This weeks taper has turned into more of a downhill sprint!! Still I don't think it will do me too much harm as a rest is always good before a race - isn't it?? My legs have been feeling a bit tired lately, another good reason to rest, and a mysterious cramp type feeling has appeared since Wednesday in my left lower calf / Achilles region. No apparent reason and it's most noticeable while sitting / lying. Strange....
So far this week I've only managed to fit in two runs. Both 'easy' approx 5.5 miles on Tuesday and Friday.
Tuesday it was 5.61 miles at lunchtime in 39:54mins (avg. 7:06 min/mile @ 155bpm). The splits ranged from 7:21 to 6:46 min/mile as the run progressed.
On Wednesday I cam home to a surprise. Apparently East Cork AC won the team prize at the last 5 mile race and I made the team. John Walshe had taken the trouble to post my prize a €20 voucher for the local running store John Buckley Sports. Thanks John. Almost a cash prize - so may I should turn pro?? Lets see, €20 for 30 minutes running isn't a bad hourly rate!!!
Today I ran over the same course (5.62 miles this time) in 40:31 (avg. 7:12 min/mile @163bpm). The run today felt laboured especially over the last 2 miles. The splits were more consistent 7:41, 7:09, 7:11, 7:03, 7:02, 7:06. Paul, a colleague from work, who's just coming back from a knee injury which cost him 2 years or so, joined me over the first couple of miles - good to see him back in form.
It's a bit strange how my heart rate was higher today than on Tuesday even though the pace was significantly slower. Mr Garmin tells me that my heartrate was elevated from the first mile (146 today compared with 140 on Tuesday) and that difference was effectively maintained for the run. What this is down to I don't know. The weather was a few degrees higher but I still wore skins and hat etc (i.e. winter gear), so maybe I was just too warm today. Maybe I was concentrating on doing too much talking to Paul or maybe there's some other reason. I just don't know. Hopefully the high heartrate is not a sign of things to come....
I'll go for another easy run tomorrow morning just to keep the legs fresh and then it's off to Ballycotton on Sunday.
A blog about my ongoing attempts to delay the ageing process......
4 comments:
To avoid those calf cramps try not to sit or lie down until after Sunday - it may just give me a chance of keeping up with you.
Now let's see who can come up with the best excuse for not performing on Sunday! Excess taper does not count. Good luck!
I think it's a law of nature that the last run before a race is always sub-optimal. The worse it goes, the better your race will be.
thanks guys .. I'll be thinking of plausible excuses..
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