Out of gas hills

I biked to work and back and am hungry.  I decide to try and revive my friday night hill session.  The plan is to do 5 minutes warm up, 20 minutes hills and then 5 minutes warm down.

In the end the hunger gets the better of me.  I bail out after 14 minutes of the hills.  I do the 5 minute warm down and then home to relax and eat.

4km Hills 24:00

Back to Track

With apologies to Amy Winehouse and "Rehab" from Back to Track:

#They tried to make me go to the pub but I said 'No, no,no',
Yes, I'm going to track, else when I come back I'll be slow, slow, slow
I need to get a time, at park run that is fine,
They tried to make me go to the pub but I won't go, go, go

I'd rather not booze today
I ain't got many days
Cause there's nothing
There's nothing you can teach me
That I can't learn from Mr. Reeves

I didn't get a lot in class
But I know track will make me fast

The number of people at the track is less than the last time I was here.  And everyone looks fast.  There is one new runner, Lee.  We do the session together.  It is done diligently, evenly and hard.  I'm nowhere as fast as I used to be but hopefully I am on the way back.

1mile tempo, 1x600, 1x1000,1x2000,1x1000,1x6000 with 90 seconds recovery

Autumn Evening run to Beckenham Cinema

I tried to get away from work to make parents evening but the trains are a mess. So after the kids are in bed I am in a bad mood. I am hungry not having had dinner but decide on a run.

I love the autumn and running in autumn even more so.  I put on my flouro jacket and head out. The early run does not have much of an effect. I enjoy the running but still feel a long way short of fitness.  Hopefully now I am on the way back. It seems funny to having just run a marathon but not be in good shape.

I swing round the sign post outside the cinema and head back. Soon I am on the downhill stretch and back  It was good to get another run in. I hope I am on the way back.

5 km 29:05

Around the estate

I'm bored at work so decide another easy run to get me back into the running habit at lunch time.  I decide to go and explore Wood Wharf on the Canary Wharf estate.  This Pontoon like structure is a home to food stalls and occasional exhibitions.  But not in the Autumn it would seem.  

I run across the bridge do a loop and then go and zip around the office blocks until I had run around 20 mins.  Nothing too fast but out there and running.

2 mile 19:10 

Back on it

After a week and a bit off after the marathon I decide to get back on it.  It's never good going back after a bad result like Bournemouth.  I decide nothing to long.  So I get the train to Clock House and run back from there.

And wham, I feel fantastic, light and nimble.  It is more my lungs that hold me back then any physical tiredness.  Good to be back.

2 miles 19:56

Bournemouth Marathon 2013

I didn't really train for this, but I think I have enough guile and residual fitness to get round.  I did 20 miles to Polhill and back and wasn't destroyed and at 9:30 pace.  It's a couple of hour drive down to Bournemouth.  I park up and prepare.  I get someone to take a photo I look fat.  I get someone else to take a photo and I still look fat.  Still I'm not after anything spectacular today.

We start off and I am remarkably disciplined.  I hold a steady pace.  The first mile takes ages to come.  The second and third are equally hard.  By 7 miles I am really struggling.

Then the sun starts to beat down and gradually I am frazzled.  Even before halfway I start a run walk, 9 minutes running 1 minute walking.   This then soon becomes 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking.  This helps.  Around mile 18 I consider DNF'ing but I want the medal.

I start to get really thirsty and at some points I am so sun effected I have to walk for long bursts though this is hard.  Towards the end I manage to do some running but I am absolutely destroyed.  Even though I am thirsty and hot, I can't drink anymore water.

Finally I spy the finish and manage somehow to sprint at full tilt.

I'm glad I hadn't trained too hard for this as even if I was in tip-top shape then I would have still blown-up.  I can't run Marathons in the Direct Bright Sun.  But who knows what Marathon day is going to be like?  I think I will train hard for Brighton and then maybe knock the marathons on the head.  To much work for too uncertain an outcome.

26.2 Miles 4:38:58

Blasting through the city

I always run better with motivation. In a race I am always faster.  That isn't true for everyone.  I know some runners who run at the same pace in training as a race.  Today I decide to run to Blackfriars via Cable Street.  I look forward to the view at the new Blackfriars Station.

I set of at a decent pace.  Then as I come into the city I start to fly.  I zip in and out of the crowds, absolutely on fire.  Every move, every swerve, hop and skip beautifully executed.  I love running threw crowds.  It is like extreme running.

The city is more interesting than Canary Wharf.  Soon I am at the Station and the view is glorious.  Really glorious.

4 miles 33:25