Race Blog
1st Sep 2011
“Running gets the Gravy Going” Gerry Anderson all set for Waterside Half Marathon
Superstar DJ Gerry Anderson can be found pounding the roads in the Culmore Point area of Derry, sporting sweatbands and a six pack in preparation for his Waterside Half Marathon and New York marathon debut later this summer.
Running seems to have become a new passion for the Derry celebrity, who says he ran in school but never long distance
“I used to run in school but I never ran long distance or anything like that. I did a leg of the Belfast Marathon back in May but that was only to cover for Nolan who couldn’t do it.”
But things are different now. Mr Anderson is in training and runs every day
“Yes, I am in training now and approaching peak physical condition. I have a six pack – I got it in the supermarket. I am really looking forward to the Waterside Half Marathon, it’s a bit of a milestone on the journey to New York. When people ask me how long the marathon is I say “until the ambulance comes”. No, seriously though it’s 26 miles and I don’t expect to run it all, my goal is to finish it. I will probably run/ walk for 5 or 6 miles, I find that’s the way to do it considering my advanced years – I am now 48 you know.”
Gerry Lynch organiser of the Waterside Half Marathon was at school with Anderson and remembers his old running days
“I used to run but Gerry used to run away, you would see him with the long hair looking very much like primitive man. I know he can talk but can he run? I must say though, it’s great to see Gerry promoting running and encouraging people at all levels of fitness to take part in the activities that the Half Marathon has to offer. I seen him recently on one of his training walk/runs and I have to say I am impressed, very very impressed. He certainly looked the part, I would say he’ll probably win best dressed male runner for definite.”
The Waterisde Half Marathon takes place on Sunday, 11th September 2011 at the Gransha Grounds, Clooney Road in Derry. The event, which is celebrating its 30th birthday, continues to be a great occasion for athletes of all levels and abilities including club runners, joggers, fun runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes. It will also be Gerry’s first big test
“Yes I’m on track for the Half Marathon and feel confident that I will be able to do it. There seems to be more interest in the Waterside for definite since it has become more accessible. I met a man the other day, he was heading over our new Peace Bridge to St Columb’s Park and he was telling me it has been 43 years since he had been in the park, since before the troubles. And I was thinking wouldn’t it be nice to see everyone running over the Peace Bridge, that would be some sight, wouldn’t it? I’ll have to have a word with Gerry Lynch about that.”
Asked how his recent interest in running came about, Gerry explained
“Well, this came about when I was talking with a woman from Action Cancer about taking part in the New York marathon on the radio and I thought to myself - that would do me no harm at all. Actually I then thought I would really love to do that, to see New York, the greatest City in the world, to run through the streets, over the Brooklyn Bridge would just be fantastic. Of course I have to raise money and they asked me if I would do a poster and billboard campaign to help encourage others to do it. I am very happy to be supporting Action Cancer with this and of course seeing myself up on billboard posters means that I have to do it.”
Gerry certainly seems committed and has been training daily on the quiet country roads near his home
“I run the back roads, it’s beautiful and a great feeling. I have been training alone up until now but I have reached the time when you need to build strength and that means going to the gym, building up endurance. People have been very supportive and good to me, the wonderful City Hotel here have offered me use of the gym and pool facilities and I am now going to start seeing a trainer. Running a leg of the Belfast Marathon made me realise that you can run twice as far with people with you – there’s a buzz in numbers and so imagine in New York with all those people, how exciting!”
Asked about rumours that his co-presenter Sean Coyle would be taking up the Waterside Half Marathon’s 10 Mile Walk Challenge Anderson sighed
“At the beginning there was a flicker of interest in him, but it died, like most things within him, he’s so selfish, he has to have a wee lie down most afternoons now you know.”
