Push the pain

I set out today for a lunch time run without much of an expectation. I am busy, busy at work so I only have half an hour. For no reason in particular I set my heart on a particular route: across Blackfriars bridge, down the South Bank, across Charing Cross Bridge, Down Victoria Embankment and back. through Paternoster Square

In my mind it is a touch over 30 minutes, but I go for it. As I run, I push the pace. I'm rather liking pain recently which is all good. I cross back to the North Side of the river over Charing Cross Bridge. It looks like I might be able to do the loop in under 30 minutes. In the end I get back to the office 30"30 but got caught at a couple of traffic crossings so, I'm not too sad.

I still love running in the Nike Frees.

As I cross Paternoster Square, I relax. I'm enjoying this. I run better. So I work on relaxing and it does seem to make me run better. Something to work on.

30"30 6km at a guess.

Tourists, Tourists, Tourists

Was still recovering from the run to work yesterday, but today fancied a little run at lunch. I zoom down across Southwark Bridge, down the South Bank, across Tower Bridge, along the Thames Path West and back up to Guildhall.

My form feels good and I run fast. I am nimble, I weave in and out of crowds, dancing past the tourists. And my, there were a lot of tourists. When the crowds are right, running become like an extreme sport. I run fast but have to skip and work my way through people. I have to be careful not to hit anyone, because someone of my build would absolutely flatten them, especially at speed. But it is fun, really good fun.

By the end of last week and after Park Run I felt really exhausted and sluggish. The combination of a long run and a day off has brought some perky-ness back

30 mins ~5 1/2km

I love work so much I run there

Run to work today. It was our house warming the day before where I probably ate too much and had too much beer.

Still I had set my heart on the run. It was also the first run from the new house to work (I had done the work to new hourse run previously) The pattern was 9 minutes on, 1 minute walk recover.

I progress slow and steady until I reach London Bridge. Then as always my pace kicks in. I don't know if it is because I know I am nearly there, or maybe it is the people around that spur me on, but the last mile and a bit are always done at a crazy pace, weaving in and out of the crowds.

I do love the long run. I feel great all day

1hr54 11ish miles

Park Life

Back to parkrun for the first time in a while. I think I have got faster recently, so I think a good time is in order.

The wife and kids cause me to run late. I need to run from the car park to the start. My legs feel wobbly, and not good. The weeks Cycle Commute, paired with a lunch time run seems to be taking its toll.

The first few km are so-so. Around 3.5km I have a battle with a female runner. We trade blows but eventually at 4.5km she drops me.

At the finish I still turn in a sprint. I look at the watch 23":24 not a PB but not bad. I had a stage where an average Bromley Park Run was 24:30. Now an average park run looks like 23":30. Still work to be done

5km 23":24;

In the Flip Flops

Only a 4 day week this week, but I cycled to and from work every day. Tonight is the key stage in the Tour de France. A massive mountain stage which will decide the race. So for my route home in trinute, and a little off course, a route over the Col Du Crystal Palace. Lunchtime's run better be a gentle one.

The best way to limit my pace, is to go next-to-barefoot in the aqua shoes. With Goldman Sachs and The Telegraph in the news (thanks to Conrad Black) a little run down Fleet Street is the order of the day. As I near the Savoy the heavens open with rain. But running in the aquas is such an enjoyable feeling, I don't care.

I run slower but when I finish I feel refreshed and so good. Maybe it is because it is a different focused effort. Not focusing on pushing harder, but having to concentrate hard on form to be faster. If you run to hard barefoot, it hurts. To move quicker, you have to be smoother, more elegant, more relaxed, easy going. It's hard to describe.

30 minutes, aquas, rainy, heavenly.

Pain

A like cycling. I love watching the Tour de France. Cycling is all about pain. Understanding and learning to love pain.

On today's lunchtime run I start off fast, down towards Blackfriars Bridge. I then run down the North Side of the Thameside path towards Tower Bridge. The pace starts to hurt; pain. I embrace and work with the pain. The fast pace is kept up for the whole run. I loop back past Lloyds of London and down London wall, all the time pushing.

Sometimes when running by myself I don't push myself hard enough. Today I pushed the pain and felt my fitness expand.

I had cycled to work again. On the way home I pushed the pain again.

30~mins, fast pace

Project 79 update -> bad, weighed myself at 87kg (1kg heavier!)

