High Court planning decision ‘will have massive implications’

Despite very cold, wet and windy weather over the past three weeks, I’ve still managed to get in all my training sessions. I’m a few weeks ahead of my training plan so my last three weeks have consisted of two 8km weeknight runs and a 14km on Sunday mornings. I’m up to 140km on the legs now and I will gradually increase the distances over the next five weeks.

My physio, Cameron McKeever, has been seeing a lot more of me of late, every two to three weeks so far for general maintenance work. Despite using my foam roller a lot, Cameron still manages to find knots that I have missed. Luckily, I have a relatively high pain threshold to get me through those sessions. I’m also doing extra stretching that seems to be working.

And the good news after six weeks of running is I’m averaging an extra one hour of sleep per night. I’m eating the same amount of food and my weight is down over 3kg, I’ve dropped one shirt size and my belt is down a notch. My fitness has also greatly improved. My VO2 Max has increased from 43 to 47 and that apparently puts me in the ‘excellent’ fitness category for my age. I also returned home the other night having run 8km and my wife said to me ‘you look as if you haven’t even run yet’. It’s always nice to hear comments like that.

Plan, what plan? Everything was going so well until the last week or two. I was getting out doing my bit, following the plan as best I could with work and family and all the other things life throws at you. But, then I played a match last Sunday and the body came away a little broken and very sore for several days so a run was out of the question. The problem was the few days ran into a week and absolutely nothing was achieved running wise. Then I forced myself out for a jog – a slow but good jog – and I think I broke the cycle. Only three short runs accomplished but three more than sitting on the couch. I’m behind schedule by a week and need to make that up over the next two weeks. I’m feeling positive about being able to do that though and will be having a stern chat with myself to achieve it.

It’s been tough, but it’s nothing that can’t be overcome. So all energies are going into getting back on track and doing better next week.

Whoopsie! This time around, I didn’t quite experience the same motivation or maintain the intended structure I did in the first two weeks.

I missed one run due to icy conditions on the roads and then the guilt snowballed into one big massive run drought, resulting in no runs getting done in the third week of my training.

My legs felt heavy and tired and the initial excitement of the new challenge started to wear off. I felt very little sense of accountability yet felt pressurised by my own conscience. Looking back, I did pack a fair bit of fitness in, what with rugby training, a tag rugby match and some swimming.

The fourth week was much better, but I failed again to stay on track with the set plan. I got three runs in: physically they felt easy but psychologically were hard to get in to as my mind was busy on getting back to work.

My objectives for the fifth and sixth week will be to follow the plan, integrate more stretching and foam-rolling into my daily routine and read more of Eoin’s book to keep myself motivated. Ultimately, whilst I did not stay on track with the plan, I did make efforts where possible given my current mindset and tired body to keep fit and get out. A High Court ruling which determined that An Bord Pleanala must reconsider its decision to deny two brothers planning permission to build on their own land has important implications in Wicklow according to Cllr John Snell.

Speaking at last week’s meeting of Wicklow Municipal District, Cllr Snell outlined how brothers Paul and Tony Porter had mounted a High Court challenge to a decision by An Bord Pleanala to refuse planning permission to build homes on lands in Ballylug gifted to them by their father. He said their sister had previously secured permission for a house on the lands.

In her ruling, Justice Miriam O’Regan directed that the planning applications by Paul and Tony Porter must be reconsidered by An Bord Pleanála in line with her High Court findings.

Those findings included that the board’s refusals were irrational when it had, on appeal, granted permission to their sister Stephanie for a house on the lands at Ballylug.

Cllr Snell said that the refusal by An Bord Pleanala had stemmed from the County Wicklow Development Plan. He commended the brothers for taking the action saying that ‘not many people in the State have the money, drive or ambition to take such a case. This will have huge implications for one-off housing.’

He asked district manager Joe Lane if someone from the planning department of the council could meet with the members to go through the application and the ruling. ‘ This is a unique and historic decision. I’m not questioning the planning department but I’d like someone to go through it,’ said Cllr Snell.

Mr Lane said it was unlikely that anyone from the planning department would attend the next council meeting.