Gerry says he would have no hesitation in encouraging people to take up marathon running
“I mean it’s hard but then like they say no pain no gain. I feel 100% better since I started training, I have more energy and I am better looking and more attractive. I would say to people to get on the phone and register for the Waterside Half Marathon today and you’ll be glad you did. I was always a great walker which made it less difficult but running is a different matter – running gets the gravy going, you can feel it doing good”
The Waterside Half Marathon is organised by Derry City Council with support from it’s sponsors BT and Seagate.
24th Aug 2011
Hello Again Folks,
By the time you read this we,re down to the last two weeks and the god news that the bulk of your preperations are complete.!! The big runs and efforts are behind you now and you can look forward to a lighter load over the final two weeks.
Check out the schedule....you have an extra rest day allocated each week and your longest scheduled run will be the 13.i miles on race day itself. You get two full days to recover from this weekends long Sunday run. If you do not intend trying Dessies Run in Gransha this coming Tuesday evening, August 30th at 7 15pm....enjoy the days off.
If however you want to have a go then enjoy the Monday rest day and take the Dessies Run 10K at a relaxed pace...this is not the time to chase a PB..you packed in a lot of work over the previous 10 weeks or so and your real target is on 11th September. If you do Dessies then switch the length of the Wednesday and Thursday runs and DEFINITELY take the REST DAY on Friday.
If you want another race option there is the Eurospar Dungiven 10K on Sunday 28th, 12 noon...this could form part of your sheduled long run...remember to take it easy though in the race section.
So to recap .....this is wind down time, your running load is dramitically reduced in the lead in to September 11th and this allows your body to recuperate and prepare for the big day. I,ll post some more stuff next week so lets hope you all stay healthy and focussed on the task ahead.
Any Walkers out there should also be cutting down a bit...look at the schedule and note the mix of REST and ACTIVITY as we head towards 11th Sept. I note that the Walker entries are somewhat light to date so please get yours and your friends into St Columbs Park asap. Make the committment now and help yourself and the event Admin team to avoid a mass of late entries.
Same sentiments to the RELAY runners......where are your entries folks??? Getting a bit late to sort it and deciding over a few drinks on the Friday /Saturday night before ....definitely not a good idea!
I was delighted to see the story about Ian and his dog Coco doing the run and Danny Sheerin still up for the challange, 30 years on! Danny did a publicity photo shoot recently on the new Pedestrian Bridge...have you run over it yet? I see the Foyle Hospice Mens Run/Walk on Sunday 25th Sept will use it and i,m looking forward to seeing that.
You may know that we have been looking at incorporating this bridge into a new Waterside route for next year and beyond. It would be necessary for the proposed Waterside Greenway...a Walkway/Cycle Path through St Columbs Park and accessing Gransha under the Foyle Bridge....to be in place to facilitate this. The first phase into St Columbs is to be completed by the end of this year and we,ll keep an eye on the second phase time lines. We,re also exploring another alternative route, one closer in make up to the previous long established Waterside course and this one could possibly be unveiled for 2012.
Anyway enough for now......enjoy your training runs/walks in the next week or so..and any races you may take on.....but remember take care of yourself, your big day is so close now so dont blow it with anything rash!
Till Next Time,
Keep ON Running/Walking,
Gerry
8th Aug 2011
Well, what a weekend......a downpour of biblical proportions on Saturday and a beautiful sunny Sunday morning to bring back a spring to the step and joy to the heart! So how was it for you? Did you like me get caught up in Saturday mornings Monsoon conditions and then need the sun block 24 hours later?
I was on the grass at the Sports Complex on Saturday morning with a few fellow Spartans..enjoyed the initial dry,mild conditions before the skies literally opened and the rain cascaded down. But we just got on with it and even began to enjoy the experience. Mind you we were a bedraggled lot going back into the Complex..our dry gear had been left out in the open ...bad mistake! Met a few NW Triathlon club members who just about got their Saturday morning spin completed before they were totally washed out! Not nice on the bike in the wet ,eh Lads?