Boom!

Had cycled to work but still felt a lunch time run was in order. I'm not in a black mood, quite fine actually, but still fancy the run down to the Wapping Canal.

I set off, reasonably fast it is a hot day but bearable. Suddenly, before the turnaround point at the bridge by Tobacco Dock I go boom. All my energy drains away. I am in trouble.

The pace slows further and I struggle to keep running. A couple of times I stop to a walk. The run back takes way longer than I had planned for.

The funny thing is, on the cycle home I have recovered completely and feel totally fine.

5km ~30 mins, couple of stops, traffic lights

Hare and Hounds

After the annoyance of the Great City Run last night and getting stuck in the crowds, I knew today would be a clear run, apart from any wandering tourists. I still feel off form and sluggish.

I am around 6th to go. I start of strong and keep pushing. I overtake the first guy afte about 1km and he drops off rapidly. I guess his estimated time must have been pretty poor. I overtake another couple at the fire station before the turnaround bridge point. The final runner is taken just before Lambeth bridge. This puts me in the lead. I must be running strongly. Still, when you are in the lead, you have that fear of being caught.

On the run down behind the embankment, a car goes turn across me. I stop it with a police style hand gesture and keep running. As I start to climb Blackfriars bridge, I spot two runners who have gone wrong. I take them with ease. I am still in the lead and must be on for a good time. I sprint into the finish and over the line first. 30 seconds later Charlie finishes.

I had not started my stopwatch correctly so would not know my time until published later in the day. I wait patiently and am then disappointed. 40"00. (My PB is around 39"00. It turns out that everyone was a couple of minutes possibly because of the wind. It just felt so much faster.

5 miles 40"00

Great City Run Ruined

Despite not being on top-top form I still had this eyed for a PB. My 5km PB is 22:59 at Park Run. This is a flat course, on roads with a bit of a crowd.

In the changing rooms I bump into Shane. Shane would probably be running something around the 17 - 18 mark. A fantastic runner, modest and a thoroughly top bloke.

As I arrive at Bunhill fields I stop to chat with the rest of the work team. I then move towards the start and then disaster. The race is broken into 3 categories: Sub 21 mins (People like Shane, who didn't think this was strict enough), 21-27min and Over 27 mins. I end up at the back of the 27mins.

The race starts and I am in crowd-hell nightmare. At the JP Morgan corporate challenge, I had got to the front of my pen and it was a joy to run in. Everything you need for a good time: competition, crowds, atmosphere...

I am currently not checking my lap times as I run (I go through fads) but the first km is done over 5 minutes. The second km can't be much faster. As I swing past the pub local to work, I can see all of my colleagues standing there, some with Vuvuzelas. Because of the slow start I am able to but on a good sprint and blast past them to cheers and blasts on the horn. Round the corner I slow down.

Maybe at 3km the race starts to open up. I try to make up lost time and give it a good push. The run down London Wall, round the museum of London and back, I push hard, keeping on the edge of the red zone. This is all good practice but I feel cheated. It cost the running club £25 to enter this race. Jogging 5km is not good value.

I still sprint for the end, look at the time: 24 minutes. I had clearly made up some time but. I went through stage of running 24.5 minutes at park run, so I must be improving.

5km 24"00 Crowded and fustrating

Bursts

I had to get a new tent pole from the camping shop that had been broken on my very unhealthy family holiday.

A quick run over to just past Spitalfields. Knowing it would only be a quick run, a couple of times I really open up. I still feel a little jaded from all the holiday fayre but I can feel the benefit of 4 days rest.

I spend 15 minutes in the camp shop and then head back.

I run at high speed down a busy Bishopsgate weaving in and out of crowds, changing pace, trying not to flatten anyone. Fantastic fun.

In the end my pole problem was not solved, but good to be running again.

2km - 2km kind of fartlek

Corporate Challenge

For 12 years I have been running the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. Every year I alway came away disappointed in my performance. In fact the first year was my worst ever athletic performance. I had just spent 6 months in the US and was near 16 stone. I struggled to get round and had to walk for large periods. Next day I ached like never before and did for a number of more days.

This year was to be different. Based on my 5k PB of 22:59 I set a target of sub 26 minutes. The Corporate Challenge always suffers with crowds. This year they had chip timing and started people in waves. I got right down the front of my wave. At no point did I have to walk with only a couple of points to slow down.

