The fatally flawed Salomon Sense Pro Max
I should have paid attention to the warnings in other reviews. The Sense Pro Max has 2 problems which render it unusable.
I read some reviews of the Sense Pro Max last year and they looked like a good pair of mixed surface running shoes. However they came with the usual Salomon price tag and I didn’t have a specific need for them.
Fast-forward to January this year and I started getting worried about the footwear I was going to use in my first 50 Miler, the Liverpool to Manchester Ultra. Then I spotted that the Salomons were half price on Wiggle.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Monday, March 12, 2018
2017 - The year of running 1000 miles
At the start of the year I set a 500 mile goal in Strava. I'm shocked and delighted that I hit 1000 miles instead.
2017 was probably the year I stopped feeling odd when calling myself a runner. I achieved a bunch of new things in running, including my first 50k, and managed to do just over 1000 miles for the year.
Start running now If you are thinking of taking up running in the new year, go for it. No excuses. Forget about “I’ll wait until I’ve lost some weight” or “when the weather improves” or “my knee is a bit twingey”.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Saturday, December 30, 2017
A round-up of Conor's recent races. Lots to recommend!
We've had a busy summer of runs as we build up to the NYC Marathon
I’ve been having fun mixing up the length and style of the races we’ve run this Summer and Autumn. Whilst my speed remains atrocious, I find that my recovery time is getting shorter and shorter, which must be a sign of something. So here goes, June to September:
Cork City Marathon What can I say? It broke me again. I started so well - faster than last year and feeling strong.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Monday, October 2, 2017
Dear headphone manufacturers - Big opportunity to own the marathon market
Wireless, 100% waterproof, rugged and lasts for at least 6 hours per charge
I really wonder about headphone manufacturers and their testing. I own everything from no-name €10 Chinese wired earbuds to €100+ Jaybird X3s and every single one of them is problematic for running.
In the US alone, over 550,000 people ran a marathon in 2016. Scale that globally (with a 13% growth rate) and that’s a substantial, defined, receptive, target market.
My goto pair for the past 2 years are SMS In-Ear Wired Sport earbuds.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Review of The Trail Runner's Companion by Sarah Lavender Smith
A very readable and useful guide for anyone starting ultra running. Big thumbs up.
I wrote about my first 50k a few weeks back. I still smile every time I think about it. I’m already signed up for a 40 miler in the Glen of Aherlow in September (3 loops, so I have a get-out-of-jail) and I’m trying to decide what my first 50 miler will be. Suffice to say, I’m really getting into this whole trail running thing. And one of the main reasons for that is the brilliant work done by YouTubers, Instagrammers and Podcasters in this area.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Wednesday, August 30, 2017
The Chiltern Challenge 50k - Conor's First Ultra Marathon
I had one aim - finish. And that's exactly what I did. A wonderful run on a lovely route.
I made this comment on Twitter last week:
Any chance we can narrow "inspirational" to mean "inspired me to action" instead of "isn't that a nice story"?
— Conor O'Neill (@conoro) July 19, 2017 It was partially driven by the silly overuse of “inspirational” but also by the fact that I was inspired to run 50km last weekend by all of the amazing Ultrarunners in the US and Europe and the stories they tell via YouTube, Vimeo, Blogs, Twitter, Instagram, magazines and books.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Sunday, July 23, 2017
Quick reviews of Inov-8 X-CLAW 275 trail runners and Leki Voyager poles
I've finally bought myself some things to deal with muddy boggy Irish hills
One thing I’ve learned as I’ve dipped my toe into off-road running in Ireland is that we don’t really do trails. Apart from forest paths, the bulk of what I’ve found is wet muddy bog. This causes me two problems - it’s difficult to run in it and American-style trail runners are useless in this environment. My poor Altra Lone Peak 3.0 may as well be slick tyres coming down from Mullaghmesha Mountain.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Sunday, June 11, 2017
Rosscarbery Surf Turf n Tar - An instant classic Half Marathon
The most fun I've had in a race since I started running
This is going to be a post full of superlatives.
When I first heard about Surf Turf n Tar, I was instantly excited. I’d done most of the course in chunks already and it’s currently my favourite place to run. You have every sort of terrain and views, all in a compact area.
The race started just opposite the Celtic Ross Hotel and headed down a little road. You hear of elite ultra runners “blowing-up” at 50 miles.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Sunday, May 21, 2017
Conor's Roundup of Recent Runs
Everything from local little trails to the Brighton Marathon
I’m not a great one for detailed mile-by-mile race reports so I’ve bundled a bunch of them together.
MCI Marathon Ballina We joined the Marathon Club of Ireland last year and I’ve been very impressed by the number of events they organise. They have so many amazing athletes who have done 25, 50, 100 and even 200+ marathons.
On the 25th of February, they arranged 3 Marathons in 2 days in Mayo.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Monday, May 1, 2017
All my current running technology
What running tech do you need? None, zip, nada, nothing. But if you're interested, here's my gear.
The only thing you need to run is a pair of running shoes. And some people even get by without those. This is regularly driven home to me by the guy in his GAA top/shorts and knackered shoes who laps me in parkRun.
But if you read this blog you’re probably a geek like me and of course I’m riddled with tech when I go for a lot of my runs.
Posted by Conor O'Neill on Saturday, April 15, 2017