Anyway thats outdoor activity in these parts and as a old running pal of mine used to say " it,ll harden you up" Completing the weekend back to back longish sessions will have certainly been a test of your committment and hopefully you all got through them OK despite the weather. Stay with the schedule, the next three weeks will ask you to step up a bit more BUT in the final two weeks the demands drop significantly as you taper down for race day.
I mentioned last time that i had been speaking to some previous Waterside winners recently, Brian Mitchell(1983); Paul Craig(1984) and his brother Gerry(1985) Brian was the first ever local Waterside winner,clocking 68m 05s back in 1983 on the third staging of the event and he is to be the subject of a "Tell us your Story" profile very shortly.....keep an eye out for that.
Paul Craig is now based in the USA,near Boston with his wife Mary and three boys and plays a bit of golf for exercise. He was home last month and we had a chat about his Waterside memories. He remains one of only seven runners to break 65mins for the Waterside,his excellent 64m 43s 1984 clocking, a course record at the time,ranks him the fifth fastest all time since the Waterside began back in 1981.
Back in 1984 he was flying, he had won both the 1983 Belfast and Derry Marathons and went on to run a 2hrs 16m time in Toronto. He recalls the 1984 Waterside and running with a group including another local great John MCDowell, for much of the distance. Approaching the 10mile mark ,then just beyond the Maydown Roundabout,he just stepped on the gas and took off for a terrific win. It took Irish Olympic marathn legend, Raheny,s Dick Hooper to better that time---by a mere 10seconds--in 1987. Interestingly Paul wondered when we met if he could have gone quicker if he had taken off earlier...and that folks is a debate in itself as perhaps the reason he ran fast anyway was that he paced himself perfectly on the day. Food for thought that but suffice to say for now...better to finish strong than blast out early and blow up!!
Gerry Craig is still around these parts and works with Derry City Council. He won in 1985 making it three in a row for local athletes and clocked 68m dead. Like his brother he went to America on an Athletics Scholarship in the early 1970,s and is argueably the best ever distance runner from these parts. His winning Waterside time does him a disservice, he was much faster than 68m but on the day he did what was required to win and that victory remains the last by a runner from the Derry City Council area. Gerry has a brace of 2hr 18mins clockings from the London and New York Marathons and was an acknowledged cross country specialist, a real hard man!
These days he can be found helping out with Marashalling duties at the Waterside...have i signed him up yet for this year? Speaking of help,we can always use assistence on race day,Sunday 11th September.There is always jobs to be covered with an event of this size so if you are interested please contact Maureen Allen 02871 347695 for details.
Try A Race
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Two possible run outs in the North West for Half Marathon runners to consider prior to 11th September. You can fit them into your schedule with a bit of juggling.
First up is the Danny McDaid 15K(9miles odd) in Letterkenny on Sunday 14th August at 11 30am. This one can easily act as your scheduled 70min run that day and will give you a real sense of race day atmosphere. Just remember it is not your major target but it can be used as a dry run for the Waterside. For further information, please contact dannymcdaid15km@gmail.com.
Closer to home Gransha hosts the Dessies Run 10K on Tuesday evening 30th August at 7 15pm and by rejigging your scheduled Rest Days you could fit this one into your programme.
Check out the Letterkenny Athletics Club website and www.Sparta-athletics.co.uk for information on these.
Thats all for now so remember,
Keep on Running/Walking,
Gerry
3rd Aug 2011
Hello again everyone,
Sorry for neglecting you recently but hopefully you have all been staying with your training and now with just over 5 weeks to go you should be ready to hit the 60 minutes run/jog target specifed for week 7 of the programme.
The hour is a landmark target towards a successful outing on September 11th and this weekend also introduces significant back to back distances for the first time. If you check out the Programme you will see that the next three weeks will require you to up the ante and put in more time on your feet. This is crucial to getting both your body and your mind focussed on completing the 13.1 miles in good order. Dont be intimidated by the prospect, you can do it, its all part of the plan, and remember to enjoy your REST DAYS---they are every bit as important as your active days!!
