The final total: €4,750

Thank you, thank you, thank you. The final total of €4,750 raised is three times our previous best effort.You are all amazing and as a mark of gratitude here's the highlights from the big one. Ladies and gentlemen, video coverage of my participation in the New York City marathon with commentary by Cóilín Duffy.



Thanks to everyone who supported us in any way. I'd like to extend a personal thanks to John Craddock for his efforts in Dublin and to Cóilín for taking time out of his busy schedule to record the commentary for that video.

Like the video says, we'll have a new challenge in August 2009 and we'll be announcing details in March.

A round up of stuff

Hello one and all. We've been rather infrequent in our posting lately but we're making this post to let you all know that there's one more post this year that you will want to keep an eye out for.

Yes, I know, it's rather odd that I'm blogging to tell you to keep an eye out for a future blog post but I've some other tidbits as well so rather than have three or four one line posts we'll stick it all under a round up.

First off, our final video of the year is coming soon. I hope to have it up before Christmas. It depends on when some footage reaches us here in campaign HQ. We've already put together some of the audio and it promises to be a good one.

In other news, I know a few of you were asking about the 5k Jingle Bell Run in the Phoenix Park. It was meant to be my return to training but sadly my health got in the way. A nasty cold hit and I wisely thought it would be foolish to go for a run in that state on a cold Sunday morning. The new return to training shall now hopefully be at the GOAL mile on Christmas morning.

Plans are already in place for our 2009 campaign which is going to be a considerably different undertaking to anything we've previously tried. It'll be a few months however before we go into detail on that event. Needless to say it's going to be epic.

Finally on the news front, we'll be closing acceptance of donations on the 8th of January and will likely announce the final total on the 9th or 10th.

Of course I can't do a post at this stage in December without saying Merry Christmas to everyone.

Furthermore I'll be away in Cork from the 27th to around the 3rd or 4th (must check that) so if I don't see you between now and then have a Happy New Year.

Race photos now online

They're finally here, the photos from the big race. The pics here are just a taster of the full selection photos which are here.

We've decided to name the 8th of January as the final date for donations. If you want to support us you still can by going to our MyCharity page but remember time is running out.

We'll have our final video online shortly before the deadline, and hopefully this will include some actual race video coverage.

This is hardcore

The word hardcore gets bandied about a lot but this dude is something else. Having trouble embedding the video but it's well worth clicking on the link. A young runner picked up a ridiculously serious injury late in a 5k race which sent him crashing into the dirt. Unable to regain his footing, despite numerous attempts, he did the only sensible thing he could do, drag himself to the finish line.

A big thank you

It's just over 2 weeks since the race and I'm pretty much recovered. We haven't got the bulk of the photos yet but thanks to John Sheridan we can show you two from near the end.

Seeing as I'm thanking John for the pics I might as well take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped the campaign.

First off Comit Marketing deserve a particularly heavy dose of praise. The guys in there helped us secure a lot of the prizes for the draw and showed interest throughout the campaign. Likewise Heneghan PR were a great help in securing prizes for the draw and supporting the cause and we are very grateful to them.

Damovo, Strencom, Cable & Wireless, Motorola, the ESB (in particular Gerry McGough), Tipperary GAA and Dublin GAA (in particular John Costello) were all a great help in either donating or securing prizes for the draw and we are delighted they were able to support us. Thanks also to Paddy Power (in particular Michelle Daly) for providing odds on the race.

Running this campaign took a lot more than just one person. John Craddock made an immense contribution. On top of doing the Dublin marathon, John was also my training partner and the man that drove me to the Dublin 10 mile and half marathon races.

Ciaran Ruane, Fergal Casey and Cóilín Duffy all gave a great deal of support in help in our promotional effort. The trio, along with John, helped make so many of our videos possible. In that same respect, a big thanks to Lee Daly, Greg Bowler, Cian Ginty, Mary Dobbs, Gareth Murphy and Niall McClave for appearing in our videos.

Greg, John Sheridan, Kate Fitzgerald, and the whole DCU debating posse deserve a big heap of praise for their backing throughout the campaign. The DCU Saints also gave tremendous support all season long and that was a big help.

On the UCD side Sir Keith Thompson, who did the Great North Run, Eve Rowan, who is always there to support me, and a shedload of other people deserve a whole heap of praise. Nearish to UCD, Eoin Kennedy in Slattery Communications offered great encouragement over the last few months.

Martin Cahill, Grainne Kennedy, and all the guys in the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland helped a great deal both pre and post race.

Last but not least I want to thank everyone who has supported this cause in any way. Be you well wishers, people that bought tickets for the draw, or anyone else that donated, your help is thoroughly appreciated.

Oh and it's not over...you can still donate through our MyCharity.ie page. We'll keep taking donations for about another month before formally announcing our total either in late December or early 2009.

Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever...pain however lasts a fair while before healing

Snipers overhead, helicopters circling and thousands of people ready to charge across a bridge. Just a regular day in the city.

At 5.30am on Sunday, local time, myself and David got out of bed to get ready for a very long day. Our bus left for Staten Island an hour later and en route I sent a quote from Keanu Reeves in The Replacements to some friends, it's the title above minus the little bit I put at the end.

We had to hang about for 3 hours on Staten, fighting off the cold and nerves with coffee, bagels and Gatorade. We gathered into our coral, at the back of the third and final wave of runners as the snipers above looked down. This isn't Dublin anymore. We wished each other well and I gave some final words of encouragement to the rookies around me.

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body," I quipped. If this is the case then I had plenty of pain to expunge. It would later turn out that these words actually helped one of the runners, so that was a pleasant surprise.

David, who I was sharing a room with, took off running with two of the other lads from our group. I stuck to my plan of walking the first mile. As a result, with less than 800 yards of the race underway, there was widespread panic in Paddy Power's headquarters.

Okay I have nothing to back that up but at this stage I was just fifth from the back of the field. If I finished last then the odds of 200/1 on my picking up the wooden spoon would have proven quite generous. Ne'er the less I stuck to the plan. Walk the first, run the second. Walk the odds, run the evens.

