Sunday, February 12, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Art O'Neill Challenge 2012
Area: Dublin / Wicklow, Ireland
Maps Used: OSI Sheets 50, 56
Weather: Cold, clear skies, no winds.
Last year I found the Art O'Neill Challenge quite tiring, but then I hadn't done any specific training. This year I wanted to have a better performance, so I signed up for the hybrid start so I had something to aim for. The hybrid race involves running the first section (about 23km) where you are mostly on roads within Dublin, and then trek the remaining 30km.
I can't say I have done a proper training programme this time again, but at least the daily cycle to work and the odd 10km runs kept me fit over the last few months, even after spending the Holidays in Brazil. This year the weather was not nearly as bad as last year. It wasn't too cold, and visibility was actually pretty good throughout the night, with some great views of Dublin city. I felt good during the first section and completed the first 23km in around 2,5 hours, which is in line with my usual pace - and especially reasonable considering the last uphill section. After that it was an easy enough trek, much different than last year when I was already very tired at this point. I felt good the entire route and could have kept going for another while (made me remember my failed attempt at the Lug Walk...).
At the end, arrived #33 among hybrid runners, #119 overall. If I actually spend time doing some specific training for next year, I could even aim at top 10 for hybrid runners...
Duration: 11:13:38 (3,5 hours less than last year)
Distance: 53km
Total Ascent: 1,642m
Total Descent: 1,140m
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