Category: Short run

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Small step

I’m not sure whether half a mile counts towards anything, but remembering that I had been exhibiting signs of silly walks after my previous two runs, I ran half a mile on the machine this morning.

I had inadvertently christened my ‘indoor’ running shoes in the mud yesterday (not strictly true, as I ran the marathon in them, although this was mainly on tarmac), so I decided to run barefoot.  I had intended to do a mile (in order to be worthy of mention) but after a quarter mile I remembered that I had just eaten breakfast and I decided that there was a balance between loosening my leg muscles and upsetting my digestion at the start of the day!

By the way, I have to report that, as hoped, the lethargy had indeed gone this morning leaving only a trace of tiredness.  However, after my active day yesterday I was to be found comfortably dozing on the sofa for 30 minutes around 9pm last night and after another 20 minutes reading, fast asleep there for a further hour!

One step at a time, huh?

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Good & Early

I was due to help a neighbour move a concrete shower tray (double-size) at 8.40am this morning so I got out good and early for a short run.  I’ve not run for two weeks and I think that a combination of heat over that time and no exercise has been leading to a little unusual lethargy first thing in the morning… and also  to my eyes starting to shut around 9.30pm.

It was almost not a good start, as I managed to switch off my alarm without waking up and it was fortunate that Kim nudged me awake at 6.30am.  I sat and woke up with the usual quadspresso and the current book, which is about evolution and language… it’s not as dry as you might think and I was so engrossed that I almost ran out of time, only making it out the door at 7.20am.

I took my favourite little circuit (Royal Oak, Wivelsfield, West Wood, Magical Path) and it was a truly beautiful morning to be out and about, especially as it was still cool enough to run.  Nothing of any import occurred, although I did manage to get 47 minutes of good random thinking time over the 5.2 miles… not that I can now remember particularly what was going through my head, but it was very pleasant.

Having showered and helped move the (heavy!) tray, I set about putting a first coat of paint on the penultimate house wall… I had completed the previous wall on Saturday before we went out to a brilliant party in Hartfield.  With the wall drying, the brushes washed and the sun high and hot in the sky, I sat down to read in the tea-house… alas, not for long.

Somehow, Kim drew my attention to a blue trellis on the big final wall and I set about removing it with gusto… after which it was an easy step to get the paint back out.  I’ve no idea how long it took me to put the first coat on, but somewhere in the region of four hours and rather than a restful and relaxed afternoon I had planned, I spent it pumped up, basted and lightly grilled on gas mark 8.  Still, at least it’s a step closer to the end and it’s going to look great!

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Picture this

Picture me, if you will, sitting peacefully in the tea-house, lap-top on lap, cup of Earl Grey to… er, hang on just a minute.  As I was saying, picture me in the tea-house with a cup of Earl Grey to hand, penning this very line and appreciating the fruits of yesterday’s labour: The big hedge which I gently manicured (with the aid of a hedge-trimmer), the clear roof of the tea-house, which I washed and hosed down, and the tall bamboo panels in the corner ahead of me as I sit, which I removed and replaced straight as they had been knocked sideways by my neighbours replacing their own garden fence.

I did one or two other things and the general combination sent me to sleep on the sofa around 8.30pm… from this point, aside from getting up and going to bed, I slept for 11.5 hours straight and woke this morning in a slightly groggy frame of body.

Nevertheless, after a banana, a good strong coffee and an hour spent reading the Economist, I sallied forth in my liveried running kit.  Cliff had been unable to run this morning and while I briefly flirted with the idea of driving to Jack & Jill, it was simpler to run straight from the house.  Mindful that my last two runs were short ones around the same circuit, I determined to go a different way and for slightly longer.

I ran out past Ote Hall and to the small hamlet around Wivelsfield Church, where even the public footpaths are well kept.

I then ran past the quizzical Alpacas (although I always think of them as Debbs Pyjamas, so convinced was I that this American friend of Darens was hallucinating about what she had seen on a walk around the local countryside!)