The bridge from Staten was over a mile and a half long. With no crowds allowed and with my fear of heights this wasn't a pleasant experience.

As it ended and I approached the 2 mile mark I realised that sure enough, there was no marker at the 1 mile point and all I had done was walk so far. New tactic, walk the evens, run the odds.

I was off and running, blowing kisses at construction workers as I entered Brooklyn. The crowd had a huge impact as I tore through the next mile. On and off, run and walk, I kept it up. The people roared me on and I responded vocally and with my feet. The race was truly on.

It was after all a race, pride was at stake. Craddock had set a time to beat and I already felt behind. The people of New York proved a huge difference maker. There were even a few Obama supporters out and I yelled "Yes we can" at them every time, which you can imagine garnered a positive response.

Run and walk, on and off, it continued and as I saw the clocks I adjusted for my wave's start and knew the pendulum had swung. Around 7 miles my left foot felt a little sore in the shoe but the pain eased quickly.

Bands and well wishers lined the way, including one group that held up a sign offering free High Fives. Well I couldn't turn that down. Booya.

By halfway I knew I was near by personal best for the half marathon and well ahead of John's time. I had to dial it down it gear now. Running was proving tough and I needed a break, over the next three miles through Queens I knew I had lost some of my advantage.

It was time for a miracle mile. I knew that to make up the lost ground I'd need one more running mile and it was only going to come sooner not later. On the 17th I charged, down the bridge, around the corner and into Manhattan.

"Lets hear some love for the Irish" I yelled at the mob with tricolours that awaited, the responded well. As I rounded onto First Avenue I saw Martin, our organiser, fiddling with his hair. I shouted at him to sort it out though he would later claim it was time to keep warm.

I knew what to expect from the avenues in Manhattan. The previous day was the 2.5 mile long International Friendship Run. Despite sounding like an event the Care Bears would run in, it did serve the useful purpose of showing me how undulating the avenues on the island.

That was playtime, this was business time, I kept powering through until the mile marker when I slowed to a walk again. A new plan, walk the uphills and flats, run the downhills. On one of the downhills there was a guy around Craddock's size with a different banner.

'Free Hugs' it read.

Oh what a foolish boy. One patented Emmet Ryan Bearhug later and he weakly uttered "Thanks".

As I tired on First Ave I opted to hold off on any more running until the Bronx. Once there I continued the plan of running the downhills. There was less than a mile on this borough, the only part of the course in the mainland US, before returning to Manhattan.

Harlem greeted my arrival with tremendous cheers, I pressed on towards Midtown. No longer able to run the downhills it was merely a matter of protecting the lead I had.

Approaching 23 miles I was nearly crying tears of joy. I welled up thinking of the people I do this for. I have two very dear friends with Cystic Fibrosis that are my inspiration when races get tough and questions are asked. This race had been relatively easy so far but I had to hold myself together.

It wasn't over yet, there was business to be done. I began the long way round central park singing along to my iPod. Abide With Me was swiftly followed by Flower of Scotland. I really don't care what the locals thought of my singing but I know it caught some runners off guard. Scotland the Brave was next as I rounded the corner into the Park.

My vocal performance ended just after 24 miles, to the mercy of all no doubt. As I exited the park there was just over one mile to go, but there were still two very important persons to greet. Greg and John both received high fives from me as I marched towards the final turn before the return into the park.

As I re-entered Central Park I punched the air, there was fire in my belly and the crowd loved it. Hell they loved all 40,000 of us. They were like one giant embodiment of the Battle Hymn of the Republic (which oddly isn't on my iPod) all day long.

The finish approached and it was time to truly milk it. Once again I started blowing kisses to all and sundry in the crowd before raising my hands to the heavens, like some South American footballer, as I crossed the finish line.

The poor woman that bestowed me with my finishers medal probably wasn't expecting that hug either. Ah well. And so it was over. The wall never hit and no harm done save for the usual stiffness.

You already know the rest, I hammered my PB and beat Craddock by 12 minutes...

Oh like it was going to end that easy!

Every year the race report entry brings the pain and we aren't going to disappoint you now. Remember that pain in my foot I mentioned early? Yes that was a tease to a later part in the tale.

It turns out pulling off a Compeed is a bad idea. So much so that when I pulled one off the dark red blister the day after the race (it was very beefy, nearly black) that it took a lot of skin with it and gave me the heebie jeebies.

The wound is (it's still there) 2 inches long and 1 inch wide and is right on the arch of the foot. By Monday evening the pain was so bad that standing was agonising and walking was the opposite of pleasant. With infection looking likely and no improvement whatsoever, I went to the hospital on Tuesday morning.

"Oh that looks bad. You're going to be in agony," said the first doctor. Well thank you ma'am, I know I've been stored in the cardiac ward for some reason but that doesn't mean you have to induce a coronary through fear just to make me feel at home.

On the upside there was no infection. The dude in the bed beside me meanwhile had what sounded an awful lot like an actual heart attack while queuing up to vote. He was a determined chap and refused to go to hospital for 90 minutes until he got to cast his vote for Obama.

"That's huge, and very beefy. You will be in agony sir," how about that for a second opinion that I never even asked for. At least the third doctor had a look of total disinterest in her face and didn't say a word.

She probably wasn't a doctor though. Her tells were that she wasn't faking an interested look, which coupled with her looking fairly young meant the best bet is that she still had a couple of years to go in Med School. By graduation she'll learn to fake attentiveness.

So I was patched up and sent on my merry way without anything to ease the pain. They told me to take some Tylenol for that, and I knew I'd need it as my foot was killing me. I needed to move hotels first however so I hailed a cab and head for the Chelsea Star on 30th St.

I open the door, a heavy bag in either hand and a throbbing pain in my foot, and all the colour leaves my face. There was a flight of stairs to climb.

The End.

