72.09
Cindy McCarthy 72.54
Willie Parke 74.22
Carina Clarke 80.34
Deirdre Deering 80.39
Bernie Flynn 82.09
Hubert Beatty 82.52
Vanessa Foley 84.12
Dermot Cunningham 85.03
Sheila Lehany 86.35
Aisling Gillen 90.07
Jill Connor 97.24


National 10k Championships
Any club member wishing to run in the National 10k Road Race championships on the 10th April in the Phoenix Park, Dublin (in conjunction with the Great Ireland Run) should please contact Rory on 0872660372 by friday 11th march at the latest stating what category you wish to be entered in. Your club registration must be paid in order to run as a member of Sligo AC. Thanking you in advance for your time with this issue.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Sligo AC National Indoors: Juvenile Update

A number of Sligo AC juvenile athletes made the trip to Belfast as guests in the Northern Ireland Championships. With the impressive Odyssey arena the venue, this was a real special introduction to big competition to Sligo's up and coming stars. On the Saturday morning of competition Graham Kerr set the ball rolling by winning his 60m heat in impressive style, followed immediately by his big sister Stacey, she too was victorious in winning her 60m heat in fine style and a new personal best of 8.35 seconds. While Graham and Stacey prepared for their finals Caelainn McGonigle strode to victory in her 800m time trial but as she was racing against the clock her time was good enough for 4th place overall.
After Caelainn came Dylan Carty in the boys U-16 walk where he was a very impressive winner lapping all but one to win in fine style. Onto the finals of the 60m for girls where Stacey drawn in lane 5 got off to a slow start but quickly made up ground to finish in a very tight 4th place behind National record holder for 60m u13 and Celtic Games champion Grace Lawlor. Stacey can look forward to the Connaught indoors which take place in Nenagh on the 5th of March. After a long delay they eventually got the boys u13 under way which saw Graham Kerr power out of the blocks in his usual fashion to claim a very close 4th place finish.
Onto Sundays competition where we had a sole representitive in Zak Irwin and he didn't disappoint. First he set onto the track in the 200m, where for the first time ever he tasted defeat, this event was a huge learning curve for him as he later showed in the 60m. In heat 1 he strolled to an easy win in a very fast time of 7.48 seconds, later on that day he bettered that time to the final by some way in a time of 7.42 seconds. This really is classy running and he too can look forward to both a fine indoor and outdoor season ahead.
On the topic of juvenile athletes we had 5 competing in Senior competition. Tommy Casey and Ania Bednorz both really do need a special mention as first Tommy on Saturday night obliterated his personal best for 3,000m to qualify for the final. His time of 8min 27seconds is truly top class running and puts him right up there with the best juniors in the Country, he went on the next day to back this performance up with a time of 8min 32 seconds in the final, this shows the stregnth and character that it takes to be a world class runner which Tommy will be some day. And with Ania only 15 years of age competing for her first time in senior competition and still only in her first year of competition, she finsihed a very credible 5th place in the final of the senior womans triple jump on Sunday afternoon. Ciaran White (long jump), Rianne McHugh(800m) and Kevin McGlynn (60m) can all be proud of their performances and look forward to building on them through the indoor season and onto outdoor season. The future looks bright in Sligo athletics with so many young athletes competing at this level of competition. Well done to all Sligo athletes who took part in this excellent competition over the weekend and best of luck in their competitions ahead.