As I ran to Wivelsfield itself and out the other side, I reflected how beautiful the countryside around here really is.

I ran most of the way down Hundred Acre Lane before cutting across to the industrial estate and on down the Magical Path.

From here it was only a short way home across the common.

Overall it was a very pleasant run indeed and though I was alone (as you can be with dog-walkers, cyclists and other runners on a warm June day), it was gratifyingly less like the target-driven training runs that typified the first four months of the year!  This was reflected in the 1.13 that it took me to cover 7.45 beautiful miles (a slumberous 6.12mph).

Tea finished, I must away and find a chore or two to do, lest I can’t get to sleep on the sofa this evening.

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Flora & sauna

Cliff had thrown down a gauntlet of sorts yesterday by suggesting that I could (in part) redeem my relay-absence by running the Seaford half-marathon, scheduled to start at 9am this morning.

So 8.45am found me ready for the off for the first time in a month.  Alas, I was nowhere near Seaford at all!

Instead, I ran my lovely little short circuit and was glad… glad that I hadn’t run in the heat of yesterday and glad that I hadn’t been so stupid as to rise to Cliff’s gauntlet.  Why?  Because, despite the comparative coolness of the morning, it was super humid out there after the torrential rain last night.

I was also glad to be back in the lush greenness of the UK!

5.2 miles in 44 minutes, despite the humidity and the lack of practice… not a bad first outing, but I fear that I’m going to have to come up with some better excuses if I’m going to skive off any more big races!

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Hot lap

This morning, delayed by a lay-in, dawned cool and overcast and after the gorgeous spring weather that we were experiencing in April, felt colder than it probably was.

I put my longs on, along with a long-sleeved top with a t-shirt over the top. This was sheer vanity, I’m afraid, as the tight black shirt and tights hide none of my bulk, or rather lack of it!

As I trotted off down the road I realised that my hips still ache when I run… I was hoping that I would have recovered from the rigours of the marathon & training programme by now.  I’ve not been stretching diligently lately though, so that could be part of the problem, but at least the discomfort faded as the run progressed.

My route today was the same as last week… the lovely path out to the Royal Oak, Wivelsfield, West Wood and the Magical Path… and early on I decided that I would at least try for a good time.   Reading my posts you might surmise that I’m more often reluctant than not and this morning was no different… I was happy to run, but it wasn’t super-enjoyable!

Within ten minutes I had got hot under the two layers but I pushed on regardless.  The going was mainly dry and rutted which meant that I was running with my gaze just in front of my feet most of the time.  It was generally hard work and I hoped that this indicated that I was running faster, rather than I was unfit.

There is little of consequence to report other than I almost caught a lady with her trousers down on the Common… she had just stepped into a snug little corner in the bushes and lifted her jacket as if she were preparing to have a pee when she clocked me running down the hill towards her… it was a close run thing and there was an almost tangible sigh of relief on both sides!

I motored along the last section of road to the house to finish in a time that was less than 44 minutes, which I was not overly impressed with.

Until I looked back at my previous times and realised that out of the 22 times I’ve run this route, my best time ever was 43 minutes and I’ve also only managed 44 minutes once before  So second-best time ever and although it wasn’t easy, I didn’t keep the pressure on all the way around so I reckon I could do it faster.

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Duathlon

I’ve had an interesting week of meetings, networking and training events, but I had not managed to get out for a run.  I’ve also not had the opportunity to write, so there was a dual imperative that I got out there this morning and did something at least.

Cliff had decided to run (too) early from the kayak club so I had opted to run from the house for a change and when I went to bed last night it was with half a mind that I would get up this morning and run up to Ditchling Beacon and back.

But the day dawned cooler than expected and I’m reading a really engaging book at the moment, so I settled deep into an armchair for the duration of two large quadspressos.  I watched obliquely as it first started to drizzle, then rain lightly, then more heavily, all the time cognizant of a reducing desire to run.