The final pre-race update - All the info you need to stay in touch on Sunday

There's just 13 hours until the start of the 2008 ING New York City Marathon. First off, we're aware that there's problems with the audio interview file, we are working on it and hope to have it fixed by 1pm tomorrow. (edit - Interview now available - Cóilín)

Next up the race updates will begin around 4pm Sunday Irish time. There'll be five or six in total, ending around 11pm. Don't be disturbed and go ripping up your betting slips if my time initially seems to slow, the race chip on my shoe is what counts and not the clock on the course. This is because I'll start way back and the race will be on between 10 and 30 minutes when I get started.

Keep an eye out for the updates as the splits will give you a good time of how my race is progressing.

Finally I'd just like to give a brief mention to the International Friendship Run, a 2.5 mile event I walked today. It was great buzz and it was cool to hit the streets with my fellow foreigners. Make no mistake though, today was playtime. On Sunday moring, it's business time.

The Transatlantic Challenge is set

As the interview above indicates, I'll be gunning for John's time of 6 hours 44 minutes and 30 seconds when I hit the Five Boroughs on Sunday. It's quite simple. If I'm faster I win. If I'm slower I lose. The battle for bragging rights is on, it's on like Donkey Kong!

Dublin Marathon highlights

A confident and assured John Craddock took to the streets of Dublin on Monday morning, and our cameras were there to capture all the action.



Congratulations to John, he avoided the personal worst and completed the full 26.2 miles. John's formal chip time was 6 hours 44 minutes and 30 seconds, which is based on when he crossed the start line. This will be my secondary target in New York, after my existing PB of 6 hours 49 minutes.

If you want to show your support for John's efforts you can do so at our MyCharity.ie page. We'll have further updates throughout the week leading up to part two of this year's campaign, the New York City Marathon.

Dublin City Marathon - Update 3 - The final update

It's Emmet here again, John finished the Dublin City Marathon in 6 hours 48 minutes and about 32 seconds (we aren't quite sure how many were on the clock when he crossed the line). When his chip time is calculated that'll drop around 5 minutes. Even we that reduction however we can say this, for pretty much the first time ever we have a race on. John's final time will be a few minutes inside my PB meaning that the Transatlantic race is on. We'll have more on that later in the week.

While I was out and about I ran into Cormac Toomey, former Sports Editor of the University Observer, around the corner from my house. He was on course to break 4 hours at that stage. Later on I ran into Barry Alistair again, I believe it's his first time doing the distance, and he was on course for around a 5 hour time. Well done to both lads.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the effort of a Limerick man with one leg amputated who shattered the world record for completing a marathon on crutches. Other notable finishers were the pint of Guinness and a toucan. At the 17 mile mark there was a solid 6 minute gap between them, with the toucan leading. If what might be considered a fix the two crossed the line together a couple of hours later.

Congratulations to John and all the other finishers today and thanks to everyone who came out to support them.

We'll have video highlights of the day and the marathon expo up either later on tonight or early enough tomorrow.

Dublin City Marathon - Update 2

Emmet is out on the course showing John how it's done so it's left to his flatmate, Ciaran, to give you the latest update on today's race.

It's now 4 hours and 13 minutes after the race started (or thereabouts) and John has reached the 17-mile mark, only a couple of miles from where I'm writing this post. This keeps John ahead of schedule for beating his Personal Worst time but unfortunately the race win has escaped his grasp with Andriy Naumov crossing the finish line about 2 hours ago. John assures me that he would have been in contention for the win if he didn't have to save a drowning child at O'Connell St. Bridge.

Dublin City Marathon - Update 1

John started the Dublin City Marathon around 40 minutes ago. He seemed in good form at the start and was happy with the weather conditions.

It's already been an active enough morning for me. While waiting for John to reach my vantage point at Merrion Square I saw fellow UCD fan Bryan Casey and IrishDev's Barry Alistair, both of whom are running the race this year. Earlier in the day, before the race start, I ran into Linda Stanley. Linda was involved in DCU FM and made the foolhardy but welcome decision of greenlighting my old business show 'Adam Smith Should Know Better' many years ago.

There's 11,900 runners, walkers and wheelchair competitors out on the course. If you're anywhere near the race today be sure to go out and offer you support. We'll have further updates later in the day.

The Sunday Column - Part one of the campaign is just hours away

Monday morning will see John Craddock take to the streets of Dublin in part one of STIG for CF Ireland 2008.

John's done plenty of these before so he knows what he's doing and despite his own protestations he has done a reasonable bit of training for this race. A personal worst will be mocked if it occurs, the pressure's on.

We'll have updates during the day when possible, though this will likely be just one highly useless one just after the start. My flatmate however might be able to deliver more useful updates later in the day with more relevant information.

Late tomorrow night we'll have a video of John's race highlights, including pre-race experiences at the registration Expo. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates.

Oh and seeing as it's been at least three days since the last shameless plug for the charity element of this, you can donate to the campaign to show your support for John and me at our MyCharity page. As always we're grateful to everyone that's supported us to date.

Paddy Power lay 10,000 to 1 odds on Emmet to win New York City Marathon

A big thanks to Michelle Daly who helped get Paddypower.com to provide odds on my chances in the New York City Marathon.

A full list of the odds on offer can be found here. The standout odds obviously being the 10,000 to 1 shot at victory. Given there's around 40,000 runners, these odds do tend to overstate my chances.

Paddy Power have been great, they're offering a broad mix of betting options so it's well worth checking out. Across the board there's great value to be had so it's well worth a look...and if you happen to win feel free to donate part of your winnings to the campaign.

Yes, we'll shamelessly ask for donations whenever a chance arises. Also just to clarify, and this is no disrespect to PP who we think are awesome, the bets don't go towards the fundraising. It's just good old fashioned gambling.

Before anyone asks. No, I am not going to deliberately come last. I know 200 to 1 makes it sound like a good idea but seriously I am not going to do that.

For anyone looking at betting on specific times, here's the form:
My PB is 6 hours 49 minutes but I was 4 stone lighter when I set that. My time last year was 7 hours 15 minutes however I did the half marathon this year a full 19 minutes faster than last year's half marathon.

