West on the canal

After yesterdays Rockett's session I still had the romance of the canals in mind. I was planning to head the opposite way to the usual rockett route. Just outside the office bumped into Paul Savage also out running. He joined me and I told him my plan. He warned we would soon run out of canal and hit Angel.

At Angel we looped back via Clerkenwell. The pace was much faster than I would have ever run by myself but at no point did I struggle. It was a great run with good company who knew where they were going.

7.1k @ 5"10 / km

Rocketts Lockets

Went out with the city based running club at lunch. Tuesday and Thursday are intervals up and down the canal. The standard is high, very high. The elites were talking about "the nationals". The warm-up run to the canal is near my 10k race pace. I had been there once before with Niall but dropped out after 1 rep. Fortunately there were a couple of friendly faces in Aisha and Paul.

At the canal 10 sets of 1 minute intervals were called with 30 second recovery. 5 out, and 5 back.

Even after the first rep, the elites were stretching into the distance. After 3 I was dropping off the back of everyone. My spirit was flagging. At this point I found another straggler(also in Nike frees). We ran the reps with utmost dilligence. After the 5th rep we turned back towards the start. On the 10th rep the super-elites caught us on their return. So I managed to run at least 2 reps with them.

The canal was beautiful, finding a fellow straggler boosted my spirits further. I think I may stick with it. I'll never be elite, but one day I may reach the dizzy heights of "not very good"
8km fast and intervals!

London 2012 beckons...

Missed out on the running club the night before because of my forgotton keys so needed a lunch time blast.

Took the mapmyrun iPhone application which uses gps to track your run. One feature is that it will "speak" your current distance, time and speed through the headphones. At one point on my run down to st. Katheryns dock and back It told me I was running at 3"03 / km, which by my reckoning would put me in line for the 5k world track record. More likely the GPS struggling with the tall buildings....

5.5k @ 5"30 / km

Shopping run

A quick run to Spitalfields and the chocolate shop. Really loving the freedom of the Nike frees. Feel so much lighter and agile in them. 4k @ 6.5 - 7 with a couple of stops for shopping.

Late long run

Was desperate to get out for my long run. Very early Saturday morning had been scuppered by the baby screaming the night away. Early Sunday it was my turn to look after the kids.

After a large Italian lunch of Calzone, Beer and birthday cake the motivation was lacking. A look at the weather indicated heavy rain. The rain-radar indicated otherwise.

In the end an uneventful run out to Petts Wood, back past my front door, out to Kelsey park and back. To keep me going I was fuelled by a pocketful of Skittles. The run felt harder than it should but was glad to have got it in the bag. 16.5k @ 6"30 / km

Hare and Hounds

It's the Work handicap race, the "Hare and Hounds". The last few runs I have been the Hare. This week I am 5th to go (i.e. 5th slowest) Darren sets off 6 seconds ahead of me. It appears he has never run before as his time is a guestimate. We run, and I follow his yellow shirt all the way down the embankment, across Westminster bridge. All the time 6 seconds behind.

Just before Vauxhall bridge he is losing form and looking weaker. We get to the bridge and I surge past him on the hill that is the bridge span. I feel I have him beaten. I then take the next runner on Millbank. In front I can see the two girls who are running together. They are dispatched across Lambeth bridge. Rapidly the Hare is taken and I am leading.

On the South Bank towards Westminster Bridge, Darren cruises past me, closely followed by the two girls. Darren is looking strong again. He hurdles the barriers under Westminster Bridge. I say to the girls, narrowly in front of me,
"Didn't realise it was a steeplchase?"
They grimmace, possibly at my poor humour.
Suddenly they go wrong. They head back over Westminster Bridge. I continue to follow Darren down towards Blackfriars. The whole time that 6 seconds behind. A man steps out in front of me talking on his mobile phone.
"Get out the way you %^&$£"* *&^%$"
The harshness of my comment suprises even me.

I wonder if I can take Darren on the hill of Blackfriars, but his form looks rock solid. I realise there is no sprint in my legs, even if I was able to draw level.

I cross the line sensing a good time. I congratulate Darren, but he is oblivious to our epic battle.

Darren has dragged me to a record time (1"40 better than any Hare and Hounds time, a staggering 3"00 better than the first run on this course) I hope that next time the competition is as tight to drive me on.

5 miles (8.19Km 38"15 PB) 2nd (Handicapped)

Reverse Westminster Loop

Cycled to work today so wanted a nice easy run at lunch time. Was going to run the Westminster loop, but decided to do it "backwards" for a change (Over Blackfriars Bridge down the South Bank, over Westminster Bridge and back along the Thames heading back in to the City at the North Side of the Wobbly Bridge)

The South Bank was littered with puddles from a nonexistent rain storm. Worse still were the Tourists. By the time I reached Westminster I was wading through the crowd. Even heading back along the North side of the river they were ambling along six-wide. It doesn't look good for the Hare and Hound race on Friday partially along the same route. I put it down to the good weather and half-term

By the end the legs were aching and the pace faded. It still felt good. The sun was bright, more yellow and spring-like than the cold, milky-white sun of recent glimpses. Still embryonic, glint in the father's eye stuff, but maybe Spring is on its way.

Around 6.5k at a slowish pace

Orpington Rain Runners?

It's been raining all day but I am determined to get out tonight for my 3rd run with ORR. I arrive and there is no more than a light drizzle. I go with John's group which promises 5 miles at 9.5 - 10 with regroups. John has an air of many years running experience. Running through the suburban streets, John suddenly darts off left and right down back alleys, sending those straining at the front off the wrong way. 4 miles in the rain starts to become heavy but not enough to dampen the spirits. A few streets before the end the sprint starts. The stragglers fall off the back. Those of us well within our comfort zone zip away off the front. Not knowing Orpington well I am lost and relent, finishing well short of a sprint knowing that there was more in the tank. 8.65km in 56 minutes.

A quick blast down the river on remote control

Had to go and find a new remote control for the video and could still feel the weekend's long run in the legs, so only time for a quick blast down to Waterloo bridge and back. Was on the new Nike frees so was worried about the calf muscle getting lively. Lots of other runners out so could not resist kicking on when I saw runners coming the other way. Turned it into more of a fartlek session. The
new remote? Didn't work...