I joined Bray around 10 years ago. I coached for a brief time. At first I ran mountain running races. Then I moved to cross country. I have dabbled with track and road running but never been especially successful on those surfaces. My most succesful season was 2003/2004 where I medalled at National Novice and National Intermediate Cross Country and managed a 5th in the National Short Course Cross Country (actually I finished 6th but one of the guys who beat me was banned for drugs shortly after). I also helped out with UCD athletics back in the day and helped bring that club back into being competitive after several years of decline. I was away from Ireland from 2004-2010 (did I miss any events in Ireland while I was away?) where I was a member of Highgate Harriers, University of London AC, University of Warwick AC and finally Coventry Godivas AC. However I have always kept up my membership of Bray Runners and kept myself active in the club.
Here is a little piece about my recent training,
"They tried to make me go to rehab, I said no, no, no." - Amy Winehouse.
2012 was not a good year for me running-wise. It started well with a 15:45 on the roads on New Year’s day. I followed that up with a good sub 26-min 5 miler in Raheny. However that evening I was in pain. I had plantar fasciitis type symptoms. I took a few months off and maintained my fitness with a lot of cycling. I gradually got back into training in late April and combined it with dry needling therapy to keep myself able to train. I ran a few races here and there and trained through the discomfort. It was a niggle never quite an out-and-out injury. I was getting by but never quite managing any consistency. In July I felt that I needed a complete break and wrote off the rest of the season.
...and I haven’t run since. Strangely though, I don’t feel worried and I am much happier now than I was when trying to train through an injury. Now I am working hard with my strength and conditioning to eliminate my underlying problems – lack of glute control, knees falling inwards, bad posture, lack of ankle flexibility, lifeless feet (especially toes) with no strength or control.
most runners seem to view conditioning work as some sort of penance and do so sparingly, sporadically and they quickly try to forget about it once they get back running. That was my approach up until recently. Now I’ve learnt my lesson.
Rehab plan – starting at about 3 sets of 30 repetitions per exercise without using extra weights and then building up to a single set with a much higher volume of repetitions (50 or 60) using weights.
Exercises: lying side legs raises, lunges, squats, single leg squats, bridging with leg extensions, plank exercises, lower back exercises (dorsal raises, etc), calf raises. The emphasis is on keeping good form throughout. After a while, being in the gym for lengthy stretches isn’t so bad. Particularly when the weather is bad. Will it work? The initial signs are good but only time will tell.
Richard Owens
Joined the club at age 8, stayed for a year or two then had a 5 year exodus leading to a comeback at age 13 when he and his sister joined back up. This month will be his 9th year back in the club, and he has loved every minute of it. He has taken part in a huge number of events at county, provincial and national level for the club. Over the years he has won numerous under age titles but in more recent times has won the Wicklow Novice and Intermediate Cross Country titles and came a close 3rd in the Wicklow Senior last year at his first attempt. As a junior he won both Road and Cross Country Wicklow titles.
Over the past few years since giving up rugby to run full time he has devoted himself to the shorter distances of the tartan track running 800 and 1500meters.
Current Pb’s are:
800m: 1.55, 1500m: 3.58.33, 400: 51.2
Richard helped Tuesday night coaching for a number of years before university commitments mounted. But still today actively helps up and coming young Sli Cualann athletes giving advice down the track and training with them whenever he gets the chance.
“Over the years I have so many memory’s and have seen so many people come and go. Some of my most vivid are running up and down the eagle nest steps on Saturday mornings with Martin Corcoran’s group. Over the years I must of run up and down the prom a few hundred times in the rain on cold dark Tuesday nights. Roaming across Bray head over the years has 100% lead to my talent to run up steep hills fast.”
Still actively running and training hard Richard currently trains under James Nolan in UCD up to 7days a week.
His Typical week currently goes something like:
Monday: am 30mins pm gym + 40mins
Tuesday: Session 12x60sec hills
Wednesday: am 30mins pm 40mins
Thursday: 5x1mile
Friday: Gym plus 40mins
Saturday: 2x12min tempos
Sunday: 10miles
Upcoming plans are possibly a Cross Country Season, University Road Relays and probably another training trip to South Africa to get ready for next summer’s track season.
“quod in omni vita facimus in aeternum resonat"