The other point of note to keep in mind is that I'm unfamiliar with the course and it's meant to be a tough one however it's also meant to a fast course, faster than Dublin.

In essence you've a choice between history and what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. Best of luck to all the punters out there.

Welcome Irish Times readers

Some of you today will be visiting this blog for the first time after reading about my escapades in this article from today's health supplement of the Irish Times. Welcome to STIG for CF Ireland's blog...let's get you up to speed.

As you'll be aware from the piece I'm doing the New York City Marathon on 2 November in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland. On top of this my good friend and training partner John Craddock will be competing in the Dublin City Marathon on 27 October, which is this Monday, as part of our campaign.

Here's a montage charting our preparation that regular visitors to this blog will be familiar with.


There's plenty of info in the posts below about other activities we're doing as part of the build up and other ways in which you can get involved in the campaign.

If you would like to donate check out our MyCharity page and thanks for your support.

The Sunday Column - News update

There's been a few developments in the campaign lately so this week's column is dedicated to bring you all up to speed on these, along with other musings.

John Craddock will formally kick off this year's campaign on Monday week, that's the 27th, when he takes part in the Dublin marathon. We're both in tapering mode which means no booze or training until after our races. I may even consider giving up caffeine, maybe.

Before all that I've a feature appearing in Tuesday's Irish Times related to the event. It'll be in the Health supplement and focuses on the unique physical challenges facing a man of my build that opts to do a marathon. Keep an eye out for it.

We've received plenty of reaction to this post where we're looking for you all to suggest songs for my iPod playlist. Keep recommending tunes please. Every song you suggest will be played so long as we can find it.

Healthwise, the cold is setting in. I still feel grand for the most part and am piling in vitamin C and soup. I am getting a tad stressed about this whole matter so my apologies if you run into me and I seem a bit on edge about it.

New York playlist

Some of you will remember this post from last year where I asked you to suggest songs for my iPod during the marathon.

Well we're doing it again. Suggest a song and I guarantee I'll put it on if I can find it. You can have any reason for selecting a tune or indeed no reason, but if you're struggling for a reason to pick a song why not just use one of these tried and tested reasons:

1. You want to torture my ears (Barbie Girl, Hey Mickey, Macarena)
2. You want to inspire me (Rocky, Here I go again, Harder Better Faster Stronger}
3. You want to be cheesily thematic (New York New York, King of New York, Englishman in New York)
4. You love Jim Steinman (Anything for Love, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Holding out for a Hero)
5. To hell with Jim Steinman, you love AC/DC (Back in Black, For those about to Rock, Let there be Rock)

So you can choose the easy/lazy option and pick one of those or you can come up with anything you like. Leave it in the comments section below and we'll include it in the playlist.

Breaking News - John Craddock signs onto the STIG team

After frantic negotiations that required emergency legislation from both houses of the Oireachtas, STIG for CF Ireland can announce a major breakthrough. Veteran marathon runner John Craddock has signed on to the STIG for CF Ireland team for 2008. Check the video below for details:



John has acted as Emmet's coach and training partner to date in this year's campaign. He will now also compete in the 2008 Dublin City Marathon on 27 October, giving STIG for CF Ireland a competitive presence on two continents within the space of a week.

If you want to show your support for John and Emmet and donate to STIG for CF Ireland you can do so at our MyCharity page.

The Sunday Column - Meeting my team mates

Saturday morning saw me pay a visit to the Spawell to meet up with the other members of Team CF Ireland.

Twas an interesting enough event. We heard the different stories as to how people got there. Many of these were tough going, no shock there, as we heard from one girl in our group who lost three siblings to Cystic Fibrosis and two guys, also doing the race, who have children with Cystic Fibrosis.

We also shared war stories about past experiences in distance running. A couple of the others are a tad worried about the prospect of doing their first marathon. I reassured them somewhat by pointing out that I'd done three to date and was still standing.

Martin Cahill, no not The General or one of his relations, is organising our group which will participate in the race. There are three Persons With Cystic Fibrosis (PWCF) in our group that will do the race, though none were present on Saturday. I was informed at the event that this is the preferred term and henceforth it's the one this blog will use.

On the kit side of things we hit a snag. While we had no problem getting tracksuits bottoms, a polo shirt, and fleece to fit me there was one problem. I'm comfortably the biggest member of the team (no shock, how many offensive linemen do marathons?) and getting a singlet for me is proving a challenge. It's be handy to have one to wear over my t-shirt come race day.

If we don't resolve the issue it could lead to the continuation of a bizarre little tradition that has occurred in every marathon I've done to date. In 2000, 2006, and 2007 at least one American has roared "Come on O'Neill's" at me as the sports gear manufacturer's logo was the most recognisable/only insignia on my t-shirt while racing.

See, montages do work

Going into training this year my personal best for the half-marathon was 3 hours 15 minutes and 54 seconds. My hopes of bettering this time were hindered by our success in the American Football season which saw preparations put back until mid-July.

Then this happened...



Well the results for the half marathon have formally come in and I cut that time to 2 hours 56 minutes and 26 seconds, over 19 minutes faster than my previous best. Booya!

The Sunday Column - 2 PBs down, 1 to go

Yesterday was the Adidas Dublin Half Marathon in the Phoenix Park. John Craddock and I lined up with a rather large field for the 13.1 mile course.

My tactics were similar to 10 miler a month earlier, run the odd numbered miles and walk the even ones. This time though to make the time go quicker I brought along my iPod, in my new little holder for it on my arm.

I had actually paced out the playlist so that I knew where I should be by the end of certain songs. Creativity somewhat took over around 5 miles in as some songs simply had to be included even if they broke the routine.

A simple tip for any running playlist: AC/DC, lots of AC/DC. Aside from that there was a shedload of Jim Steinmann penned tunes, assorted other power ballads, three variations on the Rocky theme, and Can't smile without You by Barry Manilow. Yeah, yeah we all have at least one song in these list worthy of mockery.