If you are a Relay runner you should have got into the "faster pace" runs by now and you'll see they are an important element of the Programme for the next three weeks as well. The aim is to enjoy your 4.5 mile leg next month and this combination of steady runs and "faster pace" sessions will ensure that!
Walkers should be up to 80 minutes by the end of this week and if my observations of the huge numbers of people i see out there regularly along the Riverside Walk and on the Pedestrian Brige, are anything to go on, then our new 10 Mile Walk Challange looks set to be a great success.
Good Luck then to all of you as we head into August and closer to the big day....enjoy your preperations....and if you haven't already done so get your entry form completed and sent in asap.
The on-line entry process can be accessed here. Alternatively hard copy entry forms are now available at all Derry City Council Leisue facilities or contact St Columbs Park Leisure Centre 02871343941 or Maureen Allen at Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre 02871347695
I'll have another outpouring for you in a few days...I've been chatting to some previous Waterside winners in recent days and will share that with you shortly.
Keep on Running..or Walking even!!
Gerry L
6th July 2011
Hello everyone,
Gerry Lynch here and this is the first of what hopefully will be a regular outpouring of random thoughts from the Race Directors chair.
I’m writing this initial piece just after a 40min trot in the beautiful Gransha Grounds which of course hosts the annual Waterside Half Marathon. I’ve been on the grass there, a regular outing for me, away from all the noise and traffic and the unforgiving road/pavement surfaces of popular running routes such as the Bridges, the Riverside Paths, the Buncrana Road etc.
Grass is not only for cattle and sheep Folks, it’s good for runners too, so if you can....try it and do your legs a big favour!!
So i was in Gransha, taking it handy, getting back into regular training as i nurse myself back after about 7 weeks out with a hip problem...a product of age and inadequate stretching I’m told. Thankfully I’m back in action again into my second week back, running every second day and Aqua jogging in the Pool in between. So far so good, I started back with 16mins running and have been increasing the time on my feet each session. You know the story.....mighty oaks from little acorns and all that!
A word of advice.....the weeks in the Pool, 4/5 times a week were invaluable...a bit boring at first but definitely helped retain my base fitness levels. Water is weight bearing so is an ideal cross training option for injured runners.
However enough of my issues! You’re reading this and probably thinking about your own big date, also in Gransha, on Sunday September 11th next. Maybe you’re already following our Beginners Half Mar Training Programme/ the Relay Programme or even the 10 Mile Challenge Walk Programme.
If so keep at it, you’re getting ready for the test ahead and I can tell you now if you stick with it , you will definitely achieve your personal target come 11th September. I’ve chatted to many participants who got there successfully last year so if you are new to it, be assured, you will get there too!!
The key is to follow the programme, don’t get ahead of yourself, take your rest days and enjoy the whole experience right up to the big day itself. On the day the crowds and the occasion will get you fired up and you’ll have a terrific experience..all thanks to the work you put in over the next 10 weeks or so.
We hope to get a regular blog from someone currently following the Half Mar Programme up and" running" soon so watch this space....it should be good!
For anyone keen on sampling a race occasion there is a 5K race…open to all...on Wednesday 20th July next, out of the Templemore Sports Complex on the Buncrana Road. The lap course is based in and around the nearby Baliniska Industrial Estate and has a 7 30pm start time.
The event is the sixth and final race in the Furey Insurances 5K Series and usually attracts around 150 participants.....club runners, joggers and keep fit enthusiasts of all ages (14 years up) and abilities so why not fit it into your training programme and give it a shot.
The 10K Dessies Run follows on Tuesday 30th August in the Gransha Grounds, 7 15pm start, and is an ideal pre Waterside run out.
Check out the link on this website to
www.sparta-athletics.co.uk for details.
That’s all for now Folks...catch me again soon with some more random jottings.
Keep on Running...the road goes on forever and the patter never stops!