An Irishman Abroad

You don't have to be coaching at the world championships, moving house, raising kids or trying to recover from COVID to feel like you are using energy you don't have to run in the evenings. There can come a point in any training block where we feel like the tank is empty. That's where I got to this week and strangely, many of our listeners reported the same experience. Week 5 of Sonia's half marathon training plan really put it up to us all. This week we review what was learned with our team captains Aisling DeMaison in France and Neil Fusco recovering from COVID in Wicklow.

On the micro level we look at whether running on an empty stomach is a good idea after I bottomed out (bonked) during the group run we organised in the Phoenix Park. Sonia looks back at a jam packed World Championships, getting lost in the hills of Oregon and explains her "Week 6 Plan" in detail. There's a trip around the parishes and some fuelling life hacks you will definitely want to hear. Don't forget there will be episode notes to follow later in the day that include the full training plan and links to items discussed on the show.

Sonia ducks away from the IAAF World Championships to give us another masterclass in training for the half marathon distance. She has a big announcement that only Patrons can hear and I have a huge prize for one lucky listener. I've been getting emails all week from squad members who have picked up bumps, niggles and of course the dreaded virus. We all know the road to any big race is never smooth. Sometimes the setbacks are easily managed with some time off but when the clock is ticking, things get a bit trickier. Sonia pops on her coaching hat and drops some knowledge on how to navigate these setbacks and walks us through the theory behind the plan for this week. Captains Aisling and Neil jump on the live line to fill us in on their progress and we even have time for a listener letter, Coke zero's impact on hydration, meeting bears out on your run and how to remain cool when you lose your car keys at the IAAF World Championships. Don't forget the illustrated and fully clickable episode notes featuring the full plan and our book recommendations.

US Correspondent Marion McKeone joins Jarlath for a round up of the US news and the latest developments at the January 6th hearings. Elon Musk's attempt to buy Twitter backfires in his face while Joe Biden visits Israel but refuses to shake hands! There's so much more to this conversation available on Patreon.com/irishmanabroad. Get access to double size episodes, more craic, more fun and more conversation with Marion and hundreds of other podcasts from the Irishman Abroad Podcast Network for as little as £5!

Want to submit a question or suggest a guest/topic? 

You know what to do!

1. Irishman Abroad Live Line: You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 00447543122330.

2. Email Jar, Sonia and Marion directly on [email protected].

For updates on future episodes and live shows follow Jar here on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.

Cathal Dennehy, Ireland’s most respected athletics writer joins us to discuss the upcoming World Athletics Championships while Sonia helps her athletes prepare for the biggest event of the year. Things are definitely heating up. Week 3 of Sonia’s training plan for the Antrim Coast Half Marathon tested our listeners with a 5 mile repeat session and a 100 minute long run. We get the feelings and questions from squad captains Neil Fusco and Aisling De Maison, take a trip around the parishes and get a revelatory tip of the week from Sonia. Hear the entire conversation, get the training plans and episode notes by visiting Patreon.com/irishmanabroad. 

Want to submit a question or suggest a guest/topic? 

You know what to do!

1. Irishman Abroad Live Line: You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 00447543122330.

2. Email Jar, Sonia and Marion directly on [email protected].

For updates on future episodes and live shows follow Jar here on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.

Award winning journalist, author and special correspondent for the Irish Examiner, Mick Clifford speaks to me about the new cold case investigation into the murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier. With multiple documentaries, podcasts, endless media coverage and rumours around the crime and the one man suspected of committing it, is it possible that a new piece of evidence  prompted the launch of the investigation? Mick vividly remembers the the time at which the murder took place and talks to me about finer details that may have been missed, his own gut feeling and a theory that gained ground in recent years.

In the second half of our conversation we talk about Mick's journey from engineering in UCC to discovering writing while dossing around Australia with a backpack. He gives me his thoughts on the future of journalism, the very Irish problem that leads to most of our scandals, Maurice McCabe, the planning tribunals and much much more. Mick is a total gent and an incredible writer and storyteller. You're going to love this episode. Why not listen to the whole thing...a further 30 minutes over on www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad. Support the creation of this podcast and gain access to hundreds of other episodes with the greatest Irish people of all time.

Want to submit a question or suggest a guest/topic? 

You know what to do!

1. Irishman Abroad Live Line: You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 00447543122330.

2. Email Jar, Sonia and Marion directly on [email protected].

For updates on future episodes and live shows follow Jar here on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.

Before handing out our half marathon training plan for the week, Coach Sonia O'Sullivan gives us a look inside a record breaking night for Union Athletics Club in Oregon. Jessica Hull's attempt to claim another Australian record has parallels with the journey of our squad to the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. If you climb the mountain too fast or skip certain steps, you can easily plummet from where you are. Our team captains Aisling and Neil jump on the live line to talk about how they found week two and ask Sonia about how to cope with doubt and nutrition. Meanwhile in our weekly trip around Strava we find one listener, Elaine De Courcy who shocked her self-with a break through 5k time.

Want to submit a question or suggest a guest/topic? There's all manner of easy options.

1. Irishman Abroad Live Line: You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 00447543122330.

2. Email Jar and Sonia directly on [email protected].

For updates on future episodes and live shows follow Jar here on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.