Anyhoo back to the race (which began with 'Start me up' by the Rolling Stones), and thanks to my system I knew I was flying on my running miles and not too shabby on my walking ones. I had a minor panic towards the end of the fifth mile (the last one under the system) when 'Song 2' by Blur ended and I was nowhere near the mile marker. I then realised that I still had the whole of Blondie's 'Call me' to go to remain on schedule and I reached it well before the end of that.

I pushed through and was still perfectly refreshed through seven miles, around the point where the fast people finally disappear from the course and stop running into the backs of us normal racers. I'm just going to say this: Races like these with just the fast people are only paper-scissors, to play the game you need the Rock.

Unforgiveable puns aside I quickly worked out that I had a problem ahead. Military Hill, or whatever its called, is the worst uphill part in the course. It's also the guts of a mile. On the first lap I walked it but I was scheduled to run it on the second lap in the eleventh mile. This would be tough.

It didn't start well. I was breathing heavily and my legs weren't in a running mood. Halfway up the hill the help I needed arrived. 'Promontory' from Last of the Mohicans. As in this:



This was some seriously motivational music! Got through the mile, well almost. The stewards were cleaning up the course and one of them asked me if I knew the rest of the way in, this lead me to believe that they were picking up course markers and putting them in their van. I said yes and asked him where the mile marker was, he said it was around the corner. When I didn't see it I assumed they'd annoyingly yoinked it (I'll explain why I assumed they'd do something so unhelpful later on) but in fact it was 2 corners away so I walked an eighth of that mile.

While walking the twelfth these two ladies approached me and one asked "Are you Emmet?" I said yes, vaguely recognising her face. "You gave us great tips last year, we wouldn't have finished it otherwise." That was really, really nice of them I thought.

In case you're wondering all I said was that walkers should run the first 50 yards or so of every mile to freshen up their muscles. I don't know if it's a physiological or psychological effect but all I know is that it works.

Meatloaf's 'Anything for Love' (thank you Jim Steinmann, thank you!) was in full swing as I hit the last mile. Man this hurt. I pushed on for the first half mile, had to stop and walk for a while, then pressed on again for the final quarter mile. As I approached the bend I could see the clock, I had a new target. I utterly needless sprinted around the final bend to guarantee success.

You see before the race my hope was a time around 3hours and 3 or 4 minutes, which would be about a minute a mile under my previous best. I figured breaking the 3 hour barrier was a little beyond my reach at this stage but lo and behold there it was, 2 hours 58 minutes on the clock. I raced around just to be safe but this 10 seconds of sprinting was wholly a case of showboating.

I crossed the line around 2 hours 58 and 40 seconds, again this will likely come down by around a minute when the chip is calculated (this discounts the time spent waiting to get to the start line). Essentially it means I beat my personal best by at least 17 minutes which is well ahead of my target.

That puts me in good stead to make a serious challenge at my PB in the marathon proper in November. The big difference between that best and my previous bests at this distance and over 10 miles, is that I set this all the way back in 2000. A time when I was a much lighter man. Still I'm confident now, whereas before I was only hopeful.

Before I go I have to say something about the organisation of the race and it's not positive. When you pay a fee to enter one of these things you expect a reasonable level of organisation. After the problems last year I wasn't exactly brimming with confidence.

Sure enough the stewarding was far from ideal this time. There were a few problems with directions aside from the bit I mentioned earlier but the most irritating bit came at the end. When I finished they had run out of goodie bags.

This is kind of important as after three hours on the road a body is crying out for something. The goodie bags come in handy in this regard as they're loaded with sugar. The last thing I expected was that they'd run out, I've stewarded at distance races before and they usually overstock to ensure this doesn't happen.

Ah well, rant over. I wouldn't let that ruin my day. I'm delighted with the time and confident I can build on this in the weeks ahead.



Just a reminder our Mycharity.ie page is up and running. You can donate there and help us reach our target for 2008.

Keep an eye out this coming week for the first Guest Post this year...actually come to think of it, it's the first ever, on the STIG for CF Ireland blog.

The latest Sunday Column possible - Back in the habit

Egads! This is nearly a week late. I was away in San Francisco on holiday last week, hence my failing to post on time. Pics are online here so feel free to give them a gander.

Despite not training as such while on holidays the oh-so-hilly streets of San Francisco ensured I stayed in shape whilst on my travels. It's just as well as I've got a half marathon in the morning!

We'll have the breakdown of how that went in this Sunday's column which I intend to post on time.

Learning to count/read

Oops. As reported in a recent post I managed to beat my personal best (PB) in the 10-miler recently. Well had I bothered to check the post where I posted my previous PB I'd have noticed something. I didn't beat it by 5 minutes, I beat it by 10 minutes.

My official time for this year's race was 2 hours 9 minutes and 17 seconds, over 10 minutes faster than my previous best of 2 hours 19 minutes 54 seconds. The big boost of this is that I went a minute a mile faster than in my previous best time. I need to go at least a minute a mile faster than last year's marathon effort if I am to break my existing PB over that distance so this is positive news.

Now while it's great and all that I beat my PB by more than I thought it is somewhat silly of me that I failed to notice this. You see, I had mentioned the older time in the post just before I discussed how the 10-miler went. Ah well, better that I noticed it now than not at all.

The Sunday Column - Anti Training and the bigger picture

Two days 6 films, a fair bit of TV, and countless amounts of junk food. This isn't taking it easy, this is a different kind of punishment.

Steve decided to have a DVD weekend and a good weekend it was. The triple-bill on Friday of Stranger Than Fiction, The Departed, and Escape from New York got us off to a good start but I didn't make it home until 4.30am. The doorbell woke me at 10am and I never really rested between then and 6pm when we kicked off at Steve's again. This time a quadruple bill was on the cards but not for me as it turned out.

I hadn't eaten a solid meal since lunch on Friday and chocolate and crisps do not a dinner make. I got through The Conformist fine but faded badly during Blood Simple, and it was still reasonably early. Having essentially slept for the final 15 minutes of that movie I decided to stick it out for one more, so Dirty Harry was put on.