In all the race goes well. 3.5km in and I get a stitch. Just before I started I had taken an energy gel. Possibly related.

In the end I drag myself round in 26"19. A satisfactory result. Last year I did 29"30. I am already thinking of next year, and I need to lose weight to squeeze the time.

My quickish time (100th out of 570 runners from my company) meant I got back to get the barbecue before the crowds.

Lots of beer afterwards but I did run the couple of miles to Victoria.

5.6km 26"19

Orpington 10k

A beautiful day and even the wife and kids came to cheer me on. It's a hilly offroad course so no PB on the cards. I just wanted to ensure I was in form ahead of Tuesday's crucial corporate challenge. (I say crucial, as I have to turn in a good time to avoid ridicule in the office)

Back today, and the start was a little "cluttered" For the first few KMs I struggled to elbow my way past some runners. All through out I notice the well placed marshalls. As I run through a beautiful wheat field with poppies on the edge, my breath is taken away.

All the near-bearfoot running has sorted my form out a treat. I feel a lot more nimble and graceful. A couple of times a put 3 or 4 metre between me and a fellow runner simply by negotiating the terrain more elegantly.

For a couple of KM I am followed by an elephant, thudding in to the ground. It upsets my sensibilites. I ponder saying to them if they ever pass
"Hey, google Barefoot when you get back home!"
They never take me, and I probably never would have said anything.

An older guy, possibly around 50-55, keeps taking me on the flats. As we come to a hill, I take him. The enjoyable battle goes on for 4 or 5 km, and eventually I kill him off on a hill.

A couple of times we cross busy, busy roads and the traffic is halted by the Police and Marshalls. A lot of he drivers beep their horns in fustration.

As I re-enter the sports ground for the finishing lap round the grounds, I try and spot the family. But I am focussed and start winding up to the sprint. After I have gone by them, I suddently spot and turn round and wave.

In front of me is a guy, possibly 55-60. I think I can catch hime and open up. He edges away. As I cross the line, he congratulates me. I say to him,
"I almost had you. I think he feels flattered, that I really wanted to beat him. That's the good thing about running. You race the competitor, irrespective of age or sex. You give it your best.

A good run, and I was happy with my form (in all senses)

10k 50"40 Hot 'n' Hilly

Assembly League at the dome

The computer network and work had packed up and I was allowed to leave work early. This meant I was the first runner here. From Petts Wood, Andrew, Clare and Phil showed up.

The assembly league races tend to be random in length. This one was promised to be 5k. Unfortunately the garmin ran out of power at the start.

It was a lovely evening, and I felt good. A nice tidy run all gearing up to Tuesday's corporate challenge.

Unfortunately due to the quality of the team I was 4th and last PWR home!

5.2k 23"23

Three bridges relay

I was in the works 'C' team. I was quite proud of not being in the 'D' team. A 4 way relay of 2.3 miles starting at Westminster bridge, over Vauxhall back over Lambeth and home. Starting on the first bong of Big Ben at 7, the target is to beat the hour. Unlikely with me in the team.

At the last minute one of our team drops out. Via email Shane (unknown to the rest of the runners) offers to run two legs, the first and last.

Finally when I meet Shane at the start, he looks a bit good. Too good to be running with a duffer like me. We chat for a bit, and I ask him his 10k time. 36 mins. Very, very good.

This should be interesting.

Shane runs the first leg, and we estimate that he comes back 7th. We slap hands and I speed off. Some of the faster teams second runners zip past me, but after the initial burst I hold my place well.

Half way round I start to feel the pain. But I can't let the team down. I start my sprint early, misjudging the finish, but the crowd cheers and I open up more.

I touch hands with Aisha, and shout some encouragement. I started the Garmin late so I do not know the time. The pace says 4"29 per km which would put me in line for a 22"30 5k. My 5k PB is 22"59.

Aisha comes back and Shane zooms off, all long limbed elegance. I wait for him to return. I chat with Charlie who is really hoping his team can break the Hour.

Eventually Shane flys back over the line. A number of minutes later Big Ben bongs. We did it!

I think Shane may be set for the A team next year.

A really great night and while I might not have been the edge I was proud of my run.

2.3 miles, 17ish minutes