Over the hill

My confession - no run today. Last time I took a day off was the 17th Oct but I still feel whimpy. I slept badly which is so normal for me after a race, I wake up in the night with aching legs. I always used to cramp in the night but straight after I cross the finish line in a race I take a magnesium sachet now, that seems to help and drinking mineral water throughout the evening. I'd planned a recovery run but could not get myself to go out of the door first thing in the morning. I went for a 2 hr hill walk with my wife in the afternoon and we didn't enjoy ourselves, we felt cold with the wind from start to finish. Tomorrow normal service will be resumed.

A.M. Cold long run this morning, -2°C but with the wind chill factor added it was -8°C (18°F). It wasn't a run to dawdle that was for sure. I've suffered recently with cold naughty bits and got myself a pair of Helly Hanson briefs used for the first time today, the luxury of warm nether regions is not to be sneezed at. I don't know if that was a factor, or that I'd raced on Sat or the day off yesterday but I felt good and strong today. Felt no problems throughout and I added on 3k, at the end I felt I could have carried on and ran the whole marathon distance. Total 35k in 2:45:32, av pace 4:44/k or 7:37/mi.

A.M. Cold again, -4°C (24°F) but far more bearable than yesterday as the wind had died down. Easy paced recovery run, no excitement. 10k in 52:11, av pace 5:13/k, 8:24/mi.

P.M. Short, easy evening recovery run, felt chilled although it was slightly warmer than this morning. 7,2k in 36:07, av pace 5:01/k, 8:04/mi. Same planned again for tomorrow.

A.M. 2nd recovery day, -5°C (23°F) for this morning and a short but steep hill run course with 10 x 100m strides in the valley at the end of the run. The strides was the only time I felt warm. When I stand at the start line of my Spring marathon I want to remember all these freezing cold days and make sure it was worth it. Total 13,2k in 1:07:08, av pace 5:05/k, 8:11/mi.

P.M. Short evening leg stretcher up the nearest hill and back down to make up today's mileage. 0°C actually felt quite warm after this morning. Total 6,2k in 31:47, av pace 5:08/k, 8:15/mi.

A.M. Med-long run and colder than yesterday at -7°C (19°F). I wore a long sleeve thermal base layer, fleece mid-layer, windproof running jacket, thicker running tights and 2 pairs of gloves today and was snug as a bug in a rug. Its very cold here but dry with no snow on the ground and very little ice, the trails are frozen hard and make for good footing. Ran my standard hilly route, steady on the uphills and push harder on the downhills and flats. Took a wrong fork as I lost my concentration deer watching which involved a little retracing. 5k splits: 25:17, 22:58, 23:13, 23:11 & 4k in 18:28. Total 24k in 1:53:11, av pace 4:43/k, 7:35/mi. A good solid run. My left knee was niggling me, it felt stiff and awkward, no pain but not flexing properly & a slight ache in my left hip, might be just the cold.  

A.M. Easy recovery run. -6°C (21°F) and icy in patches today. Ran up to the Annasee which has a thick solid ice crust now. I would have liked to get all the kms today out of the way in one run, but the plan has a short evening run again tonight before tomorrow's tempo run. So, once more into the breech dear friends. Left hip and knee niggles still there so I shall follow Dale's advice and do some post-run ITB stretches. Total 12,2k in 1:03:15, av pace 5:11/k, 8:21/mi.

P.M. Short evening run. Wasn't too chuffed going back out into the cold but it had to be done. More icy than this morning so a bit of caution was necessary but an uneventful, get it out of the way run. Total 6,5k in 33:37, av pace 5:10, 8:19/mi.

A.M. Waited and waited this morning until the sun had crept over the ridge and threw its warmth into the valley. So the run started at the disgracefully late time of 10am but it was so wonderful to be in the sun. Had a tempo run planned at about 15k race pace, an out and back down the cycle path that follows a stream down the valley. An easy warm up 5k in 23:57, then the work began. The first 5k went by in 19:55, I felt good and hit the turnaround, then had to work harder to maintain an even pace as coming back was a gentle uphill gradient. The 2nd 5k was in 19:58 but involved a hard last 800m to get under the 40 min mark. My mind trick is to chant tempo, tempo, tempo, over and over whenever I feel the pace waning.  I eased up to begin the last easy 5k, and started coughing and feeling a little sick. I stopped and had a drink from my water bottle, and finished the last 5k in a comfortable 23:24. I'm pleased with this workout, I find it hard to psych myself up outside of a race on my own and I was a little apprehensive before the start. My wife says I've got a grin on my face like the Cheshire Cat. Had no pains until I stopped at the end, then immediately slight pain just under my left knee cap on the left hand side. Time for last minute Xmas shopping now......perhaps I should have stayed out longer. Total 20k in 1:27:14. av pace 4:22/k or 7:01/mi with an embedded 10k tempo run in 39:53, av pace 3:59/k, 6:25/mi.