I love that film yet still the night-night express powered forward. So I missed the final film of the night, Rebecca, and trundled home but before going to bed I saw a most unfortunate message from Keith. You see Keith is running the Great North Run for leukemia charity The Anthony Nolan Trust and was going to run it with his pal Lucy but unfortunately she's had to pull out due to health reasons. I know Keith will put in a good performance on the day and he assures me that his running buddy will be fine but it still acted as a wake-up call for yours truly.

The timing of the message wasn't lost on me. I deliberately took it easy his week to let my shins recover but went a tad far on the relaxing by going mad with junk food at the weekend. I'll have to show a bit more common sense in the weeks ahead.

The Sunday Column - One personal best down, two to go.

Booya! Far from perfect but lobbing 5 minutes off my personal best will do nicely.

I went into the Frank Duffy 10-mile road race in the Phoenix Park with a headband and a lifetime best of just over 2 hours 15 minutes. So looking like a cross between Rocky while training and Will Ferrell in Semi-Pro, I lined up wearing John’s number.

I had missed registration during the week but luckily John had spotted the earlier than usual deadline and registered himself so he could lend me it if necessary. So off Emmet ‘John Craddock’ Ryan went, a man with a plan.

Like all good strategies it was simple. Run all the odd numbered miles, walk all the even ones except the last which I would also run.

I got off with ease and approaching the mile marker I considered changing tactics. I was feeling very comfortable but no, no I wouldn’t change horses mid-stream. Hannibal loves it when a plan comes together so who am I to argue.

So I walked the second mile, ran the third which was uphill. Ouch, need to plan better. Walk the fourth and I am cruising. Four and a half miles in the most wonderful thing happened. We turned onto the second lap, free from all those sodding elite athletes that keep breezing by my back as they lapped me. Pesky fast people.

At this stage I was selecting targets, using other racers as markers to watch my pace on my on and off miles. As I slowed to walk they would overtake me for a few minutes but when I started to run I soon overtook them. It worked well and as I turned onto the eighth mile I started to bear down on the sole one still ahead. I left her in my wake shortly after the last water station.

With the rain beating down I forced myself forward. The nine mile mark, I break from the plan. I need to cease running for a while. Half a mile later I kick again.

The final bend and I’m breezing past runner, I’m still fresh enough. I see the clock and cross the line with 2 hours 10 minutes on the clock. When the chip is calculated that’ll knock anything from on to six minutes off that time.

A new PB and unlike the last one I still had something in the tank. It’s far from perfect but you’ll hear no complaints from here.

Next up is the half marathon, again in the Phoenix Park, next month. My PB there is just under 3 hours 16 minutes. Then there's the you-know-what in November. One down, two to go.

The Sunday Column - Raising the tempo

Saturday morning was the first 'serious' run for myself and John. We did six miles around UCD, consisting of a single mile lap and then a five mile lap. There's no easy way to do six continuous miles around Belfield so we improvised.

The performance was not too shabby but not what I was hoping for. Of the six around four were run properly with walking breaks making up the other two. My aim was to get an extra half mile of solid running in but it's far from panic inducing.

Next Saturday is the Adidas 10 miler in the Phoenix Park. The plan is to run 6 of the 10 miles, which should be enough to beat my PB of 2 hours 19 minutes and 54 seconds. In truth I'll be looking to lob a large chunk off this time so anything less than a new best should set the panic alarm.

At present our training schedule consists of 2 kilometres of circuits, where we mix sprinting with jogging, on Tuesdays and a two mile run on Thursdays. Coupled with the longer weekend runs and races this is likely to be our schedule for the foreseeable future, possibly adding half a kilometre to Tuesdays and/or a third mile to Thursdays.

Next week's edition column will look in detail at how the 10 miler went.

The Sunday Column - Stick with the day job

"Ooh a 99," I say. No, not the ice-cream. I was expressing my delight at breaking 100 on a pitch & putt course, where par is 54. My cohorts were little better. My flatmate shot 86 while my coach and training partner for the marathon covered the 18 holes in 80.

Not one of our tee shots finished on the green, the closest amusingly being one by myself that was about a foot off. Even that was a fluke taking a wicked hit off a tree.

Here's the scary part. That's our best combined performance since we started semi-regularly playing around a month ago. Needless to say none of us will be getting called up to the PGA tour anytime soon.

The real race training steps up a gear this week. I can confidently say that there is no way it will be as embarassing as our performance out in Sandyford. It might still be dire and woeful but not on the same level as my short game.

The Sunday Column - Back on the road

Around 5pm on Sunday the American Football season ended for the DCU Saints. For me this was the end of one regimen and the beginning of another. At around 7.30 this morning it was go time. The pads were put away for the summer and out came the runners, shorts and t-shirt.

As with any programme I’ve got to begin lightly but there is the added pressure that as I’m behind I’ll need to ramp it up a bit to be ready for the half-marathon in September. This morning was only a half hour jog around Ranelagh and into Rathmines. Tomorrow will likely be similar but soon, very soon it’ll be longer. It’ll be harder and it’ll be faster.

It will also likely not feature any knocks to my noggin, at least none that are deliberate. I gave a few of the lads a bit of a scare yesterday when I spoke rather butchly about the dents in my forehead following the Cork game on Sunday and how they likely explained the killer headache I had. They dents were a result of the force of impact and not due to the helmet’s tightness, I knew it was too loose to be anything other than hits. I’m sure the other guy looks worse though.

Having thought nothing of it myself (I’m well used to getting knocks to the head at this stage, it comes with the territory) I had gone about my day normally, after all I had work to do.

After a bit of coaxing I eventually agreed to go to see my GP about it to make sure I hadn’t got a concussion or anything else. My regular doc wasn’t in so I saw the other one in the clinic who isn’t used to my regular visits about my litany of injuries. As a result she was taken aback about my unconcerned attitude towards the aforementioned dents. It turned out that I was grand and hadn’t suffered any damage.

