Thanks to all who left comments following my last post - they're really appreciated and to Thomas I'm looking forward to Ballycotton so that we may push/pull each other and Grellan around to a good time. My final placing in Dungarvan was 65th. Despite having ChampionChip timing, which I thought was to simplify the results process, the organisers managed to find 2 more runners ahead of me and 27 behind me giving a total of 895 finishers.
Well, I woke up on Monday morning not feeling too sore. I had expected to have lots of the usual aches and pains but there were surprisingly few!! A good sign so at lunchtime my recovery began with a very easy 5.54miles in 44:29 in an average of 8:02 min/mile. I joined Tony over the first couple of miles but when left me to my own pace-making I slipped down into the 7:2x's over the last few miles.
On Tuesday the aches got worse - that's to be expected, I suppose, as it's always 48hours afterwards strenuous training / racing that my muscles let me know that I've worked them beyond their elastic limit. Despite the sore calves and left hamstring and the snow I proceeded to tog out at lunchtime again planning to join Tony. Unfortunately when I went to put on my shoes - they weren't there - how hadn't I noticed that sooner. At that moment I knew exactly where they were - on my hall floor - very helpful. I contemplated (for about 1 second) running barefoot and without those fancy slippers that Grellan has, but sense prevailed and Tuesday was an unplanned day off.
On Wednesday, Tony and I actually completed Tuesday's session and this time I brought my shoes. 5.24 miles in 44:56 an 'even' average of 8:34.
Today I was left to my own devices and the lunchtime menu was a 7mile steady/tempo run. I must admit that it was a nice change from the 'easy' running and a good test that there was no residual damage from last Sunday's race. 7.18miles in 49:25, an average of 6:53 min/mile over varying terrain. The mile splits were 7:30, 6:53, 6:50, 6:48, 6:33, 6:48, 6:47 and all felt pretty controlled.
So the current race plan is to run the Carrigaline 5mile on 22nd February and the Ballycotton 10 on March 8th. Ballycotton will be the 3rd in the Munster 10mile 4-race series. I had planned on running all 4 races but it is unlikely that I'll get to the fourth race in Kilnaboy. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the time (2pm on 12th April) clashes with the quarter final of rugby's Heineken Cup (Munster v Ospreys in Thomond Park @ 1pm on April 12th) and I have a ticket!! Secondly getting from Cork to Kilnaboy on the 12th will be next to near impossible due to the Heineken Cup. (For those unfamiliar with the geography - Thomond Park is in Limerick and you have to drive through Limerick to get to Kilnaboy. On big game days the roads through Limerick become a parking lot!!) Maybe the organisers in Kilnaboy will consider rescheduling - unlikely.
Also well done to my niece Patricia who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games last weekend.
A blog about my ongoing attempts to delay the ageing process......
4 comments:
Nice 7-miler there. Pretty cool that your niece runs sprints/middle distance in college. Do you ever head out to Massachusetts to visit?
Missed runs don't seem to have hindered your progress so far this year, and I see no reason why this would change.
Congratulations to your niece, that is quite an achievement!
Mike, It's been a couple of years since my last visit - hopefully will get over again soon (once the recession is over!!)
Thomas, my justification for missed runs is that they're inlieu of recovery runs!!
Yeah Tricia is doing quite well - she ran the 400m in 57.8s and made All-American last year indoors as a freshman so she may be one to look out for in the future!! I think she gets her speed from me but my brother will disagree (obviously)!! :)
Forgetting your shoe(s) appears to be a bit of a habit - You can borrow my slippers any time. 6:53 pace average over 7+ miles is very impressive.
I'll be at Carrigaline but don't know if i'll be running as I have been asked to input times into "racemaster" after the race - slip me a few bob and who knows you could have your first win!
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