Over the hill

A.M. Recovery run after yesterday's race.  R achilles is tender and my thigh muscles are sore today but I was just happy to be out running again this morning. Skipped Lauftreff as I wanted to run my own pace today. It was bitter cold yesterday and we left the race straight away, I'm still waiting for the result to be posted on the race website. I know it was better than I anticipated. Total today 14k in 1:14:16, 5:16/k or 8:29/mi.

A.M. Back to bread and butter running. It had been a clear night and was cold and frosty this morning. I still felt a little residual soreness from Sat but the kms passed easily enough at an even steady pace. It was at km 23 on a 1k uphill stretch that I started to just get slower and slower. I checked the garmin near the top and I was running at 6:22/k, a granny with a zimmer frame could have overtook me. For the next 5k I gathered myself a little but slowed up again on the last wee hill. The 2k drop into town was no problems but I was happy to finish. Total 31,2k in 2:28:08, av pace 4:45 or 7:38/mi.

A.M. Recovery run day, the plan calls for a double today, 10k in the morning, 7k in the evening. I was raring to get out the door, it was a little warmer and the run felt really easy. I added 5k as I was enjoying myself so much. Total 15,2k in 1:18:19, av pace 5:09/k or 8:18/mi. This is faster than my normal recovery run pace, I'm half anticipating a crash soon.

P.M. Couldn't face the treadmill so went out zigzagging through the vineyards above the town. A bit of moonlight and a lit up castle helped me along in the dark. Short and easy 7,5k in 39:03, av pace 5:12/k or 8:23/mi.

A.M. A little tired to begin this morning, I woke up feeling hungry in the middle of the night then struggled to get back to sleep. 16k  with 10 x 100m strides was on the plan.  After warmup I decided to run alternate kms at easy pace and gmp. Initially it felt easy but the last couple of kms was a conscious effort to hit mp. The coup de grace was the strides at the end of the workout, I was trotting slower and slower in between to recover. Much warmer temperatures this morning and I was overdressed, but thankfully the snow is nearly all gone now. Total 19k in 1:24:28, av pace 4:27/k or 7:09/mi with 8k at gmp.

Happy Thanksgiving to you across the pond.

A.M. Med-long run day and it dawned warm, wet and muddy. A pleasure not to feel cold today. England had crashed out of the Euro 2008 last night after a truly dismal performance and my concentration on the running wasn't there intially. Up the hill and into the woods and the first thing I saw was a dead deer across the track. A few seconds later and the hunter's 4x4 was following me to pick up the carcass. Trying not to look like a deer I settled into a steady rhythm enjoying the downhills and cursing the uphills, a normal run. Felt tired again at the end and I look forward to a recovery day tomorrow. Total 23,3k in 1:52:11, av pace 4:49/k or 7:45/mi. Enjoy your turkey.

A.M. Another wet, misty morn with visibility down to about 100m. Recovery run today and after feeling battered at the start, felt progressively better during the run and picked up the pace a little. Kept the distance to the planned 10k, at the end I really wanted to run a couple more k but resisted the urge. Total time 52:57, av pace 5:18/k, 8:31/mi.

A.M. Last week after my race Sasha had left a comment suggesting I try and run 800 meters all out on the track to see what speed I have at the moment. I incorporated this into todays med-long aerobic run. I warmed up, then ran the 800, ragged breathing from 200, felt myself involuntary slowing dramatically at 600 then picked up again for the last 100. It was an honest effort and the time was 2:45. The McMillan calculator based on a 3hr input marathon time shows the 800 meters time should be 2:24. I'm way too slow then and its showing me I need to work on my speed.

Immediately afterwards I felt really drained and still had another 16k to complete my run. I picked up slowly then felt not fast but really strong, and I ran far better than my normal easy run pace. The rest of the run went like a dream, really enjoyable, hills no problem. I wish I could feel like this more often. Total 21k in 1:34:44, av pace 4:31/k, 7:16/mi.