The visit did at least give me the opportunity to share war stories with Lucy, my GP’s receptionist, about various knocks we’d both received on the playing field. She used to play hockey and had taken some nasty hits from a hockey ball a few times, and trust me those things are like rocks.

Neither of us however could claim an injury as unfortunately amusing as Anna who used to be in Commerce International with me. She got hit in the face with a hockey ball shortly before our exams in second year. The result was extensive bruising that covered around both eyes and her nose. Those of us who didn’t know she played hockey immediately thought she had been beaten up and she had to repeatedly tell people that she was not the victim of an attack.

Well that was all a bit of a tangent. Anyway as I was saying the real training is underway. I’ll keep you all informed of the early progress over the coming weeks.

The Sunday Column – The drawbacks of success

This coming Sunday I play what will be the most important game I’ve played since I took up American Football three years ago. It’s also the cause of a substantial obstacle to my marathon preparations.

While I am delighted to be on a team in the playoffs I have noticed the difference in my fitness over the past few weeks. I’m in optimum condition for football but that is not necessarily the best shape for running.

Last Saturday should have been the first preparatory race for the New York City Marathon, the Adidas 5-miler in the Phoenix Park. Due to the extension to the football season I had to give this a miss as I have with much of my running based training. I’ve bulked back up slightly, which is necessary for the upcoming game or games, but the challenge will be to drop this again after the season ends. There is an upside, strength-wise I’m doing fine and frankly don’t need to build up on the power front any more for the race. While crushing people generally isn’t an important part of marathon-running, this part of my preparations should still translate well on the stamina front when I start back running again. Still it will take my body a couple of weeks to adjust.

The knock on effect is that with a 10-miler ahead in August I’ll need to ramp up the early part of my resumption of training in order for this race to be of any real use.

Essentially the biggest drawback is that I have to shuffle matters around in order for the half marathon in the Phoenix Park in September to be at the point in preparations that I need it to be.

If I had the choice would I change any of this to be able to prepare earlier? Not a chance in hell. New York can wait; I have business in Cork to attend to first. The Admirals are my only priority for now.

1,000 YouTube views and counting

My recent experiment of mixing coffee and laptops has now broken the 1,000 view barrier on YouTube. It’s the first video I’ve posted on the video sharing site to reach this milestone and while it’s still a few million views behind Sophie’s dancing vid, I’m still pleased with its success to date.

I’ll be posting new vids for the campaign on at least a monthly basis between now and the race and I’d be shocked if any of them match the success of the coffee spill.

These shorts are far from a solo effort and we’re already brainstorming on the next few vids. If any of you guys have any ideas that could be interesting or funny then we’re all ears.

The Sunday column - Dual Masters

I introduce a young gentleman from Tallaght to the concept of pain

In journalism it's relatively easy to fiddle with an article from the Irish Times so that it is suitable for the Irish Independent. Editing that same article for the Sun or Star however is another matter entirely. The differences in styles mean the odds are a writer would be better off starting again from scratch rather than trying to adjust the existing piece.

The same is true with training. Preparing for orienteering, my training partner John’s sport of choice, is not a million miles removed from getting ready for a road race. American Football on the other hand is a whole different kettle of fish.

Today I played for the DCU Saints beat the Dublin Rhinos 32-6 at Castleknock College. Go us. It was a good old fashioned physical affair, as linemen like myself attempted to knock seven shades of…this is a family column…out of each other.

Like marathon running the gridiron is physically demanding but in a rather different way.

There’s the obvious differences, such as road racing general not involving men wearing helmets and pads and then getting rather violent, but then there’s other stuff that wouldn’t immediately jump out at the casual observer.

The type of physical exertion, both in training and game-play, couldn’t be less similar to marathon preparations. The gridiron demands a player can go for short, rapid-fire burst over and over again for around three hours.

You go, you stop, you go again and you keep on doing this until either you or your foe yields. That is it. Instead of the continuous steady pace a runner seeks to achieve, an American Footballer must be able to constantly shift gears and go from nought to sixty in an instant.

An offensive lineman like myself hits three ways: hard, fast and repeatedly. Despite the differences there are some benefits in playing this sport whilst getting ready for a big race.

The stamina I have developed from playing American Football over the past three years has certainly offset some of the problems associated with my general lack of fitness.

In the last two marathons that drive, that ability to grind it out, has helped me get to the finish line in one piece. This year it should hopefully keep me in enough condition to train hard once the season formally ends.

Once that comes around it’s off with the pads and on with the runners. A different kind of challenge awaits.

No sleep till Brooklyn...

...well actually not until Manhattan, that's where the finish line is.

As revealed in the video, I'll be heading to New York this year as part of team CF Ireland to represent STIG and hopefully raise a shed load of money along the way. The New York City Marathon, 37,000 punters taking to the streets and pounding out 26 miles and 385 yards.

This is the big one folks, one of the World Marathon Majors and the mugs have decided to let us take part. Better make the most of it then. STIG for CF Ireland has raised the guts of €3,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland over the past two years but in 2008 we plan on hammering that figure.

On top of the usual sort of fund raising activities we do, such as looking for donations (see the side bar to your right) we will be holding a prize draw which features prizes donated from lovely firms such as Cable & Wireless, Damovo, Motorola and Strencom. Only 200 tickets will be made available so check it out quickly to see if you fancy a chance at winning some of the fan-dabi-dozy prizes on offer while also helping to raise money for the cause.

This blog will be updated regularly with a new column each Sunday as well as with other posts on a frequent basis. The posts will include updates on the campaign, interesting things relating to the race, the cause we're doing this for, STIG, and stuff I find that's just plain interesting.

There will also be occasional guest posts from other bloggers on a variety of interesting topics. Plus at least once a month we'll have a video update, like the one above.

STIG for CF Ireland is a team effort and John Craddock, who ran/walked (a mixture of both really) in the first two campaigns will be acting as training partner and coach for this year's event.

