Category: Good Days

Country Roads (Take Me Home)

Even on a cold March day with no hint of blue sky, 8 miles along country lanes like this will always beat a trot down the Stroud Green Road. I’ve been staying at the parental home this weekend and managed to get out twice, with varying success.

The first run, the dreaded ‘tempo’, is best passed over swiftly. Thanks to a minor stomach complaint it was cut short as I too was caught, um, short. I managed 36 minutes and walked (shuffled) the rest.

Today’s was thankfully untroubled by bowel-related incidents. I did however see a Red Kite, two Buzzards, a live rabbit, several dead ones and a farmer demonstrating the right place to wear a Barbour jacket and Hunter wellies (ie in a field, rather than Dalston). Amid all this nature watching, I also managed to run 8 miles at 7.5 mins/mile without really noticing.

A good run.

25 miles this week, but not a great start to the training really. I felt sluggish then ill on the interval and tempo sessions so plenty to improve on.

Quantum Leap

It took me a while to work out what was wrong on my run this morning. Everything seemed strange from the start- I was too warm, even wearing just a t-shirt, and the people I passed were different, and there were so many of them. Instead of workmen and postmen there were families with dogs chatting in the middle of the path, getting in my way. Pavement cafes had sprung up overnight and a hungover man eating a packet of crisps walked into me .

If I had left the flat an hour earlier I would never have seen any of these people. The Early Me would have wished I’d worn a thicker top, and saved a minute not having to dodge buggies and dog leads. I keep thinking about what Early Me might have got done in that extra hour after finishing today’s 8 miles, but Late Me knows the answer is probably not much, and maybe Early Me wouldnt be thinking right now that spring is on its way.

It was a good run in the sunshine. You can’t ask much more of mid- February really.

Weekend round-up

It’s late, but here’s my weekend round-up and summary of last week’s running.

I had a skirmish with some wine on Friday night so Saturday’s run started out painfully slowly, but after 15 minutes the fug cleared and I felt good, maybe even great. Ran 8 miles in an hour dead on, a 7.5 minute mile average.  Buoyed by this success I proceed to clock up a massive zero miles on Sunday. Oops.

At New Year I made a semi-serious promise to myself that my baseline would be 25 miles a week, when not training, and last week’s the first week I haven’t made it – only 17 miles.  Proper training for my next race (Ranelagh Half Marathon on 8 May) doesn’t start until the end of February so I’ve got 4 weeks to get serious.

Six in the Morning

After yesterday’s brush with incontinence, I was quite happy to find today’s run a bit dull in comparison. It was cold, it was dark (even at 7.30 when I got back) and I was half asleep, but I ran six miles without really noticing and it felt good.
 
I stuck to the usual route: to East Finchley and back down Muswell Hill. Mostly uphill for the first 2 miles, then I get to sit back for 3.5 before scaling Mount Doom.  It’s really not a big hill but it gets steeper every morning. There is a particular stretch of pavement which is so full of potholes it’s like negotiating an Alpine pass. One day I’ll break my ankle and then Haringey Council will… not really care.

I’ve eaten a biscuit for every mile I ran this morning. It wasn’t part of a nutritional plan, but maybe it should be? I might try the same thing tomorrow with glasses of wine. Might? Will. Toodlepip.