It finally came down to the writing, as in ‘no run, no write’.  So I reluctantly pulled on my gear and headed out into what was now a torrential downpour!  I can’t think of the last time that I got this wet, this quickly… it was actually hilarious and to such an extent that there was good really bonhomie with other folk who were out and about.  None of whom, on reflection, had umbrellas and most of whom were laughing as I was.

If there was an event that involved swimming and running at the same time, then this was good training for it!

I had already given up on Ditchling Beacon and opted instead for my short woodland route.  This took me out past the Royal Oak, which, from the well tended garden and amazing new deck at the back, looks as though it has recently completed a refurbishment.

I then touched on the back of Wivelsfield, where the rain started to ease, before running through West Wood to the Industrial Estate and then on down the Magical Path.

After that it was a short run across the Common and back up to the house, where I arrived in 47 minutes, dripping wet as if I had been standing in the shower all that time.

I’m clearly not on good form at the moment as I had painful hips on the way round and I’ve felt really wheezy since returning… and whilst 6.6mph is okay, it’s certainly not the fastest time I’ve set on this route by a long chalk.

At least I now have a great excuse for curling up in a warm place with a good book for the rest of the day!

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An easy hour’s run on Sunday

There were a few days earlier in the week when I experienced what it might be like to try to walk when I’m older.  This encompassed walking straight legged on the level, using my hands to help me get up stairs and coming down stairs sideways, ensuring that both feet were on a given step before tackling the next step.  This was allied to a constant low level of pain, with occasional bright points which would elicit a gasp or loud wince.

It was Thursday before I felt like a gentle jog, although I didn’t have the time to get out.

Yesterday we spent in the garden so I had a general light workout and 8.30am today finally found me at Falmer, meeting Andy and Cliff for my first post-marathon run.

After yesterday’s glorious weather I was concerned that the day might be a hot one (not good for the London Marathon), but after a warm start there was a deluge of rain and the temperature lowered to a manageable level.  Andy and I both started off in shorts and rain jackets, losing the latter after 15 minutes, whilst Cliff opted for pedal-pushing three-quarter length longs.

We ran to the north to Balmer Hill, then south through Balmer Farm to the A27 and, having crossed the road, continued to Newmarket Copse, the Falmer Road and back down into Falmer.  It was 7.15 miles and our 1.08 time gave us an average speed of 6.3mph.  Thankfully this slow speed was due largely to the stoppages, of which there were several… and whilst I won’t dwell here on the various excuses, it must surely be a sign of the advancing years of my comrades!

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Another ‘other 3.25 miles’

In contrast to March 15th, the day after the last time I ran 22.95 miles, I decided to take it really easy earlier today.

I set the machine to 6mph and completed 3.25 miles in 32.17, my ankle only twinging lightly in the first half-mile.

Afterwards I marvelled at how relaxed my legs were, although not so now, alas, having been sat back at my desk for an hour!

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Late post-run run

I had resigned myself to not running today, on account of a painful ankle, knackered legs and a touch of hayfever.

That is, until I spoke to Cliff this afternoon.

Despite running a 50-mile (FIFTY MILE!) race on Saturday in Paris with Pete and Daren, the lune was still seriously contemplating going to Circuit Training tonight!

In the course of trying to persuade him to be more circumspect, he persuaded me of the merits of jogging in order to be able to stretch my legs out properly.  So that is what I did earlier this evening.

3 miles took me 29.52 and whilst my ankle is still about as painful as before, my legs are a whole lot less stiff.

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Fast Friday Five-miler

Earlier this morning I climbed aboard the magic carpet to do my weekly Friday-five-miler.

I started at 7mph and increased the speed by 0.2mph for each quarter mile until I reached 9mph.

Then I reduced the speed by the same amount until I reached 8mph, where I stuck it out until the end.

My heart rate was only in the low 170’s even running at 9mph, but then it didn’t drop down again as the speed decreased, which suggested that I had had a tough workout.  Even as I was running I knew that I could have run faster, but this still turned out to be a personal best.

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 37.23

Average speed 8.02mph, narrowly beating my time on the 3rd February