This post marks the formal launch of the 2008 campaign so I, and the rest of the STIG team, look forward to keeping you updated on our efforts over the next few months.

The final total: €1,506.93

Competitive to the end, no matter the situation.

Well it's finally over. The journey that began with a 10 miler back in August, leading onto a half marathon in September, before the Dublin City Marathon itself in October, has ended with €1,506.93 raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland.

Thanks to your generosity we've beaten last year's total and we have now raised €2,797.93 in the first two years of STIG for CF Ireland. But what have we learned?

1. That slow people racing can make for a hilarious and potentially highly offensive spectator sport.

2. That a belts with big buckles can cause serious foot injuries.

3. That there is nothing as inspirational as the Rocky theme.

4. That energy drinks are basically a big pile of sugar.

5. And that Mr T made the right prediction http://stigforcfi.stigonline.com/2007/10/6-days-to-go.html

There's a few people that have to be thanked. First off a big cheers to our web guru John Healy for helping put all of this together. Secondly, thanks to Ciaran Ruane, Rachel Curran, and Carmel Ryan for providing support on the course on the day, which was much appreciated.

Last but not least we'd like to thank everyone that helped in any way with the campaign, be it through a donation, selecting a song for the iPod or just wishing us luck. It was a great boost and hopefully we can build on it for 2008. Needless to say we already have a few plans up our sleeve and they'll be revealed in good time.

Finally, I left a cheque in with CF Ireland today and they were delighted to receive the donation for all of you so give yourselves a big pat on the back. See you next year.

Nearly there

Well it's been a long road but finally we've got the cash together. We'll announce the total tomorrow so stay tuned.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this campaign over the past few months, your help has been tremendous. The plans for STIG for CF Ireland 2008 are already underway and like this year we intend to offer you guys more content and a bit more creativity in the campaign itself when we hit the road again.

We'll be dropping the funds into CF Ireland's offices tomorrow and will reveal the final amount raised shortly afterwards.

The good hurt

Emmet and John change their allegiances

“Just one minute to go,” roared Tommy Tiernan. Well I could hardly go and let down a man that made a career out of telling dick jokes now, could I?

The gun went and we were off walking. At Merrion Square we ran into Rachel, Gareth’s girlfriend, who attempted to take some photos but the camera wouldn’t work. We met her again a few minutes later where Westland Row meets Pearse St as she tried again in vain to get a picture of our merry band.

The Phoenix Park must be the dullest four miles on any marathon course in the World. John and I got there at the four mile mark where Gareth came steaming up beside us, panting like a dog. He had fallen a little behind as he slowed to chat with a cousin he met. The park was so boring that the three of us did not fancy the next 18 miles at all. In order to alleviate his boredom John decided to start running at the eight mile mark.

It was here that disaster nearly struck...someone else. As we came barrelling out of the park with the main peleton I nearly knocked over some narky short lady, though her narkiness may have been directly caused by my nearly knocking her over. It was an accident I swear.

“Oh fuck,” I thought to myself. “I’m done.” We hadn’t even reach nine miles yet but the hill at Chapelizod had me beat. Then it was as though Jim Steinmann himself came down and carried me those last few steps because once I was over the hill I was grand again, recharged and ready for action.

On to Dolphin’s Barn with a barman acting as an impromptu steward. “Straight down on the right,” he yelled as he waved wildly. As we approached the 13 mile marker I jogged slightly ahead of Gareth, almost ceremonially, so he could run up and tag me before going ahead. He decided to risk his ankle and run the remainder. For me it was iPod time.

“YEAH!” I roared as I crossed the halfway marker which was a little further up the road. It was on these same streets last year that the wheels came off as both calves and my right quad decided to call it quits, not today, not this time.

15 miles in and something is wrong, my left leg is beginning to seize up fast. I thought of Dilios in 300 “It’s just a leg; the Gods saw fit to grace me with a spare.” Luckily all I actually needed was to stretch it quickly and I was grand. Ciaran was shocked to see me at the 18 mile mark, just 20 minutes behind John. It turned out that he’d taken a brief break and in the meantime Gareth overtook him.

Indeed Gareth was going so fast that Rachel had missed him when I ran into her in Milltown, and she would miss him again at Nutley and the finish. I have to say though she was an awesome help as she provided drinks and encouragement at many points throughout the race.

PowerGel or whatever it’s called tastes manky. Ma gave me some on Foster’s Avenue along with some Powerade and it tasted awful. Still I was making good time but had to stop briefly for some running repairs as a toenail was cutting into another toe. Ouch!

Back on the road and Jim Steinmann returned to get me through from 22 miles to the 24 mile mark. A cheesefest of the highest order began on my iPod with Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding out for a Hero’, followed by Meatloaf’s ‘I’d do anything for love’ and ‘I’d lie for you’ with a short break before the Meatloaf version of ‘It’s all coming back to me’. Somewhere in North Dublin Greg Bowler is smiling.

Nearly there and with one mile to go it’s time to unleash the heavy hitters, it’s Rocky time. ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor, followed by ‘Gonna Fly Now’ and ‘Rocky’s Reward’, this couldn’t get more butch. I’m hurting something bad but damn if that’s going to stop me.

As I reach the 26 mile mark I begin to jog and there I see Tommy Tiernan roaring me on, it seemed that he had hung around to cheer on a few punters so fair play to him. Around the final bend onto Merrion Square and I’m running as hard as my heavy legs will let me. I see the clock, you bet it’s a pleasant sight, and raise my arms aloft in triumph as I cross the line.

My official time was 7 hours 16 minutes, nearly half an hour faster than 2006 and far closer to John than last year. He crossed the line in 6 hours 29 minutes, but where on Earth was Gareth?

The man with injured ankle truly had outpaced us all. His time of 5 hours 45 minutes was so fast that Rachel, despite giving herself what all of us thought was more than ample time to get to the finish, couldn’t find him and still hadn’t by the time John finished. He did turn up eventually and was duly turfed out of Ireland the next day and sent back to France.

PS: There'll be photos up on this blog in a few